The SeedSing 2021 MLB Preview

I was out on a hike this morning with a buddy of mine, and he informed me that today was opening day in the MLB. I had no idea. I really do not follow baseball anymore, and with the pandemic, I follow it even less. I am so much more involved with my son's team. We started practice the other week, we have a tournament coming up and I am focused on teaching him the game because he seems to be enjoying himself. I didn't even remember that the Cardinals traded for Nolan Arenado, or that Tatis and a few other guys got 300 million dollar contracts. I was reminded of all of this after my buddy told me that it was opening day.

As I do every season, I have my version of a preview. This year, and I say this every year but it holds so much more weight now, please take my picks with the biggest grain of salt you can find. I truly do not know too terribly much anymore. Hell, I didn't realize how old Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina are now. I assumed they were still in their prime. Anyway, I do have some picks, so let's get to it.

I'll start with the American League. When I looked at the teams to get an idea, the only two that really popped out to me were the Yankees and Twins. I'm sure other teams are good, but I at least know of some guys on both these teams. In the AL East, I have to pick the Yankees. I know the Rays have been a solid team, I believe they even made the playoffs in the shortened season last year (ed note: They made the World Series and won a couple of games), so I am sure they will be some kind of threat. And the Blue Jays do have Vlad Guerrero Jr, and that kid rules. But they are the new disappointment team every year. As for Boston and Baltimore, they were both bad, especially Baltimore, and I do not think they did anything to change that this offseason. I think the Yankees will roll.

The Twins should roll in the AL Central. They are the best team. They are the AL version of Atlanta. They are up and coming, but their time is now. The Indians will be okay because they always are, but they have some off field stuff they need to deal with first. The Royals are bad, and so are the Tigers. Those teams will be lucky to win 70 games. The White Sox are kind of a wild card, but I know they lost a key hitter to injury. We will see. But the Twins are the cream of the crop here.

The AL West seems like a real dumpster fire. The Rangers are allowing their stadium to be at full capacity, so they will most definitely have a COVID stop that will crush them. The Mariners seemingly are never going to get over the hump. The Angels are wasting Mike Trout's best years. And the Astros are a bunch of cheaters. I guess this means I am going with Oakland, but Oakland always bows out early in the playoffs. They will win the division, and then get swept in the first round by a team that might not be as good as them.

As for the AL champ, I am going with the Yankees strictly because they have the most guys that I still know, and if those guys are healthy, they are going to hit a ton of homers.

Now for the National League.

The NL East is off to a bad start already with the Mets and Nationals postponing their opening game due to COVID. That being said, I think I am going with the Mets to win this division. They have one of those 300 million dollar guys, and they made a ton of offseason moves that look helpful. The Nationals do have a good amount of pitching, but I think their window is closed. The Marlins were better than I thought in the shortened season, but they are still so very young. They're not ready yet. The Phillies have Bryce Harper, but I think both parties are regretting that deal. And the Braves are very, very good. I think they will be a playoff team, but I think it will be a wild card. Hell, they may win it all. But the Mets made those moves, and they want to win. That is why I am picking them.

The Dodgers are going to roll yet again in the NL West. They are absolutely loaded everywhere. They are the new Yankees. They are the Warriors and Bulls of the MLB. They are the Patriots. They are Alabama. They are unstoppable. The Padres will fight and claw and win some games, and Tatis Jr is awesome, but they are not the Dodgers. And the rest of this division is very mediocre. The Giants are in a swoon period, the Diamondbacks have spent money, but they have traded away great assets and the Rockies are .500 at best. The Dodgers are the cream of the crop.

The NL Central features my hometown team, and they have a very good lineup now, but they do not have the best pitching. That being said, I think they will win the Central this year. The Cubs are very good, but they seem like a team that is going to blow things up soon. They are not going to be able to keep everyone. RD's team, the Reds, have Joey Votto, and not really anything else. They have let good players walk for nothing. I think RD would agree with me (ed note: yup). The Pirates are as bad as Baltimore. And the Brewers are very good, but last year may have been a one time thing. I am going with my heart here and picking the Cardinals.

As for the NL champ, it is the Dodgers. Duh. They are too damn good to get beat. I also have them winning another World Series. They are the best team in baseball. Hell, they may go through the playoffs undefeated. They should win well over 100 games. The Dodgers are the dominant team in baseball. Full stop.

Ty

Another View

Ty is right about almost everything here. The Reds will stink again, along with three quarters of the American League. The Dodgers look loaded, but it has never been easy for them, and something seems to happen to the team in a more semi normal season. The Padres, Braves, and Cardinals could take down the Dodgers in a playoff series. The Cardinals are old, the Padres are young, and the Braves are just right to make that midseason trade and win the NL Pennant.

In the American League it is the Yankees and everyone else. Unfortunately for New York, their big guys either under produce or they get hurt. This leaves an opening for an upcoming team, a team like the Chicago White Sox.

Atlanta will beat Chicago in six games to win the second COVID World Series.

RD

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Talks 2021 Final Four

The Final Four is set, in both the men's and women's tournament. I have not watched the women's tournament, but I saw UCONN won, with a little controversy, but when they get this far, I just assume that they are going to win. That is my pick in the women's tournament. As for the men's tourney, I have watched a good amount of it. I have been really involved. I like that some players are speaking out against the NCAA, but that has not stopped me from watching this tournament endlessly. So, I have some takes going into the two games this weekend, and who I think will win it all.

I'm going to start with my team, Michigan. They blew it last night. They went ice cold at the absolute worst time. Mike Smith, who I love, was not even playable at moments. Franz Wagner picked a terrible time to have his worst game as a Wolverine. Hunter Dickinson did not wake up until early in the second half, and they needed him fully engaged all game. Eli Brooks didn't get enough touches. I wish Chaundee Brown played more. But I have to give UCLA a ton of credit. They locked Michigan down. They swarmed all night. They may be smaller, but that did not matter in the grand scheme of things. And that Johnny Juzang kid was the only player that could hit a shot. He played lights out, and he did it when they needed someone to. Even after he rolled his ankle, he came back and Michigan still could not stop him. Michigan blew it. They had multiple chances, ten to be exact, and they missed every single one of those shots. This was a rock fight, save for Juzang, it was a messy and sloppy and gross game to watch and the deserving team won last night. The Big 10 fell on its face, they couldn't get it done and this season will go down as a wash. Maybe the Big 10 is overrated. But again, kudos to UCLA for what they did last night, and for this run that they have been on since making the tournament.

The Bruins reward for winning last night, they now get to face Gonzaga. Gonzaga has looked absolutely dominant. They have looked amazing on both ends of the floor. No game has been that close. They have come out and steamrolled their way to the Final Four. When Oklahoma got an early lead on them in round two, I thought here is where they choke. That did not happen. They easily turned that deficit into a double digit win with ease. Then I thought USC was going to give them a real problem last night. They have length and size everywhere. They have players that looked like they could lock down some of Gonzaga's stars. That did not happen. Gonzaga did not trail for one second of that game. They won 85-66, and it was not that close. They are such a good team. Maybe this is the year where they finally live up to the hype.

The other two elite eight games were pretty solid. Baylor raced out to a big lead over Arkansas, but Arkansas cut it to single digits before the half. They looked like they may have figured Baylor out. Then Baylor realized how athletic they are, and how great defensively they are, and took control back with ease. The game felt kind of back and forth, but Baylor was never not in control. They won by 9, but some of Arkansas' points came at the end. They were hollow. It was like when a football team wins a game 24-14, but they led 24-7 up until there were three minutes left in the game and they put in their backups. Baylor has proven me dead wrong in this tourney. I thought their COVID pause was going to hurt them. It has not.

As for Houston and Oregon State, that game ended up being much closer than it should have. Houston led by 19 in the middle of the second half, but then Oregon State started to hit some shots. They came all the way back and tied the game at 55. Then Houston woke back up, locked Oregon State down, made some free throws and walked away with, I believe, an 8 point win. Houston is really, really good on defense, they just have these little lapses that could kill them in the Final Four.

On Saturday we will get the two Final Four games, with Houston facing Baylor first, and the night cap will be Gonzaga and UCLA. I think Baylor is way too good to let Houston's defense, as elite as it is, slow them down. Baylor is playing with swag, they look loose and free, they play almost equally as good defense as Hosuton, and they just seemed destined to be in the title game. There is a reason they were the number two team for most of the year. Baylor should beat Houston.

As for UCLA and Gonzaga, the Zags should cruise. They should score upwards of 90 points, if they want. They should be able to easily stop UCLA. UCLA wants to slow the game down to a grind, but I do not think that matters to Gonzaga. Gonzaga is loaded everywhere on the floor. They are the better team. They are the best team in college basketball this year. I think at this point the only thing that can stop Gonzaga is if someone on their team gets COVID and they have to forfeit. They should cruise by UCLA.

That means I have Gonzaga and Baylor in the title game. And surprise, surprise, I am picking Gonzaga. Baylor will be the best team they will face all year, but Gonzaga is a different breed this year. They are too loaded, too good, too fast, can play any pace, can beat any team. Gonzaga is the best team and they should easily win the title. We now will have to wait a week to 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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Urban Meyer is Not Ready for the NFL

I was recently checking some NFL news, it has been a free agent bonanza lately, and I came across quite the interesting story for me. I felt like the people writing this particular piece had me in mind when doing it.

What’s the story?

Free agency had just ended, and it appeared that the new Jacksonville Jaguars coach, a man who I despise, who I think is a liar and a cheater, who makes excuses constantly and continues, even now, to make poor choices, Urban Meyer, does not like how the NFL does their free agency. He complained that you do not get to talk face to face with the players, that everything is done through their agents. He claimed that "in the old days" it was more important to have a dinner with the player, to get to know them, before deciding if he wanted to sign them. But now he guessed that it has just changed. That the players kind of pass the buck to their agents, and let them do the work.

Well Urban, this has been going on forever. Even me, just a fan of football, knows that this is the case. This is not college football anymore. You do not have to convince a kid to come and play at your school. These guys are established pros, guys who have made copious amounts of money, guys that want to go to a place where they will either get more playing time or compete for a ring. They do not need to be sold by anyone, especially a coach who will be, most likely, making less money than them. Professional football players do not want some show. They do not need to see their number in the stands, or have some PA announcer say some nonsense about how they are going to be the greatest to ever play for a certain team.

