SeedSing Classic: I Don't Watch "Game of Thrones", and I Thought the Last Season Was Pretty Great

That ice dragon sure kicked ass

SeedSing classic is a look back at our most influential articles. These pieces have been presented in their original form. No Star Warsesque special editions. Enjoy

The most recent season of "Game of Thrones" just ended, and there has been a lot of chatter that this was the "worst" season, or it was "too scatterbrained", it was "illogical", basically, most of the "people in the know" didn't think this season was as good as the others.The question of the day is, Was "Game of Thrones" that bad this year.

First off, I do not watch "GOT". I tried. I watched the first three episodes, and it was just too much for me. I'm smart, but I'm a slow learner, and "GOT" seemed to introduce a new character every 5 minutes of the show. I just couldn't keep up. But, my wife and father love the show. They watch it together in fact. My folks would come over every Sunday, we'd all eat dinner together and, after the kids were put to bed, my wife and father would turn on "GOT". I did not pay much attention, but I was present, as was my mom, when the show was on. I'd go in and out of each episode. I didn't want to be a bother, so I didn't ask many questions and, when I did watch, I just kept quiet.

From an outsiders point of view, I thought this most recent season was kind of exciting. I'm a pretty simple guy, so when I see flying dragons breathing fire, I think it is cool. I thought the battle scenes that I was privy to were very exciting. Those 2 sisters, I want to say their names are Sansa and Arya, their interactions with one of the bad guys from "The Wire", the congressman on that show, were creepy, but very well acted. The dude with the metal hand seems like a badass warrior. And the lady that flies the dragons and treats them like her own children, she rules. So, while I am even lower than a novice when it comes to "GOT", I thought this season, at least what I saw, was very enjoyable.

I do not understand all the flack that this most recent season is getting. I asked my wife about it last night and she said she loved this season. I had lunch with my dad today, I asked him the same question, and he said that it could have been better, but he still really enjoyed it. They are the 2 biggest "GOT" fans that I know. Even my mom, she is on the same level with this show that I am, said she liked what she saw. So, I was confused. Also, for the people calling the show "illogical", it is a fantasy world. The moment you try and find logic with flying dragons, "white walkers" and all the other science fiction involved with "GOT", I lose any respect for you as a reviewer or writer. That is like trying to find logic in a "Looney Tunes" cartoon. This is all fantasy. None of this is real. It is a TV show. Get over it.

The more I think about all the negative stuff being said about this season of "GOT", I kept thinking about a great dialogue between Bart and Geoff Albertson, AKA Comic Book Guy, on the excellent "Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" episode of "The Simpsons". After the first Poochie episode appeared, everyone hated it, except for Homer and Flanders, even though Flanders did call it "Impy and Chimpy". But, the next day Bart and Milhouse are hanging out at the comic book store and Comic Book guy says, "last night's episode of "Itchy and Scratchy" was by far the worst episode ever. As I viewer I demand better. Needless to say, I was on the internet complaining about it in minutes". Bart counters with, "what do they owe you as a viewer? They have given you countless hours of free entertainment. Again, what could they possibly owe you?". Comic Book Guy comes back with, "worst episode ever". I feel like that is the current state of critics of TV shows. I'm just as much to blame for complaining about TV shows on this website. TV shows I get to watch for free. I despised how "Mad Men" ended. Never mind the fact that the first couple of seasons were great, I only focused on the stuff I disliked at the end. I gave up on "the Walking Dead" because I felt like they needed to show me which character they were going to kill off in the first full episode with Negan. They don't have to show me shit. Also, that pilot, and first 2 seasons of that show were phenomenal. But, I felt like they "owed me something". Neither of those shows owes me a thing. I've complained about a show I like, "Snowfall", trying to be too many other hit shows. Again, I like this show a lot. I have continued to watch, but I still found something to complain about.

This is the current state of TV watching. No one is ever satisfied. We all find something to complain about no matter how great the show has/could be. We complain about shows sticking around too long, even when they are still very good. The dopes that say, "The Simpsons hasn't been good since season 7", drive me nuts. They are griping about a show that has been on for almost 30 years, and is still relevant and great. We are never satisfied. I'm trying to get away from that attitude, as far being too hard on TV shows I watch. These people, for the most part, work very hard and they are putting it out there for all to see, and for most to find fault in. I'm not going to be as hard on shows that I truly enjoy.

Let's be real, even if this most recent season of "GOT" was its "worst", is it really that bad? The show is a mega, mega hit and is always on people's top ten lists every year it is on TV. Lets give these creative types a little time before we shit all over the things they write, produce, direct and act in. They are working hard and putting themselves out there wounds and all. It's time to ease up a bit.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is eager to tear apart the latest television show that someone worked hard on. Maybe "The Gifted" will be the lucky show. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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SeedSing Classic: President Trump's War with American Exceptionalism

It says give me your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Moron

SeedSing classic is a look back at our most influential articles. These pieces have been presented in their original form. No Star Warsesque special editions. Enjoy

The first days of the Donald J Trump Presidency have not gone very well. The immediate top priorities for the Trump White House was to whine, cry, and lie about the most mundane things. His goal to repeal and replace Obamacare has been met with confusion and apprehension from Congressional Republicans. The reaction of Trump and his media surrogates towards the successful Women's March on Washington was a predictable temper tantrum from a bunch of rich white men. His border wall with Mexico has been one idiotic embarrassing tweet after another. Most recently, his recent action to ban Muslims from a few countries has been met with disgust and anger from Americans of all political persuasions. In these early days of the Donald J Trump era, it seems the new President's only goal is to be the man who ends the successful legacy of American exceptionalism.

Anything that has been done by President Trump should not be a surprise. Many Republicans, including then Indiana Governor Mike Pence, were loudly denouncing candidate Trump when he was calling for a Muslim ban. The looming disaster of the Obamacare repeal could be seen with every wasteful show vote from the US Congress. Trump's thin skinned nature, and his absolute goal of popularity, has been present in the Donald Trump world since he first entered the public consciousness in the 1980's. The early failure, and embarrassment, surrounding President Trump's US - Mexico border was predicted by almost everyone over a year ago. All of these early executive orders from President Trump’s desk have been known since the Republican Primary. These very ideals is why Democratic Presidential nominee beat President Trump by three million votes. The majority of Americans knew that Donald Trump did not represent their views of what makes America great.

The pathetic actions of the Trump White House to continue the lies around the attendance at the inauguration, the fact that Trump lost the popular vote, by three million votes, and the success of the Women’s March on Washington, are a little sad and a lot scary. When the Press Secretary knowingly lies to the White House Press Corps, and the American people, it disrespects all Americans. The great citizens of the United States are not stupid. We all saw the vote totals, we saw the pictures of inauguration day, and we saw the massive number of Americans who came out for the Women’s March. We know that President Trump, and his surrogates, are lying. We know that they are lying to protect a President who must have extremely low self-esteem. Many have laughed at the childlessness of the new President, but it is not a joke to have a leader who is so thin skinned. What will Trump do to gain acceptance from those people he thinks matter? His actions show that he does not care about the approval of the American people. It is scary to think that the President’s need to be accepted by others will be more important than keeping America a great country.

Candidate Trump rallied the minority of American voters with his promise of a wall on the US-Mexico border, and that the Mexican government would pay for this wall. It was never made very clear why the Mexican government would pay for such a pointless project. Now that Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office, he needs to back up his ridiculous promises. His supporters, who are the minority of voters, have demanded this fairy tale wall. Good to his word, President Trump signed an executive order to build the wall, and to make Mexico pay for it. The government of the sovereign nation of Mexico quickly rebuked the new President’s wishes. In response, The Trump White House threw another tantrum and pledged to place a very large import tax on Mexican goods. Almost the entire business community, many congressional Republicans, and lovers of tequila everywhere quickly questioned the new President’s judgement. Many people laughed, most people just shook their heads, at this moronic idea. The negative reaction to President Trump’s grand plan was so quick, that the people who have already lied for Trump were quick to walk back their boss' bad thoughts. The greatness of America taught the new President a harsh lesson on the payment of the border wall.

During the Republican Presidential Primary, Donald Trump was unapologetic in his thoughts of banning refugees, mainly Muslims, from entering the United States. This naked xenophobia turned off even the most right wing of Republican Presidential candidates. Many, many, many people would call out Donald Trump for his racism, and misunderstanding of what has always made America great.

Now that Donald J Trump is the President, he does not seem to care about the terribleness of banning a religious group from coming to the United States. What again should not be a surprise to anyone, Donald Trump used an Executive order to ban immigration from Muslim countries where his personal business empire does not currently operate in. Green card holders, business professionals, an Oscar nominated director, children, and many others were denied entry into the United States. This inhumane act by President Trump was roundly condemned. The once, and still, great American people showed with their voices that the majority of citizens do not believe in hate.

Within a few weeks, President Trump has shown that his administration does not believe in the proud tradition of American exceptionalism. His lies insult America, his narcissism embarrasses America, and his racism hurt America. No amount of Fox News misdirection can hide the fact that the Trump White House has no idea what they are doing. The incompetence of the Trump Presidency has given America good comedy, and sleepless nights. Trump’s early days has shown that his Presidency is not going to be great for America. It is a good thing that what makes America great is the fact that we can suffer through the failures of a bad President.

The greatness of America does have to face some harsh truths. Is it possible that everything that President Donald Trump has done has been done with a purpose? It is obvious that the President is most interested in protecting the Trump business, and being a leader for all Americans does not matter to him in the least. Maybe the weakening of America is good for Trump and his inner circle of political advisors. Maybe the greatness of America is holding back some grand plan for the people who currently work in the White House. It is clear that President Trump has no idea on how to make America great again. America is already great. The new President’s actions are working directly against American exceptionalism. Americans make America great. Do not forget that. Do not let President Trump take that away.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast? Help us keep track of, and call out, the lies of President Trump. Write for us.

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SeedSing Classic: Last Generation Gamer: "Ready Player One"

SeedSing classic is a look back at our most influential articles. These pieces have been presented in their original form. No Star Warsesque special editions. Enjoy

When it comes to pop culture, Generation X tends to get the short end stick. The “Greatest Generation” is still portrayed as the heroes who saved the world from Adolf Hitler and the Nazi scourge. The Baby Boomers are still in the forefront of all pop culture, just look at the music (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones), movies (any serious Oscar bait film that comes out), and television (Mad Men, anything on CBS that portrays the other generations as doofuses) that everyone considers as the best. The Millennials have been taking over music with people like Lorde, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and many more. The only part of the pop culture that Generation X gets to claim as their own is that of early video games. Atari, Intellivision, Apple, and early Nintendo, that is the legacy Generation X holds as it’s own.

