From Matt:
Hey, Jay, love your column and the show. You asked for some input recently on binge-watching summer shows. Did you settle on anything in particular?
Also, if you had a Rushmore of binge-watching shows, what would be on it?
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Matt:
We have not settled on anything yet, but the frontrunners are "Mad Men" and "Ozarks." Right now we have been at a baseball park every night we've been in town since the start of May.
War Baseball. (And any other suggestions on binge-worthy shows, well, they are always welcomed.
As for my personal binge-watching, well, far left on that list is "The Wire," which the Mrs. 5-at-10 and I binged back before I knew there was a term for spending countless hours watching a show and staying up entirely too late because you wanted to watch just one more. (To be fair, that was the summer of 2007, when she was pregnant with our son, and it was brutally hot, too. Great combo for binge-watching. Or binge drinking for that matter. Me. Not her.)
"Breaking Bad" is a no-doubter on this Rushmore, for sure. Of course "The Sopranos" is there if you have not seen those. My final spot likely would be the first four or five seasons of "The West Wing," which was written beautifully when Aaron Sorkin was behind the pen. (I also binged the first few seasons of "Homeland," which were excellent, by the way. But then life got in the way. And if you have not watched GoT I still would suggest it even with all the hullabaloo about the final season.)
Great question and thanks for playing along. And this brings us to this week's Rushmores:
Rushmore of Mrs. - Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Cleaver (as spoken by Eddie Haskell, of course), "Mrs. Jackson" (Outkast tune), "Mrs. Doubtfire."
Rushmore of female sports media members - Doris Burke, Rachel Nichols, Jackie Macmillan, Linda Cohn (with lifetime achievement nods to Robin Roberts and Leslie Visser, and Dottie Pepper was very close.)
Rushmore of rock and roll nicknames - The Boss, Slowhand, Fab Four, The King
Rushmore of fictional towns - Gotham City, Mayberry, Springfield, Emerald City (Bedrock and Hazard were tough to leave off, as was Castle Rock, the fictional town where a lot of creepy Stephen King things happen.)
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From Jules:
So, Jay can you tell me, why in the world is Sean Newcomb not back in the starting rotation? He had one bad outing, got sent to the minors, and now is in the bullpen. Folty has only had one good start and the others have been disasters. Utter disasters. Touki Toussaint has to pitch long relief every time Folty pitches and sometimes when Gausman does.
How long until you would make a change? Not to mention pick up one of those free agents that are available now.
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Jules:
Thankfully, the addition of Dallas Keuchel will get Kevin Gausman into a role that is less prominent, which will make it less likely that I throw a shoe at my TV screen the next time he pitches four innings and allows five runs.
For those wondering, Keuchel signed a one-year deal with the Braves for $13 million. He will start in Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday and, as long as his arm does not fall off, likely will be with the Braves before the end of next week.
The sneaky best part of the Keuchel addition has to be his ability to consume innings and to do so effectively.
He has a sub-3.00 ERA in three of the last five seasons (pitching primarily in the AL, mind you) and threw more than 200 innings last year. That's doubly important considering the fact that the Braves' two best starters so far - Mike Soroka and Max Fried - are very young and at some point this season will likely see some sort of innings limit.
As for Newcomb, you have to believe he will be returning to the rotation at some point, and his work in the bullpen has been praiseworthy.
The Braves announcers on ESPN 105.1 the Zone have consistently spoken of Newcomb's better control as a reliever, something they attribute to a reliever needing to come in and attack hitters rather than a starter trying to find a groove and establish pitches.
With all this young "potential" on the pitching staff, and the Braves' chance to win now, I hope they will put together some sort of package for an established power arm for the back end of the bullpen.
But that would mean being aggressive and potentially spending money, a couple of things we have come not to expect from this ownership group.
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From Chas:
I was in and out of the car, so I heard only some of the show's discussion of college football HOF decisions yesterday. I heard your opinion on Dickerson, but not on Tim Couch. I say Couch is an easy in. What say you?
