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LeBron is Now King of the Ashes in Los Angeles

First off its a long read, but if you haven’t already go read Baxter Holmes’ excellent story on the Lakers utter dysfunction. Its nothing short of bizarre that a billion dollar business is run this way. With Magic stepping down as Lakers President, his sniping back and forth with current Lakers GM Rob Pelinka through the media, the owner of the team Jeanie Buss appearing completely checked out, and all other sorts of nonsense, LeBron has essentially become King of the ashes in LA.

Lets start with Magic. After suddenly and bizarrely resigning via a rambling impromptu press conference, more and more details have started to come out. He is described throughout Holmes’ story as having a “striking duality to his personality.” When he was even in the office that is. Some days he would grab ass and work his charm, other days he would blow up on a staffer for booking the wrong rental car.

What. A. Prick. This is a prime example of a boss thats in way over his head, blowing up on employees to make themselves feel like they’re in charge.

This story also drops in on familiar face Rich Paul (LeBron’s agent) who is no stranger to dysfunction and maintains a prominent role in LA. Just as he did in Cleveland, Paul and much of the Klutch team meddled in the affairs of the team on behalf of LeBron to bitch about the coach, the management, the roster and everything else the King didn’t like. And shocker, it sunk the team’s chemistry or at the very least any chance the Lakers ever had at a professional work environment.

This is why people around here have bashed LeBron for years. Not because he isn’t a great player. He is incredible and I watch him play every chance he’s on national TV. But, the guy rocks the boat everywhere he goes and when things go south he cops out with quotes like “I’m not the GM.” It’s why he left Miami. He wanted the all-access pass for his boys (who were on the payroll as official team employees in Cleveland and in LA) and Pat Riley told him to take a fucking hike.

Then theres GM Rob Pelinka who at best is just a space case filling air time with whatever pops into his head. At worst he’s the snake that Magic *buried* on First Take and a guy who lies just to lie. Like this story about the time that Kobe saw The Dark Knight and became infatuated with Heath Ledger. So much so that Pelinka says he arranged a dinner with Kobe and Ledger, except for the fact that Ledger was in fact already deceased at this point in time.

Then theres the blatant lies he tells his own employees. Lies that are very, very easily debunked so you’d have to be a sociopath to just freewheel with stuff like this.

It sounds like Magic and Pelinka deserve each other.

And then theres the Queen Bee Jeanie Buss who sounds like she is running this team like a second semester senior in college. Paying less attention to whats happening in the organization that I would in NBA2K.

Good luck Lakers fans because it sounds like you’re in for some dark days. That is unless another NBA mega star decides they just want to play in Southern Cali and bail the Lakers out of completely mismanaging their team which happens again (Shaq) and again (Derek Fisher) and again (LeBron James).

Either way, dumpster fire was a compliment compared to what this team really is; an unmitigated disaster.

 

Welcome to Flavortown, Boston

Eater – Celebrity chef, custodian of Flavortown, and bleached hair maven Guy Fieri will at long last have a restaurant of his very own in Boston. Teaming up with Boston’s Big Night Entertainment Group (BNEG), the vibrant culinary personality will open Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina in the Hub on Causeway, a new development chock full of retail, office, hotel, and residential space adjoining TD Garden.

Here. We. Go.

I don’t know when Guy Fieri became the Nickelback of celebrity chefs but at some point it became popular to dump on him and I just don’t get it. Sure he has obnoxiously bleach blonde hair and talks like a dude on his 3rd can of Monster Energy before lunch, but Guy Fieri gives zero fucks what anyone thinks about him. Gotta respect that.

Plus he seems like a genuinely good dude who is always getting love from major professional athletes, which always makes me laugh just because of how random it seems.

The No. 1 show on my hungover binge on the couch after a night of boozing power rankings will always be Bar Rescue, but Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is a close second. It’s like the Phantom Gourmet, but with ATTITUDE. Seriously though, I love watching Guy stuff his face at random hole in the wall restaurants and introduce his pallet to Flavor Town.

PS – I was up at the Smuttynose brewery in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago and saw an absolute hall of fame shirt on a couple of nerdy looking gentlemen. Their shirts simply read:

DUNGEONS &
DINERS &
DRAGONS &
DRIVE-INS &
DIVES

Need it.

