Hey everyone, its time for those Sunday Reflections.
Music to Listen to: Machine Gun by Band of Gypsies
I forgot to mention the release of their live album in 1970 as a good musical moment in my last post. So, for that omission, enjoy the song above.
-I’m so glad college athletics is back in action. I’ve been bored with sports in the last month or so outside of the X Games, a mixed martial arts event or something in that vein. The Major League baseball season is way too long and I know that the pennant races are getting better but let’s get football going, along with soccer and volleyball as well.
It is strange seeing the fall sports for college start up and not being directly involved in it. This will be the first time in four years that I’m not involved with college athletics. While I do enjoy having my weekends and even some weeknights back, I do miss the action.
-I just finished watching the season premiere of Tool Academy on VH1. Its awful TV but I’m not going to take shame in watching it. I do take it too seriously though. I spend a lot of time overanalyzing the relationships and come to the same conclusion wondering why these seemingly decent women put up with these losers for boyfriends. However, when you look at the deeper picture, the girlfriends are mostly not innocent themselves. Good show.
-I have no interest in watching the Jay Leno show.
-I saw the DVD documentary on Mr. Perfect, one of my favorite wrestlers ever, and it was tremendous. Working at TNA Wrestling has made me nostalgic for my early days as a wrestling fan, which dates back to the late 1980’s. During this time, I was a big fan of WWE, especially the Intercontinental championship division. You had Tito Santana, Macho Man, Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart, Honky Tonk Man, Mr. Perfect, etc. Everyone was hyped about Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, but their matches weren’t good and I wanted to see good technical matches, which the IC division gave me.
Mr. Perfect’s gimmick was great and it worked because it was an extension of how he was in his normal life. Those are the best wrestling characters.
-I haven’t given you an update on my fantasy football draft because its still in progress, but when it finishes, I will give you news about it.
-Well, that’s all for my short Reflections. I missed out on doing an MMA Review, so that has to be done this week. Also, since college football begins on Thursday, a preview will come up. Finally, I saw an interesting item on the internet about why no one will be watching baseball 20 years from now and I agreed to a point. I’ll tell you why.
Music to Listen to: Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder
You can’t talk about what I’m going to discuss without including Stevie. You can’t mess with that guy.
A few days ago I talked about seeing the excellent movie Almost Famous based on the fictional rock band Stillwater in 1974.
The overwhelming theme for me while watching it was how great the music was during that era and the lack of quality we have in 2009.
Here’s what was happening during a five-year period from 1970-74:
-Led Zeppelin stakes their claim as the greatest rock band ever with the release of five sick albums, Zeppelin I-IV and Houses of the Holy. All of their classic songs that you hear on classic radio outside of Kashmir and Black Dog today are on those five albums.
-The Rolling Stones gleefully enter the second phase of their career post Paint it Black and Satisfaction with the release of Exile on Main Street.
-Marvin Gaye changes R&B forever with the release of What’s Going On, arguably the most soulful and socially conscious album of the entire 1970’s. He transforms himself from the clean cut Motown golden boy to the most transcendent artist of the 1970’s.
-Bob Dylan completely accepts going electric and even his misses are better than many other successes by his contemporaries.
-Joni Mitchell releases the Blue album and inspires an entire generation of singer-songwriters.
-Parliament ushers in the funk music, which developed into elements of disco, which in turn provided much of the musical content for rap music.
-Eric Clapton emerges from Cream and starts his solo career. One word, Layla.
-Black Sabbath starts their career and may not literally invent heavy metal but have a tremendous say in it. War Geezer Butler!
-Neil Young releases After the Gold Rush, does a transcendent acoustic tour, records Old Man, which I want performed on my funeral by the way and even has time to record a rockabilly album. Good times.
-Crosby, Stills and Nash continue to do their thing and record Ohio, maybe the most popular and well known protest song ever.
-Iggy Pop and The Stooges release Raw Power, which is a tremendous album.
-The Jackson 5 may have started in the late-1960’s but they still are making solid music. Michael Jackson even has time to record “Ben” and win an Oscar.
