Cup of Coffee

May 23, 2018: Much-Needed Win

31 Comments

Last night I cracked open the first of my latest batch, a chocolate peanut butter porter. It's comfortably the best beer I've ever made, and on the heels of two sizable failures. On the heels of these setbacks, this beer tastes even better.

31 thoughts on “May 23, 2018: Much-Needed Win”

  1. Heh. Chris Carter picked up by the Twins for a bag of balls. Didn't Buddy Ryan say something like "all he does is hit home runs?"

    I am guessing this is a depth/insurance move.

  2. So, NBA playoffs. It didn't seem possible a few days ago, but both series are tied 2-2. LeBron hulk-smashed his way to a tough game 4 win and Houston clamped down in the fourth quarter while Curry crapped the bed in his f***ing house.

    Boston looked like world beaters in the first two games of this series, but LeBron and Co. got a lot from the Co. in game three, sinking 17 threes in a blowout win. Game 4 was not a repeat of game three, as the 3 pointers weren't falling, but the Best Player of All Time bulled his way to the basket over and over and dragged his squad across the line. This series is close and Game 5 tonight will be quite important (thanks, Captain Obvious). In the first game of this series, LeBron tried to get his teammates involved, but they spit the bit. In the second game, he went out fast and little left in the tank in the fourth. If the and Co. aren't hitting, I expect LeBron to play like he did in game 4. No matter if the shots fall, CLE needs Tristan Thompson to play like he did in the last two game. Boston's young star Jason Tatum was pretty quiet in Cleveland, but I expect him to play better at home. Boston is undefeated at home in the playoffs (only one win on the road), but if there's a player in the world who can win in Boston, it is LeBron James, who has more playoff victories against Boston in the playoffs (23) than anyone, ever. I think Cleveland is the favorite in this series, but not by much.

    After the third quarter of game 3, I was thinking GOSO. Curry went off and stood on the court while the game was still going on and mugged for the crowd, yelling "This is my F***ING HOUSE." (Houston had the ball, and Curry doesn't play much D, so it didn't really matter.) It was hard to argue, because he was making literally everything (7-7 in the quarter, including a couple of ridiculous threes). GSW had a chance last night to build an insurmountable* 3-1 series lead, and through three, the script was similar. Harden, after entering the witness protection program during game 3 had a solid first half, but in the third, GSW stepped on the gas, erasing a seven point Houston lead and blowing out to a 10 point lead at the quarter. Curry again was strong, and he engaged in what was a little pre-mature shimmying. GSW scored the first bucket of the fourth and it was a 12 point lead. Houston looked to be dead. But, somehow, they summoned some resolve. Harden wasn't scoring much, having again gone into hiding, but the Rockets still went on a 19-4 run. Defense was the key and Durant and Curry went ice cold and took some very questionable shots when the game was on the line. Draymond Green was gassed, having played 45 minutes, but he was still probably their best player out there in the fourth. It tightened up down the stretch, but Houston held on and claimed their first playoff win at GSW's gym, ever.

    Houston has a chance in this series. It would still be a monumental upset and an epic fail on GSW's part, but it doesn't seem impossible, like it did with about 11:00 left in the fourth quarter last night. Houston was tough and gritty. No shimmies. Just a win.

    *Cleveland overcame a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals to wrest the title from GSW.

      1. In terms of sheer drama, I think that is the most exciting series I've ever seen. The individual games may not have all been great (Game 7 excepted), but the way the series unfolded and the payoff at the end made it the most entertaining cash grab in NBA history. LeBron got the signature play of his career to save the damned series and Kyrie hit the game winner to allow LBJ haters some wiggle room. Plus Kevin Love, defensive stopper.

        And the entire city of Cleveland just melted down.

    2. I always enjoy your NBA recaps.

      Both teams looked pretty bad in the final minutes last night, like you I was shocked to see the Rockets fight their way back into the game (and series).

      It is nice being an older and more mature fan during LeBron's reign as the best basketball player on the planet, much nicer being able to sit back and enjoy the ride. I grew up a Pacers fan and absolutely hated Michael Jordan, couldn't stand him or appreciate his greatness.

      1. I agree that both teams looked pretty bad during final minutes. But Houston also played some tough D on that last shot attempt. GSW had no breathing room to attempt a shot.

        1. Yea, Houston played relatively good, aggressive defense most of the game (3rd quarter excepted). But GSW had a lot of unforced errors.

