Olympic Torch Relay Fails

The Olympic Torch made it to the Opening Ceremony where Vanderlei de Lima light the Olympic Cauldron.
In 2004 de Lima was leading the Olympic marathon with 4 miles left, when he was tackled by some loon.

After this torch relay he has plenty of company. All sorts of challenges plagued the torch carriers, including crazed loons, crazed loons, with fire extinguishers, slippery pavement, the trail car, and even an unruly leopard.

Here is a video of some of the greatest fails of Brazil's torch relay.

Song of the Week

"Betcha By Golly Wow" - Prince
I didn't even know Prince had a cover version of this song. Never mind that Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes is in the video.

I Don't Hate It

Maybe I am just tired of getting angry and upset at every trade the Mets make, I just can't take the pain anymore, but I don't hate the deal for Jay Bruce.
Yes, I think it's mostly bad, and shows a lack of understanding in two key areas by the Mets front office, but I think Bruce is actually an excellent player, and a major improvement over what he Mets have right now.
And I don't think the two prospects offered, Dilson Herrera and Max Wotel, are likely to develop into above-average major leaguers.
First, the Mets are way out of the divisional race, and have to catch two teams to get the second wild card. So it doesn't make sense to trade to young players when they have only a 26% chance to make the playoffs according to FanGraphs.
Second, Bruce plays right field. And not very well. He is an absolute butcher out there. And he replaces Curtis Granderson who is also bad. And Yoenis Cespedes has been bad this year (likely attributable to injury and playing out of position). And if Cespedes is not healthy enough to play left, Granderson and Conforto will split time in center, meaning the Mets are supporting a great pitching staff, with the worst outfield defense in the majors. Not smart.
Third, they failed to look to next year, when they will have Bruce and Granderson under contract and Cespedes will likely return, unable to best his contract coming off this injury-plagued season. That means delaying by a year (Bruce and Granderson both have contracts that expire after 2017) the Conforto-Lagares-Nimmo triumvirate that should be the outfield of the future.

But the Mets did get a good hitter, who is not past his prime yet (this is his age 29 season) and he will surely improve the middle of the lineup.
Unfortunately too much stock is placed on his RBI and batting average with runners in scoring position, which is a lot about opportunity and luck.
There is a chance that Cespedes gets healthy, maybe Duda comes back, and some other guys get going (and the RISP bugaboo ends in a flurry) and the Mets get hot and do win the wild card.
And with their pitching, in a one-game scenario, or even a 7-game series, anything can happen.
As long as the other team doesn't hit the ball to our outfielders.

Note: I hate the Antonio Bastardo trade. I know he has been terrible, but his track record and his unusually high home run rate indicate that he should improve either this year, or next. Plus we know what Jon Niese is about and he just isn't any good.

Clubhouse Cutup

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale was supposed to start Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers wearing those weird collared throwback jerseys the White Sox briefly wore during the 1970s.

Evidently, Sale doesn't like the collared jerseys and believes he has the right to say which uniforms the team wears on days he pitches. But because the jerseys were part of a promotional giveaway, the team refused to budge.

So while the rest of the team was out taking batting practice, Sale was in the clubhouse cutting the collars off, not only his own jersey, but everyone else's too.

With the jerseys destroyed, the White Sox scratched Chris Sale from the game, sent him home and replaced him with relief pitcher Matt Albers. And they were forced to play the game in different throwback uniforms, the 1980s style.

The whole situation is a bit absurd and it seems to be about a bigger issue involving the control over players exerted by management, dating back to this preseason's clash between the front office and Adam LaRoche. It seems like Chris Sale is just being a huge baby here, and of course, no matter what the issue, this is not the place to take a stand. But, there could certainly be a broader issue here that was lingering before this crazy circumstance, best summed up by this intrepid White Sox fan whose sign reads: "You're Right Chris, These Jerseys Are Uncomfortable."

