Killian Hayes had a weird rookie year with the Detroit Pistons. The French point guard who went in the Lottery of the 2020 NBA Draft dealt with a hip injury that limited him to only 26 games, and when he played, he looked like most first-year point guards in the NBA. Despite having professional experience in Europe, Hayes had to learn on the fly how to deal with the speed and physicality of the NBA, which is usually a great way for rookies to struggle mightily, particularly ones who have the ball in their hands as much as Hayes did.
As such, Hayes is in Las Vegas to play during Summer League, something he didn’t get the chance to do last year. He’s had his ups-and-downs during his first time in the desert, but one extremely high moment came on Friday evening while the Pistons took on the New York Knicks and he busted out a crossover that put Knicks wing Wayne Selden in the spin cycle.
Killian Hayes crossover made the defender do a full turn
Summer League is always good for a few pretty good highlights, but even by that standard, watching a dude get crossed up like this is pretty impressive. Hayes had some good and some bad against the Knicks — seven points on 2-for-8 shooting with five turnovers, but he had six assists, five rebounds, one steal, and one block — in a game the Pistons won, 93-87.
Bowen Yang may go down in the record books as the cast member who had the most memorable solo sketch in Season 47 of Saturday Night Live thanks to his standout performance as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. But he wants the elder statesman of the cast to be awarded for his work over the last year.
Yang, an SNL cast member nominated for an Emmy, is openly lobbying not to win the award and asking voters to pick Kenan Thompson when they vote for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in the coming days. Yang addressed this on Instagram in a story posted on Thursday, where he explained that while he might get in trouble for lobbying against himself he truly feels Thompson deserves the award over him.
Instagram
“There’s no chic way of saying this,” Yang said on Instagram. “I have been told we are a week away from Emmys voting and I felt the need to express my top line campaign message, which is that if you’re in the Television Academy, please vote for Kenan Thompson for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.”
Yang made it clear that this isn’t him being humble, he simply thinks Thompson deserves it more than he does after nearly two decades on the show they currently call home.
“He is one of the best sketch comedians of all time,” Yang said. “He’s one of the kindest people I know and that many others know.
“This isn’t a faux humility thing — I don’t want it, to be honest,” Yang continued. “And it’s not that I’m too cool for it, because I’m not, but I’m just being real: I don’t want it and Kenan deserves it. And I know this is messy… and that someone on my team will be mad at me but I’m just being real.”
Yang and Thompson aren’t alone in the category, of course, as the two sketch comedy stars will go up against Jeremy Swift, Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt, and Brett Goldstein from Ted Lasso, Carl Clemons-Hopkins of Hacks and Paul Reiser from The Kominsky Method. But if Yang had a vote here, well, we now know where we’d see it go.
NBA Summer League has been known to trick hoops fans before, but Warriors first-round pick Moses Moody seems to be solidifying himself as one of the better picks of the 2021 NBA Draft at this very early stage of his career. In Golden State’s second Summer League win on Friday night, Moody scored an efficient 22 points, including a sweet 3-for-6 showing from deep.
Despite an iffy NCAA Tournament with Arkansas and some questions about his upside, Moody came to Las Vegas with a starting spot on the summer Warriors and has excelled in his role. Moody just turned 19 at the end of May, meaning he has plenty of time to grow into his game. But seeing a skilled 19-year-old who was billed as a high-floor wing coming out of the Draft should make the Warriors’ front office thrilled.
Though he is younger and more raw, Jonathan Kuminga looked pretty good on Friday night as well, scoring 18 points on 14 field goal attempts and flashing nice shooting range.
Steph Curry recently said he “loved” the Warriors’ draft picks, and while it would be foolish for Golden State to project championship-caliber contributions from Moody or Kuminga as a rookie, Summer League is a good first opportunity to show that from a physical and talent perspective, you belong. For Moody in particular, it looks as if the shot is likely to translate to the NBA — a great sign for his ability to contribute early on — and he is already looking comfortable enough to try some other stuff, too.
The Warriors are trying to thread the needle of building for now and for the future, while letting the young guys build up their trade value if the right player hits the open market, so this standout performance by Moody is a win-win.
Sarah Silverman’s guest hosting stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been fun as long as you’re not Rudy Giuliani. On Thursday’s episode, though, her monologue poked fun at not only herself hosting an ex-boyfriend’s show but anyone still on the fence about getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
“Look, I know you guys miss Jimmy,” Silverman said on Thursday. “But take it from me, you will get over him. It’s true. He does not have to define you. Sure, you wasted your child-bearing years with him, but you will find you again. And this time, you’ll be stronger and you’ll be wiser. But also older. Look, my point is, freeze your eggs.”
