This Kevin Durant Injury Sucks

Game 6 of Warriors-Rockets is on at 8pm my time tonight (we call it central, not Ty time). I have been watching this series most intently during the NBA playoffs. It’s been intense, well played, physical and fun to watch. I don’t like either team, but I despise the Rockets, so I have found myself oddly rooting for the Warriors.

I’m also a big KD fan. I loved him when he was with the Thunder. He was my favorite player on my favorite team. I was then upset when he joined the Death Star Warriors. They didn’t need him, but they got him, and they then became the enemy. Everyone outside of California rooted against them. They became the Yankees. They were the Patriots. They were the front runners. But, as I stated earlier, I’ve found myself wanting them to beat the Rockets. And KD was doing everything in his power to make that happen. He has been, by a wide margin, come at me James Harden fans, the best player in this series. He carried the Warriors to wins in games 1 and 2. He led the bear comebacks in games 3 and 4. And when they squandered their 20 point lead the other night, KD was the guy to make the big shot.

That’s why Durant’s calf strain is such a bummer. When I watch the playoffs I want to see the best battle the best. We were getting that from Harden and KD. They were going at it offensively. KD was abusing Harden when he would get switched on him. I thought it was a great move by Steve Kerr, or maybe it was Mike Brown, to put KD on Harden on defense. His length has clearly bugged him. KD was proving how great of a playoff player he is. Then this stupid non contact injury occurred. He was running up the court and grabbed at his leg like someone slapped him. I thought he tore his ACL. So did the guys calling the game.

This totally changes everything in this series. KD was doing it all for the Warriors at the highest of levels. Steph has been off all series. Klay has come and gone and his defense has been rough. Boogie is out. The only other guy who’s even close to matching KD is Draymond. But Draymond can’t score like KD can. The Warriors need him if they want to beat the Rockets. And I know Rockets fans will say that they didn’t have CP3 last year, and if he was healthy they would have won. I agree. I wish he didn’t get hurt either, but he gets hurt all the time.

This is the first crushing injury of KD’s career. I know he missed a good chunk of a season while in OKC, but that didn’t happen in a great playoff series. This is such a bummer. Without KD, I don’t think the Warriors can beat the Rockets. This is their best, and possibly only chance to win a title. This is their window. This is their opportunity. And it all comes from a non contact injury. That stinks. This dampens What is going to be the best series of the entire 2019 NBA playoffs. I wish both teams could get through an entire series without a star getting hurt.

This is cruel to NBA fans. I’m bummed by this, and I say again, I don’t like either of these teams. But, I love good basketball, and with KD out, and how the other Warriors have looked, I think we will be robbed of 2 more good to great games. What a bummer.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Let the Kyrie Irving Speculation Begin

NBA free agency is still about a month and a half away. But, it officially started for Kyrie Irving last night. The Celtics and Irving laid down and let the Bucks walk over them on their way to the East Finals. This was pretty much written in stone after game 4. The Bucks ripped the Celtics apart and all but sewed up the series. Last night was simply needed to get the clinching win for Milwaukee.

And man was Irving bad, on both ends of the floor, after game 1 of this series. He was a zero on defense. It didn’t look like he was even trying. As far as offense, he took a lot of shots, said he should take more, but missed most of them. He was not good when he needed to be his best. He reverted to how he played in Cleveland before LeBron came back.

I do put a good amount of blame on Irving, because he’s the star player and number one option, but he’s not alone. Gordon Hayward was an absolute zero in this series. He played scared. Al Horford is starting to show his age. Giannis bullies him. Terry Rozier didn’t get enough playing time. Jayson Tatum regressed all year. The only guy that looked engaged, and played well, was Jaylen Brown. He looked good.

We also need to re-evaluate Brad Stevens. He may not be the boy wonder some thought. This was, by far, his best roster, and they choked harder than ever. Stevens deserves as much blame as credit he got when the Celtics overachieved. He allowed all of this to happen. He also proved he cannot handle big stars. That was the biggest take away I got from his coaching this year.

But, back to their big time free agent. I know Horford is a free agent, and he’s very important to this team. But, he’s not Irving. Some team is going to go after Irving, and go after him hard. He is a wizard with the ball. He can create with the best of them. He is a solid passer. When engaged, he plays okay enough defense. But, the way he played in these last 4 games, or the whole year, and how he’s treated his teammates and the media, I’d be a little hesitant to back up the truck for him. He is such an enticing player, and he’s still relatively young. But his attitude, the stuff he says, the way he acts towards teammates, his willingness to leave when it doesn’t go his way, all of that makes me pause. All of that would make me think twice. Two years ago, after demanding his trade from Cleveland, when he landed in Boston, he seemed so happy. He seemed like he was going to be there for awhile. He was finally back to being “the guy”. Two years later, he’s already ready to leave. In October he wanted to stay, then a month later he said “I don’t owe Boston shit”. Look, I’m stoked when any team from Boston gets bounced early from the playoffs. But, he say two totally opposite things only a month apart, that’s childish. This is why I’d be so hesitant to sign him long term.

Say Irving and KD, who I will write about his injury tomorrow, but man is that a bummer, go to the Knicks. How quick until he’s upset that he’s second fiddle again? KD is a far superior player. I don’t think Irving would be too happy after one season. Let’s say he joins LeBron again in LA. How long until he trashes the youth on that team? Or, how upset would he be if he were the third option behind LeBron and Anthony Davis if they get him? If he signs with the Lakers, they would be disastrous. Say he goes to the Nets. How is that any different than his situation right now in Boston? He’d be done there in one season.

The only team that I think makes a bit of sense is Phoenix. The young core would buckle to his whims. He could help pick a coach. He would be the alpha, no disrespect to Devin Booker, but Irving is better. And he could kind of hide away there. He wouldn’t be all in the media for the first time in his career, which I think would be great for him. He could stay away from social media and simply focus on basketball. That is truly the only team I think he would stay and help.

We will have to wait to see until July 1, and I cannot wait. But, Irving did not help himself at all thus post season. If anything, he only hurt his stock and I’d think twice before offering him a max this offseason. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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The NBA Coaching Carousel is Starting Up

I'm going to talk about the NBA today, but I want to wait until we are fully set with the East and West Finals before I talk about the playoffs. What I want to touch on is some recent head coaching news.

First, I think the Suns, who seem to be a real mess right now, which is a bummer for me since I pledged my fandom to them earlier this year, made a solid head coaching hire in Monty Williams. If he is given the extent of his contract, which I believe is 5 years, I think he can turn them into a playoff team. They have 2 young guys that have a shot to be all stars, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. They just need to fill the team out with solid role players, and they seem to have some on the roster right now. Josh Jackson may never live up to the hyper coming out of college, but he has shown flashes. Mikail Bridges is the prototypical NBA role player. Kelly Oubre looks like he is ready to take the next step into full time, reliable starter. TJ Warren is a solid NBA player. And I really like their rookie from last year, Elie Okobo. They kept him in the G League for most of the year, a very smart move, and now, I think he is ready for the NBA. The Suns have some pieces, and I feel like Williams can succeed if given a real chance.

But, the main head coach rumor I want to talk about is Ty Lue possibly to the Lakers. I have mixed feelings on this move. For one, I am very conflicted because I think, from a player standpoint, this is a good move. Lue has shown that he doesn't back down to LeBron. He challenged him when they were in Cleveland together. He didn't put up with all of his demands. He, along with Erik Spoelstra, may be the only coaches that actually have LeBron;s respect. I also think it would be good for them to bring over a former player, a former champion at that, that wasn't a super star. This isn't like hiring Magic. Lue isn't Byron Scott. He is so much better than Kurt Rambis. What those guys had was star power as players, and I think the Lakers brass thought they could bring that over to coaching. What Lue has is coaching prowess, titles as a player and coach, but he was a role guy. He knew what he needed to do, did it and won. I think that is a smart choice as far as head coach.

The problem I keep having with the possibility of the Lakers hiring him is the roster construct of this iteration of the team. Lue is a solid coach that knows how to deal with a big time star like LeBron. But, while in Cleveland he also had other stars like Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. The rest of that roster had vets. They had guys that had been around for awhile in the NBA, had playoff experience and knew how to live the NBA life. Outside of LeBron, and a very few others, the Lakers do not have that. They are filled with young talent. They are filled with players that haven't fully grown into their NBA bodies yet. They are filled with a bunch of young guys that don't trust the front office after the whole Anthony Davis thing last year. It is a roster filled with the unknown, and I don't know how, or if, Lue can handle that. How is he going to deal with his three young guys that they were supposed to build this team around before LeBron signed there? Will Brandon Ingram be okay with becoming a very rich man's JR Smith? I think that is what LeBron and Lue want, but Ingram is so much better creating that just waiting for open shots. Lonzo Ball, while a much better defender, is no Kyrie Irving on offense. He is also hurt constantly. How is he going to perform when Lue completely turns the offense over to LeBron? He has a broken jumper, he doesn't get to the line and he is a much, much better passer than shooter. He needs to run the offense to be as effective as he can be. That won't happen when Lue is coach and he defers to LeBron. Kyle Kuzma, while being a very streaky shooter, is not Kevin Love or even, I mention him again, JR Smith. Kuzma can score, sometimes at will. But, he can be ice cold as well. He also doesn't rebound or outlet pass like Love does. He also isn't a great spot up shooter like Smith. Say what you will about JR Smith, but he was good at finding open spots while playing with LeBron, and hitting shots when he needed to. Kuzma isn't there yet, but I think Lue and LeBron will expect that now.

Outside of those three guys, and whoever they get in the late lottery, they don't have much in the way of solid veterans. JaVale McGee completely regressed last year. Lance Stephenson is washed. Mike Muscala is very blah. Josh Hart is okay, but he stumbled at the end of the year. Moe Wagner is nearly unplayable because he is a horrendous defender. I mean, they don't really have the guys, especially in the West, to compete. That is where I stop and really question if Lue is the guy to turn this Lakers team around. I will say that the roster could be vastly different after July 1. But for now I have to go with what they have. And what they have doesn't fit a LeBron led team coached by Ty Lue. They are not the 2016 and 17 Cavs. That was a roster built by LeBron for Lue to coach. This Lakers roster was totally messed up by what Magic and Rob Pelinka did this past offseason, and it isn't one that I put a lot of faith in with a 35 year old LeBron and Ty Lue. I think they are a playoff team, but no more than a 5 or 6 seed, at best, in the West. It is a whole different game in that conference.

All this hire truly shows me is that LeBorn and Klutch Sports are now in full control of the Lakers. While that may have been great 3 or 4 years ago, it doesn't hold the weight it once did. LeBron is old, and the AD thing really showed me a lot about Klutch when they don't get their way. Ty Lue is a solid, championship winning NBA head coach. I just don't think he is a good fit with this Lakers team the way it is constructed as of today. We will have to wait and see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Is Urban Meyer Looking for a New Miracle Cure at USC?