In 2010, screenwriter and spoken word artist Ernest Cline sold is very first novel. Ready Player One was instantly a hit, and the film rights were purchased by Warner Brothers immediately after the novel’s release. The story takes place in a future that is quite grim. Society has inevitably succumbed to a massive energy crisis, food is scarce, and the wealth disparity has put the majority of the world firmly in the category of being poor. The one shared escape everyone has a massive online virtual world called the OASIS. Kids go to school on one of the worlds in the OASIS, people work and conduct business, it is the one place left that gives opportunity to anyone. The creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, announces in a video posted after his death that he is going to give away his vast fortune, and total control of the OASIS to the person who can find an Easter Egg he has hidden in his virtual universe. The idea of a game Easter Egg famously started with the Atari game Adventure, which Halliday references in his death video. Since that time, game programmers have been installing Easter Eggs for the most determined, and obsessive, players out there. Halliday’s Egg would be one for the ages. The players need to find three keys, and open three gates to reach the final challenge. The story kicks off with our narrator, Wade Watts, telling us how he was the first person to find the first key.

What follows in Ready Player One is an exciting story filled with pop culture references geared towards anyone who grew up in the 1980’s. James Halliday lived in a small town in Ohio in the 80’s, and he found his escapes from his own difficult life in the movies, television, and video games of the Reagan era. He recreated this comfort in his super successful OASIS game/virtual reality. The universe of the OASIS is chocked full of pop culture gems from that time. Music from Schoolhouse Rock, Oingo Boingo, and Rush are crucial to the plot. Locations in the OASIS are built to look like worlds from Dungeons and Dragons, Family Ties, and the classic text adventure computer game Zork. There are classic Japanese mechs, flying Deloreans, and cabinet arcade game units scattered all over the OASIS. Ready Player One may take place in mid 2040’s, but anyone born in the 1970’s will feel nostalgic comfort in the virtual world built by the fictional Halliday.

The real world depicted in Ready Player One is depressing, all too real at the same time. Poverty is extremely widespread because our leaders did not care to move the world to sustainable energy, and the reality of global climate change has altered the planet in terrible ways. Access to the internet has been consolidated under one behemoth of a monopoly, and they are determined to find the Easter Egg so the company can monetize Halliday’s mostly free OASIS. The subject of Net Neutrality comes to one’s mind reading about the corporate mindset in Ready Player One. The fictional world imagined by Cline in the 2040’s seems uncomfortably real if we continue on the same self-destructive path we are allowing our world leaders to bring us down.

There is a movie of Ready Player One, currently in post-production, that is directed by Steven Spielberg. The fact the Spielberg has been responsible for some of Generation X’s greatest film moments has many people excited for the project.  If the story is left alone, and the pop culture references are as plentiful as they are in the book, the film version of Ready Player One will be a huge success. The book is like an encyclopedia of Generation X culture, the movie can let the world know that the small group between the Boomers and Millennials had some cool stuff. Generation X will finally have a seat at the table of awesome pop culture.

Ready Player One celebrates the entertainment of the 1980’s, but the book belongs to everyone. Much like the incredible Netflix show Stranger Things, Ready Player One uses the era of Gen X youth, and tells a story worthy of anyone’s time. Before the movie takes over the public conciseness, go read the book. We may not have the OASIS, but Cline's incredible story will bring into a world that is exciting and hopeful. Just be warned, you will be humming some old Rush tunes when the book is finished.

RD

RD Kulik is the creator and Head Editor for SeedSing. He is considering picking up one of those knockoff Atari boxes from the store so he can test his Adventure and Pac Man skills. Only 20 some odd years to practice for Halliday's Hunt.

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

SeedSing Classic: Where the Hell are the Responsible Adults on "PJ Masks"?

Next season on PJ Masks, the police will lock up all the adults

SeedSing classic is a look back at our most influential articles. These pieces have been presented in their original form. No Star Warsesque special editions. Enjoy

Having children means having to watch shows you don't care for. I've watched stuff like "Doc McStuffins", "Team Umizoomi", "Handy Manny" and "The Octonauts". These shows I do not care for. They're boring and loud and dull. I've also seen stuff like "Wally Kazaam" and "Yo Gabba Gabba". I really like these shows. "Yo Gabba Gabba" has cool music and cool guests and there's always a good lesson. "Wally Kazaam" may be the most clever and best written children's show I've ever seen. There's been some jokes that have made me legitimately laugh out loud. "Wally Kazaam" is my favorite show that my son has watched.

Lately my son has been watching a show called "PJ Masks". This show is fine. It's not good, but it's not that bad. The show follows three young children that, at nighttime, become superheroes when they put their pajamas on. Sounds pretty cute, right? That's what I thought when I first saw this show, but then I actually sat down and paid attention to what was going on and I've got to say, the negligence of the parents on "PJ Masks" is downright criminal. I'd venture to say that they are worse parents than the parents from "Charlie Brown".

First things first, at least the parents in "Charlie Brown" are present. Sure, we can't understand what they are saying and the kids never take their advice, but we know that they are there. The parents in "PJ Masks" are non existent. And, when there is an adult around, they just leave when the situation turns sour. I'll tell you about a recent episode that had this happen. The kids were just regular kids and they were about to watch a puppet show. The puppet master, apparently one of their teachers, shows up and sees that the puppets are missing. All he says is, "My puppets are gone. I guess there will be no show today" and then he just leaves. Doesn't investigate the problem, doesn't tell the children he will be right back, in fact he doesn't tell the children anything except that the show is cancelled, and he just leaves, never to be seen or heard from again. That's insane! He's an adult and he just lets the kids deal with this problem on their own! WTF!

This leads me to my main problem with the parents of the three main kids. These children, maybe 7 or 8 years old, are allowed to leave their houses in the middle of the night and go fight crimes. The parents have no say and just let this happen. Where on Earth is this ever a good idea? Why would you let a child go out into the streets in the middle of the night. That is the whole point of the show. These kids turn into superheroes when they go to bed and put their PJ's on. I say again, this is insane! And the parents just let them go, I DON"T GET IT!

You are all probably asking the names of the three main kids, so I'll tell you. You have Owlette the girl, Gekko the shy one and Catboy the athlete. They fight villains, yes this show has children as super smart villains, Romeo, Luna Girl, Night Ninja and the Ninjalenos. It's so surreal. One saving grace, you never see actual fighting. They have races and they play party games and they use gadgets, but they never actually fight. I guess the parents at least gave them the proper rules that fighting is wrong. But, that doesn't excuse the fact that these kids are out in the middle of the night. Also, where are the police in this town and why aren't they doing anything about this? Now, I'm upset at not only the parents, but all the adults in the "PJ Masks" universe. Why do you all let children decide what to do? I'm all for letting kids figure things out for themselves, but there's a time and a place for that and it's not after midnight. I just don't get why there are no rules for these kids.

Also, what kind of parents do Romeo, Luna Girl, Night Ninja and the Ninjalenos have that these kids are super villains? Romeo is some kind of tech genius, but he hates the PJ Masks, and I mean hates the PJ Masks. He is some kind of tech wizard, going so far as stealing their voices in one episode. Are his parents some kind of tech wizards? If so, at least they taught him how to use technology, but he uses it for evil. How messed up is that?! Luna Girl just wants to stop the PJ Masks from having fun. That's straight up mean. She is the definition of a "mean girl", but she too is a child. Why does she have all this hate in her tiny soul? Night Ninja is a spoiled baby and he has the Ninjalenos answer his every beck and call. Why is he so spoiled and how did he train four little kids to be his helpers? What kind of family do these kids come from?

I guess, overall, I'm just disappointed in the adults in this world. I know, it's a children's show, it's a cartoon, it's fantasy, but my brain won't allow me to look at it that way. I want to know why the adults aren't involved at all. At least in "Charlie Brown" and "The Simpsons" the parents are there. They may not be the best people in the world, but they are there and that's more than I can say for the adults and parents in "PJ Masks". I'm sure this show will fade much like all the other shows my son watches, but I will still wonder, long after he stops watching, why weren't the grown ups more involved? What were they doing and why was that more important than making sure their kids were in their beds like they should be? I'm sure I'll never know, but I know that it will haunt me for the rest of my days. Shame on you adults in the "PJ Masks" universe. Take more interest in your children and maybe they won't go out in the middle of the night and argue about cake and toys and balloons. Get off your cell phones and take the time to get to know your kids.

You sicken me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He thinks judging others is easy, and fun too. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The End of Carmelo Anthony's NBA Career

Yesterday another NBA trade happened, and while some deemed it a blockbuster, I do not agree. Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Hawks for Mike Muscala and Dennis Schroder, and another team was involved, but only in cash I believe. The "big" names to move were Schroder and Anthony. They were essentially traded for each other, and then the Hawks said they will waive Carmelo the moment they can.

What does this all mean. The Thunder offloaded a guy that they didn't want anymore, a guy that did not help their team at all last year, a guy that openly complained about his role, a guy that refused to come of the bench, basically, a guy that is washed as a pro.

When Carmelo came into the league, I loved his offensive game. He never played any defense, but he didn't his one year in college either. He was an offensive wizard. He could shoot, slash and get to the rim. Hid fade away was a thing to behold. His pull up jumper was great as well. He made the Nuggets relevant and fun when they drafted him. And even when he pushed his way to the Knicks, the first couple of years at least, he was still fun to watch. I also loved watching him on Team USA. That was my favorite Carmelo Anthony. He is such a good spot up three point shooter, and when he tries on defense, he is okay. That was how he played on Team USA. That was who the Thunder thought they were getting.

After growing more and more frustrated in New York, then being asked to play third, some times fourth fiddle in OKC, Carmelo has just fallen off a cliff. I almost feel bad for him, almost. The fact that he picked up his option for 28 million, which I totally get, but the fact that he still picked it up knowing that the Thunder did not want him there, that was some shady shit. I get not passing up 28 million, but Carmelo has made way, way more money than that throughout his career. He even did a spread in ESPN The Magazine where he basically said that he cared more about his brand than titles spoke volumes to me. He is all about making money as an NBA player. He really does not care about a title.

Now that he has been traded for Schroder and Muscala, and people are saying the Thunder won the trade, Carmelo is officially washed. There should be no doubt about that anymore. He has nothing to offer any team. He cannot shoot it like he used to. He has no lift. He doesn't have the speed to cut anymore. And he plays no defense. I'm sure a team will sign him, but if I were a GM, I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole, especially after how he performed last year.

