Loads to get to on this glorious Friday.
Let’s start with the Rushmores.
› Rushmore of Gene — Hackman, of course, Simmons, Billy Jean King and Gene Upshaw. Liked the off-shoot ideas like Hy-gene, blue jeans, regeneration, Gene the dancing machine because we all need more Gong Show.
› Rushmore of Johnny — real Johnny Cash, Carson, Deep and Appleseed; sports Bench, Unitas, Manziel and Chris Mullen, my favorite St. John’s player ever and one of my all-time favorite hoopsters. Johnny in the movies — Johnny Walker (QB in “Johnny Be Good”), Johnny Utah (Keanu in “Point Break”), Johnny Fontaine (“You can act like a man”) and “Here’s Johnny” from “The Shining.”
› Rushmore of Sean Astin movies — “Goonies,” the “Lord of the Rings” stuff, “Rudy” and “Toy Soldiers.”
› Rushmore of “Miracles” — Miracle on Ice, “Miracle on 34th Street,” Children’s Miracle Network and all of the Jesus efforts. Speaking of miracles by the Son of God, during the Lil’ Miss 5-at-10’s pre-K at Signal Crest back in the day, their spring play was Jesus feeding the masses with fishes and loaves. Well, the lead kid playing our Savior was holding a plastic fish. The kid next to him on the stage was a sweet little chap playing one of the apostles. The lead kid dropped the prop and the pre-K Paul unloaded an “Oh Jesus!” and the entire place fell out. Good times.
› Major props to Dan Earl and the UTC Mocs. We will get into this a little more next week, but UTC wrapped up the SoCon regular season title last night. That’s well done and means the Mocs have a secured spot in the NIT, if I remember the rules correctly.
Wow, the gift bags at the Oscars are worth $216K. Seriously.
Have offered this notion on these parts and other spots in the last week or so, but here’s Paschall with the SEC tournament quandary and Chuck Barkley’s entertaining thoughts to ESPN.
From Chas
Jay, for the bag, please list five bullet points of things you accomplished this week. Failure to respond will be may be interpreted as resignation.
Chas
OK, well, let’s start professionally.
Five 5-at-10s. Five Jay’s Plays that, well, Fight Club by the end of business tonight. Six podcasts for Southeastern16 (three on SEC baseball, two on SEC football and one on gambling with my man Brian Edwards; you can find them here).
Volunteered twice to work the ticket table for the local high school district basketball tournament.
Volunteered to line the softball field for all home games.
Made three pans of ravioli lasagna for the kids’ youth group Sunday night.
Thanks for checking on my efficiency, my man.
That’s a great idea by you, kind of a way to make sure folks are carrying their fair share.
Well done.
From Chris
So I have read you for a while now — how do you do this every day?
That’s not my question for Friday tho …
Where would you rank Steph Curry all-time? He’s my favorite player and I get mad when LeBron gets to be in the GOAT conversation, but Steph is never mentioned.
Chris
LeBron’s all-around game is way, Way, WAY better than Curry’s. That’s not debatable, even on this morning, when Curry dropped a masterpiece last night.
Curry’s line — 56 points and 12-of-19 from 3 and 12-of-12 from the line — was only matched in its amazingness by these all-time line items (visor tip to The Athletic):
> Curry now has 45 career games with nine or more 3s, and the Ruthian comp here is Damian Lillard in second in that category with all of 14 such games;
> Curry has 42 games with a 20-plus-point quarter after a 22-point third last night. That’s also the most in NBA history;
> Curry has 3,957 career 3s, far and away the most ever. In fact, he has 856 more than second place, which is James Harden’s 3,101. That’s the same divide between Harden and Jason Terry’s total, which is 11th all-time;
> And maybe most amazingly, Steph is 12th all-time in 3-point % in league history, and just second in his family in the same category behind brother Seth.
Curry’s leadership on a dynastic run with Golden State often gets washed under the tide of “great collection,” and Steph appears to be a great dude, teammate and family guy.
He’s worthy to be anyone’s favorite player, and certainly is in the discussion among the greatest shooters ever, but c’mon, Chris.
LeBron is no worse than top-three ever. Steph’s just not that. Heck, is Steph even on your all-time 12-man roster?
That said, wow, the Lakers-Warriors in the Western Conference Finals would be awesome.
From Mark
Heard you are fond of the draft — who are you taking 1 overall?
Mark
Personally, I have a different view of 1. I could be convinced on spending a mid-first- or any second-rounder every year on a QB until you find one.
But at 1, shouldn’t you be looking for a Hall of Famer? A guy who is going to be a decade-plus starter who made multiple Pro Bowls and a couple of All-Pro teams, regardless of position.
That’s my thought, anyway, unless someone comes up with a trade offer so stupid you’d be stupid to refuse it.
Granted, if that player is a QB, all the better, but you can’t afford to miss at 1-1.
I’d go with Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, which means the Titans are going to draft Cam Ward, right?
From J-Mac
Don’t mention fight club.
J-Mac
Don’t worry.
Side question from the group, is Brad Pitt the best looking best actor we have had since a prime Redford?
Pitt’s Rushmore is stout, and there is no doubting that he is a handsome man, right?
From Sam
I flew a ton for my job for years and barely any now, thank goodness, although things have gotten so much better out of Chattanooga since the totally undependable Delta feeder airline ASA was booted after 14–15 years.
I flew to San Diego last week, and not downplaying the safety side, but it’s time to streamline that monotonous 2 ½- to 3-minute flight attendant check list speech prior to takeoff. Do we really need to hear “The FAA prohibits smoking on the aircraft” anymore? The whole airport is smoke-free. Do they seriously think someone is going to board, plop down in their seat and light up or go MacGyver and “tampering with the lavatory smoke detector is prohibited” for a few puffs?
“Fasten your seatbelt by inserting the metal fitting into the buckle, then …” We know, we know!
They are actually going in the opposite direction. I heard a new one on my flight. “If you drop your cell phone and cannot reach it, please do not change the position of your seat and call a fight attendant.” I’m a window seat guy, and what in the heck can they do more than me peeking through the seat crack behind me and ask the kid who’s been kicking my seat on and off the whole flight to please hand it to me?
I was on a brand-new jet and learned when I sat down, they are no longer putting screens in the backs of the seats but instead a small fold out shelf to place your phone and watch. I’m not a movie guy, but I do like watching that little white plane moving across the country, but it’s too small now to see what state we’re over.
A cross-country flight and the beverage cart rolls through with your choice of only 2 snacks — a tasteless, barely salted tiny bag of mini pretzels or a Biscoff cookie. Love those, but you cannot open a package without a quarter of it breaking into crumbs in your lap which you immediately brush onto the floor. If I was a member Ground Crew Union, I would have a demand in the next bargaining session to require airlines make a switch to Fig Newtons or similar.
Sam
Great stuff. And what about the litany of drug commercials that almost always include “Don’t use (Drug X) if you are allergic to (Drug X).”
Thanks.
Enjoy the weekend, friends.