Checking in with the NBA Playoffs

I know my non-sports readers will simply gloss over this, so be advised that I have two posts in the works involving television and randomness. Expect them to be out in the next few days. Here is an update on how I have done in my first round predictions for the series that have finished so far.

Prediction: Cavs in 5.

Actual: Cavs in 4.

Analysis: It is hard to sweep a series, and I really thought the Pistons veterans would put up some fight and pride would get them a game. I was wrong. The Pistons’ starters officially went on vacation about the 2^nd quarter of Game 2. Certainly glad to be so close to right, and that my Cavs cruised into the next round. So bored right now waiting for them to start the next round though…

Prediction: Lakers in 5.

Actual: Lakers in 5.

Analysis: Dead on, I rock. Glad to see the Jazz were able to take a game and make the series semi-competitive. One thing to note as the playoffs move on. In the game the Lakers lost, the ultimate “game-finisher” in Kobe Bryant, was not able to find the a rhythm and didn’t show that killer instinct/extra gear he is suppose to always have ready. I find it hard to believe that LeBron would have this problem, especially with the players he now has around him.

Prediction: Mavericks in 6.

Actual: Mavericks in 5.

Analysis: Given that this was my only upset pick, I think it made even more impressive by the fact that I gave the favorites an extra win! Mavericks look like a tough team right now, and I think the upcoming series with the Nuggets will be a good one.

Prediction: Nuggets in 6.

Actual: Nuggets in 5.

Analysis: Once again, gave the underdogs too much credit. When the Hornets should have been getting that 2^nd win at home, they were laying an absolute egg and losing by a playoff record 58 points! Also, every time I turn on the Nuggets, I literally get mesmerized watching Chris “The Birdman” Anderson and can’t turn it off. Here’s hoping he sticks around until the Finals for us.

So there it is, 4 for 4 so far, never off by more than a game in series length. I should work for ESPN or something (hint hint to the random executives that I know are reading my blog). The finishes of the other 4 should be exciting (especially Bulls-Celtics). Stay tuned.

27 Most Played Songs on My iTunes/iPod (Part 2)

Before we get started, here is an Earth Day-related public service announcement courtesy of NBC the other night (The More You Know). Did you know that enough disposable coffee cups from Starbucks, McDonalds, etc are thrown away every year to circle the Earth 5 times?!? And the same substances that make the cups waterproof makes them tough to break down. If you are a coffee drinker, please consider carrying your own mug with you…many places even give discounts to those who do.

And now, the exciting conclusion. I may continue to write these entries in 2 parts. For one, I tend to be long winded, and it keeps them from getting too long. Plus, it creates intrigue and mystique.

11. Disturbed – Stricken (24): Another Guitar Hero 3 song. I had this before that game, but it got most of its play afterwards. Also used on several workout mixes.

11. Boys Like Girls – Thunder (Acoustic) (24): While I consider Boys Like Girls to be sort of a pop-punk band, this is a very heartfelt love ballad. And it’s acoustic…and everything is better acoustic. I bet you even “Mmmbop” would have been great if it was acoustic.

11. Atreyu - Becoming the Bull (24): Pure workout tune. Not overly great song, but quite listenable and pumps me up.

8. Sixx AM - Life is Beautiful (26): Another workout song, but I can enjoy this song at all times of the day. Nikki Sixx’s new band (of Motley Crue fame) has a great sound, combing the old Crue with new rock genre (a la Shinedown), and I have enjoyed all I’ve sampled from them.

8. The Killers – When You Were Young (26): Last Guitar Hero 3 song on the list, but the best of the bunch. I particularly enjoy it because of the lyric, “He doesn’t look a thing like Jesus.” Since thanks to my longish hair and beard and Mediterranean roots, I kind of do.

8. Fall Out Boy – Golden (26): FOB makes a return engagement. This I their ballad, and while I have always liked this song, it has recently become one of my favorites. While the majority of the songs on this list I rank as 4 stars on my computer, this one is one of the only 35 songs on my computer that I rank as 5 stars.

7. The Bravery – Believe (27) – This is just such of a good song by a highly underrated band. It just a fun anytime song, and due to the fact it falls into several genres in my opinion (rock, pop, a little blues), it should be easily accessible to anyone. The take home message: Download this if you don’t currently own it.

