MLB Bans Hazing, as Should All of Society

For once, baseball is not stuck in the past

I recently read that the MLB has put into motion a rule that will ban all hazing for rookies in the majors. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. Hazing is a mean, dirty, dehumanizing, disgusting, any other bad thing you can think of, a thing that is extremely archaic. Just the idea of hazing alone is quite upsetting. I mean, to demean someone because you are a few years older than someone is so stupid and childish. What has hazing ever proved, except that it is terrible?

There has never been a story about a hazing that was in good fun, or that guys were laughing and cheering each other on when they got hazed. Sure, the goofy hair cut thing, and small stuff like that may be funny for 5 minutes, but after that, why do they make that person continue on with the weird hairdo or clothes? I ask again, what does that accomplish?

The most regular stories we hear about hazing always seem to end terribly. People are put through horrible, horrible things, that can sometimes even lead to death. When I hear these stories, I get both upset and angry. I feel terrible for the person being hazed, for all the embarrassment they have to go through and, in the small case where someone loses their life, I feel horrible for their family. The hazing makes me upset because it is so barbaric. It is such an unnecessary practice that does not prove strength in one and weakness in another. Spoiler alert, if you are older and bigger than someone, you should not have to haze them to prove your strength. You should already be established as someone that is older and bigger. You do not need to shave someone's head or tape them to a wall or, even something as small as, filling their car with popcorn. It is just dumb.

Recently the hazing has gotten really, really awful, especially in sports. Why do athletes feel the need to degrade a fellow athlete that just happens to be younger than them? I ask for a third time, what does this prove?

The main hazing lately seems to be dressing men as women. First off, why is this a hazing tradition? Men dress as women every year for Halloween. It is almost expected. But, especially in current America, this is incredibly disrespectful to men that may identify as female, or females that identify as male. There are a lot of people out there right now that are grappling with their own sexuality and their own personal sex, and pro athletes think it is funny to make rookies dress like females? What a bunch of garbage.

No matter how far we may have come along as a society, we still act as if we live in the 50's or 60's. Just look at the recent election. I'm not going to go into great depth on it, but dumbass people, who will get totally screwed over, voted for an even bigger dumbass, with no government experience, and this monster probably thinks that hazing is hilarious. That alone should be enough for people to be disgusted by the prospect of hazing.

But, for some reason, when the country looks like it is taking a step forward, we take 2 giant steps back. We had a great 8 years of an Obama presidency, and now, we will be the biggest joke of a country in a little over a month when Voldemort takes office. But, at least the MLB is trying to take a step forward and push away from past and bring its game into the present. 

Baseball seems to be trying to get away from its checkered past with this new rule. Major league baseball does not have a solid history when it comes to being ahead of the times. They were one of the last sports to be integrated. It took the MLB forever to hire an African American manager. It also took forever for front offices to hire people that were not white. But, they are at the front of trying to ban hazing, and that is a good first step for them. I really hope this catches on in all major professional sports leagues, and trickles al the way down to high school and even lower levels than that.

Hazing needs to be banned all across everything, in my opinion. There is no place for hazing in the modern US, and yes frat boys, I'm speaking to you morons too. That is one of the main problems with hazing. When I think of it, or hear stories about hazing, I immediately think of fraternities, and that is a damn shame. Frats and sororities, and any other group of people that force you to pay, then haze you, to be in their "club" is stupid and pointless. But, that is just my opinion. 

Good for you though MLB. I love that they are taking a stand against what is the highest form of bullying. Hazing does not belong in sports, or any other form of life for that matter, and I'm glad that people are aiming to put a stop to this nonsense. Let's hope this catches on everywhere.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks the second best thing MLB has done this week is get rid of the idiotic "All Star Game" means something garbage. Looking good MLB. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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There is a Little Bit of Hope Playing for the Philadelphia 76ers

The clouds are starting to break apart over the 76ers

I have pretty much been one of the biggest haters of what the Philadelphia 76ers have become. They have, for the past 4 years, put players on an NBA floor that don't even belong on a D-League court. They have been so open with their tanking, it has become a joke. They trade away decent, young players for, as they put it, "assets". We all know it as more picks. They even draft guys that aren't ready, injured or play overseas and do not have to get out of their contracts for a few years. They also have traded some young players for younger players that have already flamed out in their very short NBA careers.

For example, they traded to get Nik Stauskas last year. He never really got a chance in Sacramento, but as much as I want him to succeed, he is a middling bench player at the absolute best. He is the poor man's JJ Redick, without the mediocre defense, or the shot, and everyone knows how I feel about JJ Redick. Then, we have guys like Nerlens Noel, a good defender, but has zero offensive game and had a torn ACL when they drafted him, Jahlil Okafor, zero defensive game, they already have multiple players that play the same position as him and he is a bit of a head case and Dario Saric, who was drafted, it seems, like 10 years ago, and is now, finally, in the NBA and looks like he still has a long, long way to go before he is a decent player. Their number pick, and first overall in the most recent draft, Ben Simmons, has yet to play in the NBA due to a foot injury as well. 

This all leads me to Joel Embiid. This is another guy that they drafted, with the third overall pick 3 years ago, that had a known foot injury and that he wouldn't be able to play right away. It seemed as if the 76ers were at it again. Taking a player that wouldn't be able to contribute anything at all for at least one year, so they could tank again, and have another shot at the number one pick in the following draft. I get it, teams want young players that they can develop, but at some point, you have to get some veterans on your roster to help out the young guys. The 76ers kept putting it off though, until they finally, and mercifully, parted ways with Sam Hinkie, AKA, Mr. "Trust the Process".

Well, all his moves seemed terrible, that is, until this most recent season started. Don't get me wrong, Hinkie was an absolute train wreck as a GM and owner, but Embiid looks like he might be the real deal. It looks like he may have gotten at least one thing right in his four years tearing down a historic franchise. But, man oh man does Embiid look like a legitimate perennial all star. I tuned in on opening night to see him play, because like everyone else, I was interested in what we would get, and he did not disappoint. This was the first time he had played a real game of basketball in about 3 years, and he looked great. Sure, he took some unnecessary shots, got some dumb fouls and only played 20 minutes, but he also did some wonderful things on the floor that night. He had an incredible spin move on Steven Adams, one of the better big men defenders in the NBA, and hit a pull up jumper on him. Embiid is 7'1 and he looked like a 6'2 shooting guard on that play. He also tracked down rebounds, loose balls, played very good, to great defense at times and looked like he had some very good footwork. He has also added some appropriate weight, and it showed when he muscled up some of the Thunder's big men that night.

So, I thought, he looked okay on opening night, but could he keep it up? Well, he has only seemed to get better. He is becoming a very good scorer in the low post. His chase down block on LeBron, whether it was goal tending or not, was an amazing feat, given his size, and the fact that it was against the best player in the game. He seems to have the desire and passion and even swagger to be one of the league's next big things. When he was still on his 20-minute limit restriction, he was so angry that he couldn't play in a double overtime game, he kicked a chair. I like to see that from young players. The 76ers have upped his minutes to 28 a game, pretty typical for a starter in the NBA, and I think it will only help him get that much better. 

Look, the 76ers still stink, I think they have 4 or 5 wins, but there is, at the very least, some hope for optimism. Joel Embiid has taken on the responsibility of being the player to build this team around. He wants to be "the guy". He has even started calling himself, "The Process". I usually do not like when people give themselves nicknames, but this one is just way too perfect to dislike. I actually find myself excited when I stumble on a 76ers game on TV, and Embiid is in there. That is about the only time I will watch them play. I just really like what I have seen from Embiid so far, and if he continues on this path, gets better and figures out the game even more, I think he will be a legitimate superstar, and the one guy that can turn the 76ers back into a relevant team. He is that good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man. On this day in SeedSing history, the greatest thing on the internets was born. Wish Ty a happy birthday by following him on instagram and twitter.

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College Football in Houston will Fall Back, While it Will Move Forward at Oregon

At least the footballs will be in good hands at Oregon

Two college football head coaching positions have been filled this week. One is a pretty big deal, the other, some will think it's a big deal, I personally do not think it really matters that much, because that team is going to become irrelevant again, very soon. In fact, let's get that one out of the way first.

There were multiple reports the other day that Houston had hired Lane Kiffin to be their next head coach. Then, throughout the day, a lot of those reports were refuted, and it was soon announced, that he was not the new head coach. I woke up this morning and read that they had hired their offensive coordinator, Major Applewhite, to be their next head coach. I remember watching Applewhite while he was a QB at Texas and thought he was okay. Then, as a coordinator, he has been sufficient. But, I do not think he is going to be that great of a head coach. Some people are more suited to be an assistant as opposed to the head man. Look at a guy like Mike Martz. He was an offensive genius, but when he was the head guy with the Rams, he was a train wreck. He did not care about defense, and that doomed him. I think he is still coaching somewhere, but he is not remembered for being the coordinator of one of the greatest offenses of all time, he is remembered as a failure as a head coach.

Unfortunately for Applewhite, I think he is destined for a similar outcome. He has an exceptional offensive mind, especially for college football. On his watch, Houston's offense has been a wonder to watch. They were fast, they scored a ton of points and gained lots and lots of yards. But, in the games they didn't win, their defense was exposed, and the offense could look stagnant and repetitive. I mean, how many times can you run the exact same read option play? You need some kind of diversity to keep teams on their toes. The only team that doesn't need to change things up is Alabama, and Houston is no Alabama. So, while I say congratulations to Applewhite on his first head coaching job, I also see lots and lots of 7-5 or 8-4 seasons on their horizon, and no more competing for big-time bowl games, or even competing against big-time teams.

The big coaching vacancy that was filled was the Oregon job. I did not know who they were going to hire. At different points, I was certain they were hiring Chip Kelly, then Lane Kiffin, then Charlie Strong, I even thought they were going to give Les Miles a shot. But, I could not be happier with their choice of Willie Taggart. Taggart is a great, up and coming head coach in the college football world. He has turned around 2 programs, Western Kentucky and South Florida. He took over 2 jobs that the teams were in the dumps, and left them in great shape. Western Kentucky was a dumpster fire, and he made them a perennial bowl contender, which is a big deal for them. Then, he took over USF, which was happy to be a 4 win team, and turned them into a very good team. They finished this year 10-2, which is one of their best records ever. Taggart is also a very player friendly type of coach. Everywhere he has been, his players say nothing but glowing things about him. They love him. He pushes them, but it is never to a boiling point. You talk to former WKU and USF players that Taggart coached, and they only say very nice things about him.

When Oregon picked him to be their next head coach, I was pleasantly surprised. I watched a bit of his press conference, and that only made me like this pick even more. He's a confident guy that wants to turn this team back into a perennial power. I think he is going to thrive with a big time program as well. He was able to recruit players to go to schools like WKU and USF, so just think of what he will be able to do at Oregon. Kids already want to go play there for the uniforms alone, but now that they have a charismatic, great head coach on board. He is going to clean up on the recruiting trail.

I also really like how he and the AD took a shot at Brady Hoke. Look, I hope Hoke catches on somewhere, it needs to be a smaller division one school, but he was a mess at Oregon and Michigan. He could not motivate players as the head man at Michigan, and Oregon's defense last year was one of the worst defenses I have ever seen. They were atrocious. They were Swiss Cheese. Anyone and everyone scored and moved the ball at will against them last year. Hoke was an awful defensive coordinator.

Anyway, let's get back to Taggart. Like I have said a few times, he seems like he is going to be the perfect hire for Oregon. The guy can recruit, motivate and win. He is confident and appears more than able to succeed at his first big time head coaching job. I expect him to turn Oregon around pretty quickly, but I think his destiny is to be an NFL head coach. He is that good of a coach. While the Houston hiring of Applewhite leaves me kind of blah, the Oregon hiring of Taggart has me very excited, and I am not an Oregon fan at all. Good job Oregon, you guys look like you have made the right choice.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He should not criticize Houston, as "The Simpsons" reminds us 7-5 seasons do not come cheap. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The SeedSing 2016 College Football Playoffs, Important Bowls, and Heisman Predictions

The College Football Playoff is set, for better or worse. We have the four teams, counting down from 4 to 1, Washington, The University of Ohio State(I know what I wrote), Clemson and Alabama.

First off, the University of Ohio State does not belong in this field. They got beat by Penn State, who I will talk about later, needed overtime to beat Wisconsin and got a tremendous amount of help from the refs against Michigan, who I will also touch on later. They are strictly there because the playoff committee and the TV stations have a disturbing love affair with Urban Meyer. This University of Ohio State team is not as good as they have been in the past. They are still decent, but not the third best team in the country.

With all that being said, they have a shot to beat Clemson. Clemson does belong in this field. They did everything they needed to do to get in the playoff. They have been incredibly inconsistent all year long, but when they show up, they are very, very hard to beat. They have a great D line, a great defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, they have great skill guys like Wyatt Gallman and Mike Williams, and they have Deshaun Watson. This team is loaded, it is just a matter of them showing up, which they have for important games this year. If the team that showed up against Louisville and FSU shows up, they will blow the doors off the University of Ohio State. But, if the Clemson team that showed up against NC State or Pittsburgh shows up, they will be in trouble. I assume the team that played Louisville and FSU shows up, and Clemson beats the University of Ohio State in a decent game. If I had to pick a score, I'd say Clemson 38, the University of Ohio State 24.