-The Beatles release Let it Be. Along those lines, you see John Lennon really get to spread his wings as well. We had to deal with Yoko but it is what it is. Paul McCarthy records some music and the surprising development is George Harrison bringing it with some excellent solo work, including While My Guitar Gently Weeps. -Deep Purple begins their career
-Elvis Pressley is still alive and even though his career was winding down, it was still frickin Elvis.
-Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings are recording excellent music.
-We’re introduced to Elton John or Reginald Dwight as I like to call him. For those of you who only think of Elton for his goofy glasses and diva antics, listen to his first few albums. You will thank me later.
-Lynyrd Skynyrd ushers in non-country southern rock to a more secular audience.
-Stevie Wonder releases Innervisions and similar to Marvin Gaye, sheds his clean image and develops his own sound. Listen to Higher Ground above again if you don’t believe me.
-David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust.
-James Brown releases The Payback album which is tremendous.
-Pink frickin Floyd releases Dark Side of the Moon and Meddle, which contains Echoes, which may be the definitive song of tripped out rock.
-Simon and Garfunkel break up. No, but it’s ok because Paul Simon launches his solo career which I’m not a big fan of but its good music.
-Creedence is in full swing
-Al Green is making great music.
-The Who release Tommy and Who’s Next. Once again, all of those Who songs that you hear on classic rock radio today outside of My Generation are on those two albums. Pete Townsend, maybe the most underrated songwriter ever.
-Velvet Underground was doing work and this was before Lou Reed’s uninspired solo career. Sorry to say it but its true.
-Brian Eno and T. Rex are doing good work and if those bands were out today, they would be respected a lot more because look at the era they were releasing songs. Its like Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley performing during Michael Jordan’s playing days.
-Sly and the Family Stone are recording their best work.
OK, the point of all of that was to state how good the music was. However, I was born in 1981, so I wasn’t alive during any of that stuff. I said in the previous post that the music periods of 1982-87 was good but I was a little kid during that time. The best music period in my lifetime that I can remember was 1991-96 and that music influenced my tastes today greatly but it can’t compete with the early 1970’s.
However, I want to look at 2009. Today’s era is very weak and I’m going to explain below. Even some of the top guys still doing their thing like Bruce Springsteen have lost their fastball and their best recorded music has passed.
What I decided to do was look at the Billboard Top 200 albums this week and see which artists have a chance to reach the legendary status of the early 1970’s and who doesn’t.
To show some love to music in 2009,
Music to Listen to, part II: Knocked Up by Kings of Leon
Here’s the list:
-George Strait: Had a long and very productive career. I’m not the biggest country music fan so I can’t name two of his songs but I know that he is highly regarded. But I will say this. I can name five Johnny Cash songs if needed. That’s all I’m saying.
-Neil Diamond: He has a top-five album right now. It’s a live album but he’s not a current artist per-say.
-Black-eyed Peas: If they weren’t so darn goofy and put in some solid work for about 10 years, they would have a better chance than you may think. Unique concept for a band, well produced music with Will.I.am and Fergie is a crossover star.
-Cobra Starship: Next
-Kings of Leon: The little Nashville band that could. As a Nashville-resident, its great to see these guys blow up and become a big act. I remember listening to their music about five years ago around the time of the video above and liked it but had no clue that they would reach this level. They’re still young and have work to do, but if they produce another four or five albums like their latest one, they have a chance.
-Maxwell: I like his music a lot but he’s going to be regarded as a poor man’s Al Green. Love the Unplugged album.
-Daughtry: He is a product of American Idol but I think he has the chops to have the second-most underground mainstream career or as I call it, the Jackson Browne career. The top choice is later. What this means is that 20 years from now, you will go over his career and hear the hit songs that he has and not realize how many he really had.
-Taylor Swift: She can warrant her own post but she’s in a unique position to be a young country artist who has crossed over into pop music. I don’t think it has ever happened at this level ever. I’m not the biggest fan of her music but her big hook is she writes her own music, which means she will be able to have a long career. She’s the club house leader to be an all-timer from this era.
-Kanye West: Thinks way too highly of himself but you can’t deny the talent. Loved his first album, College Dropout. Through the Wire showed so much potential but he seems to still be finding himself. His diversity within his music is a good thing because it keeps fan interested. I wouldn’t be shocked if he recorded a rock album next just to switch things up.