I have heard that the Rockets are the front runners to sign him, and if they do, they will regret it. First off, they need to sign Clint Capela before they sign anyone else. Then, they do not need Carmelo. Sure, he is a "big" name to add to 2 other big names, but he is not a big time player anymore. He is not a viable replacement for Trevor Ariza. They should just put Gerald Green in the Ariza role. He is currently a better NBA player than Anthony. And for the Rockets, how is Anthony any better than Ryan Anderson right now. They are the exact same player.

If the Lakers sign him, they will have the most combustible locker room in NBA history. That would be an unmitigated disaster. He would also take crucial minutes away from young, growing guys like Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

As far as other "contenders", none of them need Carmelo. The Warriors sure as hell don't need him, and they couldn't afford him anyway. The Celtics don't want that headache. The Raptors just got Kawhi, so they definitely don't need 2 players that don't want to play basketball this year. The 76ers have much better, much younger guys, and the vets they have know their place.

Carmelo needs to let it go. He needs to move on. His best days are far, far, far behind him. His career is over. As much as I used to like watching him play, he is done. Let it go.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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What the Hell Is Kawhi Leonard Doing?

Even though I wrote about it yesterday, I still have a few more thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard trade, and it all has to do with his actions since the trade was announced.

First off, he came out and said, or maybe it was his people, I do not know, that he does not want to play in Toronto. He apparently has zero interest in being on the Raptors. Now, I get that he might not like the team he was traded to, and that he has his own personal list of the teams he wants to play on, but he is under a contract that he signed. Sports is a brutal, heartless business, and Kawhi should know that. He has one final year. He has to, well, if he wants to get paid for doing his job, play for the team he was traded to. I know it is not LA or Philly, or even Boston, but he signed the contract himself. So, he can either play for Toronto, then go anywhere he wants next year, which is his right, or he can sit out and not see a dime.

Which brings me to my second point, his threatening to sit out again. That shit is played out and childish. Why would he want to waste another year of his prime? Is he doing this just to prove a point? Look, I am all for these guys being treated as people, because that is what they are, but what Kawhi is doing is only hurting his career and his image. This whole threatening to sit the season out, and not report to training camp will cost him more money than most of us would see in three or four lifetimes. He must be crazy if he is willing to give up over 20 million dollars, just to prove a point. I'm sure he has more money than he ever imagined, but the threat of losing that much money should scare the hell out of him. I say again, he would lose over 20 MILLION DOLLARS. That is so, so much money.

Also, he would waste another year in his absolute prime. Two years ago, after Tim Duncan retired and the Spurs handed the team over to him, he was one of the best players in the world. I picked him as my preseason MVP, and I still stand by that pick 2 years later. He was crushing the league on both ends of the floor, and he made the Spurs a viable threat in the West. Hell, they might have had a shot at the Warriors if ZaZa Pachulia never stepped underneath him and hurt him again. They were up by a ton in that game, in Golden State, and then Kawhi went down and so did the Spurs.

Kawhi came into last year with that same injury, and just seemed more quiet and disengaged than normal. I know that he had issues with the Spurs trainers, so he got his own. Then, some current players, namely Tony Parker, started to call him out. I'm not here to judge injuries, each player is different in their recovery and what not, but players let him know that they didn't buy it. In fact, former players were openly bashing him on national TV. Then he started to grow despondent with Greg Poppovich, and Poppovich let him know that that did not bother him. He would talk about his injury to the media, say he felt he was ready to go, but he always left it up to Kawhi when he wanted to come back. And he did, for 9 games, and then immediately shut it down. This was when the diva part of him started to come out. He never said anything himself because he is a very quiet person, but his people sure let the media know that he wanted out, and he wanted to go to LA.

So, he wasted the entire season, at age 26, complaining about an injury, the Spurs and demanding a trade. And now that he has been traded, which is what he wanted, he is threatening to miss his second year in a row, at age 27, because he doesn't like the team he was traded to. That is some childish bull shit right there. He got what he wanted. He is not a Spur anymore. He doesn't have to deal with the staff. He is on a team that is a title contender. He will be their number one option if he is healthy. He is in a very big city. But, since the jersey doesn't have LA or PHILA or CELTICS on the front, he is pouting.

I'm at a loss for how to feel about Kawhi Leonard anymore. I once loved his game. I loved how he let his play do all his talking. I love how lock down he was on defense. I loved that he worked hard on his jumper and became an elite player. But now, I am very disappointed in how he has handled this whole thing. It has left a bad taste in my mouth. But hey Kawhi, if you want to lose 20 million dollars, and then go be LeBron's sidekick, that is your decision, and you have every right in the world. I just think it would be stupid to lose that much money and waste 2 years of your absolute prime, just to prove a point.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let's Talk About the "Big" Kawhi Leonard Trade

Well, Kawhi Leonard has been traded. I guess the Spurs did not want to call his bluff, so they let him "free" of the team that he has grown so mad at over the past year. They kind of gave him what he wanted, in a way. He did not want to be a Spur, he did not trust them, and he had threatened to sit out the whole season if not traded.

But, when I say kind of what he wanted, the Spurs did stick it to him a little bit on his way out. It was made very, very clear that Kawhi wanted to be in LA, and to a lesser extent, Philly. But, one thing was for sure, and that was that he wanted out of San Antonio. Well, he got his wish, but he did not get traded to a team that he wants to play for. In fact, he got traded to a team where he has made it very clear, he has no intention of staying with. The team, the Toronto Raptors.

This is crazier to me than Paul George going to OKC last year. Until very, very recent, the Raptors were not even on the radar. That was the same with George and OKC last year, but the Thunder at least had Westbrook as a selling point to George. The Raptors, well they traded away their best asset for what is going to most likely be one disgruntled year of Kawhi. The Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2021 first round pick to the Spurs for Kawhi and Danny Green.

Now, just looking at this from a pure basketball stand point, I have no idea who won this trade. Yes, Kawhi got out, but he is going to Toronto, and the Raptors traded DeRozan for him. You may say, well they still have Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valenciunas and OG Anunoby, among others. Well, Lowry is as big a playoff choker as James Harden, if not worse, Valenciunas' game is not modern, and Anunoby is still incredibly raw. And the addition of Danny Green is solid, but he is not the three and D guy he used to be. In fact, his three point shooting continues to deteriorate. He is still a good defender, but I'd rather have DeRozan simply for scoring ability.

That being said, the Raptors are in the East, and, if Kawhi is healthy, and decides he needs to have a big year to get a big deal, they could be a top three seed. But, they were the top seed last year. Why would this trade put them over the top? How does this make them any better? They were already the best by record last year. Looking at the Raptors now, sure, they got Kawhi, and Green is still a player, and I like Lowry, Anunoby and Serge Ibaka, are they truly any better than a healthy Celtics team, or the 76ers still? I don't know. I say no if Kawhi plays disgruntled and whines all year. His presence won't matter much. If he fully commits and plays as well as he did 2 years ago, they will be a title contender. Yet, I still like a healthy Celtics team, and I love the 76ers. This trade, for me, does not make the Raptors the favorite in the East, and this whole ordeal has really soured my love and adoration for Kawhi Leonard, the basketball player. He is becoming more and more diva like with each passing day.

From the Spurs prospective, I'm not a big fan of this deal either. First off, even with Kawhi, they were no better than a 3 or 4 seed in the West. The Rockets, maybe the Jazz, and most definitely the Warriors were already better. With DeRozan, I see much of the same, except, he doesn't play defense like a healthy Kawhi does. In fact, DeRozan plays no defense whatsoever. As I said, he is a very good, sometimes great, scorer. But, that is about it with DeRozan. His three point shooting has gotten better, and he is great driving to the hoop, but again, I just cannot shake his horrendous defense. He also has never really done anything on the big stage, and Kawhi is a Finals MVP. As for Poeltl, he is just a raw, plodding big man. I know he is still young, but he has shown little to nothing in his first couple years in the league. Sure, he can step out and shoot the three a bit, and he is an okay rebounder and rim protector, but he didn't play all that much behind Valenciunas. I still have no idea what kind of player he can become. I'm sure the Spurs will make good use out of him, they turned guys like Boban Marjonovic and Aaron Baynes and Tiago Splitter into quality NBA players, but time will tell. I think the biggest thing for the Spurs was the future first rounder.

Lets be honest, Kawhi is only going to spend one year in Toronto. I know we all said that about Paul George and OKC last year, but this time I know it is true. He doesn't want to be there, and he will force his way out, and he is an unrestricted free agent after the season. So, with Kawhi gone, Lowry getting older and Anunoby being the only real youth they have on their team, the Raptors will, most likely, be a lottery team come 2020 and 2021. That was what the Spurs wanted. A future pick that they can build around with guys like Dejonte Murray and some unknown dudes they have stashed away on their bench.

For right now, I don't feel like this trade tips the scale for either squad. I think the Raptors will be a contender to come out of the East, if Kawhi feels like playing this year. But, they were supposed contenders last year. And the Spurs, well they play in the West, so they have no shot. The Warriors, Rockets, Jazz, Thunder and even the Pelicans are better in my opinion. This was a "blockbuster" trade, but it seems hollow somehow.

Ty

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

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Tales From a First Triathlon

It is a victory just to get here.

I just did a triathlon 2 days ago. I’m not here to brag, I’m here to talk about my experience.

The first thing that needs to be said, triathlons are hard. I have a ton of newfound respect for people that do more than one of these a year. I’ve done a ton of athletic stuff in my life, mostly team sports, but all of that stuff pales in comparison to the amount of activity involved in one triathlon. I’d rather go back to 2 a days for football, or run “suicides” during basketball practice. This triathlon was tough.

The triathlon was also confounding and confused my body. It confounded me because I did all this activity in less than 2 hours. I do not understand how my body pushes through it all. I have played basketball for 2, sometimes three hours at a time, but I can take breaks during that. There’s no breaks during a triathlon. After the bike ride, I was exhausted, but I still had a 3.5 mile run left, and, with a little walking uphill, I did it. I still don’t know how. I’m still trying to figure it out. It confused my body because of all the random events. I started off strong, posting my best swim time ever. I trained hardest for the swimming, and I feel like it paid off. I did the 300 yards in about 6 and a half minutes. I know that’s not great, but it was great for me. I then transitioned to the bike, and I was feeling good. Even with the big hill at the start, I still felt good. The hills, the overcast weather and having my camel back on were a big time help. The new seat I got was great too. Even having to put my chain back on, it slipped off because I tried to change gears too quick, I finished the 9 mile ride under an hour, which was my goal. As I parked the bike I still felt okay, and then the running started. This was where my body started to get angry and mad. I feel like it was telling me, “enough”. But, I kept going. I think this pissed my body off even more. I didn’t feel it at the time, but later that night, and even still today, I haven’t recovered. My knees and heels are still sore. I also have this general malaise. I’m also moving slower than normal, and my brain is kind of fried.