The other matchup is going to look a lot like last year's Alabama-Michigan State game. Good for you Washington. You won the Pac 12 title game convincingly, but your butter soft out of conference schedule is going to rear its ugly head. The only time Washington faced a legit defense all year, USC, they got completely smothered. Alabama is better than USC. Hell, Alabama beat USC by 44 points in the first game of the season. If Washington had a hard time moving the ball on USC, they will not be able to move the ball at all against Alabama. Even their coach seems nervous about this matchup. There was an interview yesterday, and Petersen sounded like he was already preparing for next year. Jake Browning is good, and Washington has good skill players, but they have not faced a team nearly as good as Alabama. Alabama's defense is historically good. They are suffocating. They have stopped everyone that has come their way. Their defense and special teams are so good, they had -7 total offensive yards in the SEC title game after the first quarter, and they were still winning 16-9. Alabama is incredible, even if their offense is not great. Alabama is going to cruise over Washington to the tune of something like 35-7.

That would leave us with a rematch of last year's title game, but this time, it will not be a shootout. Alabama, and their defense, will shut Clemson down. Watson is great, but Alabama's defense is so much better. This is one of the most dominant and clinical teams that I have ever seen on a college football field. They are like a machine. If Alabama does not win the title this year, it will be a bigger upset than Cleveland beating Golden State in the NBA Finals last year. Alabama is clearly the best team in college football, and it is by a wide margin. Those are my predictions for the playoff.

As far as some other bowls go, I do not really care for anything else outside of the playoff and the New Year's 6 Bowl games. I could care less about a Nebraska-Tennessee matchup or a Navy-Louisiana Tech matchup or a Iowa-Florida matchup. None of those sound appealing to me. But, when it comes to the New Year's 6, obviously I have a huge interest in the Orange Bowl. Michigan is playing FSU. If Michigan shows up, and is not deflated by not making the playoff, they should roll. They have a great run defense, and all FSU can do is run. Dalvin Cook is incredible, but if Michigan can slow him down and hold him to below 100 yards, there is not much else FSU can do on offense. Michigan's offense should be able to control the ball as well. Michigan is a better team than FSU, and they should win the Orange Bowl.

The Rose Bowl is going to be a blood bath. Penn State is not the fifth best team in the country. But, before I go on about this game, I need to address what Gus Johnson said about Penn State winning the Big Ten title being a "milestone" in the "healing process" for what happened under Joe Paterno. This was a terrible oversight. What happened for 2 plus decades under Paterno's watch is despicable, disgusting, disturbing and Penn State's football program should have been shut down. The vile and heinous acts committed by the old staff were horrific and upsetting. The fact that the main media wants to gloss over this is troubling. No football win is any kind of "milestone", nor does it help anyone heal from what happened. Those people that were abused have to live with that everyday. Football games do not change what happened to them. Shame on Gus Johnson, Mark May, Kirk Herbstreit and any other media person that tries to shove the terrible tragedy at Penn State aside and only focus on football. Penn State should not have a football team.

With that being said, they will be exposed by a USC team that has only gotten better and better every week. They will shut down anything that Penn State will try and do, and they will move the ball on Penn State with ease. This is a very low level game for the Rose Bowl. We have a 2 and 3 loss teams playing for the Rose Bowl. That is not great. Anyway, USC will win by 10 plus.

The Cotton Bowl is going to expose Western Michigan. Good for them and PJ Fleck. You guys finished the regular season undefeated. Only you and Alabama can say that. But, when your 2 best wins are against a 6-6 Northwestern team and a 3-9 Illinois team, that speaks volumes to the level of competition they faced all year. Wisconsin is going to dismantle Western Michigan. I'd love to be proven wrong, both for my dislike to the Badgers and the fact that I would love to see Western Michigan finish the year undefeated, but it will not happen. WMU is playing a big time team now, and it will show. I would not be surprised if Wisconsin wins by 3 touchdowns or more.

The Sugar Bowl features Oklahoma and Auburn. Oklahoma should win this going away. They play super up-tempo offense and Auburn is decimated by injury. Auburn has a good defense, but Oklahoma's offense is fantastic. Oklahoma does not play defense, but they won't have to play too much defense in this game because Auburn is not nearly as lethal running the ball, due to all the injuries. I say Oklahoma by 2 touchdowns.

I have Alabama winning the title, Michigan winning the Orange Bowl, USC winning the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin winning the Cotton Bowl and Oklahoma winning the Sugar Bowl.

As far as the Heisman goes, first off, the list of players they are sending to New York is a real head scratcher. Obviously Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson belong, but Jabrill Peppers, Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook? What the hell? I love Jabrill Peppers. He was so much fun to watch this year. I literally thought he could score anytime he had his hands on the ball, but he wasn't even the best defender on his team. That goes to Jourdan Lewis, Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley. Peppers is great, just not Heisman great. Then 2 guys from Oklahoma, give me a break. If you want someone from the Big 12, send D'Onta Foreman. He rushed for over 2,000 yards this year, and that is with every team gearing up to stop him. And if you wanted another QB, send Jake Browning from Washington. He had an incredible year, and it would be a nice consolation for him since his team, and himself, are going to get hammered by Alabama. This is a very odd group of players selected to go to New York. Since it is only a 2 man race, they should have only sent Jackson and Watson.

I'm going to stick with my preseason pick, and say Deshaun Watson wins the Heisman. His last 5 games have been very impressive, and even though his numbers aren't like Jackson's numbers, the lasting impressions should count. Jackson had big time stumbles against Houston and Kentucky, where Watson showed up for the ACC title, and has been unstoppable the last 5 games.

So there you have it, my final predictions for the college football season. I will recap everything after the year is over, but this is what I see happening over the next month or so. Enjoy bowl season everyone. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial man Podcast. He aspires to go to the Rose Bowl one day. Maybe he will be the Grand Marshall. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The Sad and Scary Death of Joe McKinght

I was going to review Childish Gambino's new record today, but that will have to wait until Monday because I need to address the horrible tragedy that happened to former NFL running back Joe McKnight.

I was watching ESPN yesterday, and I saw scrolling on the bottom of my screen, that McKnight had died at the age of 28. I could not believe it when I saw it. I thought it may have been one of those death hoax things, but as I dug deeper, I found out I was very wrong. I needed to know what happened to him.

I remember vividly watching him in college. I am not a USC fan by any means, but when he played there, I found him a joy to watch. He was on their team after the Reggie Bush/Lendale White era, in which their running game was second to none. I never thought they would be as good on the ground as they were with those guys, but Joe McKnight was damn near as good as they were. He was very fast. He burst through holes and kicked into second gear and ran away from defenders. He was patient when waiting for holes to open up. He was a good receiver out of the backfield. Hell, he could even block. He was the total package. He didn't win the Heisman like Bush did, but he was a very good college football player.

McKnight turned his college career into a halfway decent pro career. He was a fourth-round pick by the Jets, and since I followed him in college, I followed his pro career. He wasn't a great pro, but he was pretty decent. He became a key contributor right away, He was a change of pace back for the Jets. They put him in on third downs a lot, especially to run screen plays. He became a key guy on a decent Jets team. His career was cut short due to multiple injuries, but I always remembered him being a joy to watch. Like I said, he had world class speed and vision, and just did the right things on the football field. He was a much better college player, but he was still a decent pro.

So, when this news flashed yesterday, as I said before, I could not believe it. First, he was 6 years younger than me. I am at that point in my life where I am older than the college athletes that I watch, and critique, so when someone this young dies, it literally shakes me to my core. Then, I thought that it was some kind of freak thing. Maybe he had a bad fall, maybe he had an unexplained illness that none of us knew about, maybe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I just couldn't figure it out.

But, later in the day, the news reported that the way he died was much, much more gruesome and disturbing than anything that I could ever think of. He was shot and killed by someone with road rage. What the hell? What has this world come to? Why does stuff like this happen so often now? Why are guns so readily available and easy to get? It is so, so sad. I mean, earlier in the week we had the terrible and disturbing situation at Ohio State, and now some gun loon, with a very short fuse, shot someone over something so insignificant. I get road rage, not as bad now because I have kids, but I have never, ever thought that someone that cut me off needed to be physically harmed. What in the hell is the matter with this person that felt they needed to shoot Joe McKnight? I heard that there was a confrontation, but it should never come to something as terrible as this. Why do crazy people get guns? And why do they think that they need to use them when they have any confrontation? Things can be solved so much easier by just using your words. Just talk. Calm the hell down and take a breath.

That is the problem. We have become a culture of people that act without thinking. It is sad. I mean, look at the election results, that was purely based on people not thinking at all. Then, we had the Ohio State incident, and now the tragic death of Joe McKnight. How much worse can 2016 truly get? This monster that took Joe McKnight's life, over some road rage, deserves to be put in jail for the rest of their life. This is a disturbed individual that thinks guns are a way to solve problems. That should terrify people.

This is such a sad and tragic event. Joe McKnight was so young and had a long, long life ahead of him. He seemed like he was a decent person. I do not remember him getting into trouble in college or in the pros. All the news when he was playing all seemed to be good things. He, at least on the surface, seemed to be a decent guy. I am literally scared at the readily availability of crazy people getting guns. Guns are a big, big problem in the world right now. Guns have always scared me, I have never even held one, and the fact that these gun nuts flaunt the fact that they have them is one of the scariest things in the world. Had this person been reasonable and used words instead of violence, Joe McKnight would still be alive today. This is a truly tragic, disturbing and sad thing that happened yesterday.

Stories like this make me scared for humanity, hate the NRA more than I already do and they just make me sad. Joe McKnight had so much ahead of him, but now that is all gone because of a disturbed individual. Rest In Peace Joe McKnight. You did not deserve this, and this is a sad, sad day for society.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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We Need to Be in Awe of Russell Westbrook

Watching Westbrook is like watching some awesome fireworks

Let's take a moment today to realize the greatness that is Russell Westbrook right now. I mean, he has been unleashed, and he is absolutely going off.

I know that the Thunder are 11-8, good enough for 6th in the West, and most teams have only played 20 games, at most, but he is currently averaging a triple double. Let me say that again, HE IS AVERAGING A TRIPLE DOUBLE! There is probably no way he keeps this up all season, but if there is one player that could do it in the modern NBA, it has to be Westbrook. I read a ton of stuff, listened to a lot of sports writers and media members say that Westbrook was going to put up big numbers now that KD is a Warrior, but this is just ridiculous. No one has averaged a triple double for a full season since Oscar Robertson did it in the 60's.

I definitely do not think he is going to finish the season with these same numbers, but as I already stated, he is the one guy that could. First reason, KD is gone. KD left, and now the Thunder are fully Westbrook's team. He is the alpha, the go-to guy, the man, whatever cliché you want to call him. Sure, Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson are good, but they are not Westbrook, and Billy Donovan knows this. Everything runs through Westbrook. He is the coach on the floor, he calls the plays and he ultimately decides what he wants to do with the ball. He can pull up and shoot, get to the rim, drive and kick, he can do whatever he wants to get the points and assists. He may also be the best rebounding guard in the NBA. He can jump so high, he sometimes grabs defensive rebounds away from 7 footers. He is also just as ferocious attacking the offensive glass as he is going to the basket, so he gets his rebounds.

Second reason, he wants to do this. He knows his stats every game, I would almost guarantee this. I bet he knows exactly how many rebounds he needs if he already has the points and assists. Same goes for all the other stats. He will chase this down. He will get as many triple doubles as he can, no matter what. This is a good and a bad thing. It is good because he is a wonder to watch because he puts up some great numbers, but he also hurts his teams chances at wins sometimes, chasing the stats. That is one of the main reasons they are 11-8.

Third reason, as I already kind of mentioned, Billy Donovan has no other real options. They have threats, but none are the threat that Westbrook is. Westbrook has become a super duper star in the NBA. He is one of the 5, scratch that, 3 best players in the league. He is way more athletic than Steph Curry. He plays harder than anyone, including LeBron James. He has no fear, which cannot be said for a lot of other stars in the NBA, And he is the alpha, something KD could not handle, hence his move to the Warriors. Billy Donovan knows, and hopefully, appreciates this, so Westbrook has carte blanche when he is on the floor. He will get his, come hell or high water.

And fourth, he wants to prove that the Thunder do not need KD to be a threat in the playoffs. He wants everyone to know that this team will be competitive, even though they lost a great, great player. He wants the OKC fans to know that they are in good hands for, at least, the next 2 years. He wants his teammates to know that he can do whatever they need him to do, so they can still win, most of the time. He wants to prove management right by giving him the extension he rightfully deserved. And he wants the rest of the NBA to know that he is a force to be reckoned with.