-Justin Moore: Not happening
-Sugarland: I’m a fan of them but the unavoidable breakup and launch of Jennifer Nettles’ solo career is going to mess them up.
Hannah Montana: She, and I literally mean Hannah Montana and not Miley Cyrus, has TWO albums in the top-15. Cyrus is more than a gimmick but not much. She’s a decent singer but nothing to be too excited about.
Zac Brown Band: A good group but just not going to make it.
Lady Gaga: Maybe a prime example of what’s wrong with music in 2009. Don’t get her at all.
John Mayer: Talented musician who really needs to focus. It seems like he running around dating actresses and not in the lab dominating like he used to. I like the desire to do blues music. There’s hope.
Eminem: Relapse is a terrible album but his first few albums are classics. He still has a chance to bounce back with his next album but it has to be better than Relapse.
Darius Rucker: Hootie! As a black man who primarily listens to rock music which lacks a lot of black musicians, I’ve always been a supporter of Rucker. Seriously though, he’s a talented musician no matter what his race is. The problem with Hootie and the Blowfish is that their music got played TOO much and the backlash began. The best thing for his career was to go solo and now he can marinate it properly.
Jessie James: Still needs to put in work but she has hope.
Nickelback: They are the top-choice to have a Jackson Browne career. By the time their done, you’re going to know the chorus of at least five of its songs without even trying.
Jonas Brothers: Don’t like their music, have a cult-like following, am actually interested to see where their career is in five years when their current fans have entered college and potentially moved on.
Green Day: They’re going to be recording music for the next 20 years, easy. Originators of pop-punk. OK, maybe, maybe that title should go to The Clash but still.
Brad Paisley: He’s a fellow Belmont alum, so I have love for him. He’s going to have a long career and I see a transition to a harder rocking sound, which will increase his audience. He’s not going to become a head banger but you get what I’m saying. Surprised he isn’t more mainstream.
Lady Antebellum: Watch out for this group because when you have decent singing-songwriting with a very attractive female singer, they have crossover potential.
Rascal Flatts: Truly dislike this band but have decent following. They won’t make an all-timer list years from now.
Kenny Chesney: If you want to sell albums, become a country musician. He fits into the category of hit or miss for me. Some of his songs I like, some I don’t. Him and Keith Urban have Jackson Browne career potential in the country music genre.
The Fray and Modest Mouse: I group them together because they make solid pop-rock songs but are just missing something. Its good for adult contemporary but to truly make an impact, I would like to see both bands take more chances in their music and diversify.
Dave Matthews Band: Definitely a polarizing group. Either they’re transcendent or stupid hippie music that gets played in frat houses. As an undergrad in college, I was on the latter side but looking back, they weren’t transcendent but not awful to listen to.
Beyonce: If she didn’t record another song, it wouldn’t affect me at all. Her music gets overplayed constantly, but she has a huge following. Just on star power and looks, she’s going to be overvalued as an all-time great, similar to Joe Namath in football.
Pink: Had a nice start to her career but it has died down.
Rob Thomas: Liked his Matchbox 20 work more than solo albums.
Jordin Sparks: She’s trying and still young but needs to put in a lot more work.
Frank Sinatra: Props to Frankie having a top-100 album. I know this doesn’t fit the criteria but just needed to say that.
3OH!3: A frickin joke. Awful, awful, awful band. Them and Lady Gaga needs to go under a rock.
Chrisette Michelle: Good singer who is even underground in the R&B scene. She’s got a nice career ahead of her and is very attractive. I will say this, if you put her voice with Beyonce’s looks, you would have Whitney Houston in her hayday, which was awesome.
Katy Perry: She’s fun, has some nice songs but not much else.
Kelly Clarkson: Same as Katy Perry.
Keri Hilson: My future second-wife after Maria Menunos has potential. Good voice, attractive look, an edge to keep people interested. Watch out for her.
Wilco, Silversun Pickups , Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Slipknot: All similar to Kings of Leon in some ways. If they haven’t crossed over by now, will they ever? Especially tough for TV because those are Brooklyn guys.
The Mars Volta: Same as the last groups above pertaining to mainstream appeal. I think they're the best band I've heard in 20 years but for some reason they haven't reached household name status. I honestly don't think Omar and Cedric, the two members of the group, really want to based on their musical stylings.
