#O.G. Team Flash | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bigyack-com · 5 years ago

Text

When Department Stores Were Theater

After the hundreds of jobs going poof and the thus-far inadequate discounts, the saddest thing about the closure of Barneys New York is that its signature naughty window displays will recede even further in collective memory.A Hail Mary campaign earlier this year imploring shoppers to go inside even as the store declared bankruptcy (“STRUT STRUT STRUT STRUT STRUT STRUT”) was but a faint echo of the era when subversive tableaus of papier-mâché public figures, found objects, condoms on Christmas trees and the occasional scampering vermin mesmerized crowds, offended cardinals and even sold some clothes.But “we’re in a post-window-display world,” said Simon Doonan, the Barneys O.G. window dresser, in a telephone interview, noting the “impenetrable facade” of Dover Street Market, heir apparent to the luxury avant-garde. Its New York entrance has only small, high apertures above pedestrian eye level.“In the old days, window displays were the primary form of marketing — fashion was the same as butcher shops and fishmongers,” he said. “Now, if you’re waiting till someone walks past your store, you’ve lost the fight.”Indeed, the bustling new Nordstrom on 57th Street dispenses with traditional boxed-in display windows entirely, replacing them with a shallow, wavy facade that John Bailey, a spokesman, assured would be festooned with red and white lights come Black Friday. The facade is “an interactive viewing experience for customers walking by,” he wrote in an email, “connecting the shopping experience in store to the energy of the city.” (And the energy of customers’ phones.) A young employee at the central help desk said elliptically that “our windows are our customer service.”Gather ’round, children, and let Auntie Alexandra tell of when department stores, now mostly glassy, anodyne places you go to exchange online purchases, used to put on a show. Sometimes more entertaining than the theater.First, though, a quick gallop through what remains of New York’s holiday windows in 2019, and the hopeful cornucopias within.At the doomed Barneys flagship on 61st Street, there was of course bubkes, just signs reading: “Everything Must Be Sold! Goodbuys, then Goodbye.” Inside on the fifth floor, female customers were listlessly flipping shoes to glance at the soles and calculate the markdown, as if with muscle memory from the much-lamented warehouse sale. Four creaky flights up, the power lunch spot Fred’s, named for Fred Pressman, Barneys’ charismatic chairman who died in 1996, was full — even as a worker held a headless naked mannequin steady by her neck on a hand truck, waiting for the elevator to go down, down, down.A few blocks away preens Bergdorf Goodman, the beautiful princess whose holding company, Neiman Marcus, muscled recently into the Hudson Yards, like a watchful mother-in-law moving into the guest cottage. There are no old-school windows at the gleaming new Neiman, being that it’s high up off the dirty street in a mall (and incidentally charging kids $72 per head for breakfast with Santa). But at Bergdorf, David Hoey, the store’s senior director of visual presentation, and his team have gamely produced a concept called Bergdorf GoodTimes. Literally gamely. Like, filled with actual games.One window was captioned “Queen’s Gambit” (chess); another, “Jackpot!” (pinball); another, “Winner Take All” (casino — perhaps a dry subconscious commentary on the high-stakes state of retail). Around the corner, a life-size board game, “Up the Down Escalator,” was dotted with fictional gift cards, coin of the online-shopping realm.Mr. Hoey’s sophisticated, colorful creations did not seem intended for little ones — and anyway those were scampering around across the street, splashing in small pools and peering into mirror-glass “sky lenses” outside the Fifth Avenue Apple store. Paging Dr. Lacan!Further east on 59th and Lexington Avenue, dear old Bloomingdale’s was flagrantly violating several of the decorative precepts set out by Mr. Doonan in his seminal 1998 book, “Confessions of a Window Dresser: Tales From a Life in Fashion.” Specifically: “do remember that technology is boring” and “don’t incorporate sex.”If Bergdorf is rolling the dice on the future of the department store — eroded perhaps irrevocably by Amazon’s mighty, corrosive flow — Bloomie’s is searching the stars. Not the celebrities whose daffy effigies used to populate Mr. Doonan’s windows, mostly with enthusiastic cooperation (Madonna, Magic Johnson, Norman Mailer, Prince, Queen Elizabeth), but a lavish commingling of astronomy and astrology titled Out of This World.Robots were placing ornaments on a tree and sitting at a synthesizer ready to play the carol of your choice at the push of a button. Google Nest, a sponsor, was poised to turn on the tree, the lights; the fire. And astronauts were floating in a “3, 2, 1, Gift Off,” or was it a “GIF Off?” Female mannequins embodying various figures of the zodiac were outfitted like go-go dancers, all pearls and feathers and curvature: propped up against each other on a pedestal as a recording played of John Legend singing, incongruously, “Christmas in New Orleans.” Inside, on the main floor, one embodying Cancer the Crab hung upside down from the ceiling: eyes closed, suspended over a hoop, hand-claws splayed, rotating slowly. Her bared, inverted legs conjured less the #MeToo era than the infamous “meat grinder” photo of the June 1978 Hustler magazine that feminists used to protest on Manhattan sidewalks.

