tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42891481444677485332013-05-18T18:30:15.735-04:00LucidSportsFan"37 seconds of sports and other stuff i care about"Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.comBlogger844125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-61565643191933615502013-05-18T15:30:00.000-04:002013-05-18T15:30:01.352-04:002013-05-18T15:30:01.352-04:00Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Vineyard" by Jackopierce<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g8dwHEMqOuY/UZR1LzBu2tI/AAAAAAAAHV8/HpMYhd4e8_c/s1600/cd.single-vineyard.jackopierce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g8dwHEMqOuY/UZR1LzBu2tI/AAAAAAAAHV8/HpMYhd4e8_c/s1600/cd.single-vineyard.jackopierce.jpg" /></a>I believe this is the newest "Awesome Old Song" that I've featured to date. Jackopierce released the single "Vineyard" in 1997, just 16 years ago. But since this is my first Martha's Vineyard weekend of the year, it seemed fitting. Even though the band is from Texas, the song is somewhat autobiographical. It tells the story of lead singer Cary Pierce spending s few days on the island and meeting a nice girl.<br />
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In the brief time period that "burning CD's" was the norm, I made a mix including this song that never left the 5 disc changer in the bar I worked at all summer. That and <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_02_24_archive.html#1319107484530544148" target="_blank">the <i>Cocktail</i> soundtrack</a></b>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JHe6F6TgxBM?rel=0" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2w0HHvTTGGk/UZWrpEaNuUI/AAAAAAAAHWs/3CyWSwpE0PA/s1600/weather.forcast.by.hairstyle.humidity.local.news.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2w0HHvTTGGk/UZWrpEaNuUI/AAAAAAAAHWs/3CyWSwpE0PA/s320/weather.forcast.by.hairstyle.humidity.local.news.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Is this normal? At first I thought it was a joke. Can that graphic actually helpful to anyone? It seems kind of insulting to me; as if <strike>women</strike> people with long hair are unable to determine themselves the difference between 30% humidity and 80% humidity.<br />
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On a random but related side note, I think I may be the only person in the world who likes humidity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3SZX9jbCG4/UZWkfX5y2HI/AAAAAAAAHWc/ogmxIpDID9E/s1600/zach.randoplh.shoots.free.throw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3SZX9jbCG4/UZWkfX5y2HI/AAAAAAAAHWc/ogmxIpDID9E/s320/zach.randoplh.shoots.free.throw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is it that makes this so difficult?</td></tr>
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On Wednesday night Zach Randolph stepped to the line with 11 seconds left in the game, and his team leading by 2 points. He missed both free throws, giving the Thunder one final chance to tie, or even win with a three. Luckily for Randolph and the Grizzlies OKC didn't score, Memphis won the game and the series, and his blown freebies will be forgotten.<br />
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For his career Randolph is a 76.5% foul shooter, so statistically speaking on any given occasion there is only a 5.5% chance that he'll ever miss two in a row.<br />
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Four day earlier Kevin Durant also missed a pair in the final minute of a close game, with his team trailing by 4 with 39 seconds remaining. Durant is an 88.4% career FT shooter (one of the best in the league), and should only ever miss both 1.3% of the time.<br />
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You always hear stories about poor foul shooters like Shaq, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo having no problem making them consistently in practice. What is it about being in a game (and even more so in big situations) that makes it so much harder?<br />
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A couple weeks ago I was shooting on my old childhood hoop, and I hit 4 of 5 free throws. A little while later I took 5 more, and again went 4-5. Now I'm not saying I could go out and shoot 80% in a game, and obviously I can't compare my driveway to being on the court in an NBA arena full of screaming fans. But I hadn't shot a single free in years, and was never that much of a basketball player to begin with. Guys in the NBA are professionals that practice shooting those every day. They should be much, much, much better at it than I am. Every other aspect of the game I would get absolutely destroyed at if you put me on the floor with pros; but with free throws I think I could hold my own without being embarrassed. That doesn't seem right.<br />
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Having said that, it's pretty clear a big part of foul shooting is mental. Some players want to be at the line in pressure situations, and some don't. Personally I think I would be a great late game free throw shooter. The closest analogy I can make to regular life is beer pong. Back in my playing days <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2011_05_15_archive.html#8729301773346558333" target="_blank">I always excelled at hitting the last rebuttal shot to keep a game going</a></b>. My shooting percentage increased when it mattered most.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9xv0k1hCzII/UZPwpL8CI0I/AAAAAAAAHVg/YBqxl5rTdDc/s1600/jason.kidd.scoreless.streak.8.games.177.minutes.new.york.knicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9xv0k1hCzII/UZPwpL8CI0I/AAAAAAAAHVg/YBqxl5rTdDc/s320/jason.kidd.scoreless.streak.8.games.177.minutes.new.york.knicks.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somehow Kidd even missed this one.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.celticslife.com/2013/05/jason-kidd-hasnt-scored-in-7-games.html" target="_blank">I wrote about this for Celtics Life</a> on Monday, and now Jason Kidd's streak has gotten even worse (or maybe better?). The last time Kidd scored a point was in Game 2 of the New York-Boston series. <i>That was 8 games ago</i>. <br />
