Euchre: What Would You Do?

I've been playing a lot of Euchre on my phone. In the game below, the dealer is on my right, so I'm first to act. If I wanted to play Spades, the dealer would get the Ace. What would you do? Let me know in the comments. I'll post the conclusion once some people weigh in.

Conclusion:

So I thought if I played Spades I'd likely only get 1 point, maybe 2.

If I played defense to Spades, I'd likely get 2 points. Lead both bowers and then Ace of Hearts. Even if the dealer has three spades, I should still get one of my aces home.

If I play Clubs, I've got a decent shot at taking them all. Lead both bowers, then Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, and then Jack of Diamonds. To prevent me from taking them all, an opponent would need to have three clubs or have multiple diamonds and hold on to the King or Queen. Either way, my partner can't really help me. So I decided to pass, and call Clubs Alone.

My Jack of Diamonds walked and I got four points.

I can't see this name without seeing Abysmal

Just Do It: my favorite Nike commercials

I've said before about this first one. "I saw it when I was 14 and thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. It still pretty much is." Nike consistently makes amazing commercials. Here are my favorites. 

The Worst Idea I've Ever Heard

from here

Basketball Hypothetical

Say a NBA team is down four. They attempt a 3-pointer, releasing the ball with .1 on the clock. After the buzzer sounds, the shooter is fouled on his follow through.. The 3-point shot misses.

I'm assuming they would still be awarded three free throws. But the clock would say zero and they would be down four. So there would be no chance to win.

Do you think the shooter would try hard to make those pointless free throws? Do you think anything like this has ever happened?

The Atlanta Hawks are delusional

Letterman

You know, I really respect and admire what Letterman did. He worked his way up to right where he wanted to be. Through stand-up and hosting Late Night on NBC, he was the heir apparent to Johnny Carson.

And then he didn't get the job. There was one Tonight Show and he didn't get it.

So what did he do? He forged his own path. He set out on his own and created a brand new show on a different network. And every writer out there has nothing but praise for the guy. In the end, it didn't matter to the viewers who got the Tonight Show. They still got Letterman.

I like the extra point change. It's a fun experiment. The downside is it kills this play. It might only happen once a decade, but still.

les cousins dangereux

I love 538 as much as anyone, but it's still a little weird to see an article like that on ESPN.com.

end of an era

Only 3 Letterman's left.

I've already written about my experience of attending The Late Show in 2010.

Cavs vs Warriors is going to be amazing.
Cavs vs Clippers would also be fantastic.

Plz no one else.

The best writers at Grantland

are Brian Phillips and Shea Serrano.

This a thought I've had for a long time. The first time I noticed Phillips was May 2012. The first time I really caught on to Serrano was October 2014.

Both are consistently awesome, and a must-read, no matter the subject. Both have an abundance of great quotes. Here is just a taste.

The year was 2002. American soccer, normally a global power, was going through one of its brief down periods, this one having begun in August of 1930. -- Brian Phillips

“Heat check!” I like to shout “Heat check!” on my first shot of the game. “Heat check!” almost always precedes a miss. -- Shea Serrano

This is some bullshit, ESPN

This is some bullshit. (from here) If you want to suspend someone without pay, do it. Don't act like you're not and then take it away right before Christmas. I mean, really?

a half-court alley-oop in two screenshots

In the first frame, LeBron is releasing the ball from behind half court. Mozgov is at the 3-point line. 

Two seconds later, LeBron's pass hits him in stride and he has an easy alley-oop. So now you know. If you're at half-court and want to throw an alley-oop, release when your teammate crosses the 3-point line.

dating with kids

I had two dates lined up. They would have been my first first dates since November 2001. I say would have been because they canceled as soon they found out I had kids.

I didn't quite expect this. I thought it would be hard for me to get dates because of my face or my body. I can't do much about my face. I've been eating well and lifting weights to do what I can about my body.

I suppose it's just another thing on the list. There are almost an unlimited number of reasons why people won't be compatible. Looks, interests, education, sense of humor, age. Kids are just another one.

- - -

My takeaway is that there are things I can control and they are things I can't. All I can do is focus on my life. Get in the shape that I want to. Write the books I want to. Live for myself and try not to worry about the things beyond my control.

- - -

Also, even though it seems like November 2001 was so long ago, the CD I listened to after my date canceled on me, was this one, something I was listening even before then.

look at this fucking burger

Golden State is down 14 with 20 minutes go. I bet they win.

Edit: I was wrong. They lost by 7.

best song of 2015

MVP

Steph Curry isn't just the MVP. He's the most fun to watch player in the league in years.

Reaction to the Chiefs 2nd round pick

I don't know diddley about which would be good players to draft. I was wrong on Jamaal Charles among others. So this is just something to look back on from the future. OL and WR were our biggest positions of need coming in, so this seems like a decent pick at least from the perspective of filling holes. Chiefs selected Morse with the 49th pick. Here are the draft results of the other players mentioned:

Jake Fisher, OT, 53rd pick, Cincinnati Bengals

Maxx Williams, TE, 55th pick, Baltimore Ravens

Tyler Lockett, WR, 69th pick, Seattle Seahawks

Jaelen Strong, WR, 70th pick, Houston Texans

Paul Dawson, LB, undrafted at 76

The Chiefs next pick was #80. 

TWIST. Chiefs trade from 80 to 76 to grab a WR...Chris Conley from Georgia.