All this being said though, I’m glad, and proud of myself, that I trained for this, and that I finished it. I feel like I’m currently in the best shape I’ve been in in a long time. I know when this malaise passes, I’ll be ready to dive back into all things athletic that I do. I’m going on vacation next week, and I know I’m hiking and climbing bluffs, and I’m stoked for it all. I’m also going to get back to basketball the following week, and I’m giddy for that. Also, I know that this wasn’t the last triathlon that I will do. Now that I know what it entails, and how better to train, I’m going to want to do it again to better my time. I like pushing myself, and this triathlon is as hard as I’ve pushed myself since high school.

My buddy who did it with me is already trying to get me to do another one, and he and I are running a half marathon in October. A half marathon was something I said I’d never do it again after I did one about 2 years ago, and here I am, 4 months away from my second. My buddy also helped me push through the finish. If you are going to do a triathlon, or anything like it, I recommend doing it with a friend. It’s really helpful.

So, while I’m exhausted and feel odd, I’m very happy I did this. I’m glad that I trained, and when the day came, I didn’t make an excuse or walk away. Yes, I’m tired now, but I know it won’t be for much longer. There is good and bad to doing something like this, but the good way outweighs the bad in my opinion. If you are on the fence, I’d say give it a try, but make sure you train, and know that you will be exhausted. But, when you finish, you will be proud. This was a cool, and odd experience, and I will do it again.

This is how I feel about triathlons.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has comquered all he has wanted in real sports. Nowadays Ty is trying to be the best at excercising.

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Cloves and Fedoras: Go See the Intriguing Film "Sorry to Bother You"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of seeing one of the wildest, weirdest, crazy, scatter brained, satirical and best movie that I have watched in a long, long time. I took my dad to see "Sorry to Bother You", and boy did this movie not disappoint.

I had very high expectations for this movie. From the moment that I heard Boots Riley of The Coup, a band that I am a big time fan of, I even nominated them for greatest American band, had written and directed a movie, I was interested. I didn't need to know what it was about, or who was even in it, I was just totally stoked that a visionary, and political activist like Boots Riley was getting a chance to make a movie. That being said, when I heard who was cast in the movie, that made me want to see it even more. As you all know, I am a big time fan of the show "Atlanta", and when I saw that Lakeith Stanfield was starring in the movie, I was pumped. It  also didn't hurt when I saw names like Tessa Thompson, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Jermaine Fowler and Danny Glover in the cast. Then the trailers started to some out. The trailers put all of the craziness and absurdity and wonderfulness that was this movie into the world. The trailers also made me realize who people like David Cross and Patton Oswalt were in this movie. I got advanced tickets and saw it the day after it was released nationwide. As I said, I saw it with my father, and a fairly crowded theater during a Saturday matinee. That made me happy from the start. The theater was not sold out by any means, but to see it about 1/2 full for an independent movie that was described as a "comedy, sci fi thriller", well, that is awesome. Maybe that means that more unique and cool movies will get a chance to be made. I am fatigued by sequels, remakes and super hero movies. It was nice to see something totally original. And, after only 3 previews, which I definitely appreciated, the movie started.

Now, I am not going to spoil anything, so I am going to continue very carefully with how I describe this wonderful movie. Stanfield plays Cassius Green. Green is broke. He lives in his Uncle's garage, Terry Crews played his uncle, and he is engaged to a performance artist that is also a sign twirler on the road. Green's fiancé is played by Tessa Thompson, and she shines in this movie. Her name is Detroit. She wears some of the wildest and coolest clothes that I have ever seen. She is an activist and she is just a beam of light whenever she is on screen. She makes all of her earrings in the movie, and they make it a point to say that, and to point them out. I loved that about this movie. Her wardrobe is also so hip and forward thinking, I would not be shocked if I saw people starting to dress like Detroit in real life. Anyway, Green needs a job because he is 4 months behind on his rent, and his uncle is about to lose the house. He gets a job at a telemarketing company, Regal View, and it is a struggle at first. Some of the scenes where he is making his first calls, where he literally drops into the home of the people he is calling, are so cool and unlike anything that I have seen. It was awesome. Green is struggling, and he is not making any money. The co worker sitting next to him, played by Danny Glover, gives him some advice. He tells him he needs to use his "white voice". He says that this will calm the people he is talking to, and they will be more willing to speak with him. I found this part of the movie very intriguing. I, and I assume many other people, just hang up on telemarketers. But, I wonder if the people that actually field these calls take them because of how the person sounds. It is a very great take on race relations, and only someone like Boots Riley could have pulled this off.

Green, now using his "white voice", which is voiced by David Cross, begins to crush it at work. He is selling whatever Regal View sells, it isn't very clear, and he is selling a ton. Amidst all this, Steven Yeun, playing a character named Squeeze, and Jermaine Fowler, Cassius' best friend, are starting to unionize so they can make living wages. This movie takes place in an alternate universe, and telemarketers in this world make far less than telemarketers do now. Cassius is part of their fight at first, but then he gets promoted to "power caller". This is where the real money is made. This is where Cassius can make enough money to help his uncle keep his house, buy an apartment for himself and Detroit, and furnish it with nice things. He is happy about this, at first. He then realizes what he is selling as a "power caller".

There is a company in this movie called Worry Free. They give people a job, a free place to live and free food, all they have to do is sign a lifetime contract, and work for them forever. It is essentially slave labor. Cassius comes to realize that, as a "power caller", he is only furthering and helping this awful corporation continue to thrive. But, since he is making money, he continues to go to work.

This begins to strain his relationship with Detroit and his friends. He is a scab. He may not realize it, but he is going against everything he believes in. He continues to cross the picket lines because he has finally found something that he is good at doing. He has struggled all his life, but telemarketing, with his "white voice", and selling things to random people on the phone, he is good at this. Needless to say, he and Detroit split. Fowler and Yeun want nothing to do with him. One day, while crossing the picket line, he gets struck in the head by a soda can. With all this happening, he continues to go to work, and to make Worry Free a ton of money.

Due to his success, Green gets invited to a big party with one of the owners or CEO or something of Worry Free, Steve Lift. Lift is played by Armie Hammer, and while I do not think he is a great actor, he is amazing in this movie. He is evil, a womanizer, a pig, a bully, a drug addict and just an all around bad guy. It is only when Cassius meets Hammer does he start to question what he is really doing. Hammer bullies him into free style rapping at a party. He essentially traps him in his home, and threatens his life when Cassius finds out some major news about what he is doing to help Worry Free continue to progress their laborers, who, lets just say, may not be all human. When Cassius learns of all of this, he decides now that he needs to fight back.

From here on out, if I were to say much more, I would spoil some major things in the movie. With that being said, you need to stay through the credits to get the full extent of what I am trying to get across without spoiling anything.

"Sorry to Bother You" is one of the most ambitious movies that I have ever witnessed. Boots Riley had a vision, and I feel like he decided he was going to put as much of it into this movie as possible, and that makes me so happy. He took all the chances. I mean, in this movie, the number one TV show in America is called, "I Just Got the Shit Kicked Out of Me". When they showed that, I was reminded of another one of my favorite, off the wall movies, "Idiocracy". But where the shows are similar, that is the only thing. "Sorry to Bother You" is much deeper, and way more in depth than "Idiocracy", and I adore "Idiocracy".

"Sorry to Bother You" is, quite possibly, the most original movie, with common themes, that has ever been made. The movie touches on class, selling out and race, but in such a unique and cool and visionary way. You must see this movie. You also must know, going into it, that it is weird and different, and there are crazy cuts and some of the wildest stuff you can think of times ten in this movie. But, it is all worth it. This movie more than surpassed my expectations. I saw it on Saturday, and I am still trying to figure everything out. The movie is open ended and lets you kind of decide what you think is right and wrong, and I love it even more because of that.

"Sorry to Bother You" is an amazing achievement, and I cannot wait to see what Boots Riley does next. What a gem.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has had a bunch of crappy jobs that forced him to bother people. Never again will you see Ty knocking on your door asking if you have the latest in Video Cassette Recording experience.

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Ty Has Chosen the Phoenix Suns as His New NBA Team

Last week I came to my blog looking for help to find a new NBA team to root for. I had a few rules and stipulations as to the type of team I was looking to back. I have now pored over this for about a week, and I have found a new team. I got recommendations, some ridicule and, mainly, silence in social media. So, I went to my wife, a few friends and my dad for help. With their help, telling them all the things I was looking for in a team, I landed on the Phoenix Suns.

If you think about it, based on my own rules, the Suns are the perfect team. They were awful last year, and they have been for awhile. But, I feel like they are on the come up. They do play in the West, but I feel like, within a year or three, they can be a playoff team. If they continue to grow and develop, with all the young talent they have, I feel like they can leap frog current playoff teams like the Blazers, Timberwolves and, maybe, the Pelicans.

That’s another thing I like about them, how they are drafting and developing their players. They have clearly been tanking since they let Isiash Thomas and Goran Dragic and Eric Gordon leave. But, they have drafted quality guys to take their place. I love Devin Booker. That dude can fill up the stat sheet with points. He has scored 70 in a game already. I think Josh Jackson has potential to be a great second or third option, and he’s getting better on defense. If he can get any kind of a jump shot, he could become a fringe all star. I still have a little hope for Dragan Bender and Marquess Chriss. Bender is still so young, and I think he is kind of, sort of, figuring the game out. It seems to be slowing down a bit for him. Chriss just needs to stay in shape, and he can be their 4 of the future no problem. He is already a good rebounder and low post scorer, he just needs to lay off the fast food. I have given up on Alex Len though. They need to try and trade him just to get something. He isn’t going to figure it out. They also just added Trevor Ariza. I love love love this move. He will bring veteran leadership to this team, but he won’t be a diva about it. He will come in, hold down the locker room and do his thing on the floor. He is the consummate professional.

