The College Football Season is Starting to Look Like a Disaster

I swear I am going to stop bashing football in the next few days. I love the sport, I am still hopeful the Big Ten season happens, I am following my fantasy team marginally and I have a pretty solid Fred Willard piece I have been marinating in my brain for the past couple days. But, there was yet another cancellation of a college game this weekend, but this time it is a big time, storied college football team. Yesterday I talked about how injuries, due to lack of proper training, was a subset of why the football season was going to be hard to finish fully, and that COVID is still very much a threat. Well, Notre Dame had to cancel their game this Saturday against Wake Forest due to seven players/staff testing positive for COVID this week.

This is just going to continue to happen. And while it has happened already to a good number of D-1 teams, most notably Memphis and Baylor recently, this is Notre Dame. This is not only a historic school, but a school that has money and can afford to do things to prevent this better than other D-1 schools. They have some of the best facilities in America. I am sure they have alumni that would be willing, or know, or are, doctors that can provide and help with testing and following proper protocols. They do not have many students on campus, I think, so social distancing shouldn't be a problem. This, according to the people who were really pushing for college football, was not what they wanted to happen, especially the week before the SEC starts.

This is also a rough look, at least in my eyes, for the Big Ten. A lot of the reasoning, at least from what I read, was, fans of the Big Ten, alumni, people at the schools, players and coaches all saw that Notre Dame was playing, who's campus is located in the Midwest, in the heart of Big Ten country, and were angered that they couldn't be out there. It was assumed that if Notre Dame could play, why couldn't the University of Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Indiana or Michigan play? If they didn't have any positives, and could field a competent team, why couldn't they? Well now they have positives, and enough positives to postpone a game.

This is no good. This is what I feared would halt the college football year more than anything else. I saw what the MLB did, didn't like their plan, and have seen it blow up in their face a few times already. Games have been postponed. Not all teams have played the same amount of games. The Cardinals missed nearly a month because of an outbreak within the team, and they are playing double headers all the time just to catch up, and not make the playoffs I might add. I think the same thing is going to happen, at the very least, to college football. I am sure the NFL will run into this problem soon, but it is happening weekly in college football now. And what will pollsters and voters and players do if a school like Notre Dame only ends up playing six games? Or say the Big Ten starts, they picked late October because that kept them in the conversation for the playoff, but they have to postpone and stop a few times. How many games will all fourteen Big Ten teams actually play? Eight if we are lucky, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ends at five or six games. The SEC is COVID central right now, and they are just getting started. Who is to say they get their full ten games in. Again, I don't think they will. I would be stunned if they got eight full games in from all their teams. As I said up top, it is not a humongous deal, no disrespect, when Memphis, or even Baylor misses a game. No one is bummed out that Air Force only has two games scheduled. Who honestly cares, outside of former players and alumni, that Houston hasn't started their season yet? But when this happens to Notre Dame, it is a big deal. The fact that they have to push a game already, that is a problem. People aren't happy already. How are people, players, fans and coaches and AD's alike, going to react when this happens to Clemson? Or Alabama? Or the University of Ohio State and Michigan? The really big time, prominent, important programs, like Notre Dame.

This is the last thing the NCAA and the college football community wanted. Other, smaller schools postponing was fine, but when it is a school like Notre Dame, that is scary. And unfortunately this is just the start, in my opinion. It won't be too long before Clemson and Alabama have to postpone as well due to COVID outbreaks. This is going to be a weird, stunted college football season. Be prepared fans. That is all I am saying. 

Ty

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

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The NFL Season is Already a Disaster

Look, I get that the world is on fire. We are deep in this pandemic with no end in sight, Ruth Bader Ginsburg just died, the people that call themselves "Republicans" at the moment are corrupt, racist, homophobic, misogynistic and any other thing you can think to call them. Kids are still learning remotely, sports are being canceled or postponed on the daily. It's a real mess.

With that being said, I have found solace in basketball and reading sports stories. Also music and movies and TV shows have been a great way to escape for a while. Believe me, I am doing all that I can to get people to vote, to make sure my kids and wife are safe, to defund the police, signing all the petitions I believe in, anything remotely I can do to make change, I am trying. But, sports are my safe place. The NBA has been awesome, and I am sure I will write a piece on the conference finals at some point this week. And while I haven't watched much football, I'm sure that will change if/when Michigan plays, I have been keeping up with scores and stories due to fantasy football. I saw that Kirk Cousins was awful yesterday, that the Packers won, that the Rams may not be as bad as I thought and that the Cowboys needed a miracle comeback to beat the Falcons, which if I were a Cowboys fan, that would make me even more nervous for their season.

The one big thing that I noticed, and seemingly all the other players and writers, there were a rash of injuries, sidelining some really good, young talent the NFL has right now. The 49ers apparently lost a good chunk of their core. I saw that Jimmy Garroppolo is out now for a month or so. I am not a fan of his, I think he is overrated, but he is their starter at QB. They were in the Super Bowl last year. Maybe he is like Rex Grossman, but still, he is the starter, and that hurts most teams when the number one guy goes down. I don't know who their backup is, but I am sure he isn't that good if he is backing up Garroppolo. They also lost two D line starters, one of the idiotic Bosa brothers and Solomon Thomas. The Bosa kid, who is a dipshit, right wing conservative nutjob who constantly puts his foot in his mouth, tore his ACL. Honestly I think it is hilarious, and it has nothing to do with my Michigan fandom. It is just karmic to see someone who is a privileged white kid, that happens to be hyper conservative, like scary conservative, get some comeuppance. I know that may be mean, but he has said and done so much worse, so I could care less. Soloman Thomas was finally starting to come on strong last year, I actually like him, so it is a bummer that he most likely tore his ACL. He's had to put in work to get to where he is, and this is crummy for him. Then I saw that Christian McCaffery hurt himself. I think he is out a month or so with a leg thing. That's a bummer for Carolina because the offense is totally ran through him. Teddy Bridgewater is a good QB, but he doesn't have any other weapons now. The full tank may be on. Then I heard about Saquon Barkley. It was confirmed that he fully tore his ACL this morning. This stinks. I was not a fan of his in college because he used to abuse Michigan, but I have grown to like him in the NFL. He seems to work hard, he seems nice and he seems like a great teammate. He is also an explosive athlete. But a torn ACL for a young running back, that usually spells doom. This stinks. He was literally all the Giants had going for them. Then Davante Adams exited the Lions-Packers game early yesterday, Tyrod Taylor left his game early, Breshad Perriman hurt his ankle, Malik Hooker left with an Achilles thing and Drew Lock and Courtland Sutton both exited the Denver game early. It seemed to be a rough day.

This, along with COVID, was another reason why I felt this NFL season was going to be a problem. These guys had little to no time to train. They had no real practice. They didn't really hit one another. They didn't have a good amount of time to get prepared like they would in a "normal" year. These guys are world class athletes, but they are going up against other world class athletes. The lack of proper training for the sport they play was going to be a problem that we knew, the NFL knew and players knew would rear its ugly head. And while some of these guys aren't "super stars", a few are. As much as I dislike Bosa, he was ROY. Solomon Thomas was becoming a pro bowler. CMC is a true MVP candidate. And Saquon Barkley was the perfect modern day running back. He is a literal do it all back. He can run, catch and block. He can also return kicks. This is, unfortunately one of the things, outside of COVID outbreaks, that will most certainly still happen, that made me stop and think about the season going ahead without acting like there was a pandemic going on. The NFL acted like this would all go away, and while it was going on, these players would train normally. COVID didn't go away, and these players had about two weeks to get ready for full on football games. This stinks for the product on and off the field.

Fact is, this is going to be a rough football year, at every level. And not just because of COVID. I think there is going to be many more injuries to prominent players, and that is why we will end up with one or two not so great teams in the Super Bowl. 

Ty

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

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Ty's Favorite Michigan Football Games: October 30th, 2004

Did you all think that I was going to stop talking about my favorite Michigan football games just because the Big Ten reinstated their season? No way. I am still pessimistic about the return, I am still conflicted, and there is still over a full month until the Big Ten is even supposed to start their "fall season". I am going to continue using my Friday's to write about games from the past that I still vividly remember to this day.

I have done this twice already, two recent games, one against Rutgers and the other against MSU. I'm going to talk about another MSU-Michigan game, but this game happened sixteen years ago. This is one of the older games I will write about, but this game has left an indelible impression on me for so many reasons. There are players in this game that I grew to love. There are players in this game that were in their freshman year, and they left Michigan with records. And this was a game that made me so euphoric when it ended, I almost fainted, legitimately.

The game was in October, on the 30th in 2004. An unseasonably warm day in Ann Arbor for a later kickoff, the 2:30pm in my timezone game, and it lasted until about 7pm that night. It was a very long game with many ups and downs, and my emotions ran the gamut. I went through every stage imaginable as a football fan. I am a Michigan fanatic after all. Michigan should not have won this game. They had no reason winning this game. They got torched on the ground. MSU ran for well over 300 yards, 368 in fact. MSU didn't throw for many yards, but they didn't have to. Michigan was pretty quiet in the first half and most of the third quarter. They didn't do much, they couldn't do much, and they looked like they were going to blow a home game against an inferior rival. MSU was 4-3 going into this game, and Michigan was 7-1 and the 12th ranked team in the nation. MSU played like the better team for the majority of this game.

Then the fourth quarter happened.