When the Clippers did this for Blake Griffin I cringed. And now look at where Griffin is in his career. The Clippers traded him less than a year into that contract, he struggled mightily in Detroit, and while I like his fit with Brooklyn, he still looks out of shape. All of that happened because the NBA is a business. This might have worked at Oklahoma, when he played there, but in LA, when he was no longer an asset, they let him go. The same can be said for the NFL, except the NFL is so much more cut throat. I remember when running backs were the hot commodity. Now, they will be cut or released two to three years into their career. People are already crushing the Cowboys for paying Ezekial Elliot so much money. Leonard Fournette has become a spot back making far less than when he was a rookie. Doug Martin is out of the league. They didn't produce like some teams thought, and they cut them. That is how it goes.

For Meyer to say what he said, to whine like this, to be this, quite frankly, stupid about how free agency works, it makes me think he is not going to be the success himself and Jacksonville thought when they hired him. I did not like the move because I thought something like this was going to happen. It is just like Chip Kelly and Steve Spurrier's offense getting figured out so quickly. It reminds me of all the awful decisions the Washington Football Team has made trying to lure big time free agents. It is akin to what Dallas has done the past couple years. Teams, mainly the GM's, have to be shrewd. That is why New England and Green Bay, and even Kansas City, who just restructured Patrick Mahomes humongous deal are so good. They know how to do free agency because they do not have college guys running their system. Meyer was a great college coach. It hurts my soul to write that, but it is true. He also was an ace recruiter, and I am sure he did most of it underhanded. I'm sure he skirted some rules to constantly get the best kids. I think every major school does it. Even Michigan. But in the pros, and I know I have said it a ton, these guys do not need the money. They have plenty of it. Most players have people that work for them who help them invest and save because they have too much money. Meyer needs to realize that very, very soon. He is going to have to rely on young, inexperienced players to win. He will have a rookie QB starting for him. He is going to have to learn to build a team through the draft because free agents are not going to want to play for one of the worst franchises in the NFL. All of their good players have left for greener pastures and better teams. If Meyer is frustrated by free agency, just wait until he has to face a very good NFL defense that isn't going to be intimidated by a hurry up spread offense. Those guys won't be fooled. They will be ready to rip some heads off.

The Urban Meyer era has started off very rocky in Jacksonville, do not forget he hired that former Iowa coach with a racist past and a penchant to undermine players and then gave some BS apology after he was forced to resign. Add on this free agency thing now. And they haven't even had a practice or played a game yet. I still think he has a small chance to succeed in the NFL, but that window gets smaller and smaller for me everyday whenever another story like this comes out. Times could continue to be rough in Jacksonville unless they get their coach to realize this is a business, that this isn't college anymore. If they don't, they will be looking for another new coach much sooner than they hoped.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty's Thoughts on the NBA Trade Deadline

I was waiting until after the NBA trade deadline to write about it today. I did not want to write about a trade that didn't happen only to have it happen two hours later. I wanted to give myself time to see it all the way through, even so far as to waiting to see the big names on the buyout market. Now that we are over an hour past the deadline, I have some takes.

A few "big" trades happened a few days, or even weeks, before the deadline. PJ Tucker made his way to the Bucks a week or so back. There was the massive three team Harden trade over a month ago. And we had all the offseason craziness that occurred. But this deadline, this was as wild and crazy as I can remember in some time.

The day started slow. The Clippers traded a bench guy for future stuff, and Delon Wright moved from Detroit to Sacramento for Corey Joseph and picks. These moves didn't really do much for me, and I do not think they do much to change the future of the teams involved. Then around 9 am Saint Louis time stuff started to really happen.

The first trade I saw was JaVale McGee to Denver for Isaiah Haretnstein and picks. This is a good move for Denver right now, and maybe even better for Cleveland in the near future. McGee is a great backup to Jokic, and has proven he is a quality bench veteran for a contender. Just look at his time with the Lakers and Warriors.

Next was one of the bigger trades, and the first of many moves for Orlando. They traded Nikola Vucevic and Al Faroq Aminu to the Bulls for Otto Porter Jr, Wendell Carter Jr and picks. I like this trade for both teams. The Magic aren't going anywhere this year. They stink. So they were pretty much forced to move Vucevic. In return they get Otto Porter, who still could be bought out and Wendell Carter, plus those picks. Carter never got quality time in Chicago and a fresh start seems great for him. The picks are for rebuilding. For Vucevic, he gets to go to a team fighting for a playoff spot, and adds more scoring to a team that has Zach Lavine and Coby White. Those three will fill it up night to night. And Al Faroq Aminu is a seasoned vet with decent playoff experience. Both teams "won" this deal.

Right after trading Vucevic, the Magic immediately moved on from Evan Forunier, trading him to Boston for Jeff Teague and more picks. Again, the Magic will probably buy out Teague, and they got more future picks. Fournier has not been great this year, but he brings some much needed bench scoring to a Celtics team that desperately needs it right now. This trade isn't as "sexy" as the Vucevic one, but I get it.

Boston then decided they needed to trade Daniel Thiess for Mo Wagner. This trade confuses me a bit. Thiess was a good defender against other teams centers, and as much as I loved Wagner while he was at Michigan, the dude does not play a lick of defense. He can score and stretch a defense, but Boston will miss Thiess' defense. He may like playing with Russ and Brad Beal though. And they will love his toughness.

After being quiet for about five minutes, Orlando then made their biggest move of the day, trading Aaron Gordon to Denver. I love this move for Denver. This will only help them. This makes them so much more athletic and switchable than they already were. Gordon should thrive alongside Jokic and Jamaal Murray. He is a perfect third option on a very good team. This move, to me, pushes Denver to the second or third best team in the West. Denver did have to give up Gary Harris and RJ Hampton, but it is worth it to get Gordon. Harris has fallen off a bit, and Hampton rarely sees the floor. With Orlando they will both get so much more time, and set themselves up for future contracts. But Denver getting Gordon is a big, big deal.

The Kings, after making one move, traded Nemanja Bjelica to the Heat for Moe Harkless and Chris Silva. This isn't a bunch of big names, but it adds shooting for the Heat and depth and some youth for the Kings.

The Trailblazers got a steal when they traded for Norman Powell. He has been on fire this year, he adds scoring depth and has played solid defense. All Portland had to give up was Gary Trent and Rodney Hood, both of whom I wouldn't be surprised if they were bought out. Toronto seems to be punting this season anyway.

The 76ers got a solid point guard in George Hill. While he is not Kyle Lowry, he is another tough nose vet who will really help the 76ers, especially with Embiid still out.

The Thunder acquired Tony Bradley, who just had a career night, Terrance Ferguson and more picks. I think all they want is the picks, but Bradley is a nice addition.

The Knicks got involved in this deal as well. They sent Austin Rivers to OKC and acquired Terrance Ferguson. They also traded Ignas Brazdeikes, another former Wolverine, to the 76ers. This deal was all about getting the 76ers a point guard, and that is what they got in George Hill.

Things slowed down for a half an hour after that, with bench players being traded for other bench players. Then the Clippers traded Lou Williams to the Hawks for Rajon Rondo. I love this trade for the Hawks and I am very skeptical about the Clippers. I know Rondo was great in the Finals, and all of the playoffs when he was healthy for that matter, but he does not add scoring at all. They have two Patrick Beverly's. Lou Williams is a walking bucket, one of the better sixth men in the league, and he is from Atlanta. The Clippers traded scoring for point guard depth, but the Hawks got the better of this deal. Lou Williams is going to love playing in a free flowing system in Atlanta. The Hawks "won" this trade.

Then right at the end of the deadline, literally with seconds left, two big deals got done. JJ Redick joined the Mavericks when the Pelicans traded him for James Johnson and Wes Iwundu. I'm sure the Pelicans will buy out both those guys. This was purely for Redick to go to a team that is almost a playoff lock. The Mavericks got more shooting, but they did not add any defense. They are also the whitest team in the NBA. They are like the Iowa of the NBA. Then, maybe 30 seconds past the deadline, the ink dried on a Victor Oladipo trade to Miami. Houston finally pulled the trigger and let Oladipo go for Kelly Olynkn and Avery Bradley and a pick swap. The Rockets can continue to tank, and the Heat add a serious athlete on a rental who should now start going full bore since he is looking to cash in this offseason. The Heat needed a guy that can create his own shot, that plays sound defense and who can coexist with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. If this doesn't make Oladipo take that next step, nothing will. He got what he wanted, the Heat got what they wanted and so did Houston. This was another "win" for both teams.

At this point, the two biggest names on the buyout market are LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond. Both will find good teams to join by the end of the night I would guess.

There was such a flurry of moves I didn't even mention some guys that stayed put. Lonzo Ball is still a Pelican, Kyle Lowry will most likely retire a Raptor, Myles Turner stays in Indiana. These names were mentioned, among others, but they stayed put. But this deadline did not disappoint. There was a flurry of movement and I loved following along all morning and early afternoon. Now I want to see these guys in their new uniforms, especially Aaron Gordon in Denver, What a deadline.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Thoughts on the First Weekend of the Men's NCAA Tournament

The first two rounds of the men's NCAA basketball tournament are in the books, and I have some takes.

Right off the bat, my bracket is busted, and I am sure pretty much everyone else's is also. This has been a wacky tournament filled with upsets. It was kind of stunning to turn on the TV the past couple of days and see that there was another upset. So many teams, teams with real promise, are out. Their seasons are over. And some lower seeded teams, some that some people would call "Cinderella", a term I am not a big fan of, have made their way to the Sweet Sixteen, and done it with relative ease. I do want to point out that three of the number one seeds are still in the tournament. Illinois, more on them in a second, is the only one that got knocked out. But the other three have taken care of business to this point. Also, the Sweet Sixteen is filled with teams from power five conferences. 11 of the 16 come from power conferences, and Gonzaga is not a "Cinderella" anymore. They haven't been for years. They are legit. Hell, I'd go as far to say that Loyola Chicago isn't really a "Cinderella" either. Two of their five starters were on the same team that made the Final Four a few years back. I guess what I'm getting at is, some of these teams may be seeded as underdogs, but they have played top notch competition all year. They are solid teams.

