Danny Meets Kitty

At long last, I introduced Danny to Kitty the other night. We were in Syracuse, to see the Orange play in the opening round of the NIT (more on that in a moment), but first, I had to bring Danny down to Armory Square, so we could spend a couple hours in Kitty Hoyne’s clutches, before the game. It was the day after St. Patrick’s, and everyone must have been worn out, because the place was quiet all through the dinner hour. But we sat first at the bar, where we were joined by PH and Waxie, for an impromptu Nottingham reunion. Danny had to endure a bit of reminiscing about high school shenanigans, and Bradley Brook , and all the usual nonsense. But as we waxed nostalgic, we enjoyed a couple Irish whiskies, in honor of St. Patrick, as well as a glass of Guinness; and then Danny was invited behind the bar to pick out some malts for everyone. A most hospitable showing on the part of Kitty’s staff. Eventually we made our way to a table for some dinner, to soak up all the whisky, and then on to the Dome.

Cuse had a tough time with Robert Morris, partly because those guys were so scrappy, and partly because Jonny Flynn sat down with a sore back, and didn’t play at all in the second half. Scoop Jardine did a nice job running the team; Donte had a fine shooting game, although he committed his typical quota of dumb turnovers and lackadaisical passes; PH had an all around great game, including 11 of his first 12 from the stripe; and everyone seemed to play hard all night. So even though poor foul shooting kept the game close in the final minutes, closer than it should have been, Orange managed to hold on for a hard fought win.

Tonight, I’m sorry to say, I could not find the game anywhere in Rochester, and so we had to settle for a few minutes of radio play driving home from the Chophouse, and otherwise kept track on ESPN Gameday. Looked to me like they played a great second half, reminiscent of the Marquette win at season’s end. And over a Maryland team that had a couple big wins in ACC play this year. That win will probably give the Orange a rematch with UMass, a chance to avenge an early season defeat where they surrendered 107 points, the most ever in the Dome. I was pleased to see that almost 15,000 fans came out for this game, a remarkable crowd not only because it was an NIT game, but because all those tickets were sold in under 48 hours. So Boeheim has another 20 win season; Orange has another home game; and there is still a chance for a trip to the Garden.

I’ll be missing the rest of the season, as we’re flying over the ocean next Tuesday, on our way back to see Fran and Gidon, this time with Andy and Peggy. Since I can’t see any of the games, that may insure that the Cuse goes deep into this tournament. However it comes out, I hope they come back with a chip on their shoulders next year, eager to prove to everyone that they belong in the NCAAs. Speaking of which, too bad Duke pulled out that win. As of this moment, no upsets, and not a lot of drama. Which is OK I suppose, because without the Orange playing, I really don’t care that much who wins or loses. Other than Notre Dame, that is.

Once More in the Dome

Orange are in the NIT, for the second straight year. At least they’re still playing. I mean, it’s not like the football team where we couldn’t wait for the season to end. It’s March, and there are still some games on the schedule. One, two or three in the Dome, and maybe even a trip to the Garden. Not that we’re a lock for the NIT final four, even though their selection folks gave us a number one seed. There are twenty-three teams in the NIT field with twenty wins or more. Used to be that twenty wins pretty much guaranteed a spot in the field of 64, but no more. And there are three teams in the NIT field of 32 who beat us during the regular season. But I’m hoping the freshmen are still hungry, and eager to show everyone that they’ll be a force next year. I’d like to see them host the three preliminary games in the Dome before heading to NY.

Selection process was weird this year, however. Last year, Cuse won twenty-two games, with a 10-6 Big East record, and still didn’t get an invitation to dance. Everyone claimed that the committee didn’t want seven teams from the same conference, but wanted more mid-majors, or more even distribution among the big conferences. Or maybe they held it against us that we had been bounced in the first round in 05 and 06. But this year they took eight teams from the Big East, including Nova, which got one of the last at large seats. So does that mean if Cuse had beaten Nova on Wednesday, we would have gotten the bid? I’d like to think so, but we really don’t know. After all, Nova got the last Big East bid both of the last two years, so was it a change in selection philosophy, or does Cuse just get shafted?