Now, let me set the personal tone for you all reading this. I was still living at home with my folks. I was yet to meet my wife. I was dating a girl I didn't like much. And I spent the majority of my day making sandwiches at a crummy sandwich shop, then coming home to watch movies or football in my basement room. This afternoon I told my then girlfriend that I was staying in because I didn't feel well, when I just wanted to stay home and watch Michigan play. So I hunkered down in my room and watched. The first half was awful. My dad would usually join me at the start of these games and watch from the chair I had in my room, but he had yard work to do. He missed the first half, and most of the third quarter. He came into my room near the end of the third, asked me how the game was going, and I told him, not great, Michigan looks bad. I also should say, he must have really wanted to watch this game because he didn't bother to shower after his yard work. He sat down all sweated up in my chair. But I didn't care because my team was getting their butts kicked. He was there to commiserate with me, which we still do to this day, and finish up what we thought was going to be a downer of a fourth quarter. Michigan trailed by 17, and they only had one true threat on offense at the time, Braylon Edwards. Unfortunately for my dad and I, we thought at the time that the freshman QB they had, Chad Henne, wouldn't be able to throw them back in the game. And they couldn't continue to ride Mike Hart, who is one of my all time favorite Wolverines, because they needed points, and fast. Hart was great to grind games out, but he wasn't a burner. So we were ready to watch the end of this game and deal with the heat from other people. But things started to happen in that fourth quarter. Chad Henne just started chucking the ball, and much to my and my dad's delight, Braylon Edwards was grabbing anything and everything thrown his way. I mentioned they couldn't lean on Hart anymore because he is a grinder, but I do have to say, he did his part in this game. He ran the ball 33 times for 224 yards and 1 TD. He did more than you expect from a running back. But the fourth, and the three overtimes, were all Henne and Edwards. Chad Henne went off in this game in the fourth and overtime. He threw the ball 35 times, completing 24 of them for 310 yards. He also had 4 TD passes and no picks. That is great for a vet. Henne was a true freshman, in a rivalry game, against a team that was playing the best they had all season. This was when I bought in on Henne. I grew to tolerate him, the best I can do for a Michigan QB, for the next four years. But this game belonged to Braylon. Of Henne's 24 completions, 11 went to Edwards. He also had 3 TD grabs. Jason Avant had 5 catches and the other TD, Hart had 5 catches as well, and Steve Breaston had 2 grabs. But this was Edwards' game. As I said, Henne would loft passes in the air, and Edwards seemed to come down with every single one of them. He would adjust perfectly, snag the ball out of mid air, get perfect position and do incredible things with the ball after he grabbed it. He was a man on fire. This was the game that won him the Biletnikoff award in 2004.  He earned the number 1 jersey, a number of honor in Michigan football history when given to a receiver. He was so amazing that night. Henne lofted a ball early in the fourth to Edwards that resulted in a TD to cut the lead to 10. Then the defense finally got a stop. They scored almost immediately after that. Then they recovered an onside kick, one of the few I have seen in my entire life, and Henne found Edwards on a deep pass to set up the game tying field goal. All 17 points came near the end of the fourth, and all of them, for the most part, had to do with Henne getting the ball to Edwards. Then we had our first overtime. Both teams scored quickly, and I was a little scared. Then each team had mini drives to tie it again in the second overtime. We then got to the third overtime, and in college football, that is when you have to go for 2. I was still worried, because I always am, and always will be. But, I was growing a bit more confident. MSU was starting to get frustrated. You could see the coach bumbling and trying to find an answer for Henne and Edwards. And the offense didn't look as comfortable as they had in the first half and third quarter. Then in the third overtime, Henne dropped back, I think it was the second or third play, and rifled a pss over the middle. Edwards was running a slant pattern, but I didn't notice that. I saw a few MSU defenders converging on the pass and I was sure it was going to get picked. But, like the magician he was that afternoon, Edwards snagged it and ran, untouched, into the endzone for a go ahead TD. Michigan then got the 2 point conversion. MSU came on the field and ran four plays, lost a bunch of yards and Michigan won. I jumped off my bed super excited. My dad high fived me. We couldn't believe what we just witnessed. We saw two freshmen, Henne and Hart, play great games personally, which made me optimistic for the near future. But, we saw a guy who dedicated his body and time to this team, Braylon Edwards, play like the star he was that year. He was simply amazing, and I will never, ever forget this game. This is a personal one because it is against MSU, who I loathe. But it was also a thrilling, high scoring, nail biting game.

I love this game, and it will always be the turning point for me in believing in Henne, falling more in love with Mike Hart and being as big a fan of Braylon Edwards as anyone in the country. This was a great, unexpected win. 

Ty

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

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What the Hell Happened to the Clippers?

Now that I have gotten the Big Ten restart feelings off my chest, I am ready to talk about the Clippers blowing a 3-1 conference semifinals lead again.

This was stunning. I assumed they were front runners for the title. Steve Ballmer jeopardized the future of the team to bring in Kawhi and trade for Paul George. Kawhi was the prize free agent last year. He was just coming off a Finals MVP and helping Toronto win a title and he wanted to be in LA all along. I wasn't so sure if it was with the Lakers or Clippers, but I knew it was LA. He wanted to go there before he was traded to Toronto from San Antonio. To no one's real surprise he picked the Clippers, and everyone, myself included, lauded the choice, the Clippers for pulling it off and Kawhi for not choosing the Lakers. Then they added Paul George, and my head exploded. I did not see that one coming. He signed an extension with the Thunder a year before, and then in an instant he was gone. So due to the fact that the Clippers acquired Kawhi and PG, and did not really lose too much of importance, they seemed like the team to beat going into this season.

And they did just fine. Sure they looked disinterested at times, they nursed injuries longer than they might have needed to, they played to the level of their opponent, but still, they seemed like they could turn it on when needed. I kept saying that. I kept telling anyone that said they may not be a title contender that they were crazy. They have Kawhi, who is one of, if not, the best overall player currently in the NBA. They've got PG, who was fully healthy, is a scorer and can defend on the perimeter with the best of them. And they had the important guys from their core the year before returning. They looked primed to finally make the West Finals and Finals and win it all. Even when the season stopped, and then restarted, I was still fully in on them. Even when the media decided to only focus on Luka and the Mavs in round one, I kept saying that the Clippers were going to roll in games 5 and 6 to close it out. And when they got up 3-1, I was sure Denver was toast. The Clippers looked like they had finally flipped that switch and were going to roll.

Then the Clippers blew a 16 point second half lead in game 5. I thought, okay it was one game, basketball is a finicky sport filled with crazy runs and Denver will never play any better than they did in the second half of that game. Then it happened again. I watched all of game 6. I figured when they built their lead to almost 20 that they were going to close it out. They had the new guys they needed and they looked prime to win. Then they started to foul and foul Denver, giving them free points and slowing the game to a grind. Denver trimmed the lead to 2 to start the fourth quarter and the momentum they had gained from there pushed them to another improbable comeback to force a game 7.

This was when I thought they were in trouble, but hey, I wrote on Tuesday that I thought they were going to win, and win handily. I assumed that Kawhi would do what he did last year, and what he did with San Antonio in their championship runs. I figured he wouldn't let this team blow it. He is too dominant a player to let that happen. And through the first half, and the first 3 minutes of the third, it looked that way. The Clippers had a 7 point lead, Denver couldn't hit a shot and they had to call a timeout. It didn't matter that Lou Williams wasn't making shots, and that Kawhi and PG were bricking everything and that Morris couldn't hit the ocean, they looked like they were locked in and ready to take the game over. Then Denver went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. All the things I thought the Clippers were going to do, they did the opposite. There were missed defensive assignments everywhere. PG was getting beat by guys like Gary Harris and Torrey Craig. Nikola Jokic was making precise passes to wide open cutters. Jamal Murray exploded, at one point in the fourth quarter throwing a prayer at the rim and getting all net. I mean, it was amazing to see the Nuggets just take the will out of the Clippers. When Murray hit that improbable three, the deficit was 13 with about 6 minutes left. Teams can come back from that, it isn't that big a lead, especially in the modern NBA. But that three put the Nuggets up 16, and the Clippers quit, plain and simple. PG was throwing bricks left and right. One of his threes, uncontested mind you, hit the side of the backboard. Kawhi looked tired and sluggish and slow. Lou Williams was missing layups. Hell, the only guy who came to play was Montrezl Harrell, and as much as I enjoy his passion and play, when he is your leading scorer, on a team with Lou Will and Kawhi and PG, that is a problem. The Nuggets didn't just win, they took the Clippers lunch money. They played free and loose, without a care in the world, and it showed. And it showed that the Clippers played tight, with everything to lose and they got taken to the woodshed in the process.

This was baffling. After the game, NBA Twitter was filled with bomb after bomb after bomb. I highly recommend going to see what CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard were tweeting about during the game. It is pretty amazing. Analysts and beat writers and TV personalities were foaming at the mouth. Nuggets fans were cool about it, and I expected that. But the worst of anyone were Lakers fans. Some of the stuff they were putting was downright nasty. I am a Michigan football fan through and through, and I see stuff like this every year when they inevitably get beaten by the University of Ohio State. But, that usually comes from former players and lifelong fans. These Lakers fans were going nuts, calling the Clippers out and doing some wild stuff, even for the internet. It was crazy. But, when you blow a 3-1 lead, and you have a player in Patrick Beverly, who I would love him if he were on the Grizzlies, talking all his trash, and PG playing like he did, and seems to do every playoffs now since dubbing himself "Playoff P", and then to have all the finger pointing and excuses afterward, maybe some of the talk and slander is deserved.

I don't know where this leaves the team going into the future. I know PG said something along the lines of "this wasn't a title or bust year for us". That is wrong. They should, at least, be in the conference finals. But, I do know that he and Harrell don't necessarily get along. They are obviously going to pick PG, so where does that leave Harrell? Is he going to take less money to compete, or will he opt for a big deal that he most definitely will get offered by some other team this offseason? Where does this leave Lou Will? He is the instant offense off the bench for them, but he never meshed with PG and Kawhi. What do they do with Zubac? He plays his role, but could they get someone a little older, and maybe better equipped to play with PG and Kawhi? I have seen the name Marc Gasol kicked around already. And what about their staff? Doc Rivers is back, and even though his playoff record is less than stellar, he has won a title, and I think he is good with super stars. He should stick around. But I am sure Ty Lue is going to be a head coach very soon. Sam Casell will get some interest. They are going to lose some important assistant coaches who definitely deserve their chance to be a head coach. This was a pretty awful outcome for this team as assembled right now, and they will be dealing with a good amount of changes both in staff and personnel. And the way they have acted since the end of game 7 has made this that much worse.

This was a mess, this was not the way it was supposed to end, but here we are. Now I am curious to see how they handle this offseason, and what they look like next year. Maybe I was wrong, and the "Clipper Curse" is real. They shouldn't have blown this series as badly as they did. Definitely not with this current roster. 

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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Some Cautious Optimism on the Potential Return of Big Ten Football

The Clippers collapse will have to wait until tomorrow. Something more personal, in the realm of sports, happened to me this morning, but it seems to have been in the works for some time now. And right before I really get into this, the "president" had nothing, I repeat loudly, NOTHING, to do with the Big Ten reinstating football for the fall of 2020. That dip shit in the White House may think he made this happen, and his dumbass, mouth breathing, racist, Nazi cult followers may think so too, but he had ZERO to do with this. The chancellors, presidents and the commissioner talked with doctors and scientists, and from what I read about it this morning, that was who helped them make a vote to unanimously restart. It was science and fact based, something the "president" either doesn't believe in, or understand, or both.

Me on the other hand, I am conflicted about this news. I even said last week that I had resigned myself to the fact that I would not be seeing Michigan football this calendar year. I had made my peace with it. That still may be true too. Who knows what is going to happen with this virus. Who knows how it will react with the upcoming flu season. Who knows what will happen when/if all kids start going back to school in the near future. All of this is still very fluid and there are still very possible situations that can halt the season before it even starts. I think the Big Ten is being smart, for the first time during this whole ordeal, in waiting until late October to start. I also think it is the right move to play eight or nine games all within an eight or nine week span. Try to cram it all in because that seems like the only way it could possibly work, outside of a bubble. But still I find myself questioning the revote. I am stoked that I, hopefully, get to see Michigan football in one month. I haven't watched very much college or NFL since the new season started. It feels wrong to watch. But maybe with Michigan back it will feel more "normal" to me. I was happy to talk to my dad about what players we may or may not see when I chatted with him this morning. This is something we do every season, and it was nice to have a normal football conversation with him. It will make the season, if completed, feel a little more legit with the Big Ten involved because they have a few teams that are serious contenders. And it will be nice to watch the conference that I have watched my entire college football viewing life.

