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Big Z

Space Jam 2 is on the Way and Looks Promising

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CBS NEWS – There’s a new wrinkle in the LeBron-Jordan debate: Who will be the more beloved Tune Squad star? On Wednesday, James and his production company, SpringHill Entertainment, announced a sequel to 1996’s “Space Jam,” one that boasts an all-star team: Ryan Coogler of “Black Panther” is set to produce the film, James will star and Terence Nance of “Random Acts of Flyness” will serve as director. 

It’s James’ first starring role in a film. The Lakers superstar had a well-liked part playing himself in “Trainwreck” opposite Amy Schumer. He told the Hollywood Reporter that he “loved [Coogler’s] vision” for “Black Panther” and believes the director will bring the same magic to “Space Jam.

The original Space Jam wasn’t nominated for any Academy Awards, but it is the highest grossing basketball film of all time. It was a solid kids movie and is fondly remembered by people who saw it when they were kids. I’ll stop to watch a few scenes whenever I see it pop up on cable, and I know I have the Space Jam soundtrack CD somewhere at my parents’ house. Even more than 20 years after its theatrical release, I still see Tune Squad jerseys at college basketball games from time to time.

With Ryan Coogler on board for the reboot, though, the next Space Jam will aspire to be more than just a commercially-viable kids basketball movie. Coogler is on fire right now, and although he’ll be producing rather than directing Space Jam, the last three films he directed were all huge critical successes. Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther are all incredible movies.

Space Jam 2 will also feature LeBron James in his first starring role. James isn’t an actor or a singer, but he’s still one of the biggest stars in the world. He was really likable in Trainwreck and it’s hard to imagine anyone, outside of maybe a few Celtics fans, who will question that he’s the right person for this role. It’d be great to see Michael Jordan come back one way or another and settle the GOAT debate with James, even if just in jest, but there’s probably a better chance of Michael B. Jordan showing up.

It sounds like Space Jam 2 will follow a similar formula as the original, but don’t be surprised if it’s a little less slapstick and aimed at adults as much as it is at kids. At least as much as Bugs Bunny cartoon can be aimed at adults.

UPDATE: Malden Men Who Recovered Red Sox Banner Will Not Face Charges

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CBS Boston – There will be no charges filed in the case of the mysterious discovery of the Boston Red Sox American League East champions banner…

The company that made the banner didn’t believe the tale. The owner filed a report with Somerville Police in an effort to discover if the item was stolen.

On Friday, Somerville Police said no charges will be filed after the company asked to end the investigation.

Well, well, well. The company asked the police to end the investigation. That’s a far cry from what Tony Lafuente, the owner of the company, had to say to the Boston Globe just two days earlier:

“I’ve been doing work for the Boston Red Sox since 1992. Nothing ever happened like this.”
“[These guys] should be ashamed of themselves… those guys stole my banner.”

The story of the guys who found the banner was definitely far fetched, but Lafuente seemed a bit quick to point the finger at them. He probably should have thanked them for recovering an object that fell out of a moving vehicle and could have injured someone, rather than accuse them of stealing it.

We’ll see if Lafuente has anything else to say about this matter, but I doubt it. It’d be interesting to find out if this item truly did just fall off the truck, or if maybe it was “pushed” off the truck by a man on the inside. That’d be embarrassing for Lafuente. We’ll probably never know, though. Either way, I stand by my original position that these guys got hosed by the Sox.

Come on, John Henry. How many extra clicks did Boston.com get out of this? A couple of standing room tickets would be well worth those clicks. You shouldn’t penalize these guys just for being worse dealmakers than Barry Zuckerkorn.

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Mister Rogers Gets the Google Doodle Treatment

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Google is the de facto homepage of the internet, but their Google Doodles rarely catch my attention. With all due respect to Gerda Taro, Google’s celebration of her 108th birthday last month didn’t make much of an impression on me. Oftentimes it feels like Google goes out of their way to celebrate someone they found by clicking the “Random article” link on Wikipedia. Today’s doodle, though, might be their best yet.

