Clear Headed Ray Allen Reaction

From a basketball perspective, I honestly don't think it's that big a deal.  The Celtics were 17-5 without him in the lineup last year, and at this point in Ray's career I feel as if Jason Terry can pretty much fill the same role off the bench as him anyway.  And as far as Miami goes, they already had a bunch of three-point shooters on their bench (Mike Miller, Shane Battier, James Jones), so I'm not convinced Ray really brings them anything they need.

But it eats me up inside that he would pick the Heat.  It bothered me when Eddie House chose to go there after leaving the Celtics, and Ray doing it is obviously even worse.  And here's what I really can't comprehend: as a competitive athlete, how can you play your heart out against a team that has become your biggest rival, lose to them in 7 games on the verge of a championship, then decide to join them a few weeks later.  It blows my mind.  Not only should Ray have a severe dislike of everything about Miami, he should also be craving the opportunity to get another chance to beat them. 

Mama Flo can't be happy about this at all either.  She loves it here, and she's going to need some all new bedazzled shirts.  And I'm going to miss sitting behind her after all these years.  Maybe I can get her tickets...

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Which type of beer pong is better at the beach?

There's the original:

And also this giant version:

I played both of them the other day.  Wind was equally a factor in each game.  I think I prefer the larger variation just out of simplicity; it doesn't require digging enormous holes or carrying a huge piece of plywood on your car.  Vote in the poll on the right.

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If it's been a few years since you were in college, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this

If you want to read about the suddenly not existent Red Sox offense, take a look at my Boston vs Oakland recap for CLNS Radio.  I'm feeling the after effects of my long day celebrating the 4th of July, so it feels like a good time to share this video:

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Awesome Old Song of the Week (Independence Day Edition): "America" by Neil Diamond

America was a hit single in 1981.  I'm fairly certain I first remember hearing it on an episode of Reading Rainbow.  No explanation necessary.  Oddly enough this is my second Neil Diamond reference in this feature over the past 3 weeks.

On a slightly related tangent, a month ago I wrote a post about how excited I was for the new HBO series The Newsroom.  And after watching the first episode, it's exactly what I expected it to be.  The show's opening scene seems relevant today:

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I'm on vacation for the 4th

It's going to be a slow blog week.  This is all for today.  Lambert's Cove sunset:

I've got a good idea for tomorrow though.

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I've already spent too much time today in front of my computer

I'm heading up Island somewhere to catch a Vineyard sunset.  Go read my Red Sox vs A's series preview for CLNSRadio.com.  Dice-K was actually pretty good in his last start, we'll see if he can do it again tonight.

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Other things as likely as Aaron Hill hitting for the cycle twice

A few days ago (June 29) the Diamondbacks Aaron Hill hit for the cycle.  A nice feat, but nothing I'd normally still be writing about today; except that he also did it eleven days earlier, on June 18.  The last time anybody even accomplished it twice in one season was in 1931, when some guy named Babe Herman did it for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Statistically hitting for the cycle is about as common as throwing a no-hitter (there have been 272 no-no's all time in MLB history, 294 cycles), so what Hill did would be very similar to a pitcher throwing two of them in three starts.

But how about this: The San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins have been playing baseball for a combined 62 seasons (Padres since 1969, Marlins since 1993); that's over 90,000 player games without a single cycle for either team.  And Hill just did it twice in 12 games. Coincidentally the Padres are also the only MLB team never to throw a no hitter (I'm sure it's tough being a Padres fan, but it does have it's benefits).

So by now I know you're wondering what that picture has to do with any of this.  Well, if you'd asked me two days ago when the last time I wore a life jacket was, I wouldn't have been able to come up with an answer.  Yesterday on the Cape I rode a jet ski for the first time, so I put one on.  Then today on the Vineyard I went kayaking for the first time, and I wore one again.  When I told my dad I'd put on a life jacket two days in a row, he said it was about as likely as Aaron Hill's double cycle.

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