I hope you enjoy Bisi Cameron Yee’s piece on Best Thai in Damariscotta.
Best Thai is one of my favorite restaurants — the food is delicious and, just as important in my opinion, consistent in its quality. The service is fast and friendly, the atmosphere clean and inviting. What more can you ask for?
I found it interesting to read the manager’s reflections on the culture of cooperation and support among and for local businesses. Our community should be proud.
A couple thoughts on sports this week:
I recently watched the ESPN documentary about the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls, “The Last Dance.”
One of many things that struck me in this gripping series was the observation from multiple people that Michael Jordan never took a day off, never gave less than his full effort on the court, because he felt a responsibility to the fans, maybe especially to some kid seeing him play for the first time.
How many players would we describe this way today, in the era of load management?
Jordan’s success on the court and in business should serve as a lesson to the young stars of today’s NBA about the value of hard work and commitment to the fans. Rather than appreciate the fans who make them multimillionaires, today’s stars seem to think they are doing us a favor when they jog up and down the court for 35 minutes a game.
Coach Wyman at Lincoln Academy used to have us jog up and down the court at half speed, then three-quarters speed, to warm up at practice. Sometimes NBA players never seem to rise above three-quarters speed through a whole game.
I still love to watch the Celtics though. An exception to my complaints about effort — and a pleasant surprise on this year’s team — is Payton Pritchard, the rookie out of Oregon.
Have you seen him play? He brings extraordinary energy and hustle. At 6 feet, 1 inch, with an unimposing frame, he looks like someone who might show up to play pickup at the Y.
Yet how many times does he score on putbacks, with bigger, stronger players all around, just by outworking everyone else? Tommy Heinsohn would have loved this guy.
Speaking of Celtics point guards, did anyone catch the interview with Kyrie Irving upon his return to the Brooklyn Nets after skipping two weeks with no explanation?
During the interview, he rests his head on his arms and looks like he’s about to fall asleep. He claims something about “mental health” and something else about “equality” to justify his absence from the team.
Kyrie sets back everyone who actually needs time off for mental health and everyone who is actually striving for a more equal and just world. He gives them a bad name.
He is a lazy, out-of-touch, spoiled superstar who thinks he is oppressed because his coach wants him to show up for “work” — playing the best game in the world in exchange for a $33.33 million salary.
Now the Nets have James Harden too, a scoring machine who quit on his old team because he didn’t play hard enough to take them to a championship and wanted them to trade him somewhere where he would have different people to blame when he still doesn’t play hard enough to win a championship.
Look at every championship team from recent years and you will find few or none with a James Harden or a Kyrie Irving as their best player. Instead, they had strong leaders like Steph Curry, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant. They had quiet, unselfish stars on well-rounded teams, like Tim Duncan on the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard on the Spurs and Raptors.
Yes, both Irving and teammate Kevin Durant have championships, but neither was the undisputed No. 1 option on their championship teams. Teams built around selfish stars with character issues generally go nowhere.
