Thursday, May 14, 2015
Monday, January 16, 2012
Pourtout Pancakes is returning soon...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Finally The Rock has come back to WWE...does it really matter?
So finally, The Rock has returned to WWE...
Video to watch: The Rock
Despite not working for a professional wrestling organization anymore, I still love the sport and follow it as much as I can.
It really started when I was a little kid and my grandparents used to watch the WWF every Saturday and treat it as if it was a real sport. If anyone even dared to say that the WWF, NWA or WCW was fake, they would get admonished greatly. Even to this day, some family members will never state that wrestling is fake.
You can say its acting, scripted, worked out, but don't call it fake. Those men and women are out there working hard out there and to call their art that is insulting.
I'm starting to sound like this guy...
Anyway, because of the influence of the family, I've taken professional wrestling more seriously than most other people really should. Even when I've gone periods of not watching it consistently, mainly my college years in the early 2000's, I still would find time to watch an episode of Raw, Nitro, Smackdown, ECW, etc.
Working for an actual wrestling organization made me watch the sport even more because it was part of the job to view the competition as well as your own work, but it helped me see the entire scope of the industry. This was good but it also took out some of the fun of being a fan and I looked at it as more of a business.
What does all of this have to do with The Rock's return?
For the first time in a long time, I felt like the fanboy that obsessed with the sport as a teenager.
When the arena lights went down and The Rock's theme music came on, I literally yelled out loud in my house and went off. It was an incredible moment that I didn't see coming.
With the internet age we're in, the difficulty of keeping a secret in wrestling is harder than ever. I'm sure there was a Web site or a few reporters who figured out that the guest host for Wrestlemania was going to be Rocky (one fan in the arena sitting behind the announce table had a sign for The Rock when he came out). However, it was great to finally be surprised for once.
I thought the actual promo was solid. I read a comment online that said The Rock looked rusty but I didn't see it. In fact, for someone who hasn't cut a long promo in that format in years, he did amazing. I thought the comments as Dwayne was a nice touch as well. His interaction with Michael Cole was funny as well, especially when you consider the history that both of those men have together. However, there were two things that I question from The Rock's promo.
1) Why was he so persistent in promising to never leave WWE again? The Rock kept saying that he was returning for good to the WWE but wouldn't say in what capacity. I have to believe that the acting career isn't over. Shoot, he's in the new movie in the Fast and Furious franchise that comes out this summer. The commercial was in the Super Bowl.
I don't think you're going to see The Rock lacing up his boots and trying to get the World Title. Why would The Rock put his body through the strains of being a wrestler when he can do just as well acting?
I think you're going to see The Rock on WWE television heavily for the next month promoting Wrestlemania but after the event, you may see him once every two to three months.
2) Why did he go off on John Cena? I understood him going after The Miz, the current WWE Champion. The Rock is a face, Miz is a heel, that's basic Wrestling 101 right there.
I'm not a fan of John Cena's character. Cena is a loyal to WWE and has been excellent for the company. In fact, Cena has been the biggest money maker for WWE the past seven years since The Rock left.
I was very surprised that WWE, mainly Vince McMahon, allowed The Rock to go after their cash cow like that in a public forum.
An amendment to that is that the Rock said all of his catchphrases during the promo but if you noticed, half of them were beeped out, which would have never happened in the mid to late 1990's or even the early 2000's.
The result of that is you have a generation of fans like myself who are frustrated about the censorship of the product and the representation of that has been Cena. Therefore, you have many fans who dislike Cena and I guess The Rock was trying to express that.
My final thought on this is that we've seen WWE bring back former stars in the past. I remember when Hulk Hogan returned for the first time in a long time years ago. I remember the reunion of the NWO in WWE. Outside of Randy Savage, Bruno Sanmartino and the Ultimate Warrior, we've seen every big name the WWE has ever had in its history, come back for one more run. However, the reality is that each of those returns produced a moment of glory and not much else. How will The Rock be different?
I've already had two friends tell me that they're coming to Wrestlemania in Atlanta just to see The Rock and seen numerous people online saying that they're now interested in the event.
I was going to order Wrestlemania on pay-per-view before The Rock's return but now I regret not having a ticket to go the actual event.
I think The Rock and WWE will be making a lot of money in the next few months.
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
My Thoughts on the 2011 Grammy Awards
Time to give a general commentary on the Grammys that took place on Sunday night.
Music to listen to: I Know You Know/Smile Like That by Esperanza Spalding
-Justin Bieber fans need to fall back: Its one thing to want your favorite artist to win an award. Its another thing to hack into the Wikipedia page of the other artist who got the award and leave negative messages towards them.
That's what happened to Esperanza Spalding when she won the Grammy for Best New Artist over Bieber on Sunday.
First, the whole "new artist" concept is flawed. Spalding has released three solo albums. Drake has been featured on songs for at least three years but released his first full length album this past year. Florence & The Machine along with Mumford & Sons have released work as well. Bieber has even had some work that would make him not be considered a "new artist."
What I'm trying to say is that you can't take this award too seriously and the Bieber fans who see him losing the award as a terrible moment need to gain perspective.
-I should have seen Spalding winning from a mile away: I'm a big fan of her work and have been following her work for a few years. I just didn't think she would win but it's not as big of an upset as you would think.
Most of the voters for Grammy awards tend to be "traditionalist" in nature and that's really code for old people. They tend to go for artists who could be defined as true musicians, which means playing your own instruments on stage. They'll throw a bone to an artist like Lady Gaga for things like Pop Vocal but look at other artists that have dominated Grammy awards in the past. Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, etc. You get the idea.
