Mama, There Goes That Man

I will be the first one to tell you that this particular post doesn't have much in the way of substance. I just have a couple quick notes and the sharing of one of the funniest things I'd ever heard on television. You've been warned.

I'm going to see Bon Iver with my sister in the city in August. In the more immediate future, I'm going to Maryland to see Phish and spending the following day with Nick Pappas himself in what I can only assume to be the greatest city of all time, Baltimore. I'm super thrilled about the trip. Also, Sufjan Stevens is playing in Brooklyn in August and the ticket prices are not quite as high as I would expect for an artist of his caliber. If a few friends are interested, I'd love to catch his show as well and consider my graduation money well spent. Dave's year off from touring is really bearing fruits in the sense that it frees me up to see some other artists. Regarding the 4 Dave shows, I would drop all I was doing to go see them in Atlantic City, but arrangements will be too expensive. The NY show is a bit more feasible, but still really expensive and the set pales in comparison to the NJ ditty. At the risk of losing my lifelong DMB fan membership, I don't think a year off is anything worth crying about. In more local news, Hot Tuna will be playing a show about 30 minutes away from my house this summer and the tickets are 20-30 bucks. A small price to pay to see Jefferson Airplane alums. This promises to be a musical summer indeed.

I had promised not to make this blog about basketball, mostly to give myself some solace from it, but I can't help it at this point; I'll be brief.

My Mavericks continue to silence all critics and appear to be Finals bound after one of the most impressive comeback victories I've ever seen last night. The team appears to be running on all cylinders and Dirk is a man on a mission. I'm enjoying just being a fan for once. I don't mean to say that I'm professional or anything, and I don't mean to sound cocky, but usually when I watch an NBA game, while it's a good time, I always approach it relatively impartially and with an analytical mind. For the first time since about middle school I feel like just a fan sitting on the couch with some buds and some snacks, having a good time and cheering right along with the fans. This playoff run has been liberating for the Dallas franchise and it also reminds me that basketball is just a game. A great game, but a game. This run has reminded me why I fell in love with the game in the first place. The experience has been invaluable.

The subject of last night's game brings me to one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Former NBA-great, Mark Jackson does commentary for the ESPN games and usually has no shortage of quotable lines that are either pretty laughable, or just plain dumb. As a matter of fact, I say this: Mark Jackson's best/worst quotes (depending on how you look at them) are better than Charles Barkley's. Barkley is more consistently quotable, but I'd take Jackson's top ten over Barkley's any day.

Anyway, last night Dirk was in the zone. At one point Dirk hit a near impossible shot over Thabo Sefloshia (too lazy to check the spelling, close enough), one of the premier defenders in the league. Mark Jackson, struck by whatever creative muse he ascribes to, saw fit to imitate Dirk speaking to Thabo after the play. He said the following:

(As Dirk): "Guess where I was last night while you were eating dinner. I was in the gym getting work done."

While the limitations of text prevent me from capturing Mark Jackson's tone of strained bad-assery, this quote tickled me to no end for the following reasons:

1. It makes Thabo seem like an apathetic monster for wanting to eat a meal.
2. It's not like Dirk Nowitzki skipped dinner yesterday.
3. Dirk naps every game day.

Can't a guy eat a meal without being ridiculed on national television? I admit that in type the retelling isn't entirely a knee slapper, but the ridiculousness of the statement coupled with the positive vibes of such a huge win shook me to the core. I thought it was absurdly funny. We can only hope that Thabo stops eating entirely so that he can be better prepared to take on the Mavs on Wednesday.

Mark Jackson, I tip my hat to you.


Song of the Day: "I Was Born In Puerto Rico"- Paul Simon
Jazz Song of the Day: "I Love You"- Freddie Hubbard