This first quarter of the season from Westbrook has been one of the best things to happen so far. I think his quest to average a triple double has been a better story than the Clippers hot start. I like Westbrook's story more than the Warriors 15-2 record because, people, myself included, expect the Warriors to be dominant. Westbrook's triple double story is better than any halfway decent start from James Harden, the baby Lakers or any other team over or underachieving. This is something that has not happened in a long, long, long time, and no one thought it would ever happen again. I still do not think he will finish the year with these crazy averages, but to average a triple double for the first quarter of the season is incredible. I think he is the clear cut favorite, and it should not even be close, that he is the undisputed MVP. He doesn't have a supporting cast like the Warriors, Clippers or Spurs, and I picked Kawhi Leonard as my preseason MVP. Westbrook is doing this without KD, and the next best player on his team is probably either Steven Adams, who is not much of a scorer, or Victor Oladipo, who is more known for his defensive ability.

I just think it is tremendous what he is doing, and I wanted to take my time today to point this out. Russell Westbrook is on pace for a historical season, and I think anyone that watches the NBA would agree with me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once had a quadruple double in his rec league, if you count 11 turnovers as part of the stats. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Let Me Respectfully Explain Why Your Team Stinks: Big Ten Football is better than SEC Football

The best button to hit on the remote when ESPN talks college football

Today I'm going to piss off ESPN, Paul Finebaum, David Pollack, the SEC on ESPN Network, basically all of ESPN, and all the commentators on CBS because, frankly, the SEC, besides Alabama, is very mediocre.

The SEC is the only conference that seems to have 24 hour news coverage from these people, and these networks. They seem to be the only game in town. When I turn on "College Football Live" on ESPN, I see David Pollack and Finebaum each yelling about how great "their" conference is. They always talk about how it is the only conference in major division 1 football that has any say in the final rankings. They talk about how it is a superior level of football compared to all the other power conferences.

Well, and I know that I am not the only one that has done this research, but besides Alabama, no other SEC team has 9 wins. In fact, the only team with a chance to get a ninth win this year is Florida, and that chance is against Alabama in the SEC title game. I do not see them winning that game.

Tell me why these commentators and ESPN and CBS never give any love to any other conference. Colorado is in the midst of a huge resurgence in the Pac 12, so is Washington, but we only hear about how bad Oregon is on these channels. And not only are Colorado and Washington very good, so is Washington State, Utah and Stanford. Each of these teams has as many, or more wins, than all the other teams not named Alabama in the SEC. The Big 12 is very top heavy, but Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is a much more intriguing matchup to me this weekend, as opposed to Alabama-Florida. The ACC is Clemson, then everyone else, but UNC has put together a very solid year, Pittsburgh is feisty, FSU will get a good bowl game and Louisville has the Heisman front runner.

That leads me to the Big Ten, the conference I think is the best, by a wide margin.

Side rant, Michigan got absolutely screwed this past Saturday. They stopped Barrett, I will go to my grave believing this, and the disparity in penalties was atrocious. That was one of the worst officiated games I have ever watched, and I have heard people that don't like either team tell me the same. Okay, got that off my chest.

But, look at the top part of the Big Ten. Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan all have either 10 or 11 wins. Ohio State doesn't get a chance for a 12th win since they blew the Penn State game, but with only one loss, and getting a cheap win this past weekend, they are all but assured a playoff spot. They also play a style of offense that the playoff committee loves, so they will find any way possible to put them in the playoff. Wisconsin and Michigan are very similar, in that both teams rely on their defense. Wisconsin's defense is very good, and I expect that to be on full display this weekend when they face Penn State in the Big Ten title game. Those kids fly all over the place and make play after play. They have no studs on offense, but they can run the ball, as they have always been able to in my lifetime. Michigan's defense is better than Wisconsin's. They have pressured every QB and running back they have played this year. Their secondary is lock down. They blitz all the time, and they shut most teams down. They are, statically, the best defense in college football. Their offense is not flashy either, but they have way more play makers than Wisconsin, and whenever Jabrill Peppers comes in, everyone holds their breath. Then there is Penn State. I really do not know what to make of this team, but they have won 8 straight games, including one against Ohio State. I fully expect them to get crushed by Wisconsin, but they have a hell of a turnaround. I think they are paper tigers, but good for them.

I'd take all four of these teams against any team not named Alabama in the SEC. Give me Michigan-LSU, I'd pick Michigan to win by 2 touchdowns. Give me Penn State-Tennessee, PSU would win by 10 points. In a game between Wisconsin-Florida, I fully believe Wisconsin would shut them out in dominant fashion. So, why do the commentators and specific networks I mentioned only talk about the SEC? I get that Alabama is the best team, and it is not even close, but other than them, they have no real threat. Florida has faltered as of late, and it was on full display against Florida State this past weekend. Tennessee just got beat by Vanderbilt, needed multiple miracle comebacks early in the year, got crushed by Florida, and now their coach is talking about "being champions of life". What a joke. Ole Miss, who was a preseason top 15 team, is below .500. Texas A&M has not been that good since Trevor Knight went down, and were they that good to begin with anyway? I do not think so. Auburn has stumbled as of late, due to injury and playing great competition. LSU fired a coach, lost to Alabama, Wisconsin and Florida already this year, and they just settled for Ed Oregeron as their full time head coach. That does not put any fear in anyone at all. Arkansas just blew a 3 touchdown lead to Missouri and finished below .500 in the conference. Kentucky beat Louisville, but they are just 7-5, and they do not look good, at least not to me. The rest of the conference is just bad. Missouri, Mississippi State and the previously mentioned Ole Miss, they are all below .500. Vanderbilt and South Carolina are right at .500, and the rest has 8 wins or less.

I am sick of the biased view that the people and networks I have mentioned show this conference that has been well below mediocre this year. There is no one, and I mean no one, that should be covered on national media from the SEC except Alabama. Every other team in the SEC is irrelevant. No one other than Alabama is going to be in the playoff, or a New Year's Six bowl.

The SEC is wildly overrated, and I just needed to get this off my chest. It was a frustrating weekend, and the fact that ESPN and Paul Finebaum wanted to act like the Iron Bowl was anywhere near as important as The Game was utterly absurd. Screw Paul Finebaum, David Pollack, ESPN and CBS. You guys all stink and are so in the bag for the SEC, it is disgusting. Why don't you cover some real college football and get off the bandwagon you bunch of hacks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has a few more opinions on teams that stink, check them out. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Charlie Strong is the Best Coach for Texas

This longhorn still stands by strong

Yesterday I wrote about a college football coach, and today, I am going to do the same. Today, I want to tackle this whole Charlie Strong and Texas situation. I have heard a lot of people, most of the national sports media, calling for Strong's head since Texas got beat by Kansas last week. In fact, people have been saying he was going to get fired as early as the middle of last year.

I am on the opposite end of everyone else. I feel like Charlie Strong is one of the few coaches that I would give the full 4 or 5 year rebuild time to. First off, Texas made Mack Brown resign so they could hire Charlie Strong three years ago. Strong did wonderful things as the defensive coordinator at Florida, and was even better as a head coach at Louisville. He turned Teddy Bridgewater into a great QB. He had that defense at, or near, the top of most defensive stats. He had them in perennial BCS contention. He did a great job at Louisville. Then, after Texas forced out Brown, I was very pleasantly surprised that they went out and hired Charlie Strong. He was the best available candidate, and he got one of the best jobs in all of college football.

When Brown left, the cupboard was kind of bare. Brown was getting into that Les Miles area, where the college game had passed him by. His last few Texas teams were not world beaters like when they had Colt McCoy and Vince Young. They were treading water, going 8-4 or 9-3. They were okay, but not as good as their fans and boosters thought. Strong was brought in to bring a new toughness and a faster and better offense and defense. But, he had to recruit his style of player. Texas was a pro style type offense, and Strong ran a spread type offense. The players there his first year did not fit what he wanted to do.

And in his first season, they struggled. It wasn't as bad as Rich Rodriguez's first year at Michigan, but it wasn't that good either. After that first year, people thought, okay, one bad year, we can handle that, but they should be better in Strong's second season. Well, they made a bowl, but barely. They did not look great, but they did look better and more disciplined. That is one thing I really like about Strong. He does not take any of these kids crap, and let's not get it twisted, these are children. If people mouthed off at him and his staff, he suspended them. If they didn't get grades, he suspended them. If they did something unlawful, he kicked them off the team. He did not care how good, or how highly rated of a recruit that kid was, if they screwed up, he held them accountable. I really appreciate and respect that.

The fans and boosters did not care for this. They did not like his no-nonsense attitude, especially when it meant losing out on big time recruits. That is the problem, fans and boosters are irrational. And, when the people making the choices for coaching jobs start to listen to fans and boosters more than the actual staff, that is when stupid decisions are made. That is when the higher ups get a bit irrational themselves.

This most recent season saw Texas start out much better. They beat Notre Dame on opening weekend. That win wasn't as big as it seemed at the time, but Texas was back on the map. They went all the way up to 11 in the rankings. Then, they rolled off 2 more wins, but eventually came back down to Earth, losing a few in a row, and it all culminated at Kansas last week.

I will say that some of Strong's recruits have been pretty good this year. Texas still does not have a viable QB. They have one QB that is a great read option guy, and another that is a better passing threat. But, both guys are not upper echelon. Texas does have one of the best running backs in college though, in D'Onta Foreman. Foreman is incredible. He has been running all over people. He has been the one guy for Texas that seems like a he is a legit division 1 college football player. He is a joy to watch. And, he is a Strong recruit. Also, since Strong has taken over the defense, which is his forte, Texas hasn't been great, but they have been a hell of a lot better. The players are tackling better, the secondary is in the right spot for the most part and they seem to understand what Strong wants to do.

Look, I think Texas needs to keep him around for, at least, one more season. He finally has his recruits and they are finally starting to buy in. I know that they got beat by Kansas, but they also played Oklahoma really well this year, beat them last year, and have, at times, looked really decent. I know they want Tom Herman, who lost to SMU people, or Jimbo Fisher, who's FSU team has been wildly disappointing, or Les Miles, who got fired once this year already, but I say stick with Strong for one more season. This team could be a legit top 25 team if he sticks around. But, if they do fire him, they will be in another rebuild, and I do not know if the fans and boosters can deal with that. I say be patient, but it is not my decision, and it looks like the people who make this decision have already decided what they want to do.

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty has won 27 championships in a row for Michigan on his old copy of NCAA Football 2011. Do you hear that Texas boosters? Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Will the Latest Trouble at Notre Dame Finally Get Brian Kelly Fired?

Kelly has wrecked the Notre Dame football train

As most of you probably know by now, Notre Dame football has been forced to vacate all their wins from 2012 and 2013 due to academic violations. This should all but assure that Brian Kelly gets fired either this week or this weekend.

First off, Notre Dame is in the midst of one of their worst seasons in about 5 years. They sit at 4-7 as I write this, and unless they somehow find a way to beat USC, they will be staying home during bowl season. You may have read that and thought that with 7 losses, they are ineligible for a bowl bid, but we did have some 5-7 teams make bowls last year because there are way too many bowl games. I don't think they have a chance to beat USC, so this whole point is basically moot, but you never know.

Kelly has thrown people under the bus all season long too, except for himself. This dreadful football year has been everyone's fault but his own. He has complained about his players, he has fired staff members, he has called out fans, as I said, it is everyone else's fault. Well, who is he going to blame now? Academic fraud starts at the top, and the top at Notre Dame is the head coach. He is the one that allowed these staffers to fudge the numbers and give, what he deemed, "important" players the grades they needed to play.

This is going to be a big, big mess for a university that has never really been in trouble like this. Sure, they have had bad seasons, right now as I already stated, but they have never been in this kind of trouble with the NCAA. The NCAA is a very flawed system, but this is one of the easier rules for the teams and players to follow. You need a certain GPA, and if you don't have the numbers, you cannot play. Simple as that. A lot of great players in multiple sports haven't gotten the grades and been forced to sit, or go to community college to get the grades. Well, Brian Kelly and his staff thought that they were above this, and this is going to hurt them very much in the long run. They are going to get sanctioned, there is no doubt in my mind.

I remember when Rich Rodriguez was at Michigan, and they got in trouble for over practicing. ESPN treated that like it was the end of the Michigan football program. They assumed it would be akin to what happened at SMU. I am very anxious to see how they treat this news. Academic fraud is way, way worse than some extra practices, but I feel like ESPN is in bed with Notre Dame, and most of the people there love Brian Kelly. I bet they will find any excuse to try and help Kelly and ND cover this up as best they can, but they won't succeed.

This is a big deal. You cannot give players fake grades. I know that it is a joke, but the student comes before the athlete. It always has, and it always will. The NCAA is definitely flawed in what they expect from "student-athletes", but they have never budged on the grades stuff. And, how hard is it really for these kids to go to class? School is easy, for most students. Hell, I did next to nothing in high school, and I graduated with a 2.6 GPA. All you really have to do is show up, study for the important tests, pass those, and you are good. But, Notre Dame felt they had the importance to not have these kids live up to that small expectation. People will blame the players and the staffers, but I blame Brian Kelly solely for this. He is the one who allowed this happen. He is the one who knew it was happening, didn't think he'd get caught, and let it continue to happen. He is the one that did not hold the accountable parties responsible for what they were doing. The kids are not to blame, and the staff is not to blame, Brian Kelly is to blame.

