Buzzer Beater Victim 25 Years Apart - University of Kentucky

source: NCAA
Christian Laettner, Duke University

To Ashley Judd and longtime Kentucky basketball fans, please look away.

March 28, 1992.
Duke versus Kentucky, NCAA East Regional Final.

In overtime, Duke power forward/center Christian Laettner catches a 70-foot pass from (source: Wikipedia) from Grant Hill. Laettner dribbles once, turns around and from the the free throw line sinks the winning shot.

Final score: Duke 104, Kentucky 103.



March 26, 2017.
North Carolina versus Kentucky, NCAA South Regional Final.

Game is tied at 73-73. With less than 15 seconds left in the game, Kentucky's Malik Monk (source: Ricky O'Donnell, SB Nation) sinks a 3-pointer to tie the game. North Carolina regains possession with 7.2 seconds remaining. North Carolina forward Luke Maye receives the pass inside of the 3-point line. Shoots, scores with 0.3 seconds to win the game 75-73.

March Madness, indeed.

ESPN's E:60 Pin Kings

source: Vanity Fair
L: Alex DeCubas R: Kevin Pedersen

After spending most of the day watching March Madness, I switched to ESPN's E:60, a sports newsmagazine similar in concept to ESPN's excellent 30 for 30 series.

Originally aired in August 2016, Pin Kings is the story of wrestling teammates Alex DeCubas and Kevin Pedersen of Palmetto High School in Miami, Florida.

Without giving away too much, their careers after high school went in drastically different directions. Click here to read about the truth-is-stranger-than fiction story from ESPN writer Brett Forest with additional reporting by Jon Fish.

Here's the trailer:

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

source: Chicago Film Festival
L to R: Vera, Jill and Thomas Sung

After months of anticipation, I finally got to see the Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") directed documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail this past weekend.

From the Abacus movie website, "Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle."

On the surface, it's a David vs. Goliath story. Underneath, it's a complicated, nuanced, story of the Chinese (American and foreign-born) experience.

Which is exactly why I wanted and needed to see this film.

For those friends that couldn't attend but want to see the film, there's great news. It will be released in theaters June 2017, and it will be on a future showing on PBS's Frontline. GO SEE IT.

And if you still miss it, set aside your undivided attention for about 15 minutes and read Jiayang Fan's New Yorker article, The Accused. It's a great detailed read about Abacus which includes information about the Sung family that wasn't in the movie.

Here's the trailer:

Team Tang

source: PBA

For professional bowling fans who missed last week's USBC Masters, the winner of the tournament was no surprise (Jason Belmonte). But two of the finalists, brothers Darren and Michael Tang of San Francisco were.

The USBC Masters was Darren's second TV appearance within 3 months, only a few months after he got his PBA card. Michael is still an amateur.

To see how Team Tang made the stepladder finals, here's the shootout match with Martin Larsen and Bill O'Neill.