When you look at the New Artists, here's what the majority of voters were thinking.
"I'm not going to vote for Justin Bieber because he's a pop star who dances and the only person who knows who he is may be my daughter. I've heard of Drake but he lacks the musicianship I like in my New Artist. I'm not familiar with Florence & The Machine. I've heard of Mumford & Sons but I've really liked the jazz works of Spalding and think she's a true talent who may be the best prodigy in her genre in a generation. She will get my vote."
That may not have been the thinking of every voter but enough of them had this thought to produce the result.
-Not knowing who the artist is shouldn't be your ultimate judgement on the quality of the work.
I know that I'm the exception to the rule for the majority of people because I know of many musical acts in nearly every genre out there. I've heard of Spalding. I'm very familiar with the work of Lady Antebellum. Heck, if I made a list of the top-10 albums of 2010, The Suburbs by Arcade Fire would have probably made the cut.
However, even if I didn't know who they were, that wouldn't give me the inclination to dismiss their work.
The biggest problem, actually there are two problems that are happening with commercial music today.
-The majority of music airplay on video channels and radio are pop and rap. Actually calling this a problem isn't correct because I'm a fan of Jay-Z, Eminem, Bruno Mars, Usher, Drake and Rihanna, all artists who had a big musical year in 2010 as far as airplay goes. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are hit or miss for me and as much crap as he gets, Bieber is OK by me. I really don't listen to his music much but its hard to avoid knowing of his songs if you follow music. I do respect his hustle though.
The problem with this is that genres such as alternative rock, country, jazz, dance, electronic, heavy metal, R&B, hard rock, punk, etc. aren't getting as much attention in the mainstream.
That's how you can have an Arcade Fire or Sterling win an award in the most public forum in music, the Grammys, and a majority of people not know who they are.
-We've become an IPod/Pandora society in relation to music. What's happened is that fans of groups such as Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Minus the Bear, Mars Volta, Maserati, Block Party and other groups of that ilk have said screw it to trying to listen to songs by those artists on the local rock or pop stations in their hometown and going online to get the music.
I can honestly tell you that I listen to 80% of my music from my own collections whether its a burned CD, ITunes downloads, Pandora internet radio, 10% goes to college radio stations and the other 10% goes to traditional radio stations. What this means is that I'm probably going to listen to a Black Angels song before Lady Gaga and I'm not alone.
When I was younger (back in the 1980's and early 1990's), you would listen to a station and literally hear Dr. Dre, Nirvana and Mariah Carey on the same show. Now, those are three different stations, two at the least. That's how I became a fan of all genres of music.
The country music interest came from living in Nashville for seven years. However, I've always argued that I would like country music even if I never lived there but it would be less likely if I stayed in the Northeast where I was born.
What's happening now is that people only seem to stick to their favorite genre or artists and are fiercely loyal to it at the detriment of acknowledging other works.
That's when you get supporters of artists such as Bieber or Lil Wayne who become downright hostile when you suggest that another artist may be better. Those are mainstream examples but I'm sure each of you can think of a musical act, known or not, that have these same supporters.
I'm on record as saying that The Mars Volta is not only my favorite group of the last 10 years but maybe in my lifetime and I'm sure that the majority of you don't know about the band. If I made the same statement about someone like U2, I would get some critiques but in the end you would listen to my argument more because that's a known group. If I make the same case for Volta, you would probably tell me to go back to my mother's basement and keep my indy/emo crap to myself.
What does this all mean?
It means that we're finding less diversification in the music choices of people, especially if there under 25 years old or older than 50 years old.
Therefore, we have things like Sunday night take place.
-Despite all of that, I enjoyed Eminem's album the most of the choices for that category. This doesn't mean that Arcade Fire's album was bad, in fact I liked it also.
-I'm over Will and Jada Smith's kids. I enjoy the acting of Will and Jada but I'm done with their darn kids. I don't want to see them in a movie, telling me what to do with my hair, rapping, all of it. Leave me alone.
-Mick Jagger has been and always will be awesome.
-If anyone should have beef about not winning an award in a category, its Cee-Lo Green. How does Fuck You not win Record of the Year?
-On that accord, how does Love the Way You Lie not win Song of the Year?
OK, those are my thoughts. What are yours?
Monday, February 14, 2011
Repost: Not Bitter on Valentine's Day? I Was Shocked Myself!
First, I think that people, especially women are finally catching on to the overrated “holiday” and I use that term loosely. You shouldn't have to wait until February 14th to express your love to your girlfriend, it should be a daily event. Plus, I've said this since I've been a little kid, you should be insulted if your boyfriend treats you well on only one day of the year. So this has been an improvement. You're still going to have the few that take the day TOO seriously, but its ok.
Second, I really think that the economy has had a major effect on the “holiday.” People are struggling to pay bills and are literally losing their jobs, so the concept of spending thousands on a gift is a lot for us these days.
Third, on a direct personal level, I've gone through a complete reevaluation of my life and I'm not happy where I'm at professionally and personally, more the former than the latter. I'll get into that distinction at another time, but the point is that I've been more concerned about things like how I'm going to pay rent and what I want from my career in the next five years than worry about my dating situation.
Fourth, I've been single every single Valentine's Day in my life, literally. Even back in elementary school and junior high when you would just pick someone of the opposite sex and keep it moving, I never did that. I even broke down about it at 16 years old, will never forget it.
I was coming home on the subway and I saw at least five couples my age looking happy and exchanging gifts. Women were carrying flowers and candy, men were appreciating the affection and I was there staring at them, giving them the patented mean look. It was based on envy and when I got home, I started to cry because of my feeling of lonliness. I balled my eyes out for nearly an hour.
