Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Freakin' Sweet

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I love basketball. I love watching it. I love reading about it. And I love playing it. I still play in (depending on the time of year) one or two Men's leagues (TJ has the Championship t-shirt to prove it) and I play pickup basketball with a group of guys two to three times a week. We have a great group. Skill levels vary, but for a bunch of guys ranging from mid-20s to late 30s, its a pretty solid game. We have a pool of about 30 guys who play and generally get somewhere between 11-15 to show up for our pickup runs. Within this larger group of 30 there are a number of good former athletes. Numerous former DII and DIII basketball players. A former SEC (backup) QB, a former Texas Tech Tight End (who, by the way, has some great Danny Amendola stories), and even a few former JUCO baseball players. It's a great group of guys and we do a pretty good job of walking the fine line between competitive and friendly. This game, which is played in a local church gymnasium, is regularly one of the more enjoyable things I do each week.

One of the upsides of this game is that sometimes one of these former athletes brings a friend who's in town to play who also happens to be a recognizable athlete or former athlete. A couple years ago Mohammed Massaquoi showed up and played with our group a few times, for example.

At this point, you might be wondering why I'm telling you all of this? Well, because we've received a new (semi) regular addition to our pickup basketball group. A guy who grew up around here and, apparently, has moved back in to the area. A name you might recognize. None other than Doug Flutie. And Doug Flutie has a totally badass Trans Am.

88 comments:

Danimal said...

that's pretty cool... can he touch the net?
nice ride - is is really his?

rob said...

i love this very much.

what kind of game does flutie have? i picture him as old-man strong with a lot of quickness still left.

Danimal said...

and is is the hair real, or synthetic?

fogtb & former wren but who probably doesn't follow gtb much, or at all, used to catch a td pass or two from the flutester up in canada heh.

Mark said...

It's really his Trans Am. And it is in perfect condition. Flutie has a nice game. Still really athletic, a pass first PG with a nice mid range game. As for his hair, Dan, it looks plenty real to me.

rob said...

please tell me he's a good guy. or if he's not, just don't say anything.

Danimal said...

didn't realize the flutester was a florida fella.

ask him (in chris farley fashion) if he remembers that time against the hurricanes, when he threw that pass, the hail mary, and his wr caught it....does he remember that, that was awesome.

T.J. said...

awl

Marls said...

Sheriff Buford T Justice may want a word with Mr. Flutie.

zman said...

Full fuckin' race cams.

zman said...

The thunderchicken decal makes all the difference in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if he bought that with money from his first contract and kept it all these years.

Danimal said...

i bet he's a scrappy mo'fo on the defensive side...a little pain in the ass. amirightamirightoramiright?

rob said...

randall cunningham turns 50 today. gaaaaaah! that makes clarence realllly old.

Clarence said...

Rob is older than Clarence. But not as old as Dave.

Mark said...

Flutie grew up around here and attended the same junior high as Greg and I. He's been randomly joining our pickup game when he'd come down to visit his Mom who still lives here. But he's just moved back and has become a semi-regular addition to our group.

And yes Rob, he is a really good guy.

Mark said...

One of the best things about the Trans Am, it has an 8 track and a CB radio. Purchased for Flutie by...wait for it...Drew Brees.

rob said...

wait, so once you get rich and famous, other rich and famous people buy you expensive, cool shit? i need to speed up my plans to get rich and famous.

T.J. said...

and taller. you realllly need to speed that one up.

Danimal said...

What is the brees connection? Other than both being challenged vertically, like Rob?

Clarence said...

Is an 8-track player expensive?

rob said...

really just waiting for one of my friends to get rich and famous so i can be his fonzworth bentley. hurry the fuck up, clarence.

zman said...

Whatever. Hoopie had an 8-track in the Fratmobile.

Mark said...

Flutie and Brees played in the Chargers together early in Brees' career, Dan.

Mark said...

In...on...whatever.

rob said...

soooo, heat/bulls tonight, then?

T.J. said...

Bulls have lost 13 of their last 22 games. Heat roll.

rob said...

there's a canadian rapper called 'sj the wordburglar'. please let him be awesome.

zman said...

You know that's Snow's new moniker, right??

Danimal said...

there's a turdburglar joke in here somewhere.

T.J. said...

Quite a list of monikers among his "Affiliations":

Wordburglar is also a member of the Canada-wide crew Backburner, which also includes producers Fresh Kils, Beatmason (his primary producer), Dexter Doolittle, Uncle Fester and Timbuktu, and emcees Ghettosocks, Jesse Dangerously, Ginzu 333, Thesis, Selfhelp, Johnny Hardcore, Jay Bizzy, Rez Villain, More Or Les and Toolshed.

rob said...

he's actually not bad:

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2013/03/wordburglar/

Jerry said...

Hopefully Miami can stretch it out to Sunday in San Antonio. Game of the year potential there.

Mark said...

I'm with Jerry. I need more basketball on Sunday. I don't want to have to hang out with my family.

zman said...

Does his crew include Tubesteak?

