USA Basketball Clowns Tunisia

"Please, Mr. James, My Family's Watching"

With 3:37 left in the first half of today's Olympic game between the United States and Tunisia, Tunisia's Marouane Kechrid made a three-pointer that cut the USA's lead to 35-30. Then the USA went on a 75-33 run to close out the game, and the final score was 110-63.

The USA didn't cover its 54-point spread, but it did have the amazing photo pictured above. Let's break it down.

Mohamed Hdidane (No. 9, on the far left) somehow is the only one back to guard against Lebron James. He's clearly done his homework, because everyone knows the way to stop a James dunk is to put your forearm on his chest. He's ticklish there.

At this point in the game (before the ball goes through the hoop), the USA is up 31-23. James probably thought that dunking on one of the Tunisian players would break their spirits with a 10-point lead. It actually didn't, as outlined above, but James is clearly going for a statement dunk. It's written all over his face.

My favorite part of this picture are the three Tunisian players in the background. All have stopped running and at this point are just watching. One of them could be saying a prayer for poor Hdidane. I know I would.

Credit to ESPN's SportsNation for the photo.

Rob Johnson's First Multiple RBI Game of 2012

Here's a stat that any Mets fan (or coach) should pay attention to: since being recalled July 25, when Rob Johnson plays in a game and bats in a run, the Mets are 2-0. In games he doesn't play: 1-2. In games before they recalled the Butte Central Grad and since the all-star break: 1-11. The Mets need Rob Johnson.

Yesterday Johnson went 1-3 with two RBI - one an infield single and the other a fielder's choice. That second RBI came in the 10th inning and proved huge. It put the Mets up 8-6, and the final score was 8-7.

He's just 1-6 at the plate in two games since coming back, but has driven in three runners, and caught Mets super-prospect Matt Harvey last week.

Harvey will make his second career start tonight, but it's likely that Josh Thole will do the catching in San Francisco.

Bob Green's Recruiting Pitch to Ted Dawson

This is one of those things that goes in that mythical Favorite Thing Ever category. Today Bob Green and I talked about how college football coaches recruit, and I thought it'd be great to see Bob's best pitch to make Ted Dawson an Oredigger.

I can't see how Ted could say no, although he may not be eligible unless he improves his grades. But hey, Bob Green believes in him, so I do too.

Alumni Colosseum and Legion Baseball

Tearing up the dirt infield

There is some confusion out there as to what is being done at Alumni Colosseum and how it affects the Butte Miners American Legion Baseball team that plays there.

First, some background: The State of Montana owns Alumni Colosseum because Montana owns Montana Tech. Legion Ball was leasing the land and the building to play their games. Montana Tech hasn't played baseball in decades.

The baseball field and the football field use the same grass in the outfield, but Montana Tech has had their eye on upgrading to synthetic field turf for years. This past August, Montana Tech Athletic Director Joe McClafferty sat down with the heads of the Legion program and told them that in either 2012 or 2013, they would install the turf, and Legion would have to leave.

At the end of March, Tech didn't have all of the funds that it needed to complete the project, but they were more than halfway there. They informed the Miners that construction will start in 2013, so 2012 would be the last year Legion could play at Alumni Colosseum.

The reason Legion baseball has to go is because Tech isn't installing field turf on anything but the football field. In effect, left field and center field will be field turf, and right field and the infield would be grass. This isn't acceptable for baseball.

The Miners will play at Copper Mountain Park for the next few years. They hope to call the Babe Ruth fields behind the Civic Center home before too long, but they sit on a Superfund site, and until it's cleaned up they can't construct anything there.

For now, the Miners and Montana Tech are working to get any reusable pieces of the baseball stadium out of Alumni. The dirt, signs, external clubhouse, external concession stand, and batting cages will all go with the Miners.

The grandstands will stay where they are for now. Montana Tech is looking to add new dormitories in the next few years, and the grandstands sit on the preferred spot for a new dorm building. The structure is so old that it could just be knocked down.

In addition to a more reliable and weather-proof football field, installing field turf gives Butte a legitimate venue for outdoor concerts, as well as a place for Montana Tech's intramural teams to play without having to worry about the quality of the field for its varsity sports.

The Miners' transition to Copper Mountain will be tough. There are no stadium lights at that facility, which means that home night games could be scarce. The team is raising money to build a new facility once the Superfund issue is resolved behind the Civic Center, but it's unclear when that will happen.

Kim Jung Il's Ghost May Be a Personal Trainer

Yahoo has a great story about North Korea's Om Yun Chol, a 123-pound man who clean-and-jerked three times his body weight at the Olympics. When asked how he did it, he said this:

"How can any man possibly lift 168kg? I believe the great Kim Jong Il looked over me."