6. Buckcherry – Sorry (28) – I almost feel like I should say “Sorry” about this song being this high.  I actually don’t listen to it that much anymore, but I got really into it for a few weeks. Still a good song though, and an impressive stretch for the band that also wrote “Crazy Bitch.”

2. Paramore - Crushcrushcrush (32) – I love Paramore. I love Hayley Williams. Come on…a hot little rocker chick from Tennessee…what’s not to love? Plus, just like the reason I liked The Donnas, she sings songs about things in the way guys only imagine girls think…like they are the aggressors, and we are just suppose to wait and be pounced on by these rock-n-roll temptresses. Did I reveal too much there? Let’s move on.

2. Flobots - Handlebars (32) – For those of you who know this song, it is a little strange, but I think that’s where its appeal is. How can you know love lyrics like: “Me and my friend saw a platypus”, “I can tell you about Leif Ericson”, and “I can make computers survive aquatic conditions.”

2. Anberlin - The Unwinding Cable Car (32) – I am a little sad this is the only Anberlin song on here. Anberlin is fucking awesome! If you haven’t heard of them (and most haven’t although they finally had a radio song recently), then I am sad for you, and I will make you a CD immediately. The guitar in this song is wonderfully simple and beautiful, and I should know, it is one of the few songs I know how to play on guitar.

2. All-Time Low - Dear Maria, Count Me In (32) – A pop-punk, in-your-face song. Just enjoyable to pop in anywhere, sing along to while pointing at random people saying “Dear Maria, Count Me In.” I’m not sure what I am counting myself into, but I think that’s kind of the whole point.

1. Paramore - Misery Business (36) – Crazy, right? You didn’t expect to find a popular radio song up here, did you? And certainly not another Paramore song? But like I said, I love Paramore! This whole album (Riot!) is really quite good. The beautiful thing about this song (besides the aforementioned temptress thing) is that I do use it in workout mixes, but its great in the car or at home too, and one of the few songs that I really enjoy that is mainstream enough that most people know it too. Of course, if all of you would get off your lazy asses, stop reading blogs, and download these 27 songs, then maybe that wouldn’t be the case!

27 Most Played Songs on My iTunes/iPod (Part 1)

Disclaimer: First of all, I got a new computer about a year and a half ago, which reset the play count on my iTunes. So this list is more the top songs I’ve gotten into in that time frame, as opposed to the most I’ve played ever. Second, I don’t claim these are the best songs in my collection, but they were good enough for me to listen to them all the way through quite a few times. But since iTunes automatically makes this playlist (and has so many other great functions I’m not sure I even listened to music before this program), what better place than here to start your musical education, then with songs so easily accessible and enjoyable that you can listen to them over and over again. The reason it is 27 songs is because of ties at 25. First half is below (counting backwards for suspense purposes), and the second half will be out on Thursday. For each artist and song, you will find the number of plays in parentheses, and short synopsis about the song and/or how/why I like it so much. I don’t apologize for any of these…although perhaps I should. For the majority of these, if you don’t have them, I recommend you get them (and I would be happy to make a mix for any of my loyal readers).

25. Thousand Foot Krutch – Absolute (21): This is a song I workout too on a regular basis, you will soon find that a lot of songs on here end up being from my workout mixes as I play those often. Sidebar, I am about to go running for the first time in almost 7 weeks, wish me luck…

25. Matt Nathanson – Answering Machine (21): I’m sure there are other versions of this song, but this is off his live, acoustic CD called At the Dig. Great artist, great disc, and even has some great dialogue between songs.

25. Boys Like Girls – Broken Man (21): The first Boys Like Girls song I ever had (well before they hit the Top 40 stations). I have since absorbed and loved the entire album, as will come up again later.

22. James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover (22): Blunt’s first CD was surprisingly good, and this song is better than the one that got all the airplay – “You’re Beautiful.”

22. Hanson – Georgia (22): If you haven’t heard this song, then you have no right to laugh. Yes, “Mmmbop” was bad, but I write that off to Hanson being young and easily influenced by parents, record-label, whatever. Believe it or not, they still make music, and much of what I have found is shockingly good.

22. Bowling For Soup – When We Die (22): Bowling for Soup is just a fun band for the most part with funny lyrics with lots of pop culture references (another song is entitled – “Val Kilmer” and actually makes reference to the movie Real Genius. On another sidebar, if you haven’t seen Real Genius, shame on you. However, this ballad is a break from those campy songs, and it is filled with raw emotion.

