The mystery of who Blake Griffin sounds like has been solved

This year, unlike many other years, I have decided to watch some of the NBA playoffs on television.  Because of this, I have gotten to see over and over again the same Kia Optima ads featuring Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers (pictured above). It struck me that Blake Griffin sounds remarkably like someone I'd heard before, and, after a little research, I was able to figure it out.

First, here is one of the commercials. Listen to grown-up version of Blake.

Second, here is the opening scene of the 1998 movie Rushmore. Listen to the math teacher (starting around 0:38).



Clearly, the two men sound almost exactly alike. The only question is-- why?

What I have been listening to lately #64

Abandoned Books and/or Movies #8

Malaria Dreams: An African Adventure (Large Print Edition)- Stuart Stevens

I originally read this book almost twenty years ago. It is about a guy who drives his friend's car across the Sahara desert.

Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry - Todd Farley

Todd Farley worked for a long time scoring standardized tests. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of inaccuracies, problems, and places for random weirdness in the scoring of standardized tests. This book probably would have been better as a long magazine article.

Driving Like Crazy - P.J. O'Rourke

The title is actually a lot longer than just three words. The book is also.

Vrooom!! Conversations with the Grand Prix Champions - Peter Manso. (No picture available)

This book was written in 1969, I believe. If you would like to learn more about Grand Prix racers and what they think about modern art, H. Rap Brown, and the Vietnam war, this is the book for you.

What I have been reading lately #44

Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans - A.J. Baime

In the early 1960s, the Ford Motor Company decided they wanted to get into racing and spent a lot of money to start winning quickly. Ford especially wanted to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race which Ferrari had dominated for years. This book is about the 1966 race and the events leading up to it.

This book is one of the saddest books I have read in years. Not only does the wrong team win, but the wrong driver as well. Plus, a lot of people keep dying. I cannot say more than that without spoiling the ending.

Below: Henry Ford II with soon-to-be Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara

Below: Enzo Ferrari

Cars parked in my neighborhood #6

This Land Rover has been parked in the exact same spot in front of my house for at least six weeks.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #5

Nothing says class and sophistication like a BMW 2002 with a ski rack. I especially liked the BMW's wooden steering wheel.

Note: Wooden steering wheel not visible in photographs.

Parking a car in a garage

Cars parked in my neighborhood #4

Plymouth Valiant

Cars parked in my neighborhood #3

A turquoise Ford Falcon with an Obama bumper sticker.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #2

When I went started taking pictures of this Chevrolet Monza, I noticed that there was a woman working in the yard by the side of the house. I asked her if she was the owner of the car and if it was alright if I took a few pictures (I made up some story about my family having once owned a Monza so that she wouldn't think I was crazy). It turned out that she was not the owner, but that her mother was. The mother has been sick for the last six months or so, and the car hasn't been used in all that time. I asked the woman if the car still runs. She said that it does and then offered up the additional piece of information that the car does not have power steering.

I asked if the mother was the original owner (yes) and whether the woman knew what year the Monza was from (no). The woman then started to get excited about the idea that I was some sort of collector and that this car might be valuable. I told her that I wasn't a collector and that I didn't think the car was worth all that much. Obviously, she seemed a little disappointed after that.

For more information about Chevy Monzas, click here.

For information about the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (after which the Monza is named) click here.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #1

This Chrysler New Yorker was parked less than two blocks from my house this morning. I do not recall ever having seen it before. I am not completely sure which model year this would be from, but clearly it is some time in the mid- to late-1980s. I especially like the vinyl roof-- this particular roof is officially known as the Landau style.

Best of all, however, it's a turbo.

Karim Benzema's Lamborghini

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema was out celebrating his birthday earlier this month on the island of La Reunion. At some point during the night, his car wound up crashed. Benzema may have been driving, or it may have been that his friend was driving while Benzema drove another car. There are suggestions that the two men may have been racing. For more information, click here. For a map to help you find La Reunion, see below.

For yet another video of people speaking French, watch the one below. Benzema is the guy in the tank top.

Picture of the day

AC Milan manager Leonardo in his car

Picture of the day

Pato at the Italian Formula One Grand Prix back in September.

What I've been watching lately #1

In alphabetical order:

Baseball Tonight (on ESPN)

Doctor Who

Pass Time (A game show on Speed Channel where contestants try to guess how fast various cars can go on a quarter-mile track)

Pinks (People racing to win each other's vehicles. Also on Speed Channel)

Pinks: All Out (A spin off of Pinks where they have a tournament to pick the fastest vehicle)

Premier League Fan Zone (They re-show a match from the previous weekend, but this time instead of real announcers they have the commentary done by a fan from each team)

That Premier League Review Show they show on Sunday after the matches are over. It has lots of highlights and excerpts and they always interview the managers in front of those same cardboard backgrounds. I'm not sure what it's really called.

The Sarah Jane Adventures (I apologize...)

Sportscenter (On ESPN also)