For most people, the week before Christmas is not anything to look forward to. Sure, you're one week away from the holiday and being off from work and all that, but the actual week is actually kinda shitty. You're looking forward to gathering with your family, receiving/giving gifts, and having a good time. Only problem is, you're still one week away, so the mild agony of not quite being there yet sours that particular week for you. In other words, there's nothing spectacular about the week before Christmas.
Well, that's true, unless you're in the championship of your fantasy football league. In that case, the week before Christmas is basically like being at a Jay Gatsby party every day for 7 days straight. As a two time champion, I can say with confidence that the thrill of looking at your team and thinking I'm one win away from being the champion is almost unrivaled (I may bring up the fact that I have two championships often in this post just to drown out the more recent memories of my nightmarish 4-9 season this year. Sorry). Of course, the prospect of winning a grand prize in money leagues only heightens the stakes, but in any competitive league among close friends, it is well understood that bragging rights are more equivalent to the Lombardi Trophy than the money.
Simply making it to the 'chip is enough to feel great pride over your season, and enough to give you a solid point in any fantasy argument that may occur between the end of the season and next year's draft.
"Yo, you suck at fantasy bro. Montee Ball in the second round and Cordarelle Patterson in the 5th? You're garbage, man."
"Yeah, but who made it to the championship though?"
Game, set, match right there. Argument over. Unprovoked fantasy shit-talker at the top there can't say anything back. You know why? Because he wasn't still playing relevant games the week before Christmas.
As nice as that is to have in your back pocket, winning the championship makes being able to do that look like having to get a tattoo of Justin Bieber's face on your leg. Winning the fantasy championship, on the other hand, is somewhere between Jesse from Breaking Bad trying heroin for the first time and how Tom Brady probably feels whenever he goes home to his trophies and trophy wife (not advertising the use of heroin by the way. Don't do drugs kids).
The week leading up to Championship Sunday is a clusterfuck of probably some of the strangest emotions you'll ever experience. Throughout the week, you're fairly guaranteed to go through varied phases of extreme anxiety, fear, doubt, jubilation, anticipation, exaltation, exasperation, perspiration, and constipation. Ok, maybe not those last two. Or maybe you do, I won't judge.
That's the beauty of the week, at least in my opinion. You don't just win the championship on Sunday and Monday (or, in the case of this year, Saturday as well. But definitely not Thursday, because there's no way any championship roster is starting a Titan or Jaguar. If you are, enjoy second place). You win a championship by successfully dealing with an unexpected injury, like the one plenty of owners are currently dealing with in Demarco Murray. Fortunately for his owners, and the Cowboys, it looks like he will play this Sunday, but in what capacity and condition is what is still uncertain. In my league, SP Football, Demarco Murray, along with Aaron Rodgers, is the centerpiece of What are the chances, one of the squads competing in the championship. Like any halfway-decent owner would, the owner of What are the chances, George, immediately scooped up Joseph Randle, Murray's likely backup, as insurance. Even though this was an obvious move, in this case, and many others, the obvious move is also the smartest and most necessary. George, who also rolls out Mark Ingram, Alfred Morris, and Latavius Murray as his RB's, is probably ecstatic to learn that Murray got in a limited practice on Thursday and is on track to play, but simply having Randle on his roster as opposed to not is just a small example of the types of moves needed to win a championship.
You also win a championship by filling out your bench with viable starters for Week 16 so that you can decide on who to start based on matchups. For example, the other member of my league's championship, Notorious M.A.F.I.A. owned by my brother Dylan, just lost his WR3, Keenan Allen, to injury last week. Rather than being content with his incredible Dez-Jordy-Keenan combo and not worry about having other receivers, Dylan has hoarded Kenny Stills, who will now step in as Dylan's WR3, on his bench for weeks now, and he even started him at the FLEX last week. He also has the enviable task of deciding between Tre Mason and Andre Williams for his FLEX spot this week. Both of those guys are reasonable fantasy starts for this week (Mason's Rams and Williams' Giants coincidentally happen to be playing each other on Sunday), which allows Dylan to feel confident in whichever player he picks. He also snatched up both the Baltimore and Green Bay defenses in advance of this week, with their respective matchups against Houston and Tampa Bay this week in mind. As a result, he has two viable starts at the D/ST spot, and he really can't go wrong either way.
Most important of all, you win the championship by having incredible luck, like I had last year when Roddy White and Frank Gore combined for 50 points on Monday night to give me a .75 point victory (hey, I warned you). You can make all the right moves, have all the right guys, and sometimes it just will just all go wrong for you. That's just part of this game that we all love. That is also why fantasy championship week should be, above anything else, 7 of the best days of the year for all those fortunate enough to compete for their league's title. In no other facet of life can the week before Christmas rival the excitement of the actual week of Christmas.
My final advice to all those who are in close-knit leagues with members who live close to each other: Watch the games on Sunday together. I'm hoping my league can meet up somewhere on Sunday, as the shared experience of the league's final week is undoubtedly an occasion that calls for congregation and celebration. You battle against these guys all year, so it only feels right to come together at the conclusion of the season to reminisce on the year and just appreciate the greatest imaginary game in the world.
Good luck to all championship hopefuls this Sunday, and remember to talk as much trash as possible if you win.
P.S. I figured I'd throw the rosters of the two teams in my league's championship for anyone reading this that isn't in my league. You guys decide which team you think will win and let me know in the Comments section:
What are the chances
QB Aaron Rodgers
WR Alshon Jeffery
WR Josh Gordon
WR Steve Smith Sr.
RB Demarco Murray
RB Mark Ingram
TE Jimmy Graham
FLEX Alfred Morris
K Adam Vinatieri
D/ST Miami Dolphins
Notorious M.A.F.I.A.
QB Matt Ryan
WR Jordy Nelson
WR Dez Bryant
WR Kenny Stills
RB Matt Forte
RB Joique Bell
TE Greg Olsen
FLEX Tre Mason
K Cody Parkey
D/ST Baltimore Ravens
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Whoever We Be: 2014 Forest Hills Drive and the Re-Discovery of Jermaine Cole
Wow, it's good to be back.
It has been over a month since my last post, as my inability to sign in to my Blogger account has kept me away from all of you. Well, I have returned, and I'm ready to kill it. I haven't posted a non-sports blog in a while, but there's something I must write about that will deviate away from my usual sports tendencies.
J. Cole has made a triumphant return to our ears with 2014 Forest Hills Drive, a 13-track journey into the inner workings of "Fayettenam" and the life of a young Jermaine Cole. Discussing this album goes way beyond just the standout tracks, the best beats, and the surprising lack of features, though. 2014 FHD continues what has proven to be an impeccably-assembled storyline that has been developed over the course of Cole's six mixtapes/albums.
For those who are unfamiliar with Jermaine's past work, 2007's The Come Up was Cole's very first mixtape, his unofficial debut. Hardcore fans are more-than-familiar with The Come Up, but overall it received little recognition. Cole then planted his flag in the ground of the hip-hop world with 2009's The Warm Up, an impressively constructed mixtape that saw Cole handle most of the production duties. On this mixtape, Cole flaunted improved lyricism, notable wordplay, and the true implementation of his signature compelling storytelling abilities. He even capped off the mixtape with a rendition of Kanye West's "Last Call", complete with his own monologue at the end of the song.
It was in this monologue that us fans were introduced to Cole's vision of the stories he was sharing in his first two mixtapes as he slaved away in pursuit of a record deal. In the song, he explains that The Come Up is analogous to a high school basketball player working to make the varsity squad, and The Warm Up is about not making the team (ironically, he was signed to Roc-A-Fella records as he was finishing the mixtape). Obviously, this isn't a particularly complex or nuanced narrative, certainly nowhere close to the worlds we've seen created by Childish Gambino and Tyler, the Creator on Because the Internet and Wolf, respectively. However, I'd like to think that Cole has continued to follow a pattern with his next 3 albums.
Friday Night Lights, his next mixtape, dropped in 2010, marking his final product to be released independently. As with The Warm Up, FNL was received with praise by critics and fans alike, as the mixtape further displayed his growth as a rapper and producer. Tracks like "Before I'm Gone", "In the Morning (feat. Drake)", "Back to the Topic", "Too Deep for the Intro", and "Blow Up" served as glimpses, flashes even, of the greatness most assumed he would capture with his major label debut.
Well, with Cole World: The Sideline Story, Cole certainly arrived as a premier young hip-hop artist that deserved to be mentioned along side Kendrick Lamar (fresh off his critically adored Section.80, which actually contains the J. Cole-produced "HiiiPower"), Drake (Take Care just dropped, 'nuff said), and all the other rising stars. The album may not have catapulted Cole into a Jay-Z-level stratosphere like the latter hinted at by including him on The Blueprint 3's "A Star is Born", but Cole World still stood as an extremely promising and comprehensive hip-hop album.
In the opinion of this blogger (and that's what you're all here for right?), the J. Cole we all know now wasn't born until Born Sinner was released last summer (see what I did there?). BS was easily his biggest album to date, as Cole appeared to have finally taken that "next step" in terms of his ability to put together what I like to refer to as a "complete" song. I only counted a few on all his previous works combined: "Before I'm Gone", "Lost Ones", "Sideline Story", "Dreams", and "Heartache". Born Sinner, however, featured several songs that, upon listening to them, every aspect of the music just clicked. At least with me, I felt myself lost in his words, in his melodies, and in his beats when I listened to "Villuminati", "Runaway", "Rich Niggaz", "Crooked Smile", "Sparks Will Fly", "Forbidden Fruit", and "She Knows". That's 7 excellent tracks, as well as about 10 other very good ones, which all adds up to a borderline classic. Born Sinner undoubtedly marked the arrival of J. Cole, hip-hop superstar. It seemed as if the only way he could go from there is up.
Even though he professed to the first two mixtapes being about making a high school basketball team, I like to think of his albums as stages in his life. Instead of a basketball team, the first three were Cole's progression from amateur rhymer to established hip-hop artist. Cole World was his introduction to the lavish lifestyle that comes with being a rap phenomenon. Born Sinner explored the psyche of what turned out to be a reluctant celebrity; J. Cole was proving to be too grand of an identity for Jermaine to handle. I don't think he would trade his life for any other, but "Hollywood Cole" wasn't truly him.
And that's where 2014 Forest Hills Drive comes in.
This magnificent album is Jermaine Cole, not J. Cole, returning to his roots, his childhood home in his beloved Fayetteville. He takes us back to where he was mentally at that time: an introverted, unsure, yet quietly confident, aspiring rapper who knew he had to escape his environment, but held a strong attachment to his home as well as an aching desire to not abandon his family and friends. I don't know if the guy spent months reading shit he wrote from 2003 or if he looked at old pictures or something, but I genuinely thought I was listening to a 17-year-old on 2014 FHD. The innocent, juvenile "Jermaine" that J. Cole tapped into for this album shines brighter than King Neptune's bald head. His unparalleled transparency is on full display in songs like "Wet Dreamz" and "'03 Adolescence", songs that thrust the listener squarely in the mind of a love-starved Jermaine Cole who is taking on the world one mistake at a time. The former takes us through the tale of Cole's loss of virginity, and how he was NOT a "player" whatsoever. Jermaine finds a long-haired, brown-skinned girl with a fat ass in his math class who he has targeted as his "first". Instead of copping to his lack of expertise in the bedroom, Jermaine lies and instead falsely plays up his sexual prowess. All the while, Cole is serving as a first-person and third-person narrator. He is the subject of the story, yet he will drop wink-wink lines like "Hadn't been in pussy since the day I came out one, but she don't know that" and "Still tryna play it cool, sound like the man/But I was scared to death my nigga, my stomach turnin'/Talking shit knowing damn well I was a virgin" that remind that listener that Cole is reminiscing on this past memory from his youth. Cole's only slip-up in this song is the reveal at the end that the girl is also a virgin. You see, in "Too Deep for the Intro" off FNL, Cole implies that his first time was not with a virgin, as shown in the line, "Should I admit that a slutty bitch was my first smash?/Wasn't experienced so nah, I didn't wear it out". While the second part of that line may still be true, a "slutty bitch" being a virgin is quite the contradiction. Maybe his albums aren't as connected as I make them out to be...
Moving on, "'03 Adolescence" is possibly Cole's masterpiece on the album, and perhaps of his career thus far. The track details essentially every trouble that could plague a teenager growing up in a less-than-ideal environment. Cole discusses his low self-esteem, desire for the material things he doesn't possess, and misconceptions about the positives of throwing away his education in favor of dealing drugs to get rich. That last part, which is contained in the incredible second verse, was without a doubt the most poignant and memorable part of the song. Really I could quote the entire verse here, but instead I'll stick to just a few lines. Following Jermaine's contemplation over getting money by staying in Fayetteville and slinging dope, his friend replies with "He told me, 'Nigga you know how you sound right now?/If you wasn't my mans, I would think you a clown right now/Listen, you everything I wanna be that's why I fucks with you/So how you looking up to me when I look up to you/You bout to go get a degree, I'ma be stuck with two choices/Either graduate to weight or selling number two." A simply phenomenal exchange, Jermaine quickly realizes his mistake, and takes back all his petty complaints as he listens to his forthcoming friend vent about his underwhelming life (further explored in the lines, "I got four brothers, one mother that don't love us/If they ain't want us why the fuck they never wore rubbers?").
Those two songs may be the standouts, but 2014 FHD probably has 2 or 3 more "complete" songs, and even the other 8 songs all have redeeming qualities that round out the album. "St. Tropez" may boast the best production on the album, "No Role Modelz" gives Uncle Phil a well-deserved shoutout and is an exceptionally powerful song overall, and "Apparently" most likely takes the bronze for me. Also, "Intro" may get me more hyped to just live than any song I've ever heard.
This album surpasses Born Sinner as Cole's magnum opus simply because you feel Cole in every single song. With every line he spits, you get pulled deeper and deeper into Cole's brain, and heart, as you almost experience the stories he's illustrating. Born Sinner may produce more hits, it may sell more in the opening weekend, and it may even have better production, but 2014 FHD was an extension of Cole himself, his whole being, everything he is, was, and wants to be, manifested in his art. In my opinion, that is the most bold, ambitious, and impressive thing an artist, especially a hip-hop artist can do: Be completely, 100% real, in the literal sense of the word.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is way more than just a "Fuck Hollywood, I'm just a nigga from Fayetteville, North Carolina" album. It's a head-first dive into how any insecure young person should strive for success in his/her life. Cole opines that all we should seek to attain is true, unfiltered love. It's the concept that Cole is pushing on the entire album: love, freedom, happiness; Seek out whatever activities or careers that bring those feelings out in you, and Just Fucking Do It. And I don't even mean that in the Nike way either.
You know what? I'm not doing Cole's message justice right now with my words. I can't even begin to attempt to explain what love really is better than Cole does during his thank-you's at the end of "Note to Self":
"Came all this way just to learn one thing man, and only one fuckin' thing matters and that's your happiness. And the only way you gon' get to that happiness is through love, real, geniuine, motherfuckin' love man. Not the fake shit, not the Hollywood shit, not the niggas giving you props so you think you the shit. Not motherfuckers knowing you so you think you famous. Not niggas seeing your whip and they want your whip so you feel good cause they want your whip. Or they want your bitch, so you feel better, fuck that, real love. Where your crib is at nigga where your heart is at, where your home is at, where your mom is at, where your girl is at..."
It has been over a month since my last post, as my inability to sign in to my Blogger account has kept me away from all of you. Well, I have returned, and I'm ready to kill it. I haven't posted a non-sports blog in a while, but there's something I must write about that will deviate away from my usual sports tendencies.