Razzle-Dazzle in the Mezzanine

Mr. Doonan had called from Los Angeles, where he was, among other activities, promoting a monograph to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Maxfield, the boutique there. This even though when he was in the window-dressing business, “I was very anti-anniversary and I vetoed all of them. They just made the company seem old and boring. It looks dusty.”Though I agree 100 percent and moreover think the ascription of significance to particular numbers is as ridiculous as astrology, it also happens to be the 40th anniversary of a seismic and undersung event in department-store history: when the performer Elaine Stritch was the M.C. of an elaborate fashion show at Liberty of London, the emporium known for its fine fabrics. (Many women in those years still sewed household clothes from patterns.)Arranged by Peter Tear, then Liberty’s head of marketing and publicity, and choreographed by Larry Fuller of “Evita,” the show somehow managed to cross-promote the low-tar Silk Cut cigarette with a silk congress happening in London. Concordes were deployed with top models on board. Cocktails were concocted by the Café Royal down the road. Fifty-odd designers contributed special outfits for the occasion, including Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent.Another was David Emanuel, who, with his wife and partner, Elizabeth, would design the show’s bridal gown (and later Princess Diana’s).��People gasped,” he said, remembering the Liberty event on a crackly trans-Atlantic phone line. “They were aching for ‘larger than life.’” Mr. Emanuel described Stritch — subject of my recently published biography, “Still Here” (hey, it’s the selling season) — in a sequined tuxedo jacket, singing among other numbers “Falling in Love Again” à la Marlene Dietrich to the enraptured ladies who lunch who had paid five quid admission apiece for the show, which ran thrice daily over the course of a week. “It has more punch and pulchritude packed into its 51 minutes than most West End musicals twice as long,” one newspaper commented.Mr. Doonan theorized that Liberty, fighting a dainty, twin-set image, had taken inspiration from what the storied retailer Marvin Traub was doing then at Bloomingdale’s. “The whole thing was that the store was the stage — the razzle-dazzle of flash and pizazz and lo and behold, there’s a swimwear fashion show with Pat Cleveland coming down the escalator,” he said. “Every day was ‘curtain up!’ at Bloomingdale’s.”Truly, what could be more of an ultimate fantasy set than the department store of yore, with its infinite “costumes,” props and built-in risers, its endless potential for comedy, dance, drama and even horror? Florenz Ziegfeld’s pre-code movie “Glorifying the American Girl,” showcasing his Follies, starts in one. The heroic airman in “The Best Years of Our Lives” returned to work as a soda jerk in another; ennobled by the theater of war, he chafed at his diminishment in the feminine one of trade.Barbra Streisand gamboled through Bergdorf in 1965 for her TV special, trying on fur coats and hats, spritzing perfume and singing a Fanny Brice-ish medley of “Second Hand Rose” and “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” to funny and glamorous effect. James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim’s “Twilight Zone”-inflected broadcast musical, “Evening Primrose,” was set in a department store called Stern’s, and featured a poet played by Anthony Perkins remaining after-hours, giddy at the idea of the creativity that his solitude, enhanced by all the products he needs, will stimulate. At one point he stands on an escalator belting, “I’m here! I’m here!” foreshadowing the famous anthem in Goldman and Sondheim’s own “Follies” taken up late in life by Stritch. (Later a young woman he discovers there sings of remembering snow: “Soft as feathers/ Sharp as thumbtacks.” She had been left there, in Hats, as a child by her preoccupied mother, but now with climate change the lyric sounds like prescient ecological lament.)Even after the fiasco of Andrew McCarthy at Philadelphia’s Wanamaker’s (R.I.P.) in “Mannequin” 20 years later, and the slow creep of the suburban mall, there was yet another remake of “Miracle on 34th Street.”“Where did Auntie Mame go when she lost all her money?” Mr. Doonan reminded. “Selling roller skates at Macy’s.”It’s hard to imagine, though not impossible, that department stores will remain important sites of commerce and culture much longer. But the largest one in the city is not about to go quietly. At Macy’s, which takes up an entire block, there is a jumble of every sort of window.There are old-fashioned windows devoted to the story of Virginia O’Hanlon, the little girl who wrote to The New York Sun in 1897 asking if there was still a Santa Claus. Around the corner, there are high-tech windows giving voice to a little girl who wants to be Santa Claus. And around another corner: still other windows filled simply with giant Barbies. Being female in the early 21st century is nothing if not a series of mixed messages, but this attempt to empower seemed already antiquated; if Mr. Doonan were still working on windows, surely he would have gone straight for Mx. Claus?The ghost of Barneys yet to come is at Saks Fifth Avenue, which has licensed its former rival’s name, and where windows have been themed with glittering corporate efficiency to the international blockbuster “Frozen 2.” This may delight the tourists, but city dwellers remembering the craft and chance and silliness of the old holiday extravaganzas — when the designers and the famous people and the window dressers were all sticking pins in each other, and the audiences crowded four-deep on the pavement for the free sideshow — will probably be left cold. Source link Read the full article

4 notes · View notes

m00nslippers · 6 years ago

Text

So I watched Young Justice Season 3, episodes 1-3.

Spoiler warning.

Okay, firstly, why is Kalder running the Justice League? That confused me, but okay. He’s the new Aquaman apparently. Like, did I miss something in the last season or was this something that happened between season and we’re just expected to get with it? I’m okay with it, I was just confused briefly.

Superboy proposed to Me’gann. This is bad because one of them is going to die now. I’m betting on Superboy. It’s the Cartwright curse for hero couples. First Wally, next Superboy.

The bats all left to make up Batman’s Batman Inc, which made me psyched. Now, I initially was pretty sure we wouldn’t see Jason in this season at all. It seemed like too much other stuff was going on for Jason to show up and be like “I’m back bitches, and I’m pissed,” and try to kill Dick and Tim, but now I actually think there’s a chance he’ll show because 1) Jason was a part of Batman inc. in the comics and 2) Jason has given information to the Outsiders before in the comics, specifically in the issues when Black Lightning thought he’d killed someone and put himself in jail for it, which mirrors the events of the first few episodes. So him showing up would make sense. I think they’ll skip the whole Red Hood revelation and just say it happened in the intervening periods between seasons and now he’s an occasional ally. If he shows up it’ll be just to drop some information on them about meta human trafficking in Gotham and maybe help Tim or Dick with a mission and that’s probably it. Which is better than nothing, I guess. I kind of wanted him to be a primary antagonist for most of a season though and come back to the team at the end, but maybe I’m the only one who wants that.

Really what this show is teaching me is that we need a Batfam series. Maybe if they make enough money with this season they’ll spin this off into a Batman Inc., show? (PLEASE?)

Garfield as an actor like his mom on a Star Trek knock-off is just kind of brilliant? I’m just so proud of him. Also, he’s a trendy dresser.

Good to see Godfrey is still a dick.

All the accents in this show are so...they are bad but whatever I can deal with it. I’m just hoping Prince Markhov doesn’t show up too much because his accent is so fake sounding.

Is the chick with the headscarf someone in particular from the comics? Or was she made for this show? Clearly her hero name is going to be Halo, they kept saying the word enough.

Angsty Clone-Roy is named Will now apparently? But where is Arsenal? (Hopefully with Jason O_O)

I like Black Lightning, he’s cool. Also like that they didn’t say the ‘black’ most of the time. Because we have too many Black characters with black in their name, like Black Manta and Black Panther and now the new Black Canary in the Birds of Prey movie is going to be black. I’m just waiting for Kid flash in the comics to change his name to Black Flash. Actually I almost wish they would, instead of killing off o.g. white Wally again. Like, I’m not sure if it’s racist or just lazy? I don’t know. Black is a cool color though so it’s great for superhero names, but it’s a bit too on the nose sometimes, don’t you think?

We know Babs is Oracle because comics, but I’m interested to see if the change is because of getting shot like in the comics or if it’s just her new role in batman inc without anything prompting her to leave the field.

I’m very interested to see where this is going. Here’s hoping for some Jason but I’m not going to hold my breath

64 notes · View notes

junker-town · 5 years ago

Text

TITLELESS: 16 NBA teams that flamed out too soon

Were Gary Payton’s Sonics the best team to never win an NBA championship?

Our quest to uncover the best NBA team to not win a title begins with the teams that suffered mind-boggling playoff disappointments.

Our quest to uncover the best NBA team to not win a title begins with the teams that suffered mind-boggling playoff disappointments. These 16 clubs fell short of their ultimate goal due to an early-round upset, a brutal collapse, or both. Meet the Flameout Division.

As always, we will count down from worst to best. We begin with a long-forgotten upstart and end with one that has become a cultural icon.

16. 2012-13 Denver Nuggets

ERA: The Post-Carmelo trade.

RECORD: 57-25

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +5

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in first round to No. 6 Golden State Warriors (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): None

COACH: George Karl

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari (injured in playoffs), Kenneth Faried, Andre Miller, Wilson Chandler, Kosta Koufos, Corey Brewer, JaVale McGee

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: None

These guys were the victims of Stephen Curry’s loud arrival on the league’s biggest stage. The Warriors’ eventual rise and the Nuggets’ immediate demolition conspired to turn this Denver squad into a footnote. Too bad, because they were innovative, a joy to watch, and a cool example of the power of depth. If only Danilo Gallinari didn’t tear his ACL late in the regular season...

15. 1986-87 Atlanta Hawks

ERA: Dominique.

RECORD: 57-25

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +7.2

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in second round to No. 3 Detroit Pistons (4-1)

KEY STAR(S): Dominique Wilkins.

COACH: Mike Fratello.

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Kevin Willis, Doc Rivers, Randy Wittman, Tree Rollins, Cliff Levingston, Spud Webb, Mike McGee, Jon Koncak, Gus Williams, John Battle.

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1987-88, 1993-94

Dominique Wilkins’ inability to even advance to a conference finals is framed as a casualty of the deep Eastern Conference. He was great, the argument goes, but his teams didn’t have enough to beat the Bostons and Detroits of the world.