16. Saosin – You’re Not Alone (23): This had a short and quick run for me, but I still put it on from time to time. The rare song that is both highly emotional and highly motivational.

16. Poison – Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice) (23): I really have no idea how this got this many plays!?! I think I thought it was a fun song in conjunction with Rock of Love, it got onto a few playlists, and things just got way out of control. You know, like a drug habit.

16. Joshua Radin – What If You (23): Joshua Radin is what John Mayer wishes he was, and this is his best song to date. No offense to Mayer because he is quite talented, but due to his pop sensation appeal, has not been willing to branch out.

16. Funeral for a Friend – History (23): One of the few older (older being 2005, of course) songs to make this list. I am a fan of FFAF overall, but regardless of your musical taste, you will like this one.

16. Fall Out Boy – Thks Fr Th Mmrs (23): I’ve been a big FOB fan since long before they hit it big. I try not to fault them for their popularity and still enjoy their music on a regular basis. Many of their best songs are not as popish as the ones you hear on the radio…this is one of those popish songs, but is enjoyable nonetheless.

11. Skillet – Rebirthing (24): Another one that crept up the list, but this again is a workout song for me. Hard to believe I workout to a song with a violin, but somehow it works.

11. Framing Hanley – Lollipop (24): Ok, before anyone says anything…Yes, I realize this song is not particularly “good.” Yes, I realize it’s a Lil’ Wayne cover. But man, its just so much fun and pumps me up. I have only had this song for about a month, and pretty much throw it on once a day just for the heck of it.

11. DragonForce – Through the Fire and Flames (24): The first song on this list to get into my collection due to Guitar Hero 3 (more to come). What I can say? That game consumed a lot of time for me for a few months. This was the hardest song on the game, in part because the song itself is sped up to about 2 times the speed they actually played it, so I spent a fair amount of time trying to beat it. For the record, I can 4 star it on Medium and made it 97% through on Hard (I almost smashed the guitar when I got that close and failed). Expert level you ask? I think I got 3%...go ahead and give it a try.

That’s all for today, come back for the exciting conclusion on Thursday. J

NBA First Round Playoff Preview and Predictions (East Version)

And now on to the East Coast, with a little extra room at the end to talk about my Cavs and how much a championship would mean to Cleveland.

#4 Atlanta Hawks vs. #5 Miami Heat

It is no surprise that I once again find this to be the most intriguing matchup. The 4/5 series tend to be pretty evenly matched, making for good games. The Cavs and Wizards also played an epic 4/5 series recently. Atlanta has followed a strong showing in the playoffs last year by moving into the status of great (albeit not championship-caliber) team this year. The Hawks are still pretty young, but they learned a lot in the playoffs last year and have an underrated superstar in Joe Johnson. Al Horford and Josh Smith are young players who have really come into their own. The key will be how healthy Marvin Williams is after a recent injury.

I know I am going to get hater comments from my FL friends, so let me get this out of the way. I like the Heat, and I love Dwayne Wade. I love the way he plays the game and how he would do anything to win and help his teammates. But Dwayne Wade would not be the MVP this season even if the Heat won more games. He scored 1 more point and half an assist more per game than LeBron, but he doesn’t play as good as defense (see John Krolik’s blog on the Cavs for the numbers to back this), lacks significantly in most other numbers, and can’t control an entire game to the extent of James. But I will give Wade this, he carried a god-awful team to 43 wins! The Pistons have 3 All-Stars on their roster and only got to 39. I am a fan of both Udonis Haslem and Jamario Moon…as great bench players…not your starting 3 and 4. Not to mention Jermaine O’Neal, who despite being only 30 has been over-the-hill for 3 years now. (Sidebar: This is a trend we are starting to see with players, particularly big men, who went straight to the pros from HS. It is no longer how old you are, but how many miles have you logged in the league that determines your prime.)

Hawks in 7: Normally in the playoffs you go with the team with the biggest star, but I think Joe Johnson is only a mild step down from Wade, and the rest of Wade’s cast are a big step down. 

#3 Orlando Magic vs. #6 Philadelphia 76ers

The Magic have played well all year and have begged to get the respect they rightfully deserved. They have the best young big man in the game, and if I was starting a team today, and could pick anyone besides LeBron to be my anchor, it would be Dwight Howard. They can make it rain 3’s, but that can be a detriment too. However, they sputtered down the stretch, and I’m curious to see how they hold up in the playoffs.