J. Cole has made a triumphant return to our ears with 2014 Forest Hills Drive, a 13-track journey into the inner workings of "Fayettenam" and the life of a young Jermaine Cole. Discussing this album goes way beyond just the standout tracks, the best beats, and the surprising lack of features, though. 2014 FHD continues what has proven to be an impeccably-assembled storyline that has been developed over the course of Cole's six mixtapes/albums.
For those who are unfamiliar with Jermaine's past work, 2007's The Come Up was Cole's very first mixtape, his unofficial debut. Hardcore fans are more-than-familiar with The Come Up, but overall it received little recognition. Cole then planted his flag in the ground of the hip-hop world with 2009's The Warm Up, an impressively constructed mixtape that saw Cole handle most of the production duties. On this mixtape, Cole flaunted improved lyricism, notable wordplay, and the true implementation of his signature compelling storytelling abilities. He even capped off the mixtape with a rendition of Kanye West's "Last Call", complete with his own monologue at the end of the song.
It was in this monologue that us fans were introduced to Cole's vision of the stories he was sharing in his first two mixtapes as he slaved away in pursuit of a record deal. In the song, he explains that The Come Up is analogous to a high school basketball player working to make the varsity squad, and The Warm Up is about not making the team (ironically, he was signed to Roc-A-Fella records as he was finishing the mixtape). Obviously, this isn't a particularly complex or nuanced narrative, certainly nowhere close to the worlds we've seen created by Childish Gambino and Tyler, the Creator on Because the Internet and Wolf, respectively. However, I'd like to think that Cole has continued to follow a pattern with his next 3 albums.
Friday Night Lights, his next mixtape, dropped in 2010, marking his final product to be released independently. As with The Warm Up, FNL was received with praise by critics and fans alike, as the mixtape further displayed his growth as a rapper and producer. Tracks like "Before I'm Gone", "In the Morning (feat. Drake)", "Back to the Topic", "Too Deep for the Intro", and "Blow Up" served as glimpses, flashes even, of the greatness most assumed he would capture with his major label debut.
Well, with Cole World: The Sideline Story, Cole certainly arrived as a premier young hip-hop artist that deserved to be mentioned along side Kendrick Lamar (fresh off his critically adored Section.80, which actually contains the J. Cole-produced "HiiiPower"), Drake (Take Care just dropped, 'nuff said), and all the other rising stars. The album may not have catapulted Cole into a Jay-Z-level stratosphere like the latter hinted at by including him on The Blueprint 3's "A Star is Born", but Cole World still stood as an extremely promising and comprehensive hip-hop album.
In the opinion of this blogger (and that's what you're all here for right?), the J. Cole we all know now wasn't born until Born Sinner was released last summer (see what I did there?). BS was easily his biggest album to date, as Cole appeared to have finally taken that "next step" in terms of his ability to put together what I like to refer to as a "complete" song. I only counted a few on all his previous works combined: "Before I'm Gone", "Lost Ones", "Sideline Story", "Dreams", and "Heartache". Born Sinner, however, featured several songs that, upon listening to them, every aspect of the music just clicked. At least with me, I felt myself lost in his words, in his melodies, and in his beats when I listened to "Villuminati", "Runaway", "Rich Niggaz", "Crooked Smile", "Sparks Will Fly", "Forbidden Fruit", and "She Knows". That's 7 excellent tracks, as well as about 10 other very good ones, which all adds up to a borderline classic. Born Sinner undoubtedly marked the arrival of J. Cole, hip-hop superstar. It seemed as if the only way he could go from there is up.
Even though he professed to the first two mixtapes being about making a high school basketball team, I like to think of his albums as stages in his life. Instead of a basketball team, the first three were Cole's progression from amateur rhymer to established hip-hop artist. Cole World was his introduction to the lavish lifestyle that comes with being a rap phenomenon. Born Sinner explored the psyche of what turned out to be a reluctant celebrity; J. Cole was proving to be too grand of an identity for Jermaine to handle. I don't think he would trade his life for any other, but "Hollywood Cole" wasn't truly him.
And that's where 2014 Forest Hills Drive comes in.
This magnificent album is Jermaine Cole, not J. Cole, returning to his roots, his childhood home in his beloved Fayetteville. He takes us back to where he was mentally at that time: an introverted, unsure, yet quietly confident, aspiring rapper who knew he had to escape his environment, but held a strong attachment to his home as well as an aching desire to not abandon his family and friends. I don't know if the guy spent months reading shit he wrote from 2003 or if he looked at old pictures or something, but I genuinely thought I was listening to a 17-year-old on 2014 FHD. The innocent, juvenile "Jermaine" that J. Cole tapped into for this album shines brighter than King Neptune's bald head. His unparalleled transparency is on full display in songs like "Wet Dreamz" and "'03 Adolescence", songs that thrust the listener squarely in the mind of a love-starved Jermaine Cole who is taking on the world one mistake at a time. The former takes us through the tale of Cole's loss of virginity, and how he was NOT a "player" whatsoever. Jermaine finds a long-haired, brown-skinned girl with a fat ass in his math class who he has targeted as his "first". Instead of copping to his lack of expertise in the bedroom, Jermaine lies and instead falsely plays up his sexual prowess. All the while, Cole is serving as a first-person and third-person narrator. He is the subject of the story, yet he will drop wink-wink lines like "Hadn't been in pussy since the day I came out one, but she don't know that" and "Still tryna play it cool, sound like the man/But I was scared to death my nigga, my stomach turnin'/Talking shit knowing damn well I was a virgin" that remind that listener that Cole is reminiscing on this past memory from his youth. Cole's only slip-up in this song is the reveal at the end that the girl is also a virgin. You see, in "Too Deep for the Intro" off FNL, Cole implies that his first time was not with a virgin, as shown in the line, "Should I admit that a slutty bitch was my first smash?/Wasn't experienced so nah, I didn't wear it out". While the second part of that line may still be true, a "slutty bitch" being a virgin is quite the contradiction. Maybe his albums aren't as connected as I make them out to be...
Moving on, "'03 Adolescence" is possibly Cole's masterpiece on the album, and perhaps of his career thus far. The track details essentially every trouble that could plague a teenager growing up in a less-than-ideal environment. Cole discusses his low self-esteem, desire for the material things he doesn't possess, and misconceptions about the positives of throwing away his education in favor of dealing drugs to get rich. That last part, which is contained in the incredible second verse, was without a doubt the most poignant and memorable part of the song. Really I could quote the entire verse here, but instead I'll stick to just a few lines. Following Jermaine's contemplation over getting money by staying in Fayetteville and slinging dope, his friend replies with "He told me, 'Nigga you know how you sound right now?/If you wasn't my mans, I would think you a clown right now/Listen, you everything I wanna be that's why I fucks with you/So how you looking up to me when I look up to you/You bout to go get a degree, I'ma be stuck with two choices/Either graduate to weight or selling number two." A simply phenomenal exchange, Jermaine quickly realizes his mistake, and takes back all his petty complaints as he listens to his forthcoming friend vent about his underwhelming life (further explored in the lines, "I got four brothers, one mother that don't love us/If they ain't want us why the fuck they never wore rubbers?").
Those two songs may be the standouts, but 2014 FHD probably has 2 or 3 more "complete" songs, and even the other 8 songs all have redeeming qualities that round out the album. "St. Tropez" may boast the best production on the album, "No Role Modelz" gives Uncle Phil a well-deserved shoutout and is an exceptionally powerful song overall, and "Apparently" most likely takes the bronze for me. Also, "Intro" may get me more hyped to just live than any song I've ever heard.
This album surpasses Born Sinner as Cole's magnum opus simply because you feel Cole in every single song. With every line he spits, you get pulled deeper and deeper into Cole's brain, and heart, as you almost experience the stories he's illustrating. Born Sinner may produce more hits, it may sell more in the opening weekend, and it may even have better production, but 2014 FHD was an extension of Cole himself, his whole being, everything he is, was, and wants to be, manifested in his art. In my opinion, that is the most bold, ambitious, and impressive thing an artist, especially a hip-hop artist can do: Be completely, 100% real, in the literal sense of the word.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is way more than just a "Fuck Hollywood, I'm just a nigga from Fayetteville, North Carolina" album. It's a head-first dive into how any insecure young person should strive for success in his/her life. Cole opines that all we should seek to attain is true, unfiltered love. It's the concept that Cole is pushing on the entire album: love, freedom, happiness; Seek out whatever activities or careers that bring those feelings out in you, and Just Fucking Do It. And I don't even mean that in the Nike way either.
You know what? I'm not doing Cole's message justice right now with my words. I can't even begin to attempt to explain what love really is better than Cole does during his thank-you's at the end of "Note to Self":
"Came all this way just to learn one thing man, and only one fuckin' thing matters and that's your happiness. And the only way you gon' get to that happiness is through love, real, geniuine, motherfuckin' love man. Not the fake shit, not the Hollywood shit, not the niggas giving you props so you think you the shit. Not motherfuckers knowing you so you think you famous. Not niggas seeing your whip and they want your whip so you feel good cause they want your whip. Or they want your bitch, so you feel better, fuck that, real love. Where your crib is at nigga where your heart is at, where your home is at, where your mom is at, where your girl is at..."
The perfect conclusion to a near-perfect album. A man who is fully aware of how he wants to live his life, despite being a member of the strangest group on Earth: an American celebrity.
See you on your next classic Jermaine. Take your time, you've earned it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
NBA Notebook - First Week Overreactions
I feel like you probably figured this out, but I threw out my old schedule of putting up a post every Friday for my CFB previews, every Monday for recaps, and every Wednesday for Fantasy Football posts. I did this for two reasons:
There's something about the beginning of a new professional sports season that's hard to articulate. It's a time of hope, fear, anxiety, and joy. Above all, though, it's a time for massive overreactions. And man do I love overreacting! So, to commemorate the commencement of the 2014-2015 NBA season, I will run through some common (and not-so-common) overreactions to the events of the first week that sum up all the action that we've seen so far. Get ready to strongly disagree with me.
Perry Jones will be an All-Star this year
Full disclosure, I was fairly devastated when I heard Russell Westbrook went down with a fracture in his hand that will keep him out at least 6 weeks. However, I am not a Thunder fan, I am an NBA fan. Therefore, I immediately became super-intrigued as to what this OKC squad is going to look like without Westbrook and Durant for the months of November and December. Apparently, the Search and Rescue mission to locate Perry Jones was a success, as PJ3 (he was known as Perry Jones III, prized recruit, at Baylor the same year that Robert Griffin III blew up. Incredible coincidence) exploded for 32 in Westbrook's absence against the Clippers last Thursday. The very next game he poured in 23 more points, displaying the athleticism and versatility that made him such a hyped player coming out of high school. At 6'11", 235 lbs, Jones has a guard's skill set in a power forward's body; he can handle the rock, shoot the three (decently), run the floor, and finish around the rim.
How, you may ask, has Jones not been able to make an impact at all in his career before the Westbrook injury? Well, no one really knows for sure. At Baylor, Jones was given every opportunity to become a star, but his play revealed a guy who seemed content to be a complimentary player. While teammates like LaceDarius Dunn and Pierre Jackson seized the "lead dog" duties of Jones' Baylor squads, Jones rather quietly settled in as a solid, if unspectacular, 13 PPG second fiddle. He was never bad, in fact, Jones was arguably Baylor's most consistent player over his two seasons in Waco. He shot 50% from the field and grabbed over 7 boards a game both years.
"Solid" just wasn't what was expected of Jones. He was the #7 recruit in the Class of 2010, and his well-rounded game caused NBA scouts to salivate before he even stepped on a college court. ESPN's high school evaluation of Jones nailed it in their concerns for his inability to take over a game and his lack of a "killer instinct". Just look at some of the quotes from his final scouting report:
"...has off the charts talent and skill but his production is nowhere close to what it should be."
"Jones is a very unselfish player to a fault. He needs to play in attack mode more often in order to get the production he is capable of and the result will be more wins for his team."
"He can post, hit jumpers to the arc and pick and pop and make plays off the dribble with ease."
"He runs the floor with great speed and just wows you with some of the plays that he makes except these great plays are few and far between. Jones seems to be a great teammate and team player but he needs to demand the ball and dominate the game the way we have seen him do at times."
Every single word there perfectly describes Jones' game. Mesmerizing and frustrating at the same time. Jones is the complete package in terms of a young player who takes you on a roller-coaster ride in each of his games. All he needs is an attitude problem and he'd basically be Boogie Cousins. That's the problem though. I bet Scott Brooks would love for Jones to have a mean streak. At least you would know he's passionate about the game. The way he is now, you just have no idea whether or not he's putting in 100%, 70%, or even 40% effort every night.
I don't know if Jones' maturation would have happened this season regardless of the injuries to Westbrook and Durant, but his 71-point output in 3 games is certainly a notice to the NBA that the tantalizing prospect has officially arrived as a productive pro.
What's that? Jones left the Thunder's last game with a knee contusion? What the fuck?!?! Forget everything I've said then. Damn it Perry, you've drawn me in and left me hanging once again.
The Houston Rockets are going to win the West
With a somewhat surprising 5-0 start, the Rockets seem to be sending a message to the rest of the Western Conference that they are not just a one-round-and-done team. And why should they be? James Harden and Dwight Howard are two legitimate superstars. Last time I checked, that gets you pretty far in the National Basketball Association. The surrounding cast is impressive as well. Trevor Ariza is one of the best 3-and-D small forwards you're going to find around the league, Terrence Jones is emerging as an effective starting power forward, and Patrick Beverley continues to do Patrick Beverley things. As a team, Houston is averaging 105.6 PPG (5th in the league) compared to the 91.4 PPG they're allowing (3rd), for a point differential of +14.2 (2nd). Predictably, Harden is 4th in the NBA in PPG, Howard is 8th in RPG, and Ariza is capably filling Chandler Parsons' void by sinking 4.2 3-pointers per game thus far, best in the league. Throw in a young, talented bench that includes Europeans Donatas Motiejunas and Kostas Papanikolaou and former Murray State star Isaiah Canaan, as well as veterans like Francisco Garcia and Jason Terry, and I think the Spurs and Clippers should be downright terrified.
Of course, Houston's usual defensive troubles will probably keep them from reaching the Finals, right? We all know about Harden's "struggles" on that end of the floor. Only problem with that theory is that their other defensive liability, Chandler Parsons, is no longer on the team. He's been replaced with the afore-mentioned Ariza, who is rock-solid defensively. Beverley is a bulldog and absolute nightmare for opposing point guards, Howard is a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner, and Terrence Jones can also hold his own as long as he's not up against Lamarcus Aldridge (despite the headline of the article in that link, Aldridge did the majority of his damage in that playoff series when guarded by Jones, a slightly undersized power forward).
Wow, when you look at it like that, Houston almost seems, dare I say it, complete? An offensively gifted and defensively stout basketball team that has fully embraced the advanced metrics community by eliminating the mid-range jumper from their offense and sticking to 3's and layups? Sounds a lot like a certain franchise that is based out of the seventh most populous city in the United States. That's right, suddenly the Rockets have built a pretty convincing Spurs replica that really only lacks the pure, playmaking-point-guard abilities of one Tony Parker. Crafty Frenchmen like Parker don't grow on trees, however, so the Rockets will have to settle for what they have. And what they have is a dangerous team that will certainly threaten the West's elite squads come April and May.
Anthony Davis is the most terrifying basketball player in the NBA
Oh, wait, that's not an overreaction. That's just a fact. My bad, moving on.
Kobe Bryant will break the record for most Field Goals Attempts in a season...while the Lakers break the record for most Points Allowed in a season
Kobe Bryant is awesome. He's been in the NBA since I was born, thus Kobe getting buckets is all I've ever known in this world. Kobe is also an all-time great who will likely go down as the second greatest shooting guard of all time (I apologize to my friend George on that one).