That’s largely true, but 1986-87 was different. Nique’s Hawks earned the No. 2 seed in the conference, and he was lauded for improving his all-around game. With Boston wobbly due to injury and Detroit still a year or two away, this was Atlanta’s chance.

They didn’t lack for confidence. Before their second-round series with Detroit began, Hawks power forward Kevin Willis was asked if the series would go the distance. “No, I think it will go five,” he replied.

Technically, he was right. Atlanta lost Game 1 at home after Wilkins shot just 7-18 from the field, then fell behind 3-1 after Isiah Thomas drove from the top of the key for a layup in the closing seconds of Game 4.

youtube

Atlanta then blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead in Game 5 when they suddenly forgot how to score. That was their title shot, and they blew it.

14. 1946-47 Washington Capitols

ERA: Red Auerbach, pre-Boston

RECORD: 49-11

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +9.9

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in BAA semifinals to No. 2 Chicago Stags (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Bob Feerick

COACH: Red Auerbach

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Bones McKinney, Fred Scolari, Johnny Norlander, John Mahnken, Irv Torgoff

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1948-49

Meet professional basketball’s original chokers! Coached by Red Auerbach – yes, future Celtics legend Red Auerbach – the Washington Capitols were the standout team in the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America, a precursor to the NBA. They were known for their excellent team play, high-octane offense, conditioning, and unique triangle zone defense that toed the line of legality. A skinny forward named Bones McKinney was the fulcrum, while a quick guard named Bob Feerick was the offensive star.

Feerick in particular was a stylistic marvel for his time. If you have 30 minutes to spare – and I know you do – this rare footage of a 1949 Capitols-Baltimore Bullets game is a delight.

youtube

Heat check!

And contrary to popular belief, Tracy McGrady wasn’t the first player to try to pass it to himself off the backboard.

Let’s talk about that zone more. Midway through the season, the BAA banned zone defensive styles that attempted to slow the game down. (Remember, this was the pre-shot clock era.) But the Capitols’ triangle approach was still legal because it actually sped the game up. Here’s how a 1947 New York Daily News article described Washington’s strategy:

“Standing zone defenses were banned earlier this month by the progressive BAA, in the interest of more action for the fans, but this stratagem is a triangle of weaving tall men the Caps use under either backboard that insures them of nearly every rebound. The other two are used for fast breaks or give and go plays.”

So, cherry-picking. What visionaries!

So how did these dudes not win the title? After losing just one game at home during the regular season, they inexplicably dropped the first two games of their conference finals series against the Chicago Stags by double digits. Told you they were chokers.

13. 1968-69 Baltimore Bullets

ERA: Wes and Earl the Pearl, pre-Elvin Hayes.

RECORD: 57-25.

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +4.3

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in East semifinals to No. 4 New York Knicks (4-0 with home court)

KEY STAR(S): Earl Monroe, Wes Unseld.

COACH: Gene Shue.

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Kevin Loughery, Gus Johnson, Jack Marin, Ray Scott, Leroy Ellis.

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1969-70

The Bullets of the late 60s and 70s were one of the league’s forgotten powerhouses. Ironically, it was their worst regular-season team — an aging 44-win unit that turned back the clock in the 1978 playoffs — that gave D.C. its lone title. I considered the 1973 trade for Elvin Hayes as the line of demarcation between eras, which made these Bullets of Earl Monroe, Gus Johnson, and a rookie Wes Unseld the obvious choice.

Their four-game series loss to the hated Knicks had a slight asterisk because Johnson missed the series due to injury. Still, the Bullets had the NBA’s best record that season thanks largely to Unseld and Monroe. They should not have been swept.

They got their revenge on the Knicks two years later to reach the Finals, but that Bullets team was just 40-42 in the regular season. The 68-69 edition was much better.

12. 2017-18 Toronto Raptors

ERA: Kyle and DeMar

RECORD: 59-23

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +7.8

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in second round to No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0)

KEY STAR(S): DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry

COACH: Dwane Casey

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, CJ Miles, Jakob Poeltl, Norman Powell

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 2015-16, 2016-17

I toyed with the idea of excluding all Raptors teams due to last year’s title, but considered the Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade and the firing of Dwane Casey as significant enough changes to split the era up. That means we get to flash back to a time when the Raptors were known for choking in the playoffs and getting owned by LeBron James. Ahh, memories.

youtube

11. 1976-77 Los Angeles Lakers

ERA: Kareem before Magic

RECORD: 53-29

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +2.8

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in West finals to No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers (4-0)

KEY STAR(S): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

COACH: Bill Sharman

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Lucius Allen, Cazzie Russell, Don Chaney, Kermit Washington, Don Ford, Tom Abernathy, Earl Tatum, Mack Calvin

OTHERS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: None

The only decent Lakers team of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era before Magic Johnson showed up was exposed as a one-man band in an embarrassing Western Conference Finals sweep. The contrast between Bill Walton’s speedy, team-oriented Blazers and Kareem’s slow, battered Lakers was stark. Kareem outscored Walton, but none of Kareem’s teammates showed up.

It didn’t help that starting power forward Kermit Washington missed the series (this was before he became a pariah after punching Rudy Tomjanovich) and point guard Lucius Allen barely played due to a toe injury.

10. 1994-95 San Antonio Spurs

ERA: Admiral, pre-Timmy

RECORD: 60-22

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +6

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in West Finals to No. 6 Houston Rockets (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): David Robinson

COACH: Bob Hill

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Sean Elliott, Dennis Rodman, Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro, Chuck Person, J.R. Reid, Terry Cummings, Doc Rivers, Willie Anderson

OTHERS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1989-90, 1990-91, 1993-94, 1995-96

This was the best of the David Robinson teams Before Timmy, and also the one that suffered the most humiliating defeat. The 1995 title race was wide open, and San Antonio had home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and the league’s MVP. In the end, that MVP was outplayed by Hakeem Olajuwon in a Western Conference Finals where the Spurs dropped all three of their home games.

youtube

This was one deep team. Dennis Rodman got weird by the end, but he was still a force during the regular season. Nine players averaged at least 15 minutes a game, and each position had a top backup. They could go big or small depending on the matchup and the needs they had during each game. But all of those advantages faded away as Olajuwon dominated.

9. 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs

ERA: Post-Big 3

RECORD: 67-15

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +10.6

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in second round to No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan (last season)

COACH: Gregg Popovich

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills, David West, Kyle Anderson, Kevin Martin, Jonathon Simmons

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 2016-17

You’re probably wondering why this team (and the 61-win version the year after that lost to Golden State when Zaza Pachulia slid under Kawhi Leonard’s ankle) is eligible for the tournament despite retaining four key core pieces and the legendary head coach from the 2013-14 title squad. Two reasons

The 2015 signing of LaMarcus Aldridge qualifies as a core-altering event.

This was the year the Spurs became Leonard’s team. His usage jumped nearly three points from 2014-15 and would leap up to beyond 30 the next season. Meanwhile, Tim Duncan ended up retiring after the season.

This was a forgotten powerhouse due to the presence of the 73-win Warriors. Ultimately, they were a paper tiger who couldn’t raise their level to get past a Thunder team that coasted in the regular season.

8. 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers

ERA: Young LeBron

RECORD: 66-16

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +8.9

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in East Finals to No. 3 Orlando Magic (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): LeBron James

COACH: Mike Brown

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, Joe Smith

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 2009-10

The regular-season fundamentals of these Cavaliers are as good as any in the tournament. Sixty-six wins, a differential approaching nine, and arguably LeBron James’ best individual season. Putting them as a No. 8 seed seems tough.

