Jimmy Butler Does Not Fit with the Miami Heat

Last week Jimmy Butler said he wants to be traded. I wrote a piece basically saying I wanted him to stick it out one more season in Minnesota. That seems like a real no go. He’s already talked to Tom Thibodeau twice, and he still wants out. He has given a list of teams he’s willing to go to. He has already said he will sit out training camp if he isn’t dealt. I’m pretty sure he’s not at any of the media stuff going on right now. Even the Timberwolves GM has said they are taking calls, and he is very available. I’m still perplexed why, maybe it’s because he’s an old school player playing with young kids that don’t take it as seriously as he does, but his new preferred team really makes no sense to me.

As I said last week, Butler named 3 teams he would go to. Those teams, the Knicks, Nets and Clippers. I wrote why I think the Timberwolves are a better fit than all 3. But, the other day, Butler and his agent, David Falk, have now said his preferred team, the team he really, really wants to play for now, the Miami Heat.

Hear me out as to why I think this is an odd fit for Butler.

The Heat are already a playoff team. They play in the East, they have a solid core and I like their current core. To get Butler, they are going to have to break that all up. I know a third team has to get involved, and the Kings seem like the popular choice right now. Why I don’t like this, the Heat will have to give up key players to an already playoff ready roster. Adding Butler will instantly push the Heat into the top 4 in the East. But, with what they’ll have to unload, they would be far behind the Celtics, 76ers and Raptors for sure. Each of those teams have much better units than a Miami Heat roster with Jimmy Butler.

Now, let’s get to what the Heat will have to give up. From what I’ve heard, Justice Winslow is the coveted young guy, Goran Dragic is the vet and then some random salary dump player. I don’t like this for the Heat at all. I know Winslow’s shooting hasn’t really translated to the pros, but he can defend, and he’s still super young. He also closed out the year much better than I expected. He looks like he may be a late bloomer. Dragic finally looks like he is on the right team for his skill set. He’s a great penetrating and kick point guard. The Heat don’t have great shooters around him, but they do have guys that can score. Dragic is also real good finishing around the rim. As far as the salary dump players from the Heat, I feel like it would be either Hassan Whiteside or Tyler Johnson. Both guys haven’t lived up to the hype after their one good season, but both are integral to the Heat’s success last year. So they’d have to lose 2-3 key players to get Butler.

Now, I do think Butler is one of the 20 best current NBA players, but he’s not worth that much. Butler would replace Winslow’s defense, Butler is one of the best defenders in the NBA, but he’s much older, and we know what type of player he is. Butler will not replace Dragic due to position. Butler is not a point guard. He’s a 2 or a 3. The Heat would need a real point guard. Then, if they lose Whiteside, who I know was unplayable in the playoffs last year, they have only Bam Adebayo, who has potential, but isn’t the defender Whiteside is. Losing Tyler Johnson wouldn’t be so bad at least. Jimmy Butler is a much, much, much better player, and they pretty much play the same position.

But say this happens. Say the Heat give up Winslow, Dragic and Whiteside to get Butler. When looking at the rest of the Heat roster, it doesn’t seem more hardcore than the Timberwolves. Look, I love Dion Waiters. I still draft him in fantasy leagues. But, I would much rather play with Andrew Wiggins. Dwayne Wade is a champ and Hall of Famer, but this is his last year, and what does he give you that a guy like Jeff Teague or Wiggins or Tyus Jones can’t? And, all those guys are way younger than Wade. And while I love Adebayo’s old school game, and his potential, KAT has proven that he’s one of the best young players in the league. When he figures it out on defense, he’s going to be a top 5 player.

So I say a week later, I don’t like this fit for Butler. I really want him to stick it out, for just one more season, in Minnesota. That team was real, real good before Butler got hurt. I think they could do it again if he were to stay. He will likely be dealt, but I just don’t see any other fit that is better than what is currently happening with the Timberwolves. I just want him to stay.

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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Nutella Filled M&M's? Yes Please.

Just like I wrote about yesterday, some days we get something that is so great, I just have to write about it. Today, my piece is food based.

I was scrolling around on Facebook and Twitter last night, and I saw something that made me very happy. Lately, when scrolling through social media, it is all bad, but this news last night was tremendous, and it actually made me smile. The M&M's company announced that they are about to release a new flavor of M&M's, hazelnut spread.

