So it's 7:15 pm last Wednesday (yeah, I'm a little late in posting this...), and the Duke/Miami basketball game is on. A friend casually asks, "Isn't there an NBA doubleheader on tonight?" "Yeah, there probably is but check it...Duke and Miami is on. It's a good game..." His appauling reply, "College sports is boring." <SILENCE> "Excuuuse me? How can you not like college sports?!?!" "What's to like about a game that ends in 56-50?" <GASP> The Duke/Miami game ended in 90-63, thank-you-very-much.
This is the same friend that insisted on watching the Mavericks/Heat game the night of a college bowl game on January 2nd. The Dallas Mavericks will play 82 games this season, 2 against the Heat. A bowl game happens once a year. Not only did the Mavericks lose that night, but the underdog Louisville Cardinals beat, then #3 ranked, Florida in the All-State Sugar Bowl.
Now, I can see not being invested in a particular school or team. Hell, I did not bleed burnt orange until maybe my Junior year at UT Austin. It took me awhile to get over the rejection from Rice University... And I can understand not keeping up with players' names - skilled players playing out their one year then declaring for the draft. But how can you deny the talent on the court? How can you overlook the heart that bleeds on the field for four quarters?
Every March thousands upon millions of people participate in March Madness. People who have never watched a single NCAA basketball game fill out a bracket-thing-a-majig. Everyone will remember the Butler story, just as well as the Kentucky dream team. And the infamous unibrow associated with the Kentucky star.
March 19th is marked on my calendar - the beginning of March Madness. It's my favorite time of year. There will absolutely nothing boring about the weeks leading up to the National Championship game.
-bObD.
1.27.2013
Contra vs Duck Hunt.
I don't consider myself a gamer. I don't know all the cheat codes to every game. I can't tell you the last time I actually beat a game, and RPGs give me a headache from hell. I do, however, enjoy video games. The gaming world is fascinating. Graphic designers, programmers, and artists of all kinds joining forces to provide one of the most amazing forms of entertainment for all ages.
Last night, I attended Video Games Live, and it was pretty damn cool. My appreciation for music and my passion for games were put together on one stage in encore manner. The orchestra performed music from Mega Man, Street Fighter, Zelda, Tetris, Donkey Kong, and Super Mario Brothers. It brought back memories and made me want to go out and get Koopa Troopa tatted on my foot then go home and bust out the controllers. If you like Zelda, YouTube 'Flute Link.' She is pretty amazing on the flute. And, it's Zelda! Even the ones I was completely unfamiliar with, Castlevania and Chrono Cross, had my undivided attention.
Throughout the show, they would put up Video Game Mashups. Highly entertaining. How can one not want to watch Contra vs. Duck Hunt or Grand Theft Auto take on Frogger? Funny shit.
One of the best parts of the evening was when they had this guy from the audience (he had won a contest from earlier in the evening) play Guitar Hero on stage. If he hit 400,000 points playing Foo Fighter's 'Pretender' on Expert Level, he won tickets for everyone to the SGC Convention in June. Everyone was on the edge of their seats...watching intensely. As he approached the 400.000 mark, the cheering began. Soon, the entire auditorium erupted! "You Rock!" Looks like I've got tickets to the SGC Convention!
The concert ended with one last song, 'Stay Alive' from Portal. I don't know what the hell Portal is, and I sure as hell felt out of place when everyone around me started singing along. But here it is...
-bObD.
Last night, I attended Video Games Live, and it was pretty damn cool. My appreciation for music and my passion for games were put together on one stage in encore manner. The orchestra performed music from Mega Man, Street Fighter, Zelda, Tetris, Donkey Kong, and Super Mario Brothers. It brought back memories and made me want to go out and get Koopa Troopa tatted on my foot then go home and bust out the controllers. If you like Zelda, YouTube 'Flute Link.' She is pretty amazing on the flute. And, it's Zelda! Even the ones I was completely unfamiliar with, Castlevania and Chrono Cross, had my undivided attention.