I’ve been reconciled to an NIT bid for the last few weeks. And when you put things in perspective – we really have a freshman team, with only two sophomores; and it’s a seven man team at that – and when you consider how demanding that conference schedule is – there was little chance we’d go to the NCAAs, and even less hope to go very far, even if we did get a bid. Matt said early in the season, that this year was really the first half of a sixty-five game schedule, culminating next spring. Next year, an NIT bid would be a huge disappointment. Next year, on selection Sunday, the big questions should be what’s our seed, and where do we play the opening round? But for now, I’m pleased that on Tuesday night, I’ll have one more chance to see them in the Dome.

Laphroaig 15

One way to judge whiskies is by the aftertaste. I’m of the opinion that great whisky continues to taste great, long after the whisky is off the palate. There are many whiskies that taste fine at first, but once swallowed, lose their flavor immediately. Often, as soon as the whisky is swallowed, the taste is gone; in the worst cases, the aftertaste turns sour. But a great whisky will leave a long and satisfying aftertaste; the flavor seems to stay on the tongue long after the whisky is gone. I think of the older Macallans, or Highland Parks, for example. The flavor seems to linger on for minutes after each taste.

Early on, when I began sampling malts, I tried Laphroaig, but was left with the impression that it was too briny. While I love the peat flavor of the Islay whiskies, I don’t care for the brine of Bowmore, for instance. That was the time when you couldn’t find Lagavulin anywhere; it was never on the shelf of any stores, and we’d make a point of eating at any restaurant there they had a bottle behind the bar. In search of that big peat flavor, I sample all the other Islay malts, and during that period, bought a bottle of Laphroaig, but somehow came away with the impression that it wasn’t for me.

Then a couple months ago, we had dinner with our Russian friends, and their neighbors, who turned out to be from Scotland. Scotland, whisky, you can guess how the conversation went. After dinner, the neighbor ran home, and come back with a few bottles of malts to share. One was Laphroaig 10, and to my surprise, I really liked it. The ten has a bite, and the flavor is distinctive, and perhaps there is a touch of brine underneath the peat. But my initial impression was all wrong. This really is a great whisky.

More recently, I found that one of our local purveyors has the 15, which I had never before seen anywhere around Rochester. Laphroaig 15 is an entirely different experience from the 10, or the cask strength. It’s remarkably smooth, so smooth in fact that when it first hits your palate, there is almost none of the strong peat flavor. And there is absolutely no bite. It’s as smooth as silk, as soft as a baby’s bottom. The taste really doesn’t appear until you swallow, and then you get that overwhelming peat flavor, but sweet, almost like maple syrup, only peat flavored maple syrup. Is this making any sense at all?

Jackson gives the 15 an 89, only one point below the 30, which was recently reviewed in the WS Journal as the very best, and certainly the most affordable, of the 30 year old malts. However, Jim Murray doesn’t like it at all. Hugely disappointing, he says. But I think they’re both wrong. I think this might be a perfect after dinner whisky. Especially one of our dinners – meats on the grill, spicy rubs, lots of big strong flavors. And then, a sweet and smooth Islay whisky to cap things off. Maybe with a cigar. In fact, as soon as the weather turns a bit warmer, I’m going to try just that -- Laphroaig 15 with a cigar, after dinner.

One final disclaimer. Don’t forget that this is still an Islay whisky, and definitely not recommended for novices. But its softness, coupled with the full-flavored malty Islay aftertaste, makes this whisky almost unique. An understated but powerful Islay taste, one that’s remarkably easy on the palate.

Nadurra

A tasting the other night sponsored by Glenlivet and Aberlour. Of course, I went for the Aberlour, and as far as tastings go, this was a disappointment, as we only tasted a couple Aberlours, and nothing exceptional. I ended buying a variety of their stuff – the 12 (perhaps the best everyday whisky there is), the 16 (a richer, more flavorful, and smoother expression of the 12), and A’Bunadh, the cask strength Aberlour, which is a must in the cabinet, because it is unlike anything else. Rich chocolaty malt flavor, overwhelming taste. For me, it was backwards, having Aberlour the stepsister of Livet, when Aberlour is one of the very best Speyside malts, with so much more character than the other label. But probably on the marketing side of things, Aberlour is the weak sister. I think Glenlivet remains the biggest selling malt in the U.S., and one of the best selling world-wide.