Here we go again

I had another piece I wanted to write about today, another sports piece, but that will have to wait because of a text I got from my dad this morning.

I was driving my son to school, and my dad sent me a story from 247 Sports with the title, "Former Stars will Recruit Meyer to USC". I immediately started to crack up. I have written and said, to anyone that will listen to me, or read my stuff, that Urban Meyer's "health issues" are all very, very phony. I have also stated that, since he left The University of Ohio State, if USC didn't get back to being a title contender, he would find his way to becoming their head coach. It's not that far fetched, he has done it before.

Remember when he left Florida because of "heart concerns"? He left Florida with an "illness", but was that really the real reason? I mean, Florida football is just now getting back to being a perennial top 15 team. They had to go through a couple guys before finally getting Dan Mullen to come back. But, I feel like Meyer was starting to see the writing on the wall. Alabama was coming for him. Georgia was getting better. Auburn had solid teams. Even Arkansas, back then, was an eight or nine win team. And let us not forget about the recruiting violations and sanctions that were about to come to light. Also, he vouched for a guy like Aaron Hernandez. All the major journalist forgave him because he coached Tim Tebow, who is so awful on TV by the way. But, I'm pretty sure everyone knew that, not only was Florida not the cream of the crop in the SEC anymore, but their program, and Meyer himself, were doing some shady stuff.

So, he made up some health excuse, ESPN bought it, and he was able to walk away unscathed. ESPN bought his "health" issue so hard in fact, they hired him to call games that same season he stepped away. He was not very good at this, but the whole Jim Tressel and tattoo stuff, and years upon years of cheating, opened up the University of Ohio State job. Meyer openly talked about how he still had "health" issues, but this was his dream job. He is from Ohio, so he would love to finish his coaching career in Columbus. Of course he was cleared by doctors to coach, after only taking a year off because of his "heart" condition, and he accepted the job only one short year after leaving Florida.

After one down year, and only minor sanctions from the Jim Tressel era, the University of Ohio State went undefeated in Meyer's first year. They then went on to win a title, win the Big Ten a few times, win most of their bowl games and beat my team, Michigan. But, this most recent season, Meyer started to complain about "terrible headaches". I wrote about how insane the coverage of all this stuff was during games. It is also very fitting that these "headaches" started to come right after it was found out that Meyer had been lying to cover up for a former coach that physically abused his ex wife and did cocaine in the White House. After all of that was released, Meyer started to suffer "headaches". He would clutch his head on the sidelines of close games. The cameras would zoom in on his face to show him in "excruciating pain". The announcers would cover for him and call him "courageous". It was all so ridiculous. Meyer then announced, after missing out on the playoff, that he would be stepping away again because the "headaches" were too much, and he needed to get healthy for his family. Again, I think he saw the writing on the wall. The University of Ohio State was losing a ton of players to the draft. The stories and whispers of him covering up for this former coach got louder. Some journalists said he should have been fired. Some people didn't believe his headaches. It was all eerily similar to his departure form Florida.

Now, not even 4 months into his "retirement", former USC players, guys like Reggie Bush, according to this 247 Sports story, are saying they will "recruit" Meyer to USC if they don't improve this season. This was absurdly predictable. Their were only 2 jobs that I thought he would take after taking a year off, Notre Dame or USC. And surprise surprise, USC is struggling, and their former famous alumni are aching for a big name coach. I wouldn't be shocked either, if/when he gets the job, if he says that USC is his "dream job". Meyer is a compulsive liar that constantly looks for sympathy from the major media. When things start to get tough for him, he makes up an excuse so it is easier for him to quit. He is also a sanction just waiting to happen. Utah dealt with it, Florida dealt with it and I'm sure the University of Ohio State will get some kind of violations notice.

I hope USC makes the mistake of hiring him because that would be fitting. They did the same thing with Pete Carroll, and he left that program in shambles. Meyer will leave it in even worse shape when he gets some other "ailment" in 6 or 7 years. This is so stupid. I wish colleges and alumni would learn some kind of lesson. But, all some colleges care about is winning football games, and that is the most disturbing thing. Urban Meyer is a liar and a coward. We will have to see how all this plays out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has to deal with an “Urban Meyer” headache everytime he listens to the sports media cover for the guy. It is quite debilitating.

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Who Did Good and Who Did Not So Good in NFL Draft

The NFL draft finally ended on Saturday night. As I have done the past couple of years I want to single out a few teams that I thought did good, and a few that did not do so good. I don't do the whole losers and winners thing because, honestly, none of us know how these players are going to pan out. The draft in any major sport is the biggest crap shoot because there are no real guarantees. Yes, they are some guys that are deemed "can't miss" that go on to have great careers, but there are just as many that flame out of the league in less than 3 years. So, we will not know for awhile who lost or won the 2019 draft. It takes time.

With that being said, lets get the teams that I didn't think did so well out of the way first. First, and this is the easiest one for me, the Giants made one of the worst reaches in draft history when they traded all the way up to 6 to take Duke QB Daniel Jones. I have read since the first day of the draft that the Giants heard that Denver and Washington really wanted him, and he wouldn't be there at 17, and the new GM saying, "we will see how dumb I am in three years". I don't think any of that is true. I  don't think those two teams wanted him. All I heard from Denver was how much they loved Drew Lock. Then they traded the 10th overall pick, so they didn't seem to keen on picking up a QB in the top 10. Washington seemingly wanted a QB, but I think they liked both Lock and Dwayne Haskins. I did not read one story about how much they loved Jones. That was never a thing. All that talk was just that, talk. And the new GM, Dave Gettleman, while he thinks he may be a genius in three years, he looks like a colossal idiot today. Jones was never the top QB in this draft. If anything, he was the fourth ranked one behind Kyler Murray, Haskins and Lock. Hell, I even saw people rating Will Grier ahead of him. This was a rough decision made by a GM that has screwed up 2 straight drafts. Last year he took Saquon Barkley second overall, and while Barkley was tremendous as a rookie, the Giants won 4 games. Last year they could've taken a QB and it would have been much better for them in the near future. And then this year, with the trade up to get Jones, he sets this team back even more. He took the wrong QB this year, he took the wrong skill guy last year, and his undying loyalty to the washed Eli Manning will inevitably be his downfall. The Giants are one of the worst teams heading into the 2019 NFL season.

The other team that I thought really screwed up their draft was the San Francisco 49ers. First off, Nick Bosa is an overrated tool. He is not as good as his brother. He is a racist. He barely played last year. And he is an ego maniac. I hope that kid busts like Steve Entmann. Beyond that though, this team needed young defense, and instead, they went with young skill guys in the later rounds. They didn't get any of the top receivers, they took 2 different running backs, they got no O line help, it was a mess. They outdid the Raiders in taking athletic players as opposed to players they needed. I wasn't too high on the 49ers to begin with, I thought they were vastly overrated last year, I don't think Jimmy Garoppolo is a top tier QB, and Kyle Shanahan is proving he may be better suited as a coordinator, not a head coach. He has some nice new weapons, but it won't matter when teams are scoring 35 points a game because their secondary is so bad. The 49ers had a chance to shore that side of the ball up and they didn't. Their draft was baffling to me. And again, I hope Nick Bosa is so awful because he is a truly awful human being.

Now to the teams that I thought did a fine job in the draft. As much as I hate to praise this team because it's like giving the bad guys in "Star Wars" credit, the Patriots crushed the draft yet again. They got N'Keal Harry at the end of the first round. He is going to fit in just perfectly with this team, and he gets to have Tom Brady throw the ball to him. They got Chase Winovich in the mid third round, and he is going to be a plug and play energy guy for them. They got more backs that can catch. They tool O lineman that will get to sit a year and learn under Dante Scarnecki. And they got a QB very late that can sit behind Brady for a few years. I think Jarrett Stidham should be thanking his stars that the Patriots took him. That could not be a better situation for him. He's going to get the best coaching in the NFL and he gets to learn behind the greatest QB of all time. I feel so dirty giving the Patriots any credit, but man did they crush this draft.

Finally, the team that laid a total egg against the Patriots in the Super Bowl, the LA Rams, probably had my favorite draft, and they didn't even have a first round pick. But what they did in the later rounds was very impressive. They got the best safety in the second round with the 61st pick, Taylor Rapp. He's hard hitting, will start right away and helps put a secondary in desperate need. They also took David Long, a corner from Michigan, in the third round. He is from LA, he too will start from day one and he is a shut down type player. I watched him dominant his side of the field for the last two years. He didn't have eye popping stats because no one threw his way. He is going to be a steal. They got some Todd Gurley insurance by taking Memphis running back Darrell Henderson. That kid averaged almost 8 yards a carry in college. That is insane. He is also super fast and a solid pass catcher. That was a great pick. They got some O and D line help in the later rounds, and they took Dakota Allen, he was on the second season of "Last Chance U", and he is a very solid linebacker. I could see him as a special teams stud for a few seasons, then taking over as a starting linebacker very soon. The Rams addressed what they needed to, got some insurance and just really hit a homerun.

As I said at the top, we will see how all of these players truly pan out in about 2 or 3 years, but from where I sit today, these are the teams that I thought did not so good, and did some great things.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the greatness of the Cincinnati Bengals and their draft strategy of taking guys available. Every year Ty short changes the Bengals and their ability to win 6-9 games a year.

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Ty's 2019 Not Mock NFL Draft

The first round of the 2019 NFL draft is tonight. I know I did a mock last year but this year I want to change things up a bit. Mock drafts are all good and fun, but I want to do my list of who I think are the 20 best players in the draft. I’ll rank them in descending order and give a sentence or two as to why I have the players where I have them. I am also going to give you 5 players that I don’t think will be as good as others do after I rank  my top 20. My list is also going to be boring. In this draft I love the defensive line and offensive line. I also think linebacker is solid. I needed you to know this going in. Spoiler alert, I have zero QB’s in my top 20. More to come on that near the end. Okay, here it goes. 

20-Nasir Adderly. Adderly played lower level college ball, but the dude is a ball hawk and a heavy hitter. I’d love for the Packers to take him late in the first round. Whoever takes him will get a steal. 

19-Chris Lindstrom- Lindstrom is a bulldozing O lineman that paved the way for one of the best rushing attacks in college. He’s big, has quick hands and feet and will start from day one. He’s a solid late first rounder.

18-AJ Brown- Brown is only one of 2 receivers that I like in this draft. Brown is a solid route runner with excellent hands. If the right team takes him, either Green Bay or New England, he’s going to be a star. 

