Molotov Cocktail: Links and News

Pic from The Velvet Rocket

-First, here's a story I wrote on the NBA labor talks over at TFT: "Occupy Wall Street: NBA Lockout Edition." It features a distressed David Stern, NBA players as protestors, and a molotov cocktail. Let me know if I'm crazy or not, and remember it's only fiction--sort of.

A Bit of R.E.M. To Get Us Through the Middle of the Week

The following video is to carry on the notion of R.E.M. Week here at LCB:

The Art of Fielding: No, That's Not a Reference to Sarah Palin and Glenn Rice

-Why do we care? How is this news? Could this be any stranger? It's not just that Sarah Palin had a one night stand, but that she had it with a guy who was good but not great in the NBA, which is most likely how we will all remember Palin's political career. She can fill a room, she can create a soundbite, but she's not carrying a Presidential ticket to victory. And one more time, why do we care?

Yes, McCann!!!

Over at Pitchers & Poets, a guest post I wrote is up. It's about Brian McCann who at age 26 is neither in the past or the future of the franchise--he is, at this point in time, the hand on the till. The article makes it sound like I think McCann doesn't get any credit, but that's not exactly it: It's that this season is the first one in which I've seen him featured consistently in promos for Braves games on ESPN and heard his name come up in casual conversations as one of the best catchers in baseball, not just as the model of consistency in Atlanta. It's also one of the few times in his career when we've started to discuss him as a player and not eyewear, and it doesn't seem like it should have taken this long to appreciate a really good ballplayer. Anyway, that's how I feel, that's what I wrote about, and here's the link.

Road Trip to Shawshank

My witnessing of the Braves loss to the Nationals last Saturday shows up in detail over at the baseball blog Pitchers and Poets. I only recently started reading their site, but if you're into baseball and/or like sports writing with a literary bent, then they're definitely worth perusing. And if you need more context for the post than the photo above, then also check out what will always be a timeless scene from a timeless movie that, if I'm not mistaken, used to serve as TBS' go to film during Braves' games that got delayed by inclement weather, like the one last Saturday in Washington.