Another piece of old Rhode Island shuttered: The Showcase Cinema Warwick

By BUNKY McCOY

• Another Red Sox season is upon us, yet you won’t know it based on the amount of Patriots
offseason chatter that continues to dominant the sports talk airwaves.
• Then again, nothing feeds the talk radio beast more than speculation. How good is Hunter
Henry going to be? Is he going to be worth all that money? Guess those are more pressing
topics than how Alex Cora plans to fill out his lineup card.
• The 49ers say they’re holding on to Jimmy G – at least for now.
• Gonzaga is closing in on a perfect men’s college basketball season, something that hasn’t
happened since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. Will Quinn Buckner & Co. take a page from
Mercury Morris’ playbook and stage a get-together – virtual, of course – that ends in a
champagne toast should the Zags get tripped up?

• Welcome to Rhode Island, the “Come Get Your COVID Vaccine Regardless of How Old you
Are” state.
• There’s no truth to the rumor that Pawtucket’s decision to open up vaccination efforts to all
city residents has to do with Mayor Don Grebien’s idea of staging a raffle. The prize? The statue
of late PawSox owner Ben Mondor that continues to sit at dormant McCoy Stadium.

• After landing a recruit, it’s become customary for the Friars to post a Twitter video that
features Ed Cooley diving into the pool located in his East Greenwich backyard. Maybe it’s not
too late for the coach to see if he can land a spot on the U.S. swimming & diving team for this
summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.

It’s an Exciting Time in Friartown!!! pic.twitter.com/nvW9kTIFMQ

— Ed Cooley (@HoyaCoachCooley) March 29, 2021

• All this talk about the Wall that doubles as the United States-Mexico barrier got me thinking.
How come the General Assembly can’t adopt a similar piece of legislation that would help slow
down the invasion of Connecticut license plates during the summer?
• A PC Friar recruit story without actual quotes from the youngster doesn’t do it for me Bunky. Where have you gone Kevin McNamara?
• Oh, to the radio world. Speaking of KMac, there’s no truth to the rumor that he’s looking to change his middle name to “Moneyline.”

• Bill Walton has long touted the Pac-12 as the Conference of Champions. The big fella is puffing out his chest these days after three schools (Oregon State, UCLA, USC) reached the Elite Eight.
• Is it a block or charge? I can never tell.

• You know that good friends and college roommates Jim Nantz and Fred Couples are
celebrating like it’s 1982 after Houston qualified for the Final Four on Monday night.
• The years keep changing, yet UConn women’s basketball head coach Gino Auriemma
continues to win. The exciting victory over Baylor did come with a little (no-call) assist.

Refs ruled no foul on DiJonai Carrington's potential game-winner. #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/amSH91IEQV

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 30, 2021

• Did you see what a bunch of LA Dodgers fans did? They rented billboard space near Fenway
Park that included the following message: “Thank You For Mookie Betts.”
• So far, so good on the Celtics’ trade that netted Evan Fournier. Monday night, Fournier
appeared in his first game with the Green. His stat line: 0-10 from the field, 0-6 from three, no
free-throw attempts, and a minus-12 rating.
• This column would have been longer, but it’s time to look into how much a Netflix
subscription costs in wake of more movie theaters closing up shop in Rhode Island.