Sports! Sports! Sports!

I love myself a good sports rivalry, (obviously the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is my favorite) and I especially enjoy seeing celebrities get worked up. Why? Well, celebrities are like me, but prettier and have more money and can probably go to games whenever they want and can make fun videos just for the hell of it like this one:

GO RED SOX!

Every NBA Slam Dunk Contest Video Visualization

Basketball fans - head over to Hoopism for this insane video visualization of every slam dunk from every slam dunk contest.

The Truth Reaches 20K

The other night Paul Pierce made a basket. This basket was unique because it marked 20,000 points he's scored during his career in the NBA. The best part is that all of them have been while he's been a Celtic.

THE TRUTH!

The Best 80s Ski Movie

HOLY MONKEYBALLS YOU GUYS!!!!!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES EVER IS NOW STREAMING ON HULU:

SKI PATROL

I know what you're thinking - you're thinking this looks like another shitty 80s sports movie. You know what? You're right. It is shitty. But it's so shitastic it's FANTASTIC. And personally, it is my favorite of the bad ski movies (in comparison to Aspen Extreme and Ski School, at least).

WATCH IT AND REJOICE!

"There is no relationship that isn't a Celtics-Lakers relationship."

Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs has an entire essay devoted to a literary and pop culture exploration of the NBA and the peak of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry in the 1980s. When I first read the book about five years ago I remember reading that chapter and just thinking, wow - this? This is genius. Not only did I connect with the book, and this chapter in particular, but I think Klosterman's writing style has had a large impact on my own writing - both in style and subject matter.

In honor of tonight's Game 7, the final match-up between the Celtics and the Lakers for the 2010 series, I'm including below some of my favorite quotes/segments from that very essay, titled "8 33 0:97" (or, check out almost the entire chapter here).

To say the 1980s rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers represents America’s racial anguish is actually a short-sighted understatement. As I have grown older, it’s become clear that the Lakers-Celtics rivalry represents absolutely everything: race, religion, politics, mathematics, the reason I’m still not married, the Challenger explosion, Man vs. Beast, and everything else. There is no relationship that isn’t a Celtics-Lakers relationship. It emerges from nothingness to design nature, just as Gerald Henderson emerged from nothingness to steal James Worthy’s errant inbound pass in game two of the 1983 finals. Do you realize that the distance between Henderson and Worthy at the start of that play – and the distance between them at the point of interception – works out to a ratio of 1.618, the same digits of Leonardo da Vinci’s so called “golden ratio” that inexplicably explains the mathematical construction of the universe? Do not act surprised. It would be more surprising if the ratio did not.

This is what sets the NBA apart from every other team sport in North America: Everyone who loves pro basketball assumes it's a little fixed. We all think the annual draft lottery is probably rigged, we all accept that the league aggressively wants big market teams to advance deep into the playoffs, and we all concede that certain marquee players are going to get preferential treatment for no valid reason. The outcomes of games aren't predetermined or scripted, but there are definitely dark forces who play with our reality. There are faceless puppet masters who pull strings and manipulate the purity of justice. It's not necessarily a full-on conspiracy, but it's certainly not fair. And that's why the NBA remains the only game that matters: Pro basketball is exactly like life.

"We had to get over the psychological element of the Celtic mystique," Lakers coach Pat Riley insisted. "After we choked in '84, I had to teach my guys exactly who the Celtics were in a historical sense. I mean, the Celts were a cult who did sinister things in secret places. That's where I took it. I had to teach them who their opponent was originally, because that's exactly who they were playing in 1987. I don't know if the Celtic players knew about Celt history, but that's how those guys played."

This is probably true, although a bit comical (I like to imagine Riley handing out scouting reports that included such insights as, "Dennis Johnson: no range beyond twenty-one feet, initiates contact on drives to the hole, may have aspirations to sack Iberia"). But it proves that Riley understood that sport (or at least transcendent moments of sport) has almost nothing to do with the concept of a game. Scrabble is a game. Popomatic Trouble is a game. Major League Baseball is a game. But any situation where Bird is boxing out Magic for a rebound that matters is not. That is a conflict that dwarfs Dante. That is the crouching tiger and and the hidden dragon.

