Sorry, fellas — this was the sexiest shot Phil could get of basketballer Sabrina Ionescu, who is having her moment in the sun.
He tried to sneak into her bedroom, but her fiance, Hroniss Grasu, is an offensive lineman for the LA Raiders and he chased poor Philly halfway down the block. We warned you you’d get in hot water some day, Phil! We’re not paying for that busted camera, by the way.
Here’s Hroniss:
Yup. I’d run too. Hroniss Grasu — now there’s a name that could give crossword solvers fits. He’s of Romanian descent (born in the USA), as is Sabrina. The name Hroniss represents creativity, curiosity, charm, friendliness, cheer, and social life. Grasu, unfortunately, means “fat man.”
So, where were we? Oh, yeah. As part of the NBA All-Star weekend festivities, Sabrina faced off against Steph Curry, — widely considered the greatest shooter ever — in a 3-point shooting competition. And she more than held her own. Curry won, but only by 29-26.
Both she and Hroniss played their college ball at Oregon. Sabrina has a twin brother and growing up played a lot of ball with boys. This paragraph comes straight off of her Wikipedia page:
Ionescu attended a middle school that did not have enough players to field a girls’ team, and her school refused to allow her to play on the boys’ team. She recalled, “My middle school said I should be playing with dolls. Seriously, word-for-word.” She responded by recruiting enough girls to enable her school to have a team.
Ionescu was the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft and has been starring for the NY Liberty. She is big enough to have a shoe/apparel endorsement contract with Nike.
Phil snuck back when Hroniss was away and got another shot for us. Thanks, Buddy! Love the smile.
This poem from today’s Writer’s Almanac is by Billy Collins and is called “Home Again.”
The black porcelain lamp
painted with boughs of cherry blossoms
still stands on its end table,
unlit, the little chain untouched,
just the way I left it,
just the way it remained while I was off
leaning into the prow of a boat,
doused with spray, heading for a limestone island,
or sitting at the base of a high Celtic cross
eating a green apple.
While I balanced a pan of hot water on a stone wall
and shaved outside a cottage
overlooking the Irish Sea,
this stack of books, this chair, and paperweight
were utterly still, as they are now.
And you, red box of matches on the floor,
you waited here too, faithful as Penelope,
while I saw the tiny fields
disappear under the wings of my plane,
or swarm up and down the flowing Corrib River.
As I lay in a meadow near Ballyvaughan,
ankles crossed, arms behind my head,
watching clouds as they rolled in—
billowing, massive, Atlantic-fresh—
you all held your places in these rooms,
stuck to your knitting,
waited for me to stand here again,
bags at my feet, house key still in hand,
admiring your constancy,
your silent fealty, your steadfast repose.
The puzzle today had some tough entries for a Monday. It wanted us to know the first name of Fenty, a former mayor of Washington, DC. (ADRIAN). Since it crossed an actress I didn’t know (Uzo ADUBA, of “Orange is the New Black”), I suffered the indignity of a Monday DNF. Please don’t tell anyone.
Most solvers have strengths and weaknesses. Rap stars and popular song names kill me. Game of Thrones and Harry Potter references do too. I’m okay on sports and strong on The Simpsons. Sometimes an old timer complains that a puzzle skews too young — text speak, pop references, etc. Sometimes it’s the reverse — a young solver kvetching about too many boomer-era names or terms. It led the wonderful Lewis to post the following today:
A crosswords-in-general comment.
There was a piece in yesterday’s Times about the value of fostering intergenerational understanding by bringing older and younger people together – which results in benefits for both.
I see that in crosswords. When I solve a puzzle made by one in their teens or 20’s, say, it provides a glimpse into the world as they see it and into the way they think. I find that so enriching; it broadens the way I see things.
In the puzzle comments, I often hear the olds complaining about puzzles by the youngs, and vice versa, and it makes me sad. This promotes us-them thinking and begets tension and stress.
Thing is, when unfamiliar not-part-of-my-generation words appear in a grid, the Times puzzle team is so good, that they make sure that these answers are fairly crossed.
These words can be bridges rather than moats. They, in my view, are precious gifts, and may they continue!
Now there’s a problem I’ve never had to face: Where to put my Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal while holding a flag and a bouquet?
(No suggestions, please! Ouch!)
That’s Jamie Lee Rattray, 31 years old, and there was a nice story about her in the NYT today. She plays for Boston in the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League). Boston could not believe she was still on the board when it was their time to make their third-round pick in the draft. Since she grew up in Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa, the assumption was she’d play for Ottawa. Boston wasted no time in making the grab. She’s outstanding on the ice and lights up the locker room. As Indigenous and openly gay, she views herself as a role model too.
On the ice, she’s one of the team’s top scorers, and she’s a leader off the ice too. At the start of training camp, she hosted all the non-local players at her apartment to celebrate American Thanksgiving (which is not even her holiday). She made the turkey and the others brought sides.
Here she is with girlfriend Whitney. The date for their wedding is August 10th. Mazel Tov ladies!
This story appeared in The Onion today:
WASHINGTON—Ignoring his better judgment so as not to be called a chicken, President Joe Biden reportedly fell through a sheet of ice and plunged into dangerously cold water Monday after his buddies dared him to walk on the frozen Capitol Reflecting Pool. Sources confirmed the commander-in-chief’s chums had bet him $5 he couldn’t make it across the pool without chickening out, to which Biden responded, “Oh, yeah? Watch this.” The president is said to have taken only a few steps before breaking through the thin ice, sinking below the surface, and failing to reemerge for quite some time. According to reports, his friends’ playful laughter quickly dissolved into concern, at which point everyone in attendance scattered home so as not to get in trouble.
But the following story is not from The Onion. I am not kidding. As you know, after the death of Putin’s nemesis Alexei Navalny, whose blood is all over Putin’s hands, Biden issued a strong condemnation of Putin. Trump’s silence was noted. Eventually, as reported by Brett Samuels in The Hill, Trump posted the following:
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country. It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION!”
As loyal (or disloyal, for that matter) readers of Owl Chatter should know, we welcomed former Congressman George Santos (D-NY) to our staff as soon as he was done with his Rep gig. He’s been great — absolutely invaluable. (Wait, does that mean “not valuable?” Well, whatever.) For one thing, the office fridge is never short of diet soda thanks to GS. (We’re a little low on Fresca, by the way, Georgie. No rush! (Though it is a favorite of Ana’s.))
Anyway, where were we? Oh, yeah, so OC is 100% behind our George in his lawsuit seeking $750,000 from Jimmy Kimmel for fraud, copyright violations, and other stuff we can’t remember. The suit is based on videos Kimmel ordered from George through “Cameo” under admittedly false pretenses. False post-tenses too, btw! Kimmel then used them to ridicule our Georgie on the air for commercial gain!! Owl Chatter is with you George!! You can count on our support one hundred billion zillion percent! We love you!
Exhibit A: Please advance the following video to the 6:52 mark to witness Kimmel’s perfidy.
Whew! That falls under the “you can’t make this stuff up” department for sure. No way to top that. See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 