Song of the Week

"This Girl" - Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners
Weirdest name for a musical group, even before you added the Kungs vs. part. But I like the song, especially the instrumental portions.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

"If you wanna crown em, then crown their ass, but they are who we thought they were, and we let em off the hook."
"Thanks Coach."
Dennis Green died today at age 67, after a heart attack.

Song of the Week

"Breathe" - Faith Hill
A great country love song.

Song of the Week

"Ni**anometry" - Canibus
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite rappers who was just too smart and too angry to ever make it to the mainstream.
But it comes up now because it shares a sample with "Permission" (SOTW, 7/6/16), both of which come from "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" by Willie Hutch.

No Guarantees

While the basketball world, and 2/5ths of my household is incredibly excited about Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors, I don't think we should skip the season and hand them the title just yet.
First of all, as a basketball fan, one who lost interest in the NBA when it seemed all good players did at the end of the game was run into defenders and hope to get fouled, I love watching the Warriors.
We recorded 10:30pm ET games and watched them the next day, even though I often knew the result. Their style of play was a joy to watch, and it is only going to get better with Kevin Durant.
The Warriors could literally put four guys on the 3-point line, with Draymond Green in the middle, shoot nothing but 3s and still win 60 games in the regular season.
I cannot wait to see Durant, Curry and Thompson play together.
But I fear the losses of Barnes and Bogut may hurt them defensively and on the boards, especially in the playoffs.
Clearly, no team ever can match their offensive firepower. Regardless of the result it promises to be one of the most memorable teams ever.
But expectations are so high, they have to win 74 games AND the title to not be considered a disappointment.
And let's say something goes wrong, especially with Curry's health, will the Warriors will be willing -- and able -- to sign him to the max contract after next season.
Who knows what will happen, but it will sure be fun to watch.

Song of the Week

"Permission" - Ro James

Shaq Can't Spell

Shaq tries to talk smack about Steph Curry being the NBA's first unanimous MVP but he doesn't quite get the spelling correct.

Song of the Week

"Hot Child in the City" - Nick Gilder

Song of the Week

"Looking Through Patient Eyes" - PM Dawn

When I read that Attrell Cordes aka Prince Be the Nocturnal, half the brother duo that made up PM Dawn, died, I immediately wanted to pay tribute with a Song of the Week. But I couldn't pick "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (SOTW, 5/23/12) because it had already been SOTW.
So it was between this and "Die Without You" and I just happen to like this one a little better. I think it shows off what made them unique, no one was singing songs like this back then.
Prince Be was only 46 when he died, meaning he was only 21, 22, 23 when the group had its greatest success. Sorry the second half of his life didn't work out as well, at least professionally, and sorry 23 years amounts to half his life.

Luckily There Was No Mayo Truck in the Vicinity

A truck carrying deli meat crashed into a bread truck on 287 in Piscataway, NJ, spilling the contests of both trucks onto the roadway.

Disappointment

It's been a rough sporting year in the Poop household as the Mets lost the World Series, Syracuse got beaten in the Final Four, the Redskins lost a playoff game at home and now our adopted NBA team, the Golden State Warriors loses a heart-breaking Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
A lot of excitement got us to that point, but all four magical runs ended in disappointment.

Note: I am a Knicks fan. Chase still insists he is a Knicks fan. But Stephen Curry and the Warriors are so much fun to watch, it's a much better introduction to the game of basketball for a young fan than watching the Knicks lose would be.

All season we recorded late night Warriors games and watched them the next day. Throughout the playoffs, I watched the games, recorded them and Chase watched the second half before school.

The boys stayed up to watch Game 7, and ended up going to bed in tears.

A few thoughts:

1) Stephen Curry played like garbage in the Finals, especially during Game 7. It wasn't just his poor shooting, which was his most glaring weakness. It was his lack of urgency and his ball-handling that seemed like it belonged in a February game against Sacramento, not Game 7 of the Finals against LeBron.