17-Marquise Brown- This is the other wideout I like. Yes he’s very, very small, but he is a speed freak. He’s also a great route runner. He’s going to be a burner, and I think he’s going to be so much better than Percy Harvin ever was

16-Taylor Rapp- He may be “slow”, as far as 40 yard dash times go, but he can cover. He’s the best secondary player in the draft as well. He’s an instant starter with ten year career easily 

15-Jerry Tillery- As much as I dislike his college team, this dude is a disrupter. He destroys backfields and can get to the passer. He’s one of the better D lineman in this draft

14-Greg Little- Here’s another big, dominant O lineman. Little is humongous and a road grater. He’s going to be a right tackle projecting ahead, and he has future pro bowler written all over him

13-Cody Ford- Much like Little, Ford is enormous. He’s a better pass blocker though, and with the NFL shifting that way, he’s going to excel. He will be a late first steal

12- Rashan Gary- I’ve heard the criticism, but I don’t buy it. I watched this kid take on double and triple teams for three years and it allowed other guys to shine. Gary is a beast, the physical traits are amazing, and he’s going to make teams that pass on him regret it. He’s an amazing football player 

11-Greedy Williams- He’s fast, he has great ball skills, he was the guy on a dominant defense and can be a shutdown corner. He’s also got a kickass name

10- Devin Bush- Bush is a wrecking ball. He’s a hitter. He plays with an immense passion. I watched him for three years as well, and loved everything I saw. He’s going to be a very, very good pro. I’ll miss him most next season 

9-Brian Burns- Burns is tall, but explosive and can make moves that put him in the correct spot. He can make himself small and flexible. He’s so big and agile. He’s got quality traits for such a big D lineman

8- Jawaan Taylor- Sure, he was a lineman in a spread option offense that focused on the run, but this kid can learn to pass block as well. I watched him crush Michigan’s D line in the bowl game, and thought then that he was going to be good. He’s also 6’5, which is an added feather in his cap. He’s going to be solid 

7-Andre Dillard- Dillard is the opposite of Taylor. He was in a spread pass offense, but he too has the tools to run block, and to do it well. He also exploded at the combine. He’s a legit top 5 pick to me

6-Christian Wilkins- He was the best D lineman on the best D line in college football last year. He has great hands, feet and technique. He’s also humongous. He is destined to start and shine from day one 

5-Montez Sweat- I know he has some red flags, but his on field performance should have teams aching to draft him. He’s big, fast and physical. He will also relentlessly get to the opposing QB. If he fumbles on draft day, he’s going to be the steal of the draft

4- Jeffery Simmons- Simmons is Sweat’s lesser known teammate, but he’s just as good and has zero red flags. He’s a pure run stopper, perfectly placed as a nose guard 

3-Devin White- White is the best linebacker in the draft. He’s speedy and can cover. He also has range sideline to sideline. He’s the prototype of the modern linebacker. I might take him first overall if I were a GM

2- Quinnen Williams- I mean, when you’re the best player on Alabama, that speaks volumes. He does it all on the D line. He can stop the run and pass. He takes on multiple O lineman to open things up for linebackers and the secondary. He’s as good as it gets

1- Josh Allen- This Josh Allen, from Kentucky, I adore. He is a great, great edge rusher. He reminds me of Khalil Mack, except with more shine coming out of college. He can also cover. He is the type of hybrid D lineman that is taking over the NFL. I’d run to the podium to take him

Those are my top 20 guys. I think all of them will, at the very least, have solid careers. They’ll all contribute, and some, will become stars. Now let’s get to the players I’m a bit down on. 

5- Nick Bosa- This has nothing to do with my fandom. This kid sat out all of last year with an injury. He likes the “president”. He called “Black Panther” overrated, and he’s not his brother. I feel like he’s going to flop and flop hard. I think he’s egotistical and I think he thinks it’s going to be easy for him. It won’t be. I think he’s extremely overrated

4- Kyler Murray- I think Murray is a fine QB, but I wouldn’t put my franchise in his hands. I also think he picked the wrong sport. I don’t think Baker Mayfield is as good as some do, and I get the same feeling from Murray. He’s also small and frail. And he can always quit to play baseball. No way I’d take him first overall

3- Dwayne Haskins- He’s the only QB I “like” in this draft, but I truly don’t like any of them. He’s also very immobile, played in a gimmick college offense, seemed disinterested at times and has sloppy footwork outside of the pocket. I don’t think he’s a first rounder, let alone a top 10 pick

2- Drew Locke- I’ve already written a whole thing on him, and my mind hasn’t changed since then. He’s sloppier than Haskins, he believes in his arm to a concerning extent, he never really shined in big games and is more lucky than good. He is a smaller Blaine Gabbert. He’s a bust

1- Daniel Jones- Jones is a Ryan Leaf level red flag to me. He may look like a prototypical NFL QB, but that’s the only NFL thing about him. He’s inconsistent, never played well in big games, choked when he was on national TV, tried too often to rely on his legs and cannot throw the deep ball with any kind of accuracy. I think it’s hilarious that Washington and the Giants are reportedly “enamored” with him. That would be so fitting if one of those teams traded up to get him. He’s going to be a major bust. This I’m almost sure of. 

Alright, there you have it. I’ll be curious to see where everyone ends up, and if I was wrong or right. It all starts tonight. Let’s get to it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is wondering why the Kipers and McShays of the world have said nothing about Nick Bosa’s tweets. Color and content might have something to do with that.

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Is Drew Locke the Next Great NFL QB Bust?

With the NFL draft a little over a week away, and yes, I will be doing a mock draft, I want to take a moment to talk about GM's, and how they get so enamored with one prospect, they are almost willing to set their franchise back a decade.

This came to mind when I had a conversation with my father earlier today. We were talking about the upcoming draft, and how we aren't really impressed with any of the top QB's. I think Kyler Murray is a bit too small and fragile. I do not like Daniel Jones at all. He has bust written all over him. I think Dwayne Haskins has the skills to be okay, but it is going to take a lot of time, and he played in a gimmicky offense in college. And then there is Drew Locke.

Let me start off by apologizing to 2 of my brothers, RD and Ross, but I do not think Locke is a first round talent. I have actually seen this kid a few times live, and I left kind of shrugging. Yes he is good, and I think he will be a fine backup QB, but I saw a mock the other day that had him at 2nd overall, with the Broncos trading all the way up from 10 to get him.

This is insane to me. He is inconsistent. He makes poor choices. He lucks into throws. He has horrendous footwork. But, John Elway is obsessed with him. Sure, he traded for Joe Flacco, but he is just about done. In fact, he is done. So, I think Elway looks at Flacco as a one year starter, then it will be Drew Locke time.

This is nuts. Elway seems to think that he will be able to will Locke into being a top tier NFL QB. He seems to think that he can put him on this team, with this defense, that is going to start to change and age out, and he will lead them to a Super Bowl like he did, and Peyton Manning did. I do not see that at all. I get big time Blaine Gabbart vibes from Locke, except he isn't nearly as tall as Gabbart. And yes, Gabbart is still in the league, but he is a joke now.

But, Elway could care less. He is damn determined to get Drew Locke, and if any of these mock drafts are to be believed, he is willing to trade a ton of current and future picks to get him. If this is to happen, I feel like it will just push this team back 5,6, 7 years, at least. If I were a player like Von Miller or Bradley Chubb, I would not be happy with this infatuation from Elway towards Locke. The offense is not that young, save for Phillip Lindsay, and putting Locke back there, even if it doesn't happen until 2020, would spell doom.

As I said, this reminds me of when the Jaguars took Blaine Gabbart. The GM then was obsessed with his size. We can also look at when the Jags moved on from Gabbart and took Blake Bortles. He was more mobile and had just as strong an arm. Neither guy is there anymore, and both are cautionary tales. We can go back further and look at when the Bears and Bengals became obsessed with Cade McNown and Akili Smith. McNown was a mobile lefty and he was going to be the face of the Bears. Smith was this superstar athlete that would make the Bengals fun again. I think both lasted less than 3 years in the league. We can go back just a few years and look at Washington taking RG3 third overall. That worked out great for about 16 games, then he wrecked his knee, played in a playoff game he shouldn't have played in, and now, he is more known for getting his hair lined for the first time ever. Look at the Raiders and Jamarcus Russell, The Davis family was fascinated by his size and arm. He is one of the biggest busts of all time. I can even go back to last year when the Bills traded up a few picks to take Josh Allen. He has this humongous arm, but he is wildly inaccurate and likes to break the pocket more than scan the field for receiver. Or look at the Bears 2 years ago. They traded away a ton of future picks to take Mitch Trubisky, and he is not that great. At least they have a good team around him. And of course we have Ryan Leaf. I know that Peyton Manning was taken one pick before him, but the Chargers could have had Charles Woodson, who is a Hall of Famer. The GM felt that they needed a QB, and he assumed that Leaf was the second best. He was very, very wrong. And I think the very same thing will happen if John Elway, who is a racist jackass, and loves this current "government", trades the farm to get Drew Locke. I think it would be a bad, franchise changing move.

Final word. The draft is always a crap shoot, and Drew Locke is about as uncertain a prospect as I have ever seen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. This is not the first time Ty has been annoyed by some Mizzou football hype. He has thoughts on the program as a whole.

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Ty's 2019 NBA Playoff Preview

The NBA playoffs begin tomorrow, so I am here today with my preview and predictions. I'm so excited for the playoffs. The last couple weeks have been a slog, and now it is finally time. The best basketball will be played now for the next couple months, and I am all in for it. I'm going to start with the East, then do the West, picked a champ, and I will give my playoff MVP as well.

With that said, lets start with the JV of the NBA, the East. I will say, the top 3 teams are really, really good, the Celtics are okay, the Pacers are solid, but missing their star, and the bottom three teams are just not ready yet. There is really not going to be many surprises.

I'll star with the 1-8 matchup, Milwaukee and Detroit. Detroit snuck into the playoffs, winning their final game to secure their spot. Luckily, they played the Knicks, so the win was pretty much in hand. But, the Bucks are going to get their first playoff series win since drafting Giannis, and it will be so very easy. Sure, the Pistons have Blake Griffin, who is nursing an injury, surprise surprise, and Andre Drummond has been great in the second half of the season, but outside of them, they have nothing good. Reggie Jackson is trash. Luke Kennard is garbage. Ish Smith is not a top notch player. They just don't have the guys to keep up with Giannis and Bledsoe and Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton. The Bucks will not miss Malcolm Brogdon in this series either. Bucks in 4.