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He's played a total of 177 minutes over those eight contests. Kidd is averaging slightly more than 22 minutes per game during the stretch, and been on the floor for at least 15 minutes every night. Spanning that time he's pulled down 31 rebounds, dished out 19 assists, had 6 steals, and even blocked 4 shots. But he's also 0-16 from the field,<i> </i>with a grand total of <i>zero</i> points.<br />
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I have a pretty confident feeling that Kidd's streak of scoreless minutes is an all-time league record; but I can't figure it out, and nobody is mentioning it (I keep saying this, but I need a research department! Or will somebody please create an all sports super-powered version of google that can automatically give me the correct answers to any <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_09_16_archive.html#1630012011986020338" target="_blank">questions I come up with about obscure records?</a></b>). I'm also 99.9% positive that Kidd is the first NBA player to ever attempt a shot and grab a rebound in 8 straight games without scoring. <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pstreak.cgi?request=1&player_id=&year_min=2008&year_max=2013&team_id=&opp_id=&is_playoffs=&game_location=&is_starter=&c1stat=pts&c1comp=lt&c1val=1&c2stat=trb&c2comp=ge&c2val=1&c3stat=fga&c3comp=ge&c3val=1&c4stat=&c4comp=ge&c4val=" target="_blank">Basketball-reference.com</a> only goes back to 1985, but in that time nobody else has even done this more than 6 games in a row.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YcL3nB8N8Q/UZKOR-uF92I/AAAAAAAAHVA/J-7N_8XYfq0/s1600/lebron-james-flop.lies.about.it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YcL3nB8N8Q/UZKOR-uF92I/AAAAAAAAHVA/J-7N_8XYfq0/s320/lebron-james-flop.lies.about.it.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau accused LeBron James of flopping when he was "shoved to the ground" by Nazr Mohammed in Game 3. LeBron said this in response:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"I don't need to flop. I play an aggressive game but I don't flop. I've never been one of those guys. I don't need to flop. <i>I don't even know how to do it.</i> So it doesn't mean much to me."</b></span><br />
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Really LeBron? Really? You don't even know how to do it? There is <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_03_24_archive.html#8972560259848497851" target="_blank">a mountain of video evidence</a></b> to the contrary. Try searching "LeBron James flop" on youtube and see what happens. But what blows my mind is that he can get away with these comments without criticism. One ESPN guy, Ryen Russillo, called him out with this tweet:<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
After shrugging, he falls down. RT @<a href="https://twitter.com/basketballtalk">basketballtalk</a>: LeBron James shrugs off claims he’s a flopper <a href="http://t.co/gV3fYPdnF4" title="http://dlvr.it/3MYShB">dlvr.it/3MYShB</a><br />
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryenarussillo/status/333958473043816448">May 13, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Russillo also mentioned on his show yesterday that LeBron often acts as if he's "been shot with a poison blowdart" when somebody brushes the back of his head, <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_05_27_archive.html#459900021895055293" target="_blank">something I've been saying for years</a></b>. However, for the most part LeBron's ridiculous statement was received without argument.<br />
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I'd like to see a major news outlet feature a story called "LeBron, that's just not true," and show a video montage of his many, many flops. Or even better somebody should say to him straight up in an interview "LeBron, watch this clip and explain to me how that 6 foot tall point guard who weighs 100 pounds less than you sent you crashing to the floor." Why can't this happen? How can he just lie like that and get away with it?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YzPCP-NXRn4/UZG741UOyeI/AAAAAAAAHUw/ZNTcI5XpSEI/s1600/crushed.sad.toronto.maple.leafs.fans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YzPCP-NXRn4/UZG741UOyeI/AAAAAAAAHUw/ZNTcI5XpSEI/s200/crushed.sad.toronto.maple.leafs.fans.jpg" width="200" /></a>Yesterday I wrote that <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_12_archive.html#4912314204430146328" target="_blank">because of their passion and history of defeat, I might actually feel bad for Maple Leafs fans</a></b> if Toronto couldn't complete the comeback from 3-1 down and win Game 7. But as with the Celtics, I never considered the possibility of them holding a 4-1 lead with under 11 minutes to go, giving up 2 goals in a 31 second span of the final minutes <i>against an empty net</i>, and then falling in overtime. Wow. Sorry Toronto, you win; as far as losing goes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Note:</b> Yes, I was rooting for the Bruins. But since I haven't given them much attention, it didn't seem right to get all giddy and write about how awesome a game this was. It was an amazing comeback though, and clearly too big a deal not to discuss, so I chose this angle. </span><br />