Notre Dame's season is going to end this Saturday after USC crushes them. Then, they will be investigated, and since they are a blue blood, they will be treated as such. They have already had to vacate the wins, but I see postseason bans possible, scholarships being taken away and a lot of mediocrity for the next 4 or 5 years. A lot of top flight recruits will stay away also because those kids want to play football well into January, and that will not be happening at ND anytime soon.

This horrible season for them just got a whole lot worse. Brian Kelly was already on the hot seat, but his previous seasons, mainly 2012, were his saving grace. Well, that is not the case anymore, since in the eyes of the NCAA, none of those games actually happened, just like the Fab five never went to the final Four, or Reggie Bush never won the Heisman, that is what Notre Dame's run to get blown out in the title game in 2012 is now, non existent. As I stated at the top, I do not see any way that Brian Kelly keeps this job, and this should be the final nail in his coffin. It is much deserved for that curmudgeon that never takes any responsibility, blames everyone else and thinks he is above the law. You are not above the law Brian Kelly, and you just got caught red handed. See you later.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The only thing that would make Ty happier right now is for a certain team that rhymes with molverines beats a team that rhymes with duck eyes. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Cleveland Browns are Hopeless

The new Browns mascot

After last night's terrible showing on Thursday Night Football, which the NFL needs to get rid of, I really think the Cleveland Browns are going to finish the season 0-16. I, like many other people, thought last night was their best chance to win a game. They were playing a Ravens team that had to gut out a tough win against the Steelers on Sunday. They had some guys injured, as does all teams, and Flacco and the Ravens offense has not be setting the world on fire by any means. The Browns usually stay in games too. They never really get blown out, but they can never seem to come through in the end.

Last night though, they looked abysmal. The Browns looked like the team that had a gritty, tough game 3 days before. They looked sluggish. They looked slow. They looked unprepared. They looked as bad as they have looked all season last night. They made Flacco look like a premiere NFL quarterback. The Ravens offense suddenly "got going". I don't put much stock into this offensive performance by the Ravens because the Browns make all teams look like they have elite offenses.

I totally put this loss on the terribleness that is the Cleveland Browns. They just can't do anything that resembles something good on a football field. They cannot run the ball at all. The line gets no push and they open no holes. The running backs are either running for their lives as soon as they get the ball from the QB, or they cannot break away from tacklers. They are bad. When your best receiver is Terrelle Pryor, that should alarm Browns fans. Pryor is a very good football player, but he is, by no means, a number 1 or 2 option at receiver on any other NFL team. He is more of a trick play or third option on a decent NFL team. But, other than Pryor, I cannot name one other receiver on their roster. Their tight end, Barnidge, used to be very good, at least a good fantasy option, but he has been non existent this season. The QB's aren't throwing to him, and that is a problem.

Then, we have the QB situation. I mean, how much worse can it get for this team? They have played so many QB's this year, and the problem with all these QB's, none are NFL starting caliber QB's. Last night they turned to Cody Kessler, and he wasn't even that good at USC. I mean, he was good enough to be a starter at a major power 5 university, but he should be a third string QB, at best, in the NFL. They have also started guys like Kevin Hogan, a rookie who benefited from David Shaw and Christian McCaffrey at Stanford last year, Josh McCown, who has been so mediocre in the NFL, I don't understand why he still gets chance after chance, RG3, who was great as a rookie in Washington, but he has become a shell of himself and he never learned how to properly slide, choosing to take multiple hits, and now can't stay healthy. Besides those three guys, the other names include, Charlie Whitehurst, Connor Shaw, Pat Devlin and Austin Davis. That is a TERRIBLE list of players. No team could win with guys like that starting at QB.

On the other side of the ball, the Browns defense just can't stop anyone. They're a myriad of reasons, but I think it is mostly due to spending way too much time on the field. The offense does little to nothing for them and then the defense is thrown back out there, usually in poor field position. Even with the addition of Jamie Collins, it won't matter. One good linebacker will not shore up all the problems this team has on defense. Like I already stated, they made Flacco look like a pro bowl QB last night, and he stinks.

Also, we cannot mention the Browns without talking about Johnny Manziel. He was a problem from the start. He never did the things he promised he would do, and they eventually cut him, which they needed to do, before the season started, but he had already done his damage. Manziel was also a HORRIBLE influence on their best offensive player, Josh Gordon, who went to rehab, now is out, and doesn't want to play for the Browns anymore.

This team is a mess. I think that Hue Jackson is going to be a good coach, he did a decent enough job at Oakland as the head guy, and he was a good coordinator for the Bengals, but he was put in a no win situation this year, especially when RG3 went down in the first half of the first game. This first season is a mulligan for him.

When I look at the rest of their schedule, I honestly do not see a win coming. They have 4 home game left, but they are against the Steelers, a loss, Giants, most likely a loss, Chargers, probably a loss and the Bengals, a loss. They also have to travel to Buffalo, probably a loss and at the Steelers, another loss. I just do not see a win coming from their final 6 games. Their best chance, in my opinion, is the Giants because Eli Manning is always capable of throwing a lot of picks, but the Giants defense will win that game for them. Others may say the Browns could beat the Chargers, but I think the Chargers could score 50 if they wanted. There is no way they beat the Bengals or Steelers because those teams are fighting for playoff spots, as are the Bills. This has been a rough year for the Browns and Hue Jackson, and I think it will end with an 0-16 record.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. At one point, Ty was sick of all the Browns talk. He now thinks we need to acknowledge their historic terribleness. 

The Stink of the Packers is Coming from Aaron Rodgers

This picture seems to come up whenever we talk about the Packers at midseason

Waking up this morning I read a story on Bleacher Report that had Aaron Rodgers saying that he was upset with the Packers sense of urgency, and the way that some of the players conducted themselves after they lost their second straight game, to the Colts, and now stand at 4-4.

Look, I agree that most of that team, my team, has no urgency and they do not seem to care about the outcome of the game. But, with that being said, I think it all falls on their leader, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The fact that he is blaming everyone except himself is laughable. I watched the majority of that game yesterday, and he looked as aloof and uncaring as anyone on the team. He had no sense of urgency. When they got down 14-3 quick in the first quarter, he approached each play as if the score was tied, or the Packers were winning. He looked very ho hum and kind of disinterested yesterday.

That game wasn't just an outlier, Rodgers has looked that way the entire season so far. He has been the main guy with no sense of urgency. Earlier this year, while playing the Bears, the Packers defense kept doing what they needed to do, getting stops, but the offense, led by Rodgers, would go out there, run 3 stupid plays, and punt the ball. They were even down in the third quarter of that game before the Packers realized that they are much better than the Bears, and they eventually pulled away. But yesterday, earlier this year against the Cowboys and Vikings as well, the Packers have looked mediocre at best. I say again, that goes on the leader of the team, Aaron Rodgers.

I'm a huge Aaron Rodgers fan, but he has looked pretty, for his standards, average this year. People will say the line is the problem, or the receivers aren't getting separation, or they have no running game with Eddie Lacy out. Whatever. All those things have been true for three years now, but this is the worst the Packers have looked in that three year stretch. I don't know if it is Mike McCarthy's play calling, he needs to be fired, if the receivers are really this average, or if Rodgers has just thrown in the towel on this season so he can do more TV appearances and commercials. I'm embarrassed to call myself a Packers fan right now, and it is mainly because of the play from Rodgers. He has been holding onto the ball much too long. The line has been giving him time, but he has taken far too many sacks, or just thrown the ball away too much.

You watch ESPN, and they will chastise the line, not Rodgers. Then, others will say the receivers aren't getting open, which is true to an extent, but that was never a real problem until late last season, and all of this season. Rodgers used to be able to fit the ball into the smallest of windows, but his ball doesn't have the same zip that it used to have. I also do not think he trusts the receivers like he used to. The guys are good, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Richard Rodgers are all decent, but for some reason, Rodgers is afraid to throw to them in tight windows. He looks like he'd rather take a sack or throw the ball away then take the chances he took 2 and 3 years ago.

Then there is the running game. Look, I know it is rough. Ty Montgomery has become their lead back, and he is a slot receiver, but that cannot be why they are so bad this year. Montgomery has actually looked pretty good running the ball out of the backfield. Eddie Lacy wasn't setting the world on fire, but he was capable of making the run game a threat. I feel like Montgomery is doing the same thing right now.

Rodgers won't go on a post game interview and praise the fact that a slot receiver has really stepped up in the run game for the team and is doing well, he just wants to talk bad about everyone but himself. This is the first time that I can say that I have seen Rodgers be selfish. He has always seemed like a team guy, but this interview made me very angry. I get that they are struggling right now, I watch them every Sunday, so I know, but to throw your whole team under the bus, that is cowardly. These superstar players never do this publicly either, well, at least not the real superstar players. You never see Tom Brady publicly blaming his teammates. Michael Jordan handled his business behind closed doors famously. Mike Trout hasn't come out and complained once about being on a terrible Angels team. And I do not know many hockey players, but I have never heard any stories about guys like Wayne Gretzky or Mark Messier calling out their teammates publicly. Rodgers should have handled it like those guys, namely Michael Jordan. To air stuff out for the mass media, in public, is a shameful and a me first take on your team.

I am upset, obviously. The Packers are tanking and their best player is blaming everyone but himself, even though he probably has the most problems on this team right now. This Packers season has not gone to plan, and to hear Rodgers say this stuff this morning has made it even worse. Hopefully they can turn it around, but I do not see that happening, not after these remarks from their "leader".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Not long ago he thought the Packers could turn it around. Read what he had to say. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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KD May Have Won the Game, but He Lost a lot of Respect

Does KD need this for the game?

Last night the Thunder traveled to Oakland to face the Warriors. This is one of the first times in my life that I can remember caring about an NBA game this early in the season. I mean, as an NBA fan, how could you not be excited for the first matchup between Russ and KD?

The game happened and the Warriors crushed the Thunder, but that's beyond the point of my blog today. If anyone thought the Thunder had a chance to beat the Warriors in Oakland, you're lying, unless your name is Russell Westbrook. KD played out of his mind last night, but I came away embarrassed for the way he carried himself throughout the game. He kept acting like that guy that doesn't want to fight, but keeps telling people to hold him back. He has been firing back handed comments in Westbrook's direction all offseason, but going into the game last night, he said some nonsense about how they'd always be friends. I think Westbrook would disagree with that statement. So, instead of going at Westbrook and talking trash on the court to him, he would talk to guys that don't really matter, Enes Kanter and Jerami Grant, and yell and scream after every shot. We all know that you're a good basketball player, but when did you become a punk KD? You have never been a trash talker, but you join the best team, the team that beat you in the West Finals after you had a 3-1 lead, and all of the sudden you're a shit talker? That doesn't make sense to me.

This new persona of his is really off putting. He's a shit talker that gripes about people calling him out for his decision. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, get used to everyone outside of Oakland not liking you and rooting against you KD. You made this choice. You picked to be the villain. You chose to hitch your wagon to a championship team, instead of building one in OKC. You left OKC high and dry. Luckily, Westbrook stayed, so they'll be competitive, but you left and barely told anyone in the Thunder organization.

I guess this is my long winded way of saying that I have lost a ton of respect for KD, especially with everything he's done since he signed with the Warriors. He bitches and moans about everything now and wonders why people root against him. It's baffling that he is this unaware of his profession and his choices. You're a great basketball player, but you've turned into a poser. You are not tough and not a shit talker. You are a ring chaser, a follower and the third best player on your current team. Watching him shit talk everyone but Westbrook last night showed his true colors to me. He will go after marginal NBA players, but put stars like Westbrook or LeBron in front of him and he shrinks.

KD is great, but I do not respect him and his decision. I will be rooting incredibly hard against the Warriors and KD for the rest of the season. And this isn't the first time, or the last time, I will be talking about KD and the Warriors this year. I guarantee that. The hate will be coming hard this NBA season, especially for KD.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. It may be early in the NBA season, but you should not be late and hearing Ty give his NBA season preview on the mini-X Millennial Man. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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It has Now Been One Day Since the Chicago Cubs Last Won the World Series

The last one standing, finally.

What an epic, epic game last night. Even I, an admitted outsider baseball fan, was swept up in the final 4 innings of that game last night. I waited out that short rain delay, even though I was very sleepy, just so I could finish that game. This has been the year of teams breaking long droughts, I won't say curse because curses aren't real. Also, good for me, because one of my predictions actually came to fruition. I know it wasn't all that far fetched to pick the best team in the MLB to win the title, but after the Warriors, Panthers and Oklahoma Sooners made me look like an idiot, at least I picked the Cubs correctly.