What does all of that mean? If the same thing happens for nearly 30 years on the same date in an annual basis, why get mad at it? I'm going to be single, most likely for the rest of my life, and I've accepted that. No need for tears.
Fifth, being single on this “holiday” saves money and I take pride in my thriftiness with my finances. You can call me cheap, I don't care.
Finally, the “holiday” does focus on love within dating relationships, but it does promote the concept of love in general and who can hate on that?
Before you can find happiness in your life, you have to appreciate the happiness that others are experienceing in their lives. Instead of having jealousy for people who are in loving relationships, I should acknowledge and approve of it. Love is hard to find and not all of us will feel it in our lives.
Plus, your time will come. It may not be soon and it may not be in the form that you expect. I may not come across a loving relationship with a girlfriend or wife until I'm 80 or I may meet her tomorrow, or even worse, maybe I've already experienced it and didn't understand it. Maybe my true love will be a dog I'll purchase next year. Either way, it will happen for me.
So, I wasn't bitter on Valentine's Day and it felt good.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday Reflections
Time for some Reflections
Music to listen to: Where I End and You Begin by Radiohead
Its been another long spell since I've written on Pourtout Pancakes. Its strange that when I was my most active personally and professionally, having a full-time job, going to graduate school at night, dating, etc. I wrote on the Blong consistently. Now, even when not having full-time work, I'm spuratic with my posts.
There are two main reasons. First, I've been focusing on The Sports Inquirer. Second, I didn't want to write about the same stuff each week. A normal post would be about me applying for jobs, going on an interview, two if I'm lucky, not even getting a call back, being lonely in Georgia because while I love my family and enjoy my time with them, I'm a sports professional and should be working at a game in some form. How it kills me to watch sports on television, especially college contests involving Belmont and Vandy and missing the heck out of Nashville. How I'm in the worst financial state I've even been in my life and I'm 29. How I've finally reached the point where I want to start a family and struggling with my dating life.
No one wants to read about those things consistently on a Blog.
However, I've learned that despite this being the roughest patch of my professional life, I have to improve my grind. If I want to reach my professional goals, I have to dedicate completly to my work. Every moment should be dedicated to something that helps grow my brand.
That means writing more posts and not watching reality television. The more time I commit to writing will make me a better writer for my eventual sports business magazine.
It means doing a physical workout instead of searching odd topics on Google. This will not only keep me healthy and increase my lifetime, it will make me look better when I'm on television providing my analysis of said sports issues.
I see people like Darren Rovell, Peter King, Jay Glazer, Jason Whitlock and numerous others and their work ethic is much better than mines and that disturbs me because I can be at their level, maybe even better but I've been wasting my time feeling bad about the cards I've been dealt.
I was released from a job that I really, really liked. Didn't deserve to be let go in my opinion but that's not going to be the first time this has happened or will happen. I have to move on.
I had to leave Nashville, which bummed me out but I didn't want to leave the first time. I didn't want to leave Charleston when I lived there. When I eventually move out away from where I'm currently at, Kennesaw, Ga. I'll be sad to leave here also. I'm probably not going to live in Nashville again, loved my time there, miss my friends there, but I have to move on.
I'm not going to start that family I'm interested in having for a few years. I want to achieve things that are going to take several years to gain. There's no need to have a mental scoreboard comparing how many of my friends have reached the benchmarks of top job, marriage and children in comparison to myself. Not only does this waste time but everyone's journey is different so let them live their lives.
So the final message of this post for myself is to improve my work ethic and try to enjoy this journey of life.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Links I Like
Time for a long-overdue addition of Links I Like
Music to listen to: Warning (live) by Incubus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vvKOMM3JDo&feature=related
-Since I’m single and dating, its always fun to see a satirical view of how things are out there so enjoy this post titled “8 Reasons Not To Date Black…uh…I Mean TO Date a White Woman.” Personally, I find #7 to be true in some ways.
-There isn’t a professional wrestler that I respect for his in-ring work more than Kurt Angle and here’s an interview of him discussing his career before a pay-per-view: http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/10/10/kurt-angle-has-high-expectations-for-match-at-tna-bound-for-glory/
-Seeing how I operate two Blogs, have a twitter account, use Facebook daily and go to sleep literally with my lap top on, I’m the last one to judge another person’s digital usage but the overkill of the younger generation of technology is an interesting read: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?_r=2&src=tptw
-Excellent post by my friend Nicole on her Blog titled This Is Why You’re Single. The title says it all.
-I’ve always been a fan of Cracked.com and one of their posts with un-doctored pictures is amazing. The picture at the top is one of these pics: http://www.cracked.com/article_18878_17-images-you-wont-believe-arent-photoshopped-part-7.html
-What were her parents thinking with this name for their daughter?
What are some links you like?
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I've become the "Old Relative"
Music to listen to: Hurt Me by The Jezabels
I went to my niece’s high school basketball game yesterday and it was a good experience. J played well, the team won, all was well or so I thought.
Her high school plays the women’s game first and than the men’s so I stayed for a part of the men’s game while J wrapped up her post-game activities.
I find her watching the men’s contest on the other side of the gym in the bleachers, so I come over and tell her congrats on the game and everything.
Well, she was sitting with two boys and I immediately knew that she wanted me to leave so that she could continue her social activities. I also know that she was “scouting” out some of the talent on her school’s boy team. In fact, she was trying to move the conversation along so that I would get my goodbye in and leave.