Throughout the show, they would put up Video Game Mashups. Highly entertaining. How can one not want to watch Contra vs. Duck Hunt or Grand Theft Auto take on Frogger? Funny shit.
One of the best parts of the evening was when they had this guy from the audience (he had won a contest from earlier in the evening) play Guitar Hero on stage. If he hit 400,000 points playing Foo Fighter's 'Pretender' on Expert Level, he won tickets for everyone to the SGC Convention in June. Everyone was on the edge of their seats...watching intensely. As he approached the 400.000 mark, the cheering began. Soon, the entire auditorium erupted! "You Rock!" Looks like I've got tickets to the SGC Convention!
The concert ended with one last song, 'Stay Alive' from Portal. I don't know what the hell Portal is, and I sure as hell felt out of place when everyone around me started singing along. But here it is...
-bObD.
1.20.2013
We Need Wins.
Elton Brand said Saturday, "We can't be proud and happy about being close and getting to overtime. We need wins now."
Damn straight. Only Mike Brown should be happy about getting to overtime, because that would mean he was coaching again. Mavs Fans For Life are living a life of anxiety and high blood pressure this season. Close games and overtime losses are taking years off our lives. I was a bad fan this past Friday night. I saw the Mavs were down by 9 at the end of the 3rd quarter against the Thunder, and I put the game away. I had a 2 hour series finale waiting for me on my DVR. There was no way the Mavs were going to pull off a comeback against Durant, despite their win streak on the line. I had been burned too many times this season already...staying up to watch a game end in a loss when I am scheduled to work only a few hours later. It is a crappy way to end the night and an even crappier way to start the morning when listening to sports radio on the way to work.
The Mavs failed me once again and are now 1-8 in games that go to overtime. But I did no better by giving up on a struggling team trying to find their way to .500. A team that brought my hometown a Championship just 2 seasons ago...I missed that same team go on a 20-8 run to start the fourth quarter, a quarter the Mavs have been notorious for blowing. Instead, I watched a disappointing Fringe finale. Joshua Jackson had nothing on Vince Carter that night. But as I said in an exchange of text messages during the game, "We can't win games with Carter as high scorer."
I won't be proud and happy about being close and getting to overtime, but I will restore my loyalty in my team by watching their games through highs and lows. We need wins now.
-bObD.
Damn straight. Only Mike Brown should be happy about getting to overtime, because that would mean he was coaching again. Mavs Fans For Life are living a life of anxiety and high blood pressure this season. Close games and overtime losses are taking years off our lives. I was a bad fan this past Friday night. I saw the Mavs were down by 9 at the end of the 3rd quarter against the Thunder, and I put the game away. I had a 2 hour series finale waiting for me on my DVR. There was no way the Mavs were going to pull off a comeback against Durant, despite their win streak on the line. I had been burned too many times this season already...staying up to watch a game end in a loss when I am scheduled to work only a few hours later. It is a crappy way to end the night and an even crappier way to start the morning when listening to sports radio on the way to work.
The Mavs failed me once again and are now 1-8 in games that go to overtime. But I did no better by giving up on a struggling team trying to find their way to .500. A team that brought my hometown a Championship just 2 seasons ago...I missed that same team go on a 20-8 run to start the fourth quarter, a quarter the Mavs have been notorious for blowing. Instead, I watched a disappointing Fringe finale. Joshua Jackson had nothing on Vince Carter that night. But as I said in an exchange of text messages during the game, "We can't win games with Carter as high scorer."
I won't be proud and happy about being close and getting to overtime, but I will restore my loyalty in my team by watching their games through highs and lows. We need wins now.
-bObD.
1.17.2013
The Lying Game
Let's talk for a moment about turning a blind eye to precieved "heros" in America. It seems to me that people like to cling on to familiar things and pluck from them the extraordinary talent that they have. Once they have located that thing; they hold it up high in the air and proclaim it as gold. It's human nature. I'm not passing judgement. I've done it (Obama). You've done it. We have all done it. With all that said, it is up to us (the smart one's in the blogishere), to expose fake ass shit.