Yet, there are so, so many question marks, at least for me. I have seen in the news that a good amount of games have already been postponed. Arkansas State had to push a game this weekend to next month because they had an entire position group whittled down to one guy due to COVID and injuries. Baylor and TCU had their opening game postponed due to outbreaks within the team. Memphis played a game, won, and now they have had to postpone one, and possibly a second game, because some of the players went on a party bus, and 20 kids tested positive for COVID, and another 20 are in quarantine for contact tracing. And even within the conference, Penn State has had a pretty big positive case number on campus, Iowa had to stop practicing for a few weeks, Maryland had to stop, Michigan State has moved to fully virtual, it is a mess basically. And that is all over the country at colleges right now too. In the SEC alone, Ed Orgeron, LSU's head coach, went on record and said that he assumes almost every player on his team has already "caught CoronaVirus". That is an awful statement, thought and he shouldn't have said that out loud. This is a college season that is very fragile. It has already been filled with stops and starts. There are tons of games being rescheduled already. But, the Big Ten gave me a moment, albeit fleeting this morning, because they are back. I have been vacillating between joy and fear. It is a very weird feeling, and very much how all of 2020 has been. I am still pessimistic about all of this. I will believe that the Big Ten is back when I see the Wolverines, and the rest of the conference for that matter, actually take the field. I know it can happen because I have watched snippets of real college games last weekend, but I am still a little leery of the Big Ten truly pulling it off. I hope they do. I hope I get to see these kids that I have grown to know and watch. But I am also scared for them. I do not know what the long term repercussions could be. None of us do.

I guess I am just going to have this weird feeling for the rest of the year, and who knows how long after. But, maybe it will be a little different, a little better, when/if I do see Michigan playing in The Big House, even if it is only family there to watch the game in person. What a weird morning, and a weird saga the Big Ten has been on this year. Time to see if they can pull it off now. 

Ty

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

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The NBA Restart Has Given US Two Must Watch Games Tonight

Tonight we have two pretty big NBA games. Let’s talk about them.

The Heat and Celtics will kick off the Eastern Conference Finals. I did not expect this, I believe I picked Milwaukee and Toronto, but I am not surprised Miami made it. I am surprised at how easily they have made it, but not surprised they are here. They are a good team. They play team basketball. They have good to great defenders. Jimmy Butler is proving that he is totally worth the headache when he is happy. They have a great young, and modern big, in Bam Adebayo. And they have shooting all over the floor. They are really good, and have looked really good getting here. Will they be rusty or tired? Maybe. But, I expect Butler, and Erik Spoelstra, to erase that quick and get back to playing like they were a week ago.

The Celtics had a tough, well played and well fought series win over Toronto. Toronto gave them all they could handle. They played them hard, played them dirty, played them like you expect a champion to play, even after losing their best guy, but the Celtics still won. I thought they were a year away. I thought they were still too young. But the young dudes stepped up, and Kemba Walker looks like himself. The knee injury and whatever else was bothering him seems to be gone. But I want to talk about their young guys. Jayson Tatum is a star. I have been lukewarm on him since college, but that dude is a player. He was absolutely great in the Toronto series. He was a scoring machine. He was making open jumpers and getting to the basket. He is becoming what many others saw coming out of Duke. He is a legit guy who could be the face of the league in a few years. Jaylen Brown might be the new Kawhi, except I think he is more athletic, and a better shooter at a younger age. Kawhi is great, more on him in a few, but so is Jaylen Brown. Brown is hyper athletic. He is a dunking machine. He is making open shots. And he is one of the premiere defenders in the league. He is becoming one of those lock down guys, a Kawhi Leonard type. And he leaves it all on the floor. I do not like the Celtics, not at all, but I love watching Jaylen Brown play basketball. He is one of my favorite young players. They also gave a rookie from Tennessee, I cannot for the life of me remember his name, who was playing super important, late minutes in a crucial game seven, and he was great. He played very solid defense.

The Celtics and Heat series is going to be good. I think that the Heat will finally have a series go a bit longer, but I do think the they will win. I think they will win in six, but seven wouldn't shock me either.

The other game tonight is one that I did not see coming at all. The Nuggets have made it to another game seven, for seemingly the tenth time in a row. And they are doing this making humongous comebacks against the Clippers, my and almost everyone else's preseason and restart pick for Finals winner. The Clippers are supposed to be this dominant defensive force with guys that can score more than enough points to win most games. They have held big leads, close to 20 point leads, in the second half of the last two games, close out games, and they have been beaten in both of them. Does this mean the "Clippers Curse" is real? Is Paul George not a marquee guy? Does Kawhi have enough in the tank? Are Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams overrated? I don't think any of this is true. The "Clippers Curse" is bogus. They are a moribund franchise and they, just this season, I will never be a buyer of the "Lob City" Clippers as a real contender, got two real good guys. George is looking a little iffy, but he is still very good. And Kawhi may be the second best overall player in the league, behind only Giannis. I think Paul George is good, and he has rebounded just fine from his rough series against the Mavs. I think Harrell is still getting in "quality" shape, he didn't play in any seeding games, and he barely played in the Mavs series. He is also only 6'7, which is small for his position. And Lou Williams has been everything the Clippers have asked him to be. What is happening, at least to me is, the Nuggets are playing with house money, and they have guys hitting shots in crucial moments. Michael Porter Jr, while he says dumb things, has been solid on offense. Gary Harris has been out forever, but he is looking better. Morris is a great bench scorer. Nikola Jokic is having fun and getting every Clipper that guards him in foul trouble. And Jamal Murray is finding that rhythm he had in the Utah series. He is looking like that scoring machine that made me want to watch him play. This series has turned fun, and I don't think I have been this excited to watch a game seven that doesn't involve teams that I am a fan of. I could care less about these two teams, but I am definitely tuning in to watch tonight. I do think the Clippers will win, and I think they will win convincingly. But, the Nuggets have made it fun, they have made it a series, and if they pull off another 3-1 comeback, they may be one of those teams that is just destined to make a run this year.

I am pumped to watch some basketball tonight.

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 Favorite Michigan Football Games: October 8th, 2016

We have reached Friday, and I am here to talk about Michigan football once again. I read that there may be a re-vote this weekend, that the University of Ohio State's head coach has sent a letter to the Big Ten, that a few schools have had to stop practicing due to outbreaks, that Michigan's president won't talk to Jim Harbuagh or Warde Manuel, basically the Big Ten is a total mess right now. I have no faith in there even being a vote, and I am completely resigned to there being no Michigan football this fall, or even this year. So, I am going to continue with some of my personal favorite games.

Last week I talked about when they housed MSU in East Lansing two years ago. That was a cleansing, emotional watch. That was the return of Michigan football to me. The game today is clearly vanity, and it was a game that I knew, well before it started, that Michigan was going to win. They strolled into New Jersey the night of October 8th in 2016 to play Rutgers. Michigan was the 4th ranked team in the country, Jabrill Peppers was a Heisman candidate and the offense was rolling. The defense was even better. They were shutting everyone down, and making life miserable for their opponents. Rutgers was 2-4, still hadn't won a Big Ten game in some time and were in the midst of being the punching bag they have become the past five years. This was a no brainer.

What makes this game so special, why I remember it so well, is something my dad said to me before the game kicked off. The game was at night, and October 8th just happens to be my father's birthday. So we were in the midst of celebrating his birthday, and my daughter had just turned one the day before. We actually had her birthday party on the 8th. We had it at our house with all of our friends and family over. I miss those days. The game was a night game, so we had all day to celebrate both my daughter and dad. It was a very fun day. My daughter's party was great, and then my wife took the kids home, and I was able to go watch the game at my folks house with my dad and oldest brother. He isn't as big a fan, he is more a Missouri fan, but he still likes to watch games with us. So the three of us gathered around the TV at the house, and that was when my dad said what makes this game so memorable to me. I was talking to him, we were talking about the day, and I said, "so was today a good birthday? Was it fun? What could make it better?". He responded, "it was great, but it would be even better if Michigan scored 70 points and shut out Rutgers". We both kind of laughed, Michigan never really blows teams out like that, and proceeded to watch the game.

What happened for the next three hours was an absolute massacre. Michigan blew the goddamn doors off Rutgers. It was an absolute clobbering. Michigan dominated every phase of the game from start to finish. It was so easy for Michigan that night. In the middle of the third quarter they were running simple dive plays that turned into 60 and 70 yard TD runs. Jabrill Peppers was goofing around on punt returns, which almost ended up as TD's. The defense was impenetrable. Michigan only threw the ball fifteen total times, two of which ended up as TD's. They rushed for nine TD's. Let me repeat that, NINE TD's!. That is insane. And if you are quick at math, not only did Michigan score the 70 my dad was asking for, they actually scored 78. As for shutting Rutgers out, boy did they ever. Like I said, this was the most dominant performance I have ever witnessed as a Michigan fan. When I looked back at the final stats this morning, I did a double take. I mean, I remember it being a blowout, but not the massacre on the stat sheet that I saw. Michigan had exactly 600 total offensive yards. Rutgers totaled 39. Michigan was 6-11 on third downs. Rutgers was 0-17. Michigan only threw for 119 yards. Rutgers, well, they totaled 5 passing yards. Five, singular, total passing yards. Michigan had two guys go for 100 plus rush yards, Chris Evans and Karan Higdon, and Ty Issac was close with 99. Michigan totaled 481 rush yards, which is insane. Rutgers got 34. Michigan averaged almost 9 yards a carry, and Rutgers was averaging 0.9 a carry. Not even a full yard. Of the nine total rushing TD's Michigan had that night, they spread the wealth. Higdon had two, so did Issac, as did Jabrill Peppers, getting some offensive snaps this game. A guy I don't even remember, his last name is Stevenson, you have to be very low on the depth chart for me to not know who you are, had a rushing TD. And Khalid Hill, the tight end turned goal line fullback under Harbaugh, had the other two rush TD's on two carries for two yards. Hill also had a receiving TD, as did Saint Louis' own Jehu Chesson. This was one of the rare games where I didn't bite my nails or sit on the edge of my seat or be ever the pessimist when watching Michigan football. This was as dominant as I have ever seen, and even though it was Rutgers, they are still a D-1 team with guys who were star players at their high school. This isn't like when they beat UMass a long time back 84-7. UMass was, at the time, a D-1AA school, and not a good one. Rutgers may not have been good, they may be going through a down time, but they are still a D-1 Big Ten team, and the game was at their home stadium. But, Michigan won in wonderous, and dominant fashion.

I will always remember this game because of my dad's comment beforehand. He didn't expect the outcome that night, and neither did I. We expected a win, even a big win. But for my dad to say he wanted them to score 70 and shut them out, and then to watch them score 78 and shut them out, that is why this game will always have a special place in my heart. It is a great memory of a near perfect performance from Michigan football. 

Ty

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

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Ty's 2020 NFL Preview

I have gotten some messages from various people online asking me about my NCAA and NFL previews for the upcoming year.

I stated last week that I was not going to do an NCAA football preview because this season is the most asterisk worthy season of all. There are two power 5 conferences, among many other D-1 conferences, that are postponing until winter or fall. There are a ton of major players, first round talent, that have opted out. Oklahoma's coach Lincoln Riley just stated yesterday that he will not divulge any more positive CoronaVirus cases within the team because it "poses a competitive disadvantage", which is wrong on so many levels. Two major programs, TCU and Baylor had games recently canceled for this Saturday due to positive COVID tests. This NCAA season is going to be a mess, and even though I am sure I will tune in from time to time, I will not feel good about it, and the product on the field is going to be messy. I am also certain there is going to be stops and starts, just like MLB, and as the season wears on, more guys, prominent guys, will opt out when they start seeing teammates getting sick. The NCAA is a mess, and this upcoming college football year is proof positive they have no control, and they don't care about the kids. That is my NCAA football preview. Whoever wins is not a real champion, there, I said it.