That being said, I just flat-out feel bad for 2014 Mamba. The guy will always be a shoot-first, shoot-second player, but for the Lakers to put that team out there with Kobe, they are basically daring him NOT to break the all time record for shots taken in a season. Currently, that mark is held by Wilt Chamberlain with 3159 FGA. To surpass that number (which was achieved in 80 games), Kobe must average 38.5 field goals per game, in addition to play all 82 games.
So maybe this particular overreaction is also 100% impossible, but the point of it is valid. Kobe has no motivation to continue playing on a non-contender like he is besides collecting his $24 million for the season, and gunning for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points record. As of Wednesday, Kobe is 6549 points away. To become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA, Kobe would need to average 28 PPG for the next 3 seasons while only missing 2 games per year. Possible, but not probable. Still, while he's out there, the Mamba is going to chuck as much as he can, especially while SWAGGY P is out. As much as I love to watch Kobe take contested fadeaway 2's as the shot clock is expiring, this just isn't the way I pictured the final years of such a legendary career.
My Brooklyn Nets will finish top 3 in scoring and in Minutes Played by Europeans
Just kidding about the first part, but definitely not about the second. Currently, Mirza Teletovic, Bojan Bogdanovic, Sergey Karasev, and Andrei Kirilenko are playing a combined 60.3 minutes per game, which is likely top 5 in the league. Unfortunately I couldn't find the stat online to know for sure, and I wasn't about to do it myself. I did, however, find that the Spurs, unsurprisingly, receive almost double the minutes from Europeans than the Nets do (120.0 MPG). Their lead in this category likely won't be relinquished...unless there's an injury. And that's exactly what I'm counting on for the Nets to take the lead. Now, it's entirely possible that there are other teams averaging more than 60 EMPG (European minutes per game), but I expect the Nets' total to rise as the season goes on. Current Nets starting power forward Kevin Garnett could spontaneously disintegrate any moment now, which would thrust Teletovic into the starting lineup. Bogdanovic seems to have a firm grasp on his starting job, and it's only a matter of time before coach Lionel Hollins gives more minutes to the basketball savant known as Andrei Kirilenko.
I have to dedicate a mini-section to that Russian maniac, as he is easily my favorite player in this league to receive less than 10 minutes a game. Sitting at just 7.3 MPG so far this year, and only 19 in 45 games played last season, Kirilenko doesn't seem like a candidate to make a big impact on this Brooklyn squad. Thing is, though, is that every time Kirilenko checks into a basketball contest, amazing happens. I'm almost positive that's why "Where Amazing Happens" is the NBA's slogan. In 30 years, when Kirilenko finally retires after Mikhail Prokhorov chooses him as his co-pilot on his party spaceship to Jupiter, the league will be forced to change it to something like "Where Brian Scalabrine was the MVP of the 2008 Finals".
Back to Kirilenko, the guy is simply a joy to watch. Steals, blocks, great passes (did I mention great passes?); you name it, Kirilenko does it in the most Russian way possible. I would often get confused as to why Jason Kidd wouldn't give AK-47 more minutes last year, and unfortunately, Hollins is continuing that trend. Kirilenko, who's actually 33 years old (!), sometimes has a hard time staying healthy, which may be the reason for his minimal use. Regardless, I think he should be playing more, as it's a disservice to the basketball world having him on the bench. AK needs to be out there picking off passes, tossing no-look dimes, and flaunting that ghastly tattoo on his back and shoulders.
All in all, solid first week for the NBA. The Cavs showed they need some time to gel, the Splash Bros. are splashing away, and the Grizzlies already had one of their many signature Memphis Grindhouse wins. Obviously the Westbrook injury is devastating, as I naturally always want to see more stars healthy and playing than less. Get well soon to Russ West (as well as my man KD Trey 5). I look forward to more greatness from this great league that I love.
Greatness I expect to occur before my next NBA post:
- Honestly, it was getting increasingly harder to come up with original things to say, especially with the CFB posts. Every week I was previewing the best games, but I realized that I was simply rehashing the same shit every week because the same teams were involved in each week's best matchups. How many times can I really gush over Auburn's offense, or football-catching robot Amari Cooper?
- College work is no joke. I found myself with less and less time each week to write on here because I had to devote more time to homework. Trust me, I'm not asking for your pity here, I just thought I'd be up-front with you.
There's something about the beginning of a new professional sports season that's hard to articulate. It's a time of hope, fear, anxiety, and joy. Above all, though, it's a time for massive overreactions. And man do I love overreacting! So, to commemorate the commencement of the 2014-2015 NBA season, I will run through some common (and not-so-common) overreactions to the events of the first week that sum up all the action that we've seen so far. Get ready to strongly disagree with me.
Perry Jones will be an All-Star this year
Full disclosure, I was fairly devastated when I heard Russell Westbrook went down with a fracture in his hand that will keep him out at least 6 weeks. However, I am not a Thunder fan, I am an NBA fan. Therefore, I immediately became super-intrigued as to what this OKC squad is going to look like without Westbrook and Durant for the months of November and December. Apparently, the Search and Rescue mission to locate Perry Jones was a success, as PJ3 (he was known as Perry Jones III, prized recruit, at Baylor the same year that Robert Griffin III blew up. Incredible coincidence) exploded for 32 in Westbrook's absence against the Clippers last Thursday. The very next game he poured in 23 more points, displaying the athleticism and versatility that made him such a hyped player coming out of high school. At 6'11", 235 lbs, Jones has a guard's skill set in a power forward's body; he can handle the rock, shoot the three (decently), run the floor, and finish around the rim.
How, you may ask, has Jones not been able to make an impact at all in his career before the Westbrook injury? Well, no one really knows for sure. At Baylor, Jones was given every opportunity to become a star, but his play revealed a guy who seemed content to be a complimentary player. While teammates like LaceDarius Dunn and Pierre Jackson seized the "lead dog" duties of Jones' Baylor squads, Jones rather quietly settled in as a solid, if unspectacular, 13 PPG second fiddle. He was never bad, in fact, Jones was arguably Baylor's most consistent player over his two seasons in Waco. He shot 50% from the field and grabbed over 7 boards a game both years.
"Solid" just wasn't what was expected of Jones. He was the #7 recruit in the Class of 2010, and his well-rounded game caused NBA scouts to salivate before he even stepped on a college court. ESPN's high school evaluation of Jones nailed it in their concerns for his inability to take over a game and his lack of a "killer instinct". Just look at some of the quotes from his final scouting report:
"...has off the charts talent and skill but his production is nowhere close to what it should be."
"Jones is a very unselfish player to a fault. He needs to play in attack mode more often in order to get the production he is capable of and the result will be more wins for his team."
"He can post, hit jumpers to the arc and pick and pop and make plays off the dribble with ease."
"He runs the floor with great speed and just wows you with some of the plays that he makes except these great plays are few and far between. Jones seems to be a great teammate and team player but he needs to demand the ball and dominate the game the way we have seen him do at times."
Every single word there perfectly describes Jones' game. Mesmerizing and frustrating at the same time. Jones is the complete package in terms of a young player who takes you on a roller-coaster ride in each of his games. All he needs is an attitude problem and he'd basically be Boogie Cousins. That's the problem though. I bet Scott Brooks would love for Jones to have a mean streak. At least you would know he's passionate about the game. The way he is now, you just have no idea whether or not he's putting in 100%, 70%, or even 40% effort every night.
I don't know if Jones' maturation would have happened this season regardless of the injuries to Westbrook and Durant, but his 71-point output in 3 games is certainly a notice to the NBA that the tantalizing prospect has officially arrived as a productive pro.
What's that? Jones left the Thunder's last game with a knee contusion? What the fuck?!?! Forget everything I've said then. Damn it Perry, you've drawn me in and left me hanging once again.
The Houston Rockets are going to win the West
With a somewhat surprising 5-0 start, the Rockets seem to be sending a message to the rest of the Western Conference that they are not just a one-round-and-done team. And why should they be? James Harden and Dwight Howard are two legitimate superstars. Last time I checked, that gets you pretty far in the National Basketball Association. The surrounding cast is impressive as well. Trevor Ariza is one of the best 3-and-D small forwards you're going to find around the league, Terrence Jones is emerging as an effective starting power forward, and Patrick Beverley continues to do Patrick Beverley things. As a team, Houston is averaging 105.6 PPG (5th in the league) compared to the 91.4 PPG they're allowing (3rd), for a point differential of +14.2 (2nd). Predictably, Harden is 4th in the NBA in PPG, Howard is 8th in RPG, and Ariza is capably filling Chandler Parsons' void by sinking 4.2 3-pointers per game thus far, best in the league. Throw in a young, talented bench that includes Europeans Donatas Motiejunas and Kostas Papanikolaou and former Murray State star Isaiah Canaan, as well as veterans like Francisco Garcia and Jason Terry, and I think the Spurs and Clippers should be downright terrified.
Of course, Houston's usual defensive troubles will probably keep them from reaching the Finals, right? We all know about Harden's "struggles" on that end of the floor. Only problem with that theory is that their other defensive liability, Chandler Parsons, is no longer on the team. He's been replaced with the afore-mentioned Ariza, who is rock-solid defensively. Beverley is a bulldog and absolute nightmare for opposing point guards, Howard is a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner, and Terrence Jones can also hold his own as long as he's not up against Lamarcus Aldridge (despite the headline of the article in that link, Aldridge did the majority of his damage in that playoff series when guarded by Jones, a slightly undersized power forward).
Wow, when you look at it like that, Houston almost seems, dare I say it, complete? An offensively gifted and defensively stout basketball team that has fully embraced the advanced metrics community by eliminating the mid-range jumper from their offense and sticking to 3's and layups? Sounds a lot like a certain franchise that is based out of the seventh most populous city in the United States. That's right, suddenly the Rockets have built a pretty convincing Spurs replica that really only lacks the pure, playmaking-point-guard abilities of one Tony Parker. Crafty Frenchmen like Parker don't grow on trees, however, so the Rockets will have to settle for what they have. And what they have is a dangerous team that will certainly threaten the West's elite squads come April and May.
Anthony Davis is the most terrifying basketball player in the NBA
Oh, wait, that's not an overreaction. That's just a fact. My bad, moving on.
Kobe Bryant will break the record for most Field Goals Attempts in a season...while the Lakers break the record for most Points Allowed in a season
Kobe Bryant is awesome. He's been in the NBA since I was born, thus Kobe getting buckets is all I've ever known in this world. Kobe is also an all-time great who will likely go down as the second greatest shooting guard of all time (I apologize to my friend George on that one).
That being said, I just flat-out feel bad for 2014 Mamba. The guy will always be a shoot-first, shoot-second player, but for the Lakers to put that team out there with Kobe, they are basically daring him NOT to break the all time record for shots taken in a season. Currently, that mark is held by Wilt Chamberlain with 3159 FGA. To surpass that number (which was achieved in 80 games), Kobe must average 38.5 field goals per game, in addition to play all 82 games.
So maybe this particular overreaction is also 100% impossible, but the point of it is valid. Kobe has no motivation to continue playing on a non-contender like he is besides collecting his $24 million for the season, and gunning for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points record. As of Wednesday, Kobe is 6549 points away. To become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA, Kobe would need to average 28 PPG for the next 3 seasons while only missing 2 games per year. Possible, but not probable. Still, while he's out there, the Mamba is going to chuck as much as he can, especially while SWAGGY P is out. As much as I love to watch Kobe take contested fadeaway 2's as the shot clock is expiring, this just isn't the way I pictured the final years of such a legendary career.
My Brooklyn Nets will finish top 3 in scoring and in Minutes Played by Europeans
Just kidding about the first part, but definitely not about the second. Currently, Mirza Teletovic, Bojan Bogdanovic, Sergey Karasev, and Andrei Kirilenko are playing a combined 60.3 minutes per game, which is likely top 5 in the league. Unfortunately I couldn't find the stat online to know for sure, and I wasn't about to do it myself. I did, however, find that the Spurs, unsurprisingly, receive almost double the minutes from Europeans than the Nets do (120.0 MPG). Their lead in this category likely won't be relinquished...unless there's an injury. And that's exactly what I'm counting on for the Nets to take the lead. Now, it's entirely possible that there are other teams averaging more than 60 EMPG (European minutes per game), but I expect the Nets' total to rise as the season goes on. Current Nets starting power forward Kevin Garnett could spontaneously disintegrate any moment now, which would thrust Teletovic into the starting lineup. Bogdanovic seems to have a firm grasp on his starting job, and it's only a matter of time before coach Lionel Hollins gives more minutes to the basketball savant known as Andrei Kirilenko.
I have to dedicate a mini-section to that Russian maniac, as he is easily my favorite player in this league to receive less than 10 minutes a game. Sitting at just 7.3 MPG so far this year, and only 19 in 45 games played last season, Kirilenko doesn't seem like a candidate to make a big impact on this Brooklyn squad. Thing is, though, is that every time Kirilenko checks into a basketball contest, amazing happens. I'm almost positive that's why "Where Amazing Happens" is the NBA's slogan. In 30 years, when Kirilenko finally retires after Mikhail Prokhorov chooses him as his co-pilot on his party spaceship to Jupiter, the league will be forced to change it to something like "Where Brian Scalabrine was the MVP of the 2008 Finals".
Back to Kirilenko, the guy is simply a joy to watch. Steals, blocks, great passes (did I mention great passes?); you name it, Kirilenko does it in the most Russian way possible. I would often get confused as to why Jason Kidd wouldn't give AK-47 more minutes last year, and unfortunately, Hollins is continuing that trend. Kirilenko, who's actually 33 years old (!), sometimes has a hard time staying healthy, which may be the reason for his minimal use. Regardless, I think he should be playing more, as it's a disservice to the basketball world having him on the bench. AK needs to be out there picking off passes, tossing no-look dimes, and flaunting that ghastly tattoo on his back and shoulders.
All in all, solid first week for the NBA. The Cavs showed they need some time to gel, the Splash Bros. are splashing away, and the Grizzlies already had one of their many signature Memphis Grindhouse wins. Obviously the Westbrook injury is devastating, as I naturally always want to see more stars healthy and playing than less. Get well soon to Russ West (as well as my man KD Trey 5). I look forward to more greatness from this great league that I love.
Greatness I expect to occur before my next NBA post:
- Boogie Cousins wet-willies Nikola Pekovic, who then inexplicably pulls out a machete just as the refs arrive to break them up.
- Phoenix wins a game against the Lakers 154-148 after unleashing Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, and Isaiah Thomas in their lethal three point guard set.
- Javale McGee takes a nap at mid court.
- Jason Kidd takes title of King of Irony after he empties an entire gallon of orange juice onto the court so he can bench O.J. Mayo immediately after he air balls a fadeaway 3 instead of passing to a wide-open Jabari Parker.
- Kyrie Irving causes Professor Andre Miller Ph.D's ankles to explode from a simple crossover.
- Professor Andre Miller Ph.D continues playing and finishes the game with 12 points and 8 assists.
- Michael Jordan suits up for a Hornets-76ers game and dunks on Nerlens Noel, causing his flat-top to spontaneously deflate.
- Boris Diaw suddenly retires from the NBA to own and operate his state-of-the-art French winery.
- J.R. Smith is seen on the bench during a game drinking out of a mysterious styrofoam cup.
- Drake will release a song with a Kyle Lowry-sung chorus.
- Zach Lavine pulls off a backflip dunk on a fast break.
