The Afternoon Before: Playing out the string

Later than usual with this, and just one thought and some NFL picks. Been a busy week and had some other stuff to write, including one article I’m hoping to see on the Dime Magazine site this week. I loved Dave Cone

It’s no secret that the older we get, the more jaded we are, especially when it comes to the way we watch sports.

I remember watching the final game in 1991 for a 77-84 post-Strawberry Mets team like it was Game 7 of the NLCS, as David Cone struck out 19 batters and had the chance to tie the record, but retired Dale Murphy with a groundout to end the game.

I remember sitting on the literal edge of my seat on the couch, praying that Cone would dig deep and join Clemens in the record books.

Twenty years later, my perspective has of course changed. The Mets, famously, have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter, and R.A. Dickey took one into the seventh inning this afternoon. And I opted not to watch it.

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Attention benefit: The value of Mayweather’s ‘sucker punch’

Heck of a job, Joe Cortez

I’d say it’s pretty safe to say it’s probably not a good idea to kiss Floyd Mayweather on the cheek in the middle of a fight.

I had people text me after Saturday’s fight with that old tired talking point, that the fight wasn’t worth the admittedly exorbitant price tag – though Tecate trimmed that to a more reasonable amount. But all things considered, it’s hard to say we didn’t get our money’s worth, despite the truncated main event.

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The Afternoon Before: Emotion sickness

Some weekly thoughts on football and some other things, since I’m essentially a football layman. I’d generally prefer to do this early in the week, but I was particularly busy.

Proud to be an American

I had some people ask me why I didn’t post anything here about 9/11 before it happened, but honestly, what more could have I have said that wasn’t already said?

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Mad love

Two to tango
I wrote something on the Jam video with Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan last week for Dime Magazine, and was pretty pleased with the reception – even the Jordan Brand seemed to dig it. (How about a pair of Concords to show that appreciation?)

But one group took some umbrage with some of my wording: fans of Michael Jackson, leading to an interesting – and mutually respectful – exchange in the Dime comment section.

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The Afternoon After: Day in the Sun

As I explained last week, I’ve expanded my weekly football thoughts to include some non-football stuff, primarily since I don’t have an enormous breadth of knowledge about the sport and don’t always get to watch games. That won’t stop me from offering up some picks, but if you place bets based on them, I’d be forced to characterize you as foolhardy.

Heart attack on a grill

I’ve made no secret of the fact that football doesn’t rank particularly high on my sports hierarchy, placing behind pretty much every other major sport besides hockey, which I never got into. That said? It’s good to have football back, primarily because it’s woven into what I believe to be the best time of year.

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When worlds collide: Jordan Bordeauxs and the Jam video

I’ve started doing some writing for Dime Magazine — it’s really sort of a full-circle kind of thing, since they were the first publication that ever let me write anything way back almost a decade ago. I lost touch with them for a while while I pursued some other things, but I always enjoyed checking in to see how they were evolving, and I’m excited to have recently gotten back in touch.

The post below is the second piece I wrote for Dime; this one was the first. (I don’t plan to write about Michael Jordan in every post, it’s just how it’s worked out so far.) Check out their web site, they have great content every single day. And I’m excited, as always, to broaden my horizons a bit.

Incredible

The thing people don’t get about sneaker collectors is that it’s often not about the sneakers themselves, but rather the stories behind them. You always remember your first pair of Jordans in eighth grade, or the sneakers you started college in, or the pair you got to celebrate getting a job you really wanted.

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