Predictably Unpredictable

He killed America's Bracket

That's how I would describe this year's NCAA tournament.  The one thing we could all for sure say about this season: outside of two freshmen from Kentucky, a junior from Ohio State, and a junior from Syracuse, there was a serious lack of NBA talent in this year's tournament.  Yeah there are plenty of guys who will play in the NBA.  But John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Evan Turner, and Wes Johnson are the only ones who are going to have an immediate impact; everyone else appears to only be a role player/ solid bench guy (at least as of right now).

NBA Ready 

That being said, it is no wonder why everyone's brackets busted in the Round of 32 (even though I was lucky and made it to the Sweet 16 before losing my champion).  When the tournament lacks that killer talent it gets crazy (see 2006).  That's why this year was literally a crap shoot.  It was fun filling out a bracket because no team or teams stood up as dominate.  Sure Kansas looked the part most of the season, but with that draw, and their history, it was clear any weakness was going to come out.  Then there was Kentucky.  Two freshmen who were only there because the NBA says they can't go straight from high school.  But here's the thing: they aren't very good defensively and all year they played down to the talent.  Essentially all year they showed they were a team that relied on 2 freshmen.  Also, Calipari is a well known recruiter.  But he also is well known for not making his kids go to class, not following NCAA rules etc., etc.  So is it really surprised that an undisciplined coach rubbed off on a young, immature team?  I knew that Kentucky was in trouble against West Virginia when Cousins got his second foul and went to the bench and was visibly upset, swearing, and had this look in his eye like a kid who couldn't get his Legos to fit together they way he wanted.  Syracuse was done in simply by injuries.  You can't go without your starting center in this tournament; bigs are everything and their non-presence this tournament was definitely a factor.  

Put St. Mary's on his back

Teams with a viable big made it places this year (Cornell, St. Mary's, Duke).  The teams that played tough defense made it places this year (Baylor, West Virginia, Duke).  This year was all about team, experience, and sound strategy.  Kentucky couldn't adjust to WVU's 1-3-1 zone, rookie mistake, and it cost them.  Teams like Michigan State and Butler who have been there, done that, played together for a while, succeeded.  Honestly, there was one shocker: Ali Farokhmanesh beat Kansas (although no one should be surprised they didn't win it all since our President took time to pick them, continuing to prove everything he touches goes horribly wrong for America).  Everything else makes sense.  Duke: 3 senior scorers, West Virginia: Big East champs, Michigan State: pretty much the same team that made the final last year (OK so Kalin Lucas blowing out his Achilles should have derailed them, but they're experienced and deep with a great coach), Butler is senior laden, talent rich, and hasn't lost this year.  Whatever anyone tells you, these four teams are good teams and deserve to be there.  Next weekend will be fun to watch. 

How It Gets Made In America

courtesy of howtomakeitinamerica.com

I can't quite put my finger on it but HBO's new show How to Make It In America is awesome.  There is no single thing that when I watch it I saw wow that's good.  The actors are very well cast and believable, but at no point has any one of them wowed me like say, Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood.  It seems that each one is being themselves.

Maybe that's the secret to the show: it's absolute realism.  You could tell me this is a reality TV show and I would almost believe you.

This is Mark Wahlberg's second show on HBO; his first, the very famous Entourage.  HTMIIA is like the anti-Entourage.  It follows Ben and Cam in their quest to make it as clothing designers with their vintage line "Crisp."  Ben is a design school drop out, and Cam is his Latino best friend.  Ben pays the rent by working at Barneys while Cam doesn't really have a job, he's just that guy who can get things when you need it and does odd things here and there, an urban Swiss Army knife.  Through this there is a loose tangle of interactions with their friend Domingo (played by Kid Cudi) who has all the connections to parties and what not.  Then there is Ben's ex Rachel, an interior designer, her new boyfriend, crazy boss, and her seemingly still deep connection with Ben.  We get to see Cam's recently un-incarcerated cousin Rene (played by the sinisterly hilarious Luis Guzman) trying to stay straight and promote a new energy drink.  Finally, there is Ben's high school classmate Kappo (played by Eddie Kaye Thomas aka Finch from American Pie), who works for a hedge fund and wants desperately to be hip but comically cannot cover up the nerdiness that made him so successful.

The show is about struggling, not in any heroic or tragic way, but simply a very American way.  The characters don't have huge problems: Ben and Cam need a jeans sample made, Rene wants more people to buy his drink, Rachel's boyfriend was a jerk to her, Kappo can't get into a club.  Everything that has happened in the show should not be interesting to us.  I mean at least with Entourage there were Ferraris and very hot, very naked girls.  In HTMIIA there might be a few four-letter words and a Range Rover borrowed from a friend.  