- The 76ers still won't have a win.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Letter to the Sky
Whenever “stunning” details come out about a political scandal or any kind of shocking event, the cynics say they saw it coming. I don’t doubt them either. Have you ever seen the classic HBO series The Wire? Well, if you haven’t, the show is praised for its authenticity and dedication to realism, and it portrays some serious corruption and ignorance by police and government. So naturally, after watching The Wire, I’ve tended to doubt the sincerity of “heartfelt apologies” or “firm denials” when they get shoved in my face. Of course, thinking with that frame of mind doesn’t exactly make you a beacon of joy and positivity. It’s as Rust Cohle (played by the phenomenal Matthew McConaughey) in another HBO hit, True Detective, when defining pessimism: “It means I’m bad at parties.” Now, pessimism isn’t the same as cynicism, but the quote works either way.
This may contradict what I let on about myself in the above paragraph, but I truly don’t consider myself a cynic (and no, I don’t believe that all cynical thinkers are bad at parties). Yeah, I may be a skeptic when it comes to believing every word that comes out of a politician’s mouth, but who does take everything a government official says as fact? I do, however, adamantly dislike those who automatically dismiss any attempt by a public figure at a sincere or lighthearted gesture as a publicity stunt, PR move, or “covering his/her own behind”. Though I’m sure there are plenty of instances where this has been the case (I’m looking at you, Lance Armstrong), I just don’t see the point in greeting any humanizing action by a public figure with suspicion of an ulterior motive.
Frank Ocean could very well be the most talented singer-songwriter actively making music right now. That’s not just my unfounded opinion, either. The 26-year-old artist from New Orleans has released two albums, nostalgia, ULTRA and channel ORANGE, to widespread critical acclaim, won a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album (as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his part in the Jay-Z/Kanye West song “No Church in the Wild”), and can claim near-universal respect among his peers (Don Henley of the Eagles despises Ocean after the latter stole the entire “Hotel California” track for the scintillating “American Wedding”, which is on nostalgia, ULTRA, and Chris Brown got into an altercation with Ocean over a parking spot. Yes, you read that right. A parking spot). Ocean possesses one of the sweetest-sounding voices in R&B (he describes himself as “a baritone, with tenor moments”, if that helps at all), was the primary musical composer for his most recent album, channel ORANGE, and he’s basically the Pablo Picasso of songwriting. I’m not just name-dropping a famous painter just for the sake of metaphor either. Ocean’s lyrics may surpass the abstract genius of Picasso’s art in that he often utilizes vivid, unusual imagery and intensely sensual phrases (“her pink skies will keep me warm”) in his songs.
Why did I go into great detail about the brilliance of Frank Ocean immediately following two paragraphs that explain my opinions on cynicism? I’m getting there, be patient. You see, on July 4, 2012, about a week prior to the release of channel ORANGE, Ocean published an open letter on his Tumblr account in which he confessed to his first love being a male. He was 19, and he spent an entire summer developing an extremely close, platonic relationship with another young man. He also revealed that the love was unrequited, as the man had a girlfriend and was not interested in progressing his and Ocean’s relationship any further. Ocean concluded the letter by saying "I don't know what happens now, and that's alrite. I don't have any secrets I need kept anymore...I feel like a free man.” The entire letter was dripping with a level of emotional vulnerability and candidness that is rarely seen from artists within the hip-hop/R&B community, a notoriously homophobic environment.
Reactions from people around the music industry were overwhelmingly positive, with Russell Simmons, brother of hip-hop group Run DMC’s Rev Run and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, congratulating Ocean on his courage with this statement: "Today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we? [...] Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear.” Beyonce, Jay-Z, Tyler, the Creator (Ocean’s friend and an alleged homophobe), and others also publicly expressed their support.
You knew it wasn’t going to be all positive though. As expected, Internet trolls and stuck-in-their-ways conservatives voiced their opinions wherever they could. However, I have no drawn-out qualms with those who simply disapprove of Frank Ocean’s bisexuality. If that’s what they believe, then that’s what they believe. There’s nothing I can do about that. That being said, I do have a bone to pick with those (probably few, but still enough) who point out the timing of the letter in relation to his new, major label/studio debut album. It’s those damn cynics (see, I told you I’d bring it all back) who just can’t fathom a famous musician being openly sentimental without having the “bottom line” in mind. This is an actual comment left on the bottom of a Gawker article about Frank's reluctance to assign labels to himself just because he admitted to having intimate feelings for a man:
"'You can move to the next question.' Right after I give you a much longer response to this one than I will for any of the others.Honestly, I find this guy incredibly obnoxious. What he did was a publicity stunt (did you see what it did for sales/attention around his album's release?) and if he's gay or bi or WHATEVER, he should just fucking come out and say it. I'm so sick of people who "aren't into labels," because they're actually just into talking shit and confusing people to get more publicity."
I’m fairly certain that most of those who think the letter was nothing more than an effort to sell albums are additionally homophobic. I’m also fairly certain that some of those same cynics don’t even factor Ocean’s sexual orientation into their criticisms of the letter. They’d rather simply bash him for what they perceive as a “well-timed sap story” or something insensitive like that. To that point, I would counter with: if the goal was to increase his notoriety in anticipation of the release of his album, then why would he choose to share something that extremely personal and controversial? Why wouldn’t he, instead, opt to just embellish some story about a failed relationship with an old girlfriend? That way, he can lock down some sympathy sales without creating a monumental stir.
Frank Ocean was certainly not the first musician to feel like an outsider in his field because of his sexuality. And I’m certainly glad he didn't harbor negative emotions about his hidden sexuality like Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford did during his career. Halford came out publicly in 1998, but also admitted that prior to that, he struggled with depression and feelings of isolation, which in turn led to heavy drug and alcohol use. Would the cynics have poked their heads out if he made his announcement earlier, say while he was still making music with Judas Priest (he split from the band in 1991)? Who knows, but I’m sure the possibility of backlash like that was a concern of Halford’s while he privately lived in despair.
In the late 1960’s, Elton John was engaged to a woman named Linda Woodrow. In 1976, the singer came out as a bisexual. Eight years later, John married German recording engineer Renate Blauel, only to have the marriage be written off as a cover for his exclusive interest in men. Finally, in 1988, John divorced Blauel and described himself as “comfortable” being gay. Unlike Frank Ocean, John didn’t happen to align any of his major “announcements” with a big release or anything like that; the “bisexual” Rolling Stone article was actually published months after his live album Here and There dropped. Nonetheless, John was clearly relieved following his coming-out in 1988, as he didn’t have to feel insecure or shame over his sexuality.
Legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury never even took a route similar to Ocean or Elton John; Mercury was openly ambiguous about his sexuality. In other words, whenever confronted about if he was gay or not, Mercury would provide misleading, almost incomprehensible responses, like this one: “Let's put it this way; there were times when I was young and green. It's a thing schoolboys go through. I've had my share of schoolboy pranks. I'm not going to elaborate further." Elaborate further? You didn’t elaborate at all, Mr. Mercury! Anyway, the point is, Freddie Mercury never even let his sexuality become a public spectacle. He was who he was, and that part of his life had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of his (exceptional) music. There was never an opportunity for detractors to disparage the motives behind a “coming-out-of-the-closet” kind of move with him.
Honestly, I couldn’t even find an example of a musician intentionally revealing something controversial about him/herself just as his/her career was about to take off. It was that bold of a move by Ocean to do what he did. Possibly, former Amercian Idol star Adam Lambert can be mentioned alongside Ocean in that respect, but his decision to go public was essentially only a formality. Everyone was convinced he was gay before he even confirmed it. On the other hand, no one besides those who really knew him was aware that Frank was bisexual (aside from Wiz Khalifa, who apparently has 20/20 hindsight, as evidenced by his claim that he knew all along. Was that cynical of me to assume Wiz is lying? I’ll let you decide). Most homosexual musicians in the past delayed their outing until after they were finished being relevant. But not Frank. He bravely decided that his impending fame would not be worth it unless he was allowed to be who he truly was.
For someone so forthcoming about his personal life, especially in his music, Ocean is a shy and, quite frankly, awkward guy in person. He really only seems as confident and articulate as he really is when discussing music. As the conversation shifts to other topics, his demeanor tends to regress into one that you would see from a small child at his/her first day of school. This is on full display in his Grammy acceptance speech, where he fumbles through this seemingly impromptu opening to his speech, word-for-word:
“So I hear it’s a bit more, uh, the way you disarm an audience is imagining them naked, but I don’t, I don’t want to do that. I want to look at you all as kids in tuxedos and looking all fancy, and stuff like that.”
He says this all while having some sort of a half-joking, half-bewildered grin plastered on his face. As he’s talking, the atmosphere in the building is probably somewhere between confused and uncomfortable. The delivery of the entire thing, though, displays his innocence and harmlessness so much so that you’re pretty captivated despite the strangeness of what he’s saying.
Does this sound like someone who is interested in using his personal life solely as a vehicle to achieve greater professional achievement? In Frank Ocean, you have an emotionally vulnerable young man who happens to have an incredible gift to produce music in a genre that also happens to traditionally not be very accepting of homosexuals. As a result of this, Ocean unsurprisingly concealed the experiences he shared with the man known as the “Tumblr guy” during the early stages of his budding career. As his song-writing began to venture into that part of his life for channel ORANGE, Ocean made the difficult, but necessary, decision to out himself before anyone else could.
Given all that I’ve told you about him, and anything else you may also know, the cynics’ view of his open letter just doesn't add up. I can’t force the unimpressed cynic to commend him on his courage. All I can do is ask that his writing of the letter be looked at through Ocean’s eyes.
After you do that, now how does it look?
Monday, October 20, 2014
Funky Music
No Weekend Football Recap just yet, sorry. Here's a little something to snack on though while you're waiting:
Hailing from the truly fascinating city of Atlanta, Georgia, OutKast is one of the greatest hip/hop groups of all time. A publicly-voted hip/hop group tournament held by grantland.com’s Jalen Rose and David Jacoby actually placed them #1 (controversially, I might add. Naturally, Wu-Tang Clan was the heavy favorite, but they just couldn’t pull the fan votes that OutKast did). The duo, consisting of Andre “Andre 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, has amassed an incredible career that has spanned two decades and produced several commercially and critically beloved albums. The only problem is, most casual hip/hop fans under the age of 20 are not aware of that storied history. And this is quite a problem.
The crux of my issue with my peers’ ignorance of OutKast’s early work lies in the year 2003. Ah, what a great year in pop culture. LeBron James just entered the NBA as the most insanely-hyped basketball player ever, the mystical cinema adventure known as The Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded with Return of the King, and Chappelle's Show even debuted. Arguably more popular than all three of these events was the release of “Hey Ya!” by OutKast, the lead single of their new, double-length album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. From the second it was completed in the studio, “Hey Ya!” was the perfect radio hit. Catchy hook? Check. Infectiously upbeat rhythm? Check. Awesome music video featuring eight Andre 3000’s? Check (Technically, that’s 24000 Andre’s). The song even inexplicably rejuvenated the entire Polaroid Corporation as a result of the line “Shake it like a Polaroid picture”. “Hey Ya!” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks, won the Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, and was nominated for Record of the Year. In other words, “Hey Ya!” owned 2003. Since it was a mix of several genres, the song was frequently played on rap, pop, rock, funk, and alternative radio stations; you couldn’t escape the song even if you tried. My brother and his friends even performed the song at their 4th grade talent show. Die-hard, “Day 1” OutKast fans should have been ecstatic that their favorite group was finally reaching the masses, right?
Wrong. You see, for 9 years prior to “Hey Ya!”, OutKast had been making some pretty incredible Southern rap that blended funk, reggae, and rock elements like no one else at the time. Their debut album, the appropriately-titled Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was well-received by music critics and hip/hop heads alike, as their unique style pervaded the entire rap industry. OutKast’s lyrics touched on social issues such as the status of African Americans in the South as well as various “coming-of-age” topics, all while commenting on the lavish, immoral lifestyles of the pimps and gangsters they see around Atlanta. The duo’s follow-up effort, ATLiens, once again had that distinct “OutKast” sound: live-instrument-recorded tracks, smooth vocals, and complex rhyme schemes. Always progressing, however, OutKast was praised by critics for being ambitious and unique in creating ATLiens’s more laid-back, sonically-produced sound. Two years later in 1998, OutKast released Aquemini, a 16-song masterpiece that has received universal acclaim for its perceptive lyricism and diverse beats. Songs like “Chonkyfire” and “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” feature some of the most memorable hip/hop beats ever produced. Critics commended OutKast’s ability to stick to their roots and make only the exact kind of music that they want. Steve Huey of AllMusic appreciated that OutKast avoided “hardcore cliches” and called the album "a virtuosic masterpiece, and a landmark hip-hop album of the late ‘90s.” Fernando Jr. of Rolling Stone wrote "OutKast prove that you don't have to sell out to sell records.” The year 2000 saw the group drop Stankonia, a small shift toward the pop-sounding music that was to come. Still, this album was plenty adored by hip/hop fans, as “B.O.B”, essentially the lead single, is often referred to as OutKast’s finest individual achievement. After so many successful and respected albums and songs, how, you may ask, did OutKast resort to the dark depths of the radio hit?
Well, Big Boi and Andre 3000’s decision to make their own solo albums most likely contributed to it. The two records were combined to form the afore-mentioned Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which is considered a “group release”, but there was simply a noticeable lack of the elements that comprised a classic OutKast album. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy “Hey Ya!” immensely, as well as other songs off the album, such as “The Way You Move”, “Ghetto Musick”, and especially “Roses”. It’s just that these songs were not in the mold of the songs that made OutKast the pioneer of Southern hip/hop in rap circles across the country. Instead, the group became known as “Oh, they sung ‘Hey Ya!’, right?”
If you ask me, there’s something fundamentally wrong with that. Maybe it’s an irreparable part of the music industry: groups will always be known for the songs that garner the most attention, not necessarily the ones that are agreed upon as their best work. One prevailing thought is that those who claim they are OutKast fans just because they like “Hey Ya!”, but have never heard their 90’s catalogue, are mired in ignorance. My worst fear, however, is the decent possibility that when those same people actually decide to take the initiative and indulge themselves in OutKast’s earlier albums, they won’t like what they hear. If this were the case, then I would really only have one thing left to say: “That is a damn shame.”
The crux of my issue with my peers’ ignorance of OutKast’s early work lies in the year 2003. Ah, what a great year in pop culture. LeBron James just entered the NBA as the most insanely-hyped basketball player ever, the mystical cinema adventure known as The Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded with Return of the King, and Chappelle's Show even debuted. Arguably more popular than all three of these events was the release of “Hey Ya!” by OutKast, the lead single of their new, double-length album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. From the second it was completed in the studio, “Hey Ya!” was the perfect radio hit. Catchy hook? Check. Infectiously upbeat rhythm? Check. Awesome music video featuring eight Andre 3000’s? Check (Technically, that’s 24000 Andre’s). The song even inexplicably rejuvenated the entire Polaroid Corporation as a result of the line “Shake it like a Polaroid picture”. “Hey Ya!” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks, won the Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, and was nominated for Record of the Year. In other words, “Hey Ya!” owned 2003. Since it was a mix of several genres, the song was frequently played on rap, pop, rock, funk, and alternative radio stations; you couldn’t escape the song even if you tried. My brother and his friends even performed the song at their 4th grade talent show. Die-hard, “Day 1” OutKast fans should have been ecstatic that their favorite group was finally reaching the masses, right?
