Finally, the answer we’ve all been waiting for:  YES.

Today marks the final edition of our ongoing chronicle of one man’s efforts to read a book.  Richard Ben Cramers, “What It Takes,” is a very long chronicling of the 1988 Presidential election. It is 1,051 pages broken up into 130 chapters, an afterword and an additional author’s note.

How did I do?

Continue Reading

Erving Walker might not start running a possible game winning play until there are 4 seconds left in regulation (why wait so long), but the man does know how to lay down the law on Matt Howard.

-H/T Bubbaprog

HELLO INTERNET!!!

How was your weekend? Mine was fine. Thanks for asking. Would you like to know how I spent part of it? Well, yesterday afternoon, I spent about 3 minutes hiding behind a cement pillar on the platform of a New York City Subway station. Don’t worry. I wasn’t lurking or spying on someone while trying to avert their gaze. It’s quite the opposite, in fact. You see, I spotted a guy I used to work with at the other end of the platform and I didn’t want to talk to him. And so I hid.

What’s wrong with this guy? Nothing. In fact, within the narrow confines of the work place, he was a very pleasant and affable gent. But outside of the office I don’t really care one way or the other. I don’t like him. I don’t dislike him. I nothing him. So, I didn’t want to waste my time with idle chit chat. Sure, the part where he asks about me would be interesting. I’m fascinating to myself. But him? Don’t care. Why would I waste my time collecting information about what he’s up to? The only thing I would do with that data is share it with someone else, in an effort to avoid hearing about what is happening in THEIR life. It’s a vicious cycle.

And what if he had said something patently incorrect? In the context of small talk, it’s impolite to correct someone when they are telling a story about their own experience. Recently, another person (there are many people who insist on speaking to me. REPEATEDLY) told me that he used to go to Yankee spring training games when he lived in Tampa in the late 80′s.  Now, I know that up until the mid-90′s, the Yankees held Spring Training in Fort Lauderdale, not Tampa. But, I didn’t want to be rude, so I tried to walk him towards the truth.

“Are you sure it was the Yankees?”

“Yeah, it was the Yankees”

“And you’re sure it was in Tampa?”

“Yeah, that’s where I lived in back then. Those were fun games.”

NO THEY WEREN’T! BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T EXIST. YOU ARE EITHER A LIAR OR AN IDIOT BUT I’M NOT ALLOWED TO CALL YOU ON IT BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE RUDE AND WE’RE STANDING IN A HOTEL LOBBY WHERE LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING SIMILARLY INANE CONVERSATIONS AND SOCIAL CONVENTION DICTATES THAT I SPEAK TO YOU IN MEASURED TONES.

It’s not just random co-workers and strangers. Here’s one more story. On Thanksgiving morning, I was waiting on the very same Subway platform on which I hid from the previous gentleman. As the train pulled up, I noticed, through the corner of my eye, a woman who I was quite positive was my 2nd cousin. As the doors opened and I made my way to a seat, it became obvious that she was going to sit directly across from me, but at this point it didn’t look like she had seen me. So, there we were, facing each other less than 3 feet apart. What did I do? Obviously I avoided eye contact at all costs until I could pull out a magazine and hold it in front of my face. SUCCESS!  Alas, my security system was breached. She noticed me and we spent the entirety of our subway trip trading useless niceties. Later, in an effort to make even more inane small talk, I told other members of my family about my encounter on the train. “Oh?” they said, “What did she have to say?”

“Not much,” I responded, “Not much at all. What’s up with you?”

AHHHHH!

Sports Illustrated March 28th, 2011.

Continue Reading

Did anyone else see this last night during the studio coverage of the NCAA Tournament on CBS? Charles Barkley grabbing a drink under the desk and taking sips live on air.

What was in the cup? Whatever it is, I want some. I mean it had to be something good. He had a coffee mug right in front of him yet kept going straight for the hidden glass. Keep on keepin on Chuck.

-H/T Yankee Meg

A couple of months from now, Derek Jeter is going to become the first Yankee to ever reach the 3,000 hit milestone.  That’s going to lead to a whole new round of retrospectives and analysis pieces on the life and career of the Yankee captain.

Well, the first one’s already out. “Derek Jeter: From The Pages of The New York Times” is a collection of articles about Jeter from… the pages of the New York Times. It also includes a new essay from the Times’ national baseball writer, Tyler Kepner.

He spoke to us about Jeter’s place in history, the upcoming baseball season and where to get the best clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Continue Reading

Conan O’Brien would probably trade a years salary to trade places with UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and choke out Jay Leno.

Guess who was on KJR radio to talk about the Knicks today.

Here’s a hint:

You missed it? Don’t worry.

Here it is in 2 parts

Part 1

Part 2

This is the kind of analysis I want with my college basketball. Forget Jay Bilas, give me this St John’s fan. (19 seconds in)

Wonder if this is what I would have sounded like last weekend if a TV station tried to interview me after 20 beers.

Mix Gus Johnson in with some of the greatest moments in history. You got me: Hook, line, and sinker.

Whatever Bro comes out with the greatest rap song about the NBA I have ever heard. Albeit maybe a little racist?