On the NBA today:

Guys like Allen Iverson and Vince Carter are mechanically awesome, but they don't represent anything beyond themselves. They're nothing more than good basketball players, and that's depressing. Watching modern pro basketball reminds me of watching my roommate play Nintendo in college. In order to remedy this aesthetic decline, the league decided to let teams play zone defense, which has got to be the least logical step ever taken to increase excitement. This is like trying to combat teen pregnancy by lowering the drinking age.

And finally:

I am a Celtic Person. That’s my identity, and I’m never going to try to pretend I’m some sort of eclectic iconoclast. This does not mean I’m always right and you’re always wrong, nor does it mean I subconsciously need other people to feel the same way I do about anything. You need to side with the Boston Celtics to be a good person. But you should definitely side with somebody. Either you’re with us or you’re against us, and both of those options is better than living without a soul.

Klosterman provided a funny update in 2008; read that here.
Quotes pulled from here and here.
Buy the book here.

"Why are you a Celtics fan?" "Well, I'm from Maine..."

OMG NO WAY! Another post about the Celtics! Look, it's like election day, when all I can think about is my team (at least I am not live-blogging my every thought and whim, right?) so indulge me for a moment, as I am going to explain my love for the Celtics...

My dad loved basketball. When he was a kid growing up in Michigan, that was the sport he loved to watch, play, whatever. So, only natural that when my brother and I were kids my dad wanted us to find the same enjoyment and fun out of watching basketball as he did. Thing is, we grew up in Maine. There are no professional basketball teams in Maine (well until about a year ago when the Red Claws, the Celtics' development team, came to Portland), for that matter, there aren't any major league professional sports teams in Maine - so my dad had no choice but to take us to see games in the nearest city with some high-caliber sports events - thus, hello Boston, hello Celtics. My father was, and still is, a diehard Pistons fan, and besides that, he likes to be contrary just to be contrary, so he holds strong to hating the Celtics.

How ironic that in the process of getting his two young kids to fall in love with basketball, we both fell in love with the Celtics in the process?



This picture makes me laugh because I am SUCH a little sister...

A Celtics Fan in Laker Country

It's pretty fun to be a serious Celtics fan in LA. Granted, I'm not walking around in any really rough neighborhoods but for inciting the occasional trash talking session, it's a good time. I've been wearing my various Celtics gear out and about - and today I've busted out my Paul Pierce t-shirt, adding a blazer to attempt to make the look "work appropriate." I've been getting all sorts of dirty looks from co-workers, but in my opinion, there's nothing quite like some good sports rivalries to get everyone psyched up!

GO CELTICS!

It's a Great Weekend for Some Sports

Between the World Cup and the NBA finals, this weekend is aaaalllll about the sports. I love it. I love playing sports, watching sports - everything about it.

If you're not nearly as psyched as I am, then watch this fucking epic (yeah, I said fucking epic) video of pretty much every badass sport set to some badass jams - Explosions in the Sky - who's music you would know if you watched Friday Night Lights. Also, watch Friday Night Lights, tonight on NBC.



Fucking epic! Right? RIGHT!

I love Shakira but I hear "waka waka" and think of Fozzie Bear. Just me?

Okay so now I'm thinking it's something to do with a cheer for the World Cup. That's acceptable.

Here's Fozzie's version:


So he spells it differently. Got it.

The Greatest Rivalry in Sports History? Duh, Annie vs. Marisa

I’d like introduce a friend of mine, Marisa Roffman, a savvy and wonderful TV Blogger for Zap2It.com’s KorbiTV. Marisa and I share a lot of similar interests. We both love Twitter, TV, and talking about Twitter and TV, sometimes over lunch, but because we live on opposites ends of the city, usually on Twitter or email. However, there is one big difference between the two of us – our team loyalities.

Marisa loves the Lakers. Diehard fan.
I love the Celtics. Diehard fan.

