An all-hoops post today, sure to drive away my wife and mother-in-law. But hey, you can’t please everyone.
I’m sure it would surprise a lot of people to know that the Harlem Globetrotters are still around.
It’s not like they’re on TV much anymore, or at all. I remember as a kid being psyched when Jim McKay would come on the beginning of “Wide World of Sports” (go ahead and click, I know you want to see that skier fall) and announce there’d be a Globetrotters game on.
My youthful brain wondered all sorts of things, like “How do the refs miss so much of the Trotters’ tricks?” And “Don’t the Washington Generals players know to look behind them when they’re shooting free throws? There may be a guy sneaking up behind them about to pull down their shorts!”
I saw the Globetrotters once in person, too; I think it was in Glens Falls, N.Y., and I remember, even as a grown-up, laughing pretty hard at all their tricks. There’s just nothing controversial about the Globetrotters, nothing sinister; just fun for the whole family.
Well, I’m happy to report that not only are the boys from Harlem still around, but they’re about to make history: They’re going to play on ice. Yeah, ice. Seriously. On Feb. 9 in Central Park in New York City. The Globetrotters and the Washington Generals will wear special cleats and somehow try to dribble and pass on a sheet of frozen water.
Now, the New York Times wrote about this upcoming game, but left out the best part. Joe Posnanski, however, didn’t, in a recent blog post he called “The Best Quote Ever.”
When asked about his team’s chances for the game, legendary Generals coach Red Klotz, whose team has lost oh, 48,000 games to the ‘Trotters, had a four-word answer.
“We excel on ice.”
How great is that? I’m laughing even as I’m typing it.
God bless Red Klotz. And God bless the Trotters.
**Big-time win by my Duke boys Thursday night. Big. Time. Desperately needed after that humiliating loss to Georgetown last week, when clearly, Barack Obama and Joe Biden sharing popcorn in the front row threw off the Blue Devils’ mojo. (Seriously, couldn’t you see Biden just being the most annoying second banana ever? “I wanna come to the basketball game TOO, Mr. President!” But I love Joe Biden. He’s a Blue Hen. We’re alumni brothers).
Anyway, lost my train of thought there. Oh yeah, Duke. Biggest development Thursday in the crushing of Georgia Tech was Kyle Singler looking like the Kyle of old. The Kyle we know and love. Singler was awesome Thursday, hitting for 30 points, hitting 8 of 10 3-pointers (8 of 10!), and Duke cruised.
I’m having definite doubts about whether this Duke team is good enough to get to the Final Four. They don’t defend well enough, their post guys like the Plumlees are still too raw, and Scheyer and Singler are playing so many minutes they’re going to be dead-tired by the Sweet 16.
But hey, I’m not worrying about all that tonight. Tonight, I’m savoring this win. And savoring yet ANOTHER Tar Heels loss. Man, what is that, five in a row now? And Matt Doherty can’t be blamed for any of them. So sweet.
And oh yeah, six more days till Duke-Carolina. Hmmm, wonder if I’ll have a blog post about that one next Wednesday.
Wide World of Stuff 