Lance Armstrong is a lying, egotistical dirtbag. Dude, I don't make it a habit to judge people on mistakes made in their lives, especially people that I don't know personally. All humans make mistakes. I'm not judgeing Armstrong on making the decision to dope either. He is neither the first nor the last athlete that decieded to use drugs to get better. Yes, he cheated. people cheat everyday, on tests, on significant others, on taxes.....and so on and so on. The problem that I have with Armstrong's ongoning denials was the way that he used other people as human shields to deflect his deceit. U see, it's like a murder/suicide. If you want to kill yourself, then be my guest, but if you want to kill your two kids and wife before tou turn the gun on yourself; it's destitable.
Armstrong bullied people into submission and silence while he enjoyed the false fruits of his lies. He knew some people might believe the French or the people claiming to have knowledge of him doping, but here in America his herotism (made up word alert!) would win over. We love comeback stories and his was otherwordly. We all know the tale. It just turns out that this guy needed to keep hearing the praise so bad that he sacrificed innocents. That gets no play on this blog....The only thing that remains to be seen is if Armstong is forgiven like that dude who was masquerading as a chick in the "The Crying Game"? I couldn't think of any more suitable a comparison.
-tshurn
Lance Armstrong is a lying, egotistical dirtbag. Dude, I don't make it a habit to judge people on mistakes made in their lives, especially people that I don't know personally. All humans make mistakes. I'm not judgeing Armstrong on making the decision to dope either. He is neither the first nor the last athlete that decieded to use drugs to get better. Yes, he cheated. people cheat everyday, on tests, on significant others, on taxes.....and so on and so on. The problem that I have with Armstrong's ongoning denials was the way that he used other people as human shields to deflect his deceit. U see, it's like a murder/suicide. If you want to kill yourself, then be my guest, but if you want to kill your two kids and wife before tou turn the gun on yourself; it's destitable.
Armstrong bullied people into submission and silence while he enjoyed the false fruits of his lies. He knew some people might believe the French or the people claiming to have knowledge of him doping, but here in America his herotism (made up word alert!) would win over. We love comeback stories and his was otherwordly. We all know the tale. It just turns out that this guy needed to keep hearing the praise so bad that he sacrificed innocents. That gets no play on this blog....The only thing that remains to be seen is if Armstong is forgiven like that dude who was masquerading as a chick in the "The Crying Game"? I couldn't think of any more suitable a comparison.
-tshurn
1.15.2013
Snubbed or Just Straight Outta Luck?
Some people will never win the Golden Globe they may deserve. Some athletes will never win a Championship they compete for.
In a society where television and film is one of the few escapes from reality, actors and actresses are born each day. Raw talent competes against the most experienced, as they battle for the coveted Golden Globe. Nominated nine times as an actor, Leonardo Dicaprio has only won once. In a somewhat forgetful year of movies, Dicaprio, Javier Barden, Don Cheadle, Johnny Depp, and Liam Neeson were the nominees in 2004. If Dicaprio was to catch a break one year, this was it. Under the direction of one of the best, Dicaprio loses to cast-mate Christoph Waltz for supporting role. Even Tarantino couldn't help free the actor from the dark competition he is a slave to. Maybe Leonardo should follow in Ben Affleck's renewed footsteps and try his hands in directing. His reinvention should probably start with leaving all those models behind and finding someone like Jennifer Garner to put him in his place...on stage, thanking the Hollywood Press Association.