As for the Big Ten, this tournament has been a major disappointment. They looked like the best conference in college basketball all regular season. They had three and four teams ranked inside the top ten all year. They had two number one seeds. Their conference tournament was pretty great. Now Michigan is the only team left, and they barely beat LSU. I love my Wolverines, but they are on very thin ice. Their play has left a lot to be desired. They are still here, but barely. The eight other Big 10 teams, what a bummer. Illinois looked like one of the big favorites, and they got owned by Loyola. I know Loyola is good, and they were under seeded, but Illinois is a much better team. They just laid an egg at a horrible time. Michigan State couldn't hold a big lead, the players and their coach were openly fighting going into halftime and they blew their game. Rutgers and Maryland each won one game, but they both bowed out in round two. Iowa got crushed by Oregon, who got a free pass to the second round. The university of Ohio State was the ninth 2 seed ever, in the history of the tournament, to lose to a 15. The online aftermath of that has been disgusting by the way. No player deserves what that kid had to deal with. Wisconsin smoked UNC, and then got their asses blown out of the water by Baylor. And Purdue, they let North Texas win their first tournament game ever. This has been a bad tournament for the Big Ten.

The Big 12 hasn't fared much better. Kansas got thumped by USC last night. Texas was beat by Abilene Christian. Oklahoma ran into the Gonzaga buzzsaw. Oklahoma State, my pick to win it all, was destroyed by Oregon State. And Texas Tech blew a humongous opportunity against Arkansas. All the Big 12 has left is Baylor. They are just like the Big 10.

The ACC has done okay. Outside UNC getting throttled in round one and Virginia being upset, they are fine. Florida State looks really good right now, especially on defense.

The SEC is also doing okay. Alabama looks good and Arkansas can run up and down the floor with the best of them. The only true "upset" was Oral Roberts beating Florida.

The Pac 12, on the other hand, that conference has looked awesome. They got five teams in and four are in the Sweet Sixteen. Oregon, who got the free pass because VCU had a COVID issue, looked like world beaters in their game against Iowa. USC dismantled KU. That game was over at the half. They looked so much bigger, stronger and better coached. UCLA has taken their comeback win in the First Four, and they have rolled since then. And Oregon State, the Pac 12 tourney winner, smoked Tennessee, and then did the exact same thing to Oklahoma State. They look legit.

The non power 5 teams left are very worthy. Loyola Chicago is under seeded, but they have done what they do in the tourney. They play a solid team game, and their defense is so, so, so good. Houston has always been able to score, and now they are playing sound defense. They will be a problem. Oral Roberts may be a 15 seed, but they have the top scorer in the country, they won 20 plus games this year and they are playing great basketball right now. And Gonzaga has looked every bit as good as advertised. The other teams, Creigthon and Villanova, they don't do much for me. Creighton has to play Gonzaga and Villanova gets Baylor. Those would be humongous upsets, and this tournament has shown us that that is a real possibility, but I would not bet against either Baylor or Gonzaga. Those were the favorites coming in, and I think they still are. I'm also surprised they only had one game canceled due to COVID to be honest. I figured we'd have a few more.

So far this has been a crazy tournament, filled with wild upsets, but it has also been fun as hell to watch. My bracket died on day one and I couldn't have cared less. This is what the tournament should be like, and after it was canceled last year, for all the right reasons, it is so nice to be watching the tournament once again. I am so happy to have it back. Let's hope the rest is as wild and crazy and fun as the first weekend.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Picks the 2021 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

The men's NCAA basketball tournament bracket was released last night. Last year this did not happen for the first time ever. COVID took it away. At the time I was upset, but it was the right decision. We did not know anything, and still are learning new things, about this virus, and to have had these kids play would have been a disaster. And while I still think this is not as safe as it could be, at least they are doing it bubble style and it is all in one place in a few different gyms. They are doing it safer, but it is still kind of tearing me up knowing that I am going to watch this and not feel so good about it. That has been my experience the last year watching sports, specifically college sports. But I will watch, and watch as much as possible, so that means I have a prediction for everyone.

Before I get into it, know that I have not won a bracket challenge in about five years, and I am really, really going out on a limb this year. I think this is going to be a chaotic tournament, but not until the second round. I think, for the most part, the first round will be chalk, with an upset here and there. But when we get a little deeper, it will be pretty wild. I have a total outcast pick as my title winner too. I just wanted you all to know that up front. Now let's get to it.

As I said, the first round is mostly chalk. I have all the 1 and 2 seeds advancing, I only picked one 12 seed to beat a 5, and I do not think any teams that play in the first four will win more than one game, the first four game. I have every Big Ten team, except Wisconsin and Maryland, winning at least their first game, with most making deep runs. I picked Rutgers to win in round one, and this is their first tourney appearance since 1991. I think the rigors of playing in the Big Ten is going to help these teams in the tourney. I'm also very, very high on UCONN and I love Oklahoma State, more on them later. But yeah, I am pretty much chalk.

Then it gets a little wonky in round 2. I have UNC beating Baylor. UNC is not as good as them, they did not end the ACC tournament as well as I thought they would, but I just have a feeling. Maybe it is because Baylor has kind of fizzled at the end here, and they may still be recovering from their COVID pause. I just do not trust them. This probably means they will crush and cruise to the Final Four. But where we stand right now, I think UNC will beat them. I also have Georgetown making a run to the Sweet Sixteen. They are rolling right now, they got a nice draw in opening with Colorado, and I have them facing UNC Greensboro, who I do have upsetting Florida State in round one. Winning these conference tourneys usually leads to some kind of success in the NCAA tournament, and I think a run to the Sweet Sixteen would be a huge win for Georgetown and Patrick Ewing right now. I have UCONN beating Alabama also. That kid Bouknight is so good, and such a good scorer. He reminds me of Kemba Walker when he was at UCONN. And I like San Diego State to knock off West Virginia and push to the Sweet Sixteen.

My Elite Eight is mostly high seeds, but I think some will have to fight to get there. I think Michigan is going to have to fight to beat LSU and Georgetown is going to be tough. Add on the possibility, which is very high, of no Isaiah Livers, and that makes it even tougher. But they do have the talent to beat those teams to make a run. Gonzaga and the university of Ohio State will cruise to the Elite Eight. There is no real resistance. I think in Baylor's bracket, since they will go out in round two, Purdue is going to have a fairly easy path to the Elite Eight. I have UCONN pushing their way past Alabama and Texas to make it to the Elite Eight. Again, Bouknight is that dude. Iowa will beat an undermanned Kansas team and make it. And Houston and Oklahoma State will make quick work of their opponents. Houston will cruise by Cleveland State, Rutgers and SDSU. Those teams will not provide much of a challenge. Oklahoma State is awesome, Cade Cunningham is legit and I think this team is going to go very, very far. I think they will crush Liberty and then make light work of Tennessee. That will leave us with a great matchup of Oklahoma State and Illinois. I think that will be a good to great game, and Cunningham is going to do something very memorable to win the game for Oklahoma State.

As for the Final Four, Gonzaga is going to blow out Iowa. Iowa does not play much defense, and they either dump it in the post to Luka Garza, who I find unwatchable, or kick out for three pointers. Gonzaga is going to shut that down with ease. I have Michigan being the team to finally stifle Bouknight and beat UCONN to move to the Final Four. They play great defense, and if Bouknight gets shut down, UCONN does not have enough scoring anywhere else. The university of Ohio State just outlasted Purdue in the Big Ten tourney, and I think they will do the same this time around as well. They have just enough scoring to win. And I have Oklahoma State and Cade Cunnignham doing it again and beating Houston with a great Cunnigham game or play. So we have two Big Ten teams, a Big 12 team and Gonzaga.

As much as it hurts me, Gonzaga is better than Michigan, and that is true even if Livers is healthy. They can out score them, and they will play enough defense to slow Michigan down. As much as I want Michigan to win, and will be rooting hard for them. Gonzaga is too good. In the battle of OSU's, I'm going with Oklahoma State and Cade Cunnigham yet again. He reminds me so much of Carmelo Anthony when he was at Syracuse for one year. He is so good and so crafty and so heady and plays the game like a seasoned vet. I also think the fact that the seeding group put them on the 4 line is going to piss them off and make them play even harder.

That means I have Gonzaga and Oklahoma State in the title game. And guess what? That's right, I have Oklahoma State and Cade Cunningham taking home the title, a la Carmelo yet again. Cunnigham is that good, Oklahoma State has been really good lately and I just have a feeling, in a season this weird, that a team we did not think about until very recently will win it all. I'm happy that the tourney is back. I will feel gross watching it, but I will watch it. And as good as the Big Ten has been this year, I still don't have one of the eight teams that made it winning it all. That is a bummer. But hey, at least I will get to watch Cade Cunningham even more, which is great. That kid is good, and if my bracket is right, he will win the title in his lone college season. That would be pretty cool.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The NBA Actually Put on a Pretty Great All Star Weekend

Even though I don't think they should have done it, and I bet Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would agree with me, I watched the NBA All Star game, and the skills stuff they did, and I enjoyed it. Sure it wasn't as intense and close and nail biting as last season's, but hey, it was still a good time.

I started on Saturday night by tuning in to the 2 on 2 game featuring four rappers. I'll admit, I do not know who any of them are, but the game was fine. I believe Quavo's team won, and that dude is a solid basketball player. He stole the show. And yesterday, I kind of checked in on all of the festivities. I watched the skills competition, and that was fun. Damontas Sabonis won, but I bet Chris Paul would have if he didn't blow that layup. Also, Luka Doncic looked totally out of sorts doing the skills. I'm sure he was going about 25 percent, but still, he was missing that pass far too much. Sabonis also got lucky that he faced Nikola Vucevic in the finals. Those two were bricking three after three. But still, I found myself enjoying it. Then we had the three point contest. I will tell you right now, this was the best event of the evening, and I am including the game itself. Steph Curry proved, again, that when he wants to be engaged, he is the best shooter in the league. Other guys had solid rounds. Donovan Mitchell and Zach Lavine put up some big numbers. Mike Conley, who was a late addition, gave Curry all he could in the final. But Curry just proved that he is elite. He proved that he is the best of the best. Reggie Miller even pushed him, asking if he told everyone in the contest that they would be coming in second. Curry did not answer, but I bet he said those exact words. And the way he won it, on the last shot, the moneyball, that is how these events should go. I also liked that he dedicated the trophy to Klay Thompson, and said that he was one of the only people who could truly beat him in a three point shooting contest. Steph Curry is a great dude.