In fact, we may be as passionate about our cities’ respective sports teams as we are about our TV shows. And you should see the length of emails back and forth over The X-Files, Lost, Bones, etc. We’d sort of made an agreement that we wouldn’t talk about the finals with each other, but thanks to Twitter, and the fact that we seem to overlap in followers, we’re doing a sort of Twitter/NBA Finals/TV bet.

Here are details:
If the Lakers win then I have to watch a full episode of any TV show of Marisa’s choosing, and if the Celtics win then she has to watch an episode of a TV show of my choosing. Furthermore - the next time Marisa and I have lunch, the loser will have to take a picture in the winning team's gear, which the winner will share on Twitter for everyone to laugh at.

While we might seem like people who enjoy all TV shows – I can promise there are more than enough crappy programs out there we’d rather not suffer through. Even better – we’re such social media/crowdsourcing lovers that we’re going to let our Twitter followers help the winner pick the crappy TV show the other must watch – and to prove she’s watching, the loser must live-tweet the entire episode as well as change their Twitter avatar to the winning team's logo while they watch.

This might be the nerdiest bet in the history of bets but we don’t really care – we’re all about the fun. Feel free to leave suggestions for the TV show the loser has to watch in the comments below - and of course any stipulations to add to the bet are always welcome!

So Marisa, Lakers – bring it on.

Go Celtics!

Why the Lack of Sports Stores at LA Malls Proves That Angelenos are Fair-weather Fans; Or, An Open Letter to the City of Los Angeles

Dear LA,

You have so many malls. You really do. Sometimes I wonder if this is what New Jersey is like, except the malls here are filled with pretty people and nice stores and people with real tans.

I have, however, noticed an alarming trend when it comes to the malls of Los Angeles. Unlike many of the malls I know and love, your malls are often lacking a quality sporting goods store. Now I get that the Westfield malls like to be fancier and what not, but let's check out the Westside Pavillion - a pretty standard mall... I don't see any sports stores listed, do you?

See back on the East Coast you can almost always find at least a Foot Locker, Olympia or Sports Authority at any mall, if not all three.

Now besides the fact that I find this to be a general inconvenience, this also connects to a larger issue. Something that really grinds my gears when it comes to LA sports fans: LA sports fans are fair-weather fans and if they weren't, then all the malls would be overflowing with sporting goods stores so they could purchase team gear year round (and the UCLA/USC Pink line at Victoria's Secret definitely does not count - unless it counts toward embarrassment in which case LA, you should be embarrassed). Because let me tell you, as a longtime Boston sports fan I know a whole lotta places where I can get all the Red Sox and Celtics gear my committed heart desires.

The upside to all this is that I imagine there would be a lot more people cruising around the city with those damn flags connected to their cars if they were more easily accessible. And I really can't stand those stupid flags.

I've sort of lost my train of thought here so I am going to end with what I think should be the valuable takeaway from this oh-so well-crafted letter: GO CELTICS!

Love,
Stamos

KG explains Lost to Big Baby Davis

I love the Celtics.

I love Lost.

I love this:

'Lost' audio: Garnett explains the island to 'Big Baby' from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

Sports Doc Must Watch: Magic & Bird

Last night I finally watched HBO Sports' Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, a documentary I'd been anticipating seeing as soon as I heard about its existence.

The film did not disappoint, in fact Magic & Bird far exceeded my expectations. I was blown away, so much so, that I had tears rolling down my cheeks the last twenty minutes of the film which is NOT common for me.



I have a soft spot for sports documentaries as it is, and as I grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, much of my youth was spent obsessing over Magic, Bird and the Dream Team. I remember sitting at my counter eating breakfast before school and my dad quizzing me on the names of the Dream Team members. We used to have the plastic cups with all their pictures and stats - Magic Johnson was the first time I heard about or understood what HIV and AIDS were. I know that many other children who grew up in the same time would agree, and that nostalgic component makes the film that much more enjoyable.

My dad instilled a great love for the game of basketball in both my brother and I, and there was no better time to appreciate the sport then during the years of the Magic-Bird rivalry, and even I only got the tail end of that. This film is so spectacular, not only for showing the extent of their rivalry, but for showing their profound connection to each other, and sincere friendship. A must-see.

Surf's Up... In Munich?