The NFL is just as bad, if not worse. They have done little to nothing to be prepared for the inevitability that is CoronaVirus wreaking havoc on this season. The NFL, and the higher ups in the NFL have just acted like they are immune to this pandemic. I'm sure they figured that things would be under some kind of control right now. Things are worse, the owners had no plan and now they are just steamrolling ahead with the season, starting this Sunday. There have been notable guys, like JJ Watt and Aaron Donald, who have said that they will not wear a mask while on the field. I checked into "Hard Knocks" on HBO the other night, and hardly anyone was wearing a mask. Well, players were not really wearing masks. Coaches had them on, but for the players it seemed like a suggestion not a rule. And there have been positive cases. As of yesterday there were five positives that were relayed to the media. Who knows how many positives there actually are, but the five they put out there were guys of no consequence. If it happens to a big name guy, things might be different right now. But, it hasn't happened to a "star" yet, so the NFL may think they are doing okay. Also, Roger Goodell was quoted yesterday saying that he wouldn't be surprised if they don't get a full 16 game season in. The NFL, like I said, had no plan, and now they are starting to hedge their bets, a few days before the season starts.

I also have very mixed feelings about the season. Sure it will be nice to see Green Bay play, but how long will they actually play? Which important player will get CoronaVirus first? How soon until half the team is on the COVID list, or they just opt out. You could insert any team into this spot too. I just picked Green Bay because they are my team. Look at the Patriots. They have something like nine guys that opted out way early on. One of the Chiefs starting O lineman opted out to go work on the frontlines in his hometown. They also had their star from the Super Bowl last year, running back Damien Williams opt out to be with his sick mother. More and more of that, I feel, is going to happen as the season wears on. How soon until someone like Patrick Maholmes or Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson see guys around them getting the virus and just decide to sit? I don't think it will be that long. I think they want to play beyond just this season. We still know so little about this virus, and I feel like going out, banging and sweating and spitting and bleeding and yelling at one another on a football field is the easiest way to spread it, and start a massive second wave.

To make everything even crazier, some stadiums are thinking of allowing fans?! Are you kidding me?! That is so dumb. Anyone that goes to see a football game live this year should have to sign a waiver, spend gobs of money on the seats and be willing to deal with the repercussions. I love football. College football is my favorite sport to watch. I love doing fantasy football, I even did a draft which felt so weird and so unfulfilling compared to other years. I enjoy wasting fall weekends watching football. But this year is different. We have much bigger problems facing the country. We need new people in office. We need to find a way to quell this pandemic. We need to try and get out of this pandemic. We need to stop systemic racism. We need to defund the police. Watching football is about the one millionth most important thing right now. It needs to be way, way down the list.

If I had to guess, if someone said, tell me what will happen with the NFL this year, I would say it is going to be messy, perhaps messier than MLB. They will try and play, they have made that clear. But I feel by week four they will have to shut down for a while due to a rise in cases. Then they will come back in two weeks, play for two weeks, then have to shut down again. I think, at most, they will get all 32 teams to play twelve games at best. I think the playoffs will be weird, and not great. I think too many guys will opt out, get sick, get injured or say they are injured because this year is as risky as it gets. If I had to pick a Super Bowl, I really don't know. I would guess Kansas City from the AFC because they have the most talent and returning guys. From the NFC, hmmm, I guess I will go with, I don't know, how about the Saints. They have some solid guys, Drew Brees is still a sell out punk though.

I have zero faith in these picks at all people. It could very well be Miami and Carolina, or Washington and Denver, or even Detroit and Cincinnati in the Super Bowl simply based on how many players get sick or opt out. This season is going to be filled with problems, it will stop and start, guys will leave midway and it will just be sloppy. I hope I am proven wrong. I would love to come on this site and eat crow. But I would be terrified if I were an NFL player, especially a young guy, because this offseason has proven that the owners, GM's and the commissioner do not have a plan, nor do they truly care to have one. This is all messy, it stinks and I wish they would wait until there is some kind of slowing down before just running these guys out there.

That is my 2020 NFL preview. 

Ty

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

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Ty's Favorite Michigan Football Games: October 20th, 2018

Michigan was supposed to start their 2020 football season tomorrow. They were going to play at Washington, then that got scrapped due to the pandemic, but the Big Ten released a full new conference only schedule that had this weekend as the start, and then a few days later, they canceled all fall sports. I could go into the decision making, how messed up the Big Ten has been in their response, how the new commissioner has done a not so good job at handling all of this and how stupid it is that the "president" has been trying to get them to play, he is a god damn doofus and a nuisance. But all of that has been talked about, or I have dealt with in my own way. I'm going with what Kwity Paye said yesterday, and I am not going to read anything or get my hopes up for any new news that floats by my phone or computer. I will only believe there is a season when I see them play, be it in November, the Winter, Spring or 2021. Whatever happens happens now. They have screwed with my head and emotions far too much.

Instead of doing a full NCAA football preview, because this season is going to be very wonky, have stops and starts and be a total mess, and not very good on the field, with all the opt outs and lack of big time programs, I'm going to talk about ten of my personal favorite Michigan games. This isn't in any particular order, these are just games that I remember, games that I enjoyed watching and games that made me happy to be a Wolverines fan.

Today I am going to start with a fairly recent one. When Lloyd Carr resigned, Michigan went through a bad period. They had their worst season the very next season after Carr's resignation. Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke did way more bad than good for the team, each in their own way. And Michigan was being bullied by their rivals. They still can't find a way to compete with the University of Ohio State, but back then, Notre Dame, Minnesota and Michigan State also had their way with the Rodriguez and Hoke led teams. The Michigan State one was the toughest for me to take. They are cheaters, they play dirty, their former head coach is an asshole and they tried to rub it in how great they were. And they definitely handled Michigan with ease. Under Rodriguez, Michigan was soft, and wouldn't fight back. When they got knocked down, they let it get to them. They didn't fight back. They were not a good football team. Under Hoke, they were undisciplined and not well coached. They had so many mental errors, it was hard for them to put together a complete game.

Then Jim Harbaugh took over and brought back a sense of what it is to be a Michigan football player. He instilled the power to be tough, but be fair. He made them work. He got every inch out of the players he had, and has, and they have become a much better team. Believe me, I'd much rather complain about a ten win season than go back to not even getting a bowl game. Year one though didn't work out so great against MSU for Harbaugh. They had the win in hand, and then botched the punt, as every person who knows me always reminds me. Then they went up to East Lansing the next year, with a much better team, and won, but it was a bit too close for how good they were. Year three, they were on their third string QB, the game was in a downpour, and MSU barely won, even though they got seemingly a million turnovers. From my point of view though, I could see the tides turning. I could see that MSU's coaching and dirty tactics only worked against coaches that didn't know what they were doing, or didn't have a full plan yet. Michigan could have easily won two of those games, and they should have won all three of them.

Going into the 2018 year, with Shea Patterson at QB, Karan Higdon at running back, a solid enough O line and a monster of a defense, they were expected to win. Sure, people pointed out the record, that it was a road game against a ranked team, of which Michigan had done very poorly in recent years, and how they may be overlooking MSU that year. There were also some critics saying that Mark Dantonio was still a better coach than Harbaugh. Then we had the pregame incident. Michigan had some of their defenders out on the field warming up. When you travel you have to pick certain times for guys to go out and get loose. At this time, Devin Bush was out there. Well, Dantonio, in his ignorance and arrogance, decided he was going to line up his whole team, have them link arms and walk across the field without stopping. They did as instructed and ran into Bush. Bush, never being one to back down, yelled at them and started to scuff up the Spartan at midfield. I got home from a race that day to see it, and I was loving every second of it. It was what I was hoping I had been seeing the past three years. Michigan wasn't going to get bullied around, especially by a team that wasn't close to their talent level. The media played it up like Bush was the villain, because the media hates Harbaugh for some reason, and Bush ran with that anger and intensity on the field that afternoon. The game even had a weather delay, but it didn't matter after MSU thought they could punk Bush. He was not going to let his team down that day. The game started slow too, it was 7-7 going into halftime. But it just had the feeling that Michigan was in control. Michigan's defense was playing lights out, MSU's only score came on a trick play after a fumble by running back Chris Evans back at Michigan's 20 yard line or so. MSU was already set up in the red zone. Then, in the middle of the third quarter, Shea Patterson connected on a deep ball to Donovan Peoples Jones, who broke a tackle and walked into the end zone for a 79 yard TD. He even posed as Paul Bunyan afterward, the trophy they play for. At that exact moment I knew Michigan was going to win because I knew the defense wasn't going to give up another point. The defense bullied the Spartan offense, causing them to constantly go three and out, and holding them to next to no offensive yards in the second half. Bush was great. So was Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary and David Long and Lavert Hill. They owned the MSU offense that afternoon. Karan Higdon went for 144 yards on 33 carries. Nico Collins got one of his first TD catches. The Michigan defense only gave up 79 passing yards on 7 of 28 attempts. They gave up only 17 net rushing yards. They dominated this game from start to finish. People who read this, then look up the final score to see it was 21-7 might be confused as to why I think it was so dominant, but they didn't watch it, and I did. I soaked this game up so much. It was that turning point moment I had been waiting for, and seeing in the previous matchups. Michigan dominated that day to return Paul Bunyan to his rightful home, and they retained him last year, blowing the goddamn doors off MSU. I don't think it is a coincidence, coupled with the fact that he clearly let players get away with awful, awful things, that this game was a signal to Dantonio that his "reign" was over because Jim Harbaugh can coach some football. He saw the writing on the wall that afternoon in 2018. I hope they get to play again sometime soon, because I think Michigan is a much more talented team, and returning to regularly dominate MSU. But, I will always have this game as a reminder of when Michigan was fed up with the talk, fed up with the bullying and took back this rivalry that they absolutely should own.

October 20th, 2018 was a very, very cleansing game for me to watch. It was near perfection. 

Ty

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

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Is Steve Nash the Right Coach for the Nets?

I have some music reviews I was going to start today, but the Brooklyn Nets had to go ahead and blow my mind with the hiring of Steve Nash as their next head coach this morning.

I was stunned when I saw this. I literally thought it was a typo. I thought maybe it was a prank thing. It isn't. Steve Nash is going to be the Nets coach for the next four years, if he makes it through this contract. What was even more astonishing to me is that Jacque Vaughn, who was the interim coach, and has head coaching experience, is staying on as an assistant. He could have easily gotten a job, considering how well he did with a decimated Nets roster in Orlando, but he has chosen to stick around. I'm sure he has been guaranteed something, or one good season can springboard him to a better job, but still, pretty stunned he is hanging around.

