I think I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge right off the bat the University of Maryland Terrapins men's soccer team winning the national championship yesterday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over the New Mexico Lobos. I admit that I don't watch soccer hardly at all (although I will enjoy this summer's World Cup play), but this is a huge victory for the university and for the Terps. Congratulations, fellas. Is that Matt LeBlanc?This is the second national championship a Maryland sports team has won this season - our women's field hockey team went all the way in November. Now, if only we could get our basketball and football programs right, we'd be an all-around powerhouse. Even more so.
Segue. Very good win last night for the Terrapin basketball team, topping a nasty Boston College squad ranked #6 in the nation, 73-71. The Terps' same problems still exist - no point guard, no go-to guy, inconsistent scoring, no discernible structure to player roles in general, and no consistently strong inside presence - but they kept up the intensity level and were able to tough this one out. Ekene Ibekwe, in particular, really looked terrific. Not only did he play well on both ends of the court, but he got excited at the right times and provided a lot of much-needed productive energy for the team. It was a good sign to see them all playing well (and to see Comcast Center truly rocking - that was a relief and an excitement) in their first ACC game of the season to beat a ranked opponent, protect their home court, and show the uppity Eagles what ACC basketball is all about. Good game.
Oh, and nice win for the Redskins, and blah blah blah. I'm still not excited. These wins over the God-awful Rams and Cards are just setting us up to lose these final games to the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys. What kind of a Redskins season would it be without them building up false hope, getting everyone in a tizzy, then delivering the hard-core let-down, and missing the playoffs yet again? If this game had been up to Quarterback Mark Brunell, who is kind of important to the team, they would have lost. But hey, savor the win. Whatever. I refuse to get excited for a team that's just going to disappoint me. And if anyone disagrees with me - wanna bet?
And finally, I would like to mention the passing of comedic legend Richard Pryor at age 65. What else can you say? The guy was a trailblazer.
Richard Pryor: angry, dirty...fuckin hilarious, motherfucker!
He won the inaugural Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor here in Washington back in 1998, and I can't think of anyone more deserving of being honored for shaping America's comedic landscape. So there you go.
(Oh, and by the way, here's some free unsolicited input for the Official Richard Pryor Web site - you might want to think about updating your home page there. Hey, I'm no Web developer. Just thinking out loud. )
But Pryor's death got me and some of my friends pondering the state of today's comedy. Other than Will Ferrell and his admittedly hilarious Frat Pack, who else is out there? Okay, I'll give you Larry David. Anyone else? Rock and Chappelle are past their primes. SNL is on life support. And does anyone think Jimmy Kimmel is really that funny? What happened to the comedian? Maybe in the current landscape where everyone hates everyone else and American IQs seem to get lower by the day, there's just not as much room to laugh and make decent humor as there used to be. Hey, maybe that's just me. In any case, losing Pryor is just another reminder of that. RIP, Richard. See you later, motherfucker.
(Top photo credit: Andy Meade/www.umterps.com)
2 comments:
It's sad to see a fellow Redskins fan so cynical. If you don't truly love the misery of false hope, how have you stuck with the team for so long? That's why we watch! And when was the last time the skins played a meaningful game in december, and actually won?
Speaking of sad...I can't believe a game against the Arizona Cardinals was just referred to as "meaningful." Hey, the Skins are in my blood and I'll always love the team. I guess I'm just jaded. But if they prove me wrong, I'd love it.
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