The Explorers Club
No. LXXVIII - Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; its namesake, Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby (1786-1877); and its namer, his son, Captain John Moresby (1830-1922).










There are also two completely separate islands in the Dominion of Canada named Moresby Island, again after the admiral.

Escape Hatch
On Thursday, out of the clear blue sky, The L.A.W. and Brother-in-L.A.W., utilizing the power of speaker phone, rang my mobile and asked if I had a few minutes to discuss a matter of some import. They wish me to move to Washington, D.C. and, after attaining an entry-level position on Capitol Hill, climb the ranks as a Republican operative. And as at first I will need to find a relatively crummy job to work on the weekends and at night to leave my days free to scour the halls of power for that first step on my new career, they have offered their townhouse as a short-term residence. I am sorely tempted by their generosity and I am giving the matter serious consideration. After the debacle of Texile, I will make no move without an interval of profound introspection and a lavish degree of planning and preparation.

Nice to know my future is a matter of concern and that people out there are scheming to help me find a better life.

Believe: Red Wings 2-1 Penguins
Fifteen down, one to go! Best of seven: Detroit 3-1 Pittsburgh.

Holy freakin' cow, the second period was one of the most frenetic intervals I'd seen in all my many years of following televised sports! Interesting factoid: the Penguins have never come back from behind, not in all the series. They didn't score at all in the first two games, and lead 2-0, 2-1, and 3-1 in Game 3. This time 'round, they drew first blood and still lost. Hard to say which is more disheartening, that failure or the futility of their ridiculously long 5-on-3 power play in the third.

Though the Penguins will be desperate tomorrow, playing on the edge of the abyss of elimination, I do not believe they have the fortitude, the strength of character to force a Game 6 back in Pittsburgh. Though villains, the Dallas Stars twice summoned the discipline and Herculean effort necessary to stave off elimination. Faced with adversity after the first two games, the Pens focused not on their own shortcomings, but instead lobed scurrilous accusations of underhanded play at the Red Wings. Presented with the opportunity to tie the series on Saturday, those selfsame self-pitiers looked confused, frustrated, and generally out of sorts through most of the contest. Given the chance to compete for glory, I believe the Penguins will lay down and beg for mercy. And I doubt the Red Wings will be in a merciful humor. At this point, I wouldn't bet the baby's milk money on my prediction of a six-game series.

Go Red Wings!

Game 3: Penguins 3-2 Red Wings
Fourteen down, two to go. Best of seven: Detroit 2-1 Pittsburgh.

The bad news? We lost. The good news? We lost as much because of our own poor play as because of anything the pouting Penguins did. We looked sluggish and discombobulated throughout; so, honestly, I don't know how we managed to score two goals and come so close to winning. More troubling, at the time, was that we had not managed to lose only one game thus far in the playoffs. On both previous occasions that we lost a game - against Nashville after leading 2-0 and up 3-0 against Dallas - we also lost a second consecutive game; so, both series took six games. However, the glorious hallmark of a Mike Babcock-coached Red Wings team is a complete and utter lack of panic. And regardless of the outcome of Game 4, I remained confident in the Red Wings' eventual triumph.

Game 2: Red Wings 3-0 Penguins
Fourteen down, two to go. Best of seven: Detroit 2-0 Pittsburgh.

Forgive me, I made the mistake of watching the first half of A&E's The Andromeda Strain instead of Game 2. Even had The Andromeda Strain not proven a rotting pile, this choice would have been a mistake; that the miniseries was atrocious added almost welcome insult to injury. (I like my mistakes to be painful so as to make them all the more educational.)

I had no opinion whatsoever of Sidney "Sid the Kid" Crosby's character before this series, but now I hate his whiny guts. Take your beating like a man, junior, don't bellyache about phantom obstruction penalties and non-existent dives. Clearly, it was a mistake making such a petulant child the captain of the Penguins. It would stand the crybaby in good stead to study the leadership styles of two men truly worthy of the honor of the captaincy, Steve Yzerman (or simply "The Captain") and Nick Lidstrom.

Meanwhile, the braying state media was right: for all the national media's talk of the Red Wings having not faced an offensive juggernaut like the Penguins, the more significant point was that the Penguins had not, even in their worst nightmares, imagined anything as chilling as the total-team defense of the Red Wings.

Game 1: Red Wings 4-0 Penguins
Thirteen down, three to go. Best of seven: Detroit 1-0 Pittsburgh.

I was kept updated on the progress of this game while at The Guy and The Gal's wedding reception through the marvel of modern technology. A fellow with whom I am vaguely acquainted from the Memorial Day camping bonanzas of yore gave me an unsolicited, but by no means unwelcome, report when the Red Wings lead two to nil. I presume his information came courtesy of a mobile, wireless device, though this is a pure supposition. He approached me at the bar when the score had grown to 4-0 and we had one of those delightfully male conversations about the glory and majesty of sport; it is much harder to see the grandeur or such moments when your team has the short end of the stick. He kept me from the dance floor, true, but as will be detailed later the dance floor was the one area in which The Guy and The Gal's wedding weekend was less than spectacular.

And though but one game and not at all the whole series, I absolutely relished Detroit's denial of the potent Pittsburgh offense.

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Guster, "So Long" from Lost and Gone Forever (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "But in my defense, I'd do it again."

Samstag, 31 Mai
Steppenwolf, "Magic Carpet Ride" from 16 Greatest Hits (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I am a music snob, but a highly idiosyncratic music snob who has, for example, no problem with greatest hits collections. The greatest hits, as a sampler, can be a great introduction to your new favorite band; alternately, some bands have but one or two extraordinary songs on every album, mixed in with a lot of middling, forgettable tunes. R.E.M. is the premiere exemplar of this latter type. (No offense, Saturday Night.)