Mister Rogers passed away 15 years ago, but he is currently experiencing a revival in popular culture. Maybe it’s millennial nostalgia, or maybe it’s a just a general longing for kinder, simpler times. Either way, today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 51st anniversary of the taping of the first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can watch that episode right now. Obviously it’s aimed at young children and a bit dry for anyone over the age of six, but it’s fascinating to see that his show was pretty much the same for 30+ years.

In addition to the Google Doodle, the Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor was released in June and is superb. It’s currently at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and is a surprisingly entertaining look at a seemingly simple man. Rogers is easily one of the best broadcasters of all time. I highly recommend seeing it. Rogers got his own postage stamp earlier this year, a new biography, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers was published just this month, and Tom Hanks is set to star as Rogers in You Are My Friend, which is scheduled to be released in 2019.

Mister Rogers may have passed away in 2003, but he and his legacy have not been forgotten. Good work from Google today.

Tough Break for Malden Men Who Recovered Red Sox Banner

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boston.com – The Red Sox’ 2018 division title banner that was recovered on McGrath Highway in Somerville Monday has been returned in exchange for nothing…

If the missing banner had not been returned, Tony Lafuente, owner of Flagraphics, said his company had already produced a replica that would be ready to go.

“We already have a new banner made,” Lafuente told Anderson. “I’ve been doing work for the Boston Red Sox since 1992. Nothing ever happened like this.”

Lafuente also told Anderson that Iacuzzi and his friends “should be ashamed of themselves,” saying “those guys stole my banner.”

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How about John Henry going Willy Wonka on these guys? At least Charlie stole Fizzy Lifting Drink. If you take their story at face value, these guys just happened to find the banner in the middle of the road and offered to return it. All they wanted was a couple of playoff tickets. Our men from Malden might be a couple of characters, but their request was more than reasonable.

If it comes out that this banner didn’t simply “fall off a truck,” I reserve the right to update this post. But unless/until more information emerges, it seems like these guys got hosed. The guy that caught and gave back Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit got a World Series ring from the Yankees. All the men from Malden wanted was to get into the building.

Everyone knows what a pain it is to get to Fenway Park. Couldn’t John at least have given them some caps from the souvenir shop for their troubles? Or pay the inevitable parking ticket they got while dropping this thing off?

To paraphrase Stu and Alan from the Hangover our men from Malden say they didn’t steal anything, they found it and if anything they deserve a reward.

What’s the Matter with the Kansas Plan?

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The NFL overtime system is broken and it’s easy to see why. I’m not talking about two ties in two weeks, though. The fact that the league has to put its overtime rules on the screen every time a game goes to overtime is all you need to know. I’ve never seen Fox or ESPN have to explain how extra innings or basketball overtime works. Even the NHL with its loser point, 4-on-4, 3-on-3, and shootout formats over the last 20 years is still pretty simple – play five minutes and if no one wins we go to a three-round shootout.

The fact that the NFL has to explain the rules every time a game goes to overtime is ridiculous. That’s arena league stuff. Fortunately, the solution is easy. The NFL will eventually adopt the college football overtime system, the Kansas Plan.

The Kansas Plan won’t be coming to the NFL next year, but it probably will be in the next decade or so. A criticism of the Kansas Plan is that it takes special teams out of the game, with no kickoffs or punts. Pretty soon, though, that’s what regular football could look like. With the NFL moving kickoffs up to the 35-yard line and moving touchbacks out to the 25-yard line, it’s clear that they want fewer kickoffs returned. Same in college football, which now treats any fair catch of a kickoff inside the 25-yard line as a touchback. It may be a while before the kickoff is eliminated entirely but it could happen in our lifetimes, and eliminating it in overtime would be an easy way to start.

The NFL said it shortened regular season overtime from 15 to 10 minutes for player safety reasons. Making the switch to the college football overtime system could easily be justified for that same reason.

And all due respect to punters, but if a game can’t be decided in 60 minutes I don’t mind taking the option to punt off the table for OT. Overtime is intended to force an outcome, one way or another. To force an outcome, game play has to be tweaked a little bit. I don’t mind telling a team they lose the right to punt after 60 minutes of play.