Wrong. You see, for 9 years prior to “Hey Ya!”, OutKast had been making some pretty incredible Southern rap that blended funk, reggae, and rock elements like no one else at the time. Their debut album, the appropriately-titled Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was well-received by music critics and hip/hop heads alike, as their unique style pervaded the entire rap industry. OutKast’s lyrics touched on social issues such as the status of African Americans in the South as well as various “coming-of-age” topics, all while commenting on the lavish, immoral lifestyles of the pimps and gangsters they see around Atlanta. The duo’s follow-up effort, ATLiens, once again had that distinct “OutKast” sound: live-instrument-recorded tracks, smooth vocals, and complex rhyme schemes. Always progressing, however, OutKast was praised by critics for being ambitious and unique in creating ATLiens’s more laid-back, sonically-produced sound. Two years later in 1998, OutKast released Aquemini, a 16-song masterpiece that has received universal acclaim for its perceptive lyricism and diverse beats. Songs like “Chonkyfire” and “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” feature some of the most memorable hip/hop beats ever produced. Critics commended OutKast’s ability to stick to their roots and make only the exact kind of music that they want. Steve Huey of AllMusic appreciated that OutKast avoided “hardcore cliches” and called the album "a virtuosic masterpiece, and a landmark hip-hop album of the late ‘90s.” Fernando Jr. of Rolling Stone wrote "OutKast prove that you don't have to sell out to sell records.” The year 2000 saw the group drop Stankonia, a small shift toward the pop-sounding music that was to come. Still, this album was plenty adored by hip/hop fans, as “B.O.B”, essentially the lead single, is often referred to as OutKast’s finest individual achievement. After so many successful and respected albums and songs, how, you may ask, did OutKast resort to the dark depths of the radio hit?
Well, Big Boi and Andre 3000’s decision to make their own solo albums most likely contributed to it. The two records were combined to form the afore-mentioned Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which is considered a “group release”, but there was simply a noticeable lack of the elements that comprised a classic OutKast album. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy “Hey Ya!” immensely, as well as other songs off the album, such as “The Way You Move”, “Ghetto Musick”, and especially “Roses”. It’s just that these songs were not in the mold of the songs that made OutKast the pioneer of Southern hip/hop in rap circles across the country. Instead, the group became known as “Oh, they sung ‘Hey Ya!’, right?”
If you ask me, there’s something fundamentally wrong with that. Maybe it’s an irreparable part of the music industry: groups will always be known for the songs that garner the most attention, not necessarily the ones that are agreed upon as their best work. One prevailing thought is that those who claim they are OutKast fans just because they like “Hey Ya!”, but have never heard their 90’s catalogue, are mired in ignorance. My worst fear, however, is the decent possibility that when those same people actually decide to take the initiative and indulge themselves in OutKast’s earlier albums, they won’t like what they hear. If this were the case, then I would really only have one thing left to say: “That is a damn shame.”
Friday, October 17, 2014
Week 8 College Football Preivew
I'M BAAAAACK.
After failing to provide my picks for last week's games, I'm chomping at the bit to return to my beloved college game. Of course, this adds extra pressure now on this week's picks to be on point. Truthfully, I have no idea how I'm even doing this year in terms of a win/loss record. I never bothered to keep track after the first couple weeks, and I'm not going to start now. Regardless, I usually have an idea of which games I pick each week and who I have in each of them. Let's just say I'm .500 and call it even.
I'm not going to go into length at all about the mega-matchup of Notre Dame-Florida State because, well, everyone else is. It deserves all the attention it has received in the days leading up to it, but I just don't believe I will be telling you anything you haven't already heard. Might as well throw out my prediction though: FSU 34, ND 21.
If you peruse the box scores of Division II/III, FCS, or even some low FBS teams, you will final scores that reach a total of 110-120 points almost every week. The defenses of those teams just can't handle the handful of offensive juggernauts that dominate those ranks each year. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Power 5 conference teams can't be a part of shootout. Just last week, Baylor edged TCU 61-58 after an improbable comeback. But that was probably the highest-scoring game in a while. Usually a "shootout" to most high-major teams look more like the 50-43 victory by Notre Dame over UNC. That's usually what constitutes a high-scoring game. Also, that game featured Baylor, who also took part in the most indescribable display of offense I've ever seen from a high-major FBS game. That game was the Baylor-West Virginia bonanza from 2012, their first game as conference foes. Two teams that have established reputations as gun-slinging, high-flying, offensive-orientated squads, Baylor and West Virginia is developing into an awesome rivalry as a result of their similar styles of play and uncanny ability to blow up that stat sheet. And blow up the stat sheet they did! Nowadays, Geno Smith is little more than a punchline as an NFL quarterback. Just two years ago, though, he threw for 656 YARDS AND 8 TOUCHDOWNS against Baylor, leading his then-undefeated WVU squad to 70 points and a W. Geno was on top of the world following that game. He emerged as the Heisman favorite, a legitimate option to be the #1 pick in the draft, and the hero of Morgantown, West Virginia. It would be sad for me to see him throw game-clinching touchdowns to the other team like he did in the Jets' Week 6 loss to the Broncos, only if I didn't despise the New York Jets. Even as he defeated my Texas Longhorns a week later, I couldn't help but find myself being mesmerized by Geno's mind-boggling production through the first 5 games of that 2012 season. As we all know, the wheels fell off immediately after the Texas game for WVU, as Geno started to look shakier and shakier with each loss. He slipped to the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft and has been the object of much media scrutiny as the Jets' quarterback ever since.
12:00 PM ET - 4 Baylor (-7.5) at West Virginia
We may not see another 133-point, 1507 total-yards-combined neutral-viewing dream like we did in 2012, but this week's iteration of the Bears and Mountaineers series should be plenty entertaining. Baylor enters the game as the #1 offense in the country, averaging 623 yards and 52.7 points per game. West Virginia is no slouch in its own right, ranking 8th in YPG. WVU also features one of the top wideouts in the country in Kevin White. White currently leads the entire nation in receiving yards with 888, more than 100 more than the next player. Unsurprisingly, QB Clint Trickett is also 3rd in the country in passing yards. As you can see, this one has all the makings of an exceptional offensive showdown. It may be shocking to hear this, but the defenses should decide this game. Both teams have talent on that side of the ball, even though they aren't known for it. Baylor's top CB, Xavien Howard, is about as physical and competitive a cover corner that I've seen this year, and his matchup against White is easily the one I will be watching most closely. For West Virginia, true freshman safety Dravon Henry has been very good this year, and he pairs with Karl Joseph to form a fairly intimidating secondary. Playing on the road at Morgantown is no joke, but I'm leaning toward Baylor stealing a win, thanks to a late TD from another true freshman phenom, K.D. Cannon.
3:30 PM ET - 21 Texas A&M at 7 Alabama (-13.5)
Another earth-shattering game from two years ago, Texas A&M-Alabama solidified the Johnny Football legacy with his signature upset at Bryant-Denny. This time around, 'Bama isn't quite #1, but they're still a damn good football team. A&M, meanwhile, has gotten swept up in the Mississippi Revolution in their past two games, and they enter this monumental SEC West Matchup with a record of 5-2 overall, and 2-2 in the conference. The Kenny Trill train has certainly slowed down, almost enough to tempt me to call him Kenny Hill again. It's just such a great nickname though. He would need to have a Derek Anderson circa 2009 against the Buffalo Bills-type game for me to officially revoke that piece of gold. The Crimson Tide offense has also looked like a shell of its early-season self in their last two games, combining for only 31 points. Amari Cooper NEEDS to be fed, no matter how many defenders teams are committing to him. 2 catches for 22 yards, like he had against Arkansas, is just unacceptable. Can I really start off my post with two road winners? Yes, I can! A&M has their backs against the wall with 2 losses already and, even though they are probably already eliminated from the playoffs, securing a BCS bowl is still a huge motivating factor. Their defense, led by freshman freak Myles Garrett, will stifle Blake Sims just enough to give them the victory.
4:00 PM ET - 15 Oklahoma State at 12 TCU (-10)
The reason I opted to highlight this game over the equally-important Big 12 matchup of Kansas State-Oklahoma is simply that TCU has suddenly become really exciting to watch, and Ok. St. is always a competitive squad. I don't think I've ever seen a Cowboys team get blown out. This 2014 group is no different: going back to their season-opening loss to Florida State, Oklahoma St. just always hangs around in every game they play. It should be interesting to see if this new-and-improved Horned Frogs team can break that trait. Led by runaway Big 12 Most Improved Player winner Trevone Boykin, TCU has transformed its offense into a wide-open, up-tempo passing attack, as evidenced by its placing of 12th in the nation in passing yards per game. Honestly, I never expected head coach Gary Patterson to turn to the "dark side", so to speak, and join the litany of spread offenses that have taken over college football. TCU was always known for its pro-style offense, like the one that made Andy Dalton into a Rose Bowl winner and 2nd round pick. At home, I don't expect Boykin and the TCU offense to be slowed down any, even against an underrated Cowboys defense. Horned Frogs roll.
8:00 PM ET - Washington at 9 Oregon (-20.5)
It's Shaq time! The Huskies may not pull of the upset on the road in Eugene, but odds are that Washington LB/RB Shaq Thompson will put on a show in prime time on national television (Is Fox Sports 1 national television? I'm actually not sure. I think it is). He also won't win Heisman, but that doesn't mean he isn't one of the most talented college football players in the country. Thompson currently has 5 touchdowns on the season; 3 fumble recoveries, 1 pick-six, and 1 rushing. He has a total of 9 carries for 84 yards, although the touchdown run accounts for 57 of those yards. If that's not enough versatility for you, he even returned 2 punts and 2 kickoffs last year (none for touchdowns, sadly). Thompson's story is a pretty interesting one, as he was a can't-miss, blue-chip safety coming out of high school in Calfornia, but opted to play for Steve Sarkisian and the less-heralded Washington Huskies. Only problem is, Sarkisian left to coach USC prior to this season, but that hasn't stopped Thompson from developing into one of the top defensive players in the country and a probable future first-round pick. Adding to the versatility theme established above, he was even an 18th round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2012! The guy can truly do it all. Oh, I have a game to pick, don't I? Is Marcus Mariota still the quarterback for Oregon? Yeah? Oregon wins.
10:30 PM ET - 23 Stanford (-3.5) at 17 Arizona State
My football-crush on Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong is well-documented by now, and I can't wait to watch him play against the perennially stout Stanford D. By early Sunday morning, when the game is over, Strong will have dominated the Cardinal secondary. It's that simple with him. The Sun Devils' QB situation, on the other hand, is the furthest thing from simple (Was that a Drake reference? Who knows). Filling in for injured starter Taylor Kelly, backup Mike Bercovici, besides sounding like he should be on the Italian national soccer team, has thrown for nearly 1000 yards and precisely 8 TD's to 2 INT's in just two games. That's insane. Bercovici has done a great Matthew Stafford impersonation in his time as a starter, in that he has a tendency to throw it up to his Megatron when all else fails. With Strong, however, most of the time that is a positive habit to have. Just ask USC. Well, Kelly returned to practice this week, although his status for the game is still uncertain. Bercovici has more than proved himself as a capable starter if Kelly can't go, but coming off a 63-27 murder at the hands of UCLA, perhaps Kelly's running element is needed to take down a defense of Stanford's caliber. If I had to guess, I'd say Kelly sticks to the clipboard and sits out another week, leaving Bercovici as the starter in a pivotal game for Arizona State. They are very fortunate to get this game at home, and for that reason, I'll take them to pull off the mild upset (according to the spread). #ForksUp
After failing to provide my picks for last week's games, I'm chomping at the bit to return to my beloved college game. Of course, this adds extra pressure now on this week's picks to be on point. Truthfully, I have no idea how I'm even doing this year in terms of a win/loss record. I never bothered to keep track after the first couple weeks, and I'm not going to start now. Regardless, I usually have an idea of which games I pick each week and who I have in each of them. Let's just say I'm .500 and call it even.
I'm not going to go into length at all about the mega-matchup of Notre Dame-Florida State because, well, everyone else is. It deserves all the attention it has received in the days leading up to it, but I just don't believe I will be telling you anything you haven't already heard. Might as well throw out my prediction though: FSU 34, ND 21.
If you peruse the box scores of Division II/III, FCS, or even some low FBS teams, you will final scores that reach a total of 110-120 points almost every week. The defenses of those teams just can't handle the handful of offensive juggernauts that dominate those ranks each year. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Power 5 conference teams can't be a part of shootout. Just last week, Baylor edged TCU 61-58 after an improbable comeback. But that was probably the highest-scoring game in a while. Usually a "shootout" to most high-major teams look more like the 50-43 victory by Notre Dame over UNC. That's usually what constitutes a high-scoring game. Also, that game featured Baylor, who also took part in the most indescribable display of offense I've ever seen from a high-major FBS game. That game was the Baylor-West Virginia bonanza from 2012, their first game as conference foes. Two teams that have established reputations as gun-slinging, high-flying, offensive-orientated squads, Baylor and West Virginia is developing into an awesome rivalry as a result of their similar styles of play and uncanny ability to blow up that stat sheet. And blow up the stat sheet they did! Nowadays, Geno Smith is little more than a punchline as an NFL quarterback. Just two years ago, though, he threw for 656 YARDS AND 8 TOUCHDOWNS against Baylor, leading his then-undefeated WVU squad to 70 points and a W. Geno was on top of the world following that game. He emerged as the Heisman favorite, a legitimate option to be the #1 pick in the draft, and the hero of Morgantown, West Virginia. It would be sad for me to see him throw game-clinching touchdowns to the other team like he did in the Jets' Week 6 loss to the Broncos, only if I didn't despise the New York Jets. Even as he defeated my Texas Longhorns a week later, I couldn't help but find myself being mesmerized by Geno's mind-boggling production through the first 5 games of that 2012 season. As we all know, the wheels fell off immediately after the Texas game for WVU, as Geno started to look shakier and shakier with each loss. He slipped to the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft and has been the object of much media scrutiny as the Jets' quarterback ever since.
12:00 PM ET - 4 Baylor (-7.5) at West Virginia
We may not see another 133-point, 1507 total-yards-combined neutral-viewing dream like we did in 2012, but this week's iteration of the Bears and Mountaineers series should be plenty entertaining. Baylor enters the game as the #1 offense in the country, averaging 623 yards and 52.7 points per game. West Virginia is no slouch in its own right, ranking 8th in YPG. WVU also features one of the top wideouts in the country in Kevin White. White currently leads the entire nation in receiving yards with 888, more than 100 more than the next player. Unsurprisingly, QB Clint Trickett is also 3rd in the country in passing yards. As you can see, this one has all the makings of an exceptional offensive showdown. It may be shocking to hear this, but the defenses should decide this game. Both teams have talent on that side of the ball, even though they aren't known for it. Baylor's top CB, Xavien Howard, is about as physical and competitive a cover corner that I've seen this year, and his matchup against White is easily the one I will be watching most closely. For West Virginia, true freshman safety Dravon Henry has been very good this year, and he pairs with Karl Joseph to form a fairly intimidating secondary. Playing on the road at Morgantown is no joke, but I'm leaning toward Baylor stealing a win, thanks to a late TD from another true freshman phenom, K.D. Cannon.
3:30 PM ET - 21 Texas A&M at 7 Alabama (-13.5)
Another earth-shattering game from two years ago, Texas A&M-Alabama solidified the Johnny Football legacy with his signature upset at Bryant-Denny. This time around, 'Bama isn't quite #1, but they're still a damn good football team. A&M, meanwhile, has gotten swept up in the Mississippi Revolution in their past two games, and they enter this monumental SEC West Matchup with a record of 5-2 overall, and 2-2 in the conference. The Kenny Trill train has certainly slowed down, almost enough to tempt me to call him Kenny Hill again. It's just such a great nickname though. He would need to have a Derek Anderson circa 2009 against the Buffalo Bills-type game for me to officially revoke that piece of gold. The Crimson Tide offense has also looked like a shell of its early-season self in their last two games, combining for only 31 points. Amari Cooper NEEDS to be fed, no matter how many defenders teams are committing to him. 2 catches for 22 yards, like he had against Arkansas, is just unacceptable. Can I really start off my post with two road winners? Yes, I can! A&M has their backs against the wall with 2 losses already and, even though they are probably already eliminated from the playoffs, securing a BCS bowl is still a huge motivating factor. Their defense, led by freshman freak Myles Garrett, will stifle Blake Sims just enough to give them the victory.