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Thousands of them <i>stand outside</i> their arena each night to watch the games (pictured). For us hockey is the 4th major sport; for them it's the equivalent of football, baseball, and basketball all put together. They have the Raptors, who've only won a single playoff series since the NBA decided to put a team there in 1995. And they've got the Blue Jays, who did have some fans when Joe Carter won them the World Series 20 years ago, but now they routinely play in a mostly empty stadium. Which brings us back to their beloved Leafs, who last won the Stanley Cup when there were only 6 teams playing for it. Toronto's 44 year championship drought is the longest in the NHL. They want this a lot more than we do.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/mK7i31Zyd74" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_12_archive.html#4912314204430146328tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-65172861579407298452013-05-11T23:46:00.000-04:002013-05-11T23:46:46.979-04:002013-05-11T23:46:46.979-04:00Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Run Away" by Real McCoy<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgtJHIc1hFc/UY8Pyj6sJNI/AAAAAAAAHTc/YmQTo_KiuWk/s1600/real.mccoy.another.night.album.run.away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgtJHIc1hFc/UY8Pyj6sJNI/AAAAAAAAHTc/YmQTo_KiuWk/s200/real.mccoy.another.night.album.run.away.jpg" width="200" /></a>In 1994 the German pop band Real McCoy released an album called <i>Another Night. </i>It's first single had the same title, and was the song that made them huge in the U.S. But their follow up hit "Run Away" was just as big, and way cooler in my book. <br />
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I never really paid too much attention to the lyrics, but I do remember the "big brother is watching you" line. As it turns out, the whole song in based on George Orwell's <i>1984</i>. "Run Away" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1995; oddly enough so did <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw7NhtLh5IM" target="_blank">Janet Jackson's "Runaway."</a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_dx0qWHL7dc" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<fb:like-box header="true" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/LucidSportsFan/219752971402419" show_faces="false" stream="false" width="292"></fb:like-box> <a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="true" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/LucidSportsFan">Follow @LucidSportsFan</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/ja8Wu8YaZkw" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com2http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_05_archive.html#6517286157940729845tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-749971447365411732013-05-10T10:17:00.000-04:002013-05-13T15:01:16.740-04:002013-05-13T15:01:16.740-04:00I know how to dramatically improve "instant replay" reviews in sports<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ch-vpZetgg0/UYz-r0awv4I/AAAAAAAAHRo/EFQAVqV36rY/s1600/oakland.as.home.run.ruled.a.double.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ch-vpZetgg0/UYz-r0awv4I/AAAAAAAAHRo/EFQAVqV36rY/s320/oakland.as.home.run.ruled.a.double.jpg" width="320" /></a>The other night the Oakland A's lost a baseball game when a home run was incorrectly ruled a double. Somehow even after reviewing the video the umpires still couldn't see that the ball hit the railing above the fence. Rumored explanations for their failure include a bad TV, not having access to all possible replay angles, and just not caring enough/taking the time to get it right.<br />
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A Celtics game I went to this season was stopped twice in the final minute of play for extended periods of time as the referees all huddled around a monitor trying to figure out which team the ball went out of bounds off of. On one occasion the scoreboard big screen zoomed in on them, and it was clear that they were just watching ABC's regular TV coverage of the game, with no control over the replays themselves.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wflwC5S8q2w/UYz-yy6Qh5I/AAAAAAAAHRw/IY8wWuXbUY4/s1600/nba.referees.watch.replay.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wflwC5S8q2w/UYz-yy6Qh5I/AAAAAAAAHRw/IY8wWuXbUY4/s200/nba.referees.watch.replay.png" width="200" /></a>I have a solution. It's something that will work for all pro sports using video review. In fact, I actually got the idea last NFL season from that atrocious Seahawks touchdown call against the Packers which brought an end to the replacement refs. There is no reason why the actual referees who are on on the field/court/ice have to be the ones who watch the replays and make these decisions. In fact, the people doing this don't even need to be at the game. Each league should have it's own "replay office." <br />
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It would consist of five, ten, maybe even twenty (however many it takes) people sitting in a room somewhere. They work for every game going on all at once. They're only job is to watch replays and make correct rulings; so they have access to all the best available technology, and know exactly how to use it. The replay office would have somebody watching each game as it happens, and in turn could already be working on getting the controversial calls right before the officials at the game even decide to check with them. Not only would the accuracy improve, but this might even speed up the process as well. <br />
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<b>5/13 UPDATE:</b> It has been brought to my attention that the NHL already has this. So I guess my "idea" isn't that revolutionary after all. Anyway, well done NHL, and it's definitely time for the other 3 leagues to get with the program.<br />
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Another thing everyone loves to root for in sports is an underdog. Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are the perfect combination of both. Earlier this year <b><a href="https://twitter.com/LucidSportsFan/status/306989301873405952" target="_blank">Curry put up the greatest 3 point shooting game anyone has ever had</a></b>, hitting 11 of 13 on his way to a 54 point night vs the Knicks at Madison Square Garden (where Miller had some of his best games as well). He also just set the all-time record for threes made in one season, 272, breaking Ray Allen's previous mark of 269.<br />