This is amazing.

These new M&M's might be the best M&M's, or maybe, just maybe, even the best candy that has ever been made. I have made it abundantly clear that I am a Snickers guy. I feel like Snickers is the best bite of candy that has ever been made. It has the perfect amount of salt and sweet. The people that have created Snickers have perfected the model. Snickers is the Diet Coke of the food world. But, these new M&M's have the possibility of maybe, just maybe, passing Snickers.

I love Nutella spread. It has passed peanut butter, jelly, basically any other spread that you can put on any food that offers a spread. I love how creamy and sweet Nutella is. I prefer a Nutella and jelly sandwich to a PB and J. I love putting Nutella on graham crackers. It makes everything it touches instantly better.

This isn't the first time M&M's have tried something different. In fact, candy companies do it all the time now. I am one of the people out there that like white chocolate. I like milk chocolate and dark chocolate better, but white chocolate is fine. But, when it comes to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or Kit Kat's, give me their milk or dark chocolate variety. When it comes to Reese's, give me their holiday shapes in fact. Those are way better than traditional Reese's. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio on those is stupendous. Skittles, which I used to love, have tried this too. They made tropical flavors and sour flavors, and none of those were as good as Skittles. Starburst has done the same thing. Traditional Starburst are the best, and while I like when they do the all pink packs, or their tropical flavor okay, traditional Starburst reign supreme. And even M&M's have done this. In fact, I feel like they are the pioneers of this. Peanut M&M's are some of the best candies I have had. Peanut M&M's are second only to Snickers when it comes to that perfect balance of salt and sweet. Peanut M&M's are always a road trip favorite of mine. I also enjoy original M&M's. It is the classic candy. I'm a big time fan of almonds, so I do enjoy their almond filled M&M's. Peanut butter M&M's are my wife's favorite candy of all time. I enjoy them quite a bit as well. I like the coffee M&M's. My son and daughter love love love the caramel filled M&M's. Basically, whenever M&M's does a new flavor, it seems to hit.

This hazelnut spread M&M's may change the whole candy game. These things, I just do not see how it will not be a massive success. Just imagine the first time you try these how excellent these will taste. Taking that M&M chocolate and pairing it with Nutella, it is going to be a perfect marriage. I am going to absolutely devour these things when they are released. I haven't been this excited for a new candy since the peanut butter Snickers, which is wonderful by the way. I'm so stoked. I will most likely buy a new pack the day they come out, then I imagine I will most likely buy about 3 or 4 more after that.

This is awesome, and I cannot wait to try them. Thank you for this much needed great news M&M's. I appreciate it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He spends part of his day smashing interesting food items into his M&Ms. His greatest creation has been Snickers stuffed with almond M&Ms. Will this Nutella fusion be even greater? Time will tell.

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Tommy Wiseau is the Joker We Need

A slightly less scary clown than Tommy Wiseau

Every once and awhile, the internet graces us with something memorable and beautiful. Things I think of when talking about this are, "Chocolate Rain", the monkey cleaning the cat video, Will Hung from "American Idol", "Pants on the Ground" guy from "American Idol". You know, things that are funny, not mean and everybody knows about. Yesterday I think I found another video that falls into this category.

I am a big time fan of the cult classic "The Room". I fully believe it is the worst best movie ever made. I also feel like Tommy Wiseau, with a little push from his buddy Greg Sestero, has bought into the lure of this movie. It is a midnight staple. People, myself included, have seen the movie multiple times, by our own free will. I can pretty much recite the entire movie. I have been to a midnight showing. "The Room" spawned the excellent book, "The Disaster Artist", which was then turned into a critically acclaimed, excellent feature length movie. "The Room", Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero have seemed to figure out how to strike while the iron is hot. Wiseau has done this with his internet show, acting in film students movies, taking horrible small roles in bad movies and showing up to midnight screenings of his movie. Sestero wrote a book, also shows up to midnight screenings, became a stage actor and had bit parts here and there on TV, all due to "The Room". But yesterday, the day before the release of their newest movie, "Best F(R)iends", which I really want to see now, they both released a video that was one of the best things I have seen on the internet in quite some time.