Massive Attack: Legends in their own genre, listening to them right now as I type this.
Ashley Tisdale: Next
U2: Respect to still making decent music but best days are behind them.
Lil Wayne: I think he’s the most overrated musician of this decade but has amazing following. He’s going to be regarded as a legend. The fact that he has the first Behind the Music in years on VH1 coming up soon says volumes.
Incubus: I love these guys but I may be in a minority.
Coldplay: They are going to be looked at in a much better light than needed. They have the perfect recipe of a known lead singer, pleasing music that is hard enough for rock fans, yet light enough for adult contemporary, they aren’t controversial, etc. I still think that U2 was much, much better then Coldplay will ever be and Radiohead at its peak kicks its ass as well.
LMFAO: Is this supposed to be a serious band?
Killswitch Engage: Give them a chance, you will like it.
Alan Jackson and Toby Keith: see George Strait
Carrie Underwood: A notch below Taylor Swift
Mary Mary: Besides Kirk Franklin, the most mainstream gospel musical group I can think of. Within their own genre, they will be looked at in a legendary way.
Kid Rock: Has had a longer career than you would think. Got out of the rap-rock genre at the right time and got on the country music scene correctly.
MGMT: Love Electric Feel, not much else.
T.I.: He has a chance to make an impact but needs to come stronger than his last album.
Flo Rida and Soulja Boy: Awful rap music that will be forgotten in 10 years, hopefully.
Keyshia Cole: If she stays out of drama and focuses on her music, she has a chance.
The Killers: Had potential but don’t know what happened.
Jack Johnson: Like him but just doesn’t make the cut.
A quick observation and then I will talk about Little League baseball.
Music to listen to: On Bended Knee by Boyz II Men
I mentioned the group a post or two ago so respect is deserved.
-I was in Kroger tonight waiting for the express self checkout minding my own business. When my turn finally came at an open console, I went to it and waiting literally one foot behind me was the next customer. This woman looked over my shoulder while I did my purchase.
This is my second-biggest pet peeve currently in rotation. The first one is sports announcers constantly saying “walk off” like a walk off home run or walk off base hit. That isn’t the proper term and is grammatically incorrect. The proper term is “game-winning.” For someone who works in sports journalism in some capacity and has an English-based college education, hearing this said on ESPN or any sports network in general makes my stomach turn.
So back to the annoying lady at the store. Why do people feel it necessary to stand too close to you in lines? I can replace my Kroger example with the bank, public restrooms, any checkout in general where a line is involved.
I have issues with personal space and it needs to be respected. I try my best to do the same with others but sometimes you will bump into someone or be in a closed space. That happens at times but should be avoided at best.
-So this is the time of year when ESPN feels the need to broadcast the Little League World Series. It’s the worst time of sports for me and I’ll list the reasons.
1) Its crappy baseball. I’m a fan of baseball. I enjoy Major League baseball. I worked extensively in college baseball for four years so I have an interest in that as well. I played high school baseball and can even appreciate that to some degree. I have no interest in seeing 12-year-olds play a weakened version of the sport.
For those of you who use the argument that these guys are like little professionals, that argument really doesn’t work. Sure they know how to perform skills at an advanced level for their age but its still at an amateur level.
2) Its creepy. You’re watching 12-year-old kids who you have no connection with play baseball. I have nieces and nephews who are in this age range give or take a year or two. I make every effort to see them play baseball, football or basketball because I love them and want to see them succeed. Is the quality of play good? Of course not. They are still learning how to play the game. Eventually, they will reach a maximum level of skills that may translate all the way to the professional ranks. That would be great but I understand that they have to start at this youth level to eventually reach their highest potential.
What I’m trying to say is that I understand the place of Little League baseball and youth sports in general having in the lives of young kids. However, if you have no connection with the kids on the field, whether it’s a family member, neighbor or something along those lines, why watch it? I can almost predict your response to that and I rebut it with this…
3) Little League baseball isn’t pure. You have the baseball apologist out there using statements that the kids are out there “for the love of the game,” that they “don’t play for money” and so forth.
The sport stopped becoming pure the day that you put a sponsor on your jersey.