What put the Phoenix Suns over the top for me was drafting DeAndre Ayton number one overall. He was my second favorite player in the draft, behind only Colin Sexton. I do think he is the most NBA ready guy in the draft. He is a beast down low on both ends of the floor. He is so good on offense in the low post, and when engaged, he’s a solid defender. He is also enormous. He is so big, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets bigger. He still is a teenager, so he can still grow. He also has a little bit of a jumper, which will help stretch defenses from the start. He and Booker should make for a very potent one two punch.

I just really like this Phoenix Suns team, and where they are headed. They have a star, Booker. They have a great young center, Ayton. They have a solid vet, Ariza. And they could be a free agent destination. I have heard that Kyrie Irving likes it there, Blake Griffin took a meeting there and so did LaMarcus Aldridge. I feel like they can get someone. So, on this blog today, I declare myself a Suns fan. Let’s go.

Ty

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

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Childish Gambino Has Two New Songs for Our Summer Pleasure

Relax in a pool chair and take in the new tunes from Childish Gambino

Last night I was scrolling through Facebook and noticed that Donald Glover’s page had some new, very non interpretive pictures on it. The pictures were a colorful mish mash of neon, and they simply said, “Summertime” and “Summertime 2”. Needless to say, I was intrigued. Last time he did something like this, he dropped “This is America” under his rap pseudonym, Childish Gambino. You all know how much I adore, and how much that song and, more importantly, that video, affected me. So, I was hoping this would be some new songs.

Well, when I clicked the URL, much to my enjoyment, it was 2 brand new Childish Gambino songs. I was stoked. I had just gotten home from working out, cleaned up, and was greeted by this wonderful news while playing on my phone. I immediately listened to both songs at full volume. And, once again, Glover absolutely nailed it. I mean, this dude is so talented, it is almost unfair. He can pretty much do it all.

It needs to be said, both these songs don’t have the same political and of the moment feel of “This is America”. That song is its own thing, as it should be. These 2 new songs are breezy and cool and mellow. The first version, “Summertime”, is a cool, faster paced R&B song. It is such a fitting summer song. It has mellow, yet sped up instrumentals. Glover goes a bit lower with his voice on this track too. He also does, a very little bit, of rapping on this song. I was immediately on board. I love the change he has taken with his music. When he started out, he was straight forward rap. But now, he seems to be a full fledged R&B dude. He really showed that he could do this music on the incredible “Awaken My Love”, and he seems to have really found his groove.

Needless to say, after listening to the first song, I had high hopes for the second track. It did not disappoint. Glover slows things down on this song, and I love that about this song. It is an R&B song through and through. From the opening bar to the final noise of an instrument, it is like listening to old Earth Wind and Fire or, dare I say, Barry White. I like the first new song, I LOVE the second version. It is so wonderful. I immediately played them both for my wife, and even she was impressed. She’s not a big Gambino fan, but she does like the newer stuff he is doing. She likes R&B, so she was on board. I just get more and more impressed with all the stuff he does. He cannot do wrong right now. He is on an incredible hot streak, and he is striking while the iron is burning.

I highly recommend checking out these 2 new songs. They will be, or at least should be, played endlessly for the rest of summer on the radio. Childish Gambino, you’ve done it again. Maybe this means you aren’t giving up music just yet. One can hope. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He usually does not click on the links in Facebook. He wants Zuckerberg to have to guess what Ty likes.

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Culinary Delights From Ty: Crush Mixers

Imagine this, but with toms of sugar, and in soda form

Every night before bed, when we eat our dessert, my wife and I have a bottled water filled with a packet of Crush mixer. Now, for those of you that don't know, Crush is a soda brand. Crush sodas used to be one of my favorite brands. I loved how sweet and bubbly the soda was. I used to get it whenever I could, be it at a gas station or a restaurant. I loved all the different flavors as well. They truly ran the gammit.

But, as I got older, like most people, I switched over to diet soda when I do drink soda. Unfortunately for me, I have never found a diet Crush. For Crush to be as great as it is, it needs the full, real sugar taste. I tried a Crush recently, but it was far, far too sweet for me. It was so sweet that it reminded me why I liked it so much as a child. Kids love sugar, and Crush soda is filled with it.

So, I had just kind of forgotten about Crush sodas. I moved on and specifically drank Diet Coke, with a Coke Zero or Diet Dr. Pepper sprinkled in there from time to time. But, to be honest, I do not drink much soda that much anymore.

Well, my wife's cousin, who does Atkins like we do, told us about this miracle drink. She mentioned that Crush was making these mixers, now with fake sugar, and that they were amazing. I was excited/skeptical because, as I said, I used to love the soda, but that last time I tried one, it was too much. But, my wife's cousin has great taste in food and drink, so I trusted her, she gave us a few boxes of the packets, and we tried them.

I have got to say, she was 100 percent right about these things. They are amazing. They taste so good, It fully reminds me of being a kid, but without all the real sugar. I do not know how they do it, with fake sugar after all, but damn, they have made this stuff amazing, and accessible to dieters, and I couldn't be happier.

Oh, remember when I talked about all the flavors at the beginning? Well, the Crush mixers has just as many flavors, maybe more than I remember. They have the classic orange, grape and strawberry, all of which are tremendous. But, they have expanded now, and they have flavors like cherry limeade, cherry, raspberry, blue raspberry, and my absolute favorite, pineapple. The pineapple is out of this world. It has this amazing pineapple flavor that is just sweet enough. It doesn't over power you, but you most definitely get the taste of pineapple in there. The other flavors are great too. The cherry limeade mixer is second only to the Sonic drive thru cherry limeade drink. The raspberry is the sweetest of them all, but it is wonderful. That is my son's favorite. Blue raspberry is like drinking a slushie, which is awesome. And the cherry, my goodness is that a taste sensation. It is second only to pineapple. It tastes like a cherry Jolly Rancher, and everyone knows that those are the best. The classic flavors are great as well. The orange literally tastes like the soda, without the bubbles. Not that it tastes flat either, it just tastes good. The grape tastes exactly as I remember the soda tasting. And the strawberry is perfect on a hot summer day. It is very refreshing.

The other thing that my wife and I like to do with these mixers is put them in a water bottle, shake them up and put them in the freezer for, at least, 2 hours before consuming them. This takes the taste to a whole new level. When you have the bottles in the freezer long enough, you get that slushie texture that I talked about a minute ago, and it is wonderful. Also having them ice cold makes them that much more refreshing. It is second only to an ice cold glass of water after a work out.

I look forward to drinking Crush mixers at night when I have my dessert. It has replaced my decaf coffee or water. I load up on the boxes when I go grocery shopping. There is usually a deal on them too, which makes it even better. Oh, another suggestion I got from my cousin in law was to pour a LaCroix into a cup, I have found that the passion fruit flavor works best for this, and then put any one of the mixers into the cup. Then stir and add ice. I swear, it tastes just like the soda. You get the bubbles, the crush flavor and just a hint of the passion fruit from the LaCroix. It sounds weird, but it works so god damn well. Finally, the fact that these packets have zero carbs in them is just the icing on the cake. I have a big time sweet tooth, and while on Atkins, I have found that what I crave most is sugary sweets. Well, the Crush mixers appease that fix, and I do not have to feel guilty about drinking one.

Crush mixers are great, and I highly recommend everyone go out and try them. They rule.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The head editor puts some rum in his late night drink. It takes the edge off, makes you sleepy, and taste awesome after the fourth or fifth one.

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Ty Listens to the Gorillaz New Album "The Now Now"

About 2 weeks ago The Gorillaz put out a new record, "The Now Now". I had heard rumors that they were going to put out one, and by they I obviously mean Damon Albarn and his collaborator, but I didn't know when it was exactly coming out. I then saw on Facebook or some other site that they were putting it out on June 29th. And, like they promised, it was released then.

I have been listening to "The Now Now" pretty much every day since I bought it. I find at least one time a day, be it a car ride, a run or shooting baskets, to listen to the record. I love it. I was a big time fan of their last record, "Humanz", but, dare I say, I like "The Now Now" even more. It feels a bit more accessible to all fans. There were parts of "Humanz" and "Demon Days" and even their first record that seemed odd or out of place. I personally love all three of those records, especially "Demon Days", which I think is one of their most underrated records. But, "The Now Now" is better than all three. In fact, it, for the time being, it is my favorite record of theirs to date. I love the simplicity of this new record. I read an interview with Albarn where he said that he wrote most of it while on tour last year. Last year was one of their first fully American tours, and by all accounts, it was a big time success. But, in the down time that they had, Albarn decided he was going to write a new record. What I appreciate most about "The Now Now" is how mellow and simple it is. Also, even though I love all the guest appearance they usually have, and sometimes the guests make the record or song, I was pleasantly surprised that they only have 3 songs with guests on the record. It was a nice change of pace to hear Albarn as the characters in the band singing most of the songs. I love his voice, so of course I was going to be on board with this decision.

In fact, one of the songs that features a guest, the first track, which is amazing, "Humility", doesn't include the guest vocals. I believe George Benson is on the song for his guitar alone. By the way, "Humility" is a great way to start this record off. The song is bouncy and fun. It has an upbeat guitar riff and Albarn's vocals are top notch. They released a video for this song prior to the record coming out as well, and I highly suggest checking it out. It is so cool and exactly what you would expect out of a Gorillaz video. It is dope. The next track, "Tranz" is another upbeat, fast paced tune. I really enjoy this song as well. It goes a little harder than "Humanity", which is more like a beach song. "Tranz" is more of a club track, or just a straight forward electronic song with vocals. It is pretty awesome. Some other tracks on the record I really enjoy are "Kansas", "Idaho", "Sorcererz", "Lake Zurich" and "Magic City". "Kansas" is a slower tune, made all the better with Albarn almost crooning the lyrics. He clearly wrote this track while in Kansas, and listening to this song makes so much sense when you see it through that lens. "Idaho", another state name song, is another slow song, but it is more of an instrumental, electronic song. I know that may sound oxymoronic, but it is the truth. It actually reminds me of a Ratatat song, and I love that about it. I love Ratatat as you all know. "Sorcerez" goes hard and strong. It is a rock song mixed with electronic elements. It really sounds like a song off their first record, and that makes it so accessible to old school fans. It is a great follow up to "Kansas". "Lake Zurich" is another song that is more instrumental than anything else. I remember the first time listening to it, I was watering my plants and I just, without even knowing, found myself dancing and grooving along with the music. My neighbor almost snapped me out of my trance by asking what I was listening to. I let him check it out, he is an older gentleman, and even he enjoyed the song. It is so cool and so groovy. I love "Lake Zurich". And "Magic City" is like a culmination of everything that makes this album so wonderful. It has the great instrumental electronic stuff, but it also has great vocals and it is just a perfect song. It rules.

