OK, let's handle our BID-ness.
Here's today's A2 celebrating the return of the Armed Forces Day parade here in ChattaVegas. This is the 72nd consecutive year with the event, the longest continuous streak in the country.
You know the rules. Here's Paschall on Mike Bobo, who apparently gets a free set of steak knives with every SEC stop he makes, looking to go Olivia Newton John - "Let's get physical, physical" - with the Auburn Tigers.
Congrats to Justin S. for winning the vote and the gift card for his H-O-R-S-E nomination to break the Derby contest tie.
Good week, gang.
To the Rushmores:
Rushmore of prayer: Lord's Prayer, Prayer in Jordan Hare, Livin' on a Prayer and Little House on the Prayer-E.
Rushmore of '5,' sports division: Joe D is a no-doubter here, Fab Five in Michigan (even though they didn't win a title), Johnny Bench and 5-on-5. (And even I'm old enough to remember when you got 5 seconds in the lane rather than 3.)
Rushmore of movies set in space (non-Star Wars division): Alien(s) (both singular and plural), Guardians of the Galaxy, Apollo 13 (which is enough in space to count, but The Right Stuff is not, if that makes sense) and Star Trek II.
Rushmore of Motown: Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Berry Gordy.
Let's get to the mailbag, and we'll try to be quick. I'm aiming to get downtown for the parade this A.M.
From Bicycle Bob
Hi Jay,
I know you LOVE the Draft. And I seem to recall that you said you and your family also like to watch Jeopardy. Well, the Bicycle Bob household LOVES to watch Jeopardy; especially the Mrs. So we had problems (Major Big problems) in the household last Friday when WTVC pre-empted Jeopardy to show the Draft...even though it was being shown on ESPN at the same time. And to add insult to injury, we saw where Jeopardy was going to air at 3AM or something so we set the recorder. But that announced schedule was off by fifteen minutes, so all we got was the first half of the game show. My Mrs. is a kind person, but she now says that she HATES the Draft. Was wondering if the Draft caused in consternation in the Greeson home.
Bob -
Great question, and I hope Mrs. BB does not extrapolate her hatred of the draft to me because of my affinity for it. I love the draft. You know this.
We were free in clear at the 5-at-10 compound for a couple of reasons.
First, planning. Everyone knew the score. There are a couple of sacred TV events for me, and the draft was one of them.
Second, flexibility, as in the Mrs. is more than willing to put up with my shenanigans. (Side question: True or False on a Friday, 'shenanigans' is wicked underrated and under-used.)
Finally, happenstance. We were at the ballpark and actually needed to tape Friday's Day 2 festivities.
That said, Bob's excellent question brings us to another TV quandary form this week.
The Fox Sports regional networks have been sold to the Bally's, and while the staff and the voices have remained, not sure the product is as polished.
I had that opinion before Thursday, which was rather startling. As the Braves wrapped a much-needed series sweep of the Nationals, Thursday's game was not on TV.
It was on YouTube. Yes, this is a trend that will only grow, and yes, as the YouTubes and the Amazons gain power and the TV broadcast platforms become more and more gambling-related, the interweb companies will push for more and more exclusive live sports content.
Which leaves me with two hopes:
I hope my teenager is around to fire up the smart TV and get the Braves on the YouTube and I hope, for Bob's sake, Jeopardy doesn't move YouTube, or Mrs. BB may hunt down Al Gore and kick him in his interwebs.
From Spy
If Hunter Greene has a sibling, should be we glad - for her sake - her name not be Marjorie?
Clooney Rushmore. And there is one. O Brother Where Art Thou is far left. Oceans 11. Not what followed. Up in the Air. The Perfect Storm. (I guess that leaves off Facts of Life, huh?)
Is there another slang term for grand slam other than salami? Salami? Friend. Salami as slang term for grand slam? Eh, it's OK.