My aunt just sent me this totally rad photo of someone surfing this winter. In downtown Munich. On a river.


Sweet, right? I mean, that's INSANE.

Update: my uncle would like me to clarify that he was in fact the photographer.

Congratulations NBC! You've finally found some programming that gets viewers!

If only the Olympics occurred more frequently than every 2 years. At least for NBC, because apparently everyone (Or half of everyone - or some actual statistic I could look up, but feel I don't need to, because if you really care about the actual number you can just Google it yourself) is watching these Vancouver 2010 Olympic games.

I totally have Olympic fever. As a girl who grew up in Maine competing in both figure skating and downhill skiing for many years, I actually can talk about these sports with some authority (other sports I can talk about with authority? Field hockey, lacrosse, tennis... aka sports only played by WASPS in New England). Now, if I remember correctly, most people tend to prefer the Summer Olympics to the Winter Olympics and I would imagine that's because the sports for the summer games are a little more conventional. That and a bazillion more countries compete.

But there is something about the Winter Olympics... they're just... batshit crazy. And just totally rad. I mean the threat of death is imminent (and sadly, this year, a reality) and when you think about it, like when you boil it down to the bare basics, you've got people essentially seeing how fast they can go using various sharp objects on top of varying surfaces of ice and snow. I mean, that's AWESOME.

And Canada? You're okay. No really! Despite my discomfort with the French-Canadian accent (I was educated by snobby Parisians for a chuck of time, what do you expect?) I am digging the vibe in Vancouver. Looks like a beautiful city with nice people.

Ultimately, it doesn't really surprise me that these games are getting a lot of viewers, and I am sure NBC is thrilled. If only the Olympics aired year round... I mean, what other programming has ever given American Idol a run for it's money? That's like freedom vs. freedom.

And freedom always wins.

I'm pretty sure this movie has potential to be the best film since, well, Ski Patrol

Growing up there were two ski movies I adored. Aspen Extreme and Ski Patrol. For so long I've dreamt that once again this genre of film will be revived. And at long last, it looks as though my dreams will come true, in the form of Hot Tub Time Machine.



Am I right or am I right? And exactly how much do I love 80s ski themes? Check out this pic of myself & friends at a party this past September. The theme was "family reunion" and we went as an 80s ski fam, obv (and that's me in the glorious one piece, all the way on the left).

Source: Young Wolff Photography

Wicked 90s

I have a tendency to use decades as adjectives. For example, this past President's Day weekend was pretty epic in a decade-specific way. How do I mean? Well, most epic was the 90s sleepover party that rounded up my Sunday night. What began as a typical night at Venice bars (what's that, it was Valentine's Day? Yeah, didn't notice) ended up with 5 people eating snacks in our living room, watching Beetlejuice (sidenote: probably one of my top five favorite movies ever) and playing Jenga. Yes, Jenga. Even better? We all slept in the living room, sprawled out on couches, and it wasn't until around 6am that people emerged from confused sleep and I stumbled off to my own bed (turns out, it is better to sleep with a blanket!).

Additionally, I watched a LOT of Olympics this weekend. Which feels very 90s to me as well, considering I spent the better part of my childhood obsessed with skiing and figureskating - and even competing in both at different points. I could watch the Olympics allllll day...

A Sudden Desire

Okay that sounds like a rejected title for a romance novel.

Anyway.

I have a sudden desire to pack up and move to Switzerland or France and live in a ski town for the rest of my days. I miss cold weather and chalets and crepes and skiing. And ski towns. And the smell of ski towns. And the feeling after a long day of skiing. And the night's sleep you get after a long day of skiing. And the people who live in ski towns. And Europeans in general...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

No, it’s not Christmas. It’s the long-awaited return of FALL TV. And for those of who work in TV or simply just love TV, it’s just such a magical time of year. So let me give you a weekly break-down of my TV watching habits,

Let’s kick off with MONDAY nights, because, well, today’s Monday. Now, I have a true confession to make. I stopped watching Gossip Girl (CW, 8pm) about halfway through the season last year. I know, it’s simply terrible. What sort of pop culture junkie am I if I’m not up to date on the latest fight between Chuck and Blair or the bizarrely unimportant storylines following Vanessa or Nate? Well, it doesn’t take much to stay on top of this show, whether or not you actually watch, so even though I missed half of Season 2 I think I know what’s happening. They’re all dating each other and then hating each other and everyone is going to NYU and then there’s an evil twin and then the realize the island isn’t REALLY an island. See, at this point, I haven’t decided whether or not I will be watching Gossip Girl this season, which probably means I don’t care enough and will be watching a better show (I’m thinking of picking up The Wire or Big Love) instead on Monday nights.