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The 6th seeded Warriors were expected to lose in Round 1 to Denver, but now find themselves heading back home after splitting two games with the 2nd seeded Spurs in San Antonio (and they could easily be up 2-0). Not to mention they have one of the best home crowds I've ever seen; I swear the fans were standing the entire game when Golden State eliminated the Nuggets. If you like the NBA and you haven't been staying up late to watch the past few Warriors games, you've really been missing out.<br />
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For more on this check out a piece I wrote earlier today <b><a href="http://www.celticslife.com/2013/05/a-celtics-fan-guide-to-watching-rest-of.html" target="_blank">for Celtics Life called "A Celtics fan guide to watching the rest of the playoffs."</a></b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/N0RNJBNpALk" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_05_archive.html#479135761468427811tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-62385999546924415072013-05-08T13:40:00.000-04:002013-05-08T13:48:47.359-04:002013-05-08T13:48:47.359-04:00Am I the only one who never realized "Wheel of Fortune" is "hangman?"A few months ago <a href="https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/299582802972782594" target="_blank">Paul Pierce sent out a tweet saying "Look out for me tonight on Wheel of Fortune."</a> He didn't actually play or anything, just made <a href="http://www.celticslife.com/2013/02/video-paul-pierces-amazing-cameo-on.html" target="_blank">a brief pre-recorded cameo</a> as part of the show's "NBA week." But when I saw his tweet on that February afternoon the first thing I did was set my DVR to record <i>Wheel</i> that evening. And it was at that moment that I made this startling discovery:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llSDtWPnNvk/UYqPxB_smkI/AAAAAAAAHP0/j8ALVsbu5eI/s1600/wheel.of.fortune.is.hangman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llSDtWPnNvk/UYqPxB_smkI/AAAAAAAAHP0/j8ALVsbu5eI/s400/wheel.of.fortune.is.hangman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Wheel of Fortune</i> is just a fancy version of "hangman." It's seems so obvious, yet somehow it'd never occurred to me before. Is this common knowledge? If not, it definitely should be. I felt pretty stupid for not having come to this conclusion on my own at some point in the last 35 years. And while <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_12_02_archive.html#9167870590880609191" target="_blank">I tend to be very critical of the show descriptions on the cable guide</a></b>, on this day I was extremely impressed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZqKFBPUU7o/UYlfXHyqoJI/AAAAAAAAHPI/MaAFy-OK3nA/s1600/derrick.rose.wont.play.sits.on.bench.in.suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZqKFBPUU7o/UYlfXHyqoJI/AAAAAAAAHPI/MaAFy-OK3nA/s320/derrick.rose.wont.play.sits.on.bench.in.suit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of these guys is not like the others.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 2011 Derrick Rose won the NBA's MVP award. Last season he led the Bulls to a league best 50-16 record, and the #1 seed in the East. A little over <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_04_29_archive.html#8207801110364784017" target="_blank">a year ago he tore his ACL</a></b> in the first game of the 2012 playoffs, and Chicago lost to Philly in the first round (opening the door for the <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_06_03_archive.html#1267166392803310010" target="_blank">Celtics to reach the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami</a></b>). I'm not going to point out how long it's taking him to come back compared to other athletes, but I will say this:<br />
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As of today it's now been <i>two months</i> since <a href="http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/9031045/derrick-rose-chicago-bulls-cleared-play-waiting-dunk-confidently-left-foot-source-says" target="_blank">Rose was medically cleared to play</a>. Not practice, that happened in January, I mean play. In real live NBA games. At the time he said he was waiting until he could confidently dunk jumping with his surgically repaired left knee. A little over a month ago the reports starting coming out that he was "dominating practice," and <a href="http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/04/09/video-rose-powerfully-dunks-off-left-knee/" target="_blank">here's a video of him dunking off his left leg</a> in early April.<br />
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Somehow the 5th seeded Bulls managed to get by the Nets in Round 1 on the road in 7 games. Their second best player, Luol Deng, is still in the hospital recovering from a spinal tap. Starting center Joakim Noah has plantar fasciitis and can hardly walk sometimes, but has been playing anyway. Rose's backup, point guard Kirk Hinrich, is out with a calf injury.<br />
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Last night Chicago pulled off a stunning upset in Miami, taking a 1-0 lead over the Heat. Third string PG Nate Robinson got hit in the mouth by LeBron (unintentionally) in the first half, causing him to get 10 stitches. But Robinson stayed in the game, in part because the Bulls have no other options left.<br />
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Hollywood screenwriters could not script a better time for Rose to return. But he won't. Does he not see an incredible opportunity here? Does he not want to be a hero? Everything I know about athletes and competitive sports makes his decision to continue sitting almost unfathomable. My guess is he decided a long time ago that he wasn't coming back this year, and never imagined his team would get this far without him. Now he just looks like a chump.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/Qsm2sLi-Tyo" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_05_archive.html#9015937001013214643tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-59962215258439595902013-05-06T13:33:00.000-04:002013-05-06T13:33:44.636-04:002013-05-06T13:33:44.636-04:00Clay Buchholz looks to extend streak without "spit balls"<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GZgRhoOHm6c/UYflpzk0cHI/AAAAAAAAHOo/5A2f17aNRlA/s1600/clay.buchholz.wet.hair.spitball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GZgRhoOHm6c/UYflpzk0cHI/AAAAAAAAHOo/5A2f17aNRlA/s320/clay.buchholz.wet.hair.spitball.jpg" width="320" /></a>Clay Buchholz will try to go 7-0 tonight. So far this season he's emerged victorious every time he's taken the mound. 6 starts, 6 wins. No other pitcher in baseball has more than 5 W's this year. Buchholz also has an MLB best 1.01 ERA. Last week ex-pitcher (a World Series MVP and five-time All-Star) and current Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Jack Morris accused Buccholz of throwing a "spit ball;" cheating by putting something on the baseball to give it added movement. <br />