On the other hand, Mo Williams was their second-best offensive player.

7. 2013-14 Los Angeles Clippers

ERA: Lob City

RECORD: 57-25

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +6.9

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in second round to No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Chris Paul, Blake Griffin

COACH: Doc Rivers

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, Darren Collison, Jared Dudley

OTHERS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16

Choosing between Lob City teams was tough. The 2014-15 team was nearly as good as the 2013-14 edition and fell in much more excruciating fashion. The 2015-16 team wasn’t as good, but their title window was briefly opened by Stephen Curry’s ankle injury before both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin got hurt. The 2012-13 version under Vinny Del Negro has a great case, too, though there was plenty of dysfunction lurking beneath the surface.

But I chose the 2013-14 edition for three reasons:

It had the best point differential of the bunch.

It was the most well-rounded thanks to J.J. Redick’s arrival, Matt Barnes’ underrated season, and DeAndre Jordan’s improvement.

Their playoff run was the weirdest of all, from Donald Sterling’s demise to Paul’s out-of-body experience in Game 5 against the Thunder.

youtube

6. 1999-00 Portland Trail Blazers

ERA: Pre-Jailblazers

RECORD: 59-23

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +6.5

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in West Finals to No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers (4-3)

KEY STAR(S): Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen

COACH: Mike Dunleavy

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire, Arvydas Sabonis, Detlef Schrempf, Brian Grant, Greg Anthony, Bonzi Wells, Jermaine O’Neal

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1998-99

If you want to break Portland fans’ hearts, send them this video.

5. 1992-93 New York Knicks

ERA: Patrick Ewing’s Knicks

RECORD: 60-22

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +6.2

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in East Finals to No. 2 Chicago Bulls (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Patrick Ewing

COACH: Pat Riley

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: John Starks, Charles Oakley, Charles Smith, Anthony Mason, Doc Rivers, Greg Anthony, Rolando Blackman

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1991-92, 1993-94, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00

It’s easy to wonder in hindsight how a team with John Starks as its second-leading scorer had any shot against Michael Jordan’s Bulls. At the time, though, the Knicks seemed to have Chicago’s number, pushing them to seven games in the 1992 playoffs before upgrading their roster the next season. They led 2-0 in the East Finals and had a chance to win Game 5 before Charles Smith was stripped, stopped, stopped, and STOPPED AGAIN right under the basket.

youtube

That denied Patrick Ewing his best shot at a ring – the 93 team was comfortably better than the ‘94 team that lost in the NBA Finals and a tad more formidable than the ‘97 club that added Allan Houston and Larry Johnson to their regular core – and our chance to watch a repeat of one of the wildest brawls in NBA history.

youtube

4. 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks

ERA: Dirk, Before Carlisle

RECORD: 67-15

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +6

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in first round to No. 8 Golden State Warriors (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Dirk Nowitzki

COACH: Avery Johnson

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Erick Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, DeSagana Diop

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 2002-03, 2005-06

It was tough picking between the 2006-07 edition of the pre-Rick Carlisle Mavs and the 2005-06 one that was 2-0 up on Miami in the NBA Finals before Dwyane Wade’s never-ending free-throw parade turned the tide. The 2002-03 edition that went 60-22, beat the Kings in Round 2, and battled San Antonio despite key injuries deserves more love too.

The 06-07 team ended up getting the nod because they were the clear favorites that year and because this was Dirk Nowitzki’s finest regular season. Maybe things would be different if they played anyone other than that weird We Believe Warriors team that matched up so well with them.

youtube

3. 1990-91 Portland Trail Blazers

ERA: Clyde’s prime

RECORD: 63-19

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +8.7

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in West Finals to No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Clyde Drexler

COACH: Rick Adelman

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, Kevin Duckworth, Clifford Robinson, Danny Ainge

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1989-90, 1991-92

The other two Portland contenders of the Clyde Drexler era made the NBA Finals, but this was their best team of the bunch. They went 27-3 to start the season, handily beat the eventual champion Bulls twice, and also won 16 in a row to end the year before giving their starters limited minutes in the season finale.

But after slipping by Seattle and routing Phoenix, the Blazers blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Terry Porter missed a three that would’ve tied the game, and Buck Williams bricked two free throws with 30 seconds left. The Blazers elected to defend the Lakers straight-up on the ensuing possession instead of fouling, but surrendered an uncontested dunk to Sam Perkins at the shot clock buzzer.

youtube

They never recovered from that collapse and fell in six after Magic Johnson flung the ball down the court to nobody in the closing seconds.

youtube

Imagine these Blazers in the 1991 Finals instead of a Lakers team that didn’t have a healthy James Worthy. Wouldn’t they be the favorites against the Bulls?

2. 2018-19 Milwaukee Bucks

ERA: Giannis and Bud

RECORD: 60-22

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +8.8

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in East Finals to No. 2 Toronto Raptors (4-2)

KEY STAR(S): Giannis Antetokounmpo

COACH: Mike Budenholzer

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez, George Hill, Nikola Mirotic

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: None

Is it harsh to put last year’s Bucks on this side of the bracket considering Toronto’s eventual title? I don’t think so. Milwaukee had the league’s best point differential by a mile, a 2-0 series lead, and had Toronto on the ropes in overtime in Game 3. What happened thereafter is a collapse, even if history rewrites it as Kawhi Leonard’s triumph over a too-green Giannis Antetokounmpo.

(Interesting question: if the 2019-20 edition fails to win the title, would they be this tournament’s No. 1 overall seed?).

1. 1993-94 Seattle Supersonics

ERA: Kemp and Payton

RECORD: 63-19

POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +9

PLAYOFF RESULT: Lost in first round to No. 8 Denver Nuggets (3-2)

KEY STAR(S): Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp

COACH: George Karl

OTHER KEY PLAYERS: Detlef Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Sam Perkins, Nate McMillan, Michael Cage

OTHER SEASONS CONSIDERED FROM THIS ERA: 1992-93, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98

It was tough choosing between these Sonics and the 95-96 edition that made the Finals. The 95-96 team won more games and went deeper in the playoffs. Their two stars, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, were better versions of themselves. Maybe they’d have given the 72-10 Bulls more of a series if George Karl put Payton on Michael Jordan from the start.

But the 93-94 edition had a better point differential (+9 to +7.8) in a season without expansion teams, as well as a stronger supporting cast and a much scarier trapping defense. Kendall Gill was an emerging star, Nate McMillan wasn’t injured, Sam Perkins could do more, and Michael Cage was significantly better than Ervin Johnson in the middle. Plus, Bob Kloppenburg, the architect of Seattle’s famous SOS pressure defense, was not on the staff by 1996.

It’s easy to forget how monumental that Nuggets first-round upset was at the time. Michael Jordan was retired, so the title was up for grabs. Seattle’s net rating was higher than any other team and nearly double of the eventual champion Rockets. They won 16 of their first 17 games and 30 of their first 35. They had blown out the Nuggets in each of the first two games of the playoff series. This was the peak version of one of the most enthralling non-champions in NBA history, not the 1995-96 version.

1 note · View note

johnboothus · 5 years ago

Text

10 Things You Should Know About Chivas Regal

Sure, in high school terms, “single malt” is the transfer theater kid who also makes the varsity football team — moody, brooding, and unapproachable at first, he’ll win you over and take your lunch money. But that doesn’t make blended Scotch whisky a hyper-approachable, insipidly friendly, “sign-my-yearbook-or-I’ll-scream” airhead.