When I played Little League back in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn represent, we were sponsored by the local corner deli shop. Our colors were green and yellow like the Oakland A’s. It was cool to have the store that all of us got sandwiches from on our jerseys and they gave us things like free drinks. However, the store was benefiting greatly with the exposure that we were giving to them.
We didn’t deserve a cut of the profits or anything like that. However, it showed that even at the smallest level of Little League, there is a commercial element to it you can’t ignore.
By the time you reach the level of the World Series you see on ESPN, there’s significant financial value on many levels. You have the sponsors for the broadcast, so ESPN makes money in that way. The city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania becomes an international tourist attraction, so it makes money. The coaches of the teams and even the private trainers gain exposure that can eventually turn into financial gains with more clients. The clothing apparel and baseball vendors gain exposure as well.
Once again, similar to me and my local deli, I don’t think that the kids should be getting paid. However, the “pure” element of the game is non-existent. ESPN wouldn’t show it if a profit wasn’t being made. That network would show a checkers tournament if it got enough viewers.
4) Finally, this one may be the most annoying on a personal level. Once every few years, there is a player on one of the teams that just happened to mature at an earlier age than everyone else and he dominates. They’re easy to spot. I flipped the channel to one of the games by accident and saw a larger kid from the California team throwing about 65 mph from the mound, which is fast at this level. He struck out two batters and I changed to something else.
However, I’m waiting for a profile of the kid to come about if his team happens to win the World Series. Then you’re going to have people trying to tout him as the next big superstar.
This doesn’t only exist in Little League but its most prevalent in this example. I get tired of hearing these guys who don’t know much about the development of an athlete see some middle-schooled or even high school-aged kid and tell me that they are going to be in the pros. There’s about a 99% chance that it isn’t going to happen.
Everyone wants to be that person who saw a ninth-grader and knew immediately that they were going to be an All-Star.
5) An offshoot of my last point above. When I played Little League, all of us on the team knew that we weren’t good but the most important thing was to have a good time. The concept of being on ESPN was the furthest thing on our minds. We were just concerned with getting sandwiches after the game.
Back to my main point, when you start broadcasting the frickin REGIONAL FINALS to just make the World Series, something isn’t right. The only game that we would see back in 1992 and 1993, my Little League years, was the championship game between the US team and the International team on a Saturday afternoon on ABC for Wide World of Sports. I saw the game, thought it was cool that kids were on TV and went along with my day.
Now, you have a generation of young ballplayers being sold on hopeless aspirations. Life isn’t fair and you will lose a lot more than you will win. The sooner that kids learn that reality, the better we are all in this society. These life lessons are usually learned at your local ballpark in front of a dozen people and not in front of a national audience.
When you see the losing team crying on the bench, and isn’t it always odd how the camera finds the weepiest kid immediately, part of me feels good because the kid is finally experiencing pain and not being coddled for being an awesome ballplayer in a crappy baseball league. It will toughen him up. However, the other part of me does feel kinda bad for him to have to experience it on TV.
6) Final point. The continued promotion of the Little League World Series opens the door for two obvious things, cheating and overbearing parents.
It can’t be ignored that with added exposure and money comes cheating. We’ve had numerous incidents of players lying about their ages, playing for teams not in their region of residence, etc. My rule of thumb on this is that if you’re a high school student or older, you should take blame for it. None of that “he’s just a kid” argument. If you’re 16, you know right from wrong.
However, since these kids are younger than that, it usually comes back to the overbearing parents.
Going back to my nephew who’s in the 11th grade right now. He’s a good football player who has the potential to play in college at a high level, wherever that may be. However, it’s hard to be objective about it because he’s like my little brother. I think the kid is going to be in the NFL but I’m looking at it from a proud uncle’s prospective. That’s for my nephew, I can imagine it being worse for my child in the future.
I think that some parents see their kid playing Little League and think that if they can play at this level, then the Major Leagues are right around the corner, hence putting added pressure on the kid to perform well, which usually doesn’t end well.
What’s the solution to all of this? I don’t think a solution is really in place because I’m in the minority on this issue. More and more games are on TV so people care about it. I just can’t get myself to watching it on TV.
Its Sunday, so it means its time for those Reflections!