What is more mind blowing is the Nash hiring. We have a guy, with zero head coaching experience at any level, taking over a team that has KD, Kyrie and Caris Levert, who looked like a real star in the making in the bubble. It is almost like Steve Kerr getting the Warriors job a few years back, but he was a well known commodity, and he was totally vetted, and wanted by multiple teams. I do not think the same was being said about Nash as a head coach. I know he has relationships with KD and Kyrie, and he has worked with a bunch of younger guys since retiring, almost becoming a personal trainer/coach, but he is now the guy in charge. He is going to have to draw up plays. He is going to have to juggle lineups and get the best guys on the floor in crucial moments. He is going to have to manage egos. He is going to have to deal with youth, as well as two mega stars. He has the two most wild and off the cuff stars I have ever seen to deal with. He has to, not only get them in the best basketball mood, but in the right emotional state as well. There is a ton on Nash's plate in taking this job, but maybe that is what he wants.

I do think it is a bit unfair for guys that have dedicated the past five or six years to their lives as an assistant, waiting on an opening like this, being more prepared than Nash for a team like this, and they simply got passed up for a splashy name. Also, this is clearly a pick of a head coach that is guided by the players wants than the front office. Nash wouldn't have gotten this job if KD and Kyrie didn't want him there. This was all in their hands. Kenny Atkinson was fired, unfairly I think, because Kyrie didn't like him, and I am sure he got in KD's ear about it. Atkinson was an old school, team ball guy, and that doesn't work when you have KD and Kyrie on the same team. KD and Kyrie are at that LeBron level with their team. They get the final say in most decisions that involve the team. I am sure that LeBron didn't want Frank Vogel as the head coach, but when Ty Lue passed, who I believe LeBron wanted, he was fine, as long as the Lakers were able to get Jason Kidd on the staff. I'm sure KD and Kyrie gave the Nets front office a list, told them to vet certain guys, let them in on the knowledge and they were there when the final decision was made. That is pretty much the whole reason I think Nash got the job, because Kyrie and KD like him, and they wanted him to be in Brooklyn in some capacity, even as head coach. They got their guy, and now it is time to see if he can do the job. It will be made easier because of the star power, but still, what happens if the Nets start slow? What if KD isn't fully back to being the KD we all have gotten to know? What if Nash calls a final shot for someone other than KD or Kyrie? What if the team isn't much better than this year because, outside the two stars and Levert, who will they keep, and are they any good? This team has a lot of tough decisions to make on players who are coming up on their contracts, or seeing if they are the real deal. Are they going to pay Joe Harris? Who will get more minutes at the five? I know KD and Kyrie want Deandre Jordan, but Jarrett Allen is younger and better. How will Nash deal with that? The Nets have big names, 2 of the biggest, and those guys have the guy they want as their "head coach". But, I am not so sure this was the best choice they could have made. I see way more Isiah Thomas when he took over the Pacers than what Kerr has done in Golden State with the Nash hiring.

Maybe I am wrong, maybe he will work, I like Steve Nash the person so that would be cool, but right now, I just don't see it. I think the Nets could have gotten a more seasoned assistant coach, or just stuck with Vaughn, but that is just me. This was a wild morning for the NBA and for the Nets. 

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's Pump the Brakes On All This Luka Doncic Love

The NBA playoffs have been tremendous this season. The games have been awesome, for the most part, the competition is top notch, the programming and "show" of the game is great, the boycott was historical and some of the players have been so rewarding to watch.

One such player who was very good was Luka Doncic. He did some really solid offensive things. That isn't fair, he was electric, on the offensive end of the floor. I do not enjoy watching him play personally, he reminds me of a less athletic James Harden, but nonetheless, he was great. He put up big numbers, hit clutch shots, including a game winning three and basically carried the Mavericks to two wins over a very, very good Clippers team.

With all this being said, you would think with the coverage of him during the playoffs, and listening to the analytics nerds who are destroying the game though, he is the greatest player to ever play. Forget Jordan, LeBron, Bill Russell, Kareem, Magic, or any other hall of fame player, basketball didn't start until Luka Doncic played in these playoffs. It has been a bit too much. It is so much massaging of his ego. People are protecting him as if he is the current MVP and poised to win a title right now. He is not. I already mentioned that he is a very good, to great, offensive player, but he is a sieve on defense. Kawhi did not get the publicity that Doncic did, but he put up similar numbers, hit almost as many clutch shots and actually played defense. Any Clipper that Doncic was put on, for the most part, ate with ease. He really needs to work on that part before I start to memorialize his game. He also constantly complains in the refs direction when he doesn't get a call, or gets something called on him. This is the James Harden part of his game. He whines and moans and shoots far too many free throws, slowing the games down to a dull. It is boring. But again, I have heard basketball writers that I highly respect and adore, most notably Zach Lowe, singing his praises as if he is already this superstar that has won every major award and trophy in the NBA. It was bonkers after he hit that game winner, and then the Mavs went out and got absolutely wiped off the floor when they decided to try 100 percent.

The thing that irritates me most though, yes Doncic was putting up great offensive numbers, but so are Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell, who are playing in a much better, much closer series as we speak. And, they are both still playing. I believe they have a game seven tonight. But their numbers are similar, they both play much better defense, and their series is so much more up in the air, making their performances that much better. Doncic got all kinds of praise when he put up a triple double in a game one loss to the Clipper, meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell put up 50 plus in a game one loss, and it was a blip on the radar. Fifty plus points, and it was mentioned maybe once, compared to full segments dedicated to Doncic on Sportscenter that night. Then Murray and Mitchell both put up 50 point games, in the same game, and it was briefly spoken about on the major networks. They all showed how it hasn't happened in a long time, but then they would switch to a video of Boban and Doncic having fun and goofing with each other. I mean, Mitchell and Murray are doing historic things, and they barely get talked about. Then Murray went out in a crucial game six the other night and exploded. The Mavericks were out of the playoffs by this point, and the full focus should be on this series that is still going on, but it wasn't, unfortunately. Murray has this incredible game, puts up another 50 plus, gives one of the most moving post game interviews I have ever witnessed, and the top story on NBA twitter that night was the bright future of the Mavs. I mean Jesus Christ that is so lame, and so upsetting. No matter how much Bill Simmons and ESPN are horny for the next white super star, Mitchell and Murray are better overall players, about the same age and are on teams that are better set up for the future. They all play in the West too. And I think Kristaps Porzingis is not nearly as good as others do. I don't think he is really a superstar level guy, or a guy that can help you win a title. I'd rather have Nikola Jokic or Rudy Gobert than Porzingis. Both those guys are better, and tougher. Doncic is a very good offensive basketball player. I simply cannot deny that. But people need to realize that there are other guys, guys just as young, that are just as good, if not better. And Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray are right at the top of that list.

I'm just asking to give equal credit where it is due. 

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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Thank You for Not Sticking to Sports

Yesterday was a day that will go down in the history books. I talked about Jacob Blake, the systemic racism in the police department in the US, the hate speech being spewed on the internet and that there was talk of a possible boycott in the NBA playoffs.

Well, the boycott happened. The Bucks refused to come out of the locker room prior to the start of their game 5 matchup with the Magic. The Magic were on the floor warming up, but when they realized what was happening, they left the court and joined the boycott. Three O'Clock came and went, and the Bucks decided it was in their best interest to take a stand. The Magic joined them. Then the Rockets and Thunder decided to boycott their game later in the day, with the Trailblazers and Lakers ready to follow. Before the Lakers and Trailblazers could officially boycott their game, the NBA canceled the rest of the night's slate.

This is historic. Something like this hasn't happened since Bill Russell was playing in the league, and that protest was during a preseason game. The fact that these players, these young men, had the fortitude and the wherewithal to do what they did is simply amazing. I was never more proud to be an NBA fan than I was last night when the boycott started. I was so thrilled that the players were taking a stand against racism, I loved that it was the Bucks since Blake was shot in Wisconsin and I am so pleased that every other player stood with them in this historic moment. There were no dissenters. This was an all for one type thing. And to see everyone come together was so moving and so very important. Then to see Kenny Smith walk off set in solidarity, to see all the tweets from stars and role players, to see Jim Jackson and Chris Webber speak so eloquently and passionately, to see Rachel Nichols, Jay Williams, Marc Spears and Kendrick Perkins all touch on why this is so important, I was stunned in the best way possible.

This was exactly what needed to happen. Just like Chris Webber said, "if not now, during a pandemic, then when". It is awesome. To see young millionaires, mostly African Americans, stand up for what they so rightfully deserve is so moving. Everybody should be treated equally. We all should have the same rights. We shouldn't judge people by the color of their skin. Unfortunately though, we still have monstrous people, especially in the police department, who don't see the world that way. They think they are better and more deserving. They think they have some sort of power that they certainly do not. They are emboldened by the monster that currently resides in the White House. This is a problem, and the NBA, and please do not let me forget the WNBA, what they did was truly astounding and powerful, wearing the shirts with Blake's name on it, and seven red dots on the back for the shots, that was amazing. To see them stand up for what they believe in, to stand together, to say screw it, we want equal rights, the rights afforded to everyone else, it was incredible. I told my son about all of this this morning. I explained to him why there was no basketball last night, and why this was a good thing. I told him that when he is older, he will read about this in history books. This story will be told for generations. My wife compared it to our generation learning about the 60's and 70's. This boycott, the BLM movement, the protests, this is all akin to Kent State and Watergate. This is a shift. This is a moment. And after the NBA boycotted, and the WNBA boycotted, the Brewers decided to not play their game, then a young tennis star decided to not play her match, then a bunch of football teams canceled practices yesterday and today to hold meetings about systemic racism.

We need more of this. We need more pro athletes standing up to their owners and to the "government". I can go protest all I want and make petitions to defund the police, but I won't get a sniff. I am a regular suburban dad. But people like LeBron James and Giannis Antentekoumpo, Chris Paul, Christian Yelich, any famous football player, they can get to their owners, who can get to people in charge and get in their ears. And while I know that finishing the season was on the verge last night, even going as far as the Clippers and Lakers voting to end the season then and there, the NBA did decide to finish. I don't fully know how I feel about that yet, but I do think they can still use this platform to continue to get messages out there to people who need to hear it. But this is historic. This is important. This is something that will go down in history. This is going to be remembered and talked about forever.

Again, I have always loved the NBA, and I always will, but last night that went to a whole other level. I am so impressed and so on board with whatever they decide to do, and I will follow them wherever they go. Hopefully this means a change is starting to happen. Hopefully, this starts a real movement. 

Ty

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

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His Name is Jacob Blake

Another black man was shot, multiple times, by white police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin a few days ago. His name is Jacob Blake, and as I write this, he is in a hospital on life support. Blake was simply walking into his car when the white officers opened fire on him. They shot him in the back seven times. This is madness.

This has to stop. The police need to be defunded. The police need most of their power stripped away from them. The powers that be need to stop normalizing this, and this needs to be addressed. This is a serious problem in our country. There is systemic racism that is being hyper perpetuated by white police officers. The "government" has shown zero progress in making changes, in showing sympathy and trying to understand why this is happening more and more lately. The "government" and the "president" are racists, fascists and they don't care about people that aren't directly involved with them. It's disturbing that this continues to happen and that there is no end in sight. We need to make changes. We need people that actually care and we need people that will do their best to end this.