I adore this record. I know that I will be listening to it for the next couple weeks, no question. I highly suggest everyone go check out this record, even if you are not a Gorillaz fan. I truly feel like everyone that listens to this record will like it. It has a little something for everyone. Well done Mr. Albarn, as usual.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His pop culture the last few weeks has been all about animation. Today he had the Gorillaz, last week he had The Incredibles.

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Why Would Any Team Sign Carmelo Anthony?

With pretty much all of the big time free agents signed, and the Kawhi Leonard story getting more and more bizarre and strange everyday, there is still one player available, or soon to be for that matter, that is currently getting some buzz, and I want to give my 2 cents on him as well.

The player I speak of is Carmelo Anthony. While he isn't technically a free agent yet, the reports from everywhere say that the Thunder will let him leave. They will save a ton on the luxury tax and shed a player that just didn't fit right with the team last year. Carmelo Anthony, bless him, still thinks that he is a big time player. He still thinks that he is a number one, or at the very worst, number 2 option on a team. He still thinks his mid range game is formidable. He still thinks that he should be the last guy taking the shot at the end of the game. That is all very cute, but that is all very wrong.

Carmelo Anthony's best days are far, far behind him. He is beginning to look a lot like a has been. While he was never as dominant as Shaq was, the end of his career is beginning to resemble it. Shaq thought he was basically a hired hand going from town to town to bring them a title. After leaving Miami, he went to Phoenix to team up with Steve Nash. That was a disaster. He then went to the Celtics, maybe trying to help them regain some glory. That was worse than Phoenix. He even teamed up with LeBron in his first go round in Cleveland, and that was just plain sad. Shaq may be the greatest center to ever play the game, but the end of his career was horrible. Carmelo Anthony isn't 1/10 the player Shaq was, but, as I said earlier, the similarities are shocking.

Carmelo was a great offensive player while in Denver. He was electric and fun to watch, and he led that team further in the playoffs than they had been in a long, long time. He then forced his way out and demanded a trade to the Knicks, when he could have just signed there as a free agent. But, to his credit, the Knicks were a playoff team in his first couple years, and won 50 games a couple times. He made Madison Square Garden games a must watch for awhile. The Knicks attracted big name players and teams for primetime games on ESPN and TNT his first couple years in New York. Stars always play out when they come to the Garden, but when the Knicks are a good team, they play even better. At first, Carmelo to the Knicks was okay. Then it all fell apart. The sign and trade crippled the Knicks ability to really sign anyone of significance, and they started to truly become an awful basketball team. Carmelo just started to hoist shot after shot after shot after shot. They had no real solid rookies because they never had any real draft picks due to the trade. Oh, and when they did have a "high" pick, late teens, early 20's, they wasted it. Then Phil Jackson came aboard and just destroyed the team he played for in the NBA. He signed Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose to ludicrous contracts. He hired Jeff Hornacek, a coach that likes to play space and pace, and forced him to coach a team with one ball dominant guy. The only decent thing Jackson did was a mistake, he admitted as much, and that was drafting Kristaps Porzingis.

Last offseason, when Carmelo desperately needed a change of scenery, the Thunder traded for him. They figured they would get Olympics Carmelo to be the floor spacer for Paul George and Russell Westbrook. At the time, I loved this move. I figured Carmelo would love it too. But then he scoffed at coming off the bench during a preseason interview. He said he wasn't going to play any different. He was basically saying that he wasn't going to change, it was going to have to be George and Westbrook that would have to change. Well, as we all saw last season, it was a disaster. He was bad. The Thunder were, maybe, the most disappointing in all of the NBA last year. Carmelo looked sluggish. His shooting was awful. He disappeared at times, especially when he felt he wasn't getting enough touches. Oh, and his defense was truly awful, even for him. It just never worked out.

So, I was kind of surprised when he opted in, until I saw that he was opting in for 20 plus million dollars this upcoming season. Then it all made sense. Carmelo is not in the game to win titles, he wants to get paid. And that is fine, and that is his right. But now that he is about to be let go, and free to play anywhere next year, I have had to laugh at his preferred teams to go to. The 2 main teams are the Lakers and Rockets. I would absolutely love to see him sign with either one of these teams because I am not a fan of either one of these teams.

If he were to go to the Rockets, and Chris Paul is angling super hard for him to come there, and his contract is outrageous too by the way, how does he fit in with that team? Yes, he used to be able to shoot, but just look at last season. Also, would he be Ariza's replacement? Ariza actually plays solid defense, and at this point in their careers, Ariza is a better player. Also, would he be happy being the fourth, possibly fifth option in Houston? He wasn't happy being third in OKC. In Houston he would be behind Harden, Paul, Capela, Eric Gordon and maybe even Luc Mbah A Moute. How would that sit with him? How would he act in the locker room and with the media? Oh, and didn't we already see the disaster that was Carmelo playing on a Mike D'Antoni team a few years ago? We did, and it was terrible. This would be a poor signing.

Then we have the Lakers. As far as needing shooters, it makes sense. The Lakers have no shooters whatsoever. They gave LeBron a ton of money, and he deserves every penny. But, he is not a great outside shooter. He doesn't have to be. But, they have signed guys like Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee. None of those guys can shoot the ball. They currently have Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram on their roster. Ingram is the best "shooter" of the bunch, and he hit just above 35 percent from three. So, adding Carmelo would make sense. But, I say again, look at how poor he was last year as a shooter. Also, how would he feel being a fifth or sixth option on this Lakers team? How would he feel having to defer to guys that are a decade younger than he is? I feel like he would hate it. The moment that Luke Walton puts in Kyle Kuzma over Carmelo, we all know he'd lose his god damn mind. I'm sure he wants to team up with LeBron, but would this version of Carmelo be any better than what we saw last year with LeBron and Jeff Green? Hell, I feel like Jeff Green, right now, is a better basketball player than Carmelo. If he were to go to the Lakers, I feel like he would look like an older version of what we saw with Jae Crowder while he was in Cleveland last year. But, the Lakers are the team I want him to go to because I think it would be absolutely hilarious. It would be a total wreck, and I would love every single second of it.

Carmelo Anthony is washed up, and I feel like everyone knows it, except for him. I'm very curious to see where he ends up, but I already know that he will be a non factor wherever he is. Get that money while you still can Carmelo. Hopefully he gets it from a team with no title aspirations though.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Another Pixar Classic with "The Incredibles 2"

I just got home from seeing “The Incredibles 2”, and I loved it. I’m going to keep my review short and sweet because I don’t want to spoil a thing, and I feel like this is a movie everyone should try and see in the theaters. I wrote a piece last week in preparation to see the sequel, and boy am I glad I watched the first one. Not that the plot needed to be spelled out for me, but I’m just so glad the first one was fresh in my memory.

“The Incredibles 2” starts out with a great action scene that immediately grabs you, and it all rolls from there. We see that Jack Jack, Violet, and Dash are all a bit older. But, they aren’t 14 years older. It may have taken that long for the sequel, but they jumped maybe 2 or 3 years into the “future”. That was another thing I really liked about this movie, the scenery. I feel like these movies take place in that late 50’s, early 60’s. I know the tech stuff wasn’t around back then, but we are talking about a cartoon movie about a family of super heroes. The set design reminded me of a cartoon version of “Pleasantville”, and I loved the look of that movie. I also liked the parental role reversal in this movie. The company that wants to make being a super hero legal again gets the three main heroes, ElastiGirl, Mr. Incredible and Frozone, together, and the guy that owns it, greatly voiced by Bob Oedenkirk, says that ElastiGirl is who they want to be the face of the movement. The wife works and the Dad stays home. As you all know, I can relate to that very, very well. It was great to see that represented in a big time movie. Edna returns for 1 and a half scenes, and she is still wonderful and hilarious.

I just really enjoyed the hell out of this movie in pretty much every aspect. It was nostalgic yet updated. The animation was cleaner, but still looked like the first movie. All the voice actors did a great job. The misdirect with the villain totally paid off. The added super heroes were cool. And I really appreciated the warning of all the flashing in the movie. I don’t have epilepsy or seizures, but I don’t like strobe light effects. I was very happy to get myself prepared for that. Oh, and the short movie before, “Bao”, was wonderful, sad and happy. It was a classic Pixar move.

“The Incredibles 2” was great, and I highly recommend seeing it. Not only will your kids love it, you’ll love it too.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes his carton characters to stay the same age. A Bart Simpson older than an adult Ty is not a good thing.

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Help Ty Find a New NBA Team

I come to you all today asking for help.

Last night I was watching summer league basketball because there is no other sports on to watch. This part of the summer is my least favorite sports time because all that seems to be on is baseball, and baseball is boring as shit. So while I watched the Spurs summer league team dismantle the Hawks summer league team, side note, Trae Young has been dreadful his first 2 games, I was stuck trying to figure out who is my new team.

When I was a kid I was a big time, die hard, Seattle Super Sonics fan. That was my squad. I loved Gary Payton and his brashness and amazing defense. I enjoyed the hell out of Detlef Schrempf. I liked when they signed Xavier McDaniel, every team in the 90's needed that enforcer. I even liked Sam Perkins. But, it got no better than Shawn Kemp. He was, by far, my favorite NBA player. I loved his thunderous dunks, his rebounding, his physicality and his overall skill. He was a big dude that could move fast. He was amazing to watch in his prime. Some of his dunks are truly breathtaking. He and Payton were my guys. I had both their jerseys. I had the newer Shawn Kemp jersey when the Sonics changed their logo a bit. I had Shawn Kemp's shoes. I pretended to be him on the court. I rooted so hard for the Sonics. I really loved that team. They were not Wolverines football level, but they were probably my second favorite team. And even when Kemp, Schrempf, Perkins and Payton all moved on, I still rooted for them. I was one of the people stoked when they took Nick Collison. Things got even better when they drafted KD. Hell, I was even on board with them taking Jeff Green. The team was awful, but I still watched them whenever I could, and rooted hard for them.