The 76ers gave it a nice run. Considering they put so many eggs in the Elton Brand basket, who never gelled with the team and then went down for the season, this season was a success. But Andre Iguodala is a very good player, not a franchise guy. On top of that, with playoffs seeding on the line, they almost lost to a Cavs team whose entire starting lineup in suits on the bench.

Magic in 5: Samuel Dalembert meet Dwight Howard, fortunately you won’t have to know him for too long. 

#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Chicago Bulls

Yesterday, the news finally broke. Kevin Garnett is out to start the playoffs and may not return at all. Paul Pierce is a superstar, and Ray Allen is very good. The Celtics are another team who has put the right role players around their “Big 3”. But there is no questioning that Garnett was their physical and emotional leader during the championship run last year. Can Coach Doc Rivers orchestrate a return to the Finals without him? If so, he deserves a recount from whoever does end up winning the Coach of the Year (hopefully that’s Mike Brown).

The Bulls have become a solid team since the trades for John Salmons and Brad Miller. Derrick Rose will likely be the Rookie of the Year and has a solid career ahead of him. Vinny Del Negro should be considered the Rookie Coach of the Year and also has a solid career ahead of him (as opposed to a career of bad hair and short shorts, like he did as a player). I think this scrappy team can give Boston a series, but I just don’t think they have enough to pull the upset even without Garnett out there, especially when you start Joakim Noah at center (you may be noticing a pattern in the East that the team with the better center has the better record/forecast…that is no accident).

Celtics in 7: A tired and injured Celtics team heads into Rd 2 versus the Magic…can they continue to find the luck o’ the Irish?

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Detroit Pistons

The Pistons and the Cavs have developed a pretty good rivalry over the last few years. As recently as 2 years ago, this was an Eastern Conference Finals matchup, and when LeBron willed them to a Game 5 OT victory followed the Game 6 clincher, it was probably my happiest moment ever as a Cavs fan. The Pistons are still a team loaded with talented veterans who play hard: Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, and Tayshaun Prince. But they have steadily declined this year and are headed for a rebuilding phase (although I believe it will be a short one because Joe Dumars is a very savvy GM).

On the flip side, the Cavs have skyrocketed to new heights this season that no one thought possible at the beginning of the year. The best record in the league (66-16), a near flawless home record (39-2, the 2^nd coming on the aforementioned night with no starters), and the presumptive MVP (LeBron James). Mo Williams has been the perfect compliment to LeBron because he can hit the 3 and drive to the hoop to take defenders off LeBron. They also have several other good spot up shooters (Delonte West, Boobie Gibson, Wally) and are deep in post players (Big Z, Andy, Joe Smith, and hopefully Ben Wallace). No team has a deeper bench in my opinion (the only other team that comes close is the Lakers). And on top of all that, their true bread-and-butter is their defense, as they were tops in the league, which allows them to keep games tight even when the shots aren’t falling. While I can never be truly confident, the general consensus among analysts is that this team will make it to Finals for a battle against the Lakers for the championship.

Cavs in 5: Detriot’s veterans have a lot of pride and will use their physicality to win at least one.

On one final note, I think the majority of you know this information. I am a huge Cleveland sports fan, which of course, includes the Cavs. With that comes a certain amount of heartache, anguish, pessimism, etc. If you aren’t a Cleveland fan, you can’t possibly understand. Yes, I give Cubs fans their due credit, as I did Red Sox fans before they won, but you have to understand that those cities had winners in other sports. Allow me to list the reason Cleveland is the most tortured sports city by far.

-We have not won any championships in the 3 major sports since 1964. That’s over 130 seasons of sports. The next closest city was Philadelphia at around 100, but they just won a World Series, now its San Diego at around 90.

-Our teams come just close enough to get us excited before they find crazy ways to blow it, as evidence by the next several points:

-The Drive – John Elway leads an improbable 98-yard drive to tie game in AFC Championship, Browns lose in OT (I was only 5, and it still hurts to look at this picture).

-The Fumble – The very next year Earnest Byner fumbles away a sure TD that would have given the Browns the lead in the AFC Championship.

-The Shot – The last truly great Cavs team loses on a last second shot by Jordan over Ehlo (you’ve seen the replay or the commercial) and get knocked from playoffs.

-The Bottom of Ninth – Game 7, 2 outs from finally ending the drought, Jose Mesa gives up a Sacrifice fly to tie the game up. 2 innings later, a slow grounder through the middle ends the game and series.