Music to Listen to: La Villa Strangiato by Rush
I was listening to this last night and was feeling Rush. I know that some people get on Geddy Lee for his voice but you can’t deny that Rush is one of the best eclectic rock bands ever. What that means is that they have a variety of sounds to their music. For me to consistently listen to your band and consider myself a fan of you, I need variety. You should be able to play a slow song with an accustic sound just as well as a faster song with loud guitar riffs equally well. If you’re a rapper, you have to show diversity in your rhyming skills as well. I also like different instruments musing together as well.
Crush of the Day: Allyson Felix
Sticking with the theme of the Track and Field World Championships that concluded today, I’m choosing Allyson Felix, who defended her 200 meter world championship. Well done.
-This was truly a lazy weekend for me. It wasn’t intentional but I think well needed. I’m still adjusting to my new job and an improved workout plan, I’ve found myself getting weary. This isn’t a bad thing. I’ve been working out in the early morning again, meaning I wake up at 6 a.m. It stunk for the first week buy by the second week, my body got used to it. I’ve also started going to sleep around 10-10:30 p.m. again. This has all been good but by Friday night, all I want to do is crawl in bed and sleep for two days, which is pretty much what I did. Once football starts up and college soccer season kicks off in earnest next weekend, I will be more socially active but sometimes you just need to rest the body. I did manage to do some things this weekend like…
a) I re-watched Almost Famous. During a recent podcast by Bill Simmons on ESPN.com, he discussed with Chris Connelly the best movie of the 2000’s. Bill came to the conclusion that it was Almost Famous, which I’ve seen about six or seven times but not in a few years. I Netflixed it and gave it another viewing. It’s a really good movie and you know that I enjoy that era of music. I can argue that the eras of 1970-75, 1982-87 and 1991-96 were the best three periods in our modern times with the first one standing supreme. This deserves another individual post as well.
The one thing that stuck with me while watching the movie was how good the music was then and how weak it is now. I mentioned a post or two back that when my nephew listens to the current songs that we have in 2009 that I harken back to better times. I know that I sound like an old man when I say that but lets break it down.
Off the top of my head, here’s a list of bands/musical artists that were arguably in their peak from 1970-75, in no particular order…Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Parliament, Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Iggy Pop/The Stooges, Jackson 5, John Lennon, Paul McCarthy, Deep Purple, Elvis Pressley, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Elton John, Lynard Skynard, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, The O’Jays, Miles Davis, Genesis, Parliament, etc. I’m probably forgetting about five or six other artists that you will tell me. You get what I’m trying to say.
All of those artists mentioned above are Hall of Famers, first-round draft picks, on short lists of greatest musicians of all-time, etc. Who do we have from this era that can top that? Not many. I’ll discuss on Wednesday.
I can tell you one thing that I wasn’t doing this weekend…
b) Watching Little League baseball. I have major beefs with ESPN constantly feeding us crappy baseball by little kids on their network. If you find excitement watching 12-year-olds playing baseball on TV, good for you I guess but there has to be something more exciting going on in your life.
Honestly, unless you have a family member playing in the games, what is the point of watching. I’ll get into this on my next Blog post on Tuesday.
c) I did spend extensive time this weekend preparing for my fantasy football draft which takes place on Monday. I can’t get into details about my strategy unfortunately because some of you are in the league.
I’m taking it seriously because I’m the defending champion and I plan on repeating. I probably spend the most time researching and preparing for the league so I should be in a position to win. Fantasy sports involve an element of luck but preparation is the key.
d) I drove past Belmont on Saturday and saw the freshmen moving into the dorms. Classes start for them on Wednesday and that’s always an exciting time for everyone. Even though I’m not working in college athletics at the moment, I still live close enough to a campus to see everyone getting ready.
That’s all for tonight. Here’s a tentative schedule what to expect this week:
Tuesday: Why I dislike the Little League World Series with a passion
Wednesday: What musical artists from 2009 will be remembered as fondly as the artists from 1970-75?
I haven’t written in a while so I’m trying to get back in my flow. What this means is that my next few posts will be in more of a free-form style in line with my Reflections. These are some Observations.
The Crush of the Day is also back in rotation and since Sanya Richards, wife of Aaron Ross, member of the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants, won the 400 meter race at the Track and Field Championships in Germany this week, I will show some love to her.
