New Jersey police disgrace themselves. HBO’s “Veep” is pretty awesome. And how ’bout those Rangers!

This is so stupid on so many levels. It reeks of arrogance, incompetence, and just plain idiocy.

I speak today of the New Jersey state police troopers, specifically, the two of them who, according to the Star-Ledger newspaper,  in the early afternoon on March 30, “escorted a caravan of luxury sports cars at speeds in excess of 100 mph down the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic City last month. The occupants included former Giants running back and sports car enthusiast Brandon Jacobs, according to a source with knowledge of the trip.”

I mean seriously. How bleeping stupid can you be? You’re a state police officer leading celebrities on a high-speed joy ride? the story also says that witnesses “saw two State Police patrol cars with their emergency lights flashing driving in front of and behind the southbound caravan, which included dozens of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other vehicles, all with their license plates covered with tape.”

So dangerous and disgusting. I hope these guys are fired and their pensions taken away.

**I’d heard all kinds of great things about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ new show that debuted on HBO Sunday, “Veep.” She plays a totally ineffective and foul-mouthed vice president, and the show revolves around the foibles of her and her staff, plus their desire to try to be relevant. Since, you know, being VP is a pretty awful job.

After watching the first episode, I have to wholeheartedly agree with all the critics. It’s hilarious, even if it is kinda the anti “West Wing.”

Also starring Anna Chlumsky (remember the little kid from “My Girl?”) and “Arrested Develoment”‘s Tony Hale, “Veep” is fabulous. All of the supporting characters get off a few good lines, and Louis-Dreyfus is perfect. As soon as the first episode ended, I wanted to see the next one.

And that’s all you can ask for in a show.

**Finally, so pumped today about my New York Rangers. Things looked pretty damn bleak Monday night, down 3-2 in the series to the 8th seeded Ottawa Senators, and the Rangers were down 1-0 almost halfway through the game. All my lucky charms weren’t working, so I was left where I normally am during tense sports moments of my life: rocking back and forth in front of my TV, clutching a pillow to my chest (hey, don’t judge: it calms me).

And then, finally, the Blueshirts came back. Three goals in 11 minutes, and after a frantic finish to the third period, the Rangers had won, 3-2, to force Game 7 in NY Thursday.
Some burning questions/thoughts in my head after the game:
– How in the hell did the refs, AND the video replay, call this a legal goal (it’s the last highlight under goals) for Ottawa in the last 30 seconds? Yes, Ottawa’s Chris Neil misses most of the puck with his kick, but he clearly gets some of it because the puck acclerates after he swings his skate! The refereeing in this game was terrible, both ways (yeah, the Rangers caught a break or two, I can admit that), but this blown replay is just amazing.

– Hell of a game, Brad Richards. You too, Ryan McDonagh. You were everywhere. And Chris Kreider, playing his 3rd NHL game? Yeah, not too bad, youngster. Kid’s going to be a star.
– My 7-year-old nephew is being raised a Flyers fan, which I wholeheartedly disapprove of. Apparently he asked my sister Monday afternoon: “Is Uncle Michael going to cry if the Rangers lose?” Nice.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/porn-star-teacher-fired-7893412

20 years later, a great book about the Laettner shot. A brilliant solution to the peanut-butter jar problem. And “The Wire” vs. “The Sopranos” an impossible decision

Twenty years later, I can still remember where I was when Christian Laettner hit “The Shot.”

Lying on the floor of my then-stepmother’s basement in Queens, N.Y., watching the greatest game ever played and rooting like hell for Duke to beat Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA regional finals in Philly.
It looked good for the Blue Devils for a while. Then, not so good. When Sean Woods hit that crazy running bank shot to put Kentucky ahead with 2.1 seconds to go, I cursed and couldn’t believe that a team of “rejects” who nobody else wanted when UK basketball went down in controversy after a cheating scandal was about to beat the defending national champs that I loved so much.

Then Grant Hill threw a beautiful pass, Laettner caught it, and the rest is history.