I know that most of you, if you are familiar with Wiseau, know that he released his "audition tape" to play the Joker in the new movie that is coming out. We all knew he wasn't going to get the part, but that didn't stop him. That video is one of the weirdest, and funniest things o have seen. But what I saw yesterday totally took over. Sestero and Wiseau recreated the famous interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker from "The Dark Knight". That scene, between Bale and Ledger, is one of the best scenes in movie history. It is wrought and frightening and exposing and just perfect in every possible way. That is a scene I always go back to when I want to see great acting. Well, Sestero and Wiseau did it, and it is insane. Wiseau plays the Joker, obviously, and Sestero, he's Batman.

First lets talk quickly about Sestero. He is an okay actor. He can deliver lines and it seems fine. But, he has a very monotone way about performing, and that comes across big time in this 5 minute video. He delivers some of the lines perfect, but others, it seems forced. I feel like he did this for promotion, and because he cannot say no to Wiseau. He did fine with his impression.

Wiseau on the other hand, he went for it. He was all over the place. He was flubbing lines left and right, but he didn't care, he was having fun. I was both terrified and cracking up during his time on screen. The people that made the video added subtitles for him, and thankfully they did because it was sorely needed. But, again, he went for it. Wiseau seems to be at a point where he gets that he is not a good actor, but he doesn't care. If someone gives him direction, and if it takes 100 takes, he will deliver something memorable, be it good or bad. This video, I found it to be one of the good ones. As I said, he had fun, he went for it and I watched the video three times in a row, simply for his "performance". I loved it, and I am so glad it is in my life. I showed it to my wife, and she thought it was hilarious.

This video is a must watch for all "The Room" and Tommy Wiseau fans out there. It is truly one of a kind, and it should go down as one of the better viral videos ever. It is amazing. Go watch it now if you can.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He and the head editor are working on recreating that famous Judge Reinhold scene from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Not THAT scene, the one where he gets fired from his fast food job.

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Ty's NFL Quick Hits: Week 3

Week 3 will be in the books after tonight, and I'm back for some takes. Lets go.

First off, I do not know what roughing is anymore. I mean, Clay Matthews sacked Alex Smith, it was like any sack that has ever sacked before in the NFL, and he somehow, some way got called for roughing. Now, that was not the reason the Packers got beat, there are plenty others. But, that penalty was atrocious. I do not know what else Matthews could have done these past 2 weeks to make a cleaner tackle. The way he hit both Smith and Cousins is the way I was taught while playing youth through high school football. They were picture perfect tackles. The same thing happened in the Cowboys-Seahawks game. Hell, a Dolphin defender tore his ACL trying to adhere to the new tackling rules. The NFL has another big time problem on their hands, and it is this new roughing call. The game will be flag football before we know it.

Getting back to the Packers-Washington game, what a dud by my team. Rodgers looks much more hurt than he is letting on. The defense can't stop the run or the pass. And Washington jumped all over it. That game was a 2 TD lead before I could blink. The Packers need to figure some stuff out. Good for Washington taking advantage and getting the win.

The Titans-Jags game was an aberration to my eye balls. The final was 9-6. Marcus Mariota had to replace Blaine Gabbart. Blake Bortles looked like Blake Bortles. He is the only player on that team that has me worried about my Super Bowl pick. That was worse than a Thursday night game.

The Chiefs sure look great though. They are the opposite of the Jags. They can score and score and score. Patrick Mahomes just keeps doing great things. He added another 3 TD passes. Kareem Hunt ran in 2. This team can play offense. Their defense leaves something to be desired. They let the 49ers hang around until Jimmy Garropolo tore his knee apart. He is done for the year, and a team that some were high on, not me, are now officially toast with Jimmy G out. They aren't going to win many game with CJ Beathard at QB.

The Saints and Falcons game was exciting as hell. There was no defense played, but that is what I have come to expect when these 2 matchup. Drew Brees is still amazing. Alvin Kamara is phenomenal. Thomas is one hell of a receiver. On the other side, Matt Ryan balled the hell out. He looked like himself from 2 years ago. He was spreading the ball out and got everyone involved. They ran the ball well too. The only reason I think the Saints won was because they had the ball last.

Carolina looked pretty dominant over the suspect 2-0 Bengals. The Panthers ran wherever they wanted, and when Cam had to throw, he nailed his receivers. I feel like the Bengals we saw yesterday is closer to who they really are as a team. They looked rough, and Dalton seems to have already lost his "magic" from the first 2 games.