          In the 4th, GSW shot an atrocious 3 for 18, including 0 for 6 from beyond the 3pt line, and committed 4 turnovers. Curry was 1-7 with 2 turnovers. Of course, in the 3rd, he was 6 for 10 (5-8 on threes). For the game he was +10 on Plus/Minus (Harden was -5). Despite his 4th-quarter shooting woes, he didn't really kill them. Rather, the problems were with Shaun Livingston (2-5 from the floor, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, and a -15 +/- in only 15 minutes) and Swaggy P (1-3, a turnover and -14 +/- in 12:30).

          If GS hadn't played like crap in the 2nd quarter, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. GS was 7-25 (1-6 on threes) with 4 turnovers (all unforced errors, IIRC) in the quarter.

          Stick just kills me with his disdain for GS, Steph, and the display of emotion on the court. Good thing those Clevelanders never show emotion. 🙂

          1. I will add that, like Algonad below, there is no way that a Houston win in this series should be considered a "monumental upset," given that they are a deserving #1 seed. A small upset.

            But, as a GSW fan, I'm very concerned, because they've ceded back home court advantage. Houston is gonna be very tough to beat now.

          2. Here's the thing: the last time you had nothing to quibble over. I took that as some sort of personal insult and adjusted accordingly.

  3. The jalapeno's baseball team went into last night's game 3-0, and they faced a team that was 4-0. This was also the first game of the season in which the jalapeno knew most of the players on the opposing team. I had a talk with the him beforehand about how one of the two teams was going to have their first loss of the season and how even the very best baseball teams lose fairly often. I said that if his team won, I expected him to not gloat and if the other team one, he needed to say "good game" and mean it.

    The outcome of the game SelectShow

  4. Hungry Joe -- I'm going to a Sox-Royals game at The Rate on July 14. Using the kid's sweet corporate tix behind the Plate. It's 7 weeks away but let me know if you can show up.

  6. I have a legal question I'm hoping some qualified citizen can answer regarding our recent mortgage refinance. The new lender in this scenario got a payoff quote from the previous lender. That's the quote that went into the closing documents. However, it turns out that the quote was off by about $1,200. To make up the difference, the previous lender took it out of the escrow account and shorted us the difference on our escrow refund. This left us a little miffed, and $1,200 shorter than we can afford to be at the moment. When we spoke to the new lender, they told us it's most likely that someone with the previous lender made a mistake and was trying to cover their butt. So, is this common practice in the industry? Am I getting upset over a shady accounting practice that's legal if not exactly ethical? And finally, is that money gone for good or do I have any form of recourse for getting some or all of it back?

    2. The payoff is the payoff. You won’t get any relief there (not saying you are asking to do so). So the question who’s hide does the error come from. Right now it’s all you. Like Runner said, you can back out within 3 days. You can us that threat to get some relief. I’m sure there are a number of fees, points, closing costs, etc larded on to the refi. The offending bank could take a haircut on some of those fees. The new bank could help because they don’t want to lose new loan.

    3. That's pretty much what I expected. Unfortunately, the error didn't surface until a week after the payoff when we received the smaller than expected escrow refund.

  7. Beautiful evening for a ballgame. While not exactly lights out, Goph's starter took a no hitter into the 4th...but the first Spartan hit was a 2-run double. Gophs just come back and tie it 2-2 in the bottom half

  8. Fellow WGOMers, in 2.5 weeks, I'll be riding the MS 150 for the seventh consecutive year as I'm doing a crash program of getting in shape after the late winter and my bad ankle sprain led my quads to atrophy. Anyway, you all have been very kind, generous, and supportive in the past, so if anyone is willing to make a donation to fund MS research, the link is here. During the past seven years, we've watched several new, more effective MS medications come on the market (one of which Sheenie will go back to using once the Youngin switches to formula and solid foods in a few months). These donations are definitely making a difference and every year the science gets incrementally closer to a cure.

    Also, if anyone else wants to ride at the last minute, you're barely behind me in training, so give it a shot. It's a nice, easy, flat, well-supported ride. Thanks in advance!

    2. I'm doing a crash program of getting in shape
      Good luck. Check out the Sacred Heart Memorial Cabbage Soup Diet recipe. It's one of my kickstarters.

  9. Sounds like there's a good chance that Sano will be activated on Friday. He will certainly be an upgrade over Adrianza's bat. I'm guessing one of Jake Cave or Ryan Lamarre will be sent down.

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