It was 20 years ago Wednesday, and it capped what is almost-universally acclaimed as the greatest college hoops game of all time. I got to relive a lot of it recently through Gene Wojciechowski’s fantastic new book “The Last Great Game.”
A longtime newspaper sportswriter, Woj does a terrific job telling the backstories of how Duke and Kentucky got to the game. So much of it is fascinating: How Rick Pitino never wanted to leave the Knicks and come to UK after the program was destroyed by scandal. How Laettner was an even bigger jerk than we thought, tormenting teammates and being an incredible pain in the ass to everyone. How those UK players (which featured only one future NBA player, Jamal Mashburn) were immortalized for coming so close, and for restoring glory to a once-proud program.

The only downside to the book in my eyes was that considering the title, the author doesn’t spend that much time talking about the actual game. But the details he does give are riveting (I still can’t understand why Pitino decided not to guard the in-bounds pass at the end).

Of course Duke fans will enjoy the book, and Kentucky fans too, but really, it’s a great story for any fan of basketball. The title is misleading; Duke-Kentucky 1992 was not the “last great game.”

But it was the best one ever played, and I highly recommend reading it to get even more of a flavor of March Madness.

**Like just about all of you, I’ve at one time or another suffered from the peanut butter jar problem. You’re trying to make a sandwich, but your peanut butter jar is mostly empty. So you reach in and try to get some out with a knife, only to smear Skippy’s or Jif all over your sleeve or hand.
It’s just the cost of doing business, you tell yourself later when you enjoy your PB & J.

But my friends, you and your sleeves will suffer no more! Check out this pretty awesome invention by Darren Kramer, a minor league hockey player for the Ottawa Senators. He’s come up with the “double twist-off jar,” and here’s a video (above) showing how it works.
Very, very cool. I totally hope this hits the mass market.

**As far as smart television fans and critics go, there’s been a long-running debate about which television drama was the GOAT (Greatest of All Time): “The Wire” or “The Sopranos.”

I was a huge fan of both, but to me it’s not that close of a contest: Both “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” were transcendent, groundbreaking television, but “The Wire” was superior. It had better acting, better writing, and told better stories. (Plus that final scene of “The Sopranos” still pisses me off, all these years later.)

But don’t take my word for it. The good people at Vulture.com have done a comprehensive breakdown of the two shows, comparing almost every last detail.

A fascinating read if you have the time.

A 12-year-old’s thoughts on donuts. An awesome and different marriage proposal at a game. And Trenton’s toilet-paper problem

The city of Trenton recently had a serious problem. No, not crime, failing schools, or unemployment, though all three of those things are big issues, too. (For a great look at what’s happened to Trenton under bullying, clueless governor Chris Christie, check out this story from a recent This American Life episode.)

No, Trenton’s problem was much more serious: The city government had run out of toilet paper. Seriously, they couldn’t find a two-ply anywhere in the joint. They couldn’t spare a square.
It happened because of a long-running dispute between the city and its distributor over the price of paper goods and coffee cups and all that good stuff.
There are so many jokes to be made here, ladies and gentlemen. New Jersey, a swamp, a sewer, running out of toilet paper, the smell of New Jersey… too many jokes to make, I can’t decide which one to write!

Thankfully, the dispute has been settled. And the good city employees of Trenton will no longer have to fight for their right to potty.

**The idea of a marriage proposal at a sporting event is pretty played out. But this was a different twist, and it made it so much more special.  Alicia wanted to propose to her girlfriend, Christina. So before a recent Ottawa Senators game, Alicia decided to surprise Christina, on the ice, with a proposal.

So sweet and adorable. And big props to the NHL, the most progressive league when it comes to gay rights and battling homophobia, for putting this video on its website Monday.

**Finally, this has absolutely nothing to do with anything, except I saw it on the Internet Monday and it made me laugh. A 12-year-old was all fired up about plain donuts, and their general uselessness and unattractiveness.

So he/she wrote a school essay about plain donuts. Brilliant!