Sometimes, athletes need other athletes to literally break a leg so they can beat them at their game. A handful of the best athletes never get a chance at the Larry O'Brien. Competing during the Magic/Jordan era, or what was nationally known as The Bulls Dynasty, Patrick Ewing never stood a chance. The New York Knicks franchise is defined by Patrick Ewing's existance. There is the Ewing Era from 1985-2000 and the dismal Post-Ewing Era that followed. Patrick Ewing WAS the Knicks during the 20th century. He did everything he was drafted to do, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. In the Hall of Fame but without a ring, maybe Ewing should take a crack at directing, too. A movie about the NBA - staring Danny Devito as David Stern. You know you would watch it. After turning down the D-League, coaching jobs may be far and few between for the former Beast of the East.
Am I a Knicks fan? No. Did I watch Titanic on the big screen four times? Yes. Am I a Leonardo-lover? No. With so much talent surrounding us, someone will always get snubbed. Just don't turn to drugs, boys and girls. Livestrong.
-bObD.
In a society where television and film is one of the few escapes from reality, actors and actresses are born each day. Raw talent competes against the most experienced, as they battle for the coveted Golden Globe. Nominated nine times as an actor, Leonardo Dicaprio has only won once. In a somewhat forgetful year of movies, Dicaprio, Javier Barden, Don Cheadle, Johnny Depp, and Liam Neeson were the nominees in 2004. If Dicaprio was to catch a break one year, this was it. Under the direction of one of the best, Dicaprio loses to cast-mate Christoph Waltz for supporting role. Even Tarantino couldn't help free the actor from the dark competition he is a slave to. Maybe Leonardo should follow in Ben Affleck's renewed footsteps and try his hands in directing. His reinvention should probably start with leaving all those models behind and finding someone like Jennifer Garner to put him in his place...on stage, thanking the Hollywood Press Association.
Sometimes, athletes need other athletes to literally break a leg so they can beat them at their game. A handful of the best athletes never get a chance at the Larry O'Brien. Competing during the Magic/Jordan era, or what was nationally known as The Bulls Dynasty, Patrick Ewing never stood a chance. The New York Knicks franchise is defined by Patrick Ewing's existance. There is the Ewing Era from 1985-2000 and the dismal Post-Ewing Era that followed. Patrick Ewing WAS the Knicks during the 20th century. He did everything he was drafted to do, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. In the Hall of Fame but without a ring, maybe Ewing should take a crack at directing, too. A movie about the NBA - staring Danny Devito as David Stern. You know you would watch it. After turning down the D-League, coaching jobs may be far and few between for the former Beast of the East.
Am I a Knicks fan? No. Did I watch Titanic on the big screen four times? Yes. Am I a Leonardo-lover? No. With so much talent surrounding us, someone will always get snubbed. Just don't turn to drugs, boys and girls. Livestrong.
-bObD.
1.01.2013
Top Shelf 2012.
Everyone does a "Best of..." The moments that come to mind as the most memorable. But what if you drink too much the night of this memorable moment? Then all memory is lost. Thank goodness for Google and the power of searching via keywords. No thanks to my hungover hippocampus, these are safely some of my top sports moments in 2012 (in no particular order)...
Johnny Manziel. With absolutely no expectations, other than to lose to the big bad bears of the SEC, Texas A&M proved to have an excellent program and shined brightly in 2012. Manziel dominated on the field and was awarded nicely with the Davey O'Brien for his abilities as a quarterback and the Heisman for his role as an excellent collegiate football player. You cannot help but enjoy watching the freshman play. The Cotton Bowl should prove to be another great game showcasing Johnny Football's talents.
Everyone loves the story of redemption. Now throw in a group of women with extraordinary athletic abilities and a gold medal game and you have a memorable redeeming moment. The entire world got to see Alex Morgan, Ally Wambach, Hope Solo, and Carli Lloyd defeat Japan, the World Cup winner, in London.
Linsanity. This was not only a great moment in sports, but a great changing moment in Asian culture. An undrafted Chinese kid from Harvard makes it to the NBA and does it big. While I had my arguments about whether or not he should have been named ESPY's Breakthrough Athlete, he put on an amazing show as a Knick starter and winning 6 straight.