The 4-5 matchup would have been awesome if Victor Oladipo were healthy. But, the Celtics lucked out, and they get to face the Pacers minus Oladipo. Sure, the Celtics won't have Marcus Smart, but they should win round one. It won't be easy though. The Pacers are tough. Myles Turner is awesome, Domantas Sabonis has made a leap and Bojan Bogdonovic can stroke from three. But, Kyrie Irving lives for the playoffs, and he has something to prove. Also, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Al Horford and Marcus Morris helped this team make a run to the conference finals last year. The Celtics will win, but it will be in a very tough 6 games.

In the 3-6 matchup we have the 76ers and Nets. The Nets are back! Yeah! That is about all the praise I can heap on them. They have some good guards that will exploit the 76ers, and Joel Embiid may not be 100 percent, but they should win with ease. D'Angelo Russell and Caris Levert and Spencer Dinwiddie will make it interesting at times, but I just don't see them as a threat. And as good as Jarrett Allen has become as a rim protector, Embiid eats his lunch every time he has played him. Ben Simmons will be fine and Jimmy Butler is on a mission. Oh, and Tobias Harris is a really, really good player. The 76ers will win in 4.

The 2-7 matchup includes the return of the Magic. Who made the playoffs with a 42-40 record, which was good enough to win their division. That should tell you all you need to know about this matchup. The Raptors are going to throttle the Magic. Kawhi is dominant. Kyle Lowry, even if he chokes, has so much help. Pascal Siakim is a burgeoning star. Marc Gasol adds some offense. And the Raptors are insanely deep. Raptors in 4.

In the second round we will have the Bucks facing the Celtics and the Raptors facing the 76ers. This is where the East playoffs get good.

In the Bucks-Celtics matchup, I feel like the Bucks are going to trash them. All the in fighting, all the whining, all the shortcomings all season long for the Celtics will come to a head, and the Bucks will dominate. This is where Giannis is going to solidify his MVP. He simply cannot be stopped, and the Celtics will start to point fingers, and the Bucks will roll from there. I have the Celtics winning one game, but that is it. Bucks in 5.

The Raptors-76ers, on paper, should be a well fought series. It won't be though. The 76ers are so thin after their starting 5, which is one of the best in the league, cannot play the whole game, and this is where the Raptors depth will make an enormous difference. I also think that Kawhi is going to show off his offensive game in this series because no one, including Jimmy Butler, can stop him. It will go 6, but the Raptors will make it look fairly easy.

That means I have the Bucks and Raptors in the East Finals. This is the matchup I want, and I also believe, we will get. These are the 2 best teams, by far, in the East. And the series will not disappoint. I think it goes 7, with Toronto winning. I feel like they will let Giannis get his, as I said, he is impossible to stop, and they will stop everyone else on the Bucks. Lopez won't be able to shoot threes, and Middleton will get shut down, Brogdon will be back, but I feel ineffective, and Bledsoe just isn't as good offensively as he is on defense. I'm stoked for this series, and I picked Toronto at the beginning of the season, and I'm going to stick with them now.

Now, on to the Varsity. The West is so, so much better than the East from 1-8. These are the best of the best teams in the NBA, and I think the West is going to be wild.

In the 1-8 matchup we have the Warriors and LA Clippers. I actually grew to like what the Clippers did this year. They shed all the baggage, got some team guys and played solid basketball all year. They also stayed relatively healthy. Unfortunately for them, they drew the Warriors, and the Warriors are about to flip the switch. This is probably their last go round with KD, and only season with Boogie. They have slept walk through the year, and they still got the one seed. Now, they flip the switch. As much as I now kind of enjoy the Clippers, and my newfound respect for Doc Rivers, they are getting swept out of the playoffs with ease. Warriors in 4.

In the 4-5, we get Houston and Utah. I could not dislike these 2 teams more. Houston is boring and plays a dull, slow game. And Utah has the most racist fans in sports. But, the players on the floor are great. Houston has Harden and Chris Paul, Clint Capela and PJ Tucker. That's four great players right there. Utah has Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell, 2 of which could be the future of the league. I also think Gordon Hayward leaving 2 years ago was a blessing in disguise. Both team shave been on a tear since the All Star break, and I know that most people have the Rockets winning this series with ease. Not me. The Jazz will muddy this series up, they will play bully ball, they won't let Harden get to the line as much as he is used to, and I'm just waiting for the Chris Paul injury. This is going to be a rough and tumble series, and I think the Rockets will miss having a guy like Trevor Ariza for this series. I have this going 7, and I have the Jazz winning an improbable game 7 in Houston. I also think the Rockets are kind of looking ahead to the Warriors, and that will bit them in the ass.

In the 3-6 we have OKC and Portland. I LOVE this matchup. OKC has come on strong at the end, and Paul George might finally be healthy. Also, Westbrook has been a lot better lately, and the role players are doing solid stuff. Portland has been hot for awhile now. Damien Lillard is in the MVP conversation, they finally have CJ McCollum back and Enes Kanter is a beast on offense. But, the loss of Jusuf Nurkic is a killer for Portland. He was such a key cog, and now that they don't have him, Steven Adams is going to control the paint. This series is going to go 7, and I have OKC pulling out the victory. Lillard will show out, and I think McCollum will play well, but no one on that team can stop George or Westbrook, and as I said, Adams will lock down the middle.

As for the 2-7 matchup, we have the new, young Denver Nuggets facing the old hand, veteran laden Spurs. This is going to be a good matchup of contrasting styles. The Nuggets want to get up and down, and run everything through Jokic. While the Spurs will be perfectly happy running clock and playing a half court game. I really like what Denver is doing, and what direction they're going in, but Greg Poppovich is the best NBA coach ever, and he is going to take this Spurs team to a game 7 win in Denver. I mean, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan and Patty Mills are all playoff vets. They will know what to do for the series win. But, Denver is about to become a stalwart in the West. They just aren't ready yet.

So the second round will feature Golden State facing Utah and OKC facing San Antonio.

Utah, after taking down Houston, is going to get throttled. Yes, I love Gobert and Mitchell, but the Warriors can start five all stars. Also, the flip switch I keep talking about is coming. I feel like Klay and KD and Steph are going to go off in this series too. The three of them could go for 30 each and win all games by themselves. Once again, I have the Warriors in 4.

The other matchup is interesting because it is 2 veteran laden teams that like half court basketball. I'm going to go with the team with more talent, and that is OKC. They have one of their best chances in awhile to make a playoff statement, and I think they will do it this year. The series will be good, as far as on court lay goes, but OKC is younger and more athletic. The Spurs will fight, but I have Paul George really showing out, kind of how he looked at the start of the season, and I have him leading the Thunder to the conference finals. Thunder in 6.

This gives us OKC and Golden State. I want this matchup so badly. I know the Thunder won't put up much of a fight, but Westbrook and George will, at least, get them one win. They can do it. But, again, this is the only time the Warriors really care about, playoff time, and they are scary good when they turn it on. Look at what they did to Charlotte and Denver when people questioned their talent. Warriors will win in 5, but it will be a fun 5 games.

That leaves us with Golden State and Toronto in the NBA Finals. This is the same matchup I picked in the preseason, and I have seen nothing to change my mind. This will be a solid series. Kawhi always shows up against Golden State, and I think Siakim will give Draymond and Boogie fits. But, the Warriors have KD, Klay and Steph. I mean, pick your poison Toronto. You cannot stop all three of them. You can kind of shut down Boogie by getting in his head, and Draymond is not good offensively. But, just like the Utah series, the three "guards" that the Warriors trot out there can win games themselves. I have the series going 6, with people freaking out after Toronto ties in up after game 4. But, the Warriors will then throttle them in the next 2 games and hold up their fourth Larry O'Brien trophy in 5 years. Things will change drastically after that, but that is another piece for another day. I also have Steph finally winning his first Finals MVP. Now that he can see, he is going to score a ton of points in the playoffs, and especially in the Finals.

There you have it. I am so pumped for the playoffs to start tomorrow. Lets get to it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Dirk Nowitzki and Dwaye Wade Helped Shape the Modern NBA

Last night two great NBA careers ended. Both Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade played their last NBA games last night. And they both played pretty well. I think they are both doing the right thing walking away now, but both look like they could still contribute, albeit in a small way, to most NBA teams. But I wanted to take a minute today to congratulate both of them on their hall of fame careers.

That's right, both are surefire first ballot hall of famers. Dirk was the first Euro league player I saw that was that big and could shoot that well. He was 7 feet tall, but he played an outside game. He had a nasty pull up jumper. He could also elevate over smaller defenders, which was the majority of NBA players, and hit jumpers with ease. He was the first big guy that made jumpers fun. To see him do the things he did, at his height, amazed me. He was a less athletic KD. He was a stronger Manute Bol. He was a taller Karl Malone. And when he first was in the league, he did a go to the basket move. He, Steve Nash and Michael Finley were a ton of fun to watch when they were all on the Mavs. They ran a great fast break, with Dirk finding the open spot on or near the elbow, and Finley filling the lane. He also came back from some hardships on the floor. He won the MVP awhile back, and that team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the "We Believe" Warriors. But, Dirk came back next year and helped lead the Mavs to the title. The team they beat in that Finals, it was the first year Big Three Heat. The Mavs totally shut down LeBron, and Bosh was neutralized. This helped Dirk play top notch offense, and he led that team to its only title. He totally redeemed himself. And like I said before, he paved the way for big guys like KD and KAT and AD to want to shoot, and make, three pointers. He made the pull up jumper en vogue. If I heard Steph call him an innovator and an influence, I would totally buy it. Dirk was also a great teammate. You never heard anyone complain about him. He took on free agents and rookies like family. He seemed like a genuinely fun guy to be around. He was always good in interviews and on TV. He was the consummate pro. What I loved most about this final season though, he waited until the very end to let everyone know he was retiring. It seemed like a foregone conclusion, but he didn't want the hubbub or fanfare. He left the game like Tim Duncan, on his own terms.

As far as Dwayne Wade goes, he more than deserved his sendoff. I adored that he made this season a farewell tour. Prior to all that though, Wade was a killer and a winner. From his draft day slip to now, he has always played like he has something to prove. People seem to forget that he was the MVP in a Finals before LeBron joined up with him. Wade, and a much older and slower Shaq, beat the Mavs in 6 games to win a title, and Wade was the man in that series. Sure, there is some question to the officiating, but Wade did what he had to do, and dominated those Finals. It was his big time coming out party. It was when he ascended to superstardom. After that, he was always an all star, a perennial all NBA player, in talks as an MVP. He was one of the best shooting guards in the game, and one of the best shooting guards ever. Even when LeBron showed up, I still thought that Wade was the engine that made that team run. He did the veteran move and stepped aside, but without him, the Heat don't win those titles. He always had big time playoff games and would constantly remind the nation that he was a monster on the court. And even when he left Miami and joined LeBron back in Cleveland, he was still important. His one year with the Bulls he almost helped them upset the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. He then went back to Miami and helped them back to the playoffs with a team filled with no big named people. And while this final season didn't end in a playoff appearance, Wade played really well and seemed to enjoy every moment. I also love that Paul Pierce tried to claim he was as good as Wade, and he was not having it. Wade has better averages across the board, more titles and is much more important to the game than Pierce could've ever dreamed of being. And I think Pierce was a great NBA player, he just isn't Dwayne Wade great. Wade, like Nowitzki, was also a great teammate and a consummate pro. He was just more fun to watch, at least for me. I think it is awesome that he went out with a triple double too.