Three. More. Wins. Bruins Take a 1-0 Lead in the Stanley Cup Finals

Now THAT was a fun ass game. Thats what playoff hockey is all about. Lightning quick pace, monster hits, and silky smooth mitts.

Not long into this game though I was starting to swear at myself for jinxing the Bruins by writing about how well Tuukka’s been playing just hours before puck drop. That would have been quite the cross to bare, but luckily the Bruins drank some of David Pastrnak’s iced cold brew because they were shot out of a cannon for the final 40 minutes of this game.

Torey Krug drew an audible gasp from me when he came flying in from the left side of your screen to absolutely blow up the Blues’ Rob Thomas. The hit of the year came from one of the smallest guys in the NHL and he lit Thomas up.

I already said to the Mrs. that if the Bruins win the Cup, thats the photo we’re getting framed.

Apparently he’s fine, but Chara got smoked with a puck and it looked gruesome.

I’m not sure if he’s fine or “hockey fine” but its good to see he didn’t break his wrist or anything. I guess if you’re that big you’re just naturally going to have thicker bones than your average bear.

Also shoutout to Connor Clifton for being the first QU alumni to ever score on a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals. NBD.

Going into this game the No. 1 thing I saw was that the Bruins have a historically efficient powerplay in these playoffs and the Blues are near the bottom in the penalty kill. So naturally the Blues took a bunch of dumb penalties, including David Backes getting cross checked in the mouth.

Luckily for St. Louis the Bruins looked like a team that hadn’t played in 11 days and came out sluggish before going down 2-0. After the first though the B’a were flying around and seemed to have shaken off the rust. A little too much fancy passing on the powerplay for my taste, but the B’s looked like the better team hands down. So the Blues need to so something big or completely avoid the stupid penalties if they’re going to have a shot.

The puck drops on Game 2 tonight and lucky for me I’ll be on a plane so I’ll be sure to demolish the airline on Twitter when he stream doesn’t work.

Is Tuukka Rask Actually Outplaying Bruins Legend Tim Thomas?

Tuukka Rask is playing out of his skull and the Boston Bruins are heading to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2013. The last time the Bruins played a Stanley Cup Finals game I walked out of Jerry Remys by Fenway (RIP to that bar btw) and angrily walked the 2 miles home to my Allston apartment after Tuukka gave up a last minute goal in Game 6. Now, Tuukka is playing like an absolute stud. I don’t know if he’s sworn off Buff’s wings or what, but the guy has been on a tear. I noticed in the last Bruins game, which feels like a month ago at this point, just how intensely focused Rask looked in pre-game warmups. Take it for what its worth, but he looked like a guy that had just taken 6 scoops of pre-workout and was seeing through space.

I think to properly put this Tuukka run into perspective, we should put it up against the 2010-11 Tim Thomas run, which elevated Thomas to god status (rightfully so). It might surprise you, but Tuukka has actually been better.

Tim Thomas 2010-11 Playoffs: 

  • 25 games
  • .940 save percentage
  • 1.98 GAA

Tuukka Rask 2018-19 Playoffs:

  • 17 games (and counting)
  • .942 save percentage
  • 1.84 GAA

Thats astonishing, even with how well Rask is playing these numbers still surprised me. Thomas was playing in rarified air during that 2010-11 Stanley Cup run with one of the greatest postseason performances I’ve ever seen. This isn’t baseball where David Price had 3 good starts. No, Thomas was on fire for a month. And now Tuukka is playing at an even higher level statistically. Now all of this will be forgotten by the 4th of July if the Bruins and/or Tuukka lay an egg in the Stanley Cup Finals.

I’m really pulling for the Bruins here because the last time they won I had literally just moved to New York after college. I watched the Bruins win Game 7 and raise the Stanley Cup from a bar in upstate NY by myself. Actually a pretty bizarre scene thinking back.

Would be nice to celebrate with my hockey brethren this time around. Four. More. Wins. LETS GOO

Queen Mallory Edens Just Put Drake in a Bodybag

While the rest of the internet is blogging about Aaron Rodgers’ absolute embarrassing chugging performance,

I’m more focused on Queen Mallory making power moves and demolishing Grammy winning rappers.