Livet deserves respect for being the first malt to market itself here in the states, and in a way, they kicked off the whole single malt craze. I can remember Lew selling Glenlivet long before any of the other malts ever made an appearance. And as John points out, one can find Livet almost anywhere – on airplanes (for $5, not a bad price), at bars that don’t otherwise stock good whiskies; at restaurants. In fact, I was drinking Livet last fall, in Cortland, at the Holiday Inn!! Also for five dollars. But having given Livet its due for bringing malts to the U.S., I don’t really care for their whiskies. They’re smooth; but lacking in character. Almost like they want the widest possible appeal, so they don’t want to offend anyone. But really, if your goal is not to offend, aren’t you consigning yourself to a excessively bland product? It’s nice to be smooth, but taste and character are more important. Those qualities with smooth, now you’re talking.

But glad to say, Livet now produces one whisky that that stands out from all their others. It’s the cask strength malt, Nadurra- 16 years in first fill bourbon casks. Unlike all the other Livets, up through the 18, Nadurra is loaded with taste. And I don’t know what it is about the cask-strength whiskies, but they all seem to have unique characteristics. Nadurra’s is a subtle citrus flavor underneath the malt. Mike calls it spicy; Jim Murray says it's ginger. Citrus, ginger, spicy, whatever. It's bright and lively, even when watered down to around 40 percent. And at $60 a bottle, when you consider how far the cask-strength malt stretches, it’s really a good buy.

I hadn’t eaten before the tasting; it was too busy that day. And I came late to the tasting, so I had to down a couple of the generic Livets quickly to catch up. Still, I was in fine shape until I asked the guys for a refill of Nadurra. Three Livets, and then two cask-strength shots back to back. Boom. By the time we got to the Aberlours, I was feeling just fine. Maybe even a bit too fine. Danny, Tony and I went to the bar afterward to eat BLTs, and to give us an hour before we got on the road. Next month we’ve got a Laddich tasting, and we’re trying to figure out a way for John to make it home for that event.

Putting it All Together

Yesterday’s win over Marquette was the most satisfying game of the year for me. Not just that Cuse beat a ranked opponent by double-figures; nor that they finished off the season with a big victory in front of an appreciative and loud crowd. But that they played well, and played hard for forty minutes. Even the Georgetown game, arguably a more important win for the Orange, saw lapses in the intensity of play, allowing the Hoyas runs of ten or more points on more than one occasion, and thereby keeping the Orange from pulling away. Against Marquette, the Cuse never let up, and once they had a double-digit lead with over ten minutes to play, the lead never slipped beneath ten. We never had one of those spells where we fell asleep even for a couple minutes; and we never gave Marquette any chance to reel off a series of easy baskets.

Partly it was intensity, with KO setting the tone for the game. His steal, where he wrestled the ball away underneath Marquette’s basket, followed by his coast to coast two hand slam, hard foul and free throw, giving him a three-point play, made all the highlight reels. Deservedly so, as it was the emotional highlight of the entire game. But his blocks, his alley-oop dunks, and even a simple reach in foul, that stopped an eagle fast break, were noteworthy. The latter play wasn’t just a reach-in; he hammered Marquette’s guard, and the kid went down. Probably it was this foul which led later to the wrestling match in Marquette’s lane, which ended in a body-slam, although it was hard to tell who slammed whom. In any event, KO played tough all day, and seemed to inspire the rest of the team. Too often this year, only PH has played tough underneath. Yesterday, Orange didn’t get pushed around.

Another part though was smarter play. AO and Donte had height advantages on their defenders, and scored repeatedly underneath. In fact, had Donte not thrown a fit midway in the second half, arguing foolishly with one of the refs, and drawing two fouls in thirty seconds, he might have had his best game of the year. But he pretty much sat down from then on. Before that, he was shooting well, but was not settling for three-pointers. Instead, we got to see his inside game. His footwork is as good as Hakim’s was, and his shot is better. So when he plays down low, he’s far more effective than when he simply hangs around the three-point line. The box was instructive. Donte went only 1 for 4 for threes, but ended up 8 for 14 overall. Too often this year, when the outside shot was off, he never went inside; but he never stopped shooting; and he ended up one for twelve, or something like that.