While I don’t believe the current NFL overtime system is unfair, the college overtime system is undoubtedly fairer. The Kansas Plan obviously gives each team an opportunity to possess the football. This eliminates the possibility of another Super Bowl (or any game, really) ending without one side getting an opportunity on offense. If I were a Falcons fan, I’d still be upset that Matt Ryan never got to touch the football in overtime in Super Bowl 51.

Unless the NFL wants to play full 15-minute quarters until the deadlock is broken, which it most certainly does not, it’s time they go back to college and adopt the Kansas Plan. College football overtime isn’t prefect, but it’s simpler, safer and fairer. You could do a lot worse than an overtime system that’s simple, fair and safe.

In Defense of Jalen Ramsey

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Red is 100% right. Jalen Ramsey talking trash about Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady does ring hollow, and the Patriots will probably hand him the beating of a lifetime this Sunday. Still, I can’t help but admire the balls on this guy.

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The greatest quarterback and greatest tight end of all time are coming to town this weekend and he’s not impressed. But perhaps even ballsier than saying that he doesn’t think Gronk “is as great as people think he is,” was him saying that he could play in the NHL with just six months of training. That is despite the fact that he has never skated. That is a lie that Saul Goodman himself would be proud of.

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It’s also an epic troll job. The number of NHL players bent out of shape over it is incredible.

Jesus Christ guys, get a grip. Everyone talks about how easygoing hockey players are, but these guys seem like an easy group to get a reaction out of. A football player was talking out of his ass guys, not disrespecting your sport. Disrespecting your sport might sound like someone calling it the fifth-most popular sport in the United States after football, basketball, baseball and college football. Hypothetically speaking.

Shout out to the Springfield Thunderbirds, though. They get it.

That’s an A+ response to Ramsey’s claim that he could play in the NHL. That team’s social media manager deserves a raise.

I don’t think his Patriots trash talk will have any impact on Sunday’s game and I don’t believe he will ever play in the NHL, but goddammit do I respect him for having the balls to make these outrageous statements.

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The 300s Patriots Predictions

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The NFL season kicks off in mere hours and even though the Patriots aren’t playing tonight, it’s still a solid excuse to order some pizza and wings and throw back the last few Sam Summers in your fridge. With about 70 hours to go until the Pats kick off, the staff here at The 300s shared their final predictions for the upcoming Patriots season.

Red
Let’s be candid here; on the last episode of The 300s Podcast I picked the Steelers to beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship game this year, but that was BEFORE the entire Steelers organization started openly trashing Le’Veon Bell to everyone in the media. I did not expect him to actually hold out into the regular season. So with that being said I would like to issue a referendum and put my support behind the Patriots reaching their 9th Super Bowl in the Brady/Belichick era and winning it all for their 6th ring together.

Its so easy to take the field, but I just don’t feel confident about any of them. The Eagles are trying to repeat which hasn’t happened since the Patriots did it in 2003-04 and they’re relying on Nick Foles until Carson Wentz comes back from a torn ACL. Despite his SB MVP trophy, I would not want to put my repeat aspirations on the shoulders of Foles.

Just looking at the AFC who are the biggest challengers? The Steelers are in open rebellion against the crown and look like a team about to collapse into chaos. The Chiefs are banking on a guy with 35 career Pass Attempts in Patrick Mahomes. Pass. The Jaguars are a legit threat, but that is a team built around a ton of young guys who I would like to see them prove it for another year before I crown them anything. Plus Blake Bortles is always ready to implode with a handful of awful games.

Gun to head I’m taking the Patriots to get back to their winning ways. Yes, the defense was abysmal last year, but they were also ONE stop away from winning the Super Bowl. So with an improved defensive line (Danny Shelton, Adrian Clayborn, Derek Rivers) and the return of Dont’a Hightower, I like that defense to improve this year. The offense will be a work in progress while Julian Edelman is out with his suspension, but the team figured it out without him for 16 games last year so I think they will make it work.

I’m still predicting a 12-4 record, but with the recent news out of Pittsburgh, I’m taking the Patriots to go to, and win, Super Bowl LIII.