Last night saw 2 great careers end, but not in a sad way. They both went out on their terms, in their own personal ways, and I loved every second of their illustrious NBA career's. Enjoy retirement you 2, you both more than deserve it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Magic Quit on the Lakers

Shockingly, Magic Johnson stepped down as the head operations of basketball related issues with the Lakers last night. Basically, he is done trying to get and sign big name free agents for the team he once starred for.

This stunned me when I heard the news yesterday. I know that this season went about as bad as possible for the Lakers. Things looked bright and it seemed like they would easily get back in the playoffs after they got LeBron to sign a 4 year deal. But then, things just kind of went haywire.

The problems started in the offseason after the James signing. I guess he had told Magic that he wanted some vets, so he and Rob Pelinka went out and signed guys like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley. They also let Robin Lopez and Julius Randle walk. Magic also traded D'Angelo Russell last offseason so they could draft Lonzo Ball. When I saw their projected roster, I was confused, but figured LeBron would make it work.

When the season started, it was going fine. They were nestled into the 4 or 5 spot, and seemed playoff bound. But then things got really bad. LeBron got hurt on Christmas day while the Lakers were throttling the Warriors. He missed more time than he ever has in his career. This was, by far, the worst injury he has ever suffered. The team did not play great in his absence either. Brandon Ingram wasn't making the leap that many, myself included, thought he would. Ball still has a trash jumper, and he got hurt too. Josh Hart totally disappeared. Kentavious Caldwell Pope was playing like himself, which is to say, he is mediocre. McGee proved he isn't much of a starter. He is so much better as an energy guy. Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson were jokes. And Rondo was Rondo. He griped about a lot this year.

Then, Magic decided he was going to go all in on AD. AD made his trade request very, very public, and LeBron's agent and buddy Rich Paul were just as vocal. Magic decided he was going to do whatever it took to get another superstar in LA, even if it meant destroying their future. He put up Ball, Ingram, Beasley, Ivan Zubac, Lance Stephenson and picks to try and get AD. The Pelicans, who seemed to be simply messing with LA, kept asking for more. This destroyed the locker room because all these young guys took it way, way too seriously, and their play suffered. After "activating playoff mode", LeBron came back too early, and the Lakers couldn't even beat a team like the Suns. Then Magic comes out after the blown trade and says he is going to talk to the young guys that he put on the block. He tried the whole "this is a business" thing, but the damage had been done. And LeBron did not help at all. He looked disengaged, never sat by the team on the bench, they had a team meeting where the young guys told him how they felt and he couldn't have cared less, and the Lakers got officially eliminated earlier than they did last season.

With the uncertainty that they may not get AD until next offseason, I think Magic saw the writing on the wall. I think he realized that he won't be the one to get the Lakers back to contention. I think he realized getting LeBron was more so for life after basketball as opposed to winning titles. But I think the botched trade is what put the nail in the coffin for him. I think he finally realized that this is an entire new generation of players, and he can't keep up with the times. But, the way he did it is odd. To just up and quit, without telling pretty much anyone involved with the organization is odd. To say he has felt "handcuffed" is absurd to me. He willingly took this job. I think he is leaving because he realizes it's a different game. I also think he is fed up with all the tampering fines. But man, what a cowardly way to go out. To just essentially "drop the mic" on a team that he was supposed to be able to lure big time stars to is sad.

I loved Magic Johnson the basketball player. But, he is proving that he cannot do much good as a coach or executive. He has spectacularly failed at both of those, and this season was the icing on the crap cake for him. I don't know where the Lakers go from here, but this season was bad enough, and now with Magic gone, the offseason may be worse. Time will tell.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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

A Great Title Game Caps Off a Great Tournament

After the first 5-7 minutes of the title game last night, boy was there a show put on by both Texas Tech and Virginia.

The beginning, especially for Tech, was very ugly. They just could not put the ball in the hoop. Virginia did not really capitalize on that either. Sure, they pushed the lead to the 10 early, with the score 17-7, and then it became a good to great game. After Virginia got the double digit lead, a bench guy for Tech hit three threes and a jumper to tie the game. Then Virginia went on a run to push the lead to 4 or 5. Then Tech would come back.

For a game that I fully thought would be in the 50's, this game turned out to be beautifully both on offense and defense. Yes, both teams went over 70, and Virginia over 80, but there was some tremendous defense, rebounding and all around good defense being played. These players were making tough shots to be honest. I mean, how can I not start with Deandre Hunter. He was my pick for MOP for this tournament, and while he didn't have the best of games, he saved it all for last night, especially in the second half. He hit monster shot after monster shot. His elbow jumper was unstoppable. He made 2 of the biggest threes that I have ever witnessed in a college game. And he did it in the title game. He played best when he needed to play best. And man was he amazing on defense. He locked down another potential lottery pick in Jarret Culver. He was all over him all night. He made his life miserable for 40 minutes. It was a sight to behold. I told a buddy of mine that he played like Kawhi in college, except he has a much better jumper at that time in their lives. He was incredible. So was Kyle Guy. He hit some big threes. He made some good baseline jumpers. And he hit major free throws, which he is now expected to do. Ty Jerome ran that offense like a machine. The three he hit at the end of the first half was enormous. He also created tons of open shots for his teammates. He also covered Tech's big shooters, and limited them better than anyone else has all tournament. And Mamadi Diakite was snatching offensive and defensive rebounds all night, and played tremendous help d in the post. He was so awesome all tournament.

That's not to say that Tech didn't show up. Culver struggled, Hunter shut him down, but he still found a way to get double figures. The Italian dude has such a pure shot, and he was automatic from the line. The other guard, Mooney I think his name is, hit some critical threes even after struggling from the floor for about 30 minutes of play. Odiase was Tech's version of Diakite. He played great D on Hunter, swatting a critical shot, and he was grabbing boards. And grad transfer Tariq Owens, on a very hurt ankle, played his heart out until he fouled out.

This was a really good title game. I mean, it went to overtime, it had drama and it is a great, great story after what happened to Virginia last year. I know there wasn't a "hot" team, like Duke or Kentucky, but we still had very good teams, with lottery picks and great head coaches last night. Anyone that decided not to watch because there was no "sexy" team, I feel sorry for you. This was one of the better title games I watched. I was super impressed with both teams. The refs didn't do anything too outlandish. And I think the better team won.

This was a solid way to end a very fun season of college basketball. Congrats Virginia. A title well earned.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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

Ty Watches the 2019 Final Four

The Final Four did not go as many planned it would this weekend. First off, I do not think the ratings were as bad as many expected. I'm sure they weren't enormous, but I still think they were pretty solid. I live in Saint Louis, a hockey and baseball town, and the games were on at the restaurant I went to on Saturday night. Point is , people seemed to be watching.

So while we didn't get Duke, UNC or Kentucky, we still had 4 very deserving, and good teams, with future NBA players. Second, I do have to say that the quality of the games was not great. Granted, all four teams left won based on defense and rebounding, but still, there was no offensive explosion by any of the teams. All four teams scored under seventy. Virginia, Auburn and Texas Tech all barely cracked 60, and Michigan State struggled to crack 50. But man was the defense fun to watch. It was great to see a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds going as hard as they could to block a shot, get a steal, grab a rebound and play 30 seconds of solid defense every single possession. I appreciate that. I am of the firm belief that defense wins titles so this was nice for me to see.

As far as the 2 games, lets talk about Virginia-Auburn first. This game will forever be marred by one missed call. More on that in a minute. This game was really a matchup of 2 totally different styles, and to be honest, I think Virginia won the style clash because they did not really allow Auburn to run up and won like they want to do. That doesn't mean that Auburn didn't try, Virginia just turned the game into a slog.

Now, Auburn should have won, as much I may not want to say it. I do not like Bruce Pearl, he is a known cheater, and the stories of him "overcoming adversity to be where he is today" were total nonsense. I also think Auburn was the only team in the field with no real NBA guys. But, they got hosed by a missed call. The foul call on the three was legit. The defender went underneath the shooter, the shooter did not force contact and that is a foul. But, the fact that the refs missed a blatant double dribble, and allowed Virginia even a shot at three was ridiculous. Anyone that has played, or even watched basketball, knows that was a double dribble. The point guard lost the ball, picked it up and dribbled again. You cannot do that. And, he did it right in front of a ref. That is so bad. That will be what this game is remembered for. Auburn should have been the winner. But, props to Kyle Guy for making all three of those free throws and winning the game for Virginia. But man, what a terrible blown call by the officials. They have been bad this year, real bad, and that no call might be the worst. With that being said, I'm glad a scumbag like Bruce Pearl is not playing for a title tonight.

The exact same thing, except with much more enthusiasm from me, can be said about that sleaze bag Tom Izzo. His team, the same team that has covered about sexual assault and abuse for decades, were the presumptive favorites after they beat Duke. But they were not up to the task of beating Texas Tech's defense. They put up a better fight than Michigan and Gonzaga, but in the end, they couldn't get the win. Tech let MSU get off to a hot start, but after it was 16-11, they clamped down. They shut down Cassius Winston. Matt McQuaid faked cramps all game long, and he looked exhausted 5 minutes into the game. The big men for MSU were getting shots swatted left and right, and they were finding it hard to grab offensive rebounds as easily as they have done all year. Sure, the refs did their part in this game to make it close. At one point in the second half, after Tech had built a double digit lead, MSU shot 6 straight free throws to close the gap, and then CBS put up the free throw numbers for the half, and MSU had 9 attempts to Tech's 1. But, in the end it didn't matter. And for all the Jarret Culver slander that has been going around all tournament, man did that kid step up when his team needed him most. Tech was clinging to a one point lead with 2 and a half minutes left, and Culver went on his own 7-0 run, draining a step back three with 1 minute left to seal the deal. That was super impressive. He proved a ton in that last 2 minutes, and he is a surefire lottery pick now. I'd for sure take him over that Barret kid from Duke after seeing what he did.