The NBA then moved the Sonics, in a very, very controversial move, to Oklahoma City. Though I was skeptical at first, Seattle really does deserve an NBA franchise, it is a crime they still do not have one, I eventually gave in and became a Thunder fan. I liked KD, I liked Nick Collison, and in the next 2 drafts they would end up taking Russell Westbrook and James Harden. And soon after those guys, they would begin to develop Serge Ibaka, who many forget, he was good while with the Thunder. So, I became a Thunder fan. I started to buy t shirts and shorts with their logo on it. I was too old for jerseys, so they were out of the question. But, I still had plenty of NBA apparel that had the Thunder logo on it. Then they got real good real fast. I mean, they played the Heat in the Finals in, what I believe, was KD's fourth year in the league. I was astonished. I bought in even harder after that. Sure, they let Harden go, but as I have said before, no one knew he was going to become the guy he became. They still had KD and Westbrook, and they were good and fun. I loved watching them play. Even with Scotty Brooks as their head coach, the Thunder were always a threat. And, I bought into this new basketball of space and pace. I had never seen anyone like KD, someone that big that could shoot that well, and Westbrook gave me the hyper athletic and reckless play fix that I had been missing since Kemp left the Sonics.

Then, KD left. I immediately dropped the Thunder as my team. He was my guy and he went and joined the 73 win Warriors squad. The move hurt, but in hindsight, and 2 years removed, I get why he did it. I still love watching Westbrook play, but he is much too frustrating to be the guy that makes me want to stick with the Thunder. I do have mad respect for him for sticking it out there. That is a class move. But, I felt like a man with no team. I said, on the podcast and site, that I was going to be a Timberwolves fan, I like their young talent, but they are a mess and just no fun to watch. I learned that the hard way.

Last night, while watching the summer league game, I asked my wife, she is a saint for watching with me, who I should root for. She doesn't know much about basketball, so she said what about the Warriors. She knows I like KD and Boogie. But, I just cannot root for that team. They are too stacked, and they are unbeatable. She asked me about the Spurs because she has heard me talk about Kawhi Leonard. But, with his whole situation in flux, I just can't, even with my love for Greg Poppovich. She ran out of teams after that because she knows I will never, ever root for the Lakers, even with LeBron. I asked my dad, he and my mom came over for dinner last night, and he said I should root for his team from his youth, the Bucks. I do really, really like Giannis, but I can't root for the Bucks. They are way too inconsistent and rough. I then retreated to my phone and took a bunch of "who should I root for in the NBA" tests. I took 6 of them, and 5 came back as the Spurs. The other team was the Heat. If Kawhi stays, I may be a Spurs fan, but that seems unlikely. And no way am I becoming a Heat fan.

So, I ask you, my devoted readers, who should I root for? My priorities for a team are few, but important. I like teams with young talent that plays well together, and they are on the rise. They do not have to be a playoff team yet, but they should be on the cusp. The team also doesn't need to necessarily have a mega star, but that doesn't hurt. I also love hyper athletic, almost freakish type of players. I'm talking guys that when you see them play, they do something that makes your jaw drop. And my final priority, no team in LA, or even California for that matter. I just can't with those teams. So please, flood my Twitter and Facebook and the website with your recommendations. I know the Warriors are going to win the title, so I need a reason to watch another team. Send your suggestions ASAP, and thank you in advance. I'm sure you all will help me find my new NBA team.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

How to Grill the Greatest Hot Dog Ever

It is the Fourth of July. Time to go out and set some food on fire to celebrate the birth of America.

I hope your holiday was filled with awesomeness. In the spirit of being 100% awesome American, we here at SeedSing want to show the good reader how to grill the perfect hotdog. A friendly neighbor passed down this incredible secret to us a few years back, and we will never grill hotdogs the old fashion way.

Are you ready to be blessed with this knowledge?

In the words of an early role for Samuel L Jackson "Hang onto your butts".

Step 1

Buy Hotdogs - Sounds easy. Any brand of hotdog will work, but we prefer Nathans in our virtual office.

Step 2

Get the right tools. - You will need a skewer (wood or metal, it does not matter) and a sharp knife. I use a paring knife because it is small and easy to control.

Step 3

Run the skewer through the hotdog length wise. Try to get the skewer through the very middle.

Step 4

Spiral cut the hotdog with your knife. Slice the hotdog down to the skewer and slowly turn the hotdog as you tilt the knife down the length to make a spiral cut

It should look like this when done.

Step 5

Take the skewer out and place the hotdogs on a hot grill. Any kind of grill will work, we prefer charcoal around here. Taste the heat not the meat.

While cooking, rotate the hotdogs often. If the grill is very hot, you should rotate every 30 seconds or so. Hotdogs cook fast, these spiral cut dogs cook faster.

Step 6

Enjoy. Take the hotdogs off the grill when they are cooked to your liking. The spiral cut dogs should have mildly separated and created a delight that will be crispy and hot on every bite. The crevices are also great places to store toppings.

That is our gift to the world on America's birthday, awesome spiral cut grilled hotdogs. The small amount of extra work makes these a must have at a cookout. This even makes turkey dogs worth the effort.

Happy 4th.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had three spiral cut hotdogs today. One for the U, one for the S, and the last for the great A.

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

NBA Free Agency Went from Nuts to Crazy With the Boogie Cousins Signing

NBA free agency is lit.

I was working out last night when I heard the news that Boogie Cousins was joining the Warriors. I was stunned. I mean, one day after the Lakers signed the biggest star in the game, the Warriors took all their mojo and squashed it. It was after this I read his contract, and that took me back even further. Not only did he sign with the Warriors, they got him at the league minimum for one year. They gave Boogie, possibly the best true center in the league right now, for 5 million dollars. That’s insane.

Cousins is clearly betting on himself coming back strong from a horrific injury, hoping to get a big deal next year. So, in the meantime, he decided to take a major pay cut to get fully healthy, dominate in the playoffs and win a title. If the Warriors lacked one thing, it is a real center. They’ve trotted out guys like Javale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Kevon Looney, and they’ve won titles with them all. Now, they have a real center. They’ve added an all star starter. They’ve added an all NBA caliber player. They’ve added a guy, when engaged, can dominate both ends of the floor. Boogie was great until he got hurt last year. People have seemed to forget that. He was going for 20 points and 10 rebounds effortlessly playing along side Anthony Davis. Then the injury happened. Offers were seemingly at the minimum, if you ask him, only 2 teams offered him, so he signed with the best one available. He signed with the team that can wait until he is healthy to trot him out there. He signed with a team that needed a real center. Sure, he plays old school, but I’m sure he will fit in just fine.

I was hoping I’d hear some dumb shits try to downplay this move. Luckily for me, I listened to The Ringer’s NBA Show today and Chris Vernon, who I like, and Kevin O’Connor, who is a typical Boston fan boy, tried to say this move made no sense. I was laughing at these 2 grasping at straws trying to downplay how big a singing this was. It was hilarious. I’m sure their boss, Bill Simmons, told them to do this. But, it was still a riot listening to these 2 morons bad mouth this move. It was already pretty well known that the Warriors were odds on favorite for the title again this year, even with LeBron going to LA. Signing Boogie just makes it official.

I do need to say, I’m not a fan of this. Again, the NBA is already confirmed and it’s only July. But, these players are free to do what they want. Everyone loved LeBron to LA, and loved when he joined forces with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade and loved when KD signed with the Warriors. Now, they seem to be pissed. That’s ridiculous to me. This is the NBA now. Super teams are the thing. Guys don’t want to just win, they want to crush you on their way to winning. So I’ve come to accept this nonsense. I do love that the Warriors completely stole LeBron’s thunder once again though. That’s hilarious to me.

Well, good luck to you Boogie. I hope you heal, get a ring and get paid, you are one of my favorite players. And, congrats on your three peat Golden State. Maybe you guys will win 80 games this year.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let's Talk about LeBron and the Lakers

NBA free agency officially started yesterday at midnight. I want to quickly touch on a few of the signings before I get to LeBron's choice to go to the Lakers.

First off, props to Paul George for sticking it out in OKC. I, much like everyone else, was sure he was going to LA. I even wrote about it last week. But, he chose to re up with the Thunder. That was a class move, he got a ton of money, he has a player option in the final year of the deal, and the Thunder front office won the bet on themselves. I love this deal. I think the Thunder will be much better this upcoming season than they were last year. I hope they release Carmelo so they can get a better, younger fit for their team. Paul George going back to OKC was a great start to NBA free agency. I have so much more respect for him now. I love that he wants to stick it out with Russ, and I feel like this will really benefit the Thunder this year, and the next 2. They will be a good team. And for all the people hating on them for now spending money, and not giving Harden a max deal when they had the chance, stop. No one knew that Harden would become the player he has become. He stunk in the Finals in his last year in OKC, he was a sixth man and he was still so green. Yes, he is great, a MVP now, but none of us knew that 4 years ago. Chill out with the hate. Also, they are spending money now, so why throw them in the fire? The Thunder front office just can't win, but I don't think they really care.

Outside of George, the 2 other big names to move early were Deandre Jordan to the Mavericks on a one year deal and Chris Paul on a 4 year max back to the Rockets. Jordan to the Mavs doesn't really do anything for me. It will be fun to see him in the pick and roll with Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. He is also a major upgrade over any big man they had last year. But, he doesn't make the Mavs a playoff team, especially in the West. They may win 35-38 games, but they will not be in the playoffs. The Chris Paul deal was inevitable. But that is a ton of money, especially in the last year, when he will be 38, which is ancient in the NBA, but we knew it was coming. This is a deal that they are banking on contending very hard for the next 2 years, if he can stay healthy, and the Rockets retain Clint Capela, which they will. This team was one win away from the Finals, then Paul got hurt and the Warriors woke up. This is a 2 year deal stretched to 4. There were a bunch of role guys that left that do not really move the needle for me either way, but good for those guys getting paid.

Then, late yesterday, I was tracking all the Kawhi Leonard stuff. Every half hour there seemed to be a story that trade talks with the Lakers and 76ers were intensifying, then cooling down. I even read stuff that said that Kawhi wants out so bad, he is willing to sit out all of the upcoming season. I say, unless the Spurs get an offer they simply cannot refuse, I would not trade him. I would let him sit and become a free agent next year. The Spurs owe him nothing, and he owes the Spurs nothing. If he wants out so bad that he is willing to sit, if I were the Spurs, I would call his bluff. He is under contract for one more year, so the Spurs don't have to do a god damn thing. He can be a malcontent, he can be distant, he can stay home on road trips, whatever. I would one hundred percent keep him on my roster, unless I were to get an enormous deal, and just let him waste a year of his prime. That may be cold and brutal, but sports is a cold and brutal business.