I saw right through it and called her out on it. She laughed and said that this wasn’t the case, but I’ve been there so I told her that I’ll talk to her later and left.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. In the summer, I ran into J while I was at the mall and she was with her friends. The second that she saw me, she ran the other way to not come near me. I knew her friends so it wasn’t as if I was going to see some shady characters J was with.
The reality is that I’ve become the “old relative.”
We’ve have that older relative when we were teenagers that we have love for but we think is lame if we associate with them in front of our friends.
I’m not hurt by J’s actions. In fact, I’ve joked with her about the mall incident and will mess with her about the gym situation the next time we’re together.
But its strange to be at this stage of our relationship because I was the youngest member of the immediate family for many years, especially during my elementary and high school years. Its been an interesting transition going from the young guy to being the mentor to a group that’s currently in high school themselves.
The relationship with J has had changed over the years. When she was first born, she was the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. I know everyone says that about their kid or family member, but you have to believe me on this one. I would spend hours with her because it was cool to spend time with a little girl for the first time.
I still remember when I was babysitting her when J was less than a year old and there was a blackout at the house we were staying at. I spoke directly to her for a whole hour and she just sat there, looked up at me and listened. Granted, J may have been excited to see a talking object as a baby but it started a bond that is still strong to this day.
She’s 15 now and growing up into a woman. We’re still close and have even been able to share some things in common, including our dating lives to some degree as strange as that sounds. She’s my main advisor in many aspects of my life.
However, as evidence at the gym yesterday, she’s springing out into her own world and I’ve come to terms with this.
I’ve always said that J has been a test case for me if I ever have a daughter and this is a lesson that I’ll remember for a long time.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Update on all things Pourtout Pancakes
Music to listen to: Any Colour You Like by Pink Floyd
Hey everybody. Its been such a long time since I’ve written on Pourtout Pancakes and that’s my fault.
Since moving to Georgia, I’ve been focused on not only finding a full-time job but on my other Web page, thesportsinquirer.worpress.com.
Spending a majority of time on that has been fun but I’ve also missed giving you my updated top-five, Links I Like, dating life information, music reviews and of course, Sunday Reflections.
There’s nothing new to update you on here in Georgia. I miss Nashville for a variety of reasons. I miss attending Vandy football games, even though looking at this season from a far, maybe it was good to sit this one out from a distance.
I miss going to Belmont sporting events, where even after I graduated and stopped working in the athletic department was given massive amounts of love whenever I visited.
I even miss my peeps at TNA Wrestling. While there may have been issues at the time I was there, it was an awesome gig to have and as a professional wrestling fan, that internship may be a major highlight in my professional career.
More importantly, at all of those places, I miss the people.
I’ve kept in touch with some but not as much as I would like. I went from seeing some people every day to not even hearing from them for weeks at a time.
However, despite all of this nostalgia, it was time to move away from Nashville and find another path.
What that path is, I’m unsure.
What has been a bummer is seeing the employment market in sports. I’ve been on all of the job boards, sent my resume to a bunch of places, made countless cover letters, contacted a bunch of people, yet nothing.
It makes you want to look for something outside of the industry, which is something that I’ve had to start doing because the financial funds are really low right now.
But you don’t read this Blog to hear about all of that. I’ll be fine.
So I’ll make a better effort to write more on Pourtout Pancakes because its fun and does provide me a form of therapy that I can use right now in my life.
Until then, good fight and good night everybody.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday Reflections: "Shotgun Weddings" in 2010
My Reflections today are on pregnant women getting married. Strange, I know, but first…
Music to listen to: Hoops by Chemical Brothers (live)
I thought about this topic when watching the Bethanny’s Getting Married TV show on Bravo. Before you start hating for me watching a show on that station, especially a spinoff of a Real Housewives edition of the series, hear me out. Beth is entertaining, her unintentional comedy is off the charts, easy on the eyes and has a show based in my hometown, the NYC. Darn near any show based in the NYC gets a customary view because that’s where I will always represent for it. So I gave Beth’s show an opportunity, liked it, etc.
So the premise of the show is this. She’s pregnant and is planning to get married during the pregnancy to her boyfriend. Of course, there is drama with this, but she has her wedding, even has the honeymoon about seven months pregnant, has the baby a month early, baby and marriage is fine, the end.
While watching the show, I kept asking myself why she just didn’t wait to get married until AFTER she had the baby. I thought that Beth was the exception but I’ve seen this trend happening often.
First it was Beth, than it was the singer Alicia Keys, next was model Miranda Kerr and even someone within my extended family. What’s going on?
I thought in 2010 that we would be past the “shotgun wedding.”
I’ve fortunately never been in a situation where I’ve gotten someone pregnant and had to make a decision to whether I want to keep the baby, stay with the woman, break up with her and be a single parent, etc. You would have to consider all of those things if you are in that spot.
I put this inquiry on Facebook about a week ago and the response from my women friends tended to be of the view that women don’t want to be a “baby mama,” meaning that before they give birth to the baby, they want a commitment from their boyfriend that they will have a family and nothing says that more than marriage.
I see that view from the women but here’s my view as a man.
If we’re in an established relationship and you happen to be pregnant, that would be great. I want to be a father and if we were having unprotected sex than I was willing to accept the potential responsibility of fatherhood. However, there is a difference between being your husband and the father of your child. They are connected but not as much as people make it out to be.
Our marriage is about the commitment that we are making towards each other. My role as a father is about my commitment to our child. I can be a great father without being your husband. Being a great husband may have no impact on my fathering skills.
If we only get married to provide a fake family for our child, that’s going to hurt in a major way in the future because it won’t last and hurt feelings will ensue.