I also saw a story that some NBA players are contemplating a boycott to the start of the playoffs until something, anything, happens to the white police officers that are constantly gunning down unarmed and innocent black people. They, along with a good portion of the rest of the country, want these murderers, these monsters to be reprimanded and dealt with like the horrible people they are. I agree with the players who are thinking about doing this. They are seeing this all too often, they are young black men, mostly, that have children. They look at other people who have been brutally murdered, George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Philando Castille, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and now possibly Jacob Blake, and they are thinking, enough is enough. They are also trying to send a real message. I have talked about how well the NBA restart has gone, and how it is amazing that the players are using their media availability to talk about systemic racism and what they think needs to change. Chris Paul, after OKC had a great comeback win, was doing his on court after the game interview, and all he talked about was Blake and trying to implore people to go out and vote. That is amazing. Paul George, LeBron James and many others have talked endlessly about Breonna Taylor. Donovan Mitchell hopped on Twitter and gave an impassioned tweet about all the awfulness. And last night after the Clippers win, Doc Rivers gave one of the most moving speeches I have ever heard from anyone anywhere ever in my life. It was incredible. But still, black people are being killed for no reason by white police officers. This is still happening. And when I read some of the comments under the article about a possible boycott, it made me sick to my stomach how awful and rude and ignorant and mean and stupid and spiteful and hateful random idiots on the internet can get. It is truly a disgusting place, the comment section on any website. This stuff that was being written by some of the biggest monsters in the world, who hide behind screen names by the way, is truly horrifying.

Enough is enough. Changes need to happen. And if a boycott to an NBA playoff game, or series, is the catalyst, I say great. We need to wake up and stop the systemic racism in this country. We need better people in positions of power and we need to heal as a country and stop killing innocent black people. This is too much, and I fear it will only get worse. BLACK LIVES MATTER. 

Ed note: Since this was written, the NBA has announced that all games are being postponed on Wednesday.

Ty

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

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The Process Will Continue without Brett Brown Coaching the 76ers

I had an idea to keep an up to date detail of how online virtual school is going, but I decided that I will do that more periodically, giving people a break from all of that. Most of us are living it, so we know what is going on. But, I'd still like to chime in every now and then to keep people updated. Instead, I'll do that, but I will mostly stick to pop culture and sports, and even sometimes get political.

Today we have a whopper, well to some, of a story from the NBA. The 76ers finally pulled the plug and let go of Brett Brown. I think there is a lot more change to come, like the front office and roster, but I want to solely talk about Brown today.

Bret Brown really had no shot unless the 76ers won, or even maybe made, the Finals. This was the year that they were supposed to take the leap. I picked them to be in the Finals, and I know a good amount of other sports writers did as well, mainly Zach Lowe. He is the guy I read consistently, and his take on them before the season made me a believer. Welp, that most definitely didn't happen this year. Lowe said, and I agreed, that the heartbreak against the Raptors last year, the Kawhi shot, was just what they needed to get that hunger up to make a push. Then we had all the stories about Embiid being in great shape, how he wanted to win MVP, which he was my preseason pick, and Defensive Player of the Year. There were also rumors that Ben Simmons was shooting threes, they signed Tobias Harris and traded Jimmy Butler, thus getting the "bad guy" out of the locker room, and their final move was to sign Al Horford. They were going against the grain of the modern game, with shooting everywhere, and they were going to go big and punish teams. They were going to be the modern day Bad Boys, only much, much bigger. Again, that did not really happen. Tobias Harris, while good, is not worth the max contract he got. He's a good shooter, but not a three point shooter by any means. He is also kind of soft. He is a fun guy, a player I like, a decent player, but not a superstar. They didn't get nearly enough for Butler in the trade that sent him to Miami, and they clearly needed his determination in that locker room more so than having a nice guy. Butler may be an asshole, he may rub people the wrong way and fight with staff, but the dude is always part of a tough winning culture. The front office, and from what I have heard lately, Brett Brown made a poor decision in picking Harris over Butler. Al Horford was an absolute zero for them. He did not bring them anything they were hoping for. He was the Embiid stopper,, but now they are teammates. What good does that do? He can't really stop a guy when he plays with that guy. And while Horford is a solid player, he is too old, too slow and is being paid way too much money. They need to try and find a trade partner, but it will be very hard with that contract.

Simmons, well, he simply chose to not shoot threes. He took a few, but nothing like people were saying in the offseason. And even during the restart he was hesitant, and then he got hurt. He also looked way less engaged in the bubble. Is this because of the coaching, or can he not really shoot? I think it is the former. Again, I have heard people say that Simmons was on a very long leash, and Brown was never going to really call him out on anything. Sure, he had some veiled stuff through the media, but nothing like talking face to face with him.

Then we have Embiid. He is a great player. He is a dominant force on offense, an excellent rebounder, can shoot from deep and can lock down other bigs on defense, when he is engaged. He is never really fully engaged, and that is a combo of coaching and the player. Joel Embiid only really showed out when people on TV called him out. Charles Barkley and Shaq go at him, he has a great game. The All Star game happens, he is front and center and he is getting all the touches at the end, he looks other worldly. But more often than not, he just kind of came and went all year. He also openly opined for Jimmy Butler and just couldn't put together enough good stretches. He was way, way too inconsistent.

Finally we have Brett Brown. Brown went through some shit man. He was there at the beginning of the "process". He coached a team that won only ten games. He dealt with the former front office offloading young talent for worse, and younger, talent. Then when the team got better, and healthier, he made some waves, but nothing that this team, as constructed could have done. I don't fully blame Brown, but a better coach would have done a better job with this roster. Brown was good at coaching young talent, molding them and teaching them how to play in the NBA. But, he couldn't coach the stars. When his players got big, they didn't fully respect his voice, and they basically laughed at his way of laying down the law. He didn't have their trust, he couldn't get this team over the top and he couldn't coach up "star" players. He also let the front office get rid of way too much outside shooting talent to have this "all bigs" lineup, that didn't work. Brown is a solid coach who may get another gig, but it won't be with a contender. He will have to settle for another rebuilding project, and I don't know if he has that in him if the same thing happens wherever that may be that just happened in Philly.

The 76ers need to get a solid coach, with respect to get this team over the top, but they also need to revamp the roster to fit with Simmons and Embiid. We all knew the Brown firing was coming, so it isn't a surprise. But still, he coached a team with real talent, and they couldn't even get out of the first round of the playoffs. The time had come. 

Ty

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

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The Timberwolves Should Trade the Number One Pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft lottery last night.

I am happy for them, their fans and management. Unfortunately though, I don’t see a player that is worth that spot, especially for the Timberwolves. They traded for their point guard for the near future when they got D’Angelo Russell. They got rid of Andrew Wiggins in that deal too, which they were hoping to do. They have their modern big man for the future in Karl Anthony Towns. He’s amazing on offense, he’s a great rebounder and if he tries, he can play defense. They got their perimeter defender and, hopefully for them, future spot up three point shooter in last year’s draft when they took Jarrett Culver. They also have solid bench scorers in Malik Beasley and James Johnson. I think Josh Okogie can still be a solid bench guy, Juancho Hernangonez needs some real minutes and Naz Reid definitely showed flashes after being undrafted. I feel like the Timberwolves have an okay, and very, very young roster. I also think KAT is going to be a man on a mission next year after losing his mom to Covid. I think he’s going to have a monster year.

Then when I look at this draft class, the top guys just don’t jump out to me. LaMelo Ball is a talker version of his brother. James Wiseman is so skinny, even though he is my favorite prospect. Obi Toppin plays the same position as KAT, and is he a one year wonder perhaps? I know nothing about the overseas guys except Ball. Who knows about all the freshman that declared. And while Anthony Edwards is a great, great scorer, he has to be ready to go and go hard every night if he’s the number one overall pick. There’s no nights off. He also plays a similar position to Culver, and he’s not as good on defense. Not a lot of good choices for Minnesota.

If I were Minnesota I’d be doing everything in my power to trade the pick for a proven veteran, or if they can, a higher echelon player to team with Russell and KAT. They could try some of the other lottery teams. Maybe they can get Blake Griffin, even with all his injury history I think him and KAT would be awesome together, from Detroit. They could swap picks and Griffin, or even just the pick for Griffin. Maybe Chicago would be willing to part with Lauri Markanen, or send Zach Lavine back and build around Coby White and whoever they take number one. They’re clearly rebuilding anyway. Cleveland is less likely to give up on a guy like Collin Sexton or Darius Garland, but maybe another reunion sending Kevin Love back to team up with KAT, and they can get a younger big at number one. I’d even entertain some kind of idea involving Atlanta and John Collins and Kevin Huerter. The Timberwolves have options. There is no Zion or LeBron in this draft. Hell, there’s no Kyrie or KD or Anthony Davis in this class. There is no transcendent player. There’s no one that is a franchise guy, at least on paper.

My opinion? I think Minnesota would be better off trading out of that top spot. They have power, they have the top overall choice and they have options. I think they’d be best off exploring all of them instead of just sitting on this pick. We shall 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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The Covidiots are Now Attacking a College Football QB

Earlier today an incoming freshman QB at Georgia State said he is sitting out the 2020 season due to a heart issue he has from his recovery from Covid 19. Well, he didn't particularly say that the heart issue was from Covid, but he just recovered from CoronaVirus, he has a heart thing, heart issues have been linked to this disease, so I put two and two together basically. But, he isn't the top QB recruit in the country, he isn't even the starter, but he is a QB who is opting out in a conference that is going forward with a fall season.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Other, bigger named players have opted out, guys that will be first round NFL picks, but none of them have been a QB, and definitely not a QB from a conference that is playing, and not a player from the South. But, he has a heart thing, Georgia is getting crushed right now with new cases, high schools have had to be shut down after being opened and it seems like the responsible thing for him to do. When I saw the news I thought it was a reasonable decision and thought he may be the first QB, but he definitely won't be the last. I then decided to read the story as to why he chose to opt out, and it said all the stuff I just listed above essentially.

Then, for some unknowing, and stupid reason, decided to check out the comment section on the story. I was wrong to do this, and I highly recommend no one else does. It was rough. Well, not at first. At first most people were saying that they hoped the kid would get better, they said he was making the right choice, they supported him, his team supported him, it was all good for about twelve-fifteen comments. Then the insipidness started. Then the fights started. Then the attacks started, and man was it rough. People crushed this kid, his school, other people's political beliefs, it was bad. Then we had the people calling this pandemic a "hoax". We had the people who kept spouting off the phrase, "it's just like the flu". Others said, "he is a young, athletic kid, he should just play, he's already recovered from the virus". It was bad and hurtful and dangerous and stupid. This kid made a choice, he is an adult and he is doing what he thinks is best for his future. Why do others feel the need to attack him? Why call him names? Why bad mouth him and his choice? That is unfair to him and his family. The commentators online are hiding behind screen names and trashing a kid they have never met. That is no good. The trashing of the school is so childish and pointless too. I don't watch Georgia State games, but I also don't watch Georgia or Alabama or Missouri or Texas or a myriad of other teams play. Does that give me the right to bad mouth those schools? Absolutely not. And I don't. I only watch Big 10 games unless the game is a very important one, like last year's CFP title game. So while some may not think GSU is any good, they have fans who are probably bummed this kid is sitting out this year. Your team isn't the only team that matters. There are over 120 D-1 schools, all of which have alumni and fans. It is scary that it has become a political thing mostly though. This disease doesn't care where you fall in your political beliefs, just like any other virus or disease. And this one is particularly dangerous because we know so little about it still. So for "fans" to talk politics in an article about this kid opting out for the year, they need to get a hold of themselves and calm the hell down. He made his choice, there is nothing political about it, and people should be ashamed of themselves for trying to skew it that way. I hope this kid gets better, I hope he can fully recover and play football again, if that is what he wants to do and I wish people weren't so god damn hurtful on the internet.

