Will the "Go Lounge" be all over the beach this summer?

In theory, the Go Lounge looks like a pretty good idea...



...but I just don't trust that it's going to work.

One, I have a hard time believing you can really get it to fill up by swinging it through the air.  My guess is when you go to sit on it it's nowhere near fully inflated.  Two, I'm also fairly skeptical that it'll hold the air in--you're probably sitting on the ground after 5-10 minutes.  And three, won't whatever it's made of get really hot in the sun and be extremely uncomfortable to sit on?


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I can't wait for the Starks of Winterfell to get the band back together for their world-domination revenge tour

It's been four days since the latest Game of Thrones episode, so I don't want to hear and "spolier" complaints.  The moment Sansa showed up on Jon Snow's doorstep just before he was about to leave town for good, I was instantly more pumped than I've ever been watching this show.

Back when it started five years ago, (at least in my mind) it was all about the Starks.  They were the good guys.  Arya was training to do battle with her skinny little sword, and I assumed she would some day rule the kingdom with it.  But then their family was beaten and skewered a million different ways, with their few surviving members sent to various reaches of the planet.

So many other plot lines came and went that the plight of the Starks was all but forgotten.

And now, finally, it appears to be coming back.  I just hope the writers are smart enough to reunite the whole squad and put Jon, Sansa, Arya, Bran and that other kid who doesn't seem to matter (they might as well toss Theon back on the team as well) all in the same place at the same time for their final f-you world-domination revenge tour.

Not a spoiler, but the Stark kids all reuniting to take back Winterfell has the potential to be one of my favorite plot lines in TV history.

— Mark Van Deusen (@LucidSportsFan) May 16, 2016

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Better streak: Roger Federer or Cal Ripken?

Roger Federer announced today that a lingering back injury will prevent him from playing in the upcoming French Open.  The last time Federer missed a Grand Slam tournament was during the summer of 1999, when he failed to qualify for the U.S. Open--he'd just turned 18 at the time and wasn't yet ranked in the world's top 100.

Federer's run of consecutive Grand Slams lasted more than 16 years and spanned 65 tournaments.  There's an argument to be made that Federer's streak is as impressive as Cal Ripken's 2,632 straight Major League Baseball games played (also just over 16 years, from May 30, 1982 until September 19, 1998).

Baseball's offseason is roughly six months (plenty of time to recuperate), while the longest gap between Grand Slam tourney's is only four months.  And while Ripken suited up for about twice as many games during his streak as Federer played matches, a baseball game isn't even remotely close to a tennis match in terms of physical exertion and the amount of stress put on the body.


RELATED: Better streak: Dick Bavetta or Cal Ripken?


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Is the U.S. Army trying to recruit kids to fight space aliens?

The first time the above commercial aired on my TV, I originally thought it was just a U.S. Army ad.  But, I perked up when he said "war of '96" and then really started paying attention when the "Aliens Defeated" newspaper came on the screen.  Because I remember seeing Independence Day in the theater during the summer of 1996 and I knew there was a sequel coming out this year, I figured out what it was for (I like this new trend of movie trailers pretending to be real life, which as far as I know began with The Purge: Election Year).

The weird thing is, when you go to joinESD.com (ESD is an acronym they've made up for Earth Space Defense) the lines are pretty blurred between what is Independence Day: Resurgence promotion and what is trying to get you to actually join the army.  There are definitely some kids out there who will want to sign up because they really think they're going to protect Earth from space aliens...


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Why would this guy take "professional" pictures of himself wearing a tux in front of a Porsche?

Sorry I don't have a better photo, but I didn't want to be too obvious that I was snapping a picture and I had to get a safe distance away first--you never know how somebody taking bizarrely staged selfies on the waterfront in South Boston is going to react...

The thing that's really funny to me is that if this guy actually owned the tuxedo he's wearing and the Porsche he's standing in front of, he'd never pick the Castle Island parking lot in Southie as the scenic place to shoot his "professional" selfie.

Did he rent both for the day in an attempt to get a picture of himself looking like a "baller"?  For what purpose would somebody do that?  Is that the kind of stupid stuff guys use to try to impress girls with their Tinder profiles?  Also, if he plunked down the cash to get the tux, car and camera, why not also invest in another person to take the photographs, if for no other reason than to at least make the experience not feel quite so embarrassing?  Not to mention, why not take the time to drive to a nicer beach?

Please, if you have any reasonable explanations for this I'd love to hear them.


UPDATE - Best response so far:

@LucidSportsFan broke lawyer making his own commercial "Better Call Saul" style. Not a doubt in my mind.

— Thomp (@Thomp_26) May 17, 2016

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MLS and the WNBA are both now 20 years old--is either catching on?

I can't say I've seen either the Mayo Clinic or the Alaska Airlines play before--and where is Mayo anyway?

The WNBA kicked off it's 20th season this past weekend.  Major League Soccer did the same last year.  I'm sure both leagues (as well as their serious fans) have tons of PR data that suggests they're each continually gaining popularity and becoming more mainstream--but my observation as a sports fan/independent observer is that they're not.  I am equally as ambivalent about the WNBA as I was 20 years ago, and as far as MLS goes, I think I actually care a bit less at this point considering I was originally excited when the league debuted.

Like I said, I know the leagues have their die-hards, but I don't get the sense that average sports enthusiasts like them more today than they did two decades ago.  I also don't believe the media covers either more now than at the beginning, which should be a pretty fair gauge of the public's level of interest (or lack thereof).

What do you think?

MLS and the WNBA are now both 20 years old. Which do you think has had more success becoming mainstream?

— Mark Van Deusen (@LucidSportsFan) May 16, 2016

And if you read the photo caption above, yes it's a joke, but it's also somewhat telling.


RELATED:
 - How many NBA players would it take to beat a WNBA starting five?
 - Frustrated NE Revolution player tosses opponent faking injury; plus would Boston have had a parade if they won the title?


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Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Your Love" by The Outfield

The Outfield's Your Love peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard charts 30 years ago this week, on May 10, 1986.  It seemed an appropriate choice for a sunny spring afternoon with a ballgame going on at Fenway.  However, my main reason for picking this song was to have an excuse to mention the 2004 remake from the 50 First Dates soundtrack, the L.O.V.E. Reggae Mix by Eve and Wyclef Jean.

Here's The Outfield's original:



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