So that leaves us with a Tech-Virginia title game this evening. This is going to be a race to 50, maybe 45. Both of these teams play methodical offense and lockdown defense. Tech has the best player, Culver, but Virginia is more seasoned, and they have something to prove after last year. I'm going with Virginia in a very, very close game. And while I know it will be low scoring, it will be an exciting game. Time for Virginia to get that monkey off their back.

Can’t wait to watch the end of a fantastic tournament.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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The SeedSing 2019 MLB Preview

I know that it has been well over a week, but baseball is back. Many people are not fans of the great game. It is boring they say. It is full of cheating, they yell. It is a sport that allows old white men to talk about the “good old days”, they lament. The thing is, all of this is true. Yet I still love baseball, and I am going to celebrate by making my 2019 MLB predictions. Now that the great game is underway, it is time to ask a few questions.

Let’s look at the American League first.

Is the AL East the best division in Baseball?

No, it is the second best division. The Yankees and Red Sox may have not started out well, but both teams will win close to, or over, 100 games. The Red Sox proved their greatness last year, and the Yankees will find the pieces they need to contend. The Tampa Bay Rays will continue to improve behind their great pitching and will win over 90 games. When Vlad Guerrero Jr is finally called up Toronto, the Blue Jays will be somewhat competitive. The Orioles are probably the worst team in all of baseball, and that is the number one reason the AL East is only the second best division in all of the MLB.

Will Cleveland win the AL Central again?

No doubt. The Indians have not improved, but neither has anyone else in the division. The Twins added a few veterans, but will it be enough? The Royals, Tigers and White Sox are all rebuilding. Cleveland can win the central with 90 wins, and they will.

Is the AL West even worse than the AL Central?

The AL West is the worst division in the MLB. Houston is otherworldly, but no one else in that division will be over 500. Oakland had a nice 2018, they will not repeat that success. Seattle and Texas are filled with young guys and retreads. The Angels just gave Mike Trout a billion dollars, and have nothing to surround the star with. Houston may have the division won by early August.

OK, Who is coming out of the AL?

The Yankees, Red Sox, and Astros may be the three best teams in all of baseball, but the majority of the league is terrible. Tampa and Minnesota will be competitive, but they cannot overtake the top teams. Cleveland will win their division because the Twins will not be quite ready yet.

In the end, Boston will win the East, Cleveland the Central, and Houston the West. The Wild Cards will be Tampa and New York. Boston and Houston will meet once again in the ALCS, with the Astros getting revenge and becoming the AL representative in the World Series.

Now time for the National League

How good is the NL East?

The NL East made a lot of headlines in the offseason, but the division is more hype than good. The Mets have great pitching, and very little else. The Nationals have Max Scherzer, and an old team around him. The Phillies added Bryce Harper, and nothing else. Those three teams made the headlines, but it will be the defending division champion Braves who will easily win the NL East.

Oh, and the Miami Marlins, they will be absolutely terrible again.

What about the NL Central?

The NL Central is the best division in baseball. Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis all have teams that could be over 500. This will be an extremely competitive division. In the end the Cardinals, and their experience, will beat Milwaukee, and their youth, to take the division title.

Wait, did you say the Cincinnati Reds will be good in 2019?

They will be competitive. The Reds will not win the division, but they are going to give other teams fits (note: the Reds are 1-7 on the day this article was written). Cincinnati went insane this offseason, unloading expensive busts, and adding a bunch of guys on the last year of their contracts. When, if, the offense gets going, the Reds will be one of the most exciting teams in all of baseball.

Will the Dodgers win the AL West again?

No, the Colorado Rockies will win the division. The West is another sneaky good division. San Diego is rising, and they added Manny Machado. Arizona may look down, but they still have Zack Greinke. San Francisco has been down lately, but I will never count a team run by Bruce Bochy. He is the Gregg Popovich of Major League Baseball. Yet with all that talk, the Rockies are ready to make the next step and finally dethrone the Dodgers as NL West champs.

OK, who is coming out of the NL?

Atlanta, St. Louis, and Colorado will win their divisions with Milwaukee and LA taking the Wild Cards. The Cardinals and Brewers will meet up in the NLCS, with St. Louis taking down the upstart Brewers.

What will be the biggest highlights of 2019?

The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets will have historically good pitching seasons.

Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will have good seasons, but the biggest offseason acquisition will prove to be when the Cardinals traded for Paul Goldschmidt.

The Astros, Red Sox and Yankees will all have over 100 wins. The only other teams in the American League with a winning record will be Cleveland and Tampa.

Vlad Guerrero Jr will be the AL Rookie of the Year and the MVP.

The Chicago Cubs will be last place in the NL Central.

Who is going to win it all in 2019?

The Houston Astros are the best team in baseball, and they will easily win the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. It will be a four game sweep. The National League has more competitive teams, but the American League has the three best teams. The Astros are the best of those three great teams.

Enjoy the 2019 Major League Baseball season.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

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The AAF Failed. Are We Surprised?

The American Alliance of Football has suspended all their operations with three weeks left in their regular season. I was going to write about something else today, but this takes precedence. That piece will come tomorrow. But, as I said, the AAF, for all intents and purposes, is done. Kaput. Finished.

Who could have for seen this coming? Who would have thought that football in the Spring would be pointless? Who would have thought that this poor, lower level "professional" football wouldn't last? I'll tell you who, me. That's right, I'm going to pat myself on the back today. I get a lot of things wrong, I keep picking the Indians to win the World Series for some reason, but this, the AAF being pointless, boring and that it wouldn't last, I got that right. I did watch one quarter of this league, out of pure curiosity, and was immediately turned off by what I saw. I actually watched with my dad, who is as big a football fan as I am, and he was very underwhelmed as well. After that one quarter, it was him that told me to turn it off. He wanted to watch the NBA instead. I was more than happy to oblige.

This league was a disaster from the start. They rushed it. They put it all together far too soon, and thought they could figure it out as the season went on. Sure, they had some big names attached, but those names are people that have been away from football for far too long. We had guys like Bill Polian, Steve Spurrier and Mike Martz. But, those guys haven't been relevant in a decade. Hell, the only players I know of were the former Wolverines, mainly DeVeon Smith and Denard Robinson, and I didn't even really care to look into how they were doing. I'd get updates from some Michigan websites I followed, click on it and then forget about it. I do know that Johnny Manziel was recently picked up by this league, I don't know why he keeps getting chance after chance, but only because I was in Memphis last weekend, and there were pictures of him everywhere. It was disgusting. But, in his two games he was apparently pretty mediocre anyway, just like the whole league. This thing was bound to fail. They introduced this as a semi pro developmental league, but it was really just a response to the dumbass return of the XFL, which I believe starts next year. That will also fold, maybe quicker than the AAF.

This was a bad idea. This was Theranos and Fyre Fest bad. At least the AAF didn't purposefully try to hurt people like Theranos, and they didn't put lives at risk like Fyre Fest, but still, this was a horrible idea that has now blown up in a lot of people's faces. The only people I feel bad for are the players. For some, this was their last shot at making it to the NFL. Some of them really thought they had a real shot. And I bet a few chosen ones would have made it. But now, who knows. This was an awful idea, a money grab and a mistake.

The AAF was no USFL. It was more of the XFL the first time around. Now that it is gone, I will forget about it pretty quick. Oof, I cannot stress enough how bad this idea was, and now, I do not see anyway back for this league. RIP AAF. You will not be missed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was looking forward to the Madden version of the AAF. Oh well, at least he can now wait for the return of NCAA Football on an accommodating video game system.

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This Has Been One Hell of an NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament

What a weekend of college basketball. I mean, 2 overtime games, Tech edging out Gonzaga and Duke finally, mercifully not getting the benefit of the doubt, or the help from the refs. I was pretty much glued to all 4 of the games this weekend.

Let’s break it down.

First off, the Texas Tech-Gonzaga game was the "worst" of the bunch, and that was a solid basketball game. Tech still played that suffocating defense, Culver stepped up in a big way, so big he could be on his way to MOP if he keeps this up, and Tech wins the title. But Gonzaga did hit some shots, and they made it close to the end. They were even in it with less than 10 seconds left in the game. But, Tech found a way to win again, and I feel like they have a good shot to make it to the championship game. They are a solid, complete team.

Then we had the 2 overtime games. First off, what more could Carsen Edwards do? The kid seemingly hit every shot that he took against Virginia. I mean, Purdue finished that game with 75 or 76 points, and he had 42 of them. He went total supernova. He nearly willed that team to a win. But, that kid on Virginia, Diakite, hit a beautiful floater to push the game to overtime. From there on out, Purdue just lost gas. No one other than Edwards even hit double figures. Ryan Cline was ice cold. Eifert looked scared to shoot. Haarms might be the softest 7'3 big man in the country. And every other player on that team just pulled zero weight. Edwards couldn't do it alone. But man did Virginia turn it on when needed. They looked a bit off on offense all tourney. But, Diakite took over down low. Ty Jerome ran that offense perfectly. All Kyle Guy had to do was sprain his ankle to hit some threes, and when DeAndre Hunter needed to do his thing, he did it. He was so good on defense too. That kid can play. This has been a very solid turnaround after what happened to Virginia last year.

Then we had the Kentucky-Auburn overtime game. While not nearly as fun and entertaining as Purdue-Virginia, but still, an overtime game in the Elite eight nonetheless. Kentucky had their shot. They could've won. But, they struggled mightily at the free throw line. They went ice cold in overtime, not scoring a single point until there was about three minutes left. And Auburn, well, when they hit threes at the clip they're hitting them right now, they can beat anyone anytime. They are crushing from three, blocking shots and getting steals. That's how they have won all year. And they did that all their way to their first final four ever, going Tech as first timers. And at this point, it doesn't seem to matter that they can't rebound because they are more than making up for it at three. This team is dangerous. I kind of wish I had stuck with them like I did in my first tournament preview. They look really good right now, especially on offense. 

Then we had the game of games. The one where Duke finally got their comeuppance. The one where Coach K couldn't get the refs to bail him out. The one where he decided to not give his best player, Zion Williamson, the ball for the last 2 minutes of the game. He counted on the wrong star freshman to win him that game yesterday, and he picked wrong. When will Coach K finally get the heat for his teams getting beat far too early? Everyone jumped on John Calipari when Kentucky got beat, but everyone else blames RJ Barrett or Zion or Cam Reddish. Or they say that Michigan State got lucky. No one ever blames Coach K, and like I said, Zion didn't touch the ball in the last 2 minutes of the game. That's on him. Coach K chose to do that, and he chose wrong. While I'm at it, and I still fully believe that Michigan State should be banned from all major college sports for what they did for years and years and years, they outplayed and out coached Duke yesterday. They covered Zion better than any other team has all year. They shut down Barrett. His numbers were very, very hollow. Tre Jones couldn't stop Cassius Winston. Winston clowned him all game. And where on Earth was Cam Reddish? I simply do not get why he is considered a lottery pick. I forgot about him at times during that game yesterday, and that is not a good sign. But MSU won that game. Don't get it twisted. They won. They beat Duke. They beat Coach K. They ended the college careers of Zion and Barrett. They did that. And while I despise them, it is always good to see Duke, and mainly Coach K, not live up to the hype. The fact that these kids were compared to the Fab Five is laughable. At least Michigan made two title games. And don't give me the whole, "that never really happened". Duke, and Coach K, cheat just as much as any other college basketball team, they are just better at hiding it.