Along with the smarter play went better ball protection – fewer turnovers. I like when Scoop and Flynn are on the court at the same time. Even though we lose the height advantage, the offense seems to flow better, and it’s much easier for the team to play up tempo. But even without Scoop on the floor, there were fewer of those lazy passes; fewer unforced turnovers; just less dumb play overall.

This was a very young team after Devo got injured, and it took them time to learn to play consistently, and not to make silly mistakes. But the last two games of the year – Wednesday’s road win over Seton Hall, and yesterday’s victory in the Dome – they really looked like they were playing up to their potential. They’ll need a great Big East tournament to get an invite to the NCAAs, and it won’t be the end of the world if they play in the NIT. After all, we may get to see another couple games in the Dome. But as we like to say, wait till next year.

Put Up or Shut Up

Hank Steinbrenner is in the news, talking trash on RedSox Nation, and second-guessing his front office over their failure to sign Santana. That’s one of the great things about the whole Evil Empire business; the Yankees have so many guys trying to play the Darth Vader role. And really, who is Hank Steinbrenner, and what are his accomplishments? Aside from having the good fortune to have been born into the Steinbrenner clan, and to have inherited the role of the Boss, what gives Hank Steinbrenner the credibility to say anything about anything? Even Mike Lupica seems to think that Hank is a jerk, although he stops short of name calling. Still, Lupica takes Steinbrenner Jr. to task for his series of front office gaffes. The signing of A-Rod for megabucks, after having promised that the Yankees would not negotiate if A-Rod opted out; and especially after A-Rod had painted himself into a corner, leaving the Yankees with all the negotiating leverage, and A-Rod with little or no hope of matching the Yankees’ dollars anywhere else. So after that savvy performance, and after having passed on Santana, or having been scared off by Theo’s posturing, Hank’s only response was to chew out the front office belatedly. Lupica asks, with good cause, if Santana was so essential, where was Hank Steinbrenner when the front office was letting him slip away?

Anyway, Hank has demonstrated that he has one quality characteristic of the Steinbrenner family, a big mouth. Worse than that, however, he has a big mouth with not much to say. Most people of substance speak when they have something to offer, but otherwise keep their mouths shut. Not the Steinbrenners, who are always ready to blab themselves into the news, regardless of whether they have anything to say. I hate to sound old-fashioned, or worse sexist, but really, isn’t that just like a woman? To prattle on all day without having anything to say? I can perhaps offer that opinion seeing that I have no female readers, and anyways, it’s the internet, and aren’t we expected to have crazy opinions?

So Hank, here’s the bottom line. This year it’s time to put up or shut up. Since Dave Roberts stole second base in Game Four, 2004, the Yankees have won a total of four games in post-season play. Four. In that same time-frame, eight other Major League baseball teams have won more post-season games. The Sox, of course, have won the most, which is only to be expected, as they have won the World Series twice since that night. (Hank, the World Series is the competition that determines the baseball championship.) The Cardinals have won almost as many games, having made it to the series twice, and having won in 2006. But the Tigers in 2006, and the Indians in 2007 each won more than four post-season games. As did the Mets, the Rockies, the Astros, and the White Sox. Even the Angels, who get swept every time they play the Sox, have managed four post-season wins since the 2004 ALCS. In short, each October, ever since Game Four, and the most beloved stolen base in the history of baseball, the Yankees have sucked every fall. I know we all like to say that for the fun of it -- the Yankees suck. I was watching film of the game last April when the Sox went back-to-back-to-back-to-back. And by the time Tek came to bat, after three home runs in a row, and after the game had been tied up, you could hear the Fenway crowd chanting that – Yankees suck – just as Tek hammered another one above the monster. But forget about the fun part, in October, since 2003, it’s been a fact. The Yankees have sucked. So Hank, if you want to shoot your mouth off, how about you wait until you’ve got something to crow about? Until then, when you’re running your big mouth, you need to know that everyone thinks you’re just a bitch.