Mallory Edens has really blown up recently, probably due to our humble website blogging about the Queen on a regular basis, but she just jumped into the stratosphere by putting Drake in a bodybag. Sitting court side rocking the Pusha T shirt, she just put Jimmy back in a wheelchair.

For anyone who doesn’t follow internet rap beefs, Drake and Pusha T got reeeeaaaal personal last year. Pusha T legitimately outed Drake on a diss track for secretly fathering a son with a porn star. Pusha rapped about Drake’s boy, 40, probably dying soon because he has Multiple sclerosis. Yikes. KFC actually had a really thorough breakdown of the beef if you’re interested in all the deets.

So for Mallory to wear that shirt right in Drake’s face is a power move. Drizzy seems smitten by the move and to be perfectly honest its hard to blame him.

Bend the knee for the Queen and save your kingdom.

 

The Encore Casino in Everett Just Got Approval to Serve Booze Til 4 AM

WILD times we live in folks. Remember, this is Massachusetts; the state that legalized weed, yet I can’t get 2-for-1 beers at Happy Hour because someone got in an accident 30 years ago. Now I can drink in Everett til 4 am?

I’m all for it by the way, except for the fact that I work near the casino and it is most definitely going to obliterate traffic in the area and force me to quit my job. The New York City hard asses can relax with the “all our bars are open til 4 am every night kid” talk too because you ever drink til 4 am?

Sure when I was working security at a bar down in Faneuil it was the norm because we wouldn’t get off work until 2:30 anyways. So myself and Joey B invented “after bar, bar” but that was out of necessity. Nowadays I would much rather day drink and then go home when the sun goes down so I can still get my 8 hours in.

I pulled an all-nighter in Vegas when I was out there a few weeks ago and my body is still in shambles. The one place I would want to drink til 4 am though? The Taco Bell Cantina on the Vegas strip. That place is magical.

Casino opens next month. Godspeed to all my degenerate townie friends.

This Mail Lady is the Ultimate Hype Man Delivering Nothing But Good Vibes

This is why the internet was actually invented by Al Gore. Not to bitch and moan about politics or slap a filter that makes you look like a goddamn dog on your Snap. No, the internet was invented to share truly awesome little minutiae like this. Just some mail lady hyping up this high school kid while in the middle of her 9-5. I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m a miserable prick at my day job most of the time so this lady throwing out all the good vibes was awesome to see.

Patriots Sign Julian Edelman to Two Year Contract Extension

ESPN – The New England Patriots have signed star receiver Julian Edelman to a two-year contract extension that includes an $8 million signing bonus and $12 million in guaranteed money, a source told ESPN on Tuesday.

The extension through the 2021 season includes $19 million in “new” money, and gives the 32-year-old Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, a chance to finish his career where it started.

The Patriots just locked up their No. 1 wide receiver and local cult hero Julian Edelman with a two year extension, which will kick in next year and secure JE11 through 2021. This is a move the Pats kind of had to do after trying everything from drafting athletic freaks like N’Keal Harry in the 1st round for the first time in Belichick’s New England tenure to taking flyers on veterans coming off injuries like Demaryius Thomas. The Pats have been plugging the holes in their receiving core with bubblegum and duct tape so it only made sense to lock up their top receiver.

However, this contract looks to me more like a deal to reward Edelman financially more so than a longterm guarantee. Just look at how its structured: $12 million guaranteed for 2 years with an $8 million signing bonus. Granted I wouldn’t expect the Pats to cut Edelman with a year left on his deal if he’s healthy and productive, a cap hit of just $4M gives them the flexibility to do so while also rewarding their best receiver of the past decade with a nice raise.

Edelman has been on an absolute steal of a contract and was due to make just $2 Million in base salary this year with incentives that could bump that up another few hundred grand. So its well deserved. Normally handing out extensions to 32-year-old receivers with ACL surgeries on their resume isn’t the best business plan, but Edelman ain’t your average receiver. As you all remember, in the first season back from his ACL surgery Edelman caught 74 balls for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns (in 12 games) and oh ya know also won Super Bowl MVP. The only guy ahead of him in playoff receptions is Jerry Rice. Thats it.

Plus have you *seen* him recently?

Here’s to you bub, you earned it.