Old-school news, just in time
by Dictionary Scoop Need a few tricks up your sleeve for playing Scrabble? It’s not always the long words that will impress the other players: Sometimes it’s the surprisingly short combination of letters that none of them knew. Let’s explore some of the most obscure –yet perfectly valid– three-letter words. 1-Cwm Before …
Continue reading “Three-Letter Words For You Scrabble Nerds”
by Kevin Burton The NCAA Final Four is Saturday. Those of us with no favorite teams playing, merely hope for close games. In honor of March Madness, Merriam-Webster has looked into the origin of the idiom “barn-burner.” I have mostly heard this refer to football, but it could apply to basketball as well. …
Continue reading “A Smokin’ Hot Game Can Be A “Barn Burner””
by Kevin Burton Perhaps you noticed that all the teams in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament this year were from the Big Four conferences. That and Kansas losing in the second round has dialed my enthusiasm down very close to zero. A pox on all 16 of their houses …
by Kevin Burton My underdog heart beat just a little bit faster Wednesday, thanks to Miami of Ohio winning a play-in game. I would love the RedHawks to have a nice long run in March Madness, beginning with their 3:25 p.m. matchup with Tennessee today, but I’m happy with what they have done …
Continue reading “Miami Of Ohio Strikes A Blow For Underdogs”
by Kevin Burton My most recent place of employment was a three-story church, which had, on the third floor, a gymnasium. I almost never went up there because my work was on the other two floors. But the whole time I worked there, there was a basketball on the floor, in the office, …
Continue reading “The Last Jump Shot Of A Confirmed Gym Rat”
by Kevin Burton I was distraught, or as we say in the biz, tilted. Spoiler alert: Colby Parkinson saved me. And so, in the aftermath the end of the fantasy football season, I am contented, with three championships to show for my efforts (out of eight leagues), having played “Celebration” by Kool …
by Kevin Burton One, point, zero, four. That’s all. Late Monday I got a sixth team (out of eight) into the fantasy football playoffs by a margin of 1.04 fantasy points. But I didn’t win a game by that margin, I won a season, or at least made the playoffs, by that …
Continue reading “A Very Thin Slice Of Fantasy Victory Cake”
by Kevin Burton The beginning of week 14 of fantasy football saw me in a (rare) good mood. I love it when a plan works out! Most of the fantasy world pays scant attention to kickers. In fact, some leagues have eliminated kickers from their scoring. This must be a macho thing. Kickers …
Continue reading “Fantasy Playoffs: Happiness Is A Warm Kicker”
by Kevin Burton I was so sure it was going to happen, I had the headline written: “Bad Dogs! Cellar Dwelling Fantasy Team.” That was two weeks ago. My K&J Road Dogs, in 9th place at 2-4, were playing the last place team, which was 1-5. If The Dogs lost, the teams would …
Continue reading “Rise Of The Road Dogs, A Perseverance Tale”
by Kevin Burton The Cincinnati Reds have been included in the baseball playoffs this year as a wild card, with an 83-79 record. I used to be wild about baseball and the Reds, less so now, but I never have been wild about the wild card. Too many teams mediocre teams get into …
Continue reading “Oh For A Reds Wild Card, Retroactive To 1974”
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