Look, the world is crazy enough, we don't need anymore psychopaths yelling at a teenager with a heart issue for taking a year of football off. We should be applauding his very adult decision. 

Ty

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

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Damian Lillard is the Better Version of Allen Iverson

Today since we are at the start of the playoffs, and the Trailblazers are playing in prime time, I want to talk about Damian Lillard.

Yesterday I said he is the modern day Allen Iverson, and I want to expand on that a bit more. Lillard is built like him, he’s an offensive force like him, he doesn’t care who’s in front trying to guard him, he’s ended playoff series, and if he wasn’t on a team in the West, he’d be a perennial MVP candidate. Lillard is the best scorer in the game right now. Take all the players in the league, even the injured guys, and I’d take Lillard if I needed one shot. He’s proven he can do that multiple times. He did it to the Rockets a few years back in a playoff series. He did it to the Thunder, with Paul George guarding him last year. He gets buckets and comes up big in the biggest moments. That all reminds me of AI. Iverson and Lillard are built the same too. They’re both barely 6 feet tall. Both strong, but skinny. Both point guards. And both are fearless. And just like Lillard, Iverson was the best pound for pound scorer when he was at his peak. He carried the 76ers teams he was on to Finals. He won a game over the vaunted Kobe and Shaq led Lakers in Staples Center. This is all akin to what Lillard is doing right now.

Now, what I say next might be sacrilege, or bring a prisoner of the moment, but I actually think, overall, Lillard is a better basketball player. He does all the things that AI did, albeit in a softer NBA geared towards scorers, but he is lethal from outside. AI had the crossover and the ability to get to the rim with shocking ease, but his jumper was never the one thing the defense worried about. Lillard is the second best shooter in the league behind only Steph Curry. You have to guard Lillard the moment he steps across half court because he’s liable to pull up from the logo and drain it. That’s no offense to AI either, but he never had that in his game. Lillard is also as good at getting to the basket and getting free throws. He has the full arsenal. And while Iverson was a rocket to the hoop, had the crossover and played with reckless abandon, he never had the jumper that Lillard has. Lillard also attempts to play defense. He may not be the best, he may get hunted in pick and rolls, but he still goes on that end. He’s good at getting steaks and strips too. Iverson had to assert himself so much offensively, he didn’t always have the energy to play defense to the best of his ability. Lillard at least attempts to. And this isn’t to knock Iverson. He’s one of my all time favorite players. I grew up cheering for him as if he played for the Sonics. I love AI. He is one of the greats. But for me, for my money, if you’re asking me who is a better overall player, I’d take Lillard. It’s close. But the fact that he tries on defense, and that he has incredible range gives him the nod for me. AI is great, a hall of fame player, and well deserved. But in the end, when Lillard is done playing, I think he goes down as the better overall guy.

That’s just my opinion.

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 Picks the NBA Bubble Playoffs

The NBA playoffs start today. In fact, I am writing this while I watch the first game of the day between the Nuggets and Jazz. This is crazy that the playoffs are just starting now, but hey, it is playoff basketball and I am stoked. I am going to do my final NBA playoff preview and picks today. So far the NBA has been doing this whole "bubble" thing right, and here's hoping they get to finish this off on scheduled time.

I will start with the East because it truly is the JV. The one seed is the Bucks. They are facing the 8th seeded Magic. This series is going to be a total wash. I know the Bucks haven't looked great in the bubble, but they are now, finally, going to be playing games that truly mean something. I heard someone on a pod say that the Bucks haven't played an important game in almost six months, and that is 100 percent true. They are going to raise their level, play like they did before the shutdown and Giannis is going to dominate. No disrespect to the Magic, but they just cannot hang with Milwaukee. They are too young, too thin and cannot score from three enough. Bucks will sweep.

The 2-7 matchup is Toronto, the defending champs, and the haggard lineup that is the Nets right now. That being said, the Nets have played fine in the bubble, and Caris Levert has looked tremendous. He is becoming a solid player that could be the third guy when KD and Kyrie come back next season. But, besides Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen, the Nets are super duper thin, and their bench is trash. The Raptors on the other hand are, maybe, the deepest team in the league, they have everyone back from last year except Kawhi and they are all about business. They don't mess around, they don't play games and they are in Orlando to handle things. They also play phenomenal defense. The Raptors are going to sweep, and after they do people will start to talk about how they have the mettle to repeat. They are a damn good team.

The 3-6 features Boston and Philadelphia. This series would be so much more fun if Ben Simmons were healthy, and if Joel Embiid went 100 percent every night. They don't have Simmons, Embiid has been in and out of the lineup in the bubble and they have not looked great. I really wanted the 76ers to take that leap this year, but they have been extremely underwhelming, and that was even before the suspension of the season. I would love to see them prove me wrong and beat Boston, but the Celtics have looked really good right now. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been dominant, no one on the 76ers can guard them and they will eat them up from the perimeter. Boston is a better, more prepared team right now. Celtics in five.

The 4-5 is going to be fun with Miami and Indiana. But, if the previous game, where Butler shut down a red hot TJ Warren, it may be a wash. Indiana isn't at full health, the Heat have been goofing around during the seeding games and they just look too damn good to be beaten by the Pacers right now. Warren has cooled off, Victor Oladipo is still working his way back, Myles Turner hasn't taken over like many hoped and Damontas Sabonis is still hurt. The Warren Butler matchup will be fun, but it won't matter, Heat in six.

That would give us second round matchups of Milwaukee-Miami and Toronto-Boston. These are good matchups and should be good series. Miami has a guy that can guard Giannis in Bam Adebayo. But do they have enough scoring? Are Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson going to hit enough threes? Will Adebayo be too tired on offense because he has to guard Giannis? How is Butler going to handle the full offensive load? As much as I'd like to see Miami push, I don't think they have enough yet. And Milwaukee has been waiting for real games. I feel like Milwaukee is going to wake up in the first round, and roll that into the rest of the playoffs. This will be a well fought series, and I'm going with the Bucks in six.

The Raptors and Celtics is going to be great. It is young versus vets. It is guys on the verge of stardom versus guys that know their roles and play them perfectly. It is 2 of the best minds in the NBA going head to head. This is going to be a throwback, rough and tumble series. And I think the Raptors are the better team. They are laden with vets that will do every little thing to win. The Celtics are still too young. Raptors in seven.

This will give us a rematch of the East Finals last year, and this time around I think the Bucks will exorcise some demons. Every team needs to have those tumbles, like the Bucks did last year, and then they can taste victory. That is what I think will happen this series. It will be tough and long, but I have the Bucks winning in seven games, all of which will be very, very good. The Bucks will be the East Champs.

Now the Varsity. The West is so much better than the East, and so much more wide open. Take the 1-8 matchup for example. The Trailblazers are the 8 seed, and they were in the conference finals last year. They are now fully healthy, they look good and Damian Lillard has been absolutely lights out. But I feel like the Lakers are playing possum, much like the Bucks. And while I don't think the Lakers are as good, or as deep as Milwaukee, they do have LeBron and AD. The Blazers will give them all they have, but they have had to fight to get this spot, I am sure they are tired and who is going to stop AD on that roster? I think it will go six because Dame is the modern day Allen Iverson, but in the long run LeBron and AD will be too much for the Blazers to handle.

The 2-7 is strength versus strength. The Mavericks are historically great on offense and the Clippers have the two best perimeter defenders in the league. What the Mavericks don't have though is a defense of any kind. They are going to have to score 130 every night to stay in this series, and I still think the Clippers would win, and win easily. The Clippers will throw Kawhi and Paul George at Luka and he will have his struggles. Also, Kristaps Porzingis is now simply a 7 footer that shoots threes. He is not a low post threat. The Clippers have too much on defense and more than enough on offense. Clippers in five.

The 3-6, the game I am watching now, features Utah and Denver. I'd be more prone to go with Utah to make it close if Mike Conley were still there. He left to be home for the birth of his kid, and I cannot think of a better reason to leave the bubble. Without him though, I just don't know how they can beat Denver. Rudy Gobert is going to have to use all his energy on defense guarding Nikola Jokic, which will make it tough on the offensive end. Denver is also going to be able to throw a plethora of people at Donovan Mitchell with no Conley there. And even though he has some dumbass theories about the CoronaVirus, Michale Porter Jr has been amazing in the bubble. The Nuggets are good, deep and can score in bunches. The Jazz are okay, but Conley going home hurts and their bench is not very good. Nuggets in six.

The 4-5 is my favorite matchup in all of the first round of the playoffs. We have Houston and OKC. Chris Paul facing Harden, and Russ if he comes back from injury. OKC also has so much more size, is deeper and has the best point guard playing in the playoffs. The Rockets though, they have James Harden and this funky lineup with no one taller than 6'8. How is that going to affect Steven Adams?  Is Harden going to score 40 every night? Will CP3 be seeking revenge? If Russ comes back, how hard is he going to go? This series is going to rule. It is going to be fun, with tons of points, scuffles, history and great games. As much as I'd love to see OKC advance, especially after they made all those trades and people like me thought they were going to tank, I think Harden is going to carry the Rockets to the second round. He is so good offensively, the Rockets are going to shoot a million threes and they will make enough to win four games. I have the Rockets in seven.

The second then features the Lakers and Rockets and the Nuggets and Clippers. The Rockets small ball lineup is going to get destroyed by AD, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. AD is going to eat like he never has before. He is going to absolutely own this series. He could easily go for 40 points and 20 rebounds a night. Harden could go off too, but it still won't be enough. The Rockets lack of size will cost them this series. The Lakers will win in six, but it could easily be five.

The Nuggets and Clippers will be harder fought, but with a similar outcome. Jokic will cause problems for the Clippers, as will Porter Jr if he keeps this up. But again, the Clippers can throw Kawhi, George, Patrick Beverly and the Morris brother at Porter Jr. They can also throw Kawhi, George and Zubac at Jokic. He may be able to pass out, or get up shots over these guys, but the Clippers are too good on defense, healthy and finally all back together. Clippers in six.

This gives us the battle of LA, and yes I am very aware I went chalk with the entire playoffs in both conferences. I think that is what the bubble is going to produce. The best, most veteran laden teams will advance. As far as the battle of LA, I think playing in the bubble favors the Clippers. There is no home court advantage, and if we never had a stoppage, the Clippers wouldn't have had a home court advantage anyway. LA is a Lakers town. But in Orlando, with no fans, none of that matters. And while the Lakers won the last game before the stoppage, and the first in the bubble, they were going all out while I felt the Clippers were kind of going through the motions. Now the games matter, Kawhi is going to turn that switch and Paul George is as healthy as he has ever been. It will be a good series. It will go seven games. But I just think the Clippers depth, when they unleash Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, they are a better team. AD will eat in this series too, but the Clippers can throw everyone else at everyone else on the Lakers. I don't like to ever pick against LeBron,  but the Clippers depth and defensively switch ability will be too much for the Lakers to overcome. I have the Clippers in seven.