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Oddly enough, my gut instinct is to believe Morris may actually be right. It seems like a very strange accusation to make, and I doubt Morris would do it if he didn't think he was 100% correct. And yes it's only been 6 starts, but Buchholz's number's are dramatically better than his career 46-32 record and 3.92 ERA heading into this season. <br />
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And then there's his hair. A couple weeks ago I remember thinking to myself "what's the deal with Clay's hair? Why is it so wet and oily looking all the time?" Now we have a possible reason. Hopefully I'm wrong. Probably I am. Maybe we'll find out more tonight.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/p1j8IWziOfg" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_05_archive.html#5996221525843959590tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-17153947816372921652013-05-05T15:32:00.000-04:002013-05-06T19:31:41.576-04:002013-05-06T19:31:41.576-04:00Coins are pretty much stupid these days.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OayJobFM0LA/UYayaJwN4UI/AAAAAAAAHOY/rGkBnEu7oTY/s1600/pennies.nickels.dimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OayJobFM0LA/UYayaJwN4UI/AAAAAAAAHOY/rGkBnEu7oTY/s320/pennies.nickels.dimes.jpg" width="320" /></a>For decades I've heard talk of "getting rid of the penny." Honestly I can't believe that hasn't happened yet. At this point dimes and nickels are basically useless as well. I have a pile of coins sitting on my kitchen counter that I try to get rid of whenever possible, but mostly the only thing I do with them is toss them in the tip jar when I'm buying a coffee or burrito or something. I don't even feel good about it though, because why would the Dunkin' Donuts guy want to carry that extra weight around any more that I do? <br />
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A friend of mine's wife has been throwing her change in the trash for years, and I'm starting to agree with her. There is absolutely no need for any denomination less than a quarter anymore. What costs less than 25 cents anyway? Penny candy? Suck it up and buy 2 pieces of Chinese fortune bubble gum (remember that?) instead of just one. <br />
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My bar (and most bars/restaurants everywhere) has already made this transition; we only use quarters. No one ever cares if you just round every price to the nearest quarter. In fact, more often than not we round to the nearest dollar. Sometimes you round up, sometimes you round down. At the end of the night we're always within a buck or two of where we should be; why can't everyone do that?<br />
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The only reason I save quarters is for laundry, and it won't be long before those machines all run on bills or credit cards. The parking meters on my street just recently converted to accept plastic. Even the guy who's always standing outside the corner store on my block doesn't even ask for "spare change," he asks if you "have an extra dollar" when you walk by. Not to mention that <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_03_17_archive.html#6538165504359694300" target="_blank">half the population has already given up on using cash</a></b> to begin with. Change is just dumb.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/ESDL4f2ARYw" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_05_05_archive.html#1715394781637292165tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-31263932271104390142013-05-04T13:44:00.000-04:002013-05-05T12:40:13.369-04:002013-05-05T12:40:13.369-04:00Did the TD Garden PA announcer ruin Paul Pierce's final moment as a Celtic?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BCX2IjWU_C4/UYU5k8S4SII/AAAAAAAAHNo/Qv3wxuYPOjQ/s1600/paul.pierce.final.game.celtics.lose.to.knicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BCX2IjWU_C4/UYU5k8S4SII/AAAAAAAAHNo/Qv3wxuYPOjQ/s200/paul.pierce.final.game.celtics.lose.to.knicks.jpg" width="200" /></a>I haven't fully wrapped my head around what happened at the Garden last night yet. Later on I'll read the stories about the game, and probably watch my DVR recording of the 20-0 run in the 4th quarter. But for right now I just want to talk about the events of the final minute. <br />
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There's a good chance that may have been the last time Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, or both ever wear a Boston Celtics uniform. With 18 seconds remaining Garnett was subbed out, and received a standing ovation. But just 9 seconds before that Pierce was taken out of the game as well. For some odd reason though the PA broadcaster failed to announce this to the crowd. The Garden fans were unaware that Pierce was heading to the bench, and because of this there were no cheers. I really hope this was not Pierce's final moment as a Celtic, but if it was it's sad and disappointing that the announcer missed it.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/pCyU5yUxRA4" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_28_archive.html#3126393227110439014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-78972805421099389752013-05-03T17:38:00.001-04:002013-05-06T11:20:03.423-04:002013-05-06T11:20:03.423-04:00Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Warm It Up" by Kris Kross<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W-UdmGsS0Es/UYQsgoGqAKI/AAAAAAAAHNY/BL6yT9-VU9Y/s1600/Kris-Kross-Warm-It-Up-518311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W-UdmGsS0Es/UYQsgoGqAKI/AAAAAAAAHNY/BL6yT9-VU9Y/s200/Kris-Kross-Warm-It-Up-518311.jpg" width="200" /></a>On Wednesday Chris Kelly (the tall one in back) of Kris Kross passed away at the age of 34, possibly of a drug overdose. The Atlanta based duo of Kelly and childhood friend Chris Smith became huge in 1992 with their <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=010KyIQjkTk" target="_blank">#1 hit "Jump,"</a></b> but I always liked "Warm It Up" a little better. <br />
