Friday Faves 4/24: The Last Dance, Fiona Apple, Dutch Baby, Tacos, and the Flying Coach Podcast
Best Activity
9:00pm on Sunday for the next four weeks is booked. Why? I’ll be watching “The Last Dance”, ESPN's documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The first two episodes aired last Sunday night, each episode is one hour long and it was a wonderful appetizer for what’s to come. The pessimists might say that “The Last Dance” didn’t shed new light on anything. I’d agree, it reminded me of things I already knew and gave a few small interesting snippets of new information, while tapping into that 1990s nostalgia: sneakers, music, sports. Nike even did a special drop of a pair of Jordans during the airing of the documentary. They sold out. Guess those stimulus checks are being used….
I’m most excited for more behind the scenes footage from the 1998 season. The Bulls granted the NBA complete access to the team for that entire season. It was locked away in a vault and had reached Bigfoot mythical levels. It was only seen by a few, and were those people really telling the truth? There wasn’t much of the hidden footage it in the first two hours. I’ve read that the footage is used more and more during the documentary.
The buzz I felt when the show started was akin to the feeling I have at a game, a big game. The anticipation and excitement were playoff levels, maybe it’s because I’ve been cooped up inside for 5+ weeks and I’m losing my mind or maybe the documentary is just really that good.
Tune in to ESPN on Sunday night at 9pm EST and if you missed last week’s, I recommend tracking it down. Live internationally (or have a VPN…)? It should be there, too.
Best Watch
Las Vegas Mayor with Anderson Cooper: This is an incredible, scary, sad, riveting, confusing 25 minutes of TV.
#BlackAF: A new Netflix sitcom that has a Cosby Show meets Curb Your Enthusiasm vibe to it, but with way cooler sneakers… The writer of the show, Kenya Barris, plays himself and stars as the father of six kids. The premise of the show is that his daughter is making a documentary for her NYU college application. Barris a sad sack dad; he’s always grumpy and has very little time for everyone’s nonsense. Barris wrote Black-ish, and it seems like this new show has received mixed reviews over the last week; I never watched Black-ish, but a big critique of #BlackAF is that it’s derivative (except with swears and stuff…). I think the show is funny, the episodes typically have a bit of a heavy topic baked into it. Barris has signed a $100 million deal with Netflix, so we’ll see what else he has in store and if #BlackAF is signed for a second season.
Best Read
Roy Keane - The Second Half: I grew up idolizing Roy Keane, the captain of both the Irish national team and the Manchester United teams of the 1990s and 2000s. I tried my best to wear his number when I played and played the same position as he did. He was tough and a great leader. This is his second autobiography, written with Irish novelist Roddy Doyle. The timeline covers Keane’s sudden exit from Manchester United, his retirement, and the beginning of his managerial career at Sunderland, Ipswich Town, and the Irish national team. Keane is open and honest, at least he seems to be. It’s a quick read, thanks to Doyle’s fantastic writing style, and Keane shares some interesting stories (i.e. Doubting his club’s ability to perform on the pitch because their pump-up song in the locker room was Abba’s “Dancing Queen.”)
Best Listen
Flying Coach Podcast: Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr have a podcast! It’s a good listen, and the most recent episode covers how they both manage the drafting and scouting process. And Carroll spoke about the prep for the virtual NFL Draft (which started last night).
Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple: This is a whacky album, what else would you expect from Fiona Apple? Her first album since 2012 earned a “10” from Pitchfork (a freaking 10) and this opening blurb…
Fiona Apple’s fifth record is unbound, a wild symphony of the everyday, an unyielding masterpiece. No music has ever sounded quite like it.
Best Eat
Tiff’s Brownies: Just more motivation to run nearly every day…
Dutch Baby: On Sunday morning I opened up the NYTimes cooking app in search of a pancake recipe. Staring me in the face was something called a Dutch Baby. I had never heard of it before and thought it looked delightful. It was very simple: flour, milk, sugar, and nutmeg. Here’s the recipe…
Chickpea Tinga Tacos: This was a Hello Fresh recipe. Poblano peppers, chickpeas, and a southwestern spice in a skillet, topped with pickled shallots and tomato salsa on a flour tortilla. A really good and simple recipe.
Best Drink
Angelica by Lord Hobo: Lord Hobo never fails to impress, and the Angelica is no different. The can stands out because it’s white and gold, different from every other can they have, which is black. Angelica is described as a “Hazy IPA” and at 5.5% ABV, it’s a great quarantine beer that won’t make you wondering what day it is when you wake up the next morning…
Best Plugs:
The Imperfect Game: There were too many heroes to only choose one for this podcast, so Both built a team of Everton Avengers, led by 1980s manager Howard Kendall BUT not 1930s superstar Dixie Dean. Howard Kendall lead Everton to numerous trophies, including the Cup Winners Cup and the greatest night in Goodison Park history when they defeated Bayern Munich in the semi-final.
On the flip side, Martin Atkinson, a referee not afraid to flash a card, draws a lot of ire from Everton fans for an incredible amount of bad calls and indiscretions. His name came up a lot in Sean's search for an Everton villain. However, when an 18 year-old generational talent asks for a transfer and then enjoys incredible success at Manchester United, only to return when his tank was empty at age 32 and then leave a second time for D.C. United, you have to make him the club's villain. Wayne Rooney grew up an Everton fan, signed with them at age 9, scored boatloads of goals in the junior ranks, and then left just as Everton were coming on hard times.
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