Witness: Chivas Regal, which debuted Stateside in 1909 as a 25 year-old self-described “luxury” blended Scotch whisky (in a pretty sleek bottle, no less). For over a century in the U.S. market, Chivas has banked on the quality and artistry and finesse of blended whiskies (its roots trace back to 1801, but more on that later). Chivas was so successful in preaching the gospel of blended whisky, it’s now acknowledged to be the apex blended whisky by the brand experts (one even wrote a book about it).

Granted, sales of single malt surged (9.4 percent since 2002), and sales of blended Scotch whisky ever-so-slowly declined (0.6 percent in the same time period). But the market follows trends, not quality. And given possibly lower price points, now might be the time to invest attention — and maybe 30 bucks — in the first blended Scotch that asserted itself as a worthy shelfmate to single-malt Scotch.

Here are 10 things you should know about Chivas Regal.

Yes, it’s blended. That’s not bad.

Let’s get this out of the way: Chivas is a blended Scotch whisky. That’s not bad, or verboten, or icky. Some clarification on Scotch terminology: “Single malt” means malted barley whisky from one distillery, so any Scotch that isn’t labeled “single malt” is blended, meaning made with a mixture of single malt(s) with cheaper grain-based whiskies.

Heresy? Not really. Even as blended sales have dipped since 2002, blended Scotch still makes up 75 percent of the market in the U.S. We love it, largely because it’s lush and reliably consistent.

The Chivas brothers started as grocers. That matters.

John and James Chivas were grocers first, then distillers later, with James as the driving force in the whisky side of the business. This isn’t just a piece of bio history to flash at a cocktail party. The fact that the Chivases (Chivasae?) began as grocers hints at exactly why they became the name behind the world’s first luxury blended (not single-malt) whisky. Think of it from a grocer’s viewpoint: Serving customers daily, chasing after the simultaneous demand for consistency and quality, a blended Scotch makes more sense.

As opposed to finicky, pricier single malts, blended Scotch can be a reliable high-end product, if conceptually down a peg from single-malt snobbery. Think of it like getting a Nitro Cold Brew at Starbucks versus waiting 45 minutes for a coffee yogi to bless your pour-over at Blue Bottle. Both have their selling points.

It’s 100 years younger (or older) than it says.

The Chivas Regal bottle neck says “Established 1801 Aberdeen.” This is true. But Chivas Regal (so called) didn’t launch until 1909. That’s also true. The elements that go into what Chivas Regal is today came at different times: The grocery that became the foundation for the distillery business began in Aberdeen in 1801. The first-ever-christened “Chivas Regal” 25-year-old blended Scotch whisky that launched the brand debuted in 1909. Meaning, yes, the brand can lie about its age (and haven’t we all added or shaved off a century at some point?).

Chivas Regal comes from the most prolific place Scotch is made.

Chivas Regal is produced at Strathisla Distillery in Speyside, the most prolific Scotch-producing region in the country. And while Scotland has been producing Scotch for half a millennium, give or take, Strathisla is still the oldest working distillery in the Highlands, cutting its first batch all the way back in 1786. FYI, Chivas didn’t purchase Strathisla until 1950 — it had been blending with Strathisla’s single malt — but Scotch tourists should be happy they eventually did.

Its distillery is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Any working distillery is beautiful (it produces Scotch whisky, ‘nuf said). And Ron Swanson does his whisky tourism single-mindedly. But Strathisla Distillery repeatedly shows up on “Most Beautiful Distillery” lists, and with good reason. There’s something about the squat, cottage-like stone structure with its sloping cupola roofs that makes it look like a Hogwarts-meets-Hobbiton dreamland (plus Scotch).

Chivas Regal is like Benjamin Button.

The Chivas brothers got their start in the mid-19th century, but “Chivas Regal,” the first-ever luxury whisky brand, was born in 1909 as the brainchild of Chivas master blenders Charles Howard and Alexander Smith. Its American debut was a smash, but Prohibition put an end to all our whisky-fueled Charleston-ing until 1938, when Chivas Regal came back, half as old, the 12-year baseline expression available today.

Chivas 18-Year is likely the better investment.

Chivas 12-year is reliably smooth and delicately sweet, laced with Speyside elements like chewy fruit and even hints of papery nutshell, but two-note grain whisky can singe a bit too hot. Things tend to get more interesting, and closer to Chivas’s O.G. luxury vibe, with the 18-year expression, the personal creation of Chivas modern-era master blender Colin Scott.

Granted, prices just about double for this bottle, from the $30 range to the $70 range, but if you’re looking to convince anyone of the seductive prowess of a well-curated blend, it’s worth the splurge (think fruit, feathery spice, toffee, dried citrus peel, etc.).

Chivas Regal turned its blends into art. 3D DNA portraits, to be exact.

Another reason to sip and serve the 18-Year is that you can chuck out this intel: Looking to create harmony or just confuse everyone, in 2016 Chivas debuted Chivas ULTIS, a “Blended Malt”— a blend, yes, but a blend of single malts from five different distilleries (though technically it’s really a vatting and not a blending when it’s combining single malts only).

To honor the accomplishment, Chivas partnered with a company that specializes, among other things, in turning DNA molecules into — what else? — 3D art, creating five distinct digital DNA “portraits” for the five master blenders from the five distilleries that contributed to ULTIS. The result is this, which is uniquely fascinating and definitely makes us want to drink more. (If you want to try to make sense of it, then pass out, here you go.)

It released the first mizunara oak-aged Scotch in the States.

Chivas doesn’t shy away from the precious or persnickety (see aforementioned DNA 3D art). Case in point: In 2019, Chivas released the first mizunara-aged blended Scotch in the States, meaning a portion of what’s in the bottle has aged in mizunara oak, a combination of two Asian oak trees that’s highly porous and prone to more barrel interaction. Reviews are generally positive, noting flavors like sweetness and soft flora, wood, vanilla, spiciness, toffee, tropical fruit notes, and “delicious complexity.” Yum. Also stealing that for Tinder profile.

Hunter S. Thompson drank it for breakfast.

According to this Associated Press article reprint of a Thompson biography, our very own (and much-mourned) manic scribe started his day with Chivas at 3 p.m., did some, er, other stuff, then hit up Chivas again at 3:50. Bear in mind, this is Hunter S. Thompson, so “breakfast” is a relative term. In any case, Thompson proved even a “luxury” whisky could be responsibly incorporated into a working journalist’s daily routine.

Those who don’t read the abominable — possibly apocryphal — daily consumption diary carefully might miss the “three or four jiggers of Chivas” lashed over shredded ice as the finale to Thompson’s bacchanalian lunch, for digestion and/or final damnation. P.S.: Do not try this at home. He wasn’t an entirely happy guy.

The article 10 Things You Should Know About Chivas Regal appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/chivas-regal-blended-scotch-guide/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/10-things-you-should-know-about-chivas-regal

0 notes

icedteaandoldlace · 2 years ago

Photo

Proud besties in 1x11.

#The Flash #Barry Allen #Cisco Ramon #Caitlin Snow #O.G. Team Flash #Eobard Thawne #Hartley Rathaway #The Sound and the Fury #gifs by lace

18 notes · View notes

wineanddinosaur · 5 years ago

Text

10 Things You Should Know About Chivas Regal

Here are 10 things you should know about Chivas Regal.

Yes, it’s blended. That’s not bad.