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I'm fairly certain they were the first artists I ever bought a CD of who were younger than me. I definitely wore my clothes backwards in order to be "totally Krossed out" for Halloween, and there's a good chance that it may have even happened two years in a row.<br />
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<fb:like-box header="true" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/LucidSportsFan/219752971402419" show_faces="false" stream="false" width="292"></fb:like-box> <a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="true" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/LucidSportsFan">Follow @LucidSportsFan</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/YljKjnselQk" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_28_archive.html#7897280542109938975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-47246102898802557242013-05-02T15:20:00.000-04:002013-05-02T23:26:58.827-04:002013-05-02T23:26:58.827-04:00So there's different flavors of Red Bull now?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOoWugk61EM/UYK7gzyGxZI/AAAAAAAAHMw/-nuAvuPZLtE/s1600/red.bull.flavors.cranberry.lime.blueberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOoWugk61EM/UYK7gzyGxZI/AAAAAAAAHMw/-nuAvuPZLtE/s200/red.bull.flavors.cranberry.lime.blueberry.jpg" width="200" /></a>The other day I saw an ad for "red, white, and blue" flavors of Red Bull (cranberry, lime, and blueberry). I am not a fan of Red Bull. It goes back to the time my roommate was a bartender who gave me 4 or 5 Red Bull-vodka's one evening, and I literally couldn't fall asleep that night. I just lay there in bed till it got light out staring at the ceiling, and I swear I could hear my heart pounding in my chest.<br />
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Having said that, I have to admit all three of those varieties sound better than the original flavor, which now that there are different kinds they might as well just start calling "SweetTart."<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUsC2AcqJCI/UYK8DuD_AwI/AAAAAAAAHM4/gycBGDFEQJc/s1600/sweeTarts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUsC2AcqJCI/UYK8DuD_AwI/AAAAAAAAHM4/gycBGDFEQJc/s400/sweeTarts.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Related: <a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_11_18_archive.html#7638161183334438704" target="_blank">Crazy holiday club soda flavors</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_09_16_archive.html#246869037327991933" target="_blank">Fruit Loop vodka</a></b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1jK7xee7b3Y/UYHkz2boTaI/AAAAAAAAHMQ/o3uJ7tJIsVA/s1600/jeff.green.3.pointer.celtics.beat.knicks.game.5.spike.lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1jK7xee7b3Y/UYHkz2boTaI/AAAAAAAAHMQ/o3uJ7tJIsVA/s400/jeff.green.3.pointer.celtics.beat.knicks.game.5.spike.lee.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green's back to back 4th quarter 3's irritated Spike Lee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In each of the past 5 years that I've been a Boston Celtics season ticket holder, they have provided me with a number of <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2011_05_08_archive.html#4912530896965059428" target="_blank">screaming-at-the-TV-in-excitement</a></b> and "<b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_06_03_archive.html#1033465879257180847" target="_blank">I can't wait to go to the game tonight</a></b>" playoff moments. While heading to Game 3 at the Garden last Friday with the C's in an 0-2 hole, the only feeling I had was a nervous "they have to win tonight or the season's over" kind of thing. And when I exited the building that evening after a third straight drubbing from the Knicks, I realized that I wasn't going to have any of <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_06_03_archive.html#1267166392803310010" target="_blank">those moments</a></b> this postseason. Even as the Celts pulled off a dramatic OT win on Sunday, it didn't seem like anything worth getting fired up about; it was <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_28_archive.html#4222637615708810646" target="_blank">just a temporary postponement of the inevitable</a></b>. <br />
<br />
But then something strange happened. New York starting talking trash about their 3-1 advantage. Confident teams with big leads don't usually do that, they just sit back and let their play speak for itself. Kenyon Martin said the Knicks would dress for a funeral in Game 5. J.R. Smith claimed that if he hadn't been suspended for Game 4 he'd be playing golf today (sidebar - this makes absolutely no sense to me, you play golf when you're eliminated and your season is over. Don't you have to keep practicing and working hard while you're preparing for the next series? Who gets to play golf then?).<br />
<br />