After that, Silverman turned her monologue to the news of the day, which is a growing number of mask and vaccine mandates private businesses and some public entities are starting to institute amid the rise of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Silverman took aim at anti-vaxxers and those complaining about the mandates going into place in cities like New York. Silverman made it clear she has no problem with vaccine mandates on Thursday night, though she did poke fun at basically everyone in the process.
“If getting vaccinated lets me go to a bar or a gym in L.A., that is a small price to pay to hang out with some of the worst people alive,” she joked.
Silverman admitted that getting jabbed has become a “touchy subject” in recent months, but suggested that maybe bars like “Cabo Wabo” or “Dave and Busters” can be designated for anti-vax people to enjoy while everyone else enjoys the rest of society. She also finished with a bit of sarcastic speculation about mandating other life-saving vaccines for reentry into society next.
“I mean, come on! What’s next with this stuff, you know?” she asked sarcastically. “Before kids can go to school, they’ll have to get a shot for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis B! Oh, wait, they already do that!”
Major League Baseball saw huge numbers of people watching its regular season Field of Dreams game on Thursday night, and the boost in attention for the baseball showcase apparently extended into the film universe as well. The game between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees drew big numbers for baseball, serving as its most-watched regular season game in 16 years.
And those who attended certainly saw a great game, with a two-run walk-off home run capping a wild one in the middle of a cornfield. But one thing that often popped up online during the game was the phrase “I’ve never seen Field of Dreams.” Which is fair because, well, the movie that inspired the event starring Kevin Costner hit theaters in 1989.
But apparently, many people who had never seen the movie tried to rectify that in the hours after the White Sox win. According to Deadline, streaming numbers for Field of Dreams on Amazon and other sources soared on Thursday night and into Friday.
The game sent the 32-year-old film flying to the top of Amazon’s “Movers & Shakers” list in Movies & TV. In fact, it was not only No. 1, it was also No.2, No.5., No. 11 and No. 12.
The region free Blu-ray disc of the film was No. 1, up 60,800%. The basic DVD of the film clocked in next at No. 2, up a 52,772%. The multi-format Blu-ray landed at No.5, up a paltry 3,168%. See chart below.
In fact, Kevin Costner-starring movies constituted 7 of the top 12 DVDs on the list by midday Friday. The under-appreciated A Perfect World, directed Clint Eastwood rose to No. 7. For Love of the Game, with Costner and Kelly Preston made No. 9.
Nostalgia for the movie certainly was a factor in people tuning in to start with, but it’s a good reminder that what may be considered a late 80s classic for many may be a cultural blind spot for others who didn’t grow up with it in their lives. And maybe, you know, an indication that many people don’t have physical copies of the film they can play on their entertainment centers.
The movie is certainly beloved by sports fans, but it’s worth noting it fails to include some important information we learned on Thursday: don’t eat the corn.
Last night something magical happened in a cornfield in Dyersville, Iowa. Major League Baseball paid tribute to the 1989 classic “Field of Dreams” by recreating the field from the movie in the same cornfield where the original was shot.
The field had a vintage wooden scoreboard in left field and on the other side of the outfield wall, was a cornfield that seemed to stretch on forever. Before the game, players from the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox made their way to the field through the maze of corn.
Both teams were dressed in vintage uniforms. The White Sox donned the uniforms of the 1919 Chicago team dubbed the “Black Sox” because eight players allegedly took bribes to throw the World Series.
All eight players were banned from baseball for life by Commissioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
In “Field of Dreams” the scandalized players magically return to a field in an Iowa cornfield built by Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) seventy years later.
Costner reflected on the film’s enduring popularity in an interview with CBS. “This thing has a heartbeat. That being said, this is a movie that could also have fallen right off the cliff and been incredibly goofy,” he said. “It was just magical what happened.”
Before the game, Costner emerged from the cornfield to the beautiful soundtrack from the film. In the infield, he gave a speech to mark the film’s anniversary and celebrate the impact it’s had over the past generation.
“On the other side of that corn we filmed a movie that stood the test of time. Tonight, thanks to that enduring imp… https://t.co/dgOqY8z7sb
“Thirty years ago, on the other side of that corn, we filmed a movie that stood the test of time,” Costner said behind a vintage microphone. “Tonight, thanks to that enduring impact that that little movie had, it’s allowed us to come here again, but now on a field that Major League Baseball made. We’ve come to see the first-place White Sox play the mighty Yankees in a field that was once corn. It’s perfect.”
“We’ve kept our promise. Major League Baseball has kept its promise,” Costner said. “The dream is still alive.” He then asked the crowd if this is heaven, quoting the film. “Yes, it is,” he responded. “This field is for the players. Good luck tonight.”
Costner handed the field over to the players and they sure did deliver on the magic that was promised in his speech.