4:00 PM ET - 15 Oklahoma State at 12 TCU (-10)
The reason I opted to highlight this game over the equally-important Big 12 matchup of Kansas State-Oklahoma is simply that TCU has suddenly become really exciting to watch, and Ok. St. is always a competitive squad. I don't think I've ever seen a Cowboys team get blown out. This 2014 group is no different: going back to their season-opening loss to Florida State, Oklahoma St. just always hangs around in every game they play. It should be interesting to see if this new-and-improved Horned Frogs team can break that trait. Led by runaway Big 12 Most Improved Player winner Trevone Boykin, TCU has transformed its offense into a wide-open, up-tempo passing attack, as evidenced by its placing of 12th in the nation in passing yards per game. Honestly, I never expected head coach Gary Patterson to turn to the "dark side", so to speak, and join the litany of spread offenses that have taken over college football. TCU was always known for its pro-style offense, like the one that made Andy Dalton into a Rose Bowl winner and 2nd round pick. At home, I don't expect Boykin and the TCU offense to be slowed down any, even against an underrated Cowboys defense. Horned Frogs roll.
8:00 PM ET - Washington at 9 Oregon (-20.5)
It's Shaq time! The Huskies may not pull of the upset on the road in Eugene, but odds are that Washington LB/RB Shaq Thompson will put on a show in prime time on national television (Is Fox Sports 1 national television? I'm actually not sure. I think it is). He also won't win Heisman, but that doesn't mean he isn't one of the most talented college football players in the country. Thompson currently has 5 touchdowns on the season; 3 fumble recoveries, 1 pick-six, and 1 rushing. He has a total of 9 carries for 84 yards, although the touchdown run accounts for 57 of those yards. If that's not enough versatility for you, he even returned 2 punts and 2 kickoffs last year (none for touchdowns, sadly). Thompson's story is a pretty interesting one, as he was a can't-miss, blue-chip safety coming out of high school in Calfornia, but opted to play for Steve Sarkisian and the less-heralded Washington Huskies. Only problem is, Sarkisian left to coach USC prior to this season, but that hasn't stopped Thompson from developing into one of the top defensive players in the country and a probable future first-round pick. Adding to the versatility theme established above, he was even an 18th round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2012! The guy can truly do it all. Oh, I have a game to pick, don't I? Is Marcus Mariota still the quarterback for Oregon? Yeah? Oregon wins.
10:30 PM ET - 23 Stanford (-3.5) at 17 Arizona State
My football-crush on Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong is well-documented by now, and I can't wait to watch him play against the perennially stout Stanford D. By early Sunday morning, when the game is over, Strong will have dominated the Cardinal secondary. It's that simple with him. The Sun Devils' QB situation, on the other hand, is the furthest thing from simple (Was that a Drake reference? Who knows). Filling in for injured starter Taylor Kelly, backup Mike Bercovici, besides sounding like he should be on the Italian national soccer team, has thrown for nearly 1000 yards and precisely 8 TD's to 2 INT's in just two games. That's insane. Bercovici has done a great Matthew Stafford impersonation in his time as a starter, in that he has a tendency to throw it up to his Megatron when all else fails. With Strong, however, most of the time that is a positive habit to have. Just ask USC. Well, Kelly returned to practice this week, although his status for the game is still uncertain. Bercovici has more than proved himself as a capable starter if Kelly can't go, but coming off a 63-27 murder at the hands of UCLA, perhaps Kelly's running element is needed to take down a defense of Stanford's caliber. If I had to guess, I'd say Kelly sticks to the clipboard and sits out another week, leaving Bercovici as the starter in a pivotal game for Arizona State. They are very fortunate to get this game at home, and for that reason, I'll take them to pull off the mild upset (according to the spread). #ForksUp
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Fantasy Football Focus - Week 7
This is really becoming a problem.
No CFB Preview, no shoutouts, no NFL recap. I disappeared this week. I let my loyal readers who can be counted one two hands down, and for that I sincerely apologize. To resolve the issue of me not completing any posts on Sunday-Tuesday the past couple weeks, I have decided to change up my schedule of weekly posts. I will continue with my CFB previews each Friday; the lack of one last week was an outlier. In regards to my Shoutouts and NFL Recap posts, I will now combine the two to form a Weekend Football Recap post that will come out every Monday. Half NFL, half college. I think this system should work well. I'm glad I got this opportunity to clear things up, and I hope a week-long absence like that doesn't happen again. Onto fantasy stuff.
We are officially at the midway point of the 2014 fantasy season! Congratulations to all that are .500 or above and looking strong for the playoffs, and to all those who have begrudgingly realized that it's just not their year (like me), it's OK. I feel your pain.
Looking ahead to Week 7, I'd like to dedicate most of this post to my fantasy league, then of course I will run through some actual fantasy material at the end. In the SPFFL, Week 7 means only one thing: Rivarly Week. RW is a time-honored institution in our league, known for its exceptional roster-bashing and creative smack talk. RW is an absolute must-win game, especially if your rival is someone who talks a lot of shit.
SP Football's greatest rivalry, Kevin "KY" Young's Krazy Kevs vs. George Green's What are the chances, has sadly been laid to rest by an increasingly unpopular, experimental decision among the owners to randomize the rivalries for this year. The origins of this change was the overwhelming opposition to me and my brother being "rivals" when all my brother did last year was root for me to win. KY and George's enthusiasm in hurling the most vulgar insults at each other for 7 days in the middle of the fantasy calendar was probably the most cherished league-wide tradition for the past 3 years.
With the rivalry on hold for at least this year, the new torch-carrier is the Mike Santini-Dylan Mednick rivalry. As my team tanks away the rest of the season, essentially sapping my rivalry week of any importance, Mike's squad (at 2-4) NEEDS a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Dylan is sitting comfortably in 2nd place with a 5-1 record. Fortunately for us as a league, Mike is extremely passionate at peppering Dylan with obscene, violent remarks. His catchphrase might as well be "Fuck you Dylan". While not very good at reciprocating that type of playful hatred, Dylan is extremely confident in his fantasy team and usually replies by simply saying he's going to destroy him, or something like that. When he's on though, Mike's venomous, completely non-serious barbs directed at Dylan are something of a work of art. I do not have any direct quotes on hand, but most involve defecation.
The heart of Rivalry Week's significance lies in the comments seen on the Smack Talk board located in each matchup. Our league's king of the hilarious and weird is none other than Chris "Sauce" Apicella, owner of TuckerRightInThePusy. Though many have tried, no one can quite figure out how the hell the kid comes up with the shit that he puts on there. Sauce takes the words "random", "nonsensical", and "outlandish" to a whole other level. I do have examples of his best work just from this season. Enjoy:
"Antonio Fences is Antonio Gates' closeted homosexual doppelgänger"
"Drew Brees shreds the lions asshole harder than a planet wings appetizer followed by a taco bell dinner"
"Dirty Martellus and the boys"
"James and the giant cock"
"Foster's Home for Imaginary Cock"
"Who Framed Roger Cock"
"Bridget Jones' Cock"
"Roethlisberger with no pickles or onions and a Forte oz. Budweiser to go" (more clever than his usual brand of downright batshit crazy)
"I'll take 'Gostkowski's Shlong' for 600 Alex"
"Giovani Bernard boyfriend dies and costs mark the game"
"Who the fuck names their white child Jordy?"
"Keenan Allen will call his uncle Tim Allen who is both Santa and a home improver therefore he will have a great house to live in on Christmas so dom wins"
"Matt Ryan will be set on fire before this season is over"
Long live Smack Talk.
The 2014 season as a whole has been a fairly interesting one. First round running backs have yielded largely disappointing results, as Lesean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, and Eddie Lacy have underperformed, while AP...well, you know the deal there. 2nd round running backs like Demarco Murray, Gio Bernard, and Marshawn Lynch are carrying teams, and George got the biggest steal of the draft by taking Josh Gordon, who will return in Week 12 as the best receiver in the league with Megatron banged up and ineffective, in the 9th round. Like he even needs Gordon: George's What are the chances squad is in 1st place with a 5-1 record, led by studs Aaron Rodgers, Demarco Murray, Steve Smith, and Julius Thomas. As a result of this top-of-the-draft wackiness, owners who did not go RB in the 1st have been largely successful thus far. The three owners who took Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Demaryius Thomas are a combined 13-5.
I am the unfortunate dumbass who made Lacy the face of his franchise. It's been frustrating to say the least (I'm 1-5). Lacy, along with Zac Stacy, Percy Harvin, and Torrey Smith, have dismantled my season, along with injuries to A.J. Green and Jordan Reed. Not to mention I drafted RG3 in the 8th round. I was able to grab Matt Ryan, who has been a competent starter, but definitely a back-end QB1 in a 10-team league. 2014 has not been kind to the 2-time defending champ.
Regardless, I still pour my heart into my fantasy team each and every week, as do my leaguemates. There's nothing we would rather do with our autumn Sundays. The 2nd half of the season should be even crazier, as four teams are currently tied for the last playoff spot. Who knows, maybe I'll even make a push for that 6th seed (no, I will not; I'm starting Jonathan Stewart this week). We wait all winter, spring, and summer for the season to start every year, and now that it's already halfway over, I'm making sure to enjoy every week just as much as always. Even if I am in dead last.
Sp Football Standings through Week 6:
Actual Fantasy Advice:
I may be 1-5, but I am still pretty confident that I know how to spot a good fantasy producer before it happens. I did start Jerick McKinnon Week 4 against the Falcons when he was still a largely-unowned backup. He went off for 138 total yards (19.50 SP) on just 19 touches. I did start Delanie Walker in Week 2 when he exploded for 31.20 SP when he was only being started by 26% of Yahoo fantasy owners. So I still have some skills, just the luck side hasn't come through for me this year like it has in the past.
That being said, I'm also not claiming that I'm some sort of fantasy prophet either. I analyze stats and match-ups just like anyone else does, and I give you my honest opinions. So without further ado, here are my suggested under-the-radar/desperate starts for Week 7:
QB Joe Flacco - Facing a non-threatining Atlanta secondary/pass rush, Flacco should look to replicate the pristine first half he enjoyed just last week that saw him throw for over 200 yards and 5 TD's. The running game is helping Flacco out a ton by forcing defenses to consider stacking the box some, Torrey looks to be getting it going, and Steve Smith continues to spread blood and guts all over every field he plays on. He's a decent QB1 streamer for this week.
RB Isaiah Crowell - He may be a firm #2 behind starter Ben Tate, but with Cleveland playing Jacksonville this week, Crowell figures to see the field plenty. I shouldn't even have to say it, but Jacksonville's opponents this season have shown a propensity to take a relatively large lead by the 4th quarter, leading to backups getting some PT. Especially when a backup is as talented as Crowell is. If Cleveland establishes a lead early, we could very easily be looking at another double-digit carry day for Crowell, plus a touchdown.
RB Fred Jackson - He. Will. Not. Lose. See, paraphrasing Nas/Jay-Z always works. Fred-Ex was 10th among running backs in fantasy last year, and at age 33, he is once again hovering around top-10 status, mostly thanks to his 30 receptions (2nd in the NFL for RB's). This week, I expect Jackson to be the lead ball carrier for the Bills as well after C.J. Spiller had a crucial fumble at the end of the first half last week against the Patriots. The catches will continue to be there, and more running lanes should be available to Fred against a soft Minnesota defense.
WR Mohamed Sanu - A.J. Green is (sadly) out another week, so Sanu will continue his time as Andy Dalton's #1 wideout. Truthfully, Gio is probably the alpha dog in the passing game, but there are still plenty of targets to go around, and Sanu is next in line. In Week 6, he put up a monster 10-catch, 120-yard, and 1-TD stat line. He may not post numbers like that again, but expect him to come reasonably close as long as Colts's cornerback Vontae Davis doesn't shadow him all game.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. - Not sure if he is true FLEX material just yet, but he could be after this week. Beckham, along with Reuben Randle, has a huge opportunity in front of him with Victor Cruz being out for the year, and he has some serious expectations heaped on him. Those expectations are merited, of course, as he was a 1st-round pick. He possesses all the talent necessary to take a leap into big-time fantasy relevance, now the only question is: Will he?
TE Jordan Reed - Seriously, if he's not owned and being started in every league this week, that league should be immediately voided and barred from play for the rest of the year.
Good luck to all fantasy owners in Week 7.
No CFB Preview, no shoutouts, no NFL recap. I disappeared this week. I let my loyal readers who can be counted one two hands down, and for that I sincerely apologize. To resolve the issue of me not completing any posts on Sunday-Tuesday the past couple weeks, I have decided to change up my schedule of weekly posts. I will continue with my CFB previews each Friday; the lack of one last week was an outlier. In regards to my Shoutouts and NFL Recap posts, I will now combine the two to form a Weekend Football Recap post that will come out every Monday. Half NFL, half college. I think this system should work well. I'm glad I got this opportunity to clear things up, and I hope a week-long absence like that doesn't happen again. Onto fantasy stuff.
We are officially at the midway point of the 2014 fantasy season! Congratulations to all that are .500 or above and looking strong for the playoffs, and to all those who have begrudgingly realized that it's just not their year (like me), it's OK. I feel your pain.
Looking ahead to Week 7, I'd like to dedicate most of this post to my fantasy league, then of course I will run through some actual fantasy material at the end. In the SPFFL, Week 7 means only one thing: Rivarly Week. RW is a time-honored institution in our league, known for its exceptional roster-bashing and creative smack talk. RW is an absolute must-win game, especially if your rival is someone who talks a lot of shit.
SP Football's greatest rivalry, Kevin "KY" Young's Krazy Kevs vs. George Green's What are the chances, has sadly been laid to rest by an increasingly unpopular, experimental decision among the owners to randomize the rivalries for this year. The origins of this change was the overwhelming opposition to me and my brother being "rivals" when all my brother did last year was root for me to win. KY and George's enthusiasm in hurling the most vulgar insults at each other for 7 days in the middle of the fantasy calendar was probably the most cherished league-wide tradition for the past 3 years.
With the rivalry on hold for at least this year, the new torch-carrier is the Mike Santini-Dylan Mednick rivalry. As my team tanks away the rest of the season, essentially sapping my rivalry week of any importance, Mike's squad (at 2-4) NEEDS a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Dylan is sitting comfortably in 2nd place with a 5-1 record. Fortunately for us as a league, Mike is extremely passionate at peppering Dylan with obscene, violent remarks. His catchphrase might as well be "Fuck you Dylan". While not very good at reciprocating that type of playful hatred, Dylan is extremely confident in his fantasy team and usually replies by simply saying he's going to destroy him, or something like that. When he's on though, Mike's venomous, completely non-serious barbs directed at Dylan are something of a work of art. I do not have any direct quotes on hand, but most involve defecation.