Furthermore, preparing to have a baby is a major commitment in itself that deserves its own attention. Those nine months should be dedicated to our child, not looking at floral arrangements and seating charts. We should be preparing the nursery and not trying out wedding gowns, you get what I’m saying.
We can take care of the pregnancy, wait about a year while we settle into being parents and then have the wedding when things calm down.
Also, I thought most of us 35 years old and under were beyond the pressures of the older generation forcing the “shotgun wedding.” Back in the olden days (really the 1950’s and 60’s), if you got someone pregnant, you had to marry then because raising a child out of wedlock was considered unacceptable by the standards of society.
In the 21st century, most of us were either raised by divorced parents or had a member of your immediate family circle going through it. My parents are divorced and after spending time with each of them, I understand why the separation happened on both sides. If they forced themselves to stay together for my sake, it would have been an unhappier household that would have been problems for everybody.
That’s just my case and not everyone is the same but what do you think about “shotgun weddings” in 2010?
Monday, July 12, 2010
Welcome to Kennesaw: Not my Rock Bottom
Music to listen to: Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan (otherwise known as that Matrix song)
My nephew asked me a few weeks ago if this was my lowest point of my life or rock bottom. I thought about it and I simply told him no. He didn’t have to know about my unhappy high school years, my depression during the first two years of college, celebrating my 21st birthday alone and wondering if I left the world if anyone would care, having the power and heat cut off of my apartment in Dunwoody, making me take hot showers at the gym and about five or six situations I can think of but won’t get into.
Searching for a job is not my lowest point.
I can see his view of it. He has seen his uncle go from earning a master’s degree in the one industry that I’ve cared about the most, sport management and then working in professional wrestling in a fun job to having no money in my account and having to move into my mother’s home. He’s seen me move away from a place that I’ve had the best three years of my life, Nashville, to a less active suburbia.
To a 13-year old who thinks his uncle should be living in a condo in downtown Atlanta partying with three girlfriends and hitting the bars but instead is barely surviving, that can be viewed at as a low.
But his blunt honesty of my situation has made me realize that I’ve let myself perceive this as a low and that’s why I haven’t written on my Blog for nearly two months.
For those of you who have followed Pourtout Pancakes the past three years know that I’ll write about anything personal accept my family. I’ve written about my body image issues, my job, working on getting my education, dating, sports and even dying. My boundaries are very open, but why the fear of writing now?
I thought that I would write my post saying goodbye to Nashville and than be able to do another one a week or two later promoting my new job in a fun city that would continue my life path.
I wanted my next post to be a positive one with good news on my front but that isn’t what the Blog is about. Its about me working out my issues and hopefully letting my experiences be helpful to someone that’s reading it.
I let the perceived lives of others affect my mood. I violated my own rule of not judging my life in comparison with others. One of my life mantras is to have my own journey but when I see people I know getting jobs, getting married, having children, taking vacations around the world and I’m stuck here, that hurt.
But this (earmuffs for the kids) shit is temporary. I will come out of this stronger and with a desire to dominate all aspects of my life. I will get a job, have my own place again and get back into a positive situation.
The second thing that happened since my move here was interesting as well. I was in an interview for a sales position for an athletic department in Georgia and they asked me if sports didn’t exist, what industry would I work in.
At first, I tried to give a answer but kept it real and told them that I can’t imagine myself in another industry.
I’m a sports journalist. That’s what I do.
I’ve been flexible with it working in media relations, marketing, advertising, etc but the core desire is the same.
Fuck it I will have that sports media outlet that will be witnessed by the world as the premiere source in the world for sports news. I can’t compromise on that ideal because if I do than I will consider my life, at least on the professional side, a failure.
I have been a failure towards my goal and have to be honest about that. You’re reading this and calling me out on my bull crap.
I could produce this sports media vehicle right now. I can start up that second Blog. I can post videos with my commentaries. I could become a freelance writer. All of this is true. I’m not going to make promises that I’m going to do all of that to you because I can’t even keep that promise to myself.
I don’t know what my next step is and that’s the honest truth.
So that’s the update. I’ll touch on stuff like enjoying food a little too much, my new enjoyment of Univision and Telemundo, LeBron, the World Cup, watching three seasons of The Wire on DVD and it being one of the five best shows I’ve ever seen, the Cincinnati Reds being in first place, getting roped into online dating again, Fedor losing and Brock winning me over as a MMA fan, being awed by Breaking Bad, the addiction of daytime TV and everything in between over the next few weeks in my blog posts.
This isn’t a rock bottom, just a time to get it together and more importantly, get it right.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
NBA Playoffs Review: Conference Finals and Where Will LeBron Go?
Before I start, you know what's coming...
Music to listen to: Seven by Sunny Day Real Estate
So we are halfway through the conference finals of the NBA Playoffs and not only are we heading towards possible sweeps, but we my see a rematch of only two years ago in the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. This may lead to a lack of excitement for casual fans but there has been a lot of things going on in the world of the NBA. So you’ve come to the right source for the review of it all.
1) Where in the world will LeBron James go? I’ve been asked this question by several people because I have a partial and impartial view of this situation. I’m a New York Knicks fan, one of LeBron’s potential destinations, and I would be happy if he became a Knick. However, as an NBA fan, I like to see elite players in the best situations so we can see the best product possible. Plus, I show no emotion in my analysis and you know that. Here’s my breakdown.
Before I start, he’s going to make his money wherever he goes, so the fact that Cleveland can sign him for the “most” money is true on paper but in the grand scheme of this situation, it doesn’t matter.