I couldn't find any good pictures to prove it but I am pretty sure that Curry's shooting form was off. He used to have perfect form, straight up and down, head over feet. Many times during the playoffs, and especially the Finals he seemed to be shooting while leaning forward. Maybe it's his knee injury, maybe it's fatigue, maybe he just got out of wack, but he just didn't seem right.

2) This game doesn't tarnish the Warriors legacy, much. They are a great team, NBA champs, 73 wins, return trip to the Finals. A couple more years of this and they're right up there with the Jordan Bulls, Russell Celtics, Wilt Lakers as the best teams of all time.

3) It does tarnish Curry's legacy. He came up small in the biggest game of his career. And he wasn't so great in last year's Finals, either.

4) It absolutely does cement LeBron's legacy. He has 3 NBA titles, six straight years in the Finals, and he made a legendary all-time play with his block on Iguodala to preserve the game. He is definitely in the top 5 all-time with Jordan, Magic, Russell and Wilt.

5) I guess I'm the only one who roots for these long championship droughts to continue. I like it, it adds an extra story line and drama. Now no one cares when the Red Sox are in the World Series. And who really cares about San Diego as a loser city, they only have two teams and nice weather. Having Cleveland and their near misses to talk about made it interesting whenever they got close.

There's Some People Even 300 Pounds of Weight Loss Can't Help

Actor Ron Lester died after suffering liver and kidney failure.
Lester became famous as the 500-pound offensive lineman, Billy Bob, in "Varsity Blues."

But as I reported in 2008, Lester had bariatric surgery and lost roughly 300 pounds.

But perhaps the damage was done. Poor Billy Bob.

Song of the Week

"I Got a Story To Tell" - Notorious B.I.G.
A few years ago, the internet tried to pinpoint the exact date of the good day described in Ice Cube's classic "It Was a Good Day" (SOTW, 4/25/07), and while I never want to let logic and reason get in the way of something so fun and fascinating, the truth is there was no singular "day" where all that great stuff happened. It was an imagined day, or a composite of previous good days. It wasn't literal.
Well now the internet has gone crazy again ever since Dan LeBaturd asked Fat Joe which Knicks player Biggie was talking about in this song.



Sean Combs later confirmed Fat Joe's assertion that the song was about Anthony Mason.

But we should remember, it doesn't mean whatever actually happened, is anything close to what is described in this song, because of course, we know that basketball games don't get rained out.

Whole Lotta Problems

An FDA inspector visited a Whole Foods plant in Massachusetts.
Here are the findings, as recorded in a letter from the FDA to the company:

On February 10, 2016, you were mixing ready to eat pesto pasta directly under an area in the Assembly Room where condensate from ceiling joints was dripping onto the surface below.
On February 16, 2016, you were storing an uncovered rack of ready to eat mushroom quesadilla in the same area of the Assembly Room where condensate from ceiling joints was dripping onto the surface below.
On February 10, 2016, your employee transported uncovered ready to eat vegetables through a doorway, from the Veg Prep Room into the Prepared Veg Cooler. A significant amount of condensate had formed above the doorway and was dripping onto the surface below.
On February 10, 2016, your employee was cutting chives and beets on a work surface directly underneath a leaking condensate drainage pipe in the Veg Prep Room.
On February 16, 2016, you were holding uncovered ready to eat egg salad in large white barrels that were placed in an area below the condenser. Condensate was observed to be dripping at a rate of approximately once per second from the condenser fan bolts in the K8/K9 Room.
On February 16, 2016, your employee transported uncovered ready to eat couscous through an area in the K8/K9 Room where condensate was dripping from an area around the condenser fan bolts at a rate of approximately once per second.
On February 10, 16, & 18, 2016, you were holding ready to eat vegetables, utensils such as cutting boards, mandolins, stainless colanders and yellow plastic totes in close proximity to hand a washing station in the Veg Prep Room. The hand washing station does not have splash guards and is foot operated releasing water from the faucets with significant pressure causing water to splash outside the sink while employees were observed washing soiled hands. Water splashed onto covered and uncovered ready to eat vegetables, utensils and food containers.
On February 16, 2016, your employee measured the strength of peracetic acid from the faucet in the Veg Prep Room with an (b)(4) Peracetic Acid test strip that indicated its strength over 160 ppm (maximum level on the test strip). This concentration exceeds the maximum level recommended by the (b)(4) product information sheet and the maximum level allowed under 21 CFR Part 173.315(a) (5) for use of peracetic acid for surface treatment and soaking and rinsing of vegetables.
On February 16, 2016, your employee was performing multiple tasks in the Pre-Pack Room including filling and weighing ready to eat egg salad in retail packs. The employee was observed cleaning and directly contacting work surfaces and then packaging and handling exposed product without hand washing or changing gloves in between tasks.
On February 16, 2016, your employee in the Bulk-Pack Room was observed assembling bulk cartons while also packaging exposed ready to eat quinoa cakes without hand washing or changing gloves in between tasks.
On February 16, 2016, your employee in the Pre-Pack Room was spraying (b)(4) quaternary ammonium based sanitizer to clean work surfaces while another employee in close proximity was packaging exposed ready to eat mesculin salad. This resulted in the sanitizer being sprayed onto an open colander of salad leafy greens.
On February 16, 2016, your employee’s unprotected upper sleeves were frequently touching ready to eat leafy salad greens as leafy salad greens were packaged into retail packs in the Pre-Pack Room.

So a lot of it is about a drippy air conditioner, and most of it is minor, but I admire the detail. Here's a government employee working hard for the people.

Tom Hanks is Obtuse

A few months ago in response to Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" (SOTW, 2/24/16), JLeary pointed out a previously unknown to me line from "You've Got Mail." Tom Hanks's character says "I could never be with someone who likes Joni Mitchell."



He goes on to quote from one of Mitchell's other big hits "Both Sides Now." He said "it's clouds illusions I recall, I really don't know clouds at all." And then he goes on to ponder whether it's a metaphor for something.

Before I go on, I should say that this is the only (I think) song that has been SOTW twice, once for the Neil Diamond version (SOTW, 12/27/06) and again for Canadian Cutie Carley Rae Jepsen's rendition (SOTW, 3/18/15).

Now back to the clouds. It's not a metaphor. She looks at clouds and sees all kind of neat shapes. Then she looks at them again and ponders their role in weather and how it disrupts her life. But when she thinks back on clouds, she recalls the illusions, the angel hair and feather canyons.

She goes on to take the same incisive view of life and love, noting that like clouds, both have good sides, fun dreamy sides, but also a negative side.

And after all that thinking, she really doesn't know clouds, life or love, at all.

Another Thing JJ Watt and I Have in Common

I've been coaching Chase's youth baseball team this season and one day the other team decided not to show up. So we improvised and played parents versus kids. I planned to run have speed station-to-station, but I got up and ripped one to center, as I rounded first, the ball was rolling down a hill in the outfield so I decided to turn on the jets and try for a home run.

And boom! I felt something pull in the back of my right leg. I did get the home run, but a few days later I was left with this nasty bruise on the back of my leg.

It didn't hurt to the touch, but it felt tight for about two weeks afterwards.

When it finally healed, I decided to teach the kids a lesson about base running and not throwing the ball all over the field once a runner had already reached base. I took off running to first and felt that same feeling again, only this time in the other leg.

This incident reminded me of an old post from when JJ Watt suffered a similar injury.

It's still not clear what happened to him, whether he suffered a pulled muscle or it's just a horrible bruise, the type you could possibly sustain if a large man falls on top of you in the wrong way. But I am sure he handled it with the same toughness and I exhibited with mine.