Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
15 Minutes with the Boss
Bruce Springsteen swears he's going to limit his Super Bowl halftime performance to a very un-Bruce-like 12 minutes. Although he's played short sets before, I just can't see him getting his mini-concert in under the NFL-mandated 720 seconds. I fully expect him to go off script, at least a little bit.
For all of Springsteen's anti-establishment shtick, he's always been a professional and, at least to me, always seemed more than happy to work within the parameters established by the network suits or, more recently, the Inaugural event planners above him. A rebel with a yeoman's work ethic, Springsteen is a rabble-rouser in name only: he's the kind of blue-collar worker who will help organize a union strike, but also make sure to punch out on his way to the picket line. That's just the way he's built; it's the middle-class Jersey boy in him.
Springsteen, then, will take some liberties Sunday night, but he's not about to ruin the party.
I figure he and the E Street Band will play for about 15 minutes, which should give them just enough time for three, maybe four songs. Springsteen's known for engaging the audience in between songs, so the fourth song is, in gamblers' parlance, definitely the over.
Speaking of gambling, the odds are already up for which songs Springsteen is going to play. So, in the proud WGASIG tradition of spouting off about things, I'm going to pick Springsteen's set, which, given the Boss's lengthy oeuvre, is kind of like trying to divine the penultimate paragraph of President Obama's 2012 Democratic Convention speech. But I'll give it a shot.
Opening Song: "Promised Land"
Not only has Springsteen been opening recent shows with "Promised Land," but the song's imagery, if not exactly the lyrics, fits the theme of the night. It's also guaranteed to get the place rocking because 1.) everybody knows it and 2.) it's a great freakin' song.
Second Song: "Radio Nowhere"
The opening track of "Magic," this is yet another stadium-rocker Springsteen can pull out of his hat when he wants to work the audience into a frenzy. "Is anybody alive out there?" Although far from his greatest tune, I'd be surprised if he didn't play it Sunday night. Incidentally, a friend of mine recently admitted he thought this was a Pearl Jam song. I understand his confusion.
Third Song: "My Lucky Day"
This is when Springsteen takes it down a notch—and promotes his new record at the same time! Like "Promised Land," this new song capitalizes on the night's theme, without speaking directly to it. I figure he'll either play it or producers will save it for the cheesy montage at the end of the game. ("Big man, cue the confetti!") Either way, chances are you'll hear it at some point Sunday night.
Closing Song: "Born to Run"
What? You were expecting "Born in the U.S.A."? Highly unlikely. Despite the fact that he hasn't watched a football game since Terry Bradshaw was behind center for the Steelers, Springsteen understands the significance of the event. He's not going to call up a song about Vietnam veterans struggling to survive in the great old U.S. of A on football's biggest night. The Boss is not big on irony.
He won't play "Glory Days" either. That's about washed-up high school baseball players, not concussed former football players. He'll save "Glory Days" for the next time he plays Fenway Park.
Springsteen knows how to put on a good show, which means he usually gives the people exactly what they want. "Born to Run" is that song, and he's going to play it.
For all of Springsteen's anti-establishment shtick, he's always been a professional and, at least to me, always seemed more than happy to work within the parameters established by the network suits or, more recently, the Inaugural event planners above him. A rebel with a yeoman's work ethic, Springsteen is a rabble-rouser in name only: he's the kind of blue-collar worker who will help organize a union strike, but also make sure to punch out on his way to the picket line. That's just the way he's built; it's the middle-class Jersey boy in him.
Springsteen, then, will take some liberties Sunday night, but he's not about to ruin the party.
I figure he and the E Street Band will play for about 15 minutes, which should give them just enough time for three, maybe four songs. Springsteen's known for engaging the audience in between songs, so the fourth song is, in gamblers' parlance, definitely the over.
Speaking of gambling, the odds are already up for which songs Springsteen is going to play. So, in the proud WGASIG tradition of spouting off about things, I'm going to pick Springsteen's set, which, given the Boss's lengthy oeuvre, is kind of like trying to divine the penultimate paragraph of President Obama's 2012 Democratic Convention speech. But I'll give it a shot.
