>> I'm almost relieved that the NBA Finals are over, so I can finally stop hearing about how much people hate LeBron and Miami and The Decision, etc. etc. etc. I was sorta cheering for Miami (largely because they were so hated this past year) but mostly just cheering for it to go 7 games-- as I usually do when I don't particularly love or hate either team. I know that I could just ignore everybody, and that it's partly my fault, but in this age of the internet and social media, it's almost impossible to tune everything else out....but if I read one more Facebook status that makes some stupid joke about LeBron and the Heat, I am just gonna snap. It was tough to fully enjoy a well-fought series that went six games, because of ignorant opinions from people who for the most part don't know what they're talking about. For instance, did you know that Dallas' payroll this season is $24 million more than Miami's? What a Cinderella story! I don't even know how to fully explain myself, but luckily J.A. Adande, as he usually does, summed it up perfectly in his article this morning:
".....now that the Dallas Mavericks have defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, maybe interest in next season will be driven by something other than anger and fear. Those are the two irrational emotions that accounted for all of the page views and Nielsen ratings this season."
Exactly. So now Miami got their comeuppance, and Dirk got his championship, and LeBron is the worst player in the history of the NBA.....now can we try and actually enjoy next season?
>> At Pizzel's 30th birthday party Saturday night, we busted out Flip Cup, the first time I had played in about three years. And unfortunately, a harsh new reality was exposed to me: I am no longer good at the game. Back in the college heyday, when if there were red plastic cups involved, then there was a Flip Cup tournament, I was always one of the best couple players in our friend group; any time I failed to be one-and-done with my flip was a rarity. On Saturday night, once our friend's dad got the hang of the game, I was undoubtedly the weak link on our team (yup, outplayed by an almost 60-year-old-man who had to be at the airport in six hours.)
And yes, there were plenty of positives from that night's gaming: it was still an amazing time; our guys team never lost a best-of-seven series the entire night; we came back against a loaded girls team from 3-0 down to win in seven games (chanting "Why not us?" throughout the entire comeback, thank you 2004 Red Sox slogan); I did improve my all-time Washers record in Kansas to something like 47-1 (I'm better than you at Washers); we were rowdy enough that the neighbors decided to google the phrase "bucket of suck" so they could try and understand what we were shouting about (don't bother googling it, it's an inside thing).....but the fact remains: I officially suck at Flip Cup. When your team is winning in spite of you, rather than because of you, it's a bitter pill to swallow.
>> Famous youtube clips strategically set to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'? I can think of worse ways to spend 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Perfect for a Monday.