And then tonight it got really weird; the Knicks actually showed up to the game each all dressed in black. I laughed out loud when I saw it on the pre-game show. My instant reaction was that it was a childish move that wreaked of false bravado. I wondered if maybe New York wasn't as sure of themselves as they'd have us believe. When the game started I had an odd sense of unexplainable confidence, even as the Celtics fell behind 11-0. Perhaps it came from assuming the series was already over, and in turn having nothing to lose. Regardless, when Jeff Green's thunderous dunk put the C's up by 15 I was back to yelling at my television, and now I can't wait to go to Game 6 on Friday. Boston still has a <i>long</i> uphill battle ahead if they're going to pull off the miracle comeback, but at least they've made the playoffs fun again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K6TaDLLVYCM/UYAmluixSJI/AAAAAAAAHLA/_x6iRXMPWBk/s1600/clay.buchholz.redsox.ace.first.place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K6TaDLLVYCM/UYAmluixSJI/AAAAAAAAHLA/_x6iRXMPWBk/s320/clay.buchholz.redsox.ace.first.place.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buchholz has won every time he's taken the mound.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We're now one month into the Major League Baseball season, and through the first 30 days the Red Sox are easily the class of the league. At 18-7 (.720 win %) they have the best record in baseball, and 2 fewer losses than any other team. They have the second most home wins (11) of any club, and far and away the best road record (7-2) as well. Their run differential of +40 is 11 more than than MLB's 2nd highest, Colorado at +29.<br />
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The Sox are doing it with exceptional pitching; their staff has the most strikeouts in baseball (248), and the lowest batting average against (.221), which is crazy for an A.L. team. Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and Felix Doubront are a combined 12-0 in 14 starts, with a total of 96 K's in 92.2 innings pitched.<br />
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And I can't leave out David Ortiz, who's 20 game hitting streak (dating back to last year) is the longest for a DH since Paul Molitor in 1987. Big Papi went 2-4 on Sunday, and his season batting average <i>dropped</i> to .516.<br />
<br />
One other fact worth noting, when I wrote <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_03_31_archive.html#4382905625517528330" target="_blank">a brief A.L. East season preview</a></b> back on April 1st, the main point I made was that the division would be wide open. The current standings are the <i>exact opposite</i> of what <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/preview13/story/_/id/9081265/previewing-american-league-east-teams" target="_blank">ESPN predicted them to be</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFZKLg9q0Os/UX7kHtArLTI/AAAAAAAAHKA/WYBx8VLAKVE/s1600/tebow.bigger.news.than.jason.collins.gay.espn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFZKLg9q0Os/UX7kHtArLTI/AAAAAAAAHKA/WYBx8VLAKVE/s1600/tebow.bigger.news.than.jason.collins.gay.espn.jpg" /></a></div>
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In addition to being the top headline, Tim Tebow is also pictured as the featured image on the left. I'm not just blaming ESPN, Yahoo and other news outlets did the same thing. And it's not like the Tebow story was already up and the Jason Collins news was just breaking; I first heard about Collins around 11 am, and took this picture just before 2 pm. One of the most ground breaking and transcending stories in sports history was deemed of less interest than Tebow. <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2011_10_09_archive.html#8701865627923076243" target="_blank">His magic is unexplainable</a></b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y8bYYlskkyc/UX3x-5tfFGI/AAAAAAAAHJg/2fiFZ50mut0/s1600/Jason.terry.three.pointer.celtics.beat.knicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y8bYYlskkyc/UX3x-5tfFGI/AAAAAAAAHJg/2fiFZ50mut0/s320/Jason.terry.three.pointer.celtics.beat.knicks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first 3 of Terry's 9 points in OT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is a weird feeling to have as a Celtics fan. Boston was determined not to go out with a sweep on their own floor today. They built a 20 point lead, let it slip away, then had just enough left to hang on in overtime. An injured Kevin Garnett gave everything he had, pulling down 17 rebounds for the second consecutive contest (both of which would be season highs if not for a triple OT game against Denver in February). For most of the afternoon Doc Rivers used just 6 players, with Jason Terry being the lone reserve to see significant action. Late in the game with the C's desperate for offense as usual, Terry finally showed why Danny Ainge brought him here, scoring the Celtics final 9 points.<br />
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Everything about this result has a "Custer's Last Stand" feel to it. The Knicks were missing their second best player (a suspended JR Smith), and in turn got a season low 7 points from their bench. Scoring champ Carmelo Anthony shot just 10-35 (and 0-7 3PT) from the field. Boston had all the motivation in the world to win this one, while New York may well have been content to wait for Game 5 back at MSG. And through all that, it still took an incredibly hard fought OT win to get the series to 3-1.<br />
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It's a very unfamiliar place to be, and I don't know how to feel about this victory. I can't imagine how the Celtics could have anything left in the tank; and even if they did nothing about what I've seen so far gives me any reason to think they might win on Wednesday. Boston played today like it was a Game 7, and I wish it could be the final memory of this season. <br />
<br />
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1. The core members are a sister and brother from Antwerp, Belgium.<br />
2. In 1999 they performed a song in an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."<br />
