The sea was angry that day, my friends

In all quadrants, it seems, things are getting a little choppy.

Just finished watching the Celtics somehow pull out a win against Philly, a Ray Allen three from the corner with 0.5 seconds on the clock serving as the nail in the coffin. Aside from those last-second heroics, it was, I believe, the least entertaining basketball game I've ever watched. And that includes all the CLCF and travel league games I spent riding the pine.

First off, it was a total hack-fest. Just ugly, slow basketball with a seemingly non-stop parade of foolish turnovers and garbage fouls. The Sixers played with immense energy and physicality (with a little help from the jokers with the whistles) and led by 7 at their high point. The Celtics looked like they never got off the plane (19 turnovers, 7 by 'Ragin' Rajon Rondo) and ended up winning the game.

But it wasn't just the pace or style of the contest itself. At one point, one of the players knocked into some corporate scumbag sitting courtside and apparently knocked over the guy's beer. As the guy's idiot kid laughed hysterically, about a dozen ball boys descended on the spot with towels and mops.

TWO MINUTES LATER, play resumed. Seriously. And it felt even longer than that. Paul Piece was standing at the foul line just staring at them the whole time - not even angry or frustrated, just exhausted and incredulous. I was expecting a game of H-O-R-S-E to break out to pass the time and keep the crowd from falling asleep.

Wait ... the crowd was asleep. Or at least they were at the most critical moments. At the end of the first half - following a stretch in which the Sixers rallied from 15 down to briefly take the lead - the crowd went absolutely dead. All it took was a Rondo layup, and a deafening silence came over the arena. No parting ovation for the hometown team. Nothing.

Of course, the crowd was more than happy to get fired up when Andre Iguodala or Reggie Evans slapped the ball out of somebody's hands, ran down the court for a dunk and hung on the rim for about three seconds before dancing back to the bench.

What a sham. And I thought Philly was a quality, if disturbingly intense and angry, sports town.

At least the C's got the win, capping what had otherwise been a forgettable day-after-Groundhog Day. I was surfing the Web earlier this afternoon just in time to read that former senator Tom Daschle had withdrawn his name from consideration for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services, by far the biggest stumble and most embarrassing moment of the still-young Obama Administration.

Why the hell can't these people pay their taxes? Perhaps even more unfortunate than Daschle is the case of Nancy Killefer, chosen to serve as the White House chief performance officer and deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget. As with Tim Geithner, it's another case of a person being entrusted with critical financial management responsibilities facing mortifying revelations about their apparent inability to fully manage their own finances.

I suppose if this is going to be the administration's big early unforced error, it's not such a bad thing. Given the enormity of current circumstances - and the appalling vacuum of leadership that preceded this president - one can understand some holes in the transition process, some missteps and oversights.

But given the importance this president places on symbolism, Tuesday must not have been a pleasant day for the White House's inner circle (and particularly whoever was in charge of the vetting process). With those pesky Republicans back up to their old tricks and gaining some traction politically, the president and his people will have to batten down the hatches and get back to being the Cool Express if they want to keep the inaugural afterglow working to their advantage.

Nominating New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary seems like a good start, a way to retake the mantle of bipartisanship while making a nifty partisan move and getting in John Boehner's head a little bit.

Although look out ... Sen. Gregg, in the words of a famous Cuban bandleader, may have some 'splainin' to do of his own.

Let's just hope this sideshow stuff doesn't get in the way of the president's progressive agenda. And let's hope that when he needs to get down and dirty - when he just straight up needs a win against the forces of Rush Limbaugh and his congressional minions - he can go cold-blooded like Ray Ray and hit the trey from the corner.

The sea was angry today, my friends. But I don’t think the hard stuff’s gonna come down for some time.