Another suspect 2-0 team was brought back down to Earth yesterday, the Broncos. The Ravens absolutely dominated that game. Joe Flacco looked solid, their run game was great and the defense was smothering. Case Keenum doesn't look like he will be bringing any of that magic from last season to Denver.

Speaking of Keenum's old team, what the hell was that showing from the Vikings? They gave up 27, 17 in the first quarter, to the Bills, at home. The Vikings defense, claimed by me, is the best in the league, and they made Josh Allen look like a top 10 QB. I was shocked most by the outcome of that game. Also, the 84 million dollar man, Kirk Cousins, didn't look great. This was a game that would scare me if I were a Vikings fan. They looked real bad. Some good needs to be said about Buffalo too. I mean, they looked to be the worst team after 2 weeks, but they went into Minnesota and won every single facet of that game. The sun shines on even bad teams sometimes, and the Bills had that luxury yesterday. That may be 1 of 2 or 3 wins they get this year.

The Bears won again, but it wasn't pretty. The Bears are starting to remind me a ton of the Jags. They have this great defense, led by Khalil Mack. That dude is amazing. I love watching him play. I don't like the Bears, but Mack is must watch TV. On offense, they have a great run game, but QB is the problem. Mitch Trubisky looks real bad. He looks nervous. When he has to go off script, he just seems uncomfortable. That is where the Jags comparison comes into play. Is Trubsiky the new Bortles? It looks that way right now. And man oh man are the Cardinals bad. They finally, mercifully, turned to Josh Rosen, but he had no shot yesterday. That team is in a bad way, and it looks like it will take awhile to get back to relevance.

Another team that might have to start panicking is the Texans. They have looked abysmal the first 3 weeks. They let the Giants control the game. The Giants were able to kind of do what they wanted. Barkley had his best game as a pro. Eli Manning looked fine. Their O line blocked enough. The Texans offense is in trouble, and I do not blame Watson. Sure, he made some poor throws yesterday, but he has no run game and his O line might be the worst in the league. The Texans need to do something quick to fix this team, or they might have a real long, long season.

Same goes for the Raiders. I'd be so disgusted with Jon Gruden after three games, and they signed him to a 10 year deal! I know it is only 3 games, but it looks like the game has clearly passed him by. Everyone can see it, except for him. The Raiders have so much talent, on paper, but they are a poorly coached football team, and they traded away Mack for peanuts. Their opponent, the Dolphins, are the surprise of the early season. They are 3-0, winning games with their defense, run game and letting Ryan Tannehill be a game manager. They are playing sound and smart football. I just wish they didn't lose their D lineman because of that stupid new "roughing" rule.

The Rams clearly proved they are the only team in LA anyone should care about. The Chargers have not looked good in the first 3 weeks, so I hope the talk of this team being a threat stops now. As far as the Rams, I mean, they haven't even been challenged yet. They look like they are barely breaking a sweat. Goff and Gurley are killing it. Their defense is playing great, considering all the new guys they signed this offseason. They are, far and away, the best team in the NFL right now.

I do not care at all about the Seahawks-Cowboys game. I despise both those teams.

To end the night, we had Detroit-New England. What is going on with the Patriots? I know it is never smart to count them out and they most likely will figure it out, and probably win their division still, but they looked horrid last night. Tom Brady might want to stop pointing fingers at others, and focus on his very poor play these first three weeks. He has looked bad, but he is blaming everyone else. That is a bad look. Detroit totally dominated them last night. Matt Stafford looked solid. He hit open receivers for the first time this year. But what helped him most, the Lions finally had a rusher go for over 100 yards in, I believe, 5 seasons. They may have finally found a solid running back. And their defense shut down the Patriots last night. Matt Patricia is a total scumbag, but I bet he was thrilled to beat 2 equal scumbags, Bill Belichek and Josh McDaniels. The Patriots look real bad right now though. Also, I will tell Lions fans to temper their excitement. This was one game, albeit against a good team, but this is what they do. They show flashes, and then crash back down to Earth.

The main thing I learned from week 3 overall, and it is the same as last week, the Rams are the class of the NFL. Until they get challenged, that will not change. That does it for week 3.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is trying to teach his son to tackle, but tackle with your words and not your body. Maybe that is the key for NFL defenses.

