Finkel's Fast Five #157

BOOK: Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis

Whether you’re buying a yacht from your GameStop gains or Googling “short squeeze” to figure out what the hell is going on with Wall Street, you’ve likely heard somebody reference the movie The Big Short this week, which was based on the bestselling Michael Lewis book. Next to Moneyball, it may be his most famous book, but his first book, Liar’s Poker is his best because it’s his most personal. It also has one of the coolest and most intriguing descriptions of a book on the back cover: “From an unlikely beginning (art history at Princeton?) he rose in two short years from Salomon Brothers trainee to Geek (the lowest form of life on the trading floor) to Big Swinging Dick, the most dangerous beast in the jungle, a bond salesman who could turn over millions of dollars' worth of doubtful bonds with just one call.” Curious? The book is funny and sharp and a great look behind-the-scenes of the kinds of people drawn to Wall Street. Here it is.

FEATURE: The 12.2 Things That Make Bloodsport the Perfect Cult Movie by Shea Serrano

If you can close your eyes and picture the final fight in this movie between Frank Dux (Jean Claude Van Damme) and Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) then I don’t see how you don’t read this. Serrano’s breakdown of Li alone is worth it because he perfectly describes how fascinating and terrifying Li was as a bad ass villain - especially if you first watched this movie when you were 8 or 10 or 12 years old. The guy was pure muscle and intimidation and the joy with which he inflicted pain was captivating. Some of you have no idea what I’m writing about - others can envision him snapping opponents bones and you’ll want in on this feature. Enjoy it.

WORKOUT: The JSP (jump/sprint/push)

I made this one up on Tuesday and it was kind of awesome so I thought I’d share it. All you need is a jump rope and a decent stretch of road or track or field or whatever. If you don’t have a jump rope, just do jumping jacks.

1 Minute Jump Rope - 200 yard sprint - 20 push-ups - 10x

30 Second Jump Rope - 100 yard sprint - 10 push-ups - 10x

Done. Should take about 45 minutes and you hit almost everything you need to.

THREAD: The Publishing Empire of the Patriots and Tom Brady

With Tom Brady headed to his 10th Super Bowl, I put together a thread on all of the books that have come out in the last ten years focused on TB12 or the Pats. It’s a ridiculous list with nearly ten New York Times bestsellers. It’s an industry unto itself, really, including two impressive tomes on Belichick and these other huge titles.

QUOTE OF THE MORNING:

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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