UpperWestside

I was on Skullcrusher a month after launch in 2004 because a friend told me to play. My character name is still on a website somewhere that has a list of all Skullcrusher Grand Marshals and High Warlords. Spent so many hours guarding stables as a NE Hunter. My cat from Winterspring was named Vince Young. The horde had an Orc that named his pet Reggie Bush. If we were destroying them in a group we’d just target Reggie first before killing him just because. Fun times.

If you were just casually looking at how Putin operates you might think killing an opponent is localized just to his regime and that perhaps the nation as a whole deserves better. After laughing about thinking that you look at Russian history as a whole and realize this is how it has been for them for centuries. This is how they have ALWAYS existed. Again this is nothing more than a 3rd World country with a nuclear arsenal. They are a completely backwards and morally bankrupt country that has gone from one despot to another for most of its history. They are the Denny Green meme running into perpetuity. Outside of a full scale takeover of this country by the west they are never going to come out of their own self-imposed idiocy. In short Russia has the dictator it deserves. None of us posting here will ever live long enough to see Russia modernize itself. Putin will one day die and be replaced by the next Tin Pot dictator. Same as it always was.

Did not see her out there. Had she been there I doubt many of the guys would’ve been paying much attention to him and Rune practicing together. 😂 Zverev, in person, looks like he was a skater and surfer in another life. I would have mistaken him for such if he wasn’t 6’6”. Rune was built like a DB (The quads he has seemed to be twice the size of Zverev) and wound as tightly as Muschamp on the sideline. It was just cool to watch them do their thing as it was to see the women out there as well. I stayed for about ten minutes of Clisters and Wozniacki having their Battle of the Moms match at Armstrong. Kim moved fairly well still for carrying what looked like an extra 30-40 over her pro weight. She’d murder me if I was out there, but not so much with Caroline who is competing again.

I think the biggest accomplishment already made of anyone in this tournament is of South Sudan qualifying. That Royal Ivey is their head coach makes the story even better. They are the youngest country in the world and anyone who has followed South Sudan and their battle to be a nation has to be pulling for them. They have had so much bloodshed there so to me this is a nice respite from everything they have gone through. Luol Deng is the head of the South Sudan Basketball Federation (He could probably personally fund the entire national team with the contract Mitch Kupchak gave him) and the Bright Stars became the first African country to qualify for the World Cup on their first try. If they beat Puerto Rico in their first game I think they can get 2nd in the group.

Watching Rune up close is really cool. Zverev is obviously elite as well (practicing together right now), but you can just see a difference between them. That Rune is also just 20 is fairly amazing. Even in practice he carries himself like a guy who has a great chance to win the whole thing. This sport is in great hands with the young men and women now taking over.

I believe that was Wozniacki.

Oh man the weather is just absolutely perfect, especially when I think of how hot it is elsewhere around the country. It’s cool watching the pros do their thing. Last year I went to see Alcaraz in one of his 5 set marathons in the round of 16. It is an altogether different experience seeing him in person versus on tv. At some point I should probably change my name to something to show East Harlem some love since it is where I live. Just spend a bunch of time on the UWS with friends and whatnot.

Kinda fun sitting out here watching some of the seeded women and men practice. I watched Zverev for about 30 minutes and watching Rublev now. Going to try to stay and see Rune for a bit and then go watch some of the qualifying matches going on right behind me. I don’t have to work until Thursday out here, but even then I am going to stay after I’m done to watch as many of the men and women play as I can. The weather is great and man this is an awesome time of the year to be here.

Can you really trust what a fan of the Minnesota Vikings thinks? 😉 I’m a subscriber to Defector (read him for years on Deadspin before that) so of course I love reading Magary. His WYTS (Why Your Team Sucks) articles every August are a must read.

Thank you and the sentiment is the same towards you, especially with what you are dealing with in your family right now. That still saddens me and I think about you, your sister, brother-in-law and nephew. I hope I cross paths with all of you again. I think you set a great example though in how you help to continually educate others about alcoholism and the dead end path it leads down. I wish you had an even bigger microphone to spread your message of hope. All you can do is all you can do and I enjoy reading your posts about you meeting people in AA meetings around the country. We have one very short existence and I’m thankful there are people like you (and many others in this thread) who want to show those that are at rock bottom with the bottle that there is a better way to enjoy life.

Oh my gosh you mentioned WoW. I played that game like it was a job for a long time. Good memories and whatnot, but man it was addictive. Service industry jobs can teach better communication skills. We sorely need that as a worldwide society. Staring at phones all day in public has killed communication. I think your example is a good one. You did something that helped someone else out. I think that’s great. I have to say that I probably would have laughed if someone had confronted you and you went full Deebo on them.

It’s just not funny. Saying that word or posting memes with it is just outdated. It says something about who you are that is not real flattering, but if you’re cool with it then be who you are.

I can take being corrected on my where the money is comment. I think it’s important to be able to say you do not necessarily understand something fully. I’m not a lifelong gambler so my knowledge will be limited on the ins and outs of that. Where I do not care and have not changed my stance is that these betting odds are meaningless and that it is absolutely something I would read from noted “Basketball-knower” Bill Simmons. (Obvious sarcasm. I would listen to Screamin’ A explain the game before him.) I go by what I see and how the international game is different. This is not 1992 anymore. We will never be that dominant in this sport ever again and that’s good for the growth of the game worldwide. There are four teams that can all say they can legitimately win the title this year. That, to me, makes it wide open and fun. No one is intimidated by seeing the USA jersey. The Aussies have poured a ton of resources into their national team program and they are bearing those fruits now. That is awesome to see. I hope it gets to a point in my lifetime where there are 10-12 countries at every World Cup that are good enough to win it. I would love to see several African countries get their act together and start putting the finances into the game to grow it across the continent.