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Ty Watches "American Vandal" Season 2

Last night I finished season 2 of "American Vandal". It totally blew me away. I was late to season one of the show. A friend of mine suggested it, told me what it was like and about, and I decided to watch it. I raved about the first season. It was one of the most inventive, and funniest things, I have ever seen on TV. I was so invested in that first season, I had to know, "who drew the dicks". I was just as invested, if not more so, in finding out, "who is the turd burglar".

That was the whole premise of season 2. For those of you that may not know, and I am going to do this review 100 percent spoiler free, the first season of the show was shot like a true crime show. Think, "Making a Murderer", also from Netflix. But, the whole thing in the first season was, someone spray painted penises on teachers cars at a high school in California on an off day. The 2 kids that decided to do this documentary, treated the spray painted penises as a real crime. Peter(Tyler Alvarez) and Sam(Griffin Gluck) are students at the school, and they just want to know, "who drew the dicks". The first season was so great, and felt so real, that it was nominated for a ton of awards. And, it won a Peabody. That is a real, big time award, and show about penises spray painted on a car, won it. If that isn't enough for you to watch, I don't know what else will convince you. The show became such a big hit, Netflix decided to do a second season. I didn't know how they could follow up something so well done as the first season, but Tony Yacenda and Sam Perrault did it. They achieved something great. They struck lightening in a bottle twice.

The premise for season 2 is similar to the first. There is a series of pranks at a different high school, this time in Washington state. The crimes are committed by someone that goes by the handle of "turd burglar". And yet again I was fully invested on finding out who the turd burglar was, and why they did what they did. The second season is definitely grosser, due to the crime, but that doesn't take away from how well the show is acted and written and directed. It is just as intense and involved and funny and ridiculous, in all the right ways. And the way they went about showing how modern technology can be bad, it was as well put across as any episode of "Black Mirror" that I have watched, and I adore that show too. Social media can be evil, and to portray that with high school kids, and the cyber bullying and getting likes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, season 2 of "American Vandal" handled it absolutely perfectly.

I cannot recommend this show enough. It is one of the best things on TV right now. You can also fly through the 2 seasons. Each has 8 episodes, and none of them exceed 45 minutes. I love this show, and I hope they continue to make more. Yacenda, Perrault and Funny or Die have something special going with "American Vandal", and I do not want it to end any time soon. What an exceptional TV show.

Seriously, go watch all of it right now, you will not be disappointed, and you will get invested heavily.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is known around the SeedSing virtual cubicle farm as the “Hot Blogger”. Want to know more? Go watch '“American Vandal”.

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Jimmy Butler Should Stay in Minnesota and See What Happens

So I have a few thoughts about the whole Jimmy Butler situation.

If you don’t know, Butler has asked to be traded away from Minnesota. Apparently he has had enough, after just one season, of the young kids on the team, mainly KAT. First off, I have no problem if he wants to go to a team that has a chance to be competitive right away. It took KD leaving OKC for me to realize this. But, if you want a ring before your career is done, I say, go for it. Players careers are so limited now, get it while you can.

With that being said, I liked the fit of Butler with KAT and Wiggins. I also liked him alongside vets like Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague. He also got to go play for his first coach in the league, Tom Thibodeau. It seemed perfect. And at first, it was. The Timberwolves looked pretty good with their starting five, including Butler. They were rolling. I believe at one point they were at the 3 seed in the West.

Then Butler got hurt.

The Timberwolves stopped playing defense. Then Wiggins struggled. Then KAT started to struggle. Then Thibodeau started to play the vets way, way too many minutes. And then Butler said something about the young guys not having the will and the grind to be high caliber NBA stars. I agreed with him, but I felt like this was something they could have been said in the locker room, not to the media. That’s when the cracks started. I heard and read things saying he wanted out of Minnesota. I heard he was floated during the trade deadline. He then turned down a massive extension. This all shocked me.

And now, here we are today.

Butler gave the Timberwolves one last meeting, in LA, the other day, and this was when he asked to be traded. This was clearly a courtesy move by Butler, because he had no intention of sticking around. Now comes the hard/fun part.

Butler has given the three teams he prefers:

The Nets

Why?

The Knicks

What the hell?

And the Clippers

Please god no.