The three point contest led into the game, and this was a blowout from the jump. Everyone knew that LeBron picked a better team right after the "draft" was done. He had Steph, himself, Dame, Giannis, Jaylen Brown. Chris Paul, Rudy Gobert, Luka and Nikola Jokic. He had shooting, defense, ball handling, passing and athleticism. Team Durant was great, but not on Team LeBron's level. Durant had Harden and Beal, Kyrie, Kawhi, Jayson Tatum, Zach Lavine, Donovan Mitchell, Julius Randle and Zion. They had a whole lot of shooting, and that is about it. They didn't really have size, due to Embiid being ruled out. Zion barely played, but man did he have some nice dunks. Kawhi seemed to be going about 50 percent. And Tatum, while being probably the second best defender on the team, only tried when he was guarding Jaylen Brown. Everyone expected that Team LeBron would win, and they did, in convincing fashion. As I said, Zion had some nice dunks, but that was about all the highlights Team Durant had. Team LeBron featured Giannis shooting 16 of 16 from the field. Dame and Steph were popping off threes from nearly half court and burying them. LeBron had one of his usual high flying breakaway dunks. CP3 was making great moves and setting up guys for easy looks. Rudy Gobert was throwing down lobs. Jaylen Brown was awesome everywhere. They just had the better squad. And even with the Elam ending, where teams did pick up the play a bit, Team LeBron had it in the bag. It was pretty rad to see Dame end it on a shot that was, maybe, a few steps in from half court. It was a fun game.

There was also the dunk contest at halftime, which I thought was a neat little wrinkle. Obi Toppin, Cassius Stanley and Anfernee Simons didn't light up the place, but it was still fun to watch these dudes do amazing dunks that we know consider average. That Toppin reverse between the legs was dope. The first Cassius Stanley dunk was rad. The stuff Simons did, considering he is "only" 6'3, it was amazing. It wasn't the best dunk contest, but it certainly was not the worst.

In the end, Giannis got the much deserved MVP, he shot 100 percent from the field, and they were able to pull this off and it was still fun. I may not agree with them in playing an All Star game this year, but hey, it was fun and it held my attention. The NBA is the best.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Blake Griffin Signing with the Nets Makes A Lot of Sense

I was going to take the day off writing, but I was just reading some news on Blake Griffin, who I wrote about a week or so back, and he has agreed to a buyout. It is not the trade I was expecting, but he will not be a Detroit Piston anymore. That much is true.

Then, almost right next to the buyout story was that five teams were interested, all of which are playoff bound teams at the moment.

Then, right after that story it said that he is expected to sign with Brooklyn.

This is why I am writing something right now. I wrote how I thought the Harden trade was not going to be a good fit. I was very wrong, at least so far. The playoffs will really show us if the trade was worth it. But adding Griffin to this mix, holy hell is this team going to be nearly impossible to guard. They will not not play much defense, but they won't have to when they are scoring 130 plus a night. This is a historically great offense without Griffin. And I know that Griffin has been bad this year, but is he really trying? Did anyone really think the Pistons were going to be a playoff contender? Do they have anyone other than Jeremi Grant and Saadiq Bey who are even worthwhile players or prospects? The answer is no to all of these questions. Griffin is also going to get some of the best looks of his career playing alongside Harden, KD and Kyrie. Add on the fact that Deandre Jordan will be clogging the lane, or more likely, opening it up for the other guys, and Griffin will be an excellent fourth or fifth option for the Nets. Sure Griffin has lost a step, can't jump as high, isn't as athletic and wants the ball, but man would this be a solid acquisition for a team that is already winning a ton, and climbing the ranks in the East. I'm sure the Nets will stick with their starters when KD comes back healthy, but adding Griffin, who they can stagger minutes with the starters with, that is going to make them lethal. The starting five has Harden, KD, Kyrie, Deandre Jordan and, lets say, Joe Harris. Again, not much defense, but KD is one of the best pure scorers, Harden is one of the best passers and three point shooters, and can also draw an annoying amount of foul shots, Kyrie is a wizard with the ball and can hit big time shots, Joe Harris is a solid three point shooter and Deandre can fill the lane if needed. The bench has guys like Bruce Brown who is finding interesting ways to score easy buckets, Jeff Green who is very athletic and has managed to stay in the league, Landry Shamet who can be a streaky shooter, Timothe Luwawu-Caboret who is young and athletic and Tyler Johnson who is inconsistent, but can make shots from time to time. Add Griffin to that group, and man do they have a ton of scoring. I'm sure they are going to get him for cheap, I'm sure this means some younger guys, or older vets, will lose playing time to Griffin, and Griffin will have to get into shape. But man, this fit is so much better than Miami, and I thought Miami was nearly perfect.

If this happens, if Griffin signs with Brooklyn, as much as I want the Bucks and 76ers to play in the East Finals, I think this pushes the Nets to the top of the conference. In fact, I would go as far as making them the East favorites, and they would give any top tier team from the West a tough time. This would be a historic offense. This would rank right up there with Warriors when KD signed with them, or the 7 seconds or less Suns. This would be a big deal.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Luka Doncic Should Not Be an NBA All Star Starter

The NBA All Star game is right around the corner. I do not think they should play one. I was on board with them skipping all the random middle of the season things they normally do because this is not a normal season. They need to take every precaution necessary, and sending 30 players and their families to Atlanta for the weekend feels a little careless. But, I will watch, I like that they are doing the Elam ending again and I think a halftime dunk contest has the possibility of being amazing. But, I do have one big issue with the rosters.

Last night they named the starters for each conference and picked the two captains. Most of this was on the up and up. I think LeBron and KD are two excellent choices as captains. I saw that Steph and Kawhi are West starters. I think Embiid and Giannis more than deserve to start for the East. I will be curious to see who the reserves are, and I'm interested to see who the two captains pick for their squads. Again, I have one big time bone to pick, and I am not the only one who feels this way.

The fact that Luka Doncic is a starter for the West, over Damian Lillard, is appalling. I know it is stupid and pointless and who cares, especially this year, about an all star game. I also fully understand that this is a fan vote thing, but come the hell on. Why are some people so obsessed with Luka Doncic? Why do all the major media outlets put this kid on a pedestal? Why are people already calling this kid one of the greatest in the game? Why do some have him as one of the 10 best players in the league right now? How is he on people's MVP ballot at the moment? Luka is a fine player, but I am not a fan because of the media pushing him on me, and his on court attitude. I watched the first round series in the bubble last year, when the Mavs played the Clippers, and rooted so hard for the Clippers. I do not like the Clippers, but I wanted the Mavs, and even more so, Luka, to get beat. And they did. He had one good shot, and played a solid series, but his team got beat in six games, and that has been his lone playoff series to date. Luka Doncic is good, but he is not an MVP caliber player yet. He is not a player that can win you a title yet. He is not one of the ten best players in the league yet.

Doncic is nowhere near as good, or as offensively dominant, as Dame. Damian Lillard is one of the top five players in the league right now. He is the game’s best closer. He has ice water in his veins. He is a problem for opponents. He has dragged this Portland team to playoffs year after year after year, and played in a conference finals. He has beaten Paul George and Russell Westbrook. He took out the Rockets a few years before. He has ended James Harden's seasons many times. He is a bad, bad dude, in the best way possible. People may crush him for his defense, but he is better than Luka on that end. People will point out how they got swept by the Pelicans in AD's second to last year with them. Well, Luka has only won two playoff games. People may say Luka is more exciting. Those people are dead, dead wrong. An all star game is supposed to be a high scoring, fun game with wild shots. I would much rather watch Dame pull up from the logo for a long three than watch Luka dribble the clock out and try to draw a foul on a mid range jumper. I'd rather see Dame drop a sweet dime to LeBron for a dunk than see Luka not get a call he wants, and then endlessly complain to the refs about it. I'd rather see Dame making three after three after three than see Luka try his fade away mid range jumper. Dame is a better, and far more exciting player. He is a much more deserving player too. He has put in his time, paid his dues and earned the rest of the NBA's respect.

Call me a Luka hater all you want. I am. I'm also sick and tired of some NBA fans trying to find their "white savior". It is so annoying. Damian Lillard got robbed of a starting spot, and that stinks. He is so much better than Luka. It is not even close.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Michigan Football is Losing Some Great Players Right Now

Transfers happen in college sports all the time, and especially so in college football. Kids now are all super star, four or five star recruits out of high school, and if they don't start as a freshman or sophomore, they usually pack up and go. For the most part, this has no effect on me. It happens, fans have to deal with it, and some kids go on to be great and others are not so lucky.

My team, Michigan, has been dealing with a lot of attrition lately. In fact, ever since Jim Harbaugh took over, it seems more and more kids are transferring each year. But, I get it. Wilton Speight left for UCLA as a grad transfer because Harbaugh and Michigan moved on from him. There have been a number of running backs that have left because Michigan always has such a deep pool of talent at the position, and when a kid doesn't see the field for a year, he is going to want to go somewhere where he knows he will get to play. Tyrone Wheatley, when he was on staff, got his son to sign with Michigan, he was a top flight tight end, but he barely saw the field in his freshman year, and he opted to go play for a 1-AA school instead. And so far this offseason they have had a good amount of kids deciding to leave. All of them have made sense to me. Alex Van Summeren was going to be passed on the depth chart by one of the stud linebackers they just got to sign with them. Some of the O lineman that left, they were not seeing the field, or they felt like it wasn't the best spot for them. Dylan McCaffery opted out of the 2020 season, and then decided he was going to leave when Joe Milton and Cade McNamara surpassed him on the depth chart at QB. All of these made sense to me, and I expected as much.