Heresy? Not really. Even as blended sales have dipped since 2002, blended Scotch still makes up 75 percent of the market in the U.S. We love it, largely because it’s lush and reliably consistent.

The Chivas brothers started as grocers. That matters.

It’s 100 years younger (or older) than it says.

Chivas Regal comes from the most prolific place Scotch is made.

Its distillery is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Chivas Regal is like Benjamin Button.

Chivas 18-Year is likely the better investment.

Chivas Regal turned its blends into art. 3D DNA portraits, to be exact.

It released the first mizunara oak-aged Scotch in the States.

Hunter S. Thompson drank it for breakfast.

The article 10 Things You Should Know About Chivas Regal appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/chivas-regal-blended-scotch-guide/

0 notes

stlgamer75 · 5 years ago

Text

Do you enjoy the bright blue, color coded Sega CD cases? How about a basic but distinctive black with a splash of a color bar to indicate a genre or style that the NES black box and the TurboGrafx-16 used for their game boxes? Uniformity not your thing? Maybe you preferred the anything goes style and artwork of the Atari 2600? Weirdo. If that is indeed the case, you’ll love the artwork approach that Sega employed for its Genesis system, because it’s all over the map.

Like the Atari 2600 did with their early first party developed game boxes, Sega attempted their own version of uniformity with the appearance of their first party developed game cases right out of the gate. Also like Atari and ultimately, Nintendo, once 3rd party publishers dipped their toes into the 16-bit home console game, the style that Sega started with was no longer utilized. Let’s first take a step back to help explain what exactly it is that we’re talking about.

Example of the Genesis clam-shell style. Last Battle sucks btw.

Like the Master System that preceded it, the Genesis/Mega Drive is a cartridge based system that, for the most part, used hard plastic clam-shells to house the carts and manuals. For this reason, Genesis cases tend to be significantly easier to procure for collectors than their 16-bit brethren (SNES, TG-16) who utilized seemingly disposable cardboard boxes for shipping, displaying & storage purposes.

Besides a sturdy clam-shell case, one other distinctive artwork choice that Sega made was the utilization of a grid-pattern as the basis of its design. Sega’s grid pattern first saw the light of day during the Master System era, as their console box and game cases all had a graph paper like design to them, black lines over a white background. The Genesis console & game box/cases used a similar grid scheme, but they flipped it around by using white lines over a black background. Another notable difference between the Master System and Genesis designs was that Genesis cases had much larger, more detailed and better drawn artwork. Artwork that covered up much of the grid background. This simple improvement was necessary if Sega wanted to be taken seriously as a contender to Nintendo. The Master System game case artwork is notorious for its rudimentary simplicity. Genesis artwork needed a step up in sophistication and competency that the Master System artwork lacked. Mission accomplished.

The O.G. Genesis artwork style. Black background with white grid lines. Large colorful font for the games and standard Genesis logo.

For the first several years of the existence of the Genesis (approx 1989-1992), games were released using this previously described graphic pattern. This gave all the games a clean, uniform look. Naturally, 3rd party developers were recruited to create high quality and exclusive games for the system and they were either encouraged or simply told that they could deviate from the standard Sega design. Games from publishers such as Namco, Electronic Arts and Konami all initially looked very different from the rest of the Sega titles. The dimensions of the cases were the same, but the colors and designs were distinct and unique to the games themselves.

Some examples of early 3rd party licensed titles along with some mid-lifespan Sega developed games. Before 3rd party licensed game cases got all samey.

At some point, around 1993, Sega switched up the style of their first party games and discarded the black and white grid look. They chose to go a bit brighter and finally abandon the grid pattern that they had been using since 1986. Newly released games now had a two-tone red striped background. Apparently Sega convinced a large majority of the 3rd party publishers to follow suit. Games from Konami, Namco, Sony, Interplay, etc. were now releasing titles for the Genesis using the same color scheme as Sega’s first party titles.

Examples of games from the red-case era. Regardless of publisher, Genesis games primarily had the same look around this period.

An example from the “trying to cut costs and hope no one will notice or care” cardboard box era.

Flash forward to 1995. Games developed by Sega were now showing up in stores shipped in cardboard boxes, not plastic clam shells. Huge and important games for the console such as Sonic & Knuckles, Comix Zone, Beyond Oasis, Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force II came in cheap cardboard boxes! After releasing such sturdy and user friendly plastic cases for so many years, one can only assume that the move to cardboard was done in an effort to save money while Sega of North America struggled with sales of the newly launched Saturn console. 25 years later, this decision has a ripple effect on the retro gaming community since these titles are not only highly sought after because of their excellent gameplay but also because they were some of the last A-rated titles released for the console. Combine that demand with an inherently lower supply of complete-in-box games due to the disposable nature of cardboard and you have some of the (not THE) most expensive CIB games available on the system.

I will also briefly touch on what I consider the scourge of my Genesis library. In the mid ’90s, Sega re-released some of their earlier hits in a greatest hits style packaging design that they called “Sega Classic” titles. Instead of just re-releasing the game using their original artwork style, Sega chose to place a smaller photo of the original artwork on a clam shell case with blue background with the words “Sega Classic” in large white font above the picture. This title had larger font than the wording of the game located on the photo! Once you opened the case, the cart and manual looked identical to the original release, but these “Sega Classic” cases really look cheap to me. As if you were buying a bargain basement, knock-off version of Golden Axe or Sonic the Hedgehog. Nintendo committed a similar crime with their “Best” series for the DS, using a picture of the original case artwork inside the larger case artwork. Why? Pointless if you ask me, but I’m only commenting on these decisions as a collector 15-25 years after the fact, not as a marketing team trying to distinguish a value priced game to drum up sales.

This looks dumb, right?

Ugh….so very dumb.

So how do you display your Sega Genesis cases? Alphabetically, where color and design schemes be damned? If you display them by developer/publisher, you’ll still have a variety of color and design schemes to work with as many 3rd party publishers eventually adopted Sega’s red box scheme after previously establishing their own. I imagine those that like to display their games based on how the spines look (color, design) will go with the two primary schemes; black/white grid and red striped. The rest likely would be displayed by publisher. It really all depends on how much you value aesthetics vs. functionality, where simply alphabetizing wins out. Regardless of your choice, Genesis games were meant to be played and this system contains some of the best ’90s gaming available. Play it loud, indeed.

Absolute works of art. A 1000% improvement over the Master System game cases.

Sega Genesis Box & Case Artwork Do you enjoy the bright blue, color coded Sega CD cases? How about a basic but distinctive black with a splash of a color bar to indicate a genre or style that the NES black box and the TurboGrafx-16 used for their game boxes?

0 notes

tessatechaitea · 8 years ago

Text

Superman #14

Prologue to some kind of crisis of infinite proportions.

You can tell they're from another dimension because they spell list with a y.

• Russian Superman came through the dimensional barrier speaking Russian. The Gatherers come through speaking English. Convenient! • I bet they actually speak "Englysh." • The Gatherers helpfully explain what Prophecy does with the people on the lyst. He processes them! He consumes them! He adds them to his deck! But Superman is all, "I have a punch and a hilarious battle retort for this whole lyst thing! Ready?!"

Ah ha ha ha ha! Get it?!

