NFL Brainwash

Owns your brain; courtesy nfl.com

We have been brainwashed by the NFL.  You know how I know this?  A friend's Facebook status states he gets more excited for the draft than Christmas.  That's plain crazy talk if you think about it.

The draft has to be the second most useless thing the NFL does after the combine, but only narrowly ahead of the preseason games.  Watching the draft means  you watch hours and hours of some jackass (Mel Kiper Jr.) blow hot air out of his ass about how great college player X is or how dumb front office person Y is.  You know what Mel?  Most of the time you have no idea what you are talking about.  The NFL and the college games are just plain different.  The elite level of talent in the NFL blows away what most of these players played against in college.  In a college game there are two, three NFL caliber players, six tops.  Guess what?  In the NFL they are all NFL caliber.

Blow-hard with bad hair; courtesy espn.com

The draft is kind of like Christmas.  For months beforehand we get bombarded with a media blitz celebrating one event.  Except its like a terrible Christmas.  Instead of Santa, who shows up a couple months before Christmas, talks about Christmas, is seen everywhere, makes children happy, etc., we get the aforementioned Kiper.  He also shows up months beforehand, but like I said blathers on with ridiculous predictions.  He also doesn't make children happy, he might even make them cry with that hair helmet.  Also, Christmas is great because there are parties in the proceeding weeks. No one throws a draft party on the day of the draft much less two weeks before.  Finally, Christmas day arrives, things move quickly.  You get the presents knocked out in thirty minutes, maybe you do it in the morning, the evening, or both, but it's efficient.  The draft you sit for hours, and hours, and hours.  You listen to these so-called experts who make wild speculation for mere entertainment purposes, then the Commissioner steps to the microphone, says a name, and for the next 15 minutes the draft-niks go back to wild speculation of why that was a good pick, bad pick, how many Super Bowls the team will win now.

There are two reasons why this lacks any excitement in my opinion.  First, we have been bombarded with so many opinions on who will pick whom, that no scenario is really a surprise.  Everyone and their mom does a mock draft.  ESPN has been talking about who should go where since the last draft.  It is entirely over-analyzed.  The best mock draft I read was this one because it mocks the over-coverage of this non-event.  The second reason this is a non-event is that this is not the NBA.  This is football.  The most influential player on the field is the QB, but he can't be effective if he doesn't have a line (see Campbell, Jason) or someone to throw to or hand off to, or a defense that can keep the other team off the field.  In other words, one player cannot make a mediocre team a great one like Lebron did for the Cavs, or Durant does for the team in OKC.  Football is such a team game that 90% of the names called on draft day are irreplaceable, that's why there are no stats like VORP or plus/minus for football; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

You don't get players like this in the NFL; courtesy zimbio.com

So to sum things up: just tell me who picked where, I don't need to watch.  In fact the reason the draft is even on TV is all marketing.  It puts the NFL name out there in the middle of the offseason, just in case we've forgotten about it.  This is a throwback to a bygone era.  When baseball ruled the NFL needed to stay relevant, especially as the excitement of the start of baseball was still going.  Then there was the NBA and NHL playoffs.  It made sense at the time to have a big televised event for the NFL.  But the NFL's place is pretty secure since all of these things get pushed to the side for this event that in the long run rarely means anything (Tom Brady was a 6th round pick, for example).  It is now simply a chance for the NFL to flex it's muscles and say "look how much everyone loves us."  That and sell some more hats and jerseys.

Treme-ndous Start

 found at http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/

Wow.  It must be New Orleans' year.  And about time too.  First a Super Bowl, now an HBO show about one of the hardest times in the city's history.

I am in on this show.  Even after it's hour and a half premiere where almost nothing happened.  It was a stark contrast to the previous hour's Pacific, where we got to see a hell-on- earth amphibious landing on the tiny island of Peleliu.  After spending a majority of that hour with all my muscles clenched, waiting for the next thing to explode, blood to splatter, marine to fall, an hour and a half dedicated almost entirely to characters was actually refreshing; even if it did seem a lot longer.

The one common theme to the episode, and I'm hoping the series is music.  The series opened with the first second line parade after Katrina, three months after the storm.  This seemingly meaningless celebration of music, dance, culture, set the tone for the entire episode.  Things are dramatically different in Treme after the storm forced almost everyone out and destroyed most homes.  Yet things are still the same.  Music is what allows the citizens of the neighborhood to reconnect with the time before, the happier times.  It is a constant.  From the second line parade, to the chiefs, to the record store, to gigs in dive bars, to funerals, the citizens embrace the music of their culture.  It keeps them sane, it reminds them there is still good in the world and life in their city.

found at baltimoresun.com

I hope the series keeps up where it left off.  I am fascinated to how all the seemingly different characters are drawn together and tied together not just by the music, but the food, the city itself.  This series is definitely a character driven show, and rightly so; recovering from such a disaster is almost entirely psychological (or at least the interesting part is).  David Simon wowed us with The Wire and I'm sure Treme will not disappoint either.  I can't wait for next Sunday.

Nets-citement?

Who wouldn't watch an NBA team from New York with the league's best/ most popular player and a college coaching legend with a lottery pick and possibly Chris Bosh to go along with two young very talented players?  I would.

Ladies and gentlemen your 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets; well, Brooklyn Nets.  A Russian billion (yeah B) just bought the Nets.  This guy could buy a few more teams if he wanted.  He is young, he wants to win, his pockets are bottomless.  Translation: luxury tax, forget it, move to Brooklyn, yes please, new name/ colors, very real possibilities.

The only reason I bring this up is because he has said he wants Coach K and will give him four to five times what he's making at Duke (that $12-15 mil on the table for those keeping score at home).  This is just step one: get a coach every NBA player loves, give him control, let him win.  K even admitted he was intrigued by the Lakers offer a few years ago for 3 reasons: the front office, the city, the superstar.  The Nets can make all those happen.

The face of the New York Nets? courtesy of espn.com

Now to get the superstar.  Lebron, in case you've been living under a sports rock for the last 2 years, becomes a free agent this summer.  He will dictate what every team does. Period.  The Nets have the financial means to sign him to a max contract and Chris Bosh.  They then lure Coach K from Durham, finalize the long-talked move to Brooklyn.  Throw in an almost certain top 3 pick (John Wall, Evan Turner, Demarcus Cousins, or Wes Johnson) and the promisingly talented Brook Lopez and Devin Harris.  This has to look tasty to Lebron.  There would be one team in the East that could come close to that: Orlando.  Cleveland is done if Lebron leaves.  The Celtics have one walker leg in the dustbin already.  The Hawks, maybe if they can keep Joe Johnson and get someone to replace Mike Bibby's corpse, but they would probably only force a game 6 best case scenario.

Bringing a Championship to Brooklyn? Courtesy of espn.com

And this is why we love sports.  A team that almost set a record for fewest wins ever could potentially be the most exciting team next year.  They could have the best player, the richest owner, a coach looking to cement his name as best all-time (because dominant NCAA career+gold medal+ NBA title has never been done before), a much-hyped rookie, and 3 solid stars.  They move to New York, forget it, everyone goes nuts for this team.

A lot of pieces have to fall into place for this to happen.  But it's amazing to consider.

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