In my previous meanderings around the internet for Miami Heat news, I stumbled across this review of a concert in Virginia featuring a band called The Dukes of September, a "Supergroup" featuring Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan fame. Random, I thought. Then, a familiar name appeared toward the end:
Throughout the first hour of the show, the crowd of about 4,500 (including Miami Heat coach Pat Riley) mostly sat quietly, appreciating the precise musicianship on stage, but also, perhaps, hoping for some familiarity.So let's sort the facts out, shall we? Pat Riley traveled to Henrico, Va., just northwest of Richmond, to see a collection of musical acts from the 1970s and 1980s? Thankfully, Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer drops some shocking knowledge on Riles' personal life that I did not know:
I know [Riley]'s tight with Michael McDonaldAm I the only one who didn't know this? That Riley digs the blue-eyed crooner of Yah Mo B There fame? It's really nothing of importance to the team, but it has fascinated me and I want to share with the group. Am I the last to know about the Riley/McDonald connection? And, if you're like me and you know nothing of it, isn't this confusing? Aren't there about 1,000 other artists you would think Riley would be friends with before Mike McDonald? I'll name one off the top of my head: Harry Connick Jr. Like I said, this is of no importance to the Heat, most of you probably don't even know about Michael McDonald as a solo entity, and if you do, you don't care. But to the 10 percent of you that will be as baffled as I was, I want to hear from you. And as you know, I like to get my silliness out during the offseason, when most people are either so burned out on basketball they won't be reading anyway or so hungry for news they'll be thankful for a Riley concert story.