Who sings Christmas better than Darlene Love?
Crazy days and nights here at Defiantly Dutch World HQ as we prepare to host Christmas Eve and travel Christmas Day, so a real quick post today (which, of course, is what a blog is supposed to be, but I was typing something long-winded and missed that memo).
First, I’ll follow in the footsteps of fellow Huey Lewis and the News fan Michael Litos as well as Kyle Whelliston at Mid-Majority by sort of establishing a posting pattern for the holidays. We’ll have a recap of tonight’s game tomorrow and then we’re off until Monday. The plan is to post the first three days of next week, but that may change too. I’ll be out of state at that time so we’ll see what happens.
On to tonight: I’m curious to see what kind of lineup Tom Pecora utilizes. Is tonight the night to see if Greg Washington can handle 30 minutes? Dane Johnson and, in particular, Darren Townes have not met expectations thus far. Not saying to bury those guys, but they’re seniors and Washington is looking like a game-changer as a sophomore. Pecora sees in the long- as well as the short-term. It might be time to start making Washington a centerpiece.
Pecora loves Mike Davis-Saab, who is one of those truly team-first guys. I won’t be surprised at all if he sees double digit minutes as Pecora tries to shake up Johnson and Townes. In fact, Davis-Saab is the pick to click (groan).
Tony Dennison has a bigger long-term role than Greg Johnson, but he’s been ice cold and it’s starting to affect Charles Jenkins. Plus, Johnson committed just one turnover in 17 injury-plagued minutes against Iona in February. I think you’ll see a lot of him tonight.
And don’t sleep on the Gaels just because they’re 4-7 and because the strength of their OOC schedule (224) is lower than the much-maligned slate played by Hofstra (189). Iona has played three teams ranked in the top 105 by Ken Pomeroy (the Flying Dutchmen have played just one, Clemson), lost to Wisconsin by two in overtime and to Southern Miss by one. Of course, the Gaels have also played six teams ranked 230 or lower and lost to Western Michigan (whom Hofstra beat in OT for its first win of the year) by 13, so there you go.
I’ll predict a Hofstra win, because that’s what I do, but I also won’t be surprised if Pecora is willing to absorb some painful lessons in this one.
Either way, if you do nothing else besides watch/listen to Hofstra tonight, make sure you watch Darlene Love on Letterman, because it’ll put you in the Christmas mood and get you right here, especially if you’ve been slow to get into the spirit thus far. That, and Love on Letterman is as much a part of Christmas as Charlie Brown. And games against Iona, apparently.
Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com.
2 comments:
Re: Your and Michael Litos' appreciation of Huey Lewis and the News:
Their early work was a little too New Wave for my tastes, but when "Sports" came out in ’83,I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
Maybe because I've got (Almost-)Non-Christmas Christmas movies on my mind, but I still think first of Gremlins whenever I hear Darlene Love's "Chistmas (Baby Please Come Home."
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