No Sleep 'Til...

No!
Sleep!
'Til Brooklyn!
--No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn, Beastie Boys

If only there were an end in sight to my lack of sleep--arrival in Brooklyn, for example. As it stands now, I can't even sleep on weekends, getting up this morning at 7:30 after getting to bed after 1:30. Six hours has pretty much become the norm for me, though this past week saw a couple days with even less than that. I'm not sure when the psychosis is going to set in, but I'm a little worried about possible side effects here.
That being said, it's a great Saturday for baseball (we've got a nice little doubleheader on Fox, Mets-Yankees and A's-Giants highlighting the afternoon games) and the beginning of what will hopefully become a relaxing, restoring weekend.
Friday kicked it off with a productive day at work--my first attempt, a very successful one, at the "Best Damn Moments" segment--and concluded with one of the best birthday parties I've ever had the pleasure of attending. Bowling is always a good idea when parties are planned, and here an entire alley (albeit a small one) was rented out and placed at our disposal. The crowd started as a mix of mid-20's (us) and early 30's with families (everyone else), but the kids gradually drew their parents away and the hard-core bowlers remained until after midnight. I don't look forward to the "young family" stage of my life at all. Kids were all over the place, wandering into the middle of lanes, eating the scoring pencil (I'm sure that's healthy), running into people and trying to steal my ball on numerous occasions.
I can't say I blame them for attempted larceny on my ball; it was worthy of such attempts, the ABA-style, red-white-and-blue basketball trapped inside a bowling ball that I got at one of these Clipper charity events. I've been bowling exactly once in each of the last three years--all with the Clippers--but my game somehow maintained some consistency last night. We bowled six games and I doubt that I've ever been consistent at the alley--not that I've had much of an opportunity, mind you. 135-143-165-178-168-167. That's not a bad run at all, especially considering the lack of frequent competition. I did look more like a bowler than anyone there, however, with all the schwag I've gathered from those Clipper things over the years: my own engraved and drilled ball, a snazzy bag (with another undrilled ball inside), a towel, which I clipped to my waist to give a little cleaning before each roll (could possibly be veiwed as 'dorky,' but I'll choose 'experienced') and a spiffy little bowling shirt. It was fun fitting the part, even if I don't actually.
In addition to the bowling aspect of it, seeing good friends is always a good thing, and several were in attendance. I am happy to trade hours of sleep for hours with friends, especially those to whom I don't live as close anymore. Love.
So before I head off to work, I've definitely got to get some sports in here, and there's plenty to discuss. Coach K to the Lakers? I've had some good conversations about it at work the last few days and one of the main points I've made is that Krzyzewksi has already done everything he could want to do there--in addition to his three national titles, they've been ranked No. 1 at some point in each of the last seven seasons--and recent years have brought about some upsetting personnel losses, highlighted by the one-and-done departure of Luol Deng and the never-got-there defection of high school point guard Shaun Livingston in the last few months. Now is the perfect time to leave, and there's no more high-profile (or high-paying: $40 over five years!!) job than the Laker gig.
It would no doubt be a sizeable challenge, the most susbtantial of his coaching career, no matter which combination of Kobe and Shaq returns. It's looking like it will be harder and harder to move Shaq, so if he is indeed back (and unhappy), Kobe might not return (hello Clipper-land--wow, charity bowling would be so sweet next year!). If Shaq ends up getting dealt (Sacramento? Dallas?) Kobe will likely re-sign and continue his control over the front office, assuming that whole rape trial thing doesn't end poorly for him.
With the two of them there, he'll be faced with something not even the master of egos, Phil Jackson, could handle for the last two years. With either of them gone, Coach K will have to rebuild a team that's been at the top for too many years to just fade into mediocrity and maintain the support of a fan base that won't stand for anything less than a title. I don't envy the decision, but he really can't go wrong either way. Frankly, if there's any college coach that's ready to make the jump, it's him (sorry Monty). He runs a pro-style offense, reportedly runs practices the same way, has experience with the best team of all time (as an assistant on the '92 Dream Team) and has the name and reputation to demand respect immediately. We'll see.
One more note before departure: At the bowling alley, as with many of these kinds of places, there are photos and signatures on the wall of the numerous "celebrities" (and I use that term loosely) that have paid visits to their establishment. Some places have a respectable number of recognizeable faces and it probably lends a little boost to the current clientele, knowing that Mel Gibson bowled here or Frank Sinatra ordered nachos here. This place needs a little work on its celebrity level. Dustin Hoffman, okay. Tony Danza, yes, especially at the peak of "Who's the Boss," which was when, no doubt, this photo was taken. But the guy who used to host "Hard Copy?" Come on. A long list of B-actors, none of which summon even a shadow of recognition? It does my heart no good to know that Rafael Aada (???) bowled at the same alley as I did. Do people like this just have their publicity photos handy and try to convince the proprietors that they're somebody? I should get some made and sign one to put up on their wall, make them think it's worthwhile. Shameless.
Work. Out.