In truth the greatness of the show comes from the connection anyone can feel to the characters.  I watch the show and say yeah I can identify with what's going on in the episode.  Yeah sure I've never tried to start a clothing line, but I can identify with Ben and Cam's frustration of being so close to completing that next step, finally getting there, and realizing they'd only gone about 100 feet in a marathon.  It does a great job of exploring the middle American experience.  They know where their meals are coming from, they have a place to sleep, yet things aren't easy.  They have their problems, but they also have their celebrations.  It's not one big party, but there's a reason it's called the middle: there are peaks and valleys, but they aren't huge, and they average out to be pretty level.  And that's why I can't stop watching this show.

 

Best Films of 2009

So I have finally seen the three true contenders for the best film Oscar.  I have to say there wasn't much between two of them for me.  The third was really only in there because of it's financial success.

Avatar got the awards it deserved.  It was lauded for its special effects and it's cinematography because that's all it was.  The plot was averagely engaging with a few layers but nothing profound.  It certainly has changed movies for what I think is the better.  It was really a breath-taking visual masterpiece.  Unfortunately that's not everything in a movie.  Anyone who legitimately thought it had a shot for the best film doesn't really understand what the Academy is looking for.  True they expanded the field of nominees from five to ten as a marketing ploy, but the true contenders, like in years past was never more than two.

I loved The Hurt Locker.  Kathryn Bigelow did an excellent job of keeping tension.  Every single scene I was just waiting for something to explode.  That has got to be what it is like in Iraq.  You don't know who or what is for or against you.  What I really loved was the relationships between the squad members under the pressure.  One minute Sanborn (played by Anthony Mackie) and James are picking off insurgent snipers with utmost precision.  Then they are beating the crap out of each other in a game of chicken gone too far.  It highlights the frustration of daily lives.  Sanborn is just trying to get out alive while James is just trying to feel alive.  These two conflicting mantras really provide a great underlying tension on top of the tensions of guerrilla warfare.

To me, it was a toss up between Up In The Air and The Hurt Locker.  Maybe it's because Up In The Air hits really close to home.  The basic shell of getting fired mirrors Ryan Bingham's life.  Throughout the movie he is trying so hard to avoid rejection.  He doesn't stay in one place, his acquaintances are almost all by necessity: bosses, flight attendants, etc.  He has surrounded himself with a world full of connections but at the same time empty of true personality.  His own sisters don't know him.  Then, his cocoon world is shaken.  His company looks to shift its standard operating procedure to eliminate the need for travel.  This is a wake up call.  I won't ruin it for anyone but the rest of the movie shows him and the two women in his life (pseudo-girlfriend play by Vera Farmiga and co-worker Anna Kendrick) dealing with such rapid change and different reactions to it.  Very well done movie on the psychology of everyday Americans in a time of uncertainty.  It is a shame that the movie got shut out of pretty much every category.

Fixing MLB

found at mlb.com

So apparently the MLB is trying to fix it's competitive imbalance with a flexible division alignment.  Under this situation a team like the Indians, who are rebuilding, could switch to the AL East to reap the monetary benefits of playing the Yankees and Red Sox and not worry about winning.  The Rays would then take the place of the Indians in the AL Central so they have a better chance of making the postseason.  The one stipulation is that teams can't join a division 2 time zones away.  So essentially east coast teams can't join the west coast divisions and vice-versa.

This won't work.  The only teams that bring in significantly more gate receipts in away ballparks consistently are the Yankees and Red Sox.  So do they get the luxury of playing with 3 lucky rebuilding teams each year?  Also, won't admitting the team won't compete hurt season ticket sales?  There has to be a better solution.  Yeah you could just do max and min cap like football.  But that's boring.  Let's get creative.

Let's take a cue from European soccer.  First order of business: do away with the farm system.  With the exception of the Braves, all minor league teams are their own business entities that contract with the MLB teams to be the farm team.  There's help with the contracts (since the MLB team actually owns them) and other give and takes.  That will be no more.  Let them go; let them pay their own way.  Now there will be 2 sub-divisions in each minor league division reflecting the NL/ AL split.  From that point on 2 teams from each subdivision go up, 2 teams go down.  For example let's say the Nats and the Padres were the worst two teams in the NL last year based on record.  Well they are now AAA teams.  To take their place the final 2 teams in the International League championship game with the winner choosing which division they could go to. 

Now I don't know monetarily if this would work.  But simply from a fan's stand point how do you not love this idea?  The relegation battle keeps teams fighting every week in the EPL it would certainly give MLB teams incentive to stay competitive to a certain degree.  Some would say what if the MLB teams can't get back there?  Well then isn't it better for the sport if a team that wants to compete is in their place?  If the Nationals want to keep spending significantly less and not win why should they get to stay?  Look I would be willing to bet if the Astros needed to beat the Diamondbacks on the last day of the season to stay in the MLB that stadium would be packed and rocking.  What bad can come of that?

Keeps them excited why not us? courtesy espn.com