Opening Song: "Promised Land"
Not only has Springsteen been opening recent shows with "Promised Land," but the song's imagery, if not exactly the lyrics, fits the theme of the night. It's also guaranteed to get the place rocking because 1.) everybody knows it and 2.) it's a great freakin' song.
Second Song: "Radio Nowhere"
The opening track of "Magic," this is yet another stadium-rocker Springsteen can pull out of his hat when he wants to work the audience into a frenzy. "Is anybody alive out there?" Although far from his greatest tune, I'd be surprised if he didn't play it Sunday night. Incidentally, a friend of mine recently admitted he thought this was a Pearl Jam song. I understand his confusion.
Third Song: "My Lucky Day"
This is when Springsteen takes it down a notch—and promotes his new record at the same time! Like "Promised Land," this new song capitalizes on the night's theme, without speaking directly to it. I figure he'll either play it or producers will save it for the cheesy montage at the end of the game. ("Big man, cue the confetti!") Either way, chances are you'll hear it at some point Sunday night.
Closing Song: "Born to Run"
What? You were expecting "Born in the U.S.A."? Highly unlikely. Despite the fact that he hasn't watched a football game since Terry Bradshaw was behind center for the Steelers, Springsteen understands the significance of the event. He's not going to call up a song about Vietnam veterans struggling to survive in the great old U.S. of A on football's biggest night. The Boss is not big on irony.
He won't play "Glory Days" either. That's about washed-up high school baseball players, not concussed former football players. He'll save "Glory Days" for the next time he plays Fenway Park.
Springsteen knows how to put on a good show, which means he usually gives the people exactly what they want. "Born to Run" is that song, and he's going to play it.
You can take it to the bank.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Best Player in the World, Blindfolded
Well, sort of. From Chris Ballard's amazing profile of LeBron James comes this startling fact about the most dominant player in the league. Until last year, LeBron couldn't see six feet in front of his own nose. Seriously.
Ballard writes:
Despite his estimable court vision, up until a year ago, James had trouble seeing certain things. Like, say, road signs.
[...] Thus during high school and his first five years in the NBA, James operated in something of a haze, which must make all the players who got torched by him feel great. Only James claims it never affected his game. "I could see everything on the court. I never had a problem with here" -- he holds his hands to the side of his head, indicating his peripheral vision -- "it was right here in front that I had the problem."
Then, a little over a year ago, James got Lasik surgery. Now, as he puts it, "it's kind of cool, because I can see stuff in the distance. I'm like, So that's what that is!
Pressed, he admits it's probably improved his on-court performance too, saying, "Well, I have gotten better."I thought LeBron, like all great players, would improve his game by refining his jump shot, or picking up his intensity on the defensive end. Both of which he's already well on his way toward accomplishing. I never thought, though, that he would get to the next level simply by addressing an easily correctable physical disadvantage. It's like he's been playing his entire career right-handed before finally realizing that he is, in fact, better with his left. Or that his vertical leap has been hindered somewhat by an undiagnosed bout of polio.
Is it really possible that the greatest player in the world is only now, in his fifth season in the league, finally operating at full capacity?
(Via TrueHoop)
Nate the Great?
Not only did Nate Robinson put up 20 4th-quarter points last night to lead the suddenly playoff-bound Knicks over the Atlanta Hawks, but little Nate also laid claim to the 10th most popular jersey in the NBA. Robinson, seen here showing, contrary to popular belief, league-sanctioned jerseys are not reversible, beat out perennial All-Stars Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Ray Allen and Carmelo Anthony, whose respective jerseys came in at numbers 11, 12, 13 and 15. Robinson's isn't the only Knickerbocker jersey cluttering up fans' closets this season. David Lee, who recorded his ninth consecutive double-double last night--his 34th DD of the season--came in with the 14th best-selling jersey in the league. Not too shabby.
Kobe, Kevin Garnett, LeBron, Chris Paul and Allen Iverson fill out the top five.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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