If he’s thinking with his basketball mind he will be a…Bull. Chicago gives him the best situation to turn a playoff team to a potentially elite team. Not only do the Bulls have Rose and Noah in store, they have additional money to sign another high-level player like Chris Bosh. If you put those four together, they will be the top team in the East right along with Orlando the next five to six years. They also have Deng’s contract to include in a sign and trade, which makes the possibility even stronger. There is also an open head coach position if he wants to play that game.
If he’s thinking with his heart he will be a…Cav. LeBron continues to preach loyalty and obviously staying with your “hometown” team is the way to show this. I put “hometown” in quotations because most people seem to think that LeBron considers Cleveland his hometown but its actually Akron that he claims. It’s not the same. He can finish what he has stated with the Cavs. However, because of the inept management of the team’s roster, all of the role players such as Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, Varajo, etc. are still with the team for a few years with heavy contracts other teams won’t want. If LeBron couldn’t even make the Finals the past two years with this crew, what makes him think it will be any different? Plus, if they keep Mike Brown, which they probably won’t, James has to walk.
If he wanted to think about his brand, he will be a…Net. I’ll get to the Knicks, hear me out. The Nets have Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, a top-three pick in the draft and money to spend. He will be closer to his major New York market and the Nets have a better core than the Knicks, which isn’t saying much but it’s something. Another open position is at head coach. Two more factors to consider. You can’t ignore the ownership of Jay-Z of the team as being a factor. Those two have formed a relationship of some form that has lasted a long time. Second, the owner is Russian and has European connections that will help James increase his name in that area of the world.
If he wants to be a little savvy he will be a…Celtic or Thunder. Both teams can afford him, especially Oklahoma City. They each have good cores to build around but I don’t think that Lebron is a candidate for these locations.
If he wanted to be savvy and give a sleeper a chance, he would be a…Maverick. Dallas has the money, an expiring contract, the sway of Mark Cuban, the chance to play in a bigger market and even Texas Stadium on occasion and some other attributes. The problem is that you have an older core that may lose its maximum skills in a year or two instead of a younger core like Chicago or New Jersey.
If he buys into the whole “global icon” concept, he would be a…Knick. It is the biggest market, the largest stage, offers the most money besides Cleveland, he would be the biggest sports celebrity in that city, even more than Jeter. He would gain larger exposure for his brand. On the court, New York offers him a nearly open slate to choose players and a coach in D’Antoni with a system that he could realistically average 35/10/8 if he wanted to for a season or even tick the points down a few and get the elusive triple-double season. However, this isn’t enough. He would have to get another player like Bosh or even Wade to take the leap with him. This may be harder than you would think.
If he can deal with a crappy owner, he would be a Clipper…If the Clippers had another owner that gave a crap about the team, they would be the favorite outside of Cleveland. The Clippers give him the major market, have a solid core of young players, the whole thing accept for the terrible owner. There is no way that LeBron makes this move. Can’t blame him.
So where does he go. I think he ends up a Knick. He’s going to buy into the BS of him having to play for the Knicks to reach his marketing potential. He’s already the face of the league. If he wants to reach Michael Jordan status, he has to win titles. He would have a better chance of doing that with the Bulls and not a rebuilding Knicks team.
Wherever he chooses to play, he needs to gain a killer instinct and act like he cares. Losing game five of the Boston series wasn’t criminal. It happens to all of the great players. However, his mannerisms during that contest was unacceptable for a player who is trying to become a world champion. All of the greats from Jordan to Magic to Bird and many others wouldn’t have let game five happen the way that it did. You have to be aggressive and take control of your team. Game six was a formality because all of us knew the Cavs were going to lose that contest.
The biggest thing that we learned from that Boston series is that LeBron, really any elite player honestly, needs help to win a championship. One-man gangs don’t win NBA titles. That’s why its critical that whoever he signs with has a supporting cast around him because if he goes to New York and no one joins him, he’s going to keep losing early in the playoffs.
Enough LeBron, he’s out of the playoffs, lets look at the other playoff series:
Boston vs. Orlando: Dwight Howard is like LeBron-lite. The lack of competitiveness in him is just as disappointing. He needs to stop smiling and acting happy because he’s getting punked in this series. The thing that was most disturbing was his “interview” during game one of the series with himself. His alter ego Clark Kent or some other crap like that was doing an interview with Dwight, it was awful as it sounds. Not to sound like an old man but you wouldn’t see the great players do that at all. He’s not elite. Also, learn some post moves.
When you’re relying on Vince Carter for clutch plays, you have problems.
For Boston, we’ve seen this song and dance before. The main difference is that while Pierce, Garnett and Allen can’t give a max effort every night because of age, Rondo steps up and fills the role. I still would take Deron Williams and Derrick Rose before Rondo but he’s had an excellent 2010 playoffs.
Back to Orlando. I think that sweeping Charlotte and Atlanta may have actually hurt it. The Magic haven’t been challenged and you’re seeing the battle-tested crew of Boston take it to them. Also, does Rashad Lewis even know that this series has started? Just a question for someone who is due to make more than $18 million dollars each year for the next four? What an awful contract.
I think Boston wins this series in six.
Los Angeles vs. Phoenix: Its not a problem for the Suns when Kobe goes for 40 points in game one. Lamar Odom going for 18 and 18 in the same contest is not good. Gasol getting 28 points in game two is a problem. Kobe is going to get 30+ points in every game of this series. If the bigs for the Lakers have big games, the Suns will get swept.
Phoenix just doesn’t have the size to compete.
However, similar to Orlando, if the Lakers get comfortable, Boston will bring it to them in the Finals.