Some music to listen to: For The Love of Money by Bone Thugs and Harmony
I was reminded of this song on Sunday when TMZ caught Busy Bone coming out of a club in Los Angeles and the camera operator prompted him to rap Easy-E’s rhyme from this song. Brought back some nice memories. I loved Bone Thugs when they were out and I think that they’re one of the most underrated rap groups, check that, musical groups ever. Check their musical catalog, its deep and eclectic. Who else can say that they worked with Biggie, Mariah Carey, Easy-E and Phil Collins?
Actually, one of my new co-workers suggested Boyz 2 Men as the most underrated group ever and I can’t argue with that. Do I smell a potential weekend post topic?
Anyway, enjoy the song above while you read my thoughts.
1) Long time readers of this blog know my lack of love for Brett Farve and his constant ambiguity about playing football. I used to get annoyed with it but now I’ve reached a stage of ignoring it all together. Whenever a sports news network would have an update on Farve’s status playing for the Vikings, I would change the channel. One of my best moves in a long time as a sports fan.
So now he’s officially back playing for Minnesota. I don’t understand why the Vikings were in such demand for a 40-year-old quarterback with injury issues and whose skills declined exponentially last season. I know that he’s in an offense that he’s “familiar” with but this doesn’t look good. Furthermore, the fact that he didn’t participate in mini-camp or training camp will not endear Farve to his teammates if the team struggles to start the year. Things like bonding together in training camp matter in a sport like football.
I don’t wish any ill will towards the guy. I actually feel a small amount of sympathy for the guy. I don’t have a large amount because he’s a professional athlete who understands the risk that he’s putting his reputation, legacy and overall physical health with this move. He’s also making a lot of money so his bank has improved.
What I see in Farve is a man who isn’t ready for the next phase of his life. We all reach a point in our lives when we must move on from one aspect of our life to another. For some this is from being single to married, young to old, working to retired, accepting parenthood, married to divorced, etc. Granted, many of us will never have to do this in the public spotlight, making the transition easier but we still have to do it. Farve can’t accept the fact that the NFL and football in general will move on without him.
Many of us feel that we are invaluable to our positions in life, at least in our work profession. We would like to think that we do our job well and if we ever left our post, our co-workers would miss us and think to themselves that we were the best person to ever do that job.
Farve expected that with Green Bay when he left but when the Packers transitioned to Aaron Rodgers quickly last offseason, it hurt Farve’s pride and he’s been fighting to prove his relevance within himself and to the NFL in general. This isn’t a good thing.
Hopefully he finds whatever contentment or happiness he seeks without wearing our patience out.
I’m telling you, if you get tired of Farve, just change the channel, radio station, leave the room. It’s much better than the alternative.
2) This week, I decided to get the first season of one of my top-five television shows ever, Oz, on DVD via Netflix.
First, whoever invented Netflix deserves an award because it is one of the best things to come along this decade.
But back to Oz. Great, great show that really introduced me to adult-themed content on television. Its still the only show that I can say never had a bad episode and is re-watchable. I’ve seen some episodes up to ten times and still never find it stale.
I’m not going to say it’s the best show ever but I enjoy it.
So I’m watching it and realize that it started in 1997. I remember when it premiered on HBO and it seems like yesterday. However, that was 12 years ago, which is a significant amount of time.
I’m often honest about my age here, I’m 28, because I’m proud of it. I made it to a good age when several of my contemporaries haven’t. We can all die tomorrow but this isn’t meant to be depressing.
When I look at facts like Oz premiering 12 years ago or having a nephew in 11th grade or mathematically being able to be the father of my youngest nephew who is in the 7th grade, it makes you think.
I was reminded of this lately as well with some of my television viewing this summer. A lot of my favorite shows are on repeats so this allows me to expand my viewing horizons if I’m home.
This led me to watch shows like NYC Prep on Bravo and the Real World on MTV. I did NYC Prep because I attended a private school in the NYC, Browning represent, and wanted to see the portrayal of prep school students. While the show was very unrealistic in my view of what really goes down, what struck me the most was the age difference between me and the people on the show. I’m 10 years removed from high school.