Yet two transfers recently have left me a bit shook. I have thought about them more than I would like to admit. I have been thinking about why they left. I have been questioning their decisions. The two players are Zach Charbonnet and Joe Milton. Zach Charbonnet was a prized running back in the 2018 class. He was going to be the running back of the future. He was the next great Michigan back. He lived up to the hype for most of his freshman season. He saw the field plenty, starting as a true freshman. If it weren't for him, Army would have beaten them in Ann Arbor. Charbonnet went on to break the freshman rushing touchdown record, and he put up over 700 yards on the ground. He did deal with injuries and missed time, but he seemed like the feature back. Then this most recent season happened, and he just seemed like a forgotten player. He had a great 70 yard rushing touchdown in their season opener at Minnesota, and then he was a ghost. Blake Corum was getting more touches. Chris Evans was being used in situations that Charbonnet handled last season. And Hassan Haskins, who I am a big fan of, just seemed to put a stranglehold on the feature back spot after putting together solid games in 3 straight weeks. When Haskins showed his skills, I immediately thought that this was it for Charbonnet. I guess the staff did too because they barely used him. He got less than five touches a game after that. He was starting to miss games with injuries and other random things popping up. When he would get in a game, he was seemingly used as a blocking back. I was stumped. I thought maybe he was really hurt, but I think that was some odd wishful thinking on my part. When the season ended, I felt like it was a matter of days before he entered the transfer portal. It took a bit longer than that, about a month, but sure enough he was in the portal, and about a week later, he was committed to UCLA. That made sense to me because he is from California, he wanted to be close to home I assumed and he was most likely told he was going to be the starter from day one. I think he is going to be a humongous get for the Bruins, and that he could very well lead the Pac 12 in rushing next season. I am going to miss him being a Wolverine, but at least I have Haskins and Corum and now Donovan Edwards to lean on as "the next great Michigan back".

The Joe Milton transfer news, which dropped today, really bummed me out. My dad has been a fan of his since day one. He turned me on to him very early on. We are not ones to watch recruiting videos, but we were sucked in to some of his. He is very big, very fast and has one hell of an arm. He is also very raw. But I like that in a QB. You can mold someone like that. And he seemed to be a very coachable player. He showed flashes in his freshman year, splitting backup duties with Dylan McCaffery. He would come in and get nice ground gains. And then I saw his arm, and boy was I hooked. He had an absolute canon. I also went to a game with my dad his freshman year, and watching him warmup was a thing of beauty. With a flick of his wrist, the ball would fly. He was also so much bigger than McCaffery, and the starter at the time, Shea Patterson. My dad and I were both floored at how big he was in person. In his second year he was still splitting backup stuff with McCaffery. But when McCaffery broke his collarbone in the Wisconsin game, Milton was the sole backup. And he showed even more flashes. He came in in the second half of the Rutgers game that year and absolutely dominated. He was throwing dimes and making good reads and running the ball like a true dual threat QB. This was when I made up my mind that he was the QB of the future for the Wolverines. And that paid off last offseason when he won the starting job. And then he came out and played great in the Minnesota game. I was sold. Even when he struggled, I still saw things in him that I didn't in McCaffery or McNamara or Shea Patterson or this incoming five star kid, JJ McCarthy. Milton is bigger than all of them. He isn't as fast as McCaffery, but he was more willing to sit in the pocket and wait, not just abandoning the play to run. But when he did run, he is so big, he was hard to take down and he would gain yards. He has a much stronger arm than Patterson. People may saw he was inaccurate and wild with his throws. I disagree. I do not think the receivers were/are at his level. He has a pro arm. He is so much more exciting than McNamara. McNamara is a fine QB, but he doesn't bring any excitement. He is like a better Brandon Peters. And we do not know anything about McCarthy yet. He may be the next Trevor Lawrence. Or, he could be the next Tate Martell. That is why I am so wary of starting a freshman QB, especially at Michigan. I was on board of another year of Milton. I even said during this last season that he was going to have great moments, and not so great moments. Unfortunately, the fans only noticed the bad stuff, and they trolled this kid online. That is so wrong. But now that he is transferring, I feel like the staff is also just giving up on him. They don't want to work with him. They have this shiny new five star and Cade McNamara, who is a fine QB, just oh so boring. Milton is going to end up somewhere, and he is going to shine. I have to assume he will do what Charbonnet did, and go back home and play in Florida somewhere. Wherever he ends up, that team, is getting a great QB, with skills that cannot be taught, and he is going to thrive. I actually think he would fit in well at UCF, now that they have hired Gus Malhzahn. I just wish Michigan would have worked with him more, and gave him an actual chance to build on last year, and get better. They could have had him for another two or three years.

As I said, transfers happen all the time, but these two hurt, and I think Michigan fans that badmouthed these two kids online will have to eat crow when they go on and blow up with their new teams. What a bummer to be a Michigan football fan today.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Thoughts on Who Should Trade for Blake Griffin

Where we sit today, the NBA trade deadline is about three weeks away. There have already been massive moves, Harden to the Nets, and I think there will be a flurry of moves coming very soon. I could see upwards of a dozen or so guys being on a new team before the month is out.

If you are looking for an indicator why, look at all the players being sat right now so teams can try and find a trade partner. Guys like JJ Redick and Austin Rivers and Lonzo Ball and Kevin Love and Andre Drummond have all seen their playing time diminish to almost nothing. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean all these guys will be traded, but I suspect most of them will by March 7th.

One person who I was kind of shocked to be on the block was Blake Griffin. He has really kind of nose dived since the Clippers traded him to the Pistons. At the time it happened, I got it for both sides. The Clippers didn't want to pay him, they were going to go after Kawhi, they were offloading everyone they could and they wanted to make a push. For the Pistons, they wanted to get in the playoffs, they wanted a player that could sell tickets, Griffin could run the show there and he was going to be teamed up with Drummond, who was a Piston at the time, to form a solid front court. Well, it has worked okay for the Clippers, they got Kawhi and Paul George, and they are one of the top teams in the West. As for the Pistons and Griffin, well that is a different story. They were swept out of the playoffs in the first round his first season there. Then he got hurt again. Then the Pistons traded Drummond. And they waived Reggie Jackson, then they recently traded Derrick Rose and they are not very good. They are competitive, but I think only second to the Timberwolves, they have one of the worst records in the league. Jerami Grant has been exceptional, and rookie Saadiq Bey definitely has potential, but they are rebuilding.

Maybe I shouldn't be that shocked to see them sit Griffin, and try to find a trade partner for him. He is older, 31 now. He has been more injured in his pro career than not. He doesn't have the bounce he used to. He has never been a great rebounder or defender. He can shoot and handle okay, but he isn't the threat he once was. I never bought into the hype surrounding Griffin, but he does have some value to a team chasing the playoffs, or perhaps the title.

I have sat and thought about who I think would be the best fit for him, where he could go and do what he has become good at, and help a team get far in the playoffs. That means all the also rans, the Cavs and T'Wolves and Wizards are off the table. But there are some teams, in both conferences, that can use a point forward who can knock down a few threes per game, and force opponents to guard him because he is still somewhat of a scoring threat. Right away I take out the Lakers, Clippers, Nets, Jazz, Trailblazers and Nuggets. These teams already have players like him, or they don't have enough equity to get him. But that does leave some teams, teams near the top, that could use a guy like Blake Griffin to make a push. The 76ers could use him, but they will not give up enough to get him, and they shouldn't. What they are doing right now is working. The Bucks may like the idea of pairing him with Giannis, and while he is much better than Bobby Portis, I do not think Milwaukee has enough to make a trade for him, unless they are willing to part with a starter or two. I think he would work out well with the Spurs, but I don't think Pop wants to bring on a former "star" player. I think he likes what his youth is giving him right now. I'd be kind of interested to see him paired with Luka in Dallas, but they seem set with Porzingis, and that is a bummer. He is so soft, and does not play like a 7 footer. He is also as injury prone, if not more so, than Griffin. I don't think the Celtics will be willing to part with any of their youth, and the Knicks want a young big name, not a player in his waning years.

That leaves me with two teams that, while I do not think they will win the title, they will be in the playoffs and make a serious push. Those teams are the Pacers and Heat. Both are very middling right now. The Pacers are .500, and the Heat are below .500. That doesn't mean things won't change, and I think if either one adds Griffin, they could make their way to the upper half of the East. The Pacers would need to part ways with Myles Turner, which would be a bummer because he has been a defensive force this season. But, his name has been in trade talks the past two years. I think they could put Turner in the deal, add a younger guard and a pick, and they could add Griffin. That would pair him up with Sabonis. Sabonis does all the dirty work, he is a good defender and he is becoming a legit first option. Griffin could play off that pretty well. Then he would have shooters around him. Brogdon can knock down shots. TJ Warren is liable to go for 40 on any given night. Jeremy Lamb has moments. And when Caris Levert gets cleared to play, he is an offensive dynamo. Griffin would be surrounded by young guys that play hard on both ends and he could come in and be someone that can contribute offensively right away. It would be such a bummer to have to trade Turner, but as I said, it is not like they haven't shopped him yet.

As for the Heat, they are struggling right now. They're 11-16, which is 10th currently in the East, but a few wins here and there, and they are back in it. They are also almost at full health. They were ravaged by injury, they had COVID issues, and finally they are getting everyone back. The Heat also would not have to give up any of the young scorers that have been mentioned for bigger names. They could keep Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. Bam is off the table obviously. Jimmy Butler isn't going anywhere. Dragic is there to stay. Hell, they could even hold onto Andre Igodala if they want. They would have to give up someone, or multiple someones, guys like Kendrick Nunn or Kelly Olnyk or Meyers Leonard or maybe, even though they don't want to, Precious Achiuwa. But I think they would, knowing they could keep the main core guys, and add Griffin to the team. I also think Griffin would love playing for the Heat, and he would definitely prefer Miami to Indiana due to outside interests. I also think he fits even better with the Heat. Bam is better than Damontas Sabonis. He is stronger, a better offensive player and just seems to have that "it" factor some star players show. Jimmy Butler could be Griffin's newer version of Chris Paul, keeping him in check. He has better, younger versions of JJ Reddick in Robinson and Herro. And He and Dragic could run a dangerous pick and roll against second units. The Heat, for a myriad of reasons, makes almost too much sense to me. I would be kind of stunned when/if he gets traded if it isn't to the Heat. I think both teams would benefit the most. And above all, I think Griffin would take this news with a tremendous smile and acclimate very nicely, and quickly, to Miami.

Miami. That is where Blake Griffin should end up. It is as near a perfect fit as there is in the NBA.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Where Should Carson Wentz Play Next Season?

Word is that Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will be a key in the next big NFL trade.