The visiting Yankees trailed 7-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and managed to force the White Sox into the bottom of the inning. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer to reduce the Sox lead to one, and after a Joey Gallo walk, Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run to give the Yankees an 8-7 lead.
THIS is Giancarlo Stanton’s Yankee moment! Go-ahead home run! https://t.co/aj5kpA7gkP
However, in a game celebrating the legend of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, the White Sox would get the final say. In the bottom of the ninth, Tim Anderson hit a two-run walk-off home run to give the Sox a 9-7 victory.
WHAT A DREAM. Tim Anderson walks it off! https://t.co/0GDXW91uKg
What Could You Possibly Pod To Me That I Haven’t Already Gun Through?
Shereen Younes from the Ethnically Ambiguous podcast returns to the only Sopranos podcast to palaver with Matt and Vince about season five episode seven, “Camelot.”
During their stimulating conversation, we learn that Shereen, unlike Valentina, is not a fan of all pranks. She’s generally pro-Bad Trip pranks, and generally anti-Borat pranks.
More importantly, this episode of The Sopranos introduces us to one of the show’s best ancillary characters, JT Dolan, the television writer Chris meets at an AA meeting. The Sopranos writer’s room clearly loved using Tim Daly’s character to absolutely dunk on the very idea of writing for television. Maybe if he were a screenwriter, with an Oscar, they would have some respect for him.
Support the Pod: become a patron at patreon.com/Frotcast and get more bonus content than you could ever want, AND if you sign up for the Pod Yourself a Shoutout tier, you can bask in the glory of hearing your name on the podcast like this week’s newest members: Booger & Cosmo
The Orlando Magic will finish up its stint in Las Vegas without one of its two top-10 picks from the 2021 NBA Draft. According to the team, standout young guard Jalen Suggs suffered an injury against the Boston Celtics on Thursday that was determined to be a sprained left thumb.
During the second quarter of action, Suggs drove to the rim and hit the deck, holding his left hand in pain as he got up. The team gave him some time before he underwent an MRI on Thursday, but after that examination showed he suffered a sprain, the team has opted to play things safe and keep Suggs sidelined for the rest of Summer League.
INJURY UPDATE: During the first half against Boston yesterday, @OrlandoMagic guard @jalensuggs suffered an injury to his left thumb. An MRI conducted today confirmed a left thumb sprain.
As a precautionary measure, Suggs will be sidelined for the remainder of NBA Summer League.
Suggs is not the first top-5 pick named Jalen to get shut down as a precaution following an injury he suffered at Summer League, as the Houston Rockets did the same thing with Jalen Green after he hurt his hamstring on Thursday. It’s an unfortunate and abrupt ending for Suggs’ stint in Sin City, as he very much looked the part in about two and a half games before getting shut down. Suggs averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals for the Magic, with his best performance coming during the team’s opener against Golden State.
Even if you’ve never been in a television writer’s room, you can tell one of their favorite activities is making up fake shows that they most certainly do not write for. The names are almost always absurd, and while we may never get much more than a name or fake title card, these shows and movies that do not exist can become beloved to fans of real shows.
The Itchy and Scratchy Show, for example, is a mainstay of The Simpsons canon that’s seen some actual shorts appear in the show itself. And its in-universe production has been part of the plot of The Simpsons itself. Other shows haven’t been nearly as important a focal point but have become running jokes among the show’s characters and fans.
And now there’s a very convenient way to see what those shows would look like if they actually existed. Lynn Fisher, a graphic designer, shared online earlier this week that she’s created Nestflix, a Wiki that looks a lot like Netflix that’s a collection of shows inside of shows. Nested shows, if you will.
Launch day! Are you like me and love a fake movie within a movie? Or show within a show?
Check out Nestflix: the only platform for your favorite nested films and tv shows.
A scroll through the site has shows listed in proper categories like action and drama and even gives them fun landing pages with mocked up title cards, just like Netflix does for its library. Here’s a favorite from 30 Rock, the difficult-to-pronounce drama The Rural Juror.
Nestflix
Fisher called it “a wiki doing some cosplay” so hopefully the powers that be don’t get too upset at the parody here that’s very close to what Netflix’s actual UI looks like. Because it’s an actually useful collection of titles, all in a fun interactive package that Fisher is actively adding to. And if you like testing yourself about where these inside jokes actually came from, it’s a good way to waste some time browsing for sure.
Everyone knows you can easily spend hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of dollars on a hard-to-find bottle of American whiskey. If you want to do that, it’s your prerogative. Nobody is going to tell you not to save up for that bottle of Pappy, Weller, or Stagg you’ve always wanted.
But the whiskey world is also full of bargains. You just need to know where to look. Some of the most well-known American whiskey brands make reasonably priced bottles perfect for your home bar cart or liquor cabinet. We’re talking less than $40.