-More recently, the Cavs made it the Finals as mentioned, but got swept by the Spurs. The Indians were up 3-1 on Red Sox, but lose the next 3. Made all the more painful by the fact that Red Sox swept the Rockies in the World Series.

The point of all this being that there are high expectations on the Cavs these playoffs to finally end this drought, and LeBron himself has even said that they will do so. I have sufficiently begun to believe they truly can, which means one thing for me: these playoffs will likely end in tears for me…one way or another.

NBA First Round Playoff Preview and Predictions

I follow the NBA regular season as best I can. At the bear minimum, I come home at night and check out the Cavs score, box score, and recap, and then check how teams they are competing with did. However, the NBA regular season is looonnnnng…82 games long…with most teams playing only 3, maybe 4 games a week. It started October 28^th and ended yesterday! And yet, the playoffs are just as long, 4 rounds of 7 games, and there is always one day if not two days off in between (I honestly don’t understand why they can’t play every other day…oh yeah, making sure games don’t overlap so TV stations can make mad coin). So anyway, I will be watching a lot of this year’s playoffs, both because they stand to be pretty exciting, and my Cavs are the #1 overall seed with a legitimate shot of competing for a championship. Here are my thoughts and predictions for the 1^st round pairings. 

West

#4 Portland Trailblazers vs. #5 Houston Rockets

This is a very intriguing series to me. The Trailblazers have come a long way since the “Jail Blazers” of just a few years ago. They have one of the best young go-to-guys in Brandon Roy (honestly, after LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, and maybe Paul Pierce, this is the guy I would want to have the ball with the game on the line). They also have a good young nucleus of talent around him in LeMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez, and key veterans in Steve Blake and Joel Pryzbilla. And that doesn’t even include Greg Oden (below find a picture of old-man Oden playing for his junior high team...), a total X-Factor who could foul out in 5 minutes or give you a 20 pt-20 rebound performance.

Meanwhile, the Rockets have played brilliant after losing Tracy McGrady…again. I’ve always been a McGrady apologist, giving him a pass for never making it out of the 1^st round because I think he is extremely talented. But I think its time to face the facts that teams always do better when he’s gone (one of my favorite sports’ writers, Bill Simmons, would call that the Ewing Theory). Yao Ming is a very solid and consistent threat inside, Ron Artest and Shane Battier are two of the best defenders in the league, and they are getting solid bench play from Kyle Lowry and Carl Landry. I believe this will be one of the best series to watch in the early round.

Trailblazers in 7: The Lakers prayers that the Rockets can knock out Portland go unanswered.

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs. #6 Dallas Mavericks

The Spurs continue to get older. I think Tim Duncan is actually 55 now, while his knees have a combined age of 137. Manu Ginobili is out, and he really has been their MVP the last few seasons. Tony Parker simply can’t carry this team on his own. They are a well-coached and disciplined team who always have success in the playoffs, but I just don’t see it happening here.

On the flip side, the Mavericks have played surprisingly well as of late. They won 7 of their last 9, beating 4 playoff teams in that span. Dirk is always going to produce for them, and Jason Terry is the runaway 6^th man of the year. Jason Kidd will bring his experience and leadership to the playoffs, and the rest of the role players know what they are supposed to do. I’m not sure it will be enough to make Mark Cuban happy (as he seldom is), but I think they can win this series.

Mavericks in 6: My upset special for the West, but I wouldn’t put surprised to see SA gut out another playoff series.

#2 Denver Nuggets vs. #7 New Orleans Hornets

The Nuggets got the #2 Seed in the West!?! Did anyone notice that was happening until they actually had it. This is a very talented team, made even more so by the acquisition of Chauncey Billups, the consummate team guy, in exchange for Allen Iverson, the ultimate me-first guy. I have always been a fan of Iverson actually, as he has put his body on the line to help his team win every single night for years, but his reaction to being a bench player this season shows him for what he is: someone who can’t accept he is getting older and that he needs take the role that helps the team most. Billups has given this team the leadership it needs, and now Carmelo Anthony is free to just play basketball, exactly what he does best. This is another team (as most great teams are) that has role players who fit into their spots perfectly, including Nene, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith (I’ve always thought he is underrated, which of course means he is soon to be overrated), and Chris Anderson (The Birdman flies in any weather!, see picture of said Birdman).