Please get the help you need. I mentioned before I steer clear of things or people that I cannot or have no desire to handle or interact with due to their inherent negativity and overall toxicity they exhibit. Someone can deal with you and how you choose to lash out, but that is not me. I am not equipped to deal with this amount of negativity and narcissism. Life is a gift and it is not worth losing even 15 minutes worth of a day responding to things of this nature when there is so much good happening around here as well as most of what is presented in the areas I enjoy reading here. Good luck to you.

Last year I decided that I would take my birthday and use it to celebrate other folks I worked with. I decided to cook them some chicken fajitas and I made it was salsa I made as well. I am not real big on celebrating my birthday so I felt a better use of the day would be to let others know how much they are appreciated. I still had someone bring me a small gift (It was some gummy snacks that were pretty good.) and I thought it was cool.

Rise? No. Nothing here gets a rise out of me. You just aren’t going to get to use that word without it being mentioned. I just wanted to document you acting like a petulant child. Put the bottle down and log off. Your behavior is embarrassing.

You are a sad and vitriol-filled person who needs time away from people because you have zero ability to function like a normal person. Profanity-filled insults that you somehow believe have any effect in making a point other than you having lost control? You are easily the most negative poster on this site. I ignore most of your posts and this interaction is why. Please go find another outlet to spread your negativity other than here.

Just going to put this screenshot here since this was the other person who used the R word that led to this thread. This is from another basketball thread today where I disagree with betting odds showing who the favorite in the FIBA men’s tournament. Ztejas really showed what a man he is.

And there we have it. Can’t help, but use the R word because you have the emotional maturity of a child, especially when you are drinking. What a sad existence your life is. Get help from someone that can deal with your extreme toxicity.

Again there is no favorite in this competition and citing betting odds is, again, a very not good way to make a point. There are four teams with legitimate aspirations to win it right now with France, Spain, the US and Australia. I’d put more stock in Spain if Rubio was not taking a well deserved break from national team duty. If Canada had Murray they would be a 5th team with legitimate reasons to think they could win. This is what makes this tournament fun. The US has no stranglehold on this tournament and a young team like this one is going to have to grow up fast or teams with veterans of the international game and its nuances will beat them. The two best things this team has is coaching and a roster that plays hard and together. Having the best travel schedule of anyone there will be helpful as well.

DP

Betting lines do not matter in the least. They are only an indication of where the money is at. This almost sounds like a take Bill Simmons would have.

This is going to be a fun tournament to watch. I wish all the stars were able to participate, but we are going to get to see some new names on the world stage. Giddey, Franz Wagner, Markkanen, Ant Edwards and many, many others. I think that there is no clear cut favorite this time around which will make it fun and hopefully help continue to grow the game worldwide. Having a larger field of teams is a very good thing in my opinion.

This is not from a society wide perspective, but only my own experiences. One of the best ways to understand society around you, as well as making a positive contribution to it, is to be engaged with people. One of the things I feel is important is that everyone should at some point in their existence is to work in a service industry job. Learn to communicate with your fellow humans. Learn how to be compassionate and care for others. While self-care is extremely important so is how you relate and show care and compassion to the world outside of your bubble. I can also say that this does not come natural to me. Being able to be around people for hours at a time takes a mental toll on me that causes me to just go home and say and do nothing. The wear on an autistic mind from constant people interactions is a lot for me at times and is way more mentally draining than it is for a neurotypical person, but I do it. I am content to just hangout with my two dogs after a long day. However, when I am around people I make the effort to now communicate even when I am not working. Just simple interactions and conversations that will remind you that you are just one of several billion people on the road of life. Last week I helped a woman carry luggage up the subway stairs. I could have hurried up and left her to do it on her own. Taking the time to help this elderly woman made for a pleasant interaction between us and made both our days better. I talked a few minutes after to a guy while I was waiting for some fresh coffee at a bodega on my way to church. We talked about his car being side-swiped a couple of hours before by a likely drunk driver (Hit three total parked cars). I said that perhaps he should be thankful this happened because what if he had gotten in his car and something else had happened while he was driving. His car was damaged, but he was okay. That perspective helped him feel better about what transpired. Have those conversations with people. The smallest of interactions can be the most beneficial thing you do in someone else’s day. Make doing this everyday be a permanent part of who you are. You’ll be doing your small part to be kind.

Working in restaurants means I come across many folks who drink, drink and drink some more. I haven’t had a drink in more than three and a half years now. When I figured out my susceptibility to liquor and why I drank it made sense to me why it happened. Sorting out having autism and how I could put being neurodivergent to better use than drinking put me down a path I thoroughly enjoy. I did not drink my entire adult life, but it was enough of it to realize nothing good would come of continuing to drink. When I put it down in January of 2020 I just walked away and never had a desire to drink again. That isn’t how it works for everyone when they stop and I realize that. It can be hell for people to leave it behind. I listen to folks I work with talk about how they drink and use different drugs and go out all night etc. I never, ever talk down to them or try to tell a bunch of stories. I just listen and tell them they are capable of doing better with their life and to value who they are. Just treating g a flawed human being with care is how we should be treating one another because we are all flawed. Being kind and positive to folks who do not yet fully understand what drinking can do them is how I feel most comfortable in approaching it.