The heart of Rivalry Week's significance lies in the comments seen on the Smack Talk board located in each matchup. Our league's king of the hilarious and weird is none other than Chris "Sauce" Apicella, owner of TuckerRightInThePusy. Though many have tried, no one can quite figure out how the hell the kid comes up with the shit that he puts on there. Sauce takes the words "random", "nonsensical", and "outlandish" to a whole other level. I do have examples of his best work just from this season. Enjoy:
"Antonio Fences is Antonio Gates' closeted homosexual doppelgänger"
"Drew Brees shreds the lions asshole harder than a planet wings appetizer followed by a taco bell dinner"
"Dirty Martellus and the boys"
"James and the giant cock"
"Foster's Home for Imaginary Cock"
"Who Framed Roger Cock"
"Bridget Jones' Cock"
"Roethlisberger with no pickles or onions and a Forte oz. Budweiser to go" (more clever than his usual brand of downright batshit crazy)
"I'll take 'Gostkowski's Shlong' for 600 Alex"
"Giovani Bernard boyfriend dies and costs mark the game"
"Who the fuck names their white child Jordy?"
"Keenan Allen will call his uncle Tim Allen who is both Santa and a home improver therefore he will have a great house to live in on Christmas so dom wins"
"Matt Ryan will be set on fire before this season is over"
Long live Smack Talk.
The 2014 season as a whole has been a fairly interesting one. First round running backs have yielded largely disappointing results, as Lesean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, and Eddie Lacy have underperformed, while AP...well, you know the deal there. 2nd round running backs like Demarco Murray, Gio Bernard, and Marshawn Lynch are carrying teams, and George got the biggest steal of the draft by taking Josh Gordon, who will return in Week 12 as the best receiver in the league with Megatron banged up and ineffective, in the 9th round. Like he even needs Gordon: George's What are the chances squad is in 1st place with a 5-1 record, led by studs Aaron Rodgers, Demarco Murray, Steve Smith, and Julius Thomas. As a result of this top-of-the-draft wackiness, owners who did not go RB in the 1st have been largely successful thus far. The three owners who took Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Demaryius Thomas are a combined 13-5.
I am the unfortunate dumbass who made Lacy the face of his franchise. It's been frustrating to say the least (I'm 1-5). Lacy, along with Zac Stacy, Percy Harvin, and Torrey Smith, have dismantled my season, along with injuries to A.J. Green and Jordan Reed. Not to mention I drafted RG3 in the 8th round. I was able to grab Matt Ryan, who has been a competent starter, but definitely a back-end QB1 in a 10-team league. 2014 has not been kind to the 2-time defending champ.
Regardless, I still pour my heart into my fantasy team each and every week, as do my leaguemates. There's nothing we would rather do with our autumn Sundays. The 2nd half of the season should be even crazier, as four teams are currently tied for the last playoff spot. Who knows, maybe I'll even make a push for that 6th seed (no, I will not; I'm starting Jonathan Stewart this week). We wait all winter, spring, and summer for the season to start every year, and now that it's already halfway over, I'm making sure to enjoy every week just as much as always. Even if I am in dead last.
Sp Football Standings through Week 6:
- What are the chances - 5-1 (909.25 Points For)
- Notorious M.A.F.I.A. - 5-1 (854.55)
- Marks Marauders - 4-2 (880.45)
- Scooby Doos - 4-2 (790.80)
- The Uncle Ricos - 3-3 (731.90)
- Krazy Kevs - 2-4 (836.85)
- #SantiniCrimeFamily (810.35)
- TuckerRightInThePusy - 2-4 (803.85)
- The DOMinators - 2-4 (759.60)
- 10 AM in Philly - 1-5 (740.90)
Actual Fantasy Advice:
I may be 1-5, but I am still pretty confident that I know how to spot a good fantasy producer before it happens. I did start Jerick McKinnon Week 4 against the Falcons when he was still a largely-unowned backup. He went off for 138 total yards (19.50 SP) on just 19 touches. I did start Delanie Walker in Week 2 when he exploded for 31.20 SP when he was only being started by 26% of Yahoo fantasy owners. So I still have some skills, just the luck side hasn't come through for me this year like it has in the past.
That being said, I'm also not claiming that I'm some sort of fantasy prophet either. I analyze stats and match-ups just like anyone else does, and I give you my honest opinions. So without further ado, here are my suggested under-the-radar/desperate starts for Week 7:
QB Joe Flacco - Facing a non-threatining Atlanta secondary/pass rush, Flacco should look to replicate the pristine first half he enjoyed just last week that saw him throw for over 200 yards and 5 TD's. The running game is helping Flacco out a ton by forcing defenses to consider stacking the box some, Torrey looks to be getting it going, and Steve Smith continues to spread blood and guts all over every field he plays on. He's a decent QB1 streamer for this week.
RB Isaiah Crowell - He may be a firm #2 behind starter Ben Tate, but with Cleveland playing Jacksonville this week, Crowell figures to see the field plenty. I shouldn't even have to say it, but Jacksonville's opponents this season have shown a propensity to take a relatively large lead by the 4th quarter, leading to backups getting some PT. Especially when a backup is as talented as Crowell is. If Cleveland establishes a lead early, we could very easily be looking at another double-digit carry day for Crowell, plus a touchdown.
RB Fred Jackson - He. Will. Not. Lose. See, paraphrasing Nas/Jay-Z always works. Fred-Ex was 10th among running backs in fantasy last year, and at age 33, he is once again hovering around top-10 status, mostly thanks to his 30 receptions (2nd in the NFL for RB's). This week, I expect Jackson to be the lead ball carrier for the Bills as well after C.J. Spiller had a crucial fumble at the end of the first half last week against the Patriots. The catches will continue to be there, and more running lanes should be available to Fred against a soft Minnesota defense.
WR Mohamed Sanu - A.J. Green is (sadly) out another week, so Sanu will continue his time as Andy Dalton's #1 wideout. Truthfully, Gio is probably the alpha dog in the passing game, but there are still plenty of targets to go around, and Sanu is next in line. In Week 6, he put up a monster 10-catch, 120-yard, and 1-TD stat line. He may not post numbers like that again, but expect him to come reasonably close as long as Colts's cornerback Vontae Davis doesn't shadow him all game.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. - Not sure if he is true FLEX material just yet, but he could be after this week. Beckham, along with Reuben Randle, has a huge opportunity in front of him with Victor Cruz being out for the year, and he has some serious expectations heaped on him. Those expectations are merited, of course, as he was a 1st-round pick. He possesses all the talent necessary to take a leap into big-time fantasy relevance, now the only question is: Will he?
TE Jordan Reed - Seriously, if he's not owned and being started in every league this week, that league should be immediately voided and barred from play for the rest of the year.
Good luck to all fantasy owners in Week 7.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Fantasy Football Focus - Week 6
I've been really slacking with my blog posts lately.
I will fully admit this, and I'm truly disappointed in myself. It's not like I didn't have anything to write about or I wasn't interested; this past week of college football was insane and there was plenty to discuss from Week 5 in the NFL (including my Bills winning on a Dan Carpenter 58-yard GW FG! Had to throw that in there). There's no excuse for my inactivity, except for maybe that college work and college laziness are piling up.
Let's put that all in the past and look to the future, shall we? Last week, I tried out an all-fantasy football post, and it failed miserably. Well, not miserably; it at least performed better than my Alfred Morris All-Stars college football post (really thought that was an innovative idea. I don't quite know why it flopped like it did). So this week, because it is once again a Wednesday, and no one wants to hear about last week on a Wednesday, I will attempt to re-work my fantasy football post format in hopes something worth reading will rise from the ashes. Basically, this post is like a phoenix.
To change things up a bit, I will be implementing an idea that is relevant to the state of fantasy football right now. By Week 6, fantasy owners have at least a solid idea of who each player on their team is, how effective they have been, and how effective they will be moving forward. You have probably been involved in some trade talks, made an impact pickup or two, and finally benched/dropped an underwhelming top draft pick by now as well.
In my opinion, Week 6 is the first of two turning points during the fantasy season (the other is week 11). If you're 3+ games over or under .500, it's less of a monumental week for you. If you're 1-4 or 0-5, you have to start winning NOW. If you're sitting pretty at 4-1 or 5-0, an L this week won't kill you. I'm talking to those 2-3 and 3-2 squads. Those middle-of-the-pack guys. You know who you are. Week 6 is pretty pivotal for you guys. 2-3 teams make their lives a whole lot more difficult if they drop to 2-4, and 4-2 is a welcomed sight to any 3-2 team as opposed to falling back to .500. All this is why making the right moves is essential when shaping your team for the stretch run. By this point, a "good" draft means nothing. This is where real fantasy skills come into play. This is where the men are separated from the boys.
To assist all those out there seeking guidance on how to position themselves for a playoff run, I got you covered. The most important piece of business that owners must consider, and therefore what I will cover in this post, is to address all these pesky injured running backs. We all have at least one by now. Whether you're an owner of Mark Ingram, Ryan Mathews, Rashad Jennings, Montee Ball, or anyone RB that wears a Carolina Panthers uniform, you have been burned by some form of a banged-up ball-carrier. Not coincidentally, names like Andre Williams, Branden Oliver, Ronnie Hillman, and even Benny Cunningham have been among the hottest wavier-wire pickups of the last couple days.
Ball's injury is the only one that looks to be serious, but Denver is also the team most likely to replace him by using a committee. Hillman, Juwan Thompson, and C.J. Anderson all figure to get some looks taking handoffs from Peyton in the coming weeks. As for Jennings and Mathews, a safe assumption is that both will miss Weeks 6 and 7, meaning Williams and Oliver are only premium, locked-in starters for two games. Do not be scared off by this, getting two weeks of RB2-level production from a waiver pickup is extremely valuable, even if the value is short-lived. Two weeks can make a season, any means to acquire a win should be taken seriously.
Now there's the matter of nicked-up RB's who seem likely to play, but the extent of their effectiveness is highly in question. Players that fall under this category for Week 6 are Zac Stacy, Jonathan Stewart, and Reggie Bush. All three are driving fantasy owners crazy by causing second-guessing and uncertainty as they are trying to make roster decisions.
Stacy has managed to hold off COP back Benny Cunningham by simply being better this season, as Stacy's 4.3 YPC trumped Cunningham's 3.3 entering the Rams' Week 5 game. Once Stacy left with a strained calf, Cunningham took advantage by posting 71 yards and a touchdown. Although Stacy will most likely play this week against the 49ers, the combination of the brutal matchup and the strong possibility that Cunningham will eat into his carries makes me suggest to sit Stacy this week if your roster permits it.
Stewart, along with three-headed monster members DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert, predictably got hurt earlier this year right when he was expected to carry the load of a struggling backfield. Well, he very well could return to the lineup this week against the Bengals, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Darrin Reaves-Chris Ogbonnaya tandem will not prevent Stewart from seeing the field if he's healthy (enough). This may finally be the time where Stewart gets the carries he needs to blossom into at least FLEX-worthy back that doesn't rely on a TD to give owners a decent outing. Williams is not expected to suit up, and Tolbert is still on the IR-designated to return list. Cincinnati is 31st in run defense DVOA. Stewart figures to get a large amount of carries. I don't think I have to spell it out anymore for you. Stewart active = fantasy points (I decided to spell it out more).
One of fantasy's more frustrating backs this year, Reggie Bush had a prime opportunity to makes his owners happy last week as he took over a backfield down both Joique Bell and Theo Riddick. Only problem was every time he received a handoff, he would just run right into the brick wall that is the Buffalo Bills run defense, ranked #2 in the NFL if you refer to that handy chart from that last link. Adding insult to injury (or injury to insult really), Bush suffered a sprained ankle in the game, leaving the Lions with just one healthy running back: George Winn. Bush is reportedly "day-to-day" as of now, and should at least be active come Sunday. Bush has a dream matchup against the Vikings this week, the same Vikings that saw Eddie Lacy bust out for 105 yards and 2 TD's, as well as destroy safety Robert Blanton's entire life, on just 13 carries last Thursday . Yeah, I'd say insert Bush into your starting lineup with a fair amount of confidence as long as he's playing.
For those of you who don't own any of these guys or are not mightily affected by the rash of running back injuries, then lucky you! No, but seriously, I have a little something for you guys as well: Buy-low and sell-high candidates! Exciting, right? Well, sound advice on trade targets is exciting to me. Here are the guys you should be sending out offers for while their price tags are still cheap, as well as the players on your roster that could fetch a nice return while their stock is high:
Buy-Low
T.Y. Hilton - Seek out your league Hilton owners and gauge their frustration level with his zero touchdowns so far this season. While not exactly a red zone beast anyway, Hilton has also only produced one 100-yard game this season, a petty stat considering he's Andrew Luck's #1 receiver. Say your league Hilton owner is dealing with an injury to one of his running backs and is offering up Hilton for an RB, and you're set at the position but need a receiver, flood that person with some trade proposals. The Colts offense is airing it out as much as it ever has over the past 3 seasons, and it's not like T.Y. isn't having the ball come his way. He has double-digit targets in 4 out of 5 games, and his Week 5 9-catch total certainly made PPR leaguers take notice. The touchdowns should come too, maybe not rapidly by any means, but I expect Hilton to still finish the season with about 5-6.
Jordan Reed - It's very possible I just love him too much, but Jordan Reed is the ultimate buy-low target in my opinion. Reed has been hurt since he strained his hamstring attempting a hurdle after hauling in his first catch of the season in the first game of the year. Since then, he has been sideline, which has given way to Niles Paul's emergence. Paul will without a doubt return to the sidelines if Reed is active this week, which is a fairly decent possibility. The-man-with-two-first-names struggled quite noticeably with run blocking in Washington's Monday Night loss to the Seahawks, and Reed is simply more dynamic than Paul when healthy. Reed is available in 48% of Yahoo leagues, and 49% of ESPN leagues, meaning you can "buy" him for free. If a Reed owner has stuck with him and not dropped him yet, he probably won't cave and trade him now. That is, unless, he also is experiencing RB issues (see, it all goes back to these damn RB injuries). In that case, you should be able to ship over a low-end FLEX-caliber RB for Reed, a TE1 for the rest of the season. Gotta love buying low.
Sell-High
Larry Donnell - After his 0-catch performance in Week 5, you wouldn't exactly be trading Donnell as high as he would have been the previous week, but there is still plenty of value attached to him. His inclusion on this list isn't even that much an overreaction to that dud against the Eagles. It's more an endorsement of Odell Beckham Jr. You see, Beckham is the Giants 1st-round pick from this past draft, and he just made a pretty sparkling 2014 debut on Sunday. Teaming with Victor Cruz and Reuben Randle, Beckham becomes the third cog in a pretty formidable 3-WR set for the G-Men. The Giants are among the league leaders in snaps with 3 WR's on the field, so expect the Giants to feed a player they have invested heavily in over an undrafted tight end who essentially won the starting job by default in the preseason. Donnell's 3 TD performance two weeks ago should be fresh enough in people's minds that you can convince prospective trade partners that they will be receiving TE1 production.
Philip Rivers - Obviously, you would only be selling Rivers at all if you drafted him as a backup and your starter is producing at top-10 levels as well. If you are in this situation, then there really isn't anyone who could be sold higher right now. Rivers is a legitimate MVP candidate, pilots a pass-orientated offense, and plays the highly susceptible Raiders defense twice from now until the end of the season, with the first of his match-ups against Oakland being this week. Trade partners should be fairly easy to find, simply look for owners about ready to give up on Tom Brady (despite his game against the Bengals) or Cam Newton. A demand for a RB2 and WR2/3 is a reasonable return that you could see should you part ways with the King of Bolo Ties.
Finally, the best advice I can give you: Don't make trades just because other people are and you think you should make one too. Trades should only occur if you have a clear need, and find someone else in your league who possesses a player who can fill that need for a fair price. Sometimes, the best remedy for a struggling team is just a reshuffling of the starting lineup and a week of good fortune. Good luck to all fantasy owners for Week 6, and remember: You're only having fun if you're winning.
