Here is what an ESPN.com basketball box score used to look like, with one team listed above the other (this was the only screenshot I could find in the depths of my computer--it's just the top half):
And this is what they look like now (with the teams side-by-side):
The new one has much less information. You can still get the full box score for both teams by clicking on separate tabs, but then you can't compare them each head-to-head at the same time. ESPN.com just lost my stat viewing business to either Yahoo or NBA.com, and I'm betting the same is true for a lot of other media people and fans alike.
Alright, I've waited five days, so I don't want anybody complaining about me spoiling the second-half season premier of The Walking Dead.
Back at the beginning of the season, I got really annoyed with Rick's stupid plan to try to get the thousands of zombies trapped in the quarry to follow the group away from their home. Nobody was able to come up with a better idea than that? I remember thinking "Why don't they just throw a bunch of stuff on fire down into the pit and hope it burns them all?" Maybe it would've worked, maybe it wouldn't have, but if it didn't the zombies would still all by stuck down in that pit and the people above would be no worse off.
So imagine how annoyed I got this week when they killed the zombies with a huge fire, one that also happened to lure them all in? Hey morons, why didn't you just try that from the start instead of leading them on a wild goose chase all over the place that led to the destruction of your community and the death of most of your people?
And more importantly, why didn't anybody figure out a long, long time ago that all you need to do is light a fire and the zombies nearby will walk right into it and kill themselves? That could've been a pretty useful skill to have over the past six seasons...
Officially the NBA All-Star break is seven days, but for most teams it's actually eight or nine (there were only two games last Thursday, and just three on the schedule tonight). The Celtics haven't taken the floor since Wednesday February 10, and they don't play again until tomorrow night (February 19). It's just silly to give a basketball team nine days off in the middle of a season--especially considering Game 7 of the Finals isn't scheduled until June 19, nearly eight months from opening night.
Major League Baseball's All-Star break lasts four days. In the NHL, it's six. Why should the NBA have one that's so much longer?
It's LeBron James' fault. Two years ago he whined about not getting enough of a vacation during the break (which only lasted five days in 2013-14), so Adam Silver made it longer. Unfortunately, basketball fans are now forced to sit around and wonder why there aren't any games this week.
Maybe now that the league belongs to Steph Curry instead of LeBron, Silver can go back to the old schedule going forward?
Take a look at this scene from the 2014 film That Awkward Moment (which is sneaky pretty good):
At the end of the clip she says "I brought Scotch--I don't know if you guys drink Scotch?" The thing is, it's clearly not Scotch. It's a very recognizable bottle of Bulleit rye whiskey. I don't understand how this possibly made it into the movie. With all the people on set (and editors after the fact), how did nobody catch this?
The crazy thing is, this mistake shouldn't even fly among the four characters in the scene, let alone the hundreds of people involved in the real-life production.
Assuming she somehow bought the booze (which likely would've been on a shelf marked "whiskey" or "rye") without looking at the label and realizing it's not Scotch, the chances are extremely high that at least one (if not all) of the three well-to-do 20-something New York City bachelors (who spend a lot of time drinking in bars) would immediately know what it actually was.
I have a hard time believing none of those four actors even noticed, let alone all the other pairs of eyes and ears that were on this before the movie was released. It seems unfathomable that this error wasn't discovered. Or did they just not care? And if that's the case, it bugs me just as much.
Keep in mind, this is just the layman's 37-second version of this concept. For the serious NBA fans, there will be a much more in-depth analysis at some point down the road, probably on CelticsLife.com.
The league's salary cap is currently right around $67 million. Because of the giant new TV contract that begins next season, this summer the salary cap will jump to about $90 million. For the most part, every single NBA team will have at least $23 million to spend--some clubs will have a lot more. For example, the Celtics are only committed to around $34 million in contracts for 2016-17, leaving $56 million potentially available.
There aren't going to be enough available free agents for teams to reasonably spend all their money. Bad players will end up getting the type of deals that had previously been reserved for stars. Some clubs will be forced to pay guys they don't even want, just because.
Via Baxter Holmes of ESPN, league commissioner Adam Silver said the following over All-Star weekend:
That is not something that we modeled for. ... But we'll see what happens this summer. I mean, as I've said, there will be unintended consequences from all this additional cap room this summer. I just don't know what those consequences will be.
1. "The Andersons" are already at "the game" sitting in their seats at what appears to be a crowded arena, so it's likely about to start. This other family is just leaving the house now--how are they ever going to get there in time? It'd be one thing if they lived across the street or something, but the husband says "grab the keys" so I'm assuming they're driving. Just the time it'll take to park and get through the gates alone at a sold-out NBA game will make them late, regardless of how long their ride is.
2. This game is sold out and is a big enough deal that it's referred to simply as "the game" (so it's probably either the playoffs or a matchup with a major rival), but nobody in this family cares enough on their way out the door to grab a single item of clothing that represents the team they're cheering for?
3. This is the worst of all, what kind of moron is this dad who thinks he can't get tickets because the game is sold out? Is this commercial actually from 1987 and nobody told me? Or maybe he's never once been on the internet before until the second his son shows him NBATickets.com?
Nice work NBATickets.com, you just solved an issue that hasn't actually been a problem for decades.
Back in 1996, I was a big fan of Donna Lewis' I Love You Always Forever. I really liked the sound of her voice and the tune was pretty catchy. I'm fairly certain I never saw the video though, because after watching it now I'm extremely disappointed. According to Wikipedia she was born in 1973, which would've made her 23 years old when it came out. Maybe it was just some bad style/makeup choices, but she looks like the oldest 23-year-old on the planet.
Alright, I've waited five days, so I don't want anybody complaining about me spoiling the second-half season premier of The Walking Dead.
Major League Baseball's All-Star break lasts four days. In the NHL, it's six. Why should the NBA have one that's so much longer?
The league's salary cap is currently right around $67 million. Because of the giant new TV contract that begins next season, this summer the salary cap will jump to about $90 million. For the most part, every single NBA team will have at least $23 million to spend--some clubs will have a lot more. For example, the Celtics are only committed to around $34 million in contracts for 2016-17, leaving $56 million potentially available.
2. This game is sold out and is a big enough deal that it's referred to simply as "the game" (so it's probably either the playoffs or a matchup with a major rival), but nobody in this family cares enough on their way out the door to grab a single item of clothing that represents the team they're cheering for?
