ISSUE #60 - March 22nd, 2019

FF5 MUG GIVEAWAY: In honor of the 60th issue of the FF5, I had a few exclusive mugs made (photo below). Coffee and tea taste 5x better in them - it's science. Want one? Just forward this issue to someone you think would love it and you'll automatically be entered in a raffle to win one. Thanks!

ONE

NOSTALGIA - Forget about one shining moment, what Harold "The Show" Arceneaux did 20 years ago when he led #14 Weber State to a massive upset against #3 North Carolina was one shut-up-get-out-of-my-way-I'm-taking-over-the-tournament moment (apologies for all the hyphens).  I have a terrible memory when it comes to non-New England sports performances, but I've retained a handful of NCAA tournament performances that I'll never forget. Tyus Edny's full-court drive and bucket for UCLA in 1995, Chris Webber's timeout, Bryce Drew's buzzer beater and of course, Arceneaux's Goliath-beating performance. I remember being in awe of what he was doing, knocking down three after three and taking it to the Heels like he owned them (which he did). This piece Dana O'Neil wrote on the 10th anniversary of the game is still great, and gives a nice snapshot of how iconic the performance really was.

TWO

 PROTEIN - I do not make this claim lightly, but the following is the best-tasting protein powder I've ever had:  The only caveat here may be if you don't like chocolate and peanut butter together (and if you don't, do you have a tongue?). So here it is: the brand new Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor of Pro Jym, If you mix the powder in either water or milk and let it sit and really dissolve and thicken for about 15-20 minutes in the fridge, it will taste like a chocolate and peanut butter milkshake, with almost no sugar and 24g of protein. FULL DISCLOSURE: I used to work with Jim Stoppani at Muscle & Fitness. I've always trusted his products and this might be his best. I have no affiliation or anything with him. I just think his shakes are awesome. Give'em a shot.

THREE

EATING - Do you think you could eat the same lunch for 25 years straight? How about five years? Or two?  This article in The Atlantic takes a look at the effects of people who choose simplicity over variety and convenience over cost when it comes to lunch. Personally, I love lunch. I could probably eat a PB&J for lunch every day. I even think I could do it for a year, which several of the people in the article do. I also think that lunch is one of the easiest meals to burn money and stupid calories on, so give this a quick read and let me know if it changes the way you think about "lunch stress". Also, do any of you already eat the same thing every day? I'm curious. Shoot me an e-mail if you do.

FOUR

JORDAN - (Yes, I think MJ deserves his own tab). The credit for finding and posting this famous Michael Jordan fax goes to Alex Kennedy over at HoopsHype.  It was twenty-four years ago that Jordan decided to let the NBA know he was returning from his self-imposed baseball hiatus. The fax (a sheet of paper sent electronically to a printer in another location, for the younger readers), was one of the all-time most famous media flexes of all time and it's beautiful in its simplicity. You can check it out here.

FIVE

A TREMENDOUS PARAGRAPH ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN:  "He can be a breathtaking asshole: self-centered, bullying and cruel. That's the ugly side of greatness. He's a killer, in the Darwinian sense of the word, immediately sensing and attacking someone's weakest spot. He'd moo like a cow when the overweight general manager of the Bulls, Jerry Krause, would get onto the team bus. When the Bulls traded for the injury-prone Bill Cartwright, Jordan teased him as Medical Bill, and he once punched Will Perdue during practice. He punched Steve Kerr too, and who knows how many other people.”  - Wright Thompson, from his legendary long form piece for ESPN (you can read it here)

 PS - HERE'S THE MUG I MENTIONED EARLIER! To enter to win it follow the simple instructions below. I'll announce the winner next Friday:  STEP 1: CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW STEP 2: SHARE THE FF5 WITH OTHER CHAMPIONS STEP 3: YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED TO WIN SOME COOL STUFF (BOOKMARKS, BOOKS, BASEBALL CARDS AND MORE!) CLICK HERE TO SHARE

Thank you so much for reading. You are all awesome.   As always, e-mail me (reply to this e-mail) or hit me on Twitter HERE with any questions, comments or ideas for the FF5!  And if you haven't yet, PRE-ORDER MY UPCOMING BOOK BELOW. IT IS 20% OFF AT AMAZON RIGHT NOW (which is where the link will take you):