SP Football standings through Week 5:
I will fully admit this, and I'm truly disappointed in myself. It's not like I didn't have anything to write about or I wasn't interested; this past week of college football was insane and there was plenty to discuss from Week 5 in the NFL (including my Bills winning on a Dan Carpenter 58-yard GW FG! Had to throw that in there). There's no excuse for my inactivity, except for maybe that college work and college laziness are piling up.
Let's put that all in the past and look to the future, shall we? Last week, I tried out an all-fantasy football post, and it failed miserably. Well, not miserably; it at least performed better than my Alfred Morris All-Stars college football post (really thought that was an innovative idea. I don't quite know why it flopped like it did). So this week, because it is once again a Wednesday, and no one wants to hear about last week on a Wednesday, I will attempt to re-work my fantasy football post format in hopes something worth reading will rise from the ashes. Basically, this post is like a phoenix.
To change things up a bit, I will be implementing an idea that is relevant to the state of fantasy football right now. By Week 6, fantasy owners have at least a solid idea of who each player on their team is, how effective they have been, and how effective they will be moving forward. You have probably been involved in some trade talks, made an impact pickup or two, and finally benched/dropped an underwhelming top draft pick by now as well.
In my opinion, Week 6 is the first of two turning points during the fantasy season (the other is week 11). If you're 3+ games over or under .500, it's less of a monumental week for you. If you're 1-4 or 0-5, you have to start winning NOW. If you're sitting pretty at 4-1 or 5-0, an L this week won't kill you. I'm talking to those 2-3 and 3-2 squads. Those middle-of-the-pack guys. You know who you are. Week 6 is pretty pivotal for you guys. 2-3 teams make their lives a whole lot more difficult if they drop to 2-4, and 4-2 is a welcomed sight to any 3-2 team as opposed to falling back to .500. All this is why making the right moves is essential when shaping your team for the stretch run. By this point, a "good" draft means nothing. This is where real fantasy skills come into play. This is where the men are separated from the boys.
To assist all those out there seeking guidance on how to position themselves for a playoff run, I got you covered. The most important piece of business that owners must consider, and therefore what I will cover in this post, is to address all these pesky injured running backs. We all have at least one by now. Whether you're an owner of Mark Ingram, Ryan Mathews, Rashad Jennings, Montee Ball, or anyone RB that wears a Carolina Panthers uniform, you have been burned by some form of a banged-up ball-carrier. Not coincidentally, names like Andre Williams, Branden Oliver, Ronnie Hillman, and even Benny Cunningham have been among the hottest wavier-wire pickups of the last couple days.
Ball's injury is the only one that looks to be serious, but Denver is also the team most likely to replace him by using a committee. Hillman, Juwan Thompson, and C.J. Anderson all figure to get some looks taking handoffs from Peyton in the coming weeks. As for Jennings and Mathews, a safe assumption is that both will miss Weeks 6 and 7, meaning Williams and Oliver are only premium, locked-in starters for two games. Do not be scared off by this, getting two weeks of RB2-level production from a waiver pickup is extremely valuable, even if the value is short-lived. Two weeks can make a season, any means to acquire a win should be taken seriously.
Now there's the matter of nicked-up RB's who seem likely to play, but the extent of their effectiveness is highly in question. Players that fall under this category for Week 6 are Zac Stacy, Jonathan Stewart, and Reggie Bush. All three are driving fantasy owners crazy by causing second-guessing and uncertainty as they are trying to make roster decisions.
Stacy has managed to hold off COP back Benny Cunningham by simply being better this season, as Stacy's 4.3 YPC trumped Cunningham's 3.3 entering the Rams' Week 5 game. Once Stacy left with a strained calf, Cunningham took advantage by posting 71 yards and a touchdown. Although Stacy will most likely play this week against the 49ers, the combination of the brutal matchup and the strong possibility that Cunningham will eat into his carries makes me suggest to sit Stacy this week if your roster permits it.
Stewart, along with three-headed monster members DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert, predictably got hurt earlier this year right when he was expected to carry the load of a struggling backfield. Well, he very well could return to the lineup this week against the Bengals, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Darrin Reaves-Chris Ogbonnaya tandem will not prevent Stewart from seeing the field if he's healthy (enough). This may finally be the time where Stewart gets the carries he needs to blossom into at least FLEX-worthy back that doesn't rely on a TD to give owners a decent outing. Williams is not expected to suit up, and Tolbert is still on the IR-designated to return list. Cincinnati is 31st in run defense DVOA. Stewart figures to get a large amount of carries. I don't think I have to spell it out anymore for you. Stewart active = fantasy points (I decided to spell it out more).
One of fantasy's more frustrating backs this year, Reggie Bush had a prime opportunity to makes his owners happy last week as he took over a backfield down both Joique Bell and Theo Riddick. Only problem was every time he received a handoff, he would just run right into the brick wall that is the Buffalo Bills run defense, ranked #2 in the NFL if you refer to that handy chart from that last link. Adding insult to injury (or injury to insult really), Bush suffered a sprained ankle in the game, leaving the Lions with just one healthy running back: George Winn. Bush is reportedly "day-to-day" as of now, and should at least be active come Sunday. Bush has a dream matchup against the Vikings this week, the same Vikings that saw Eddie Lacy bust out for 105 yards and 2 TD's, as well as destroy safety Robert Blanton's entire life, on just 13 carries last Thursday . Yeah, I'd say insert Bush into your starting lineup with a fair amount of confidence as long as he's playing.
For those of you who don't own any of these guys or are not mightily affected by the rash of running back injuries, then lucky you! No, but seriously, I have a little something for you guys as well: Buy-low and sell-high candidates! Exciting, right? Well, sound advice on trade targets is exciting to me. Here are the guys you should be sending out offers for while their price tags are still cheap, as well as the players on your roster that could fetch a nice return while their stock is high:
Buy-Low
T.Y. Hilton - Seek out your league Hilton owners and gauge their frustration level with his zero touchdowns so far this season. While not exactly a red zone beast anyway, Hilton has also only produced one 100-yard game this season, a petty stat considering he's Andrew Luck's #1 receiver. Say your league Hilton owner is dealing with an injury to one of his running backs and is offering up Hilton for an RB, and you're set at the position but need a receiver, flood that person with some trade proposals. The Colts offense is airing it out as much as it ever has over the past 3 seasons, and it's not like T.Y. isn't having the ball come his way. He has double-digit targets in 4 out of 5 games, and his Week 5 9-catch total certainly made PPR leaguers take notice. The touchdowns should come too, maybe not rapidly by any means, but I expect Hilton to still finish the season with about 5-6.
Jordan Reed - It's very possible I just love him too much, but Jordan Reed is the ultimate buy-low target in my opinion. Reed has been hurt since he strained his hamstring attempting a hurdle after hauling in his first catch of the season in the first game of the year. Since then, he has been sideline, which has given way to Niles Paul's emergence. Paul will without a doubt return to the sidelines if Reed is active this week, which is a fairly decent possibility. The-man-with-two-first-names struggled quite noticeably with run blocking in Washington's Monday Night loss to the Seahawks, and Reed is simply more dynamic than Paul when healthy. Reed is available in 48% of Yahoo leagues, and 49% of ESPN leagues, meaning you can "buy" him for free. If a Reed owner has stuck with him and not dropped him yet, he probably won't cave and trade him now. That is, unless, he also is experiencing RB issues (see, it all goes back to these damn RB injuries). In that case, you should be able to ship over a low-end FLEX-caliber RB for Reed, a TE1 for the rest of the season. Gotta love buying low.
Sell-High
Larry Donnell - After his 0-catch performance in Week 5, you wouldn't exactly be trading Donnell as high as he would have been the previous week, but there is still plenty of value attached to him. His inclusion on this list isn't even that much an overreaction to that dud against the Eagles. It's more an endorsement of Odell Beckham Jr. You see, Beckham is the Giants 1st-round pick from this past draft, and he just made a pretty sparkling 2014 debut on Sunday. Teaming with Victor Cruz and Reuben Randle, Beckham becomes the third cog in a pretty formidable 3-WR set for the G-Men. The Giants are among the league leaders in snaps with 3 WR's on the field, so expect the Giants to feed a player they have invested heavily in over an undrafted tight end who essentially won the starting job by default in the preseason. Donnell's 3 TD performance two weeks ago should be fresh enough in people's minds that you can convince prospective trade partners that they will be receiving TE1 production.
Philip Rivers - Obviously, you would only be selling Rivers at all if you drafted him as a backup and your starter is producing at top-10 levels as well. If you are in this situation, then there really isn't anyone who could be sold higher right now. Rivers is a legitimate MVP candidate, pilots a pass-orientated offense, and plays the highly susceptible Raiders defense twice from now until the end of the season, with the first of his match-ups against Oakland being this week. Trade partners should be fairly easy to find, simply look for owners about ready to give up on Tom Brady (despite his game against the Bengals) or Cam Newton. A demand for a RB2 and WR2/3 is a reasonable return that you could see should you part ways with the King of Bolo Ties.
Finally, the best advice I can give you: Don't make trades just because other people are and you think you should make one too. Trades should only occur if you have a clear need, and find someone else in your league who possesses a player who can fill that need for a fair price. Sometimes, the best remedy for a struggling team is just a reshuffling of the starting lineup and a week of good fortune. Good luck to all fantasy owners for Week 6, and remember: You're only having fun if you're winning.
SP Football standings through Week 5:
- What are the chances - 4-1
- Notorious M.A.F.I.A. - 4-1
- Marks Marauders - 3-2
- Scooby Doos - 3-2
- The Uncle Ricos - 3-2
- Krazy Kevs - 2-3
- TuckerRightInThePusy - 2-3
- #SantiniCrimeFamily - 2-3
- 10 AM in Philly - 1-4
- The DOMinators - 1-4
Sunday, October 5, 2014
True Greatness
The fascinating life of a New Jersey mob boss and his friends and family. A high school chemistry teacher who receives news that he has cancer resorts to making meth to secure his family’s financial future. The epic struggle between the police force and drug dealers for the streets of Baltimore.
These are all descriptions of what are considered to be the greatest shows in the history of television. The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and The Wire, respectively, are all incredible dramas that captivated audiences of varying sizes for years. Each has cases constructed in their favor as the show that deserves the honor of the #1 spot on any ranking TV show. Mark Lawson from theguardian.com published an article titled “Why The Sopranos is the Best TV Drama of All Time”, and in it he essentially argues that The Sopranos was the first TV show to have the ability to portray a world like the mafia so accurately with the show being on HBO. This line by Lawson sums up his point well, “…This unprecedented realism was fascinatingly mixed with an equally unusual surrealism…” Allen St. John wrote a column for forbes.com where he explains why Breaking Bad is the undisputed king of TV, claiming that what sets it apart is how creator Vince Gilligan had his protagonist change so drastically (and compellingly) from the beginning of the show to the end. In an incredibly lengthy debate on vulture.com, Matt Zoller Seitz gives a plethora of well-thought out reasons as to why The Wire trumps The Sopranos and all other shows, the most notable being consistency, realism, and superior storytelling. There really isn’t a doubt that these three television shows have cemented their spots on the TV Show Mount Rushmore. Full disclosure, if forced to pick which overall show was the best, I’d choose The Wire. But that is not what I’m arguing for here. See, I believe that debating which individual season of television reigns supreme is a slightly easier one to settle. And that is because the winner of that “debate” is True Detective’s debut season, and it’s not even close.
“Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson together on the small screen? Are you kidding me?” This was my reaction upon learning of the existence of True Detective, HBO’s gem of a miniseries that premiered in January of this year. Created by Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective blends narrative, mystery, wittiness, philosophical rants, beautiful women taking their clothes off, and Matthew McConaughey doing Matthew McConaughey things like no other show that has ever existed. The basic premise is two detectives are paired up to solve a case that starts out as a murder that appears to be the work of a cult follower. The two detectives end up being less-than-ideal matches for each other due to differing beliefs and views of the world. The tension between them becomes a prominent aspect of the show as the case they are investigating leads them further down the ominous side of humanity and the inner-workings of their own human consciousness. What may sound like a dark and somber cop drama is actually a fascinating examination of what motivates people to do what they do. Also, lucky for the viewers, the two detectives, Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Harrelson), are extremely interesting individuals. Harrelson is great in his portrayal of the good-natured but deeply flawed Marty, but it's McConaughey as Rust Cohle that absolutely steals the show. Cohle is an arrogant, aloof figure who basically enjoys ruining people’s days by spouting off negativity in the form of straight facts about life. No one wants to hear what he is saying based off his grim nature, but the dude spits the hard truth like nobody’s business. Cohle’s conversation topics of choice include the absurdity of religious congregation, the meaning of pessimism, and the Membrane theory. As he even says himself, “I’m not fun at parties.” Well put, Rust. Despite all that, Cohle is unquestionably the most compelling, unpredictable, and intriguing character I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some good ones. Walter White (from Breaking Bad) was incredible in his transformation from ordinary schoolteacher to menacing drug lord, Don Draper (Mad Men) is an extraordinarily complex and troubled character, and Tony Soprano was, to put it succinctly, an absolute boss (pun intended). Apologies to all those great fictional men, but Rust Cohle just has them beat. All the proof I need is the final 8:35 of the 4th episode of the season, where Cohle singe-handedly…you know what? I don’t even want to say it. Here, go watch it for yourself.
Now, True Detective has certainly been lauded by critics, I hope I haven’t made it seem like this was some type of abysmal show that has been dismissed by the public. Besides Andy Greenwald, TV “analyst” for grantland.com who has made no bones declaring his distaste for the show, the overwhelming majority to True Detective has been, well, overwhelmingly positive. That being said, very few have placed it among the ranks of the all-time greats. Many point out that a show that has only produced 8 episodes can not be even mentioned in the same breath as the titans that have been previously mentioned. To that, I say why not? If what you’re watching is pure excellence, then why does it matter how long it has been around. For example, about 8 years into his career, LeBron James transformed himself from “best player in the league” to “best player since Michael Jordan”. If he’s the best since Jordan, what’s stopping us as the basketball community from ranking him as the #2 NBA player to ever live? Just because he is only 10 years into an active career? Why do we have to wait for him to decline with old age and retire to give him his silver medal? What we are seeing out of LeBron is a level of sheer dominance that really hasn’t been seen in the NBA since THE CONSENSUS BEST PLAYER EVER DID IT 20 YEARS AGO. Excuse me, that was uncalled for.
True Detective has brought us a product that has never really been witnessed before on television, which is quietly really difficult to do considering the wide variety and insane quantity of shows that have reached our television sets during the Golden Age of Television (the past 15 years). I’d even argue that creating a single season that garnered as much attention and acclaim as True Detective did in only 8 episodes was even more impressive than if it was done in, say, 16 or 22. Pizzolatto had to compress a multi-layered story and fit everything he wanted to tell into less than 8 hours of air time. Still, none of the show felt rushed or out of rhythm, which is a testament to the everyone involved with the show, such as the writing staff, director Cary Joji Fukunaga, and all the actors and actresses. The show was able to construct an elaborate and developed plot with a satisfying resolution despite only running for 2 months. More impressive now that I put it into perspective, huh?
True Detective also has managed to consistently stay in the news months after season one’s final episode aired thanks to a devoted fan base that is constantly demanding hints for next season’s location, plot, characters, etc. Rumors seem to fly around every week over who will be cast in the lead roles. The names that seem to have stuck are Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Taylor Kitsch, and possibly Elisabeth Moss. Translation: GET. HYPED. My last piece of advice that I have left to give to you is to hop on the bandwagon now before all the seats are taken. Remember, the first season was only 8 episodes, so it is very easy to catch up. True greatness doesn’t come around very often. But when it does, and we realize its brilliance as it’s happening, the only possible course of action is just to let yourself be taken along for the ride.
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