Big Z
I’m not predicting Tom Brady’s demise. That would be just as foolish as betting against the house in blackjack. I do wonder who the hell he is going to throw the ball to, though. Gronk is back, but the receiving corps is pretty thin after that. Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola are gone. Julian Edelman will be coming back from a torn ACL after serving a four-game suspension. That leaves Chris Hogan as Brady’s top receiver. This feels a lot like 2006.

The coaching is good enough to get enough out of the defense, and the division is so weak there’s no real threat of the Patriots missing the playoffs. But in addition to appearing to be a bit thin in some areas, this team has played a lot of football over the last four years. I think they go 11-5, but run out of gas and lose on the road in the AFC Championship game.

Mattes
Insert overplayed line about how the Pats don’t have any good receivers and that we’re not going to be the same because of it here. OK, I THINK EVERYONE GETS IT BY NOW: the team’s a little thin in the receiving corps. I’m not going to sit here and waste any more time talking about it. We still have Gronk. We still have Hogan. Edelman will be back soon. We have a great stable of backs who can all (pretty much) catch the ball out of the backfield. Also, as mentioned in this week’s podcast, Cordarrelle Patterson could be a real sneaky solid player this year. No matter what, Brady’s going to figure it out. It’s Tom Fucking Brady. (Again, he once made it to an AFC Championship game with Reche Caldwell as his No. 1 receiver. Need I say more?)

I also think the defense will be much improved, especially the pass-rush. Considering the Pats were already fifth in the league in terms of points per game allowed last year, that’s saying something. I love the addition of Adrian Clayborn and Danny Shelton up front, and they’re only going to help the young guys like Flowers and Wise continue to wreak havoc on opposing QBs. Gilmore and McCourty will have the secondary on lock, and they will also be helped immensely by the team’s much-improved line. Sure, the linebackers are a little suspect, but I think the Pats have enough in the front and the back of the defense to make up for the lackluster play in the middle.

In order not to sound like a complete homer, I don’t like the injury trend we’ve seen so far this year, and it could be our undoing. With both of this year’s first-rounders currently on the shelf, one of which could be for the whole season, and other guys throughout the roster, especially along the O-line, dealing with other nagging ailments (like the “slight tear” in Burkhead’s knee), there could be a serious depth issues at certain points this year at multiple positions. But if everyone stays relatively healthy, I say we go 12-4 but unfortunately lose to the Jags or Steelers in the AFC Championship.

Papa Giorgi
Tom vs. Time reared it’s ugly head once again this week in which Brady declared he’d like to play another five years, for like the 15th year in a row. We get it Tom, you’re from the future sent back to protect John Connor.

Well Tom, Edward Furlong doesn’t need your help anymore and it’s time you went back the way you came. Stop holding the AFC East hostage and go play with your children and wife before she leaves you for someone younger. Tom vs. Time? More like Tom vs. time spent on the couch. Gisele, if you’re reading this, I am available to spend time with you every Sunday at 1. Prediction: nothing I say matters and Pats win the Super Bowl because why should I be happy?

 

Who got it right and who got it wrong? Let us know on Twitter @The300sBoston

Who Should Host SNL?

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As much as college football and pumpkin spice lattes, the Saturday Night Live season premiere is a sure sign that summer is over and fall has arrived. SNL’s 44th season will kick off less than a month from now on September 29. No hosts or musical guests for the upcoming season have been announced yet but since they asked, here are the three guys I’d most like to see host SNL.

  1. Bill Burr A comedian’s comedian and a regular on the late night talk show circuit, Burr would kill on SNL. Burr did some work on Chappelle’s Show back in the day and would bring an edge to Saturday night that SNL hasn’t had in quite a while.
  2. Bob Odenkirk Well before he took on the role of Saul Goodman, Odenkirk wrote for SNL back in the late 80s and early 90s. While he didn’t find the success at SNL that other writers did, he did find sketch comedy success on HBO in the mid-90s with Tobia Funke David Cross on Mr. Show. Currently on one of the best shows on television, Odenkirk going back to 30 Rock to host SNL would be a great story of comedic redemption.
  3. John Krasinski He interned on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in the same building back in 2000 and was a key player on The Office, one of the most important shows on NBC for nearly a decade. It’s hard to believe that this guy has never been invited to host in Studio 8H. With Jack Ryan dropping on Amazon Prime today, now seems like the perfect time for Krasinski to head back to 30 Rock.