That is, if I am not watching FOOTBALL! Folks I love the fall and I love watching football and those two just go hand in hand with beer and America and freedom and goodness. Saturday I think I watched about 9 hours of college football (my league of choice) and while I don’t love the NFL as much, at least there’s always Monday Night Football to sink your teeth into.

Now Tuesday nights are looking good. The remake of the classic 80s sci-fi thriller V (ABC, 8pm) starts up around mid-November, but even better is that So You Think You Can Dance (FOX, 8pm) is on for a solid two hours—and that makes for some great TV programming on one night. Some aliens and some dancing. Maybe some dancing aliens, I don’t know, but that would be great.

Wednesday night brings the results show for SYTYCD (FOX, 8pm) which I don’t really watch, only the dancing and actual results—in sum, about 5 minutes of quality programming until you know who gets the boot. After SYTYCD is Glee (FOX, 9pm) which I’ve already talked about being obsessed with. MUST SEE. Oh and I recently watched the pilot for Modern Family (ABC, 9pm) and while I definitely enjoyed it, there’s only so much time in the day I can devote to watching TV, and yes, I do have a limit.



The best night for television watching is, without question, Thursday night. Obviously, Thursday nights are traditionally great nights for TV, but the schedule is just overwhelmingly fantastic this year. Bones (FOX, 8pm) premieres this week, and there’s no need for me to reiterate my severe obsession with that show… but I will anyway. I LOVE BONES. It’s my 21st century X-Files with less paranoia and more comic relief. After Bones comes Fringe (FOX, 9pm), which I spent some time over the weekend getting caught up on, and this show is lot like the X-Files, but I’m nowhere near the same level as obsessed, however I am psyched to see how Season 2 plays out. The Office and 30 Rock (NBC, 9pm and 9:30pm—although SNL: Weekend Update will be on until 30 Rock premieres, complete with Amy Poehler!) are on Thursdays again, classic shows right there. I also plan to watch the new show Community (NBC, 8pm) as well as the potential Lost-replacement Flash Forward (ABC, 8pm) which will end up as a DVR special while I will be devoting real time watching of that time slot to Bones. Thursdays are overwhelming. I don’t even think I will be watching Vampire Diaries (CW, 8pm). Seriously. I have enough vampires and teen angst in my life as it is. Wait. That’s weird.



Friday Night Lights (DirecTV, 9pm). That’s all that needs to be said for Friday night (what with BSG off the air) and I absolutely cannot wait for Season 4 to begin on October 28th. I might watch Dollhouse (FOX, 9pm) Fridays as well, or at least record it and check it out later, but really FNL is the big gun on this night of the week.

Saturdays… if any TV is watched it will be college ball then SNL late night when I am drunk or something.

And hurrah for the return of Californication (Showtime, 10pm) and Family Guy (FOX, 9pm), two of my favorite Sunday night shows.



Well.

Now that you know what exactly I’ll be watching every day of the week, I highly suggest watching along, and then we can have all sorts of fascinating debates. But I must warn you: there’s a good chance that in about a month, the actual shows I watch on time will drop to approximately 4. There’s simply no way I can keep up with this many and balance work, working out, and yes, a social life. Unless I can train myself to get fewer hours of sleep each night, which trust me, I’ve tried. I’ve gotten it down to being comfortable at 8 hours a night, which may be normal for most people but is ROUGH for me. But, regardless of what I do end up watching seriously, I just love fall TV. There's just something in the air...

Federer is a God

Not like we should be surprised but HOLY SHIT this shot is UNREAL. Dude better win the final...