I know that CBS is pissed right now. But, I actually kind of like this Final Four. I'm going to stay with my Texas Tech-Virginia rock fight final, and I'm sticking with Virginia to win. They're out to prove that last year was a total fluke, and with the way they hit shots Saturday, I see them hanging the banner at season's end. Now lets hope the Final Four and title game are as much fun as this past weekend.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Not a Good Way for Michigan to End Their Season

Michigan basketball had a good season.

That needs to be said right off the bat.

They won 30 games, 15 in the Big Ten, made the conference final for the third straight year, played excellent defense and earned a 2 seed in the tournament. Then they proceeded to easily beat Montana in round one, and after a slog of a first half, thumped Florida. But last night, they got absolutely whipped.

Texas Tech beat them, rubbed their faces in it, as they should, and just totally shut them down from the tip. I knew at half time they were done. And that has nothing to do with me being a pessimistic fan. Anyone that knows me well knows that I care much more about their football team than their basketball team. I still love their basketball team, but football is king for me. So, when Tech went up 8 at the half, and Michigan couldn't even get a shot off, I said to no one in particular that they were toast. Tech then came out, scored the first 5 points to grab a 13 point lead, which may as well been 30, and the Wolverines were done. They looked like they had given up at that point. Sure, Tech smothered the hell out of them, holding them to right around 30 percent shooting, and 1 of 19 on threes, but Michigan simply looked like they had given up when Tech got the lead to double digits. After Tech built it to 13, it went to 16, then 20, then 24, getting as high as 29. Michigan never had a chance. While watching the game, I was shocked at how, I don't know if it was, tiredness, being the slower team, the poor shooting, the lack of defensive help in the second half or all of this stuff combined, they performed last night. They legitimately looked outmanned. This was Charles Matthews time to shine, time to show his defensive prowess, going up against a lock lottery pick in Jarrett Culver, and he got smoked. He also looked awful shooting the ball. Ignas Brazdeieks was hunted on defense and got torched. He was also super short on every jump shot, couldn't bang inside with Tech's bigs, and while he put up a double double, those numbers are a mirage. They came when the game was well in hand. Jordan Poole couldn't hit the ocean last night. He also looked lost on defense. Jon Teske was slower than all of Tech's bigs, couldn't run up and down the floor with them and seemed afraid to shoot, even when he was right near the basket. Even the guy I always felt I could count on, Zavier Simpson, just seemed gassed. There was one play in particular, when 2 Wolverines doubled Culver, and their big man slipped and got a wide open dunk. Simpson was supposed to be the help on that play, and he just gave it up. I know he is on the smaller side, but at least give an effort. I was stunned to see him just let it go. Even the reserves that I have counted on all year, Eli Brooks and Isiah Livers, were just plain bad last night. And John Beilein, who I adore, and hope stays at Michigan until the day he retires, got wildly out coached last night. He had no answers for what Tech did on both ends of the floor. Even he had the look of giving up with about 8 minutes left in the game.

This was a brutal way to see their season end when it started with so much promise. They started 17-0, and a program best, 20-1. They had a chance to be the number one team in the country at various points. They beat UNC, Villanova and Minnesota three times. But last night was a complete and total disaster. It washed away pretty much any good they had done for the regular season. I know this is their 5th Sweet Sixteen in 7 years, but come on, put up an effort. Show some fight. Try to, at the very least, make it a game. They did none of that.

All this being said, all is not lost. I know that Matthews, Brazdeikes and Poole were all asked about their future, and they all said they weren't thinking about it at this time. I think it would be foolish for Iggy and Poole to go pro, unless they are guaranteed a first round spot. Matthews may have no choice, but after last night, I don't know if he is going to get drafted. But, say Poole and Iggy stay, they get Teske, Simpson, Livers, Brooks, Brandon Johns Jr, David DeJulius, Colin Castleton and a very solid recruiting class coming in. They will still be a major threat in the Big Ten, and in the country.

With all that being said, man was last night frustrating and embarrassing to watch as a fan. They stunk up the joint last night, and that taste will be in my mouth for some time. I got my hopes up, and it was all shattered by halftime. What a total bummer.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Ty's 2019 MLB Preview

Since I enjoy doing preseason previews of football and basketball, I’m going to do a baseball one as well. I know the season started like a week ago, but today is the “official” opening day. And as I’ve said multiple times, I do not watch, know much anymore and think baseball is boring. I also live in Saint Louis, and baseball is king here. So, I cannot go a day without hearing about baseball around here. I don’t know as much about the MLB like RD does, but that’s not going to stop me from making some picks.

A few things before my predictions though. I’m happy Mike Trout got super paid, but I also feel bad for him because I now fully believe he will never win a World Series. I love that he will be with one team his whole career, but the Angels are average at best, and now, they won’t have as much money to lure real star players. Bryce Harper got overpaid, and, as I’ve already stated, both parties are going to hate this deal in about 3 years. Manny Machado immediately makes the Padres a contender. I feel like Clayton Kershaw’s best days are behind him. I wish the Blue Jays would call up Vlad Guerrero Jr. I’m stoked that Fernando Tatis Jr is starting on opening day. And I was very, very wrong about the Braves. Good call on them RD. Other than those things, I’m very green when it comes to current day MLB. I know my hometown team signed a big time guy, Paul Goldschmidt, but I couldn’t tell you one thing other than he’s a first baseman. Anyway, go Cards. Okay, now let’s get to the predictions.

I’ll do the AL first.

In the East, I know the Red Sox won it all last year, but I think the Yankees will be out for blood. And if Aaron Judge can stay healthy, they will out score most teams. They can win 100 plus games with final scores like 10-7 or 11-5. They win the East easy.

In the Central I’d like to pick the Twins, but the Indians continue to look good on paper. They have pretty much everyone back to the best of my recollection. The Twins are young and fun, maybe they could be the AL’s version of the Braves. But, I’m going to stick with the Indians for at least one more year.

In the West, it’s all about the Astros. They are, far and away, the best team in that division. They’ll probably wrap it up earlier than any team in baseball. They’re so good. The A’s are okay, and the Angels do have Trout. But let’s be real, the Astros will cruise.

I’ll get to my Wild Card picks after I do the NL division winners.

In the East I’m going with the Braves. I mean, I’ve already mentioned them a ton during this piece. They’re young, fast and play old school baseball. They love to steal bases and win low scoring games. And as far as Harper’s new team, I have the Phillies third behind the Braves and Nationals. I think the Nationals will still be good because of their pitching. But the Braves will continue to get better, and they will return to their 90’s dominance.

In the Central I’m going with the Brewers to repeat. They’re so good everywhere. The Cubs and Cardinals will fight, but the Brewers are the best team. This may be the best division in baseball.

In the West I’m going with Colorado. They just re signed their best guy, they actually have a solid pitching staff, and they have some of my favorite uniforms. The Dodgers are old news. The Diamondbacks apparently just lost their best guy. And the Giants are going through a rebuild. The Padres are their biggest threat. And they’ll make it interesting all the way until the end of the regular season. But they aren’t quite there yet.

So that means my locks in the AL are the Yankees, Indians and Astros. My Wild Cards are the Red Sox and Twins. In the ALCS I have the Yankees playing the Astros, and I’m going with the Yankees. I hate to pick them, but I feel like they’re going to be so powerful offensively and they will use that to go to the World Series.

My locks in the NL are the Braves, Brewers and Rockies. My Wild Card teams are the Padres and Cubs. In the NLCS, I have the Brewers facing off with the Braves, and I have the Brewers winning. I’m just very impressed with what this team did last year, and I look towards them to make that push this year.

I have the Yankees and Brewers in the World Series, and I’m going with the Brewers to win in 7 hotly contested games. I’ve fully bought into Milwaukee being the best team in baseball this year.

As far as award winners, I’m only going to do the Cy Young and MVP for both leagues. In the AL my Cy Young is Justin Verlander. He’s only gotten better with age. As for my AL MVP, I’m going with Trout. He is the Michael Jordan, the basketball player version, in the MLB. In the NL, my Cy Young winner is Max Scherzer. He’s an easy pick because he’s so dominant. As far as NL MVP, I’m going to go with the Rockies state, Nolan Arenado. I’ve heard nothing but great things about him, and I feel like an MVP is just waiting for him.

Okay, there’s my 2019 MLB preview. Take it with a humongous grain of salt.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a typical Cardinals fan in that it is playoffs or the season is a bust. Here in Cincinnati we just want 70 wins and our season is a huge success. St. Louis is so spoiled.

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This Lakers Season Was a Hilarious Disaster

I have waited to write this until it was official. And as of last week, the Los Angeles Lakers, and LeBron James will not be in the NBA playoffs this year. I have a ton of feelings about this news.

First of, the hater in me is thrilled. I have never liked the Lakers. I actively root against them. Ever since they picked Kobe over Shaq, my hatred only grew. I despise the Celtics as well, but you better believe that I was pulling for them when they played each other in the Finals in the early 2000's. I don't like their fair weather fans. I don't like the air of arrogance they have. They have been irrelevant for about 5 or 6 seasons now. They traded away a lottery pick point guard, D'Angelo Russell, to take Lonzo Ball, who is a bust. I am just almost overcome with joy that they will not be in the playoffs this year. This also makes me laugh at all the journalists, especially the ones at ESPN and Bleacher Report and The Ringer that were certain they'd not only be a playoff team, but a top 3 or 4 seed. This includes me as well. I had them as a top 10 team in my preseason countdown. But, to hear all these major journalist back track now is delightful. To hear all their excuses makes me crack up.