A few things:

• Did Kim Jung Il ever look over any adults when he was alive? That may have been difficult.
• Did Kim Jung Il ever go to a gym? North Korea's former Fearless Leader was never in danger of qualifying for the Olympics himself. I'm guessing he was a pudgy 4'10" 180lbs.
• If Kim Jung Il's ghost is a personal trainer, what are his motivation tactics?
• How much does he charge per hour? If he's a ghost, he has no need for money, but he is a celebrity.

These are all questions that I'll investigate if I ever meet Om Yun Chol. How much would you pay the ghost of Kim Jung Il to spot you while you bench pressed?

Our Wet Live Show

It was raining pretty hard Friday night when we taped our live show, but kudos to everyone involved for trucking through it.

Well said, gentlemen.

Jamie Leary and Shannon Davis' Knievel Days story (after the jump) where they went around town and got into as many shenanigans as possible is my highlight of the show.

Jamie Leary Shannon Davis and Dennis Carlson in Balloons on Water

If you make it to Evel Days and don't hit up the Big Ball Entertainment attraction, you're missing out.

They put you inside a bubble balloon, blow it up, and then let you try to figure out how hamsters make those wheels look so easy.

Shannon Davis, Jamie Leary, and Dennis Carlson couldn't come up with an answer.

When you have your bearings, or when the attendants are done watching you fall into the water, there's a race, which Shannon dominated. I've never seen possum played better in my life. She was halfway to the finish line by the time Jamie and Dennis stood up from their first fall.

I hope you also saw their Knievel Days story, if you didn't you can watch it on our facebook.

Filming credit to Jonathan Kershaw.

Matt Beringer's Backyard

I'm pretty sure you're jealous of Matt Beringer's house. Look:

He built all of that using some scraps and some of it was donated. Did you see the part where he rode inside his house? That's ridiculous. My mom always said I couldn't do that. All she had to do was build some ramps and I would've been fine.

Beringer's house is so legendary that he has his own toy.

The toy is literally called "Matt Beringer's Backyard." Hopefully his patent doesn't include blog post titles.

It's one of those old-fashioned finger bikes. It was on sale at WalMart and Target but he says it's rare to actually find one. There are some going on eBay for around $30. Does your backyard have a toy named after it? I didn't think so.

He's performing at Evel Days with the 50/50 BMX crew. He may not make the highest jumps anymore at age 35, but he's a pro. And his website has a lot of cool videos and pictures on it. If you're in uptown, check the 50/50 guys out at Wyoming and Broadway.

Rob Johnson back with the New York Mets

The Mets have recalled Butte Central grad Rob Johnson, a pitcher catcher, from AAA Buffalo. This is Rob's second big-league stint this year. Last time up he was filling in as backup catcher after Josh Thole went on the 7-day disabled list for a concussion.

Johnson was very effective at the plate, hitting .313 and driving in a run in 11 games, but we all know what we secretly want more of:

The Time Ted Dawson Danced with Shannon Davis

As we gear up for another KXLF Live Show from Evel Days here in Butte, let's reflect on one of the most interesting moments in my brief time here: the time Ted Dawson and Shannon Davis started dancing at the end of the folk festival show.

There are a few amazing details about this. The first is that Ted managed to get through the entire two-minute segment while dancing. That's a lot of cardio for him. The second is that Ted initially offered to dance with Jamie, who (wisely) declined. And if you watch her face when Ted and Shannon start dancing, you'll see just how happy she is with her decision.

But Shannon is a natural, and has years of dancing lessons under her belt. Jamie likes to joke that Shannon bases her sense of direction by where the nearest dance studio is. She played along and it was great TV. And, naturally, I held onto the video. For as often as I seem to wind up in the Monday Flush, I couldn't let this one go without giving it some extra attention.

Look forward to our live show from Evel Days on Friday at 5:30. Sadly, Ted will be starting his summer vacation and won't be there to dance with anyone. There's always next year.

Any Knicks Fans Out There?

Here you go:

Parent Trap at Montana Western

Tim and Scott Mundaniohl are twins from Boulder High School, born 57 seconds apart. Both football players since elementary school, one a wide receiver, Tim, the other a defensive back, Scott. Both will go to the University of Montana Western to play football this year. Except they're switching positions.

Both players have reps on each side of the field, offense and defense. When Western Coach Ryan Nourse recruited the Mundaniohl brothers, he looked at film and saw tendencies in each that fit better on the other side of the field.


For Tim Mundaniohl, his reps at quarterback proved that he had a high motor and a nose for the ball. For his twin Scott, his time at tailback and some reps at wideout showed a knack for the big play. But both displayed one characteristic: versatility.


"As you know from spending time with them [at the East-West Shrine Game practice]," Nourse said, "they are extremely identical."


"I like offense a little more, actually," Scott Mundaniohl said. "My brother likes defense a little more. It works out."


Of course, if Scott and Tim change their minds, they could always pull one of these:

Also, here's hoping their college careers go better than Lindsay Lohan's.