Shlara said...

Rural Ireland legalizes drunk driving so that old people won't be isolated. Interesting strategy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/world/europe/motion-allowing-some-drinks-before-driving-draws-fire-in-ireland.html?src=recpb

Danimal said...

saw that yesterday...i think teejus retweeted it.

and i watched the last 20 min of splash last night with my wife - we both were trying to figure out what happened to joey lawrence. whoa!

zman said...

I saw Joey Lawrence at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Maui with his parents, siblings, and their spouses. He was very pissed that his table did not have an ocean view as requested but his mother calmed him down and he was decently polite to the waitstaff after that. He's short.

Danimal said...

i'da been pissed too. you had an ocean view though didn't ya z?

zman said...

I had a view of Joey's mom.

Mark said...

Hi-oh!

Dave said...

if i was in that game, i would foul the fuck out of doug flutie.

not because i have anything against him. i foul the fuck out of everyone when i play pick-up basketball.

zman said...

Does Flutie hate Wade Phillips for benching him? I kinda do.

Clarence said...

Didn't he bench him for Rob Johnson? Because that decision explains itself.

zman said...

Yes, for Rob Johnson, for the 1999 playoff game in Tennessee.

rob said...

cat brought a big-ass spider up from the basement to play with. i. do. not. like. spiders.

rob said...

4-0 win for tribe baseball squad over zman's norfolk state squad. 8 straight for the green and gold.

Mark said...

He should hate Wade Phillips, Zman. I do.

rootsminer said...

My cat's been bringing home birds the last couple days. Hope he doesn't start thinking he can take on the chickens.

T.J. said...

Bulls up 11 midway thru 2nd qtr. Heat win by 10 still.

Mr KQ said...

Hmmm, would you like to back that statement financially? Or better yet for a pint of the black stuff?

T.J. said...

Heat have to win by 10 or just win?

TR said...

Nobody sucks at allocating the cheese in their French onion soup across their entire allcation of broth more than me.

Mr KQ said...

We need The GTB in real time app because apparently things are changing.. NO BET!

T.J. said...

Ha. Lets just drink anyway.

TR said...

Any guesses on what Shaka Smart's salary is? Guessing VCU will have to pony up to keep him.

T.J. said...

I'd say 4 mil a year.

rob said...

$1.4m/year or so

T.J. said...

And yes, I realize how absurdly high that guess seems. But I bet UCLA was offering something nuts like that.

T.J. said...

Gotta be more rob.

T.J. said...

Even if that we're his base salary, other incentives push it over 2 easy.

rob said...

yes to incentives, but that's the neighborhood for his base

zman said...

His base is $1.2 according to an ESPN article I read earlier. He turned down UCLA and MInny to stay at VCU.

T.J. said...

I did read that part of the new deal demanded better meals for his players, which seems random and cool.

TR said...

If he has a lot of his rotation coming back, he's probably better off staying. UCLA and Minny could be recipes for failure.

TR said...

But if he likes handjobs from beautiful women he hardly knows, then UCLA is probably the place to be.

Name the movie reference.

T.J. said...

Crazy People.

TR said...

Chris Anderson and Ray Allen look exactly the same as they did 10 yrs ago, but are shells of their former selves.

TR said...

I knew Teen would get that. Was it google-enhanced?

T.J. said...

Kirk Hinrich leading the Bulls. Ha.

T.J. said...

Nope - isn't that a Dudley pitch sequence?

TR said...

Yes. I miss Dudley.

TR said...

Does Luol Deng have a stache?

TR said...

Is it me, or do Carlos Boozer and the DLC look a bit alike?

T.J. said...

Will the Teej jinx once again play out tonight, with Heat losing? This is why I don't gamble, folks.

T.J. said...

TR, they do.

TR said...

LeBron gets mugged going to the hoop and not one teammate steps up. Weak.

T.J. said...

That's a flagrant foul? Give me a fucking break.

T.J. said...

Um...NBA continuation absurdity right there

TR said...

And they both probably have sordid stories.

My company has a Chicago office with a very healthy admin. She is a blond-haired Russian who is in Joakim Noah's stable. I would phrase it nicer, but that's the best way to describe it. He calls her when he feels like it and she heads out with him. She is fine with it. And I would bet Joakim is as well.

TR said...

Loving Bron Bron's elbow to DLC's chest. Playing with some heart!

T.J. said...

Bulls trying to give this away

TR said...

Tom Thibedeaux is morphing into The Penguin, as played by Danny Devito.

T.J. said...

DLC Boozer with the huge play to clinch it.

TR said...

Shocking that Ray Allen could not contain Nate Robinson off the dribble.

TR said...

The irony is that the DLC is a boozer.

T.J. said...

And the streak ends. Skip to playoffs now,pls.

TR said...

Es un dia triste para El Heat.

Shlara said...

I heart Ray Allen, even if he doesn't play defense.
And, the ESPN ticker says Shaka turned down UCLA to stay at VCU.

T.J. said...

you might want to check out the new filler...