Month: May 2008

  • The Three Pointer: The Pistons Square the Series

    Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Eastern Conference Finals, Game #4: Boston 75, Detroit 94 Series record: Tied 2-2 1. The "Little 3" I’m not the first one to unimaginatively pervert the "Big 3" sobriquet for tonight’s no-show troika of Celtic stars, and the way they are playing, I certainly won’t be the…

  • Wild Bill's Birthday

    One hundred and seventy-one years ago, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was born in Troy Grove, Illinois. Perhaps this is a good day to rent the full first season of Deadwood and veg out in front of a screen. It’s hardly the most sociable way to spend your time (unless you make a party out…

  • I Have Fun Everywhere I Go

    I have no tolerance for pot dealers who insist on sharing a bowl every time they conclude a transaction. I don’t need to seal my drug deals with shiny happy-people vibes; that’s what I bring the money for. But that’s just me; when it comes to harnessing good vibes, I’ll take the mayhem of Altamont…

  • A Hit and a Miss for Ellis Marsalis

    Irvin Mayfield and Ellis MarsalisLove Songs, Ballads and StandardsBasin Street Records Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield has often been an artist who wears his heart on his sleeve. This sentimental exuberance has helped put the panache in Los Hombres Calientes, made his breakup concept CD, How Passion Falls, especially vivid, and has fueled his tireless efforts (as…

  • Spurs Scrabble for Survival

    AP Photo/Matt Slocum It occurs to me that the best way to recap the first three games of the Spurs-Lakers series is to point out all the places I was wrong. There are plenty of examples so let’s get to it. * A high scoring series When I looked over the various matchups between San…

  • Return To Forever

    If extravagant excess, jazz-rock division, is your preferred sonic energy drink, the reunion of the most fantastic of the various Return To Forever lineups is the gig of the summer. Precious few bands—Emerson Lake & Palmer and the Mahavishnu Orchestra come to mind—indulged in ornate wankery with so much spunk and so little fear, and…