Chuckstrong. Heads shaved, t-shirts worn, banners made...the Colts' rally to defeat the Packers was full of heart and fight. Heart and fight on and off the field. They weren't just playing to the turn the season around, they were playing for their coach.
I don't know golf. I don't know a pitching wedge from a pitcher of beer and a wedge of potato. But I do know that what Bubba Watson did at the Masters was simply amazing. What a shot!
Tebow mania. Similar to Lin's story, it was a moment where the underdog prevailed. The touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime against the Steelers had people roaring. In that moment, the technically-flawed quarterback had made a statement.
Even those who do not follow women's sports know of Britney Griner. They know she plays basketball, and they know she plays it well. Without actually watching her play, you have no idea how well. At 6 foot 8 inches, Griner dominates both inside and outside the paint. She was the force behind Baylor's Championship and undefeated season.
It was Jordyn Wieber's name going into the Olympics, but it was Gabby Douglas on the medal count at the end. No other women's team had been this stacked since 1996. A lot was expected of this group of girls, and Douglas made it happen by being the first female gymnast to claim the Team and All-Around Gold in the same Olympics. Gabby was everything Graceful and Gold.
And some close runner-ups...
Four months consumed by football. Not just football games - football player stats, injuries, trades. A few minutes each Tuesday night scouting the waiver wire...Sunday mornings spent watching Fantasy Live, reading updated injury reports and hoping there is a Fantasy God on this very day of worship. In a season I felt defeated before it even started, I somehow kept up and managed three fantasy teams. To be crowned League Champion in one, that definitely goes down as one of my finest sports moments.
Thank you, 2012, for another great year in sports.
-bObD.
Johnny Manziel. With absolutely no expectations, other than to lose to the big bad bears of the SEC, Texas A&M proved to have an excellent program and shined brightly in 2012. Manziel dominated on the field and was awarded nicely with the Davey O'Brien for his abilities as a quarterback and the Heisman for his role as an excellent collegiate football player. You cannot help but enjoy watching the freshman play. The Cotton Bowl should prove to be another great game showcasing Johnny Football's talents.
Everyone loves the story of redemption. Now throw in a group of women with extraordinary athletic abilities and a gold medal game and you have a memorable redeeming moment. The entire world got to see Alex Morgan, Ally Wambach, Hope Solo, and Carli Lloyd defeat Japan, the World Cup winner, in London.
Linsanity. This was not only a great moment in sports, but a great changing moment in Asian culture. An undrafted Chinese kid from Harvard makes it to the NBA and does it big. While I had my arguments about whether or not he should have been named ESPY's Breakthrough Athlete, he put on an amazing show as a Knick starter and winning 6 straight.
Chuckstrong. Heads shaved, t-shirts worn, banners made...the Colts' rally to defeat the Packers was full of heart and fight. Heart and fight on and off the field. They weren't just playing to the turn the season around, they were playing for their coach.
I don't know golf. I don't know a pitching wedge from a pitcher of beer and a wedge of potato. But I do know that what Bubba Watson did at the Masters was simply amazing. What a shot!
Tebow mania. Similar to Lin's story, it was a moment where the underdog prevailed. The touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime against the Steelers had people roaring. In that moment, the technically-flawed quarterback had made a statement.
Even those who do not follow women's sports know of Britney Griner. They know she plays basketball, and they know she plays it well. Without actually watching her play, you have no idea how well. At 6 foot 8 inches, Griner dominates both inside and outside the paint. She was the force behind Baylor's Championship and undefeated season.
It was Jordyn Wieber's name going into the Olympics, but it was Gabby Douglas on the medal count at the end. No other women's team had been this stacked since 1996. A lot was expected of this group of girls, and Douglas made it happen by being the first female gymnast to claim the Team and All-Around Gold in the same Olympics. Gabby was everything Graceful and Gold.
And some close runner-ups...
And a personal favorite...
Thank you, 2012, for another great year in sports.
-bObD.
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