I'm not going to try and demean or make this title seem less worthy than it is because I'm a Cardinals fan. The Cubs earned this championship, even though Aroldis Chapman and Joe Maddon did everything in their powers to blow it for this team. Chapman should have been pulled much earlier when he wasn't hitting the strike zone, and Maddon shouldn't have put him in for 8 outs remaining in a game that the Cubs lead by 7 runs in game 6. But, Ben Zobrist came through in the clutch when this team needed him most. Zobrist proved to be the best of any addition the Cubs have made in the past 2 years. He won a World Series last year, with the Royals, so who better than a guy that was just there to come through for them. Some may say, what about what Jon Lester did in relief? He was great, but he did not provide the hit that clinched the win for a team that hadn't won a title in 108 years. Zobrist was the main acquisition, on a team filled with players that played elsewhere in the past 2 years, that truly lived up to the moment. As I said, Lester was fine, but he looked shaky in his starts early in the World Series. Jason Heyward was non existent throughout the playoffs. Dexter Fowler was great, but not really until last night. John Lackey got beat up in his lone start. This was all on farm talent, think Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Javy Baez, and Ben Zobrist. He was the undoubted MVP of this World Series. Yeah he was 0 for 4 going into that at bat in the 10th, but he came through, as he is expected to do.

Lets step away from the Cubs for a second and bask in the glory that was this game 7. The Cubs came out on fire, with Fowler hitting a leadoff homerun. I thought that would be enough, but they piled on 4 more runs to up their lead in the 5th inning to 5-1. But, the Indians would not die. They kept chipping away, cutting the lead to 5-3 near the end of the 6th inning. The Cubs added another run, so I figured, with a 3 run lead and all the great relief work Lester did and David Ross hitting a solo homerun in his final game, the Cubs would cruise in the final 2 innings and close it out.

But, the Indians, with their never give up attitude, kept plugging away. Maddon decided, against his better judgement, to put Chapman in, and he looked shaky from the start. He couldn't get the ball over the plate, and the Indians hitters were making him throw a lot of pitches, just waiting for the mistake. They got an RBI double, then Rajaie Davis came up, worked to a full count, and smoked a fastball over the left field wall to tie the game in the 8th.

All the momentum shifted, I thought the Indians would seize the game from there, the Cubs fans they showed on TV looked defeated. The Indians then came out, gave up a leadoff hit, let Heyward get all the way to third on a throwing error during a stolen base, but the Indians got out of the jam.

Then, they did nothing in the bottom of the ninth.

Then, as we were getting ready for extra innings, they had a rain delay.

A RAIN DELAY IN GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES!

It was crazy! Luckily it was short, and the Cubs took back that momentum, with Schwarber getting a leadoff single in the tenth, The Indians tried to work around the front half of the Cubs loaded lineup. They got Bryant to fly out, but the guy that was pinch running for Schwarber excellently read the ball and tagged up to second. They walked Rizzo to face Zobrist. Zobrist looked outmatched, but took a 2-2 outside fastball to left field, and at that moment, I knew the Cubs would close it out. They added another run, then gave up one run in the bottom of the 10th, just to make it interesting, but they finally closed it out on a weak grounder and ended the longest championship drought in professional sports history.

Good for you Cubs, and Cubs fans. You finally know what it feels like to be a champion in baseball, even though the White Sox won the World Series 10 years ago, but the White Sox are not the Cubs. The Cubs are way more important to that city than the White Sox, that is a fact.

This was an epic game 7, and a part of me is happy for the Cubs fans. It is a really cool thing to see your team win a title. Especially when it has been this long since the last one. And, sorry Indians fans, but your team choked. They had everything in front of them for 3 games, controlled their own destiny, and they couldn't close it out. Classic Cleveland baseball.

This has definitely been the year of breaking droughts and trends. The Cavs won the NBA title, the Cubs are now World Series champs, so I guess that means a team like the Arizona Cardinals (now the holders of the longest championship drought in American sports), since the Browns have no shot at even having a winning record, as the Super Bowl favorites, even though they are far from making the playoffs. This should also mean that some college teams that haven't won a title in decades, like former dominant teams; Navy, Michigan, Florida, Washington, Indiana or even Georgia, may win a title in either football or basketball this year. And with pro hockey, I think the Saint Louis Blues have never won a Stanley Cup, so they should probably be the favorites to win it this season, but I know nothing about the NHL. Nothing. But hey, droughts are ending, apparently that is the trend, so if the Cavs and Cubs can win, so can all the other teams I mentioned, they just need a shot.

Anyway, congrats Cubs. You guys were the best team in baseball, and you proved it by winning the first of what will be many titles, if this team stays mostly intact. The Cubs have the best roster, and for the most part, they are young, so baseball fans, get used to seeing this team in contention for a long time. Congrats, and keep celebrating.

But, to end on a sour note, because that is what I do, ESPN will not be watched that much in my house for, at least, the next 6 months, because this Cubs title will be all they talk about for months on end. Even when the NFL shifts to playoff mode, the college football playoff comes along and the NBA gets deeper and deeper into its season, ESPN will still bring up the fact that the Cubs won the World Series. It will be insufferable.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also forgot to mention the greatest sports person of the 21st century, Theo Epstein. The man is some kind of god. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The Drought Will End Tonight for Chicago or Cleveland

One last time

Tonight there will be a game 7 in the World Series. This is a great thing for baseball. To be honest, I have not watched much, if any, postseason baseball. As I stated in other posts, since the Cardinals aren't in the playoffs, college football is in full swing and the NBA has started, I have totally checked out of this particular World Series. I am not a fan of either the Cubs or the Indians. Honestly, I could not care less who wins. But, game 7's are always exciting. I will probably watch little to none of the game, but I will be following it on my phone, checking the score every 30 minutes or so. One beleaguered franchise, that fans have been waiting a long, long time to bring home a title, will win it all tonight.

That intro is my long winded way to get to what I really want to talk about for this particular post. Both of these MLB franchises, for the past 60 plus years, have always found a way to lose games that they should win. The Cubs, back in the Mark Prior/Kerry Wood days could not close out any NLCS. Blame Steve Bartman all you want, but they blew that game 6. They had many chances to win, but they choose to blame Bartman, while dozens of other people were trying to catch that ball that Alou had no chance to catch anyway. The Cubs also had decent teams in the 80's and 90's, with players like Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Sammy Sosa, and so on and so forth, that never made it to the promise land.

The Indians are another team that have never been able to close it out. In the 90's, with Albert Belle leading this team, they couldn't get past the Marlins. Try as he might, Omar Vizquel could not bring a title to Cleveland. The Indians are another team that has had all time great players that can not finish it off when it matters most.

That all changes tonight. But, I ask, which team will continue to be the team that cannot close the deal? Will it be the Indians? They had a 3-1 lead just a few days ago. They were shutting down this excellent Cubs lineup. They were stealing bases and small balling the hell out of the Cubs. Everything was going their way. Sure, the game 5 loss seemed preordained, but last night's throttling was surprising. I know the Cubs have a better lineup and had last years Cy Young winner on the mound, but to get beat 9-3, in a possible clinching game, that should scare Indians fans. The Indians got dismantled last night. They were beat from the start. But, was this their way of reverting to what is the norm, or is it an aberration? I guess we will find out tonight.

Then, there are the Cubs. They came out of the block slow. Corey Kluber absolutely shut them down in game 1. The Cubs could not do anything. Kluber outdueled Jon Lester as well. Lester is probably the Cy Young winner in the NL this year, but Kluber won it in the AL last year. Then, game 2, the Cubs bats woke up and they won handily. I thought this was when they would take over and win the next 3 and end there 108 year drought. Well, the opposite happened. The Cubs, returning to Wrigley Field, got completely shut down for the next 2 games. They had Kyle Hendricks on the mound during one of the those games, he pitched an absolute gem, but the Indians got one run and that turned out to be all that they needed. The Indians controlled the first 2 games at Wrigley. I turned from thinking that the Cubs would roll to thinking that the Indians would roll. 

Then, game 5, with the Indians having a chance to clinch, happened. Like I said, it was a predictable outcome. The Cubs came to play. So did the Indians, but the Cubs roster is better, and in a tight game, they pulled out the win like they should. So, maybe the Cubs were turning it around, but I thought that it would come to a close last night, even with Arrieta on the mound. As I have already said, that was not the case. The Cubs bats woke up and they crushed the Indians last night. So, the Cubs turned on what they normally do, choke, and now the pressure is on both teams.

This all leads to my final thoughts. Which team will exercise the demons tonight, and which team will continue to be the underachievers in big games? The pitching matchup will be great. The Cubs bats seem to have woken up, but will they do the same against a 3 day rest Corey Kluber? I wish I could answer that Cubs fans. Will the Indians wake up and continue to steal bases, play small ball and shut down the Cubs like in games 3 and 4? Again, I wish I could answer that Indians fans. This has been a great ending to the baseball season, again, I have barely watched any baseball all year. But, this should be exactly what the baseball apologists and purists should have wanted. We have 2 teams that have not been this far in a long time, and one of them will come away as champions tonight and themselves and their fan base will breath a huge sigh of relief and party the night away.

I know that the game is in Cleveland, but I have picked the Cubs in every prediction post and podcast on this site, so I have to pick them tonight. I think the Indians will revert to their choking ways, blow their 3-1 lead, and the Cubs will be celebrating on their field around midnight tonight. The game will be a lot closer than last night's game. Maddon putting in Chapman, who is a domestic abuser, for an 8 out save last night might have killed his arm, but I do not think that will matter. This is the last game of the MLB season, so all will be left on the field tonight and the Cubs will exercise their 108 year drought. That is my outsider view of what will happen tonight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is so very wrong on picking the Cubs. Cleveland is a city of champions, Indians all the way. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The NFL is Terrible and It's Roger Goodell's Fault

Goodell's progress report

It has been a very tough year for the NFL. Ratings are down, the public perception on how the league treats domestic violence is in the toilet, the games stink, America's most popular sport does not have much going for it. While the NBA and MLB are going through a ratings renaissance, the NFL is starting to fall behind. The once unstoppable marketing and ratings machine of the NFL is starting to fall, and it is Commissioner Roger Goodell's fault.

Here at SeedSing we have written many times about how terrible of a job Roger Goodell does as the NFL commissioner. Nearly every single one of those posts concerns the stupid deflategate controversy that the commissioner would not give up on. Every time the league was dealt another loss on deflategate, Goodell acted like a sad spoiled child who was told that he could not take the Ferrari out for the night. Every press conference, or interview, was a lesson in how not to do public relations. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have a whole bunch of haters, yet Goodell turned many of those haters into fans because of how idiotic the commissioner looked during the dumbest sports controversy ever. The terrible way the deflategate scandal was handled by the commissioner was comical in its terribleness.

Deflategate may have been stupid, but the way Roger Goodell has handled players accused of domestic violence is down right evil. When Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was confirmed to be a domestic abuser, Goodell suspended him for two games. Two whole games for Rice who admitted to hitting a woman so hard she was knocked unconscious. Once TMZ released the elevator video, and people actually saw the much larger Rice hit his fiance, the public lost their mind. We, along with Roger Goodell, already knew that Rice had knocked a woman out with his punch, but seeing it really ignited the public's passion. Days after the tape was released, Goodell increased the suspension and instituted new tough penalties for domestic abuse. Once he was properly embarrassed for his lack of action, Goodell tried to regain some humanity by trying a new tactic. He failed this test, and unfortunately for the commissioner, many more tests were coming.

The most recent domestic abuse case to test the Goodell policy concerned New York Giants Pro Bowl Kicker Josh Brown. Brown was accused of abusing his wife on numerous occasions, many while she was pregnant. Goodell decided to give Brown a one game suspension because his ex wife, the one being abused, many times while pregnant, would not cooperate with the NFL investigation. After weeks of the NFL defending Goodell's horrible inaction, it comes out that yes Josh Brown is a domestic abuser, and the commissioner does not treat violence against women as a serious issue. The NFL once again failed a big test, and they failed because of Roger Goodell.

It is easy to blame Roger Goodell because he wanted all of this power to punish the players. Since he became commissioner, Goodell has continual sought more power over player discipline. There is no committee to dole out punishment, only the commissioner. Once granted this awesome power, Roger Goodell has used his pulpit to rail against the crime of under inflated footballs more than the crime of domestic violence. He has been more interested in banning players who smoke pot, than those players who abuse children. Goodell wanted this power, and he should therefore be the sole person responsible for the consequences.

It is not just domestic violence that Roger Goodell does not care about, it is also the players themselves. Once the Goodell era began, the NFL has been trying to expand their weekly influence beyond Sunday and Monday. Thursday Night Football was introduced, and has been the first culprit in watering down the NFL on the field product. Goodell does not care about what players think of the stupidity that is Thursday Night Football. The games on Thursday stink, and directly lead to the Sunday games stinking. While NBA Commissioner David Silver is listening to his players, Roger Goodell ignores his. The NBA product is getting better, while the NFL product is becoming garbage. The correlation is pretty easy to see.

The players are not the only ones that Roger Goodell dislikes, the fans are also a big thorn in the commissioner's side. Goodell has been the most aggressive sports commissioner in forcing cities to pay for stadiums so the billionaire owners of the teams do not risk their own money. Yes, the job of a commissioner is to represent the owners, but the way Goodell goes about these scams would make a super villain jealous. Look no further than what happened with the St. Louis Rams to see how much Roger Goodell looks down on the fans who pay to see his league. The whole fiasco in San Diego is another Roger Goodell screw the fans special. In the commissioner's world, his job would be a lot easier if the fans just did not exist. That does not seem like a very sustainable business model. 

