OT Oral History: The Wire's East-West Showdown

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  1. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    On a sweltering day in the summer of 2002, some of Baltimore’s finest basketball players assembled for a game on the city's east side at Collington Square Park. It was something close to an All-Star contest. And millions of people would end up watching.

    Fifteen years ago, The Wire debuted on HBO. The highly acclaimed series, which spanned five seasons from 2002 to 2008, depicts the decline of the American city, told through a fictionalized reality of Baltimore. The story is often defined by loss—of life, industry, opportunity and institutions.

    In 1973, Baltimore lost something else: the NBA, when the Bullets moved to Washington. But basketball continues to thrive in Charm City. It’s a pillar of the town that molded Carmelo Anthony, Keith Booth, Michael Lloyd, Skip Wise, Sam Cassell, Muggsy Bogues and so many other great players. Without basketball, the story of Baltimore would feel incomplete.

    The Wire’s ninth episode, “Game Day,” brings the police detail’s investigation of the notorious Barksdale organization to the basketball court, where rival drug dealers from the east and west side preside. This is the oral history of how The Wire’s hoops game unfolded, and how just a few minutes of on-screen gameplay managed to authentically portray Baltimore’s rich culture of basketball.



    CHRISTOPHER CLANTON (Savino Bratten): Baltimore is known for heroin as well as basketball. You already have the storyline of drug dealers, the typical cliche with a twist hood story. With Baltimore, you had no other choice but to involve the basketball aspect.

    DAVID SIMON (creator): We wanted to do something with the natural competition between east side and west side.

    Read the rest here - https://www.si.com/nba/2017/04/17/t...more-basketball-nba?xid=socialflow_twitter_si
     
    SlyPokerDog, Apr 17, 2017
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  2. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    SlyPokerDog, Apr 17, 2017
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  3. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    SlyPokerDog, Apr 17, 2017
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  4. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Dammit, I should have posted something about Hoosiers. The Wire is too hip for you guys.
     
    SlyPokerDog, Apr 17, 2017
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  5. riverman

    riverman Writing Team

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    I've never seen it
     
    riverman, Apr 17, 2017
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  6. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    "Look the part, be the part motherfucker"
     
    Rastapopoulos, Apr 17, 2017
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  7. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    Even if you think you won't like it, you will. I promise.
    Shit, I even like season 2. Season 4 may be the best season of TV ever, including Breaking Bad.

    Watch this for a taste (this is season 1):
     
    Rastapopoulos, Apr 17, 2017
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  8. BlazerCaravan

    BlazerCaravan Hug a Bigot... to Death

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    SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
     
    BlazerCaravan, Apr 17, 2017
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  9. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    Rastapopoulos, Apr 17, 2017
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  10. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    You should be able to get each season through the Lane county library system.
     
    SlyPokerDog, Apr 17, 2017
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  11. Mediocre Man

    Mediocre Man Mr. SportsTwo

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    Oral history? Is this about the NBA player Eric had sex with?
     
    Mediocre Man, Apr 17, 2017
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  12. ripcityboy

    ripcityboy Well-Known Member

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    How can anybody have not seen The Wire? It's the greatest show of the last 30 years! I had just about given up on TV until that show. Every POS on there was about the daily lives of self absorbed suburban housewives, self absorbed housewives that sold weed, or the husbands of self absorbed housewives that made crystal meth!
     
    ripcityboy, Apr 17, 2017
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  13. BrianFromWA

    BrianFromWA Editor in Chief Staff Member Editor in Chief

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    On my deployment to Helmand, about halfway through one of my cellmat---roommates decided to scrounge a projector and started showing Justified. I thought it was awesome. It only took 5 months to finish 4 seasons (I know, for some of you that's a solid weekend), but only at the end did he say "you know, you might like the Wire." I only got through season 1 before I left, but it was fantastic.

    At home, Mrs. FromWA doesn't really like watching gang violence, swearing or crooked cops. And since most of my TV time is spent watching sports or what she wants to watch, I haven't picked up again. Now I'm jonesing for it again.
     
    BrianFromWA, Apr 17, 2017
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  14. Eastoff

    Eastoff But it was a beginning.

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    That's about all I want to hear out of you, shitbird.
     
    Eastoff, Apr 17, 2017
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  15. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    I bet Mrs BFW would like it. The rest of the seasons each have an overlying theme, unions, education, politics, amazing story telling.
     
    SlyPokerDog, Apr 17, 2017
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  16. illmatic99

    illmatic99 formerly yuyuza1

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    Just recently found out that they re-released this in 1080p. Was watching season 1 again on Amazon Prime last week. I hate season 2 though.
     
    illmatic99, Apr 18, 2017
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  17. 3RA1N1AC

    3RA1N1AC 00110110 00111001

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    season 2 is a bit of a chore, but the wire is pretty much amazing. must watch.
     
    3RA1N1AC, Apr 18, 2017
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  18. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Season 2 has grown on me.
     
    SlyPokerDog, Apr 18, 2017
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  19. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    Rastapopoulos, Apr 21, 2017
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  20. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    Rastapopoulos, Apr 21, 2017
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