• The Gatherers don't seem confused by the mention of Santa Claus. I guess they know him! • The Gatherers mention that Communist Superman is from Earth 30. So at least Rebirth is sticking to the Multiversity Guidebook. It's nice to know that the people in charge don't always throw out every good idea they have. • Preboot Superman and Red Superman defeat the Gatherers just before the Multiversity House of Heroes appear. They have Red Racer from Earth 36 and Thunderer from Earth 7 and Obama Superman from Earth 23 and Lady Aquaman from Earth 11 and Mary Marvel from Earth 5 and Mecha-Armor Batman from Earth 16 and Abin Sur Green Lantern from Earth 20 and some Deathstork looking motherfucker from Earth I Don't Know. I'm happy to see Multiversity being picked up and used in Rebirth! • President Superman explains that his team is called Justice League Incarnate. They protect the Multiverse from bad guys like the Anti-Monitor and The Gentry and Magic the Gathering players!

Boom! Nailed them all from the double splash page. Except Machinehead who is from the Marvel Universe Parody world of Earth 8.

• Kenan Kong is captured before the Justice League Incarnate can save him. But Preboot Superman manages to gather a Gatherer! They'll probably vivisect it to find the way to Prophecy's home universe. • Elsewhere, Prophecy is busy constructing his deck. The next card he chooses is Captain Carrot whose power is consumed by Prophecy and Captain Carrot turns into a fuzzy little bunny who can't write comics at all. Probably. Also captured by Prophecy: Kenan Kong of Earth 0; Bizarro Superman of Earth 29; Vampire Superman of Earth 43; Prez Rickard's Pal, Superman of Earth 47; Super-Soldier of Earth 32; O.G. Superman of Earth 2; Lady Superman of Earth 11; Super Fascist of Earth 50; Pirate Superman of Earth 31; Golden Age Superman's super great grandchild of Earth 38; Super-branded Superman of Earth 45; Kingdom Come Superman of Earth 22; and Superman of the Earth One Prestige Format books. That's a lot of Supermen! Oh, and just for information's sake, Captain Carrot is from Earth 26! • There will be a quiz. The Ranking! +1! Yay! I fucking love the Multiverse! DC made the biggest mistake of their lives with Crisis on Infinite Earths, even though it was the most exciting thing ever to be done at the time. The only fault with it is that the superheroes didn't exactly win since they only saved one Earth out of infinity. It was a much better idea (only thought of decades later) to have them save a few more than that.

#Superman #DC Comics #Peter J. Tomasi #Patrick Gleason #Ivan Reis #Joe Prado #Marcelo Maiolo

2 notes · View notes

isaiahrippinus · 5 years ago

Text

10 Things You Should Know About Chivas Regal

Here are 10 things you should know about Chivas Regal.

Yes, it’s blended. That’s not bad.

Heresy? Not really. Even as blended sales have dipped since 2002, blended Scotch still makes up 75 percent of the market in the U.S. We love it, largely because it’s lush and reliably consistent.

The Chivas brothers started as grocers. That matters.

It’s 100 years younger (or older) than it says.

Chivas Regal comes from the most prolific place Scotch is made.

Its distillery is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Chivas Regal is like Benjamin Button.

Chivas 18-Year is likely the better investment.

Chivas Regal turned its blends into art. 3D DNA portraits, to be exact.

It released the first mizunara oak-aged Scotch in the States.

Hunter S. Thompson drank it for breakfast.

The article 10 Things You Should Know About Chivas Regal appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/chivas-regal-blended-scotch-guide/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/615020001151369216

0 notes

momogothits-blog · 7 years ago

Text

TV Shows Renewals (2018 - 2019)

Network

“48 Hours” (CBS) “60 Minutes” (CBS) “The 100” (The CW) “9-1-1” (FOX) “The $100,000 Pyramid” (ABC) “The Amazing Race” (CBS) “American Housewife” (ABC) “American Idol” (ABC) “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (ABC) “America’s Got Talent” (NBC) “AP Bio” (NBC) “Arrow” (The CW) “The Bachelor” (ABC) “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS) “Big Brother” (CBS) “Black-ish” (ABC) “Black Lightning” (The CW) “The Blacklist” (NBC) “Blindspot” (NBC) “Blue Bloods” (CBS) “Bob’s Burgers” “Bull” (CBS) “Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC) “Chicago Fire” (NBC) “Chicago Med” (NBC) “Chicago PD” (NBC) “Child Support” (ABC) “Cosmos” (FOX/Nat Geo) – last aired in 2014 “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (The CW) “Criminal Minds” (CBS) “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC) “Days of Our Lives” (NBC) “Dynasty” (The CW) “Elementary” (CBS) “Ellen’s Game of Games” (NBC) “Empire” (FOX) “Family Guy” (FOX) “The Flash” (The CW) “For the People” (ABC) “The Four: Battle for Stardom” (FOX) “Fresh Off the Boat” (ABC) “The Gifted” (FOX) “The Goldbergs” (ABC) “The Gong Show” (ABC) “The Good Doctor” (ABC) “Good Girls” (NBC) “The Good Place” (NBC) “Gotham” (FOX) “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) “Hawaii Five-0” (CBS) “Hell’s Kitchen” (FOX) “Hollywood Game Night” (NBC) “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC) “Instinct” (CBS) “iZombie” (ABC) “Jane the Virgin” (The CW) “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC) “Legends of Tomorrow” (The CW) “Lethal Weapon” (FOX) “Life in Pieces” (CBS) “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (Syndicated) – through 2019-20 “MacGyver” (CBS) “Madam Secretary” (CBS) “Man with a Plan” (CBS) “Masters of Illusion” (The CW) “Match Game” (ABC) “Midnight, Texas” (NBC) “Modern Family” (ABC) “Mom” (CBS) “NCIS” (CBS) “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS) “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS) “The Orville” (FOX) “Page Six” (Syndicated) “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (The CW) “The Price Is Right” (CBS) “The Real” (Syndicated) – through 2020 “The Resident” (FOX) “Riverdale” (The CW) “Roseanne” (ABC) “Salvation” (CBS) “SEAL Team” (CBS) “The Simpsons” (FOX) “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX) – airs summer 2018 “Speechless” (ABC) “Star” (FOX) “Station 19” (ABC) “Steve” (Syndicated) “Supergirl” (The CW) “Supernatural” (The CW) “Superstore” (NBC) “Survivor” (CBS) “SWAT” (CBS) “This Is Us” (NBC) “Victoria” (PBS) “The Voice” (NBC) “The Wall” (NBC) “The Wendy Williams Show” (Syndicated) – through 2019-20 “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (The CW) “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” (Syndicated) “Will & Grace” (NBC) – through 2019-20 “The Young and the Restless” (CBS) – through 2019-20 “Young Sheldon” (CBS)