I admit, I was very wrong. I thought LeBron himself would push this team to the playoffs. He could not. But these other journalist keep making excuses to try and save face. They say, LeBron missed 20 games. So what. He has done that the past couple year, his week or 2 off to Miami, and was still able to walk his way to the Finals in the East. They bring up injuries to Ball and Brandon Ingram. Ingram got hurt pretty much right after they were eliminated. And, as I already said, Ball is a bust. The journalists loved all their one year contract guys. They thought giving Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasely one year, "prove it" deals, would make this team solid. Well, none of those guys can shoot. Rondo is so much better at facilitating offense. He's better at drive and kick. That doesn't work with LeBron. Michael Beasely is an even bigger bust than Ball, can't shoot from anywhere, doesn't play defense, and isn't even on the team anymore. Lance Stephenson was a half season wonder that is somehow still getting playing time in the NBA. He's trash. JaVale McGee only works as a spark plug off the bench. The Lakers signed him to be their main pick and roll guy. It was all a mess from the jump. When they signed LeBron this past offseason it was huge. Then, the front office went and did all this ridiculous stuff to squash any good will they received by getting LeBron. They surrounded him with vets he likes, but as I said, none of them can shoot. I mean, they are awful, dreadful shooters. And for the young guys on the team already, Ingram is the only one that is a threat to shoot, and he played better when LeBron was injured.

Then we had the whole Anthony Davis thing. Rich Paul screwed over one of his clients by making Davis' trade request public, then it all blew up in his face, Davis' face and LeBron's face. The Pelicans asked for the world, with the Lakers putting up Ball, Ingram, Josh Hart, Lance Stephenson and multiple picks, and they still asked for more. They played the hell out of the Lakers, Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, Rich Paul and LeBron. Of course the Pelicans turned the offer down, and that was when the season really cratered for the Lakers. After the All Star break, and LeBron "activating playoff mode", the Lakers went into the tank. They couldn't do anything right. They lost to the Pelicans when they rested Davis. They barely beat them, at home when Davis played about 20 minutes. They got crushed by real Western Conference playoff teams. Then they got roasted by the Suns. That game culminated in disgrace when LeBron went to throw the ball in and he hit the back of the backboard. It was very upsetting to see him, a legend, do that. The Davis thing really screwed with this locker room, and with any chemistry they may have built up in the first part of the year. LeBron said he wanted to grow with this team when he signed, but the moment things started to get rough, he wanted to team up with a super star. It didn't pan out for him, and now he will be home for the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

Which lead me to my final thing, LeBron James. LeBron is an all time great. He is either the second or third greatest player of all time. Going to 8 straight Finals may never happen again. His dominance is almost un reachable for any future star player. But, he really screwed this team with his want to team up with another star. He also learned what it is like to play in the Varsity conference in the NBA. It isn't a cakewalk in the West. Almost every night is a tough game. He can't just take time off when he pleases. He needs to bring it, especially with the way that roster was constructed. I'm still in shock that he couldn't will this team to the playoffs, but like I said at the top, it also kind of makes me laugh because I loathe that team.

All of this is to say, I feel, and I know a lot of people agree with me, the Lakers are, by far, the biggest embarrassment and were the most overrated team in the NBA in the 2018-19 season. They tanked without tanking. They're going to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year. They are still irrelevant. They are banking on getting Davis in the offseason, I don't think it will happen. And LeBron is only getting older. If I were a Lakers fan, I would be very concerned about the future of this team. They don't seem to be the destination they once were, and a lot of the star players coming on the market this summer don't seem very interested in teaming up with a 35 year old LeBron James. Also, if they hire Jason Kidd I would be even more embarrassed to be a fan.

This season has been a mess in Laker land. They can make up for it if they have a big summer, but I don't see that happening. This is a mess, and I only feel like it is going to get worse. This is a bummer to see LeBron end his career like this. A real bummer.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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A Look at the Sweet Sixteen, and Beyond, in the 2019 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

The first weekend of the men's NCAA basketball tournament has concluded, and boy do we have chalk.

For those that may not know, chalk means all the top seeds, the best teams, won the games they were supposed to win. For example, in the East, West and Midwest region, the four teams left are seeded 1-4. The only high seeded team left is Oregon, who is a 12. But, they are from a major conference, they were a preseason top 15 team, and they are a lot better than their record shows. But, in the rest of the South region, we have the 1, 2 and 3rd seeded teams. So, of the 15 teams in the Sweet Sixteen, they were all, seemingly, seeded correctly, and they did what they were supposed to do.

That doesn't mean we didn't have some solid, to great games. Just last night we had that great Duke-UCF game. I need to say right off the bat, Duke got away with 2 fouls on the game winning play. When Zion drove to the lane he pushed off his primary defender, and for the refs to call Tacko Fall for his fifth and final foul on that play, that was absurd. Then, after Zion missed the free throw, RJ Barrett pushed off for the rebound. It is on tape, and it is clear as day. But, even after all of that, UCF had a chance, and they got screwed by the basketball gods. It's hilarious to me that all the Duke fan boys keep saying that the basketball gods were with them. So, I suppose that means they were against UCF. I still cannot believe that one of those layups didn't fall. That is such a brutal way to lose a game that they should have won. I mean, it is obvious that the NCAA, CBS, ESPN, pretty much every sports outlet for that matter, wants Duke in the Final Four. But dammit, UCF should have won. Such a bummer. It was a great game though. Back and forth all the way through. Big players making plays. And UCF exposing Duke as human. It was fun, especially for someone who has no skin in the game. I mean, I loathe Duke, but that game was exciting.

We also had the introduction of Ja Morant, who I wrote about on Friday. I know Murray State got crushed by FSU in round 2, but Morant still showed out, and I adore that kid.

As for the rest of the first two rounds (the real ones), we did have other upsets too. Liberty beat Mississippi State. Florida beat a much better Nevada team. UC Irvine got their first ever tourney win. And Minnesota beat Louisville. In round 2 we had some solid games besides the Duke-UCF classic. LSU won on a layup with 1 second left after Maryland tied with a miracle three. It reminded me of when UCLA beat Missouri, sorry to my brothers Ross and RD, when Tyus Edney drove the length of the court to win in the last second. Tennessee was throttling Iowa for about 32 minutes, then blew a 25 point lead, only to save themselves in overtime. And Kentucky was given all they could handle from Wofford. Had Wofford's star shooter made 2 of his 12 attempted threes, they would have won. He missed them all though. There were also some surprises, at least to me, on other outcomes. I thought Minnesota would have showed up a bit against Michigan State. They did not MSU crushed them from start to finish. Auburn absolutely trashed Kansas. I know this Kansas team isn't nearly as good as usual, but they put up no fight at all. That game was done 10 minutes in. Auburn looks so good right now. I mentioned Florida State ending Ja Morant and Murray State's season, and boy are they coming together at the absolute right time. They look good, especially on defense. Texas Tech looks as complete as I thought they would. They smothered Buffalo yesterday. Their next opponent, my team, Michigan, has looked sloppy on offense, but their defense has been smothering too. UNC, after a little scare, is really coming together nicely. Coby White is so so good too. I feel like he’s their best player. Purdue looks dominant. They pulled away from Old Dominion in round one, then Carsen Edwards exploded for 42 points against the defending champs Villanova in round 2. They routed Villanova too. Houston looks solid. They can score in bunches. Virginia Tech is the ACC version of Michigan. Gonzaga has won both of their games with relative ease. Virginia, who also got a little scare in round one, has looked totally dominant in both wins, especially starting in the second half of their round one game. And Oregon, who’ve I mentioned already, might be one of the best 12 seeds ever.

In the end, we have chalk. We have, probably, the best 16 teams in college basketball this year left. And if this continues, all four #1 seeds will be in the Final Four, which is absolutely possible. Projecting from here on out, I don’t think all 4 #1 seeds will be there. After seeing Duke get pushed to the brink yesterday, I think they’ll struggle mightily with the winner of LSU-MSU. But, I think the refs will make sure they make the Final Four. They want Zion there, by any means necessary. In the West, I’m going to stick with Texas Tech. I’ll be rooting so hard against them Thursday night, but they look really good on both ends of the floor, and Michigan is too inconsistent on offense, and the winner of Gonzaga-FSU will struggle to keep up with Culver, and they’ll find it hard to score on Tech’s defense. In the South, I’m sticking with Virginia. They weathered the storm in round one, and then easily handled Oklahoma. I don’t trust Tennessee anymore. Oregon isn’t going to get the easy shots they got in the first 2 rounds and I feel like Purdue just played the best game they could, they’ll regress. As for the Midwest, I really want to stick with Auburn, but I feel like they’re exactly like Purdue. They just played the best they’ll play all year. I don’t see that happening again. But, that doesn’t mean I have UNC. I still think Auburn beats them, but after watching Houston yesterday, I think they’re going to win that region. They’re more consistent. They have more athletes. I think they’ll cruise by Kentucky, and then they’ll beat Auburn in a great, close game.

That means my new Final Four, now that we have the Sweet Sixteen set, is Duke, Texas Tech, Virginia and Houston. And now, after watching basketball for four straight days, I’ve got Virginia finally beating Duke in the title game. Like I’ve been saying, Virginia is on a mission, I love the way they play defense and Duke got exposed yesterday. I’m also sticking with DeAndre Hunter as MOP. He’s starting to hit shots now.

Now let’s get back to the games. I cannot wait for Thursday.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ja Morant is Must Watch TV

Yesterday Ja Morant introduced himself to the casual basketball fan. I know who he is, a ton of basketball writers know who he is, but now everyone they just tuned into the tournament saw what this kid can do.

I’m a big Morant fan. I saw a lot of his highlight tape from earlier this season. I love high flying, posterizing dunks, and this kid does those in waves. He reminds me so much of Russel Westbrook, and that is a humongous compliment. I love Westbrook, and now, I’m driving the Ja Morant bandwagon. This is the dude I’m going to be riding with, that doesn’t play for Michigan, the rest of the time his team is in the tournament.

How good is Morant? He recorded a triple double in Murray State’s win yesterday. Only 4 other college players have done that, one of which was Shaq. Morant needed to perform big on the big stage, and he did it. He proved why he’s so high on everyone’s mock drafts. I’m a newly minted Suns fan, and I really want them to take him. They need a true point guard, and he perfectly fits that mold. Add on the fact that he’s hyper athletic, can jump out of the gym and hit an open jumper is just icing on the cake. That was all on full display when Murray State throttled Marquette. He hit open floaters. He jammed on a poor Marquette defender that brought the arena to a roar. He hustled all game. He found the open guy. He soared for rebounds. He was 100 percent on. It was a joy to watch. I have been waiting to see a full game, Murray State is barely on national tv, and I watched every second of this game to just see him.

I really hope Murray State goes on a solid run because I want to see Morant as much as possible. I want to see him do this against even better competition. I bet he would still crush. This kid is going to be a very good to great pro. He proved that yesterday, and he will continue to in the tournament.

Like I said, outside of the Wolverines, Murray State and Ja Morant are my other team I’m rooting for. Morant rules, and I want everyone to try and watch while Murray State is still playing. He’s more than worth the 2 hours. He’s an amazing basketball player. I’m super impressed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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