I have kind of been in and out of the whole Carson Wentz trade speculation. I see, on separate days, that he’s out the door or that he’s sticking around. Lately it’s been that the asking price is far too high. I guess they want what the Lions got for Stafford. As you read last week, that trade, to me, wasn’t that big of a deal. But, if the Eagles are asking for a starting QB, and a bunch of picks for Wentz, they’re out of their minds. By all accounts, and I’ve read this on multiple sites, Wentz is hard to deal with. I don’t know if it’s ego or faith or whatever, but he doesn’t have the clout to be as demanding as many, many reputable people have written. He didn’t win the Super Bowl, Nick Foles did. And for those that may say, well he led them there, they doesn’t matter to me. He got hurt, and Foles stepped in and won when it mattered. Ever since that Super Bowl, Wentz has been mediocre at best, and Foles, while not as great as he was during that playoff run, did get paid and has started for two different teams. I think Foles is a better QB. I also do not think Wentz is even the best QB currently on the Eagles roster. That goes to Jalen Hurts. He’s younger, more explosive, more athletic and way more likable. When he got benched at the end of the season, the reaction from his teammates shows the respect he gained in one season. I don’t think Wentz would’ve gotten the same reception. Hurts also, at least so far, doesn’t get injured as easily as Wentz.

So for the Eagles to be this audacious, in asking for such a big return, I’m kind of shocked. I don’t know what team is begging to get a QB like Wentz, who appears to be an injured head case, and is also willing to give up a good amount of picks. Would the Texans do it so they could find a trade partner for Deshaun Watson? I don’t think either side wants that. The Bears seem to be sticking with Trubisky and Foles. The Steelers just signed Dwayne Haskins, so they have a project QB. Washington has signed a back up, and if they move on from Alex Smith, I think they’re going to go hard after Cam Newton, reuniting him with Ron Rivera. The Cowboys are going to franchise tag Dak. The Patriots will, most likely, go young and draft a QB. And the Seahawks, who seem to be fielding calls for Russel Wilson, would be foolish to trade him at all, and outright dumb to trade him for Wentz. I don’t see the value. I don’t see the need to bankrupt your future for a mediocre QB.

None of this makes any sense to me. What makes the most sense, to me, is for the Eagles to keep him for the remainder of his contract, and let him back up Jalen Hurts. He can come in in emergency situations, for gimmick plays and for mop up duty. The Eagles won’t get a goldmine for him, so just play the contract out. That’s what I’d do.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

I Should Have Skipped That In Person Race

Last week I wrote about how I was going to be doing my first in person race since the pandemic started. I did it, and I am here to tell you all about it.

The race is called the Beulah 963. As I said last week, the 963 was for 9 hours, 6 hours or 3 hours. I signed up for 3 hours. So Saturday came, and luckily my day was filled with activities. I had stuff to do in the morning, my son had a basketball clinic, we did a father daughter dance at my house and we all had dinner together. Before I knew it, it was already 8pm, and I had to get ready, my race started at 9pm. So I bundled up big time. It was nice and cold in Saint Louis, and at around 6pm, it started to flurry. The flurrying continued into the evening, stopping at around 10:30pm. Luckily I know how to dress properly for this weather while running, so bundling was of no concern. As I was driving to the spot, the snow kept coming down, and the temperature reader in my car kept dipping. By the time I parked, the snow was like rain, and the temperature was in the mid teens. I got out of my car, put on my hydration pack, put on my light up vest, then my balaclava and head lamp and made my way to pick up my bib. As I walked to the barn, I felt okay. I had that usual pre race adrenaline I have come to know well, and I felt like I had just enough clothes on to stay warm throughout the race. I signed in, got my bib and got ready. The race director gave us a little speech, and we were off.

This is where it all turned to shit, at least for me. As I mentioned, it was snowing when I got there. The trail we were on is very rocky and very slippery even when it is beautiful outside. The snow made this trail feel like an ice rink. On the very first turn, not even a quarter of a mile in, I slipped and landed pretty hard on my back. I am used to this, so I popped up pretty quick, assured the three people around me I was okay, and proceeded to run. No less than another tenth of a mile, and I slipped again, this time hitting my back on the side of a rock. Again I gathered myself, took a deep breath and made a go of it. As I got moving again, I knew something was wrong. The pain was not just going away like it normally does. I had this constant feeling like my back had a heartbeat, and it felt like the discs were moving. I have felt this before, and it usually goes away rather quick, but not on Saturday night. I kept at it for a few reasons. I had just started, I wanted to do this, I still felt like I could run and I am not a quitter. So off I went. Every step hurt, but it wasn't any type of pain that I haven't run through before. And I finally found some solid ground, at least I thought. I was able to go for about a mile and a half straight without falling, and I got my pace back to what I was expecting. My back hurt, but getting caught up made me feel okay.

Then I slipped again, and again and about eight more times on that first loop. I was getting rather frustrated, and I had some thoughts of calling it after one loop. But, like a beacon, I saw a straight, flat path covered in leaves that led to the end of the loop. I got going again, and made my way, about a mile, to the barn where we started. I slowed to a walk, they had to punch a hole in your bib to mark your laps, and they asked if I was going out again. Reluctantly, I said yes. There were a few people behind me that were complaining like me about the condition of the trail. But when they opted to go again, that gave me the push I thought I needed. So I went on, this time trying to be extra cautious.

I did not fall after a quarter of a mile this time, but the trail was very slick, slicker than my first lap. Even with the snow fall stopping, the temperature kept dropping, and this made the rocks slick, and the terrain very slick. I was running very, very slow. This didn't seem to matter, I kept slipping. I wasn't falling, but I was slipping, and with every slip, a sharp pain shot down my back and through my hips. I got to a very rocky portion, and I stopped running all together and just walked, watching every single step. I had a few people behind me doing the same. We would tell each other where it was slick, but it didn't seem to matter. We were sliding all over the place.

I decided right then and there that this was my last lap. I was only going to be physically able to do two. I was fine with this, but it is kind of crushing when you make this realization at races. I was slipping and sliding so much that I decided it would be best to walk, or to jog extremely slow. I kept at this for a while, but my pace of 13 minutes a mile quickly shot up to 17 and 18 minutes. Not to worry I thought, there was only two more miles.

Well, I was wrong. It just got slicker and worse. I fell off the trail twice, once tumbling over. I slipped and had to hug a tree to not fall. I fell once on my face, picked up a chunk of snow, chucked it and cursed as loud as I could. Finally I got near the end and just decided I had to walk. No more running or jogging or even hiking. It was just a walk. I was still slipping and sliding, but along with two other people, we walked our way to the finish, said we were done, said goodbye and made our way to our cars.

As I walked to my car I noticed a few things. One, my headlamp froze to my balaclava. Two, my sweatshirt sleeves were frozen. Three, taking off my pack did nothing to help my back. Four, I felt almost delirious. It was just a myriad of problems. Once I got to my car I took all my gear off and blasted the heat. When I got moving on the road I felt okay. I was tired, but didn't feel overly cold, and while my back still hurt, I realized it was just sore, and I was not injured. When I got home I felt something I never have before. When I turned the car off, and got out to get my things and go inside, I started to shiver violently, and I couldn't stop. I got in my house and immediately stripped off all my clothes, but that did not help much. I was shivering so hard I couldn't even get my contacts out. I had to wake up my wife and get her help. After she did this for me, she is the best, I got into a hot shower and just let the water rain over me. I finally stopped shivering about five minutes into my shower. After I got cleaned up, and put on very comfy clothes for bed, I realized I didn't have enough fuel during the race. My pack froze and so did my gummies. So when the pack thawed, I drank a ton of my Tailwinds. I then ate a muffin and an entire bag of gummy bears. I then drank a Spindrift, and another 16 ounces of water, and I finally felt okay. This all happened at 12:30am by the way.

In the end, I have more mixed feelings than before about this race. I felt very safe COVID wise, but the terrain was horrifying. The people I met were very cool, but I have never been that cold before. Then the back and hip stuff. Add on the fact that I only did two laps. Then we have the frustration I felt for two straight hours. I mean, I'm glad I finally got to do an in person race, but I do not know that I will ever do this particular one again, or any night race for that matter. There were far too many cons than there were pros. I'm happy that people had enough sense to follow the rules and new safety protocols , but the during and after effects, I just do not think it was worth it.

Anyway, that is my story of my first in person race in 10 months. Take it as you will.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl came and went with a whimper last night. Tampa Bay crushed Kansas City. It was close for about one quarter. The Chiefs got called for an exuberant amount of first half penalties, many of which I thought were pretty bad calls. The refs cleaned it up in the second half, and the game went pretty smooth after that. But, even with the refs making some bad calls, this game was not as close as I hoped it would be.

I assumed we would get a high scoring, shootout type of game. The Bucs did their part, but the Chiefs were stifled. The Bucs defense was dominant last night. And I know people will say that the Chiefs didn't have their two starting tackles, and that Mahomes is hurt, but that did not affect them at all in the playoffs until last night. The Bucs got constant pressure, they negated the Chiefs run game, they had Mahomes running for his life all night and they picked him off twice. They also did not give up one TD, which I believe is the first time that has happened to the Chiefs since Mahomes took over as the starter. This was also the first time he was beaten by double digits in the NFL. The Bucs D should have won a team MVP last night. They were awesome. This goes to show that Todd Bowles is a good coach. The Bucs offense did all the right stuff after their first two drives. They went three and out twice, then they figured it out. Byron Leftwich orchestrated an exceptional game plan after those first two drives, and the Bucs pretty much did whatever they wanted. They had receivers and tight ends streaking down the field constantly, and they were wide open. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones Jr ran with power and had gaping holes to plow through. This was a dominant effort. Tom Brady did what he has always done. He was efficient, focused and managed the game perfectly. He executed Leftwich's plan to a T.

I do not like Tampa, not at all. I haven't liked them ever. But, the proof was out on the field that they were the better, more prepared team last night. Also, I questioned Brady's choice to sign with Tampa. I was obviously wrong. I think there is no question he is the best QB to ever play in the NFL.

As for the Chiefs, this is going to happen from time to time. They did have key injuries. Mahomes was not 100 percent. They relied on a rookie running back. With dynasties, and yes the Chiefs are on the cusp of being one, games like this are going to happen. New England did not win every Super Bowl they played in. Peyton Manning won two, but he also lost two. The Cowboys have a ton of titles, but they have playoff lapses too. The Packers have the same. With a team on the brink of a dynasty, especially in football, games like this are par for the course. But make no mistake, they got whooped. Mahomes even said as much. They were outmatched and thoroughly beaten. But do I think they will be back in the Super Bowl before Tampa? Yes. They are still the favorites in the AFC every year they have a healthy Patrick Mahomes. I think they should be the favorites for the Super Bowl in 2022. They are that good. They had a rough game last night, and were beaten by a better team. But that doesn't change the fact that they are young and super, super talented.