Cable and Streaming

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” (Netflix) – through Season 3 “Alexa & Katie” (Netflix) “Alone Together” (Freeform) “American Dad” (TBS) – through Season 6 on TBS/16 overall “American Horror Story” (FX) – through Season 9 “American Vandal” (Netflix) “Andi Mack” (Disney) “Angie Tribeca” (TBS) “Animal Kingdom” (TNT) “Archer” (FXX) “At Home with Amy Sedaris” (truTV) “Ballers” (HBO) “Barry” (HBO) “Berlin Station” (Epix) “Better Things” (FX) “Big Mouth” (Netflix) “Billions” (Showtime) “Black Mirror” (Netflix) “Bosch” (Amazon) “Broad City” (Comedy Central) “Brockmire” (IFC) – through Season 4 “Carpool Karaoke” (Apple) “Casual” (Hulu) – fourth and final season in 2018 “Channel Zero” (Syfy) – through Season 4 “Chesapeake Shores” (Hallmark) “The Chi” (Showtime) “Chrisley Knows Best” (USA) “Cobra Kai” (YouTube Red) “Corporate” (Comedy Central) “Counterpart” (Starz) “Crashing” (HBO) “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO) “Dark” (Netflix) “The Detour” (TBS) “Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior) “Documentary Now!” (IFC) “Dope” (Netflix) “Drop the Mic” (TBS) “Drug Lords” (Netflix) “Drunk History” (Comedy Central) “Fear the Walking Dead” (AMC) “Final Space” (TBS) “Fleabag” (Amazon) “Floribama Shore” (MTV) “Full Frontal with Samatha Bee” (TBS) – through 2020 “Fuller House” (Netflix) “Future Man” (Hulu) “The Good Fight” (CBS All Access) “Grace and Frankie” (Netflix) “Grown-ish” (Freeform) “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu) “Happy!” (Syfy) “High Maintenance” (HBO) “Homeland” (Showtime) “House of Cards” (Netflix) “I Love You, America” (Hulu) “Ink Master” (Paramount) “Insecure” (HBO) “Jack Ryan” (Amazon) “Jessica Jones” (Netflix) “The Jim Jefferies Show” (Comedy Central) “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (E!) – through 2020 “Killing Eve” (BBC America) “Killjoys” (Syfy) – through Season 5 “The Last O.G.” (TBS) “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO) – through Season 7 in 2020 “Lore” (Amazon) “Loudermilk” (Audience Network) “The Magicians” (Syfy) “Man at Arms: Art of War” (El Rey) “Mindhunter” (Netflix) “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return” (Netflix) “Nailed It!” (Netflix) “Narcos” (Netflix) “No Activity” (CBS All Access) “The Oath” (Crackle) “On My Block” (Netflix) “One Day at a Time” (Netflix) “Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix) – through Season 7 “Outlander” (Starz) – through Season 6 “Power” (Starz) – through Season 6 “Preacher” (AMC) “Project Runway” (Lifetime) – through Season 18 “Project Runway All Stars” (Lifetime) – through Season 7 “The Punisher” (Netflix) “Pure” (WGN America) “Queen Sugar” (OWN) “Queer Eye” (Netflix) “Ray Donovan” (Showtime) “Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO) – through 2020 “Rick and Morty” (Adult Swim) – for 70 episodes “Runaways” (Hulu) “Santa Clarita Diet” (Netflix) “Search Party” (TBS) “Shameless” (Showtime) “She’s Gotta Have It” (Netflix) “Shooter” (USA) “Silicon Valley” (HBO) “The Sinner” (USA) “SMILF” (Showtime) “Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild” (TBS) “South Park” (Comedy Central) – through 2019 “Star Trek: Discovery” (CBS All Access) “Startup” (Crackle) “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” (Nat Geo) “Stranger Things” (Netflix) “Strike Back” (Cinemax) “Suits” (USA) “The Tick” (Amazon) “Tosh.0” (Comedy Central) – through 2020 “The Toys That Made Us” (Netflix) “Transparent” (Amazon) “UnReal” (Lifetime) – through Season 4 “Van Helsing” (Syfy) “The Walking Dead” (AMC) “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo) – through 2020 “Westworld” (HBO) “Younger” (TV Land) “You’re the Worst” (FXX) – final season in 2018 “The Zimmern List” (Travel)

#television renewals #cbs abc fox streaming

0 notes

nbadraftnotebook · 7 years ago

Text

Can Wendell Carter become Al Horford?

I stink at comparisons, so please, feel free to banish me out the paint with outlandish takes like this.

Al Horford, based off impact and value, is one of the top 30 players in the league. He doesn’t have to score 20 points to provide value for the Boston Celtics - a secondary ball-handler, quasi-rim protector, playmaker, big-to-big passing, floor spacer - you pick the role and Al Horford can do it and if I were to write a story about some unheralded players, Horford and his max contract would be on the list.

So, it’s a bit unfair to compare a draft prospect to someone who refined and near maxed out several other facets of his game, but that’s what I’m curious about when it comes to Wendell Carter Jr.

Carter just completed his first and only season at Duke where he finished with averages of 13.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.1 blocks. He shot a misleading 41 percent from three, but only on 46 total attempts. Throughout his college season, Carter played alongside fellow lottery pick Marvin Bagley III, resulting in Duke playing a zone defense to (mostly) cover the team’s defensive woes.

However, I wouldn’t say that the defensive issues were due to Carter’s play. There were games where he looked tentative and hesitant as the last line of defense in the zone, but overall, Carter finished with the best defensive real plus-minus (7.5) and defensive rating (92.8) on the team. When Bagley went out for a few games this season, Duke’s defense looked much better, as Carter was able to man more minutes at center and alongside another good defender in Javin DeLaurier (6.4 DRPM and 94.0 defensive rating).

Hoop-Math doesn’t have a breakdown of Horford’s shooting splits, but I feel comfortable in saying that Horford was a solid overall shooter coming out of college. Based on Florida’s offense and the then desire for two big men patrolling the floor at the same time, Horford didn’t shoot threes in college. However, he finished with 60 percent shooting, 64 percent shooting at the line and showed a mid-range game early in his NBA career. It’s wasn’t crazy to see Horford evolving as a shooter as the game evolved.

With more data and more progression in the modern game, Carter seems like an even better contender to shoot or space the floor as a pro. Carter shot 70 percent at the rim, 36 percent on two-point jumpers, 41 percent from three and 73 percent from the free throw line. Even if he doesn’t become a high-level shooter like Karl Anthony-Towns, but even if he can space the floor on a low level of attempts, that’s valuable. Carter, based on his lone season at Duke, could be someone who can shoot it with time.

Horford was a solid passer in his three years at Florida and so was Carter in his lone season at Duke. Carter finished with 74 assists to 75 turnovers, while Horford finished his career with 187 assists to 173 turnovers. Throughout the season, Carter and Bagley’s big-to-big passing flashed and looked great as both worked well getting each other in the low post. We can’t predict Carter as a future four-five assist per game player, but he flashed great passing.

Where the comparison may fall is that Carter isn’t a plus athlete. He’s not afraid to reach in on defense and his 4.2 fouls per 40 minutes is rather normal for a young big man, but we don’t have any information moving forward. Horford, to compare, averaged 4.3 fouls per 40 as a freshman, then saw that cut down to 3.8 as a sophomore and 3.6 as a junior.

I like to believe that Carter has an advanced basketball I.Q. (if not, a high I.Q. overall, he did almost go to Harvard to play ball), but that’s the one question mark for me. I wasn’t high on Jamal Murray coming out of school because A) I watched O.G. Anunoby swallow him up in that NCAA Tournament game and B) he came off as a below average athlete for the pro game. Since then, Murray has established himself as a dynamic prospect for Denver and improved on that front enough to present starter value.

It’s tricky to put a point on how valuable Carter can be if he isn’t a great defender like Horford. There are big men who don’t possess ideal athleticism and can’t defend the rim, guys like Kelly Olynyk and Cody Zeller, who provide defensive value by being in the right place in the right time. Even an inch lower on the defensive spectrum and Carter’s overall value could be diminished.

I’m not entirely sure that Wendell Carter can become Al Horford, but the package is there. In a season at Duke, he showed the ability to adjust with another big man on the floor, (somewhat) anchor a defense at center, a good big-to-big man passing, finishing at the rim and solid shooting from the line and from three in a limited sample.

I’m feeling Carter Jr. is undervalued as a prospect (top 6?) and if he gets on the right team, I think he can bring back low-level star value. Maybe, just maybe, he can reach the value of Al Horford.

0 notes