I don’t get why Jimmy Butler would want to leave the Timberwolves for one of these three teams. I know they have the most money, and can easily resign him next summer, but why the Nets, Knicks or Clippers, I may never know. One guess I have, Kyrie Irving has said he wants to team up with Butler, and he’s expressed interest in playing for the Knicks next year. As far as the Nets, I guess, it would be his team. They would have to build around him. With the Clippers, maybe he’s willing to miss the playoffs for one year until Kawhi Leonard signs there, that’s his preferred team.

But I say, what of all these fall through? What if Kyrie and the Celtics click, make the Finals and he loves playing for Brad Stevens? Also, they need a center, and I’d be salivating I’d I were Kyrie at the prospect of playing with Anthony Davis. I love Kristaps Porzingis, but AD is so much better than him. What if the Nets are permanently stuck in this mediocrity hell they live in now? What if Butler is the only guy they can get, and he ends up being a good stats, but team guy? That would be brutal for his legacy. The Clippers are the Clippers. They’re the quintessential underachieving overrated NBA team. Will Butler change that? Maybe, if they get Kawhi. But then he is the second best guy on a team? Will that be what he wants? Doesn’t a trade request mean you want to be “the guy”? That won’t happen if he goes to LA and they get Kawhi. Also, what if Toronto, somehow some way convince Kawhi to stay? Then Butler is left with a bunch of castoffs. Also, especially with LeBron now a Laker, the Clippers will always be the little brother, no matter the records.

I liked the fit of Butler in Minnesota, but I’m just an outside fan. There could be way more stuff I know nothing about as to why he wants out. But for now, it seems to me, he wants to go from a team that could be a perennial playoff contender to some teams with a ton of questions that won’t be answered until next year. We shall see.

Ty

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

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Better Late than Never on the Classic Novel "A Scanner Darkly"

I know that this book has been out for a long, long time now, and I'm sure pretty much everyone has given their opinion, but I just finished reading "A Scanner Darkly" for the first time, and holy shit is that book amazing.

I am a big time Phillip K Dick fan. I should say, I am "newly" minted as a fan of his writing. I didn't really know much about him until about 8 or 9 years ago when I first read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". I became a big time fan of "Blade Runner" around that time, so I wanted to read the book that the movie was based on. I then read "Minority Report" shortly after that, again, after watching the movie years ago. I have even dipped in and out of the Amazon series that is based upon his short stories. But, I decided recently that I wanted to revisit "A Scanner Darkly" this past year. I saw the movie a long, long time ago, but the way it was filmed, it made me queasy. So, I decided this time I would read the book, then watch the movie at a later date. I started the book about a month ago, and I finished it today. That is fast for me. I am a fairly slow reader. So, the fact that I finished in right around a month, that is the sign of a great book for me. I completely fell into the world that Dick created in the book. There were moments where I had to look up, or put the book down and go outside because I was so deeply involved in the setting. I have never read a book, save for "Lord of the Flies", that has grabbed my attention this much.

For those that may not know, "A Scanner Darkly" takes place in the near future, in California, and it has to do with undercover cops going on covert missions to catch people doing a drug called substance D. The main character is a cop turned drug addict named Robert Arctor/Fred Arctor/Bruce. He goes through some stuff in this book. During his mission, he lives in a house with a few other addicts. He goes in as Fred, when he is still fully a cop, but he does so much substance D, he starts to believe that he is Bob. Basically, the drug manipulates his hemispheres in his brain into thinking he is 2 different people. I am not doing the book enough justice right now, but the way Dick describes it, it is perfect. As I said, I totally bought in. The stuff that Arctor goes through in the book is totally believable. We read about him trying to score drugs, dealing with shady roommates, dealing with being ripped off, going through good and bad trips. I mean, the way it is written is so wonderful. We also meet another character named Donna, who is also a cop on a covert mission to catch drug dealers. She and Bob are close buddies, although Bob wishes they were more. The back and forth between Bob and Fred is incredible. Fred is set to have Bob's house bugged so he can do 24 hour surveillance on him. This is when we start to see the split in the hemispheres affect him. He is called back for testing a few times because the other police officers he works with are starting to notice that he is losing it. These scenes in the book are masterfully written. Also, the way Dick writes about the trips these people go through while on substance D is 100 percent believable. I'm a person that has never done drugs, and there were multiple times when I told my wife that, after reading one of the chapters, I felt like I was on drugs. It was so descriptive, and I let myself fall into that world. It was pretty cool. When Bob/Fred/Bruce goes into rehab, the book takes a whole other turn that I did not see coming. I had forgotten how it ended, and I loved how it ended.