Just last weekend, Roger Goodell was in London, England for another disposable NFL game being played across the Atlantic. When asked by a reporter about the Josh Brown case, Goodell stood by the his decision to suspend the domestic abuser only one game. In order to cover his heartlessness, Goodell actually said the fans do not understand how the league deals with domestic violence. What Goodell is missing is that the fans know exactly how the commissioner treats domestic abusers. He lets them off easy while players who underinflate footballs, or dance in the endzone, or smoke pot, get the full punishment allowed by the commissioner. The fans are a lot more intelligent than Roger Goodell gives them credit for.

Whenever an issue has come up, Goodell has made the wrong choice. He ignored, and try to hide, any meaningful research being down on player concussions. He has threatened the players health, and overall competition, by insisting on the terrible Thursday Night Games.  He approves of weird rules that fans, and many of the television commentators can not even understand. Explain to a first time football watcher what a catch is. He gleefully goes after certain players, but if Peyton Manning is accused of something, the commissioner quietly pushes it out of the way. He insults fans, and blames the hardworking people who buy tickets to his bad game for the problems. If Roger Goodell is as smart as ESPN and Fox Sports tells us he  is, then maybe the commissioner really does hate the NFL and wants to see it destroyed.

By marginalizing his players, and insulting the fans, Roger Goodell is making people turn off the NFL. The commissioner's job is to make money for the owners, and after many years of incompetence, the money is starting to leave the NFL. Cities are starting to call the league on the terrible practice of demanding public money for privately owned stadiums. Youth football participation is falling off. Ratings are plummeting. Roger Goodell inherited a rapidly growing league, and every action he has made has directly affected the positive growth of the NFL.

The NFL still pulls in better ratings than the MLB or the NBA, but the gap is narrowing. The sports talk world will still go out of their way to defend Goodell and claim that on his watch the NFL has exploded. These sports talk hosts are giving up their journalistic integrity to defend an incompetent Roger Goodell because they are afraid of upsetting the NFL. Anything good for the league has been solely due a generation of great players, and coaches who have innovated. Goodell treats the best player in NFL history as a problem, and protects a kicker who abused a pregnant woman. There is no misunderstanding to see Goodell is wrong, once again, on the issues affecting the league.  

The fans have noticed that Roger Goodell's NFL is not very good. One bad decision after another has taken a great sport, and put it in the toilet. The fans are not to blame for misunderstanding Roger Goodell's bad management. Roger Goodell is to blame for making the NFL terrible.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What do you think of the current state of the NFL? Tell us all about it. 

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Ty's Midseason College Football Redo

As I did yesterday with the NFL, today I'm going to look at college football at the mid way point. Also, much like the NFL, I got some things right, but more things wrong. That's how it goes when you are in the business of making predictions. No one is perfect, and I'm far from it myself. Anyway, let's get into what I got right and wrong, update my predictions and make some more changes.

First, let's look at the SEC, my least favorite conference. Alabama is the clear cut favorite. I think that everyone expected this. Alabama is clearly the best team in the SEC, and the nation. They have a historically great defense. They have scored 12 non offensive touchdowns, and they have only given up 12 touchdowns all year. They are elite. Their offense is just fine as well. They have a read option style QB, who is not a great passer, but an exceptional runner. He runs the read option to perfection, and, when he has an open man, he usually hits them in stride. Their offense, while not great, is just fine. Alabama is a cut above the rest in the SEC. As far as some teams that may present a "challenge", you have Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M. Some may say, you left out Tennessee, but Alabama recently beat them by 39 points. They also, just last week, beat A&M by 19 points, so they may not be much of a threat. Florida has a very good defense, but they were exposed against Tennessee in the second half of that game. Alabama is much, much better than Tennessee. Auburn may be the only team that can truly threaten Alabama, but their strength is running the ball, and Alabama's strength is stopping the run. Auburn has looked very good since Rhett Lashley took over the offense, but they will run into a buzz saw when they face Alabama's front seven. LSU could possibly pose a threat, the game is at night and in Baton Rouge, but they, much like Auburn, love to run the ball and Alabama is nearly impossible to run against. I will say, I was right about Tennessee. They are paper tigers. They should have been beaten a few times already, pulled some games out of nowhere, but have been brought back down to Earth the last two weeks. Anyway, at the midway point, Alabama is still the team to beat in the SEC.

Let's move to the Pac 12, which has been an absolute disaster thus far, minus one team. I was way, way off about Stanford. I thought that Christian McCaffrey would be dominant and lead this team to the playoff. I thought their defense would be great. I thought the lack of a decent QB would not matter. I was wrong on all three aspects. McCaffrey, while still putting up decent numbers, is literally the only threat they have, and he has missed parts of, or full games. He will not be making a return trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Their defense has been fine, but they have been on the field way, way too much. The lack of a good QB has crushed this team. Their passing game is no threat, so teams just load the box to stop the run, and it has worked thus far. UCLA has been incredibly underwhelming and Josh Rosen isn't even playing right now. USC, after getting crushed in their first 2 games, has looked better, but they are still 4-3. Utah is good, they have a great running game and an okay defense. They have a huge matchup this weekend, but I'll get to their opponent in a few. Oregon is atrocious, especially on defense. They cannot stop anyone and they can't settle on a QB. Oregon State is no good, Washington State is fine, but terrible at defense, Arizona State is average, Arizona is mediocre, which leaves us with one good team. That team is Washington. I was wrong about this team. I thought it was all talk, but they have lived up to the hype and then some. They are clearly the best team in the Pac 12. They have an elite offense and a very good defense. Jake Browning is putting up monster numbers, and if they get past Utah this weekend, they should have a clear path to the playoff. They are the Pac 12's only hope.

The Big 12, on the other hand, may not send a single team to the playoff. I was convinced that Oklahoma was going to have a breakthrough this year, but Bob Stoops reared his ugly head during week one. Houston trounced them, then 2 weeks later, in Norman, Ohio State throttled them. They have rebounded a bit, but they are no threat to be in the playoff. Texas started strong, but are limping to the finish line. Charlie Strong is all but done with his tenure there. TCU has been very up and down. Kansas State is in rebuild mode. Baylor is undefeated, but it is all for naught because none of this will matter because of the atrocities that they did off the field. They are going to get the death knell from the NCAA, hopefully. West Virginia, very surprisingly, has been the class of the Big 12. They have a very good offense, and in a league that thinks defense is optional, WVU actually plays really good defense. They have shut down both Texas Tech and TCU in consecutive weeks, and both those teams have great offenses. WVU is the team to beat in the Big 12, at this moment.

The ACC is still Clemson's to lose. Louisville has come out of nowhere, at least to me, but Clemson did beat them already. But, Louisville has been impressive thus far. Lamar Jackson is the front runner for the Heisman. He is putting up video game numbers, and no one, not even Clemson, truly stopped him. Florida State is average, Their QB is too young and inconsistent. Their defense is very mediocre. Dalvin Cook is very good, but he is their only threat. They have a big game against Clemson this weekend, and that game should show their true colors. Miami started out great, but they have fallen back to Earth the last three weeks. As far as some other challengers, there isn't any. NC State is average, and should have beaten Clemson, UNC has a great offense, but a terrible defense, Virginia Tech is fine, but not world beaters. This conference is Clemson's to lose. They are still undefeated, they play excellent defense and they still have Deshaun Watson, who is incredible. Until this team gets beat, I will stick with them. This weekend poses their last real threat, and if they get past FSU, they should roll to the playoff.

Now, for my conference, the Big 10. This is still a 2 team race. Ohio State, coming off their inexplicable loss to Penn State, is still a real playoff possibility. They have looked vulnerable the last 2 weeks, especially on offense, but they can go off at any time. JT Barrett is a very good QB, but he has gotten very little help from the rest of his teammates. The O line is shaky, the running game, outside of him, has been up and down, and they have no go to receiver. Their defense is awesome though. They can shut teams down. Ohio State has no room for error after last week, but if things break their way, they could sneak into the playoff. Michigan is playing incredible defense right now. They have shut down everyone that they have faced. It's hard to run on this team, and even harder to pass on them. Jim Harbaugh, Don Brown and Greg Mattison have a very, very good defense. The offense has been serviceable, but they are going to need to get better when they play better teams. Wilton Speight is still inconsistent with the long ball. Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh have not had their breakout games yet. Jake Butt has been fine, but not All American level yet. The running game has feasted on lesser opponents, but not so much on the better teams they've faced. I love their defense, but their offense needs to step it up. And, I do not care what their record is, they better be prepared for a very, very tough test this weekend at Michigan State. That team will bring their A game this weekend. As far as the rest of the Big 10, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and more recently, Penn State have looked good. Wisconsin has an incredible defense, but, much like Michigan, their offense leaves a lot to be desired. They also faced Michigan and Ohio State already, and both teams beat them. Nebraska may be the shakiest team in all of the top 10 rankings. They should have lost to Indiana and Oregon, but escaped with wins. They will probably get beat this weekend, when they face Wisconsin, but who knows, they could pull out another amazing win. Penn State has looked a lot better, but their offense is still a work in progress, and I do not trust them to be a real threat. Iowa has been underwhelming. Northwestern has looked good at times, but bad at times. Michigan State cannot seem to put it together. They can't pick a QB, and their defense is not as great as it usually is. Minnesota has 5 wins, but they have not looked impressive, and they tried everything to lose to Rutgers last week. The rest of the conference is below average. This conference is Michigan's to lose now. They have very high expectations for the first time in 10 years, so lets see how they react. This team has not been in this position for a long time, so let's see how these kids respond.

As far as other teams like Notre Dame, Houston, Western Michigan and Navy, only 2 of them have a say in being in a New Years 6 bowl. Notre Dame has been abysmal, and it all starts with their head coach. He has blamed everyone but himself, but he is the reason this team could miss out on a bowl game. They are 2-5 at the moment, so that means they need to finish the year 4-1, just to be considered for a bowl game. That will tough for this team. Houston was riding high with their opening season win at Oklahoma, but they have lost 2 of their last 3, and are out of the rankings. Western Michigan has looked great, owns 2 wins over Big 10 teams, and should rip through the MAC. They could find their way into an important bowl game by seasons end. And then there is Navy. They have played hard and played well pretty much all season long. They run that option to perfection, and they have looked really good all season. They were the first team to beat Houston I might add. I'm a Michigan fan through and through, but I have always liked Navy for some unexplained reason. It's good to see them play well.

As far as playoff teams go, right now for me, I have, from 4-1, Washington, Clemson, Michigan and Alabama. That is the exact order of the AP poll right now. I do not see that changing, unless one of these teams get upset, which could happen as soon as this weekend. So, that would pit Alabama-Washington and Michigan-Clemson in the semifinal games. Alabama will steam roll Washington and, as much as I would love to pick Michigan, Clemson has been there before and Michigan's offense is not nearly as good as Clemson's offense, so I'm going with the rematch. And, just like last season, I think Alabama will repeat. Clemson couldn't beat them last year, and Alabama's defense is way better than last year. I do not want Alabama to win, but they are leaps and bounds above everyone in college football. They are the Patriots of college football. I'm going to stick with Deshaun Watson has my Heisman winner though. He has already beaten Lamar Jackson head to head, and I think he will explode this weekend against FSU, which will solidify his place in New York.

There you have it, my mid season college football redux, redo, whatever you want to call it. College football has been so much better than the pros, so this piece was much easier and more fun to write than yesterday. Go watch some college games, they are way more fun, and quite frankly, better than the NFL, by a wide margin.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Test Ty's predictions by listening to the Mini X Millennial Man all about the upcoming NBA season. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty's 2016 Midseason NFL Redo

As we approach week 8 of the NFL season, I need to do my annual mid season revision. I did a 3 day preseason NFL preview, and like last year, I have some stuff that I got right and some stuff that I got wrong. Today, I want to pat myself on the back a little bit, but also eat some crow, especially with my Super Bowl and MVP pick.

Before I get started, I know that RD is putting up a big piece about this soon, but the NFL has been absolutely atrocious this season. I'll let RD do the majority of expounding on that, but I have eyeballs, and what they have seen has been terrible. The game is watered down and the teams are not that good. This first half of the season has been abysmal. Thank goodness for college football, which I will touch on tomorrow, at least that has been fun this year. Anyway, let's get to my mid season NFL review.