As for the other stuff, this whole Super Bowl "experience" was indicative of 2020, and the beginning of 2021. We had no one at our house to watch. The food was excellent, just not as plentiful. The commercials, save for a very few, were all kind of dull. I am not a fan of The Weekend, and while his show looked neat, I did not think it was a hall of fame performance. I do appreciate that his dancers were masked, even if it was just for affect. The anthem was fine. The poet, I did think she was amazing. The post game stuff was very blah, as was the game itself. I am astonished that the NFL got a full season in, that there were no stoppages or shut downs and that they played a Super Bowl. But the game, and pretty much everything surrounding it was not that exciting or interesting. I'd say the two best things for me were the poet and the pulled pork sliders my wife made. Everything else was very forgettable.

Anyway, congrats to the Bucs, and Chiefs fans, don't get too upset, you guys will be back very, very soon.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Thoughts on the Latest "Big" NFL Trade

As most of you know by now, Jared Goff was traded to the Lions, plus a slew of picks, and the Rams picked up Matthew Stafford. Today I’m going to share my thoughts on what happened.

I have read many things since the trade happened over the weekend. People have called this a "blockbuster", they have picked the winners of the trade, they have said how this will transform both teams, Goff has said he is excited to "be where he is wanted", and apparently Stafford was willing to go anywhere but the Patriots.

All of this, to me, is pure noise. I do not buy any of the hype being tossed around this trade. I do not view it as a blockbuster. In fact, I do not think either team got any better or any worse. Minus the picks the Lions got, this trade is about as milquetoast as trades come in the NFL. The two QB's that were traded for each other are pretty much the same player. I do think that Stafford is better, but not by that much. Stafford also gets injured a lot, and it is not like the Rams have anyone even near Calvin Johnson's level. When Stafford had Johnson on his team, he could just chuck it up and Johnson would go get it. I think we have seen the real Stafford the past couple years. He is not as skilled as I, and many others thought when he was the first pick overall. He also has some very happy feet in the pocket, and is not mobile at all. The Rams also do not have Todd Gurley anymore, their O line is kind of mediocre and the tight ends are very blah. The Rams win now with defense, and that is why I do not think Stafford changes this team much, if at all. The Rams have two of the best defenders in the game in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Donald may be the best player in the NFL, and Ramsey is about as lockdown as they come. He is, probably, the best corner in the league. Stafford may be able to chuck a long ball, and he may mesh well with Sean McVay, but I still do not see them being any better than 9-7 or 10-6. They will still be a bubble playoff team, they may even win a playoff game like they did this year, but it will not be because they added Stafford. They will win because Sean McVay is a very good coach, and that defense is top notch. Stafford doesn't move the needle.

As for Goff and the Lions, this does absolutely nothing to change the fact that they will not win anymore than 6, maybe 7 games. I also think, especially if he didn't like McVay, that Goff will not like Dan Campell. I know I already don't like him and his weird tough guy act. I am also very curious to see how he works in a system that isn't so placated to his skill set. He is going to have to make plays, to do some stuff that extends plays, to make things unexpected happen. He isn't that type of player. He is as system as they get. He didn't get paid because he was some otherworldly QB when the Rams made the Super Bowl. He got paid because Sean McVay made him look like a top tier QB. He doesn't have a staff that is going to tailor a game plan to his skills. He also has less weapons now than he had in LA. I think the Lions best receiver is Kenny Golladay. He isn't bad, but he isn't great. The Lions also haven't had a real run game since Barry Sanders retired. And their defense isn't anywhere close to the top of the league. The only thing that the Lions really got out of this deal is a bunch of future picks. That is what teams crave now. But Jared Goff doesn't make them an instant contender. They aren't better than Green Bay. The Bears have a better defense. And the Vikings cannot be worse than they were last season. Add in all the other NFC teams, including the Rams, and the Lions are still in that rebuilding phase.

I do not see this as some blockbuster or some shift in the league. This is just a common trade for two very similar, not exciting, old school NFL QB's.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Thoughts On Doing An In Person Racing

One week from tomorrow I will be doing my first in person race since the pandemic started. I have very mixed feelings about this. I am excited, but also scared and don't know if I am truly, fully trained for this specific race. I have also grappled with my decision to attend. A few months ago I was sure that I was going to opt out, but after much conversation, and another month to sit on it, and a ton of reading about safety protocols, rolling start times, the number of participants and all the intense new rules, I decided I was going to do it.

The race is called the Beulah 963. The 963 is the important part here. This is an ultra race. I have never done an ultra before. I came close in 2019, when I did a trail half marathon, but I still consider that a half, not an ultra. The difference here is the amount of time involved. You can pick to do 9 hours, 6 hours or 3 hours, hence the 963. I opted for the 3 hour portion, but I know a friend doing 9, and one of his friends is doing 6. This was a big selling point for me to actually stay in this race. My buddy that is doing the 9 hours said that the number of participants will be very small by the time I get there. He is starting at noon, I do not start until 6pm. So, along with the shortened number of allowed participants, and the people that may or may not be dropping out, I would be shocked if there were more than 20-30 total runners when I get there. We also have packet pick up 15 minutes before start time, enough time to get my bib on and my hydration pack, and then we have rolling start times. We are also not allowed to congregate in big groups prior, not to worry for me since I am going solo, and we all must be masked when we start. They said you can take your mask off, or pull it down when there are no runners within 10 feet, but since it is a night race in February, I will just be keeping mine on the whole time. Not only will it protect me from anyone who may be asymptomatic or sick, but my balaclava will keep my face warm enough that my beard won't freeze, and I won't be breathing in cold air the whole time. I also very much appreciate that we all have to be masked at the start or else we are disqualified, and when we cross the finish line for each lap, we must be masked. We also have to be masked going to and from our cars, where we have a dedicated parking lot for all racers. I also read that we have the option to do as much or as little as we prefer. Again, we all signed up for a certain time frame, but this is a looped trail. We are on the same loop for about 4 miles, maybe a little more. So in essence, and I have done this trail on my own and with a buddy, the loop takes me about 40 to 45 minutes. It will probably take a little longer since it will be dark, I do have a lit vest and a headlamp, but still. So say it takes me 50 minutes to get one loop in, I still have as long as a 10 minute break, if I want. And at these breakpoints, masks are required, no congregating, no tent set up and no bag drop off. So it is basically just a rest area if we feel tired before going on the loop again. So if I get tired after two loops, and it takes me two hours, that is my finishing time. Just because I signed up for 3 hours doesn't mean I have to do 3 hours. It is up to 3 hours. I am going to try my best to get 3 loops in, I would like to get as close to a half marathon as possible, but if I get too gassed, or feel uncomfortable for any reason, I could leave after a lap. I like that rule. My buddy who is doing the 9 hours is determined to get all 9 in, and I think he will, but I bet by the time I get there, he will be pretty sore, and some other people who signed up for that time will have dropped by 6pm.

All this being said, I am still a little scared. I have not done an in person race since March of 2020. The last one I did was one week before Missouri shut everything down. But, after reading the safety guidelines, talking to friends and family to get their opinion, and reading about other runs on the running sites I am a part of, I feel as comfortable as one can during this crazy time we live in. I will obviously recap the race the weekend after I do it, but with it a week away, I wanted to explain to everyone why, now, I decided to actually do it. I'm scared, but also excited. Just as I should be before any race I do.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

A Reflection on the NBA One Year After the Death of Kobe

Yesterday, along with being my son's birthday, was the one year anniversary of Kobe Bryant's passing. He, along with seven other people, including his daughter Gigi, all perished in a helicopter crash.

It was tragic, it brought out a ton of feelings in me, and a year later I am still stunned. I had not thought of it until I listened to the Lowe Post, and Zach Lowe and Howard Beck spent the entire hour talking about it. It was a very interesting and enlightening listen.

Lowe made a statement, and it really rang true for me. He said it seems so long ago, but also so recent. He is right. Kobe did pass one year ago, but so much has happened since then. Personally I got, and had to give up, a dog. My kids advanced a grade in school. There is a new administration in DC. There was a riot at the Capitol. RD and I have done multiple pods. And there is still a deadly pandemic raging across the US and other countries. The pandemic kind of took over everything, as it should, less than two months after Kobe passed. We all kind of forgot because everything shut down. Almost every business, sports, jobs and schools shut down for months. We are still dealing with shut downs. Things reopened and shut down again. Sports have started and stopped and been postponed and rescheduled. I have not been to a movie theater or a restaurant in ten plus months. My kids spent the last part of last school year, and the beginning of this year, learning from home. We are switching to virtual Friday's this week in fact. I know a lot of other kids that have not been to school since March of 2020. My wife has been working from home since April. All of this, and so, so much more has happened, and is still happening, since Kobe passed. So when I listened to that pod, and sat with it, that was when it hit me. One year has already passed and is in the rearview since those eight people died last January.

Going from a strictly basketball perspective, looking at the game since Kobe passed, it has been crazy. The Lakers won the title, dedicated it to Kobe, but they won it in Orlando, in the "bubble". I don't think any of us saw that coming. Also, I am very curious how someone like Kobe would have reacted to the bubble. I think he would have gone the LeBron and Jimmy Butler route, and treated it as a business trip. But still, totally crazy. And now, with no fans at the games, and players being tested everyday, how would Kobe have dealt with all of this? Again, I think he would have treated it like he did everything else on the court, with an addicted obsession, and probably crushed everyone else. So it is interesting to me to see who is thriving, and who is not doing so great with the bubble and the new season. Guys like LeBron, and Dame and Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis and AD, they have all thrived. That is because they have adopted that "Mamba Mentality", and they don't let this stuff affect their game. They treat it like business, and when the playoffs roll around, they will be the ones ready to go. But we have some of these younger guys, guys that were born in the late 90's and early 2000's, that are struggling because they didn't get to see prime Kobe. They only saw him at the end, when he was on a bad Lakers team, and he was jacking up 30 shots a game. I think that says a lot about his influence on the modern game. The guys who looked up to him, who watched him when they were young, the ones who wanted to emulate him, they are the ones that are thriving. I was not a Kobe fan, but he was a great, obsessed and singularly focused individual on the basketball court. That was what made him so great, and so infuriating as a watcher of the NBA.

Kobe is gone, but his legacy will forever live on, you can see it in today's players and games and it will be there for sometime now. RIP Kobe, and the other passengers. You will never be forgotten.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches the NFC and AFC Title Games

Yesterday was a rough day for personal and sports reasons for myself. The personal stuff is none of your damn business, but the sports stuff, I am here to talk about it.