On the Real World, the cast members are from ages 20-23 and the petty, stupid, moronic things that they argue over are completely over my head. Not that I’m super mature right now but I can tell that I have moved on from that stage of my life.
Finally, when my nephew plays his music of current artists, I don’t like it and yearn for music from the 1990’s. In fact, outside of maybe some Keri Hilson, Kings of Leon, Mars Volta, Minus the Bear, and about four or five more artists, about 80% of the music that I listen to was produced before 2005. I’ve given up listening to radio stations.
I’ve turned into my older brother, who mocked my music choices in the 1990’s.
Not saying that the music of today is bad, it can be better, but I just feel a bit of a generational gap in my interest, hobbies, etc.
The worst is in sports. When you see old highlights from the 1980’s and 1990’s and you can remember exact moments of your life in relation to them and you do the math and it happened up to 20 years ago, you’re getting up there in age.
But I wouldn’t trade any of it because those are part of our life experiences.
Its fun to look back into our past like I’m doing with Oz but its also important to move on and enjoy the present.
Hopefully in 2019 I can post something on this Blog (yes, the plan is to keep the Blog going that long), I can look at a show like House in the same way as Oz, but if that doesn’t happen, that’s fine as well. We will always have some Bone Thugs to play.
Its been way too long since I’ve posted something here at Pourtout Pancakes. I figured that the best way to start writing again is to begin with a Sunday Reflections, granted its posted on a Tuesday, but you get the idea.
First some business:
Music to listen to: Prayer for England by Massive Attack
I finally was able to find a copy of 100th Window, my favorite album by Massive Attack at Grimey’s today. This is my favorite song from the album.
So what have I been doing the past two months? Well, first I stopped working at the Belmont athletic department because my graduate assistantship ended. That stunk because I loved working at Belmont and still consider it a home. Its my alma mater now and I will miss spending time there. Time goes on and I will be at plenty of games and am still friends with everyone over there.
However, the way I tend to operate is that when I separate from a relationship, whether its with a girlfriend, a job, etc. I like to take some time away to reflect on it and go into a state of isolation. That’s what I’ve done and unfortunately that included not writing as much on the Blog.
All of this correlated with the summer, which is a time of relaxation and furthermore, 90% of my content is in sports and besides baseball, this is a slow period in sports. Once football starts, that leads to basketball and hockey and even international club soccer, therefore there will be more material.
So I was relaxing at the house, catching up on my daytime TV (General Hospital has been the business), I started up another Blog, the Sports Inquirer. It was great doing that for a few weeks but the problem now is that I actually have a job now and won’t be able to do multiple posts per day as expected.
The middle of the summer was also getting me down because I was unemployed and that’s never fun. It wasn’t frustrating because it’s a tough job market out there, especially in sports. I’m confident in my skills but for every one of me, there are dozens of others out there like me struggling to find a gig.
Thankfully, about two weeks ago, I got a position at TNA Wrestling here in Nashville in the marketing department. I also get to work with public relations, video production, licensing and even affliliate relations. It’s a great opportunity because I still get to work in communications and its frickin professional wrestling, how great is that? I’m a fan of the wrestling business but also understand how to operate it. I hope to be a part of the organization for a long time.
You know that I keep it pretty honest here on the Blog so you will get details about the job as it comes along but no, I can’t tell you stuff pertaining to the actual product, which means there’s no way that I’m going to tell you if someone is going to beat someone for a title or anything along those lines. You will have to watch TNA iMPACT! every Thursday on Spike.
Was that a cheap plug, maybe, but you really should watch it, even if you’re not a wrestling fan per say. Its entertaining, has drama, the whole deal.
Besides, it is a lot more exciting to watch it for yourself and be surprised at the results. The nature of my job is knowing what’s going to happen in advance of it reaching the audience and I must admit that it does take some of the surprise element out of it. However, almost everything else, you will get it.
Let’s see, what else. No dates this summer. Its been a very slow dating period for me. Between not having a job , spending some necessary family time in Kennesaw and the stuff mentioned above, I guess finding a date wasn’t a priority. Maybe I’ll give Amber or Joan a call and see what’s going on. Actually, both of them are in relationships so that’s out but I’ve moved on from both of them a long time ago.