Jessica Balts, bartender at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in Minneapolis has a favorite bottle that’s a bargain… if you can happen upon it.
“Hands down, Weller Antique 107, if you can find it,” she says. “Typically runs about $26 at the store and it’s the best value out there.”
To find the best bargain American whiskeys, we asked a handful of our favorite bartenders for an assist. Check out all of their picks below.
Jim Beam Black
Jim Beam
Bobby Gleason, USBG bartender in Las Vegas
Jim Beam Black has been awarded as the world’s best bourbon and at around $20 a bottle. It is bottled at 86 proof which is easy to sip and very versatile in cocktails.
A bottle that should be in every liquor cabinet and on every back bar.
Siobhán Cusumano, bartender at Buya Ramen in St. Petersburg, Florida
Four Roses does a wonderful job at making an affordable bourbon that is easy to drink, and whose cinnamon and caramel play really well in a traditional whiskey sour.
If I had to pick an American whiskey under $40, I would go with a classic, rich bourbon like Bulleit. Bulleit Bourbon has very smooth cinnamon notes, sherry, wood notes that I like.
Eugene Lee, founding bartender at Mix Lab in Los Angeles
There’s actually quite a few options for good American whiskeys at that under $40 price point. These days, I really enjoy the Old Forester 100 proof bourbon or rye. Perfect for old fashioneds.
Mellow Corn (Heaven Hill) is a Bottled-In-Bond aged at least four years. It’s 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye. It’s very sweet to the nose and has a very strong sweet corn flavor, with not a very long finish.
I could write an entire article on great American whiskeys under $40. My top two choices would be choices Evan Williams Straight Bourbon and Wild Turkey 101. Evan Williams for its sweeter caramel and brown sugar notes, highlighted by a faint floral aspect which makes it versatile and a great choice for both stirred and shaken cocktails.
Wild Turkey is higher proof so it has a stronger bite and is highlighted by baking spice and earthy campfire notes. It’s balanced by some vanilla, making it perfect for highballs, old fashioned, and sipping neat.
Austin Zimmer, bartender at Le Prive in New York City
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. It’d a great whiskey for under $40. It has a smooth and smoky, sweet taste with a light licorice note on the palate.
For me, the best American whiskey under $40 is Old Forester 86. This whiskey goes down like a top shelf bottle at a “well” price. It’s is light, smooth, with caramel and vanilla notes, and still has a great bite at the end that I look for in a good whiskey. This whiskey is a steal.
Value, story, taste. Those are three things that I always try and balance when making a new cocktail menu, and choosing spirits to put on the back bar. When thinking of a whiskey cocktail I have turned to Redemption Rye over and over again. It has the perfect balance to me of all those things and is also just excellent on its own. The high rye mash bill makes it perfect to punch through a wide variety of mixers, and it has this perfect balance between spice, citrus, and light floral tones that allows it to meld with so many different flavors.
Nikole Calvo, bar manager at SIX in Tampa, Florida
The best American whiskey brand you could get for under $40 would be Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The distillery has been making this bourbon for over 200 years the exact same way, so the flavor notes are going to be the same in every bottle that you open. When you taste this whiskey, you’re going to taste a deep amber complex flavor with aromas of vanilla, mint, and molasses. There’s also a hint of brown sugar with toffee and dark fruit with star anise. It’s a smooth finish that hits the back of your throat just right.
Ryan Cunningham, bartender at Anchor and Brine in Tampa, Florida
Basil Hayden’s stays stocked at my home bar. The high percentage of rye into the whiskey’s mash build really plays nicely into the natural sweetness of bourbon. Great for an old fashioned, or on the rocks you’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to spend around $40.
George Dickel, a Tennessee whiskey, has a phenomenal lineup of whiskey and rye that are great options for the price. Also, since Tennessee law requires its whiskey to undergo sugar maple charcoal filtration, it lends a characteristic smoky richness, which is unique and rustic.
Larceny, the same distillery that brought us Elijah Craig. A very pleasant blend of cherries, Benedictine, corn, sweet maltiness, and a touch of oak and spice make it a great, smooth whiskey.
Jeff Rogers, bar director for Jester Concepts in Minneapolis
Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey follows the rules of Bottle-in-Bond. It is 4 years aged and bottled at 100 PF. It is a standard in the world of rye whiskey. Rye spice followed by orchard fruits and baking spices and is a steal for the price point.
My favorite is the Elijah Craig Small Batch. It flies under the radar and you can get a great bang for your buck. There are some sweet notes of honey, vanilla, and oak. This is a great product for someone who is beginning to dive into the world of whiskey.
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@iam_killian | @DetroitPistons pic.twitter.com/EOEbQkCeNL
ESPN2 
Wayyyy downtown
