Blog Archives
Cleveland Rocks!
It’s unanimous: The Cleveland Cavaliers are the NBA Champions!
Favorite son LeBron James, who was forgiven for “taking his talents to South Beach” based on his personal letter rededicating himself to his hometown and the people in northeast Ohio, led the Cavaliers to Cleveland’s first professional championship since 1964 (more than half a century) by making NBA Finals history.
The Cavs beat the Golden State Warriors (regular-season record 73 wins) in game 7 in Oakland 93-89 in dramatic fashion. At 92-89, LeBron attempted to put an exclamation point on the title and went for a spectacular dunk with around ten seconds left, but was fouled by Draymond Green and fell awkwardly.
Not again…
Akron’s superstar was on the court, curled up in agonizing pain having fallen on his right wrist (shooting hand). This ending was almost “too Cleveland.” After missing his first free throw, he managed to put in his second shot to give the Cavs a four-point lead. Stephen Curry had a chance to put up a 3 with about four seconds left, but nobody fouled him and he missed anyways.
The voice of Al Michaels popped into every fan cheering for Cleveland and answered in booming fashion, “Yes, I do believe in miracles!”
LeBron James was his MVP-self (third player ever to earn triple-double in game 7 of an NBA Final), Kyrie Irving proved he’s the best point guard in the NBA, Kevin Love showed up on the boards when it mattered, Tristan Thompson was a beast down low, J.R. Smith hit clutch shots on the perimeter and Richard Jefferson was a force off the bench.
For the first time in NBA Finals history, a team trailing 3-1 came back and won the championship. That statistic alone will keep the people of Cleveland smiling for generations.
“You remember the time when…”
For so many reasons, that was the only way Cleveland should have and could have won the NBA title. With their backs against the wall, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the basketball giants in the Golden State Warriors with three-straight wins (twice in Oakland).
We all witnessed Cleveland’s hometown king raise an entire city from a place of heartbreak and lifelong struggles to renewed belief and an almost incomprehensible victory that extends far beyond sports.
The Drive.
The Shot.
The Fumble.
The Curse.
Last night, today and tomorrow, Cleveland will be known for The Win.
Congratulations to my fellow Ohioans with connections to Cleveland!
Flexing for the NFL
Will not tucking in one’s shirt become the style trend of 2016 in the business world?
Maybe in Dallas.
With the fourth pick in the NFL Draft in Chicago, Illinois, the Dallas Cowboys selected Ezekiel Elliott of The Ohio State University. Widely considered as the best running back in this year’s draft class (and one of the best overall athletes), Zeke not only showed flashes of his potential to succeed at the highest level, but he excelled in highlight reel after highlight reel for the Scarlet & Grey.
He’s a baller who will be a welcome addition by teammates, fans and Jerry Jones alike down in Dallas, Texas.
Mr. Elliott’s Buckeye pal Joey Bosa was drafted at No. 3 by the San Diego Chargers and Eli Apple was drafted at No. 10 by the New York Giants. Even as the First Round continues late into the night, the aforementioned picks collectively made for a special moment in the NFL Draft.
“…and it’s never happened before: Three players from the same school in the top ten picks of the draft. Ohio State has three of them now…”
–Chris Berman, ESPN
In the coming days, more history could be made by The Ohio State University. If “The Buckeye 14” becomes reality (14 players selected from one school), then, most importantly, smug Ohio State-hater Mark May will be receiving all kinds of fun, customized merchandise from Buckeye Nation.
Perhaps Mark May will receive another shout-out from Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer as he’s on the phone signing the future “Buckeye 15.”
Jimmy’s Daily Planet will stay tuned on the potential history for the Buckeyes in the 2016 NFL Draft.
This Iceberg Will Never Melt
This day offers an everlastingly chilly reminder to us all…
On April 14th, 1912, the RMS Titanic famously hit an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic. The initial contact did not instantly doom the ship of all ships, but did introduce one of the most infamous slow-deaths in modern memory. Just as you are about to say the names, James Cameron, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (all Oscar winners), rightly and wrongly, are immediately associated with this historic journey and tragedy.
On the one hand, we should know the names of those who perished and those who survived before recalling any thematic treatment. The RMS Titanic was a real ship and it really hit an iceberg and this mightiest of vessels slowly disappeared beneath an icy surface.
On the other hand, one can wonder if we would remember this disaster if not for Mr. Cameron’s cinematic masterpiece that captured the essence of early 20th century adventurism, innovation, optimism for a supremely bright future and the full-weight of “class structure” and how it shaped society. Would you? In a way, Titanic serves as a, yes, vehicle (driven by a powerful love story) for honoring everything that fateful trip represented as the epic ship battled waves and icy currents towards that magically opportunistic place called America.
Today, on April 14th, we should pay our respects and learn about at least one of the victims. What was their story? Why did they board the RMS Titanic bound for America? Was there a passenger who we, personally, can relate to?
This small tribute will ensure the hearts of all those brave men, women and children will go on for eternity.
Cinema’s First Steps
“Je veux vous montrer quelque chose…”
(“I want to show you something…”)
This could have been said by the Lumière brothers (Louis and Auguste), who were pioneers in motion pictures in Lyon, France. Long before IMAX, 3-D and superheroes galore, cinema was born out of, to put it in a disappointingly anticlimactic way, walking out of a factory.
That was it. No exaggeration.
Still, despite the pedestrian nature of this cleverly titled documentary, “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory” or “Exiting the Factory,” seeing the inception of cinema with the first projected film is a wonderful reminder of how far movies we enjoy today have improved and innovated through the decades. There’s a beginning to everything and, as a movie fan, the following video is quite exciting because this film underscores how the world was forever changed in ways the workers walking from their job and the Lumière brothers never could’ve imagined.
On March 22, 1895, cinema visually framed the world.
French factory workers literally opened the doors of cinema.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 