Last night, the NBA Finals concluded with the Lakers defeating the Celtics, winning the franchise’s 16th NBA Championship and second in a row. I had gone into morning thinking about how to write this blog intro about the sloppy game (but in a positive light!), and then I started thinking, "What else would I have been watching last night?"
The sad thing is, as far as watching TV goes, sports fans are done for the rest of the summer. Sure, we’ll have the X-Games in early August, but short of that (especially for Chicago fans), we're stuck watching the Cubs or the Sox-- two teams that are struggling to stay within striking distance of .500.
Not that I mean to complain too much or anything-- we've still got 90+ games of baseball in this season, plenty of time for either team to make a run at the playoffs and create some exciting games. It's just that if neither team can make a run, well, there's plenty more 100 Questions-type shows coming along throughout the summer.
So, on the bittersweet note that the NBA season is finally finished, here are your Links of the Week:
Here's a perfect gift for your everyday outdoor-loving nerd: a USB powered itching device.
Here's a great video from the Tom Izzo press conference where he takes on a media member for blowing a story out of proportion. If you haven't been following, Izzo (one of the top 2 college coaches) was being sought after by the Cleveland Cavaliers to coach the team next year, ultimately turning down a 5-year, $30 million offer in order to stay at Michigan State. It's a good 5 minute watch if you like people publicly calling out one another.
One of the first major operational hires for the Cubs from new owner Tom Ricketts is the hiring of a statistical analyst. The fact that this is news pretty much sums up the Cubs for me.
A Facebook "Like" stamp? A Facebook "Like" stamp.
If you don't watch Breaking Bad, you're missing out on a great television series. Here is the recap from creator Vince Gilligan, who wrapped up Season Three with a heckuvan episode.
Speaking of TV, if you haven't been watching the 30 for 30 series from ESPN, you're missing out. I know I keep harping on this in my blogs, but geez louise this last documentary was outstanding. 
It was about all of the sports-related events that transpired on June 17, 1994: the NY Rangers' first (and only) Stanley Cup parade since the 1940's, Arnold Palmer's final US Open round, the Knicks-Rockets NBA Finals match-up, and oh yeah, the O.J. Simpson car chase. Here's a review from The Cooler encouraging you to watch.
Headline of the year: "Student Attacks Hells Angels with Puppy".
Pretty good read here from TIME Magazine on the rise of the "Recommendation Engine" about sites like Pandora or Facebook, who "know what we want before we do".
And for your video of the week, in case you aren't one of the 27 million who haven't seen this, here is Surprised Kitty.