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As far as "Buffy the Vampire Slayers" go, I'm partial to the 1992 film staring Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, and Pee-wee Herman as a vampire vs. the late 90's WB television series. I should definitely write a Buffy vs Buffy blog someday.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AmQfgV6VZ8s/UXlz_mPhADI/AAAAAAAAHIc/RBhQz_u00Jg/s1600/hot.food.vending.machine.at.ballpark.for.vegetarians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AmQfgV6VZ8s/UXlz_mPhADI/AAAAAAAAHIc/RBhQz_u00Jg/s400/hot.food.vending.machine.at.ballpark.for.vegetarians.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's a kosher/vegetarian/hot food vending machine that has onion rings, cheese sticks, veggie burgers, and baked ziti. And to the left is another that sells kosher hot dogs. So clearly the Red Sox are concerned about having kosher and vegetarian food available, but there's not enough interest to warrant actually offering the stuff at one of the regular concession windows. Both machines say the food is "hot" and "fresh," so I assume that means it cooks whatever you order on the spot? <br />
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I'm not even sure what the commentary is here... I guess I'm impressed that there is vending machine technology that can assemble a hot dog or veggie burger (it's definitely no <b><a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2012_02_05_archive.html#8018267196763215680" target="_blank">Coca-Cola "Freestyle" machine</a></b> though)? Everything in them cost $5, which by Fenway standards is pretty reasonable. As I write this I've just decided that next time I'm at the park I'll give it a try. It'll be a two-part blog, and I'll write off the five bucks as research.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/Xl5QGSxGwIM" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_21_archive.html#3648031741716844235tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-72315832206299578982013-04-25T15:24:00.002-04:002013-04-25T15:48:00.467-04:002013-04-25T15:48:00.467-04:00There are some CRAZY people out there on the interweb<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5lG5NgLUNs/UXl9Km2YkXI/AAAAAAAAHIo/DmMFRM_f4tI/s1600/Caution-insane-at-play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5lG5NgLUNs/UXl9Km2YkXI/AAAAAAAAHIo/DmMFRM_f4tI/s200/Caution-insane-at-play.jpg" width="131" /></a>This website provides me with data on where visitors come from, and for the past few days I've been getting hits to my page from something called "cluesforum.info." It's a message board/forum dedicated to "exposing media fakery," and it's been directing people here because someone posted <a href="http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_14_archive.html#1160310463645016823" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">my photo of the 5K the day before the Boston Marathon</a>, while credited LucidSportsFan.com as the source. They used it as an example of what the area around the finish line looked like pre-race, which was then being compared to pictures that were taken during the bombing.<br />
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The reason? The entire post is dedicated to the concept that the "during" pictures are all fake, and the whole tragedy was a hoax created by the media. Seriously. <a href="http://cluesforum.info/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1602&start=465&sid=39d10999f8f2b856255255a32f683f4a" target="_blank">Here's the link</a>. If you decide to look at it I should warn you that it contains some graphic images of injuries from the explosions, as well as the opinions of pathetically misguided people.<br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/GyC9NIzn1EQ" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_21_archive.html#7231583220629957898tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289148144467748533.post-73823757226151407502013-04-24T14:23:00.000-04:002013-04-25T16:35:23.655-04:002013-04-25T16:35:23.655-04:00The NBA has secretly eliminated the "no hanging on the rim" rule (probably because LeBron said so?)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mudfmfMM6s/UXghr8TvqmI/AAAAAAAAHH8/0o28OvGtK3c/s1600/nate.robinson.hanging.on+the+rim.not.a.technical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mudfmfMM6s/UXghr8TvqmI/AAAAAAAAHH8/0o28OvGtK3c/s320/nate.robinson.hanging.on+the+rim.not.a.technical.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would Nate Robinson have been allowed to do this last night?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is going to sound like whining from a bitter Celtics fan, but it's actually something I've been annoyed with all season long. Allegedly the NBA has a rule stating that you're not allowed to hang on the rim unless you need to for safety purposes. The result of such is supposed to be a technical foul. I looked it up, and it's listed in the <a href="http://mediacentral.nba.com/media/mediacentral/Official-NBA-Rule-Book.pdf" target="_blank">official rulebook</a> under <i>Hanging on Rim (Deliberate) 12A IV a 40</i>.<br />
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But in reality this "rule" does not exist; kind of like "travelling." Which is OK, but then the league should just admit that it doesn't exist. Guys do it all the time. The great king LeBron himself swears by it. <br />
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Slapping the backboard is supposed to be a technical also. As is lifting your head above the rim "chin up" style. Last night with 4 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter Kenyon Martin did <i>all three</i> of these on the same play (it's at the 20 second mark of this clip):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cc0nto0SPF4?rel=0" width="600"></iframe><br />
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That's about as easy a call as there is to make, but there was no whistle.<br />
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<fb:like-box header="true" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/LucidSportsFan/219752971402419" show_faces="false" stream="false" width="292"></fb:like-box> <a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="true" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/LucidSportsFan">Follow @LucidSportsFan</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/37SecondsOfSportsAndOtherStuffICareAbout/~4/cD_o3LVOZYQ" height="1" width="1"/>Mark Vandeusenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18007436721081539955noreply@blogger.com0http://www.lucidsportsfan.com/2013_04_21_archive.html#7382375722615140750