And special mention goes to Christopher Walken, who tops my returning hosts list. Walken was a mainstay during my prime SNL viewing years, hosting seven times in the 90s and 2000s. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t appeared on SNL in more than a decade. Definitely need to see him walken through the doors at 8H this fall.

 

Who’d I miss? Let me know on Twitter @The300sBigZ

Delta Air Lines to Connect Worcester and Detroit

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Boston Herald – Delta Air Lines will begin a nonstop flight between Worcester and Detroit next year in a move that officials say will offer MetroWest travelers convenience and boost the city’s economy.

The flight between Worcester Regional Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines and will give passengers more than 100 connecting opportunities, both domestic and international, according to the airline and the Massachusetts Port Authority.

 

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I’m shocked to hear that Delta Air Lines will be operating this flight. A direct flight between Worcester and Detroit had Southwest written all over it. Want to fly from Boston to Tampa? Have fun connecting in Chicago. Want to fly from one second-rate city to another, like Milwaukee to Cleveland, nonstop? You’re in luck with Southwest!

Look, I’m all for regional airports offering travelers more options. Let the free market do its thing. I fly a lot and more options means lower prices for everybody. Looking at the Worcester Regional Airport flight board today, it looks like JetBlue has two flights going to Florida from there today. If I were going to Disney I would take a hard look at Worcester. I just can’t imagine many folks were clamoring for more options to get to the Motor City.

“People will be able to fly to Detroit and, from there, to San Francisco, Las Vegas, China, Japan,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “It’s a good option for people in MetroWest.”

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That’s where you lose me, Tommy. If Detroit’s not my final destination, no way I am flying out of Worcester to get there via Motown. I’ll gladly pay the toll and sit in hours of traffic on the Mass Pike if it means not having to spend twenty minutes at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Subway.

At least the people on the flights from Worcester to Detroit will have rows to themselves. No chance these flights will be more than half full. So we’ll see how long this lasts. Hopefully it’s part of a bigger plan to eventually attract airlines with more enticing destinations. Let me know when know I can fly from Worcester to San Diego, Phoenix or Vegas in the middle of winter and then I’ll start making plans.

In the meantime, I’ll bet Larry Lucchino is a happy man today.

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JD Martinez Hits Like Ted Williams When He Plays Left Field

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JD Martinez has been crushing it for the Red Sox all season, regardless of what position he’s been playing. Martinez has made it clear that he likes playing the field and wants to play the field. What you might not realize, though, is how much better his production is at the plate when he does play the field.

JD Martinez has played 70 games as a DH this season and 45 games as an outfielder (30 in left field and 15 in right field). As a DH, Martinez’s slash line is .305/.372/.643, with an OPS of 1.015. As an outfielder, Martinez’s slash line is .376/.449/.694 with an OPS of 1.143.

Part of the variance is due to Martinez’s insane .452 batting average on balls in play as a left fielder. His career batting average on balls in play is .346, which means he may be getting a little lucky in a small thirty-game sample this season. He’s also only been hit by pitch four times this season, but three times came when he was the right fielder. Either way, it’s still obvious that Martinez hits even better when he’s playing the field. He doesn’t seem to be the type of hitter who needs to watch his at bats on iPads while his team is in the field.

So what does this mean? Jackie Bradley’s slash line this year is .218/.305/.387 with an OPS of .692. He’s been hitting a little better as of late with a .250 average this month, but if Martinez hits even better when he is in the field, doesn’t it make sense to put Martinez in the field and DH someone like Steve Pearce? I’d swap Pearce’s bat for Bradley’s glove. Pearce’s slash line with Boston so far is .310/.425/.634 with a 1.059 OPS. It’s a small 25-game sample, but Pearce is playing the best baseball of his career. Plug in JD in left field, make Pearce your DH, and JD wins the Triple Crown and MVP award in a run away. Boom. Everyone wins.

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You can start planning the parade now, Alex. You’re welcome.