The Secret World of NBA Daps -
NBA players and coaches take us inside the world of the choreographed pregame rituals that have become an integral part of pro basketball’s swagger-fueled entertainment.
This article is kinda dry, but it’s about one of my all-time-favourite topics, so you know I have to post it.
Hint for Brits: Not about trainers.
Due to circumstances, I have missed almost the entire Six Nations this year. However, going into the final weekend England have a chance to win the Grand Slam, only [only???] needing to beat Wales in the Millennium Stadium to do so. But if Wales can win by eight points or more, then they not only spoil the Slam, but also win the championship outright. That’s as close to literal must-watch TV as it gets for this ex-pat Welshman, [and fairly close to some sort of cardiac episode for this ex-pat, (can you be an ex-pat if you never lived there?) having found myself on edge all week because of this game and my absolute inability to decide whether we are underdogs, overdogs or roughly equal favourite dogs. I just feel so tense.] Due to further circumstances, this is going online over a week after the match actually took place. While You Were Gone: Stretching the definition of the word “liveblog” since 2009.
As usual, these upright, free-range bits are me, [and these slanty, cordoned-off-by–brackets bits are friend-of-WYWG Tom.]
John Inverdale: “We are all just parasites.” Speak for yourself, John.
A BBC graphic informs me that Wales have made 93% of their tackles in the tournament so far. Alun Wyn Jones’s animated head is squished vertically in the squad list. Or possibly he is just very, very thin. I’ve been hearing people talk about Dan Biggar for at least a couple of years on the internet forums generally in the context of “He should be playing instead of Hook.” But I have never seen him play. [You really should watch some more rugby, especially given the whole rugby blogging thing.] Jiffy tells me he’s settled in well this tournament. [Which I think is a fair assessment. It’s also fair to say that he hasn’t overwhelmed the tournament with his spellbinding play. He has been solid. Overall, I would say he has just about whelmed. But this is Wales and the magic 10 shirt, so query whether whelming will be enough, long term.]
The Recline and Fall of Western Civilisation -
A plane on which I recently flew had seats with a new design of sleepy-times-recline-action. Instead of the top of the seat-back tilting backwards when reclined, the bottom of the seat-back and the seat itself slid forwards.
Problem solved.
Yes, that’s right. I’ve amassed stamps worth three and a quarter FREE chickens at Nando’s, all on vouchers which expired between Dec ’09 and Jun ’12.
Current status: Not eating chicken.
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Flinder Boyd has long been a favourite of this blog and so it will be no surprise to you to see WYWG linking to this piece he wrote on Ricky Rubio for the Classical. Fanboyism aside, it’s a remarkable debut1. Said remark being that it’s a fantastically well-written and insightful article, drawing from Boyd’s unique-amongst-sportswriter’s experience of having actually played against Rubio.
As a side-note, WYWG feels vindicated that WYWG’s early verdict on Rubio wasn’t wrong, exactly—just hasty and mean-spirited. After Rubio’s stellar entrance into the NBA, WYWG was beginning to feel like a bit of an idiot for making that crack and was hoping no-one would remember it.
With luck, Rubio will continue to prove WYWG wrong on his return from injury, and Boyd will write many more pieces for the Classical that, like this, are as elegant as his teardrop runner.
P.S. Hey Flinder, How ’bout them Clippers?
Presuming it is, in fact, the first of many. Fingers crossed. ↩
Top: Truffle Risotto in the UK. (Jamie’s Italian, Canary Wharf)
Bottom: Truffle Risotto in Italy. (Preludio, Cortona)
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Welcome to WYWG’s special Olympics edition of Nice Pass Week
This is a nice pass:
Alexey Shved to Sasha Kaun
(via cjzero)
No Standing Only Dancing 1974 by Rennie Ellis
(via kiddavid)
“For the millions of Americans who don’t subscribe to HBO, or who may not even watch shows on a television, this means there is no legal way to watch Game of Thrones. If you only watch TV on your laptop, there’s no way you’re going to pay $50/month for cable and another $15/month for HBO.” —
Whilst I’m usually the first to criticise the big copyright holders for their short-sighted and counterproductive attitudes towards the internet1, statements like this drive me crazy. Yes there is a legal way for Americans to watch Games of Thrones. The legal way is to pay for cable and for HBO. “I don’t want to pay $65 a month” is NOT THE SAME AS “it is illegal.”
For example, I would spend more money renting/buying movies on my Apple TV if the selection available weren’t so derisory. ↩