Lakers in five.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday Reflection (on a Monday): I'm Leaving Nashville
What up everybody, hope you’ve been well. On to another fun post…
Music to listen to: Machine Messiah by Yes
So I’m moving out of Nashville and going to spend at least the summer in good ole Kennesaw, Ga.
Its been an active four-week period for me personally and professionally. It all started at the end of March when I was informed that I was going to be released from my position at TNA Wrestling. It was a tough blow to take because its always tough being told that you aren’t wanted at your place of employment, no matter how good or bad you did at your job. I think I did well and tried my best but that wasn’t good enough for them and I can’t control that. I made some excellent relationships there and will miss the job but you have to move on.
Furthermore, as I’ve stated here in this forum, working in sports is a dicey profession to get involved in. No one is safe. Players get traded, coaches get fired, executives get released, its part of the gig. So while there are some hard feelings towards the release, I’m not bitter about it. Plus, in a few years, there may be another chance to come back to TNA Wrestling or professional wresting in general, so this is just a phase of the employment life.
It was fun to work in professional wrestling because I was able to achieve one of those childhood goals. When I was a little, ok husky, lad in Brooklyn with only a prayer and a dream back in the NYC, I wanted to be one of several things in this order
1) President of the New York Mets
2) Sports writer for the New York Daily News
3) President of the New York Giants
4) President of the New York Rangers
5) President of the World Wrestling Federation
The first one would be interesting, the second one would be interesting and I’ve worked in media relations so I have an idea of how that goes down, the third one would be OK, the fourth one would be the most outside of my element and the fifth one would be the least interesting to me because after working in professional wrestling, I see what goes into it and its probably not for me. But at least I can say that I tried it.
Plus I got paid to talk about and watch wrestling. The 13-year old version of me would think that was epic so the 28-year old version will as well.
After getting the release, I’ve been contemplating a LOT of stuff in my life. I’ve come to several conclusions. Want to hear them? Since you’re reading this blog post, you probably do so here they go:
1) It’s time to move out of Nashville. I’ve spent seven years of my adult life in this city and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. When I first came down here for undergrad studies, there was a culture shock of moving from the NYC to middle Tennessee. While I had spent some summers in South Carolina and Georgia as a teenager, it wasn’t the same. This city has represented my growth as an adult in many ways. When I first came here in 1999, Nashville was growing from a perceived sleepy town with some country music into one of the major cities in the country. Between the Tennessee Titans, businesses moving down here and everything else, it was a happening time. By the time of my first departure in 2003, the city had changed and so did I. After some rough personal times and not finding happiness in Charleston, S.C., I jumped at the chance to come back to this city for graduate school and its been even more fun than the frst time.
I’ve so comfortable here. I know where to go to take care of every task, have free access to each sporting event of my choosing, only a three-hour drive from a significant amount of my family, the people are nice, etc.
However, its time for me to move outside of my bubble and expand my options. I’m sure that I could stay here, find a job to my liking and spend the next fifty years here. But I want to see more of this country, diversify my choices and that means moving away. I will always be around the city though. I can’t miss Vandy football, Belmont volleyball, Belmont soccer, Vandy men’s basketball, Belmont basketball, and most surprisingly, Belmont baseball.
I came to my ultimate conclusion to move out on Saturday when I went to the senior day activities for Belmont baseball. I saw the ceremony for the four seniors Packy, Cameron, Brandan and Mark and thought back to three years ago when those guys were sophomores and now they were grown men moving on to their next paths of life. I would love to still be friends with the senior versions of them and stay in this state forever but that’s not how life works. Like them I must find my path and that means leaving this comfort zone.
I will have an emo moment when I drive on to I-24 towards Chattanooga to Georgia because while I will visit here often, it won’t be the same.
2) Being very picky about my next position of employment, it has to be in the following fields to reach these positions.
a) College athletic director
b) President of a Mixed Martial Arts organization
c) Publisher of a sports publication
d) President/Commissioner of a professional basketball team/organization
e) President/Commissioner of a professional baseball team/organization
f) Kick ass bass player of an alternative rock group that’s part Mars Volta, part Yes, part Tool, some Black Angels, Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation wrapped into one.
Only one of those has no chance of happening. I’ve looked at other positions in other industries and I would prefer to not do it. I love the sports industry and more importantly, I’m good, borderline excellent in it. This is what I want to do and the past month has confirmed this for me.
3) I want a wife and children. I’ve bounced back and forth with this one. All of us who are single like me have those moments when we see a happy family in a public place and wish we had that for ourselves and then we see an unhappy couple with miserable children and are grateful we aren’t in that spot.
If it seems like I’m harping on age its not intentional but I get like this on my birthday week. I turn 29 on Saturday and while I’m not old (btw, when you’re in your early 50’s, you’re old, no shame in that, embrace it, but you are in the second-half of your life), I would prefer to not be the old dad if you know what I’m saying.
I figure I’m fortunate if I reach 70. I’m well aware of my mortality and accept it because all of us die so no biggie to think on these terms. I would like to be able to post up my sons and daughters in the backyard driveway playing basketball when they are teenagers, lets say 15. Its going to go south for me at 50, so that means I have about five years, maybe 10 before I have to at least have the first child.
I’ve heard that having a child is like seeing a dog learn to talk and who doesn’t want that?
But seriously, if I want to have a family, these are things I have to think about. I’m glad that I haven’t had any children yet because I’m not in the proper position to support them right now but I will be soon.
So as of May 17, 2010, your boy will eventually like to become a father and husband, but that may change next week, next year or even by the end of this post. Its something that’s in my control and out of my control if that makes sense.