As for the Finals, I am going with the Clippers in six. I have stuck with them the moment they acquired Kawhi and PG, so why would I change now? For all the same reasons I think they will beat the Lakers, you can say the same for the Bucks. Giannis can go off, but will the rest of the Bucks roster do the same? I don't think they will be able too because of the defense the Clippers can, and will, play. The Clippers will win the Finals in the bubble, and it will go down in history. I'm also going with Kawhi as the MVP because he is the best overall player in the NBA.

There you have it, my NBA playoff preview and picks. Now lets all go watch some basketball. 

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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Time For Another Idiotic, Semi-Racist, Take from Bill Simmons

Since I am in a crummy mood this week I do want to thank RD for telling me to check out Twitter the other night. He told me this after the Big 10 canceled their fall sports, and said to search for Bill Simmons. Oh boy.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of Simmons. I was, but then I grew up, realized he is a mediocre, front running writer and now I have come to realize that he is too, albeit not on the surface to some, a racist. This isn't a new development either. Noam Scheiber of New York Times wrote a great piece awhile back detailing not only his racism at ESPN, Grantland and now The Ringer, but he also pointed out his sexism and his want to be famous and how that makes him treat others as if they are beneath him. I know he read this, and the replies, even though he claims he never does because since that piece, all of the sudden, The Ringer podcasting network had shows that featured writers that are not white that are on staff. It was way, way too heavy handed the way he did this too. I listen, or used to listen, to a good amount of the shows on The Ringer, and all of the sudden guys like Tyler Tines and Van Lathan and Larry Wilmore just started "randomly" popping up as guests, or with their own shows. It was a bit much.

Yet, as he is want to do, Simmons was talking on his pod, again I don't listen anymore, and I guess he had made a statement with another white guy that works there, Ryen Rusillo, comparing Luka Doncic's assists to James Harden's. RD told me this, and I didn't think it would be much. I was reeling, upset about college football, just kind of mopey. But I went on Twitter, just to see what the hubbub was all about, and man oh man was this a very, very underhanded racist comment made by Simmons. He said, "Luka's assists are like Bird's- they're not cheap assists... like the James Harden type of assists".

Let that sink in for a minute. He is saying that a white point guard, who he is comparing to another white player, has better assists than a black man that has revolutionized the way offense is played in the NBA. Also, how is any assist cheap I ask? They all do the same thing. They all lead to a bucket. It doesn't have to be fancy or whipped around the perimeter or anything. An assist is an assist is an assist. Harden, Doncic, LeBron, KD, Russ, all of their assists are the same, at least to me. It's not like these guys are hunting assists. I am not a Harden guy too. He is a great, great offensive player, I just find his brand of basketball boring. But his assists are just as important or special as anyone else's in the league. His lobs are also very useful because he gets teams to collapse on him, leaving the dunker wide open. He is such a threat from the outside, that when he up fakes from three, he usually has two or more guys open, leaving them with wide open looks. If anything, Harden's assists are the opposite of cheap. He is getting guys the cleanest looks they will ever find in the NBA. And Doncic is a great player too, but he is not on Harden's level yet. Doncic is a fine young player, one of the better players in the league, but guys like Bill Simmons, and the majority of the staff at The Ringer are so horny for a white savior in the NBA.

Simmons has made the Ringer in his racist image. The majority of his hires are writers who have, at one time, worked for him already or for the Celtics. That's why they all loved the Gordon Hayward signing when it happened, loved the Brad Stevens hire, but bristle when Marcus Smart calls someone out, or when Jaylen Brown goes on TV and talks eloquently about systemic racism. People like Simmons don't want to see that because he grew up watching a player whose nickname was "The Hick from French Lick". And Larry Bird was great, one of the best. I'm not calling him out, I'm calling out Boston fans that opine for the days when he was the star of the team. For Simmons to say this, and to take the side of Doncic, to call Harden's assists "cheap", it is lazy and hackey and he is trying so hard to be cool. Simmons is no better than anyone that works at Barstool Sports, a horrendously awful website, he just has the ESPN recognition to his name. I have to assume there has always been an underlying racism within Simmons, and now that he is older, it is starting to rear its head. He is trying to be a hip guy, but he comes off as a wannabe and a dork. He makes these grand declarations, and then tries to backtrack immediately.

Simmons is a phony, a hack, the type of guy that reminisces of his high school days, and now, a blatant racist. Since I read this quote and did some more research, I have unsubscribed from anything and everything involving his company. I don't want anything to do with him, or the myriad of white men he tends to hire time and time again. I'm not sure my unsubscribing will do much, but hey, if half the people who read this do the same, maybe we can make Bill Simmons admit he is a racist, misogynistic dickhead one day, and he will get his comeuppance. Here's hoping.

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the College Football Problem

I've had a day, and a not so great night of sleep, to think about the Big 10 canceling fall sports this year. I know the Pac 12 did too, and that the three other power 5 conferences are trying to continue with a fall season, but this piece is about my disappointment, my understanding, my fears and my distaste for how the NCAA treats its student athletes in the Big 10. The other conferences, quite frankly, I could care less about.

Say that college football does play a season, or attempt one in the fall, I am sure there will be stops and starts and players getting sick, players opting out and coaches whining and complaining about the "sanctity of the game". People in the South will riot if they don't get one Alabama or Texas game, so I am sure that their AD's and president's are going to do whatever, including endangering children, to play some football. Anyway, like I said up top, I am disappointed. I am feeling things that I have never felt before. I feel heartbreak, and not like when you break up with someone.

College football, Michigan football, these have been two of the most constant things in my life. They have always been there. Every fall since my existence they have played. This year they won't. I feel like something was stolen from me, like a piece of me is simply gone, almost like a limb has just disappeared. That may sound dramatic, but that is how I feel. I look forward to fall. I like the weather, but more importantly, that is when Michigan takes the field and I have twelve to thirteen weeks of angst, exuberance, anger and joy all at once. When the Wolverines take the field, I hang on their every play, good and bad. I know it may sound sad, but it is true. Outside of family, Michigan football is the only thing that I have ever truly loved. Now it is gone.

There are a myriad of reasons for the loss of Michigan football. I mentioned all the maskless idiots, the people who think CoronaVirus is a "hoax", the MAGA dummies yesterday. After reading why this happened, I found out new things that are happening behind the scenes. One thing in particular that doctors are seeing in young athletes who have had Covid and supposedly recovered from it, they are having heart issues or complications. The doctors have seen this in at least five Big Ten athletes, and they say that others who have recovered are saying they are having heart issues as well. This is what made me stop and really think, is it worth it? Do these young kids really need to risk the rest of their lives to play ten football games so I can yell at them through my TV screen? I know they want to play, they say they want to play, they have been at school gearing up for this, they have spent their lives dedicated to this game, but why on Earth would you want to risk your long term health, especially when you don't see a dime for the work you put into this sport.

That is another big time issue I have with all of this. All of these people who say it is a "hoax", all of the Big 12, ACC and SEC fans calling out the Big 10 and Pac 12 today for canceling, do you really think the NCAA cares about these kids and their want to play? There is no way in hell that I will believe that for one second. The NCAA makes money hand over fist off these football players. The schools do too. So do the coaches. But the kids, what do they get? They get a free education you may come back at me with. Okay, so a free education is worth risking their lives to you armchair QB's? These kids going out and playing a sport where spit and sweat are going to be flying all over the place and they will be so much more susceptible to contracting this virus because of that, you are okay with that? The fact that they will bash into one another for three plus hours once a week is fine because you need your football? That is all BS. These "fans" that say these things are no better than the NCAA and Mark Emmert and the presidents of the schools that voted to cancel this fall season.

I firmly believe that the powers that be in the NCAA were afraid because college athletes were starting to use their voice, and the possibility of them unionizing was becoming more and more real by the hour. I fully believe that the Big 10 and Pac 12 commissioners were much more apt to cancel when they figured this out. They just used the CoronaVirus as the face. I am sure both things factored into the decision, but in the long run, and it saddens me to say, I think the NCAA is becoming fearful that players were going to start to get what they truly deserved. They were going to get more than an education, which they most certainly deserve. The NCAA saw this, and they knew they needed to act now. The fact that it was the Pac 12 and Big 10 that canceled first is no surprise. They have schools that actually care about academics, and don't hold football over everything else. The Pac 12 and Big 10 formed groups that were making demands that any regular working person gets. There are smart kids at these schools. Northwestern, Michigan, Purdue, Washington, Oregon, Stanford these schools are just as hard to get in as a regular student. Throw on the athlete part, and it is even tougher. The NCAA and Mark Emmert thought they could pull one over on these kids, these kids who give them free labor while making them millionaires. But these kids wouldn't stand for it. They made a list of demands, the NCAA and the two league commissioners saw this and they had to shut it down. The kids were becoming too powerful for them. That is so sad. It is sad because they chose their own power over safety. Again, they will use the pandemic as the face to shutting it down, but people in the know know that it was these kids finally having leverage that caused the cancellation.

The same kind of student athlete activism isn't going to happen in the South. The Alabama's of the world, the Texas', the Clemson's, they don't give a rats ass about these kids, they just want some football. And when these kids are no longer good to them, to hell with them, bring on the next guy they say. But what will these diehard fans do if one of these kids, one of the star kids gets Covid and has to miss the season? How will Clemson fans deal if Trevor Lawrence gets it because he is supposed to be a football robot? Or how about Sam Ehlinger at Texas? Or Najee Harris at Alabama? If one of these kids gets it, that team's season is all but over, if they actually do end up playing. How will fans of those teams feel then? Will it be next guy up, or will they actually realize that it is too dangerous to play a sport like football right now? I don't know, and that is the scariest thing of all of this to me.

I was so angry, I was depressed, I am still feeling feelings I have never had just like I said up top, but I do get why they are doing it. I get both the ethical and unethical parts of it. It's upsetting, but canceling, and I don't for one second think a spring season is viable in any context, is the necessary thing to do. Just look at how poorly the MLB has done, and that is a professional league with the best doctors and training staffs in the world. At the end of the day I am upset, but I will get over it. I am hopeful to see college football, the Michigan Wolverines that is, next fall.

While I don't think this is a death knell for the sport, I do think the players need to continue pushing and demanding more rights. If anything, they have the time and the backing of many, many people now. I also don't think the long term risks outweigh the short term happiness any lazy ass American sitting on their couch will get this fall. While I am sad, I will get over it and I am pretty sure I will see Michigan play football again in the Big House with 100,000 plus fans maybe as soon as next year. Right now though, I get why they had to cancel. They had no choice. I will be curious to see if other leagues do play, if they even get close to finishing and who opts out and who stays. Time will tell.

This is a wild time we are living in right now, and it seems to get worse and worse by the day. Football should be the least of our worries right now. 

Ty

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

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