So, as you all know by now, I had the Panthers as the Super Bowl winners. I thought that they would come out and slay pretty much everyone in front of them. I thought that they would be pissed at how they performed in last year's Super Bowl, and want to make up for that. I thought Cam Newton would trash any defense that came his way. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. The Panthers have been terrible this season. They are 1-5 as we speak. Their defense is dreadful. They cannot get off the field, and teams are putting up 30 plus points on them with ease. I did not think that they'd miss Josh Norman as much as they do. Luke Kuechly has been very, very average this year. Their D line is getting little to no pressure. They stink. The offense isn't much better. Cam Newton looks miserable out there. He is not playing with the joy that turned me into a fan. He is getting head hunted, and the NFL is doing nothing about it. But, he also seems more concerned with what kind of celebration he is going to do when he scores instead of just getting in the end zone. They have no running game. Their passing game, which added Kelvin Benjamin, has been pretty porous. The Panthers have been the biggest, by far, disappointment in the NFL this year.

Outside of the Panthers, the NFC is not really great. The Vikings are probably the best team in the NFC, but they just got absolutely shut down by the Eagles last week. They have an other worldly defense, but their offense is very bad. The Cowboys, very surprisingly, have been right near the top of the NFC this year. Ezekial Elliot is currently leading the NFL in rushing. The receivers, minus Dez Bryant, have been very good. Dak Prescott has been exceptional. He is doing the best job of managing the game. He makes no mistakes, hardly ever, and dinks and dunks all the way down the field. I'm not a Cowboys fan, but I hope that when Tony Romo and Dez Bryant come back totally healthy, they stay on the bench because you should not rock the boat. This team is 5-1 for a reason. Who knows what Jerry Jones will do, but he needs to keep Prescott in there, as long as this team keeps winning.

As far as some other NFC teams, the Cardinals have been very disappointing. Carson Palmer looks like a shell of himself. Larry Fitzgerald is still good, but getting older. Michael Floyd drops more than he catches. David Johnson and their defense has been their saving grace, but they are 3-3-1. The Seahawks are probably the most underwhelming 4-1-1 team in the NFL. Their offense is mediocre, but their defense, who gets away with penalty after penalty, week after week, is still good. They are dirty, but still elite. The Packers are mediocre. Their defense is average and their offense has been mind numbingly frustrating to watch. The Lions, Saints, Eagles, Buccaneers and Falcons are at, or near .500, but they will make no difference in the long run.

As much as I hate to write this, I think the Cowboys, if they stick with Prescott and the running game, will become the team to beat in the NFC. They could very well make the Super Bowl this year, that is how bad this season has been.

The AFC, while not much better, does have the very best team in the NFL. The Patriots are leaps and bounds above all 31 other teams, and they are filled with holes. Their defense is very mediocre. they do give up some big plays a bit too often. After his ridiculous 4 game suspension, Tom Brady has looked like a man possessed. He is the front runner for the MVP right now, after only 3 games. He has lit up the 3 teams he's faced. He is on pace, in 12 games, to surpass 4,000 passing yards. That's crazy. Gronk is fully healthy, and he is just as unstoppable as ever. Martellus Bennett is a great addition, and takes pressure off Gronk. The slot receivers that fill the rest of this offense are perfect for the Patriots system. LeGarette Blount has been a great runner for them this year too. He's on pace for 1,300 plus rushing yards and 15 plus touchdowns. They also have James White, great out of the back field and Dion Lewis will be back soon. The Patriots, even with their holes, are the cream of the crop in the NFL. Eat it Roger Goodell.

 As for the teams not playing at Gillette, the Broncos have a great defense, but their offense is very much below average. They can't sustain drives, and unless their defense gives the offense primo field position, they usually punt. That should rule out a return trip to the Super Bowl. The Steelers, who I was very high on before the season, are minus their QB for another 3-5 weeks. Try as he might, LeVeon Bell can only do so much. Without Roesthilberger, this team will not go very far. But, 9-7 could win that division, so who knows. The Raiders, another team I was very high on, have been great offensively so far, but terrible defensively. The still hold a 5-2 record, and I'd love to see them in the playoffs, but I worry that their defense will make it unlikely. The Chiefs, who I was not so high on, have been pretty good so far. Sure, they got thumped by the Steelers a few weeks ago, but other than that, they have played pretty well. The Bills are well on their way to another 8-8 or 9-7 season. The entire AFC South stinks. The Texans are the worst division leader in all of football. The Colts and Jaguars are bottom feeders and the Titans are so bad on offense, that will hold them back. The Harambes, AKA Bengals, have been very mediocre, and I'm sure RD will agree. The Chargers are bad, but actually kind of fun to watch either blow games late or win games late. The Dolphins and Ravens are destined to be .500, and the Browns may not win a game all year long. The Patriots are, not only the best team in the AFC, but the best team in football. They are 100 percent going to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this season, barring any major injury.

That means I have the Cowboys playing the Patriots in Super Bowl 51. Yikes. The Patriots should win it going away, if this turns out to be the matchup. I have the Patriots as my new Super Bowl champs. I also have Tom Brady as the MVP. David Johnson might be more deserving, or Julio Jones may put up unprecedented numbers, or Ezekial Elliot may rush for 1,800 yards, but what Brady has done over 3 games, and will continue to do, just to twist the knife in Goodell, will win him the MVP. He is the greatest QB ever, and this season will prove that even further. As far as rookie of the year, I was way, way off on LaQuon Treadwell. This is clearly Elliot's to lose. He has been as good as advertised, and as much as I may dislike his demeanor and the way he carries himself, he has been great this year. I still have Jack Del Rio as my coach of the year. He has the Raiders at 5-2, as I already stated, and they are relevant again. But, I would not count out Bill Belichek. He won 3 of 4 without Brady, and now, they want to crush everyone in their path, as they should. And defensive player of the year should, and probably will be Von Miller. He is incredible and playing incredible. He should own this award for many years to come.

So, that does it for my mid season review. I got some stuff right, but way more wrong. I'm pissed about my love for the Panthers, but happy about my feelings for the Raiders. The NFL is in a rough place, but I still watch and will continue to watch. Come back tomorrow and I will have my mid season college football review. That will be much more fun to write.  

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may think the Cowboys ccan make the Super Bowl, but in his heart he knows Jerry Jones will ruin the teams chances. Romo is Jones's guy after all. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Musters up Enough Energy to Make Wild Guesses About Men's College Basketball

Artist depiction of Ty watching college basketball

To wrap up all my preseason basketball previews, I will finish off today with men's college basketball. Before I get into it, I do want to say, and I believe I said the same thing last year, but men's college basketball is becoming unwatchable. It is so watered down. The competition is so low rent, I might as well watch high school basketball. I don't want to do that.

The only thing that saved that dismal season last year was the incredible championship game. You know why that game was great, besides those 2 incredible game ending shots? Both UNC and Villanova were senior laden teams. Their best players were all seniors that had been playing together for four years. I'm over the whole "one and done" thing. I don't know who any of these new players are because they come into school for one season, then go pro. Skal Labiessere and Ben Simmons were supposed to be must watch TV last season. Labiessere and Simmons did not live up to the hype. Labiessere never asserted himself and became an after thought and Simmons seemed bored and disinterested. These were supposed to be the guys. There were also guys like Cheick Diallo, wasn't eligible until late in the season, and barely played after that. Brandon Ingram was fine, but never blew me away. Jaylen Brown led a floundering Cal team that got bounced in the first round of the tournament. I could go on and on.

All those guys are now gone to the NBA, so it doesn't matter anymore. That is my main problem with NCAA men's college basketball. The game has become a terrible version of posturing for NBA scouts amongst 18 and 19 year olds. It is a gloried McDonald's All American game. I'd much rather watch the D League anytime over men's college basketball now? That is a sad state of affairs. My advise, watch your team, because you should know the players on your team, but what is the point of watching all these freshman laden teams? The men's game has become dreadful.

Before I dig in, I got the majority of my information from cbssports.com, because when I went to do research, I literally had no idea who was supposed to win the title this year. I also do not know anything about this incoming crop of freshman. Every year I hear that this is the best class of freshman ever, but I'm sick of hearing that. Until we get a freshman as NBA ready as KD, I am not going to pay attention to any of these teams filled with "one and done" players because it is not good basketball, it's an all star game. All this from a guy who prefers college football way, way more than the NFL. I truly hate what men's college basketball has become.

Anyway, here is my preview of the upcoming season. As far as the ACC goes, I'm pretty sure that Duke is going to win the conference. They lost Ingram to the draft, but they return that prick Grayson Allen and I'm sure they have a slew of 5 star freshman coming in. Virginia, Miami and UNC will probably challenge, but they won't put up much of a threat, as Duke gets all the help from officials and they play a million home games. Duke will win the conference.

As far as the Big 12 goes, hasn't KU won it for a decade straight? They keep going after "one and done" players, and they keep winning the conference every year. Five new starters, but it doesn't matter, they will win the conference and I'm sure they will choke in the tournament. As far as teams that will challenge, I'm sure Oklahoma will take a step back since Buddy Hield is gone, Oklahoma State hasn't been relevant since Marcus Smart left, Kansas State is a joke, I guess Baylor is their only real challenger, but they probably have as many problems as their football program, so who knows what's coming to them, as far as sanctions and the like. KU is, once again, the Big 12 champs.

In the SEC, is there any other team that is any good other than Kentucky? Kentucky gets a new set of starters every year, they are all rated very high, and they have a great regular season, but since Anthony Davis left, they blow big games in the tournament. I'm sure that will happen again. Maybe Vanderbilt, LSU or even a team like Auburn challenge them, but I do not think it is very likely. Kentucky wins the SEC in a run away.

The Pac 12 is going to be Oregon's to lose. While they stink in college football, they have a good basketball team, or at least they did last year when they crushed Duke in the tournament and Coach K felt it was his place to yell at an Oregon player. They have a good team with bombers, and they do have some experience on their roster. Arizona and Washington could challenge, but Oregon should win the Pac 12. But, in all seriousness, I do not watch a lot of Pac 12 basketball because it is on way too late.

Villanova, the defending champs, should win what was formerly a great conference, but is now a shell of its self, the Big East. I don't see any real challengers, maybe Georgetown, but Villanova should dominate that conference all season. They did lose a few starters, but they have a good portion of the team back that won it all last year.

Now for the Big 10, the only conference I will watch. Michigan State or Indiana will probably win it once again. MSU is the perennial favorite, and I'm sure they have some blue chip guys coming in. Indiana is loaded with talent, but it is young, and they did lose Yogi Ferrell to graduation. He was the heart and soul of that team. Maryland has their star point guard back, but they lost a few big men and some older vets from a team that completely underachieved last year. I picked them to win it all last year, but they barely got out of the first round of the tournament. My team, Michigan, has a lot of guys back, but they went 21-13 last year. That is not a great record. They did make the tournament, but they played a terrible round one game, which they won, and then they blew a huge lead in their round 2 game. They have Zak Irvin back, but he hasn't been nearly as good as he was as a freshman. Derrick Walton is back, and he is tough and gritty, but I like Abdur Rahkman as a point guard better than Walton. He attacks the basket and finds the open guy better than Walton does. Michigan will infuriate me, but they will hover around the same record as last year, and hopefully, they can make the tournament again. Other than those teams, I do not know much about Big 10 basketball. Rutgers, Minnesota, Northwestern and Nebraska, amongst others, are all very average. I'm going to go with MSU because Tom Izzo is a much, much better coach than Tom Crean.

As far as some other teams that are outside of the power 5 conferences that should be good, we have teams like Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Rhode Island, VCU and Wichita State. Gonzaga is always good, even when they lose half of their starters. St. Mary's is supposed to be the best mid major team this year. They have a bunch of good players, and everything I read about them says they are supposed to be good. Rhode Island hasn't been good since Lamar Odom was there, but again, everything I read says that they will be good. VCU and Wichita State did lose a lot of vets, but they always have some other guys, that have been waiting their turn, that will produce.

As far as final four teams and the title game, I'm just going to take some shots in the dark. I'll say that Oregon, Villanova, Kentucky and MSU are the final four, but those are wild guesses. The title game will pit Oregon and MSU, and Oregon will win it all for the Pac 12, again, a wild guess.

The player of the year will be some random freshman that I have never heard of, or a senior that comes out of nowhere to have a great year, a la Buddy Hield last year. I honestly don't know.

Look, I think it is obvious how I feel about men's college basketball. It has become terrible, and nearly unwatchable. I wanted to do a preview because I love basketball that much, but I have little to no love for men's college basketball. It has become a meat market and a one on one game for 19 year olds to showcase their talents to scouts. No one wants to be Buddy Hield or Marcus Paige or Denzel Valentine anymore, and that is sad. All these young kids would rather be Brandon Ingram or Jakob Poertl, and that is truly upsetting. Men's college basketball is a joke, but hey, I will still watch Michigan and other games here and there. But, do yourselves a favor and just watch the NBA, it is so, so, so much better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His lack of enthusiasm for his college basketball is no excuse to forget about the Head Editors dark horse final four team. Go Mizzou. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Tells You Who Will Win the NBA Finals and All the Other Awards

Lots of game balls to give out

I finished my 10 day NBA preseason countdown yesterday, so today, I will give you my finals prediction, award predictions and some surprises, be they good or bad, that I think will happen this upcoming season.

Let's start with the finals.

