Tretakoff Musings

I just have to say, Bill Simmons' Grantland has matured and blossomed: it has become a staple for me for funny, insightful sports and culture related reading. If you are a fan of good writing and sports, there is frankly nothing better out there. Some examples, just from today: The staff of Grantland published a recap of the emails exchanged between the staff during yesterday's NFL Championship games.  "The move to hire multiple ex-Oz cast members to shill for insurance companies fascinates me. We're one step away from Simon Adebisi holding a machete to somebody's neck until they tearfully agree to switch their renter's insurance."  "I'll be shocked if Gronkowski doesn't have a sizable role in the Expendables sequel."  "How severe a neck injury would Peyton Manning have to suffer to keep him out of commercials? I think it'd take a full decapitation, and even then he'd probably still get in some New Era ads." ...

With this weekend's NFL title games, it seems the subtext is the spectre of the rematch between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Bill Simmons sums it up best with his column today : Q: Since you never answer my long thought-out mailbag questions, I'm going to ask you a simple one. What you and your dad gonna do when Patriots vs Giants II runs wild on you? Could a new Level of Losing be created? — Pat Frappier, Ottawa SG: Why do people keep sending me (or any other Patriots fan) this e-mail? Here's a newsflash: If the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl, we ALL want the Giants. Don't you realize that would be the best possible way to extinguish every awful memory from Super Bowl 42? And that we'd have a chance to do it in Indianapolis, the scene of the other Super Bowl that got away, when the Pats blew a 20-point lead to the 2006 Colts and gakked a third-and-3 that could have ended the game (and led to a trouncing over Rex G...

I'm sitting in a crappy Long Island hotel, nearly 2am, with the dual effects of steamy summer fog clinging to me as only the East Coast has to offer, trying to catch up on work. Yes, this is the joy of business travel. But, although nearly every factor should leave me aggravated, tired, and cranky, I'm suspiciously happy. Why? Two words: Dunkin' Donuts. Yep, I'm back among the land of the worst coffee and exceptional pastries. The world where a lahge regulah means something, and a chocolate donut is not a dry cakey pastry, but a wonder to be slowly, orgasmically consumed. I'm not alone; seems there is an entire sub-culture of DD fans out there, and most, like me, were raised in Boston. Having been a San Francisco resident for over a decade, I do not miss much about the other Bay State, but Dunkin' Donuts is still a major loss (there's not a single one in Northern CA). By the way, two Boston area icons helped me realize this tonight. First, the link above co...