Saturday, July 9, 2016

Chances are the Warriors with Durant will actually be worse than last year (at least in the regular season)


With Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, the general response/consensus is that Golden State will now be an unbeatable super-team:


Kind of like playing with the Blackhawks in NHL '94, right Isaiah?

(How about the Celtics, by the way?)

I do think the Warriors should be overwhelming title favorites in 2016-17.  But, the thing everybody is forgetting is that they were the best team ever this past regular season--there really isn't much room for improvement.

Despite the talent upgrade, Golden State is unlikely to win as many games next year as it did in 2015-16.  It just goes against the laws of probability for the all-time NBA wins record to be broken in back-to-back seasons.  Guys will get hurt and stars will be rested.  The Warriors may also be so good that they'll lose motivation from time to time.

Most importantly, ever opponent on their schedule will be giving its best shot on a nightly basis.  Isaiah Thomas said this today:


Vegas agrees with me:


I honestly believe 5/1 odds (equivalent to +500) are too good--I'd put Golden State's chances at going 74-8 or better below 10 percent.


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Friday, July 8, 2016

I'll pass on Summer Ale popsicles (even though they do sound kind of good)

I will say this--these things actually look pretty tasty and this is definitely a solid marketing attempt by Sam Adams:


However, there are two major flaws with the recipe (click the link above):

1.  It requires juicing a bunch of lemons and grapefruits, as well as shaving zest from the peels.  I'm guessing the type of person with a kitchen set up to juice and zest fresh fruit is generally not the type of person interested in beer-sicles.  It reminds me of this graphic (and the accompanying blog) from three years ago:


2.  If I'm making boozy popsicles out of lemons and grapefruits (with a bunch of sugar too), Summer Ale would not be my liquor of choice to add.  Vodka seems like a much more efficient and cost-effective option.

Here's my alternate suggestion for you, Sam Adams: Put the fresh juice and lemon zest in the beer yourself and brew a nice grapefruit summer shandy.  I'll buy a ton of those.


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Thursday, July 7, 2016

A bathroom door opener for your feet is a pretty solid idea

I saw this thing in a restaurant bathroom for the very first time the other day, and I'm honestly shocked that they're not everywhere.

This seems like such a no-brainer.  Nobody wants to touch the doorknob of a public restroom after washing their hands.  I'm sure there's also a huge percentage of the population that has serious anxiety about it.

Problem solved.

It worked fairly well in my first-ever field test, although I could definitely envision it being difficult for some people to use with a heavy door.


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Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade on the same team can't be good...


Three days ago, Rajon Rondo signed with the Bulls.  Tonight, Dwyane Wade did too.  Um, what the $#!* is going on???  Here are the top four results of a Google search for "Rondo Wade" videos:

1. Wade bending Rondo's elbow the wrong way:



2. An interview with Rondo in which he calls Wade a dirty player:



3. Rondo committing a flagrant foul on Wade:



4. The pair getting in each other's faces and receiving double technicals:



Good luck Chicago.



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Tuesday, July 5, 2016

David West keeps turning down big money to try to win a title--that's extremely rare and admirable

Last summer, then 35-year-old power forward David West declined a $12.5 million player option with the Pacers in order to sign a one-year, $1.4 mil veteran's minimum deal with the Spurs.  West wanted to win a championship, and he passed up more than $11 million to try to do it.  That plan didn't work out, so today West inked a $1.3 mil contract (again the veteran's minimum) with the new super-team Warriors.

People will knock West's "ring chasing," but I couldn't disagree more.  It's one thing if you're a Kevin Durant or a LeBron James--the type of superstar who can potentially lead a squad to a title on your own.  It's also a different story if you're a washed-up-probably-should-retire guy trying to snag a championship before calling it quits.  West is neither.  In 78 games for San Antonio in 2015-16, he averaged 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 18 minutes per contest on a loaded Spurs club.  With a bad team, he would've seen a lot more playing time.

In a market where Evan Turner was handed $70 million for four years, it seems quite likely West could've earned himself at least $10 mil per for the next couple seasons.  A pro athlete taking a salary that's roughly 10 percent of what he could make in order to play for a winner is something we just don't see, let alone twice.


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Monday, July 4, 2016

What's going on with this guy watching fireworks inside a bubble?

Sorry the photo isn't better, was afraid to get too close.
While taking in some July 4th (actually on the 2nd) fireworks on a crowded beach the other night, one man was 100-percent determined not to get any bug bites.  His solution was this single-person chair-shaped clear tent (pictured).  The funny thing was, when the fireworks started he didn't look up from his phone the whole time, so he might as well have just sat at home in his weird little bubble.

Something else I can't figure out--what's the intended purpose of this contraption anyway?  I can't imagine there's much of a market for transparent solo tents to protect yourself from insects during fireworks shows.

Could it be for watching sporting events in the rain?  That reminds of the absurd "Forever Lazy" infomercial that tries to convince you it's OK to wear their adult onesie pajamas to football games.


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Sunday, July 3, 2016

Awesome Old Song of the Week: "The Ballroom Blitz" by the Sweet (and Cassandra)


The Ballroom Blitz was originally released by the Sweet in 1973.  However, I'm partial to the Wayne's World Tia Carrere version from 1992:



The song is currently featured in advertisements for the film Suicide Squad:



And the weird thing is, some other ads for the movie include Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, which was also from Wayne's World.

I'm not a comic book guy, so the fact that Batman is in this film is really messing with me.


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