The Hornets are also very talented (Chris Paul is a Top 5 player, and David West is All-Star caliber), but they took a step back this year. After all, this is a team that is just 2 months removed from trying to trade their starting center before he was sent back after failing the physical. I hope they at least played it off as a prank, “Just kidding! We always wanted you back! Please play hard the rest of the season so we can get rid of you in the offseason…” They did a great job last year of becoming a great team out of nowhere, but they weren’t ready to do it with the spotlight on them.

Nuggets in 6: Paul wills the Hornets to a few wins, but it’s just not enough.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Utah Jazz

I’ll keep this one simple. Lakers: Kobe, Gasol, Odom, healthy Bynum, a coach who has won 9 championships, fresh off a trip to the Finals without a ring, and yes, even Sasha Vujacic (I swear he shoots 92% from beyond the arc whenever I watch him play).

The Jazz are a solid team, and I’ve always liked them as a team. I only root against Carlos Boozer specifically for tricking his way out of Cleveland and into a big payday (How’s it working out being the #1 player on a #8 seed, as opposed to the #2 on a #1 seed? We Cleveland fans never hold a grudge, just ask Jordan, Elway, Mesa, Manny…). Deron Williams and Paul Millsap are both very good players, and Sloan is an incredible coach. But if you think they can actually pull this off: see the above list.

Lakers in 5: It’s hard to sweep a series, and the Jazz will steal a home win somewhere.

This is getting longer than I expected so look for the East preview tomorrow.

Hope Your High School Mascot Wasn't the Mustangs...

....And we're back!

Sorry for the hiatus, everyone. It has been a crazy week since getting back from New Orleans. It was a lot of fun (obviously), and I got to talk to a lot of people about the job market, and feel good about my prospects for to a real (read: academic) job next year, and possibly even a pretty decent one.

I have some great ideas about articles to come later in this, so here’s some primers to get you excited about checking back to your old buddy at The Barker: Thursday – a preview of the NBA playoffs first round matchups. Look to bring some interesting insight and humor to that post. I considered not bringing it, but I would hated to leave it at home and then need it…So yeah, I’ll probably bring it. Sunday – a music related post…if you do not currently come to me for your music, then this will be the beginning of your music education. It may take years, but I will get you there. Also, I don’t know exactly how you go about it, but try to become a follower of this blog. I am going to get back into a regular schedule, but I think being a follower will let you know when a new post goes up. But as for today, I bring you a true story that happened right outside my apartment complex not 2 weeks ago…

Several of us were hanging out at the house (myself, Abby, Kyle, Cailin, & Ben), albeit in different rooms, Abby and I were watching “Almost Famous” (great movie, probably to make appearances in future posts) in my room. While we were in my room, I heard a screech outside, but thought little of it (as I didn’t hear the expectant “crash” as Dane Cook would say, if I had heard it, I would have come out – “Mom! Where’s my shoes!!!”). After awhile, I came out to the main room, and noticed no one was there anymore. I thought perhaps an impromptu Taco Bell (aka Toxic Hell, which I am proud to say I have not eaten in about 3 years) run had ensued, but as a Tombstone was in the oven, I thought this to be unlikely. So we wandered outside, where we noticed several cop cars and began to wander towards the front gate of our apartment complex. As we got closer to what was clearly a pretty bad crash, I noticed that one car was on one side of the road, and the other car on the other side, approximately 50 ft away. The car closest to us was a red Ford Mustang, and as the other car came into focus, it too appeared to be a red Ford Mustang…what are the odds??? Turns out the car closest was only the front end of said Mustang, and farther one was the back half!

Apparently, from what we gathered from bystanders and the cops on the scene, a drunk driver was trying to evade the cops and turned onto our side street. As our street does not go perfectly straight, and as he was coming pretty fast and didn’t have the best reaction time at the moment, he missed a slight turn, hit a concrete light post sideways, and literally split the car in half. Each of the pieces going about 100 ft in different directions. The most amazing part of it all, is both people in the car (thank goodness the back seat was empty!) literally walked away! The car was cut clean in half about 2 inches behind the front seats, you could actually see right into the front of the car. Another few inches forward and this story would be a lot more sad. It was a pretty incredible sight, and both people in the car are insanely lucky to be alive. So let this be a lesson to all of you: Don’t Drink & Drive….or at the very least, do it a whole lot better than he did!