The big news of the night came around 7:30pm Saint Louis time last night. I was looking at Twitter and saw a ton of NBA writers that I follow say that LeBron was joining the Lakers. Bleacher Report then reported about 5 minutes later that he was joining the Lakers. Then ESPN and every other major sports outlet reported the deal. Then the numbers came out. He officially signed a deal with the Lakers last night for 4 years at 154 million dollars, with a player option for the fourth year.

I have some thoughts about this. I will do the things I "like" about this deal. This is perfect for him building his brand. He gets to go to the biggest market in the US, he can do his acting, he can do Hollywood stuff and his sports agency can become even bigger than it already is. As far as a "brand" thing, this is the best spot for him.

Now, the stuff I don't like, and there is a ton. I hate the way it played out. I was getting stories all day that he was going to meet with the 76ers, the Nuggets, a ton of different teams. I then started to hear stories that all of those meetings were just posturing. That they held no regard as to where he was going. It was all theater, and that is one of the main reasons why I think he will never, ever be at MJ's level. He does all his business, good and bad, out in the open. He craves the media attention. I despised the way this decision played out. Then, to hear, after doing some bogus ass good bye to Cleveland on Instagram, then going out of the country, that was so stupid. Again, he is trying to be the good guy, but he didn't have to do this type of thing. He brought a title back to Cleveland. He carried that team to the Finals four straight years. No one was going to bad mouth him if he left again. But, he does this dumbass good bye thing on a social media website. Again, he was craving the media attention. He wants everyone to love him. It tends to be a bit much.

As far as a basketball team move, this makes zero sense to me, if the Lakers stay as is. I know that they signed Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee, but my response to those moves was, "why"? Those 2 moves felt like LeBron already putting his touch on "running" the franchise. He is already telling Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson the kind of players he wants to play with. But lets say it stops there. Lets say they do not get Boogie Cousins or Kawhi. How does LeBron fit next to a young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle? Not that great. In fact, the only guy I think would benefit from LeBron being on this team is Ingram. He is a quality shooter, can get to the rim if he has space and would be a great threat cutting to the basket with LeBron. As far as the other 3 guys I mentioned, not so good. Julius Randle should be pulling a Kawhi right now and demanding a trade. He gains nothing playing with LeBron. He doesn't rebound or shoot like Kevin Love, so LeBron will immediately loathe him. Kyle Kuzma is one of the more overrated young guys in the league. If he played for any other team no one would give him a second thought. He is an okay shooter, and that is it. JR Smith is so, so much better than him, and that is saying something. So is Kyle Korver for that matter. Hell, even at times, Iman Shumpert was a better fit with LeBron when he was a Cav.

What about Lonzo Ball? I am just not that high on this kid. He does have excellent court vision, but will it really matter when LeBron is stopping and pounding the ball into floor looking for his own shot? Will his court vision matter when he is counted on to hit an open three? Will his court vision matter when he over throws an outlet pass to LeBron and he freezes him out? No, no and no. LeBron will take the ball out of Ball's hand. Now, Lonzo Ball doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time, but he is a point guard, and he was running that offense last year. That all stops now with LeBron on the team. Going to his jump shot, it is pure trash. He will brick so many more than he will make that LeBron will not trust him halfway through the year, if even that long. The kid has a trash shot that never got much better over his rookie year. He has that funky delivery and he misses so many more than he makes. And, the moment he makes a bad pass, or misses a pass from LeBron, or the minute he over throws a deep pass, LeBron will ice him out. Just ask Kevin Love. The LeBron signing is doom for Lonzo.

As far as some guys still on the team, Kentavius Caldwell Pope is an overpaid lesser man's Trevor Ariza without the defensive ability, Mo Wagner and Svi Myhkaliuk are unproven rookies that need a ton of time to develop, Josh Hart is just an okay player who may or may not do well with LeBron, and I literally do not know anyone else on that team. I just do not watch the Lakers anymore.

I also feel kind of bad for Luke Walton. You'd think signing a guy like LeBron would be such a great coup, and the head coach would be thrilled. But, why don't we ask Ty Lue, David Blatt, Mike Brown and Erick Spoelstra how much they "enjoyed" coaching LeBron. Lue helped win a title for the Cavs, and this past season, LeBron left him out to dry. David Blatt got fired half a season after taking the Cavs to the title. Mike Brown was left with the burning ash of the Cavs the first time he left. And Erik Spolestra, by far the best of the bunch, was never given the credit he deserved for coaching that first super team in Miami. The moment things go a bit sour, like if the Lakers are hovering around .500 at the All Star break this season, you know LeBron will want Walton gone for someone he prefers.

When considering branding in this decision, it makes total sense. From a basketball prospective, given the current roster, it is baffling. I am not hating on LeBron. Go wherever you want. I just do not like the way he went about it, and it is clear he doesn't care about titles or going to the Finals anymore. I mean, the Rockets are still really good, the Jazz are coming, the Timberwolves, if they figure out that they have to play defense, are good, the Pelicans have Anthony Davis, oh, and the god damn Warriors are all in the West. There will be no easy nights for LeBron and the Lakers. As for Magic Johnson, he delivered. He said he would get a star, and he got the biggest one in the game. But, what he does from here will determine how good of a GM he really is. If he defers to LeBron, and lets him run the team like he did in Cleveland, it will be tough. But, if he runs the team like the Warriors are run, he gets all the credit.

This was a very exciting weekend of free agency, but I am not at all on board with LeBron. I know everyone in LA loves it, and all the bandwagon fans are coming out now. But, will they still be there when this team is beat in the first round of the playoffs? Will they still be there when they finish with 45-50 wins the next four years? Will they be there if LeBron forces his hand and they have to trade away all their young talent for vets that LeBron used to play with? I don't know. What I do know, the talk of a title coming back to the Lakers this year needs to stop. They will be lucky to be a 3 or 4 seed in the West, and they will not win, or even be in the conference finals or semi finals next year.

LeBron has made his choice, now lets see all of the other pieces start to fall in place.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the best goddamn basketball writer on the internet. I just hope he doesn't go to his decision cave and leave for L.A. 

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The Jameis Winston Suspension Shows That the NFL Does Not Care

Jameis Winston is going to be suspended by the NFL for the first 3 games of this upcoming season for improper touching, that was how I read it being described, of a female Uber driver last year. This is not the first time that Winston has faced charges of assault, rape, sexual misconduct of any kind with a lady that did not want it. As you all should remember, he got charged with rape while in college. He was also charged with using lewd language while in a dining hall in college. I believe, he has faced similar accusations since joining the NFL. Oh, and he was also charged with stealing food, crab legs, from a grocery store in Tallahassee. His punishment for these many discretions, and these are the only ones that have been made public, have accumulated to, I'm not sure the exact number, but 5 or 6 missed football games, and that includes the 3 that are upcoming.

This is disturbing and disgusting. Jameis Winston clearly has a problem. I'm not one of those people that believe there are "sex addicts", but in Winston's case, he seems to have an addiction to women that want nothing to do with him. This is a problem. But, the powers that be, when he was in high school, college and now the pros, have given him nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

This is part of the problem. Winston continues to do these things because he now knows that he can get away with it, with little to no punishment. When he was charged with rape in college, and yes it was rape, he missed one game. His coaches thought that missing one meaningless game in the middle of November was punishment enough for rape. That is sickening. And, to make matters worse, the game he was suspended for, he dressed and warmed up with the team. It was only when the cameras noticed that Jimbo Fisher finally did something, and told him to get out of his uniform and dress in street clothes. They would both be seen laughing an hugging each other at the end of that game. How is that a lesson? He clearly didn't learn anything because he went out and made the lewd comments in the dining hall, and he shop lifted. The shoplifting I don't care so much about, every kid does that. But, the comments that he made, after being accused of rape, where lewd and scary and wrong. But, FSU felt he served his time, his one game suspension, and did not further discipline him.

Winston went on to win the Heisman that year, then declare for the pros. When he entered the draft, he was the consensus number one pick, even with all these red flags. He was to be the Buccaneers QB of the future. They all but bypassed all the problems he had in college and decided he was the guy that they wanted to lead their team into the future. This upset me. The number one pick in the draft should be a role model, or a really, really good player. They should not have all these allegations and accusations and charges brought up against them. That didn't matter though.

Then, after being the first pick, I had to hear the ESPN's and the NFL GM's praise this kid. They talked about all the hardship and pain he dealt with in college. They put this kid on a pedestal once again, basically recusing him of anything he had done wrong in college. That is scary. I know in college, and I think this is a big time problem that needs to be dealt with, players can get away with almost anything, especially at the big time schools. But, when you are a pro, and this game becomes your job, and you are on TV every Sunday or Monday, and you do commercials and appear on HBO documentary series, you should be held accountable, and know better. Winston clearly doesn't. I'm pretty sure he got accused of some kind of indiscretion his first 2 years in the league, but it was swept under the rug. In fact, HBO heavily featured him as the "leader" on their show "Hard Knocks". The writers built this kid up as some kind of savior in Tampa Bay. He was always shown in a good light, and he was almost always with his girlfriend when he wasn't at practice. At the same time, the big time prognosticators started to talk about him as the future of the QB position. Him, Marcus Mariota, Deshaun Watson, all these young and mobile QB's, were the future. And, when Mariota struggled, and Watson went down with injury, they fully put the spotlight on Winston. Then, he underperformed, and he himself, got hurt. He was then not really heard from until this recent incident.

What surprised me the most was how much this didn't surprise me. I believe when I heard about the improper touching I said, "it was only a matter of time", to no one in particular. The NFL decided they needed to step in, and they did. But, they gave him a 3 game suspension. That is less than what Tom Brady got for some under inflated footballs, and less than Ray Rice was to receive when he knocked his fiancée unconscious. The NFL clearly has a discipline problem. Only 3 games for improper sexual conduct? After all this kid has done in 5 short years that we know about? What the hell NFL?! I even saw Damien Woody, ESPN's own, go on TV and say this suspension is ludicrous, in how miniscule it is. He said, and I agree, that the Bucs should cut him. He has never faced real adversity in his football life, and that should be a big time wake up call. A three game suspension will not teach him anything. He will be on the sideline yukking it up with his coach and teammates the whole time. But, if the Bucs cut him, then he is a player without a team. And, I don't think a ton of teams will be antsy to sign a troubled QB that has had a very sub par career so far. He wouldn't start for any other team. Hell, I would cut him if I were the Bucs and go sign Colin Kaepernick.

This suspension is a joke. The NFL is a joke. They need to get real with this stuff. They need to come down way harder on players like Winston that commit horrific crimes all the time. This is scary and disturbing. Jameis Winston and the NFL think they are above the law. It is time they learn that they are not.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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