As for Tony LaRussa's blunder, it's a) all day. You got all offseason to bone up on the new rules. Other managers have it mastered. I guess you don't.
Hope he didn't drive home after that game. (Too soon?)
Spy -
Well-played, sir. Well-played indeed.
I agree the answer is is a) and someone should be fired for it. Not knowing the rules - at that level - is inexcusable. Which gets us back to the need for restructuring the roles and staffs of the sports we play.
Do the Braves really need a bench coach? What is Walt Weiss' role? To make sure Snitker has the mask with his number on it, that the Copenhagen is out of camera view and that there's enough CoCola in the cooler for hitting Kevin Seitzer, because if I was the hitting coach of a bunch that is hitting like this, I'd need a belt or three to stay calm?
Of course, Weiss is there in case Snitker gets thrown out of the game, but unless they start tossing managers for using the wrong salad fork, it's hard to see Snit ever getting tossed. Snit's so nice, I bet dude said "Thanks for your time" after an IRS audit.
The whole LaRussa experiment is puzzling to me, because on-field leadership in baseball these days is 100% about relationship control. Well, 99% I guess, with the other fraction being that the manager or one of his underlings know the rules. (Side question: True or False on a Friday, 'underlings' is wicked underrated and under-used.)
As for Clooney, yeah, that's OK, but not the kind of catalog - because after that, there's not a lot of enjoyable options - you'd expect for a bona fide A-plus list Hollywood power player.
For that reason, in some ways, Clooney gives me a very George Hamilton vibe, in that he's somehow become famous for being famous, if that makes sense.
Question for the group: Who do you know personally that shares the name with someone famous or has a very unfortunate name? There was a kid in Smyrna named Tommy Hanks (His older brother Chris Hanks went to high school with me), and that was before Hanks hit it really big. You have to go Tommy or Thomas later in life, right? You can't be in accounting with 'Tom Hanks' on the desk, can you?
From Steve
I know this may be late for the mailbag but did you see Billy Crystal's interview and the reaction?
It made me think of you.
Steve -
I saw it late this morning, and the basics are hardly surprising.
Crystal called comedy a 'minefield' an opinion I completely agree with. And we've kicked that topic around before around these parts. In fact it's a minefield for everyone - because there is simply no way Eddie Murphy could do Delirious or Raw these days, is there? And those are two of the best stand-up routines ever.
And that Crystal did blackface characters in his SNL days is becoming a talking point for his 'blatant' racism.
The Twitter comments about the interview Crystal gave to the NY Post are amazing to be honest. Amazing. And frightening.
Frightening because when the modern prism tilts toward the rearview, the images almost always become distorted.
And in Crystal's case, what is more telling, the images of a young comic 40 years ago in black makeup impersonating Muhammad Ali or the photographs that show the glorious friendship between Crystal and Ali in real life?
His opinion is mighty benign on this topic for it to be getting the hatred from so many circles it is generating.
But it's hardly surprising.
From Chas
Jay, please describe your H-O-R-S-E game in Friday's bag. Side note squared-Which NBA player would win the world championship of H-O-R-S-E?
Chas -
First, I think Vader's call of Steph Curry is the right answer for current NBA players.
I think Larry Bird wins all-time because a) his competitive nature rivals everyone's, MJ included, and b) Dude believed he was going to make every meaningful shot ever, and for the most part, did. (Side note: Those McDonald's commercials with MJ and Bird playing H-O-R-S-E - "Nothin' but net" - were gold. Gold, Jerry.)
As for my style, well, I can shoot it. Text book form, actually.
Also, pretty decent with my left, which is an underrated H-O-R-S-E weapon, as well as making the called bank shot.
Never got super good with extreme trick shots like bouncing it off the floor and making it or behind the glass. I'd rather beat you with a thousand paper cuts of made 12-footers and the occasional corner 3 ball.
Plus, I'm not missing free throws. Great question.
Have a great weekend, friends.