Steph, Bob Pettit, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Rick Barry, MJ, Allen Iverson and LeBron. Now that's a great list. If you have to vote one of them off the island, who? I say AI.
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Chas:
I think yes on Tim Couch. I think absolutely on Eric Dickerson.
And of all the names on the ballot of nominees this year for the college football Hall of Fame, how in the world is David Pollack still not in?
Seriously, dude was a three-time first-team All-American.
As for the nine names of the guys who have scored 45 or more points in an NBA Finals game, yes, AI would be the first voted off the island.
I would rank those guys accordingly:
MJ, LeBron, Wilt, The Logo, Elgin Baylor, Steph, Barry, Pettit, AI. Thought?
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From Sportsfan:
I haven't paid any attention to the NBA playoffs/finals other than the Sportscenter recap each morning. Has KD played since his calf strain? Here's betting he has a ruptured or partially ruptured Achilles. What's the point of not reporting it? HIPPA violation? Strategery? Inquiring minds want to know.
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Sportsfan:
I know there were a lot of folks suggesting that it was an Achilles when it first happened. With the way it looked - a complete non-contact injury that was almost instant - I understand that armchair diagnosis.
If media members have that information and are not reporting it, well, that would be awful. Media members are not bound by HIPPA, which seems like it runs counterintuitive to sports leagues that have announced injury lists, no?
(Side note: The simple fact that sports fans get mad when media folks "report" injuries or details about a team that said head coach then gets huffy about may actually be the seedlings that planted the "Fake News" craze among our political leaders these days. College Football Coach Y would get up in arms that news of his running back's turned ankle got out and the Johnny Tigers Fan would blame the reporter. Attack the messenger. Sounds eerily current, no?)
As for the Warriors not wanting it out, well, there could be the thought that if the Raptors have to prepare game plans for 'With KD' and 'Without KD' maybe that's an edge.
If KD comes back, I think the Warriors roll. If KD nor Klay comes back, well, the NBA title will leave the country for the first time ever.
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From Todd:
Bag entry - U.S. Open starts next week. Phil won the last PGA event there. Tiger may be sorted out. But honestly, is it time to pick Brooks or the field? I'm sure we'll have a contest ?
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Todd:
We most definitely will have a contest next week. Most definitely.
Anyone have any ideas or suggestions for tweaks? (That's Tweaks' Spy, not Twerks.)
Your question about Brooks and everyone else right now in majors is a fair one.
He has won three of the last five, and half of the last eight he has entered with top-six finishes in two of the others.
He was a missed 3-footer on the 72nd hole at Augusta from going into a playoff with Tiger, and potentially holding the last three.
So it's completely time.
That said, depending on how the USGA tricks out the course, Pebble is not the bomber's paradise that Bethpage Black was when Brooks looked equal parts Terminator and Trevino.
It's time to pick Brooks or the field, but I'm still taking the field. (That said, Koepka will certainly be on my entry come next Wednesday.)
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From Scott:
I loved the hate mail this morning. Whenever your name comes up now, I'm going to refer to you as my rich jack-wagon friend Jay.
No, that's not a question, but it does bring us to, yep. Hate mail.
"Of course you see nothing wrong with Hank Haney's comments, because you are a stereotypical white man who loves to make fun of other people. Shame on you!"
And then there is this line of thinking:
"You show your ignorance and racist ways every time you write something against a tax increase for schools. Think of the children, [bleep]hole!"
And:
"Private school white [bleeps] like yourself never have to worry about school money or fees because your spoiled [bleep] had everything handed to you. That you do not want to help others tells me you're scared and selfish and you will have to answer to God for that jack[bleep]."
And finally:
"Take your bull[bleep] back up your racist Mountain and shut the [bleep] up! I hope you get fired!!!"
Have a great weekend, gang. (That's from me, friends, certainly not from my emailers.)
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.