The Super Bowl is set. We have the Bucs and the Chiefs facing off in two weeks. If the Bills had won, this would have been the most white trash Super Bowl of all time, but the Chiefs saved us from that.

The Chiefs proved how good they truly are. Buffalo was hot, they were the darling team, they even took a lead, just like the Titans last year, and then Patrick Mahomes decided enough was enough, and he was spectacular. He is the best QB in the game right now, and it isn't even close. ESPN went as far to give Buffalo the "advantage" at QB prior to the game, and I think word got back to, not only Mahomes, but the Chiefs defense. Mahomes, as I said, was awesome. The Chiefs D might have been better. They suffocated and harassed and pretty much, for them, dominated the Bills "explosive" offense. They shut down Josh Allen too. Outside of the first drive, he was very mediocre. The Bills run game was pretty much non-existent and Stefon Diggs was blanketed all game. And after that first drive, on the Chiefs next five drives, they scored, or knelt on the ball to go to halftime. Mahomes was finding all of his receivers, the O line was stout and the run game did just enough, basically what they ask of them every game, and the Chiefs won going away. It wasn't as close as the final score suggested. The Chiefs made easy work of the Bills, they looked dominant, and they should be the favorites going into the Super Bowl.

The NFC title game was a different story. Green Bay was bad, especially in the first half. They could not stop the Bucs. To give up a TD like they did to end the first half is something that should never, ever happen. To fumble on the opening drive of the second half and let the Bucs score immediately was brutal. To give up so many third down conversions, that is inexcusable. I would not be surprised, and no one else should, if Mike Pettine is let go today. But Green Bay did make it a game. After going down 28-10, they scored on their very next drive, then picked off Brady and scored again. They missed a 2 point conversion, but still, they cut an 18 point lead to 5 going into the fourth quarter. Then it was a slog. Brady threw two more picks, but the Packers never capitalized. They punted both times. The Packers run game never materialized. But still, they had a chance. The Bucs did add a late field goal to push their lead to 8, but Green Bay got the ball, and they put together a drive. But, and I will never understand this decision, decided to kick a field goal just before the 2 minute warning. They cut the lead back to five, they did have all three timeouts, but still, why did LaFleur decide to kick? I don't know that I will ever understand this decision. It was a bad call in my opinion, and I said as much as I watched the game unfold. But, and this is where I got really pissed off, the PI call on 3rd and 8 against the Packers was a bad, bad call. The whole game the refs were letting both teams be very aggressive with the receivers. Both teams were grabbing and pulling and locking arms, and the refs were letting it go. They called it like this all game, until Tom Brady and the Bucs needed a call, on a pass that was very clearly uncatchable, with about a minute and some change left. This gave Tampa the first down, they were able to run out the clock, and the Packers were left with another unfulfilling season, and Tom Brady gets to go back to the Super Bowl, which just happens to be in Tampa this season. Look, I am not a Tom Brady fan, I know he went to Michigan, but outside a very few former Wolverines, I don't really follow them when they get to the pros. But, I have also never really bought into the whole conspiracy that the NFL wants Tom Brady to be in the Super Bowl. But man was it hard to see that call, then realize where the Super Bowl is being played, not to buy into some of that. Green Bay did not deserve to win. They played awfully. But, to leave it up to the refs, to give Tampa a call when they hadn't all game, I mean, it is hard not to think that, in some very, very small way, that the NFL wants their golden boy to be on the big stage. I mean, think of the stories that the major media will get to write for the next two weeks.

The game is a home game for the Bucs. Brady leaves New England, goes to the NFC and Tampa and leads them to yet another Super Bowl appearance for him, his tenth. Brady is 43 years old. He and Gronk are teammates again. That is so much more salacious and click worthy than Green Bay facing the Chiefs. The only real story if that was the outcome would be a rematch of Super Bowl One. But now ESPN and Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report get to write about all the stuff I said, plus a matchup of the GOAT, and the up and coming usurper to the GOAT. I mean, I will watch the game because it is the Super Bowl, but boy will I be rooting for a Chiefs blowout. I am bored and sick and tired of all the Brady nonsense. I am sure I sound like a sour fanboy today, but I do not care. Again, Green Bay did not deserve to win, but it should not have been decided by the refs on a call that they hadn't made all game.

Anyway, if you all want a prediction, I am picking the Chiefs to win, but do not be surprised if Brady and the Bucs get some kind of miraculous late call in a close game that gives them the win. I'm just saying. Go Chiefs.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

RIP Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron passed away today at 86. By all accounts he passed peacefully in his sleep. That seems like the ideal way to go out for such a great person.

Hank Aaron is, and always will be, the home run king in my eyes. In fact, I am sure he’s the home run king in most people’s eyes. Aaron did it without the help of PED’s, he had to do it in a very racist filled era, he had the longevity to do it and he did it with class. Hank Aaron was the epitome of class. I will always remember the video I saw when he broke Babe Ruth’s record, and that guy ran on the field to congratulate him, Aaron didn’t push him away or try to get him removed, he patted him on the back. He was just such a good guy.

Aaron was also never this “home run” hitter. I mentioned his longevity, he played for 22 years. He hit 40 plus home runs only six times. He had plenty of seasons with 30 or more, but nothing like we saw in the steroid era, or since. He was a solid average hitter too. He was pretty much a .300 plus hitter every season until his last two. He got on base a lot. He was a solid fielder. He played the entire game, and he played it great. He is a well deserved hall of fame player. He more than earned it. He never won a World Series, but he did win an MVP in 1957. He was a 19 time all star. He won two batting titles. He led the league in home runs and RBI’s four times. And he was a two time gold glove winner. That’s one hell of a resume.

When you separate the person from the game, Aaron was a complete class act. He did everything with grace. He never crossed the line with celebrations. He would hit a home run and just simply run the bases. He was a consummate teammate. He was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was asked by countless people, including my Wolverines football, to come and speak or be an honorary captain or just pass down some wisdom. He’s an icon to old and new players. It’s clear he was so loved, and that he loved baseball. Hank Aaron was one of the good ones. This was a guy that my dad would show me because he wanted me to conduct myself like Aaron did on the field. My dad does not have a bad thing to say about him. My mom adored him. RD was a fan, as were my other brothers. This, and everything I wrote about above, are why I respect and admire and look up to Hank Aaron.

Hand Aaron will be forever remembered. He will be forever loved. Now he gets to rest. I’ll miss him, and so will many others. At least we have the memories and the old sports clips. Rest In Peace Hank Aaron.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Tennessee Football is a Disaster Stuffed in a McDonald's Bag

I was going to not do sports for a week, but this story coming out of Tennessee is too wild to not talk about.

Up front, I was never a Jeremy Pruitt guy. In fact, and this includes Josh Gattis, former Alabama coaches don’t seem to truly succeed when they leave. Lane Kiffin is not a good head coach. Kirby Smart has made one title game, but he’s had some teams and talent that should have them as a contender every year. Steve Sarkisian, time will tell, but the past two head coaching jobs for him just flat out didn’t work. And now we have Pruitt. Pruitt was a total mess at Tennessee. They may be even more irrelevant at the moment than Michigan or Texas. Tennessee used to be one of the true “blue blood” programs, but they’ve crashed way, way down to earth. At least Texas and Michigan are still making bowl games in non COVID seasons. Tennessee has just been in a rut. They did start this year ranked, but they were quickly removed, and just kind of put in the trash bin the rest of the season. When news came out that Pruitt was fired, I was not surprised. Everyone could see that coming. What shook me with this story was Phillip Fulmer being let go, eight other coaches as well and the infractions, namely the money in McDonalds bags.

This is nuts. This is the type of stuff that happened in the 80’s with SMU. I think kids should be paid in the NCAA, but not like this. This is cheating. This is the wrong way to do this. This is what you do when you don’t know any better. This is what gets you caught. Add in the fact that Tennessee didn’t even have to buy him out of the rest of his contract shows how poorly he handled all the incoming infractions. Pruitt clearly didn’t learn anything from Nick Saban. I’m sure Saban has done stuff like this, but he does it smart. So does Coach K and John Calipari. I fully believe it. But Pruitt was so blatant. The other guys know how to do it quietly. Not Pruitt or Fulmer. To just hand out money in essentially trash bags, they may as well have put dollar signs on a white bag. This is so bad, I thought it was a joke. I thought I was reading The Onion when these reports came out. I’m just flabbergasted at how hard they went for it, and how poorly they executed it. Also, this is going to forever stain Pruitt. I wouldn’t hire him for any job at any level. This guy is going to have to totally revive his career, and still then, if he does it, this McDonalds money bag hand over will always stay with him, as it should.

Just a few days later, Tennessee is feeling the aftermath. Players are transferring at an alarming rate. Big time recruits are already in the portal. The university needs to not only hire a whole new staff, they also need a new AD. And a lot of big names won’t even give them an interview. This job is now tainted. I saw some people they mentioned as candidates for the job, and it’s rough. There’s a bunch of low level assistants, some non power five guys, and the name that keeps popping up the most, is Hugh Freeze. That would be a titanic mistake. I mean, the guy left a complete mess at Ole Miss, and because he had a few solid years at Liberty, he is going to get what once was a major power five job? This would only further push them into irrelevance. Freeze would find some other way to add more sanctions to a program that is going to get absolutely torched soon. As far as the AD job goes, again, who’s going to want to take on such a mess? No big names will. I guarantee that. Tennessee is going to have to take a chance, or get the Hugh Freeze of AD’s.

This could not have ended any worse for Pruitt or Tennessee. Pruitt is now a pariah. He will never be able to build himself up to a respectable head coach anywhere again. I truly believe that. Phil Fulmer’s legacy is tainted too. He has a title, but this story will also hang with him the rest of his life. And Tennessee, they may become the 21st century’s version of SMU. I don’t know that they will get the “death penalty”, but they’re going to be sanctioned to hell, and recruiting is going to be real, real tough. This whole thing is one of the wildest stories I’ve seen in my college football viewing life. I’m still dizzy from everything I’ve read. Tennessee hasn’t been great, but this is going to make them a total afterthought.

What a mess. Hopefully they don’t hire Hugh Freeze. Maybe, if they avoid him, they can save face on one thing. We’ll see.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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