More Potpourri

By Kim J. Harmon

 

I would hate to give Helen the bus driver a complex, but something kind of suspicious happened last Friday at the boys’ basketball game between Newtown and Woodbury Middle Schools.

Helen – who had driven both the girls’ and boys’ teams to Woodbury for the season-opening doubleheader – walked into the gym with the Lions sitting on a 21-point lead. As she stood in the corner sipping her coffee, Woodbury went on a 16-2 run that trimmed that once comfortable lead right down to seven points.

Helen wisely decided to hotfoot it back to her bus.

In the next 30 seconds – no lie – the Lions scored six unanswered points and eventually won by 23 points.

Coincidence?

Hmnnnnnnnn.

“If there were no such thing as coincidence, there would be no such word.” – Heron Carvic

1 1 1

I tried. I really tried.

I watched Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers several times over the course of the weekend (never start to finish, though) on STARZ and, I’m sorry, it just doesn’t grab me.

Oh, the movies are visual masterpieces and there are a lot of wonderful, wonderful shots (my favorite was of the ring wraiths galloping off into the darkness), but the whole mystique of the epic failed to really grab me.

I can’t say why and I don’t understand why, because I am a big fan of epic fantasy (my favorite is The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever and, boy, if they ever made a movie out of that tale …). Maybe it is because I didn’t see these movies on the big screen.

Who knows? I didn’t love Titanic or any of the Star Wars saga, either.

Go figure.

“You should see the last 15 minutes of the movie. I couldn’t even see it.” – Yogi Berra, on “Fatal Attraction”

1 1 1

This is exactly what’s wrong with baseball –

Alex Rodriguez and his agent, the evil Scott Boras, agree (the key word there is AGREE) to a restructuring of A-Rod’s insane contract in order that he may be traded to the Boston Red Sox, but the Major League Baseball Player’s Association (MLBPA) says – NO WAY.

A-Rod is, in essence, willing to wait for some of his money (like he needs any more money, anyway) and give a few of his perks back so that he may escape Texas for a team that has a legitimate shot at winning a World Series.

Except the union doesn’t like it. Although A-Rod and his agent says it’s all good, the union – which is supposed to stand by its player – says it’s not.

Isn’t that just nuts?

On the other hand, I can’t help but laugh. Scott Boras negotiated this unimaginable deal for his client with an insane amount of money $252 million) and all kinds of perks (private offices, etc.) and not only did its hamstring his team and prevent it from improving elsewhere, it all but made A-Rod untradeable.

Isn’t that hilarious?

“All I know is that if Sandy Koufax was pitching today, he wouldn’t be able to count the money he’d be getting – he’d have to weigh it.” – Tommy Lasorda

1 1 1

Raining out of the sky –

I can’t remember seeing so many three-pointers (14) dropped in a single game. When Newtown and Platt opened the boys’ basketball season last Wednesday, the three-pointers started raining down from the rafters almost immediately.

Platt hit 10 of them – 10!

And Newtown added four.

The ‘Hawks played a strong zone defense and pinched the perimeter, but even then Platt was still sinking those shots. After seeing the Panthers drain another, all head coach John Quinn could do was walk down the sidelines, shake his head and smile.

“When I step into the building, you’ve got to get me the ball. When I step off the bus, I’m open.” – Chuck Person, former player (now assistant) with the Indiana Pacers.