4) I want to have more fun. This month has been rough but its shown me that I also have a lot going for me and that I have to enjoy my life more because as you saw in point three above, it can go in an instant.
Along those lines, I have to go back to my definitions of fun. For some, heading to the bar or dance club may be fun but I’m not interested in that. I find enjoyment in writing on this blog, heading to the book store and reading, attending sporting events, etc. What I’m telling myself to do is embrace my journey and find enjoyment within me.
5) I really, really want to get Sports Inquirer going. This moment of my life will determine if I become a sports journalist or not. Pourtout Pancakes is a good forum but deep in my soul I believe that if I do this right, when you think of American sports publications, it will be only behind Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and The Sporting News. Its on me to make that happen
6) Law school may still happen in 2011, but I’m not ready to take the LSAT. I postponed that test until October. It had to be done.
7) Learn French and play guitar. When I release my French rock album and have my first concert in Quebec City, you won’t be laughing then.
8) Value my family. I’ve been selfish the last decade of my life in relation to assisting my family. They can really use my assistance at this time. I’m not going to specifics because remember my one rule of the blog, I don’t write about specifics in my family but its nothing major. However, having my presence in Georgia will be nice for them.
And with that, I’m leaving Nashville.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
NBA Playoffs Review
Hey everybody, long time since my last Blog post, no excuses, let’s get right into it with a review of the 2010 NBA playoffs so far.
Music to listen to: Exodus by Bob Marley
This is what I’m listening to while doing this post. For some reason, Bob Marley came up in a conversation I was having a few days ago so I’ve decided to post my favorite song of his.
So the NBA playoffs are in full swing and I’m loving every moment of it. This is my favorite set of playoffs out of the big four sports because while it does last a little too long for my taste (thank you television rights), you see the most intriguing matchups and the true meddle of teams. While MLB is seems even lengthier, NFL crests with the Super Bowl and the NHL seems like a war of attriction, the NBA seems like the perfect balance.
I didn’t know the best way to do this but decided to make general statements and roll from there.
-Denver is an absolute mess and I don’t know where to point the finger. I could go with the unfortunate health decline of its head coach, George Karl, the eroding skills of Billups, the pouting and immaturity of J.R. Smith, the joke of an attitude that Kenyon Martin has. In the end, I have to look at Carmelo Anthony. He should have taken the reigns on this team and carried them to a win over Utah in the first round.
-Have no idea what to make of Charlotte after its first-round series against Orlando.
-Dwayne Wade is, at worst, the fourth-best player in the league and he may need to be higher. That game four performance against Boston was inspirational. When he is a Bull next year, look out for those guys, speaking of which…
-The combo of Derrick Rose and Noah in Chicago in its series against Cleveland, should be an open letter to every wing free-agent, including LeBron, that you can go to the Bulls and compete for the East, maybe even an NBA title. Its rare to find an elite point guard and a high-production forward together and willing to do whatever it takes for the team. If the Bulls hire someone competent as head coach, even though with the ownership’s continued support of the incompetent general manager Paxson you don’t know, that team can be a force.
-I’m buying into what Kenny Smith said on Inside the NBA that Kevin Durant will be the best player in the NBA in three years. Think about it. Kobe and Duncan will definitely be on the downturn. Dwight Howard will actually regress as a player and I’ll get to him in my next point. Deron Williams, Rose and Chris Paul will continue to do their thing but Durant will have a size advantage over them. Anthony is solid but not better.
That leaves Wade and LeBron. We’ve seen Wade’s body break down so I’m leaning against him. I think that Durant is a better shooter right now, LeBron is a better defender, both can score even though I would put Durant as a better “scorer.” Just think about it.
The Thunder showed me some maturity in losing to the Lakers and will be a force to recognize in the next few years.
-Portland was borderline idiotic in playing Brandon Roy with a bum knee. I don’t care that he came on the court, hit some shots and the Blazers actually won that home contest. You can’t risk your franchise player in a first-round series like that. Furthermore, your team has a history of injuries, hello Greg Oden, and you do that. That was one of the most unsmart moves I’ve seen from a professional organization
-OK, back to Dwight Howard. We should have seen more development from him as a post player by now in his career. I know he had a nice game against Atlanta last night but Orlando will NEVER win a title if he is the main option on offense.
-Fire Mike Woodson. As a passive Hawks fan, I’m disgusted at the fact of the Bucks series going seven games and the embarrassment of last night’s game against Orlando. He has been an incompetent coach during his entire time in Atlanta and now the rest of America gets to see it.
Now on to the current series
Lakers vs. Jazz: While Deron Williams is playing like the best point guard in the league right now and the Jazz will always play hard, it can’t beat the Lakers. Too much size. Lakers in six.
Suns vs. Spurs: Classic series that will be enjoyable to watch because of the matchups. I think this is the year that Phoenix breaks through. Suns in seven.
Orland vs. Atlanta: This has the chance of being a sweep but I’ll give the Hawks one game assuming that Joe Johnson gets hot in one contest. Magic in five.
Cleveland vs. Boston: Saved the best for last. I’m as big of a LeBron mark as you can find but two things are disturbing me about this series and the Cavs in general. First, the elbow injury is legit and it can affect him physically. The second point worries me even more and it’s the mental state of the Cavs. They seemed a little too happy to get their butts whipped at home by an aging Celtics squad that they should be double-digit favorites over in each game. Mike Brown, aka LeBron’s puppet, needs to gain some strong testicle power and tell his team that if they don’t get their act right, they can be down 3-1 quickly. I don’t see that killer instinct in LeBron and it may never come, at least in this series. With all that being said, I’ll take the best player in the world. Cavs in seven.