From Fat Vader
Question for you JG, are you a NY pizza guy with the thin, huge slices or are you a Chicago deep dish, stick to your ribs, layer of sausage on top kind of pizza guy. Surprise surprise, Fat Vader loves to talk about pizza.
Fat Vader –
Pizza is a big topic at the 5-at-10 compound, too.
Let’s break this down a little. (As for FV’s other question this week, yes, by comparison, we think Ben Roethlisberger and his checkered past will get in the Hall of Fame before Terrell Owens. Now T.O. may get in there in timeliness terms before Big Ben since Ben still has some years to play and then you have to wait five years to be eligible. But Roethlisberger will be a first ballot guy – as will Ray Lewis – and their sins were light years worse than T.O. being a sketchy teammate. And that in a nutshell is why these voters using morality sensibilities on stuff like this is so flawed.)
Alas, to a far more agreeable topic – pizza.
We are a thin crust guy. Now and forever more. Now, it’s not like we’ll turn down the thick crust, but if given the choice we’ll go thin every time.
For the toppings, our go to fav is bacon, banana peppers and mushrooms, but we are adventurous and like your list, too.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) From Skip
Why do you think there are so many triple doubles now compared to previous seasons?
Skip –
Great question, and very timely considering that Russell Westbrook is on a triple-double pace for the entire season.
With another triple-double Thursday as the Thunder topped the Cavs – who were at full strength despite pregame reports that the Big Three would sit (and considering Cleveland lost anyway, they probably should have sat them all things considered) Westbrook has 26 on the season.
That’s tied with Oscar Robertson for the most in a season ever. Of course, the Big O had 41 in the season he averaged a triple double and Wilt Chamberlain had 31 in ’67-68. There have been an NBA-record 65 triple-doubles before the All-Star Break this season. The previous mark of 45 was set in 1961-62 according to Elias.
As for the reasoning, we have two theories.
First, the guards of today are so athletic and big. It’s the evolution of the basketball species in a lot of ways. We have 6-foot-8 point guards and 6-11 shooting guards like Kevin Durant. Heck the Greek Freak in Milwaukee is a 7-foot point center.
Yes, Westbrook is only 6-foot-4, but that takes us to the other difference in today’s game.
With the advent of the stretch-4 – the power forward who camps at the 3-point line like a Kevin Love – the lane is more open for guards like Westbrook and James Harden to rebound the ball. Also, more 3s, mean more long rebounds to players on the perimeter as well.
That said, regardless of the reasoning, the sheer athleticism in today’s NBA is crazy.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady walks off with his MVP trophy during a news conference after the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) From a lot of you in various forms
What’s the best comeback you have ever seen?
Before we get to it, we have to share this stat that Elias dropped on us this week: In the Super Bowl era prior to last Sunday NFL teams leading by 25 or more points are 2,545-4-2. In the playoffs, teams leading by 25 or more are 102-2.
So by the numbers, it’s a pretty massive comeback.
If we are going to do a Rushmore of the best comebacks in sports history, we’ll go with these (in no particular order):
Sunday night as the Patriots crushed the should of Falcons fans everywhere.
Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, when the Mets rallied from three down in the last inning to force Game 7 and win the World Series. (Yes, that’s the Buckner Game.)
The 2004 Red Sox, who were down 3-0 to the Yankees and rallied to win the next eight games.
Reggie Miller erasing an 8-point deficit in 11 seconds at MSG.
We’ll go Super Bowl LI as the last one on the list, which sadly leaves the epic John Tyler-Plano East high school football classic off the Rushmore.
Gregory Peck is shown as attorney Atticus Finch, a small-town Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape, in a scene from the 1962 movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.”From Mike
You had a great Rushmore this week with lawyer movies. Did you ever decide on which ones make it?
Mike –
We had some great nominees.
A Few Good Men is very entertaining (although people who have ever been in the military for the most part despise that movie because of how unrealistically sassy Tom Cruise’s character is.)
The Grisham novels turned out some excellent feature films, and we believe A Time to Kill is the best of his bunch.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic, too. In fact, there are a lot of great lawyer movies now that we think about it.
But if we were going to pick a Rushmore of lawyer movies, we’ll start with To Kill a Mockingbird. We’ll add 12 Angry Men, Philadelphia and Primal Fear. (A sneaky one that is way underrated is Harrison Ford in Presumed Innocent.)
In the comedy division, we love the choice of My Cousin Vinnie, and will add Legally Blonde and Erin Brockovich and finish with Otter’s memorable legal discourse in Animal House. (I thought you were pre-med? What’s the difference?)
FILE – In this March 26, 2016, file photo, Chino Hills’ Lamelo Ball, left, goes to the basket against De La Salle’s Jordan Ratinho during the second half of the CIF boys’ Open Division high school basketball championship game in Sacramento, Calif. Chino Hills won 70-50. Ball scored 92 points to help Chino Hills beat Los Osos 146-123 on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) From Steve
Man, that high school kid from California scoring 92 points was crazy.
It made me wonder considering your job, what’s the most points you’ve ever seen someone score in a basketball game?
Steve –
Man, what a great question.
The names that came rushing back certainly made me smile.
I saw a kid in Smyrna named Joey Pitts – he later played tennis at UGA – score 80 points in a 9-and-10 game on an 8-foot goal. He was light years advanced compared to the rest of the league, and he was left-handed so he just got to the rim on every single possession. Seriously, if we had to guess Joey was like 36-of-40 form the field with some free throws mixed in.
We were in the stands when former Georgia Tech star Brian Oliver dropped 52 on Lassiter one night. Our best was 40 in a game at Paulding County our sophomore year. We got to 39 once as a senior at Lithia Springs.
The next night, we had 29 at halftime against Douglas County, and Coach Boyd said he’d let me try to set the Campbell single-game scoring record. (At the time it was 44, though we doubt if that number still stands since there have been some players come through there since then.) The one condition being as long as I didn’t act the fool.
After hitting a 3 from the corner on the first possession of the second half, a cocky and jackwagonish 5-at-10 looked at the Douglas County student section and said, “No one can stop me.”
Next dead ball, the buzzer sounds, in comes Jason Guest and as I walked by coach Boyd, he says “I can stop you. You’re done for the night.”
Finished with 32 in a one-sided win. Alas. If we knew then what we know now, right.
Have a great weekend.