I don't see how this is not part three of Cavs-Warriors. They are both the superior teams in their respective conferences. They have no real challengers. Some will say the Cavs will be pushed by the Raptors, Celtics or Pacers. The Raptors are perpetual underachievers. The Celtics don't have a super star, ball dominant, get you the tough points when you need them type of guy. The Pacers have no one that can defend both LeBron and Kyrie Irving. The Cavs are just so much better than any team in the East. The Warriors have no one, and I mean no one, that should slow them down one bit. They have the 3 of the 4 best players in the league in their starting five. They have scorers and playmakers all over the floor. As far as the Spurs being a threat, Kawhi Leonard can only guard one of those guys. The Clippers can't stop a pick and roll to save their lives, and the Warriors own them. OKC lost KD, and Westbrook will not be able to beat them alone, even though he will certainly try. The Trailblazers are just not on their level. The Warriors have such an easy path, it's ridiculous.

As stated, we will have a third straight rematch. The Warriors should win this title in no less than 5 games. LeBron will get one, he always does, but the Warriors are absolutely stacked, and anything less than a title would be deemed a disappointment. They will try and talk down the high expectations, but with a team like this, they should be huge, huge favorites.

As far as MVP goes, I mean, LeBron should probably win every year, but he won't this season, unless he wants to. All he has to do is try and play hard every night, and he could walk away with it. But, he has a ton of mileage on his legs, so I don't think he will play as many games this year that would be needed to win the MVP. As far as other contenders, Steph and KD and Klay will all cancel each other out. Those three on the same team will be lethal, but none will separate themselves as MVP. James Harden will score a ton, but he will play no defense, so that will not get him many votes. Russell Westbrook may put up ridiculous numbers, but he will play out of control a lot, shoot too many shots and that will cost him the MVP. He will be fun to watch, but I bet very infuriating at times as well. All these guys are great, but I think that Kawhi Leonard will take the next step and win the MVP this year. The Spurs are now his team, I think he will take that next step offensively and he is the best defender in the league. It may sound crazy, but I think Kawhi is going to become that superstar that we all expect him to be.

Coach of the year is going to go to Tom Thibodeau, unless the T'Wolves fall flat on their faces. Everyone has already penciled him in, so the award is his to lose. The T'Wolves have looked really good in the preseason, and if they finish above .500, he is a shoe in for the award.

I think Kawhi Leonard will double down and not only win the MVP, but also defensive player of the year. As I have said too much the past two days, he is the best defender, hands down, in the NBA. There is no equal.

Rookie of the year is going to go to Kris Dunn. He will usurp Ricky Rubio as the starter in Minnesota, and he looks ready to play right now. I do like Buddy Hield, he will score a ton, Joel Embiid, he has looked unstoppable in preseason and Brandon Ingram will get looks, but he is too skinny and needs to toughen up. But, Dunn will pass all these guys and play important minutes on a team that could possibly push for the playoffs, and he will play well.

As far as some surprises, I think OKC will struggle, but still get in the playoffs. Losing a player like KD is going to hurt a hell of a lot more than they are letting on. Westbrook will play like a man on fire, but he needs help from guys that haven't had this much on their plates in their NBA careers. The Celtics will be the third best team in the East. A lot of people have them as the surefire 2 seed, behind the Cavs, but I think the Pacers will snatch that 2 seed from them. The Pacers have scoring all over the floor, and with Nate McMillan as their new head coach, they will run up and down the court and score tons of points, while playing high level defense. The dunk contest won't be as good as last year, but it is starting to become must watch TV for NBA fans again. The dunk contest was in the toilet for almost a decade, but last year was one of, if not the, best dunk contests ever. I also love that Vince Carter is saying that he might enter this year. I'd love that.

And one last thing, the NBA is so watered down, I would suggest to everyone out there, only watch the Cavs, Spurs and Warriors, as well as your team. There is no point, if you are not a fan of either of these teams, to watch a midseason game between the Nets and Hornets. Neither of those teams will make any difference in the final outcome, so who cares. There are only 3 really good teams, then the rest. Get ready for a third straight rematch, and a lot of the same stuff we have seen for the last few years.

That's it for the NBA. Thanks for reading, and tomorrow, I will have my NCAA men's basketball preview. I will also have my "Eric Andre Show" and "Bar Rescue" recaps next week for everyone, I have just been hyper focused on basketball, since the season is right around the corner. It's very exciting.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The NBA may be watered down, but Ty believes in drinking plenty of water. Make sure you get the good stuff. The Warriors would be like the Fiji of bottled water. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Tells You How each NBA Team can Win the Title: Spurs, Cavaliers, and Warriors

Before I get to my final 3 teams on my NBA countdown, I have to address something Rockets GM Daryl Morey said on the Ringer's "NBA Show" from yesterday. He said, and I am not making this up, that "James Harden is the best passing 2 guard of all time".

Is he out of his god damn mind!? I mean, I understand backing your franchise player, but come on, does he not have a television, or is he blind?! I have never once seen Harden make a clean, crisp pass to an open teammate. He either holds the ball for 20 seconds, then shoots it, drives to the basket to try and draw the foul, or jacks up a contested three. That is blasphemous, and shows how out of touch Daryl Morey truly is.

Had to get that off my chest.

Anyway, the final three teams today. The cream of the crop. I think you all can glean who I have. It's pretty obvious, because these are the only three teams that have a real shot at the title. It may only be 2 of these teams, but I have three teams left. GM's, coaches and talking heads on sports shows will say that the gap is closing, and other teams, i.e., the Celtics and Pacers and T'Wolves are coming, but they are blowing smoke. There are only three real teams in this league, and it's been that way for the past three seasons. On with the countdown.

At number 3, I have the San Antonio Spurs. Yeah, Tim Duncan is retired, he is an all time great and surefire first ballot hall of famer, and yes, Boris Diaw is gone, but as long as Greg Poppovich is the head coach, the Spurs will be perennial contenders. I love Tim Duncan, he was so much better than any player from his generation, but lets be honest, he was on his last legs a few years ago. He was still putting up numbers, despite playing on one leg, but he was older and his time had come. I actually like the Pau Gasol signing. He will fill in just nice in Duncan's spot. He will probably put up better offensive numbers, and his legs aren't gone yet. It was a good decision on both parts. Manu and Tony Parker are still plugging along. Manu is definitely a few steps slower, doesn't attack like he used to and misses more than he makes, but he is still a threat, somehow. He does the little things this team needs him to do. Tony Parker seems so much older than he actually is, but he still has that killer floater and runs the offense very well, but he is a total liability on defense. That's of no matter though, because the Spurs have the best defender in the game in Kawhi Leonard. He is absolutely lock down on defense on all opponents best players. He is the only guy that I have ever seen totally shut down LeBron. His offensive game has gotten so much better every year. He is becoming a true star, he just needs to accept that. I know that LaMarcus Aldridge's name has come up in trade rumors recently, but I don't think he is gong anywhere. He fit in very well with this team last year, and I like him on this team. He is a great inside out forward/center, and he has become a better defender. Danny Green is still there, and he is still a great defensive player and a good three point shooter. They have Kevin Martin now, and he is an excellent three point shooter and instant offense off the bench. They signed David Lee, who isn't that good anymore, but he was once an all star. Johnathan Simmons is going to get extended playing time this year, and I think he is going to break out. He looked good in minimal minutes last year, and I think he will look even better playing more and more. Kyle Anderson and Patty Mills are both excellent bench players that know their roles. Look, as long as Poppovich is there, the Spurs will win upwards of 55-59 games and be a perennial contender.

So Ty, how will the Spurs win the title? The Spurs can win the title if Leonard takes that next step offensively and dominates both ends of the floor. They also need Aldridge to step up the defense a bit and Gasol to play and score more than Duncan did last year. This could all happen. People are sleeping on the Spurs, and that is never a good thing.

At number 2, I have the defending champs, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some may say they should be number one, but they didn't sign KD. They do have the best payer in the league in LeBron. He proved that in the finals last year. LeBron is so much better than everyone else in the league, its not even fair. He does it all and can impose his will whenever and wherever he wants. LeBron is an all time great NBA player. As long as he is there, he will make the Cavs the team to beat in the East. Kyrie Irving, while being a mediocre defender, is a wizard with the ball, and was on fire throughout the playoffs last year. He is a deadly scorer, and pairing him and LeBron, on the offensive end of the floor, is dangerous for opponents. Irving could legitimately challenge for the MVP this year. Kevin Love, who looked like a shell of himself at times last year, seemed to figure out his role for this team in the finals. They don't need him to be the T'Wolves version, they need him to get double figures in rebounds, throw excellent outlet passes and score 12-15 points a night. As I said, he seemed to finally figure it out in the finals. Tristan Thompson played some incredible defense in the finals last year, now he just has to do that for the whole season. He is a great rebounder as well. He and Love should grab every board if they are in the area. JR Smith just re signed, and he knows exactly what to do on this team. He is an okay defender and an excellent offensive player. He hit some huge shots last year. Iman Shumpert has fallen off a bit. He is not the defender or shooter he was when he got traded there, but he is a fine bench player. Channing Frye will stretch the floor, and he can play a little defense too. Their rookie, Kay Felder, is a huge step up from Matthew Dellavedova. He is super fast and can get a ton of buckets. Chris Andersen is an okay signing, but I don't love it as much as others. He is an okay player, but they already have 2 guys that do what he does, except they are way better than he is. Richard Jefferson, James Jones and Mike Dunleavy Jr are all about a million years old, and I don't think they will play all that much. This Cavs team is good, they are the defending champs. They could easily win 60 games if they want to, and they will definitely be the one seed in the East.

So Ty, how will the Cavaliers win the title? The Cavs can win the title if they do exactly what they did last year. They need to slow the game down, let LeBron run the show, let Kyrie Irving slash and shoot and let Love and Thompson do the dirty work. They can also get help from officials, as game 4 of the finals showed last year, so they are more than capable of winning back to back titles.

And then there was one.

My number one team is the Golden State Warriors. I mean, who else could it be? They signed KD this offseason. They added another devastating shooter to an already devastating shooting team. How on Earth is any team going to beat these guys in a series? They have threats all over the court. And, I don't want to hear about, well their bench has been ripped to shreds to get KD. Who cares, they got KD. They also still have a decent bench anyway. I'll get to that in a minute. This back court is incredible. It's like nothing I have ever seen before. Steph Curry is the 2 time MVP, the best shooter I've ever seen and cannot be stopped, unless the refs get involved, see the finals last year. Klay Thompson is the second best shooter that I have ever seen. He gets the ball and has a quick release, and more times than not, the shot goes in. He is also this team's best defender, and he is really good at defense. And now, they have KD. He is probably the third best shooter in the game right now, and he is on the same team with the best and second best shooter. He also totally stepped up his defense last year. He needs to stop with these little side comments, and he better get used to people booing him and rooting against him, but he is still an excellent player. The Warriors back court has the last 3 MVP winners. I don't know how any team is going to stop these guys from scoring at will. Then, they have the best swiss army guy in Draymond Green. He needs to quit kicking guys in the groin, and stop talking trash, but he is really good on this team. He isn't their best player, not by a mile, but he is their most important. He is the key to this team and he is their toughness. He is also the only guy that showed up in game 7 last year. Andre Iguodala, two seasons removed from being finals MVP, is still on this team, and he is still good. He is a good shooter, another very good defender and a great veteran on this team. Shaun Livingston is still coming off the bench, and anywhere else, I think he would be a starter. He is a really good player. They don't have any dominant big men, but was Bogut ever dominant? No. Anderson Varejo, ZaZa Pachulia and JaVale McGee will split time, and they are all fine, even if McGee has had some crazy stuff happen to him in the NBA. David West signed on, and he is still ultra tough, can shoot the jumper and, like Iguodala, a great veteran. Even James Michael McAdoo got some run last year, and he looked okay. This team is absolutely loaded. They will be impossible to stop. I know people are trying to temper expectations, but I'm going the exact opposite direction. If this team doesn't win at least 70 games, and the title, it should be deemed a failure. They are just too good, loaded with too many scorers and have one of the better coaches in the NBA. No team with 2 of the best shooters ever has ever added a third, lethal scorer. This signing was unheard of. It definitely watered down the league, but the Warriors are going to be fun to watch, and also, root against. They were the lovable underdogs 2 years ago, but now, they are the hunted. They are the bad guys. They are the team that everyone outside of the Bay Area wants to lose. They will be the most scrutinized team by a wide margin this year. Hopefully those guys have thick skin, because a lot of people will be hating on them all season.

So Ty, why will the Warriors win the title? The Warriors should win the title simply because of this collection of shooters. There has never been a team like this put together before. They will be unguardable. I know it's just the preseason, but they have already been putting up ridiculous shooting numbers. As I have already stated many times, they should expect nothing less than a title this year, and they should have little to no resistance from anyone, not even LeBron and the Cavs.

That's my countdown. Tomorrow I will have predictions for the title, I think you all know where I'm leaning, as well as awards predictions and some surprises that will happen. And on Friday, I will have a NCAA basketball preview. Come back for those in the next couple of days. Thanks for the eyeballs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wanted to say that the Warriors were going to win at least 80 games, but the head editor made him lower the expectations. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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