"A Scanner Darkly" is one of the best Sci Fi books ever written, and it is certainly one of Dick's best books. Maybe that is because he said before passing that this book was essentially about him and his friends when they were junkies. In fact, the end of the book, in the author's notes section, he talks about that very thing. He also names a bunch of his real life friends that are now either dead or have permanent brain/psychosis problems. It was astounding to see how many people were in there.

This book is old, but it is a classic. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't. Hell, I'd even say read it again if you have already read it. It is that great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was once addicted to the destructive drug known as High Fructose Corn Syrup. It was/is readily available for kids and adults. He got off the junk, and is much healthier for it.

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Donald Glover Owned the Night at the Emmy Awards

It is a shame that Teddy Perkins never got his emmy

So my subject for my piece today is a bit off the wall. I just wanted to put that out there before I really dug deep into what I want to talk about today.

I do not watch any awards shows. We live in an era where I just look up on my phone or computer the next day to see who won the awards that I have an interest in. Also, I find award shows tedious and boring. They go on for too long and some speeches are ridiculous, and the people I want to hear speak never seem to get the time that others do. I'm not a fan. All of it is just too much and too crazy. I do like to see who won some of the awards, as I said earlier. I knew that the Emmy's were on last night, due to Twitter and Facebook research, but I did not watch. When I woke up this morning, I reminded myself that I wanted to see who won some of the awards. But, I was greeted by some way, way cooler info when I searched on the internet about something that happened at the Emmy's last night.

So, as you all know very well by now, I think the show "Atlanta" is one of the very best things that has been on TV in some time. I also wrote an entire article attributed to their very best episode from this past season, "Teddy Perkins". It was one of the wildest, horrifying, scary, best acted and directed 40 minutes plus of TV that I have ever witnessed. I still think about that episode from time to time on the daily. It just sits with me. I have watched it multiple times too, trying to see things I missed, or just because it is so different and great from anything else on TV, including other great episodes of "Atlanta". "Teddy Perkins" has its own place in history as great television.

So, when I saw that someone, not Donald Glover, was dressed and sitting at the awards as Teddy Perkins last night, I was super intrigued. From what I have read, and watched in clips, it was just as weird and nuts as I hoped it would be. I mean, Teddy Perkins is a scary looking dude. So, to see someone dressed as him, sitting among TV's best actors and actresses, it was amazing. And, to hear his voice, see his creepy smile and check out the wild clothes he was wearing, it was a treat.

The more I have read and seen this morning, it makes me appreciate what Donald Glover continues to do, and how he continues to capitalize on this moment being his moment right now. Donald Glover is a genius. His music, as Childish Gambino, I cannot get enough of it. I have written, and will write more, about how great his musical career is/was. I have also made it abundantly clear how great of an actor, producer, writer and director I think he is. He is winning at everything he does lately. He is smart enough to know when to capitalize on a moment, and one of those moments was last night. "Atlanta" was up for a bunch of stuff. He knew there would be a ton of eyeballs on him, his show and people watching on their TV's at home. I'm sure he met with many of the people that work on the show with him, mainly Huro Murai, and they all decided that they needed to do something that would be talked about all night, the next day and the next day. So, they had someone go to the awards show dressed as the most memorable character from their best episode of last season. I mean, this is a big deal. I get why everyone is talking about it today, including me. Seeing Teddy Perkins at the awards last night makes me want to go out and watch that episode again today, which I probably will do.

This was a genius move of marketing. This was a genius way to keep his name, and his show, in the news. This was a genius piece of taking example of our current culture and just going with it. I love that Glover and his people did this. I love that the Teddy Perkins character was at the Emmy's and that is the first thing people are talking about when bringing up the show last night. I love this kind of guerrilla marketing that Glover and the people involved with "Atlanta" are doing right now. They are so far ahead of the curve, it is almost unfair to every other show.

Seeing Teddy Perkins at the Emmy’s was amazing, I will always remember this, and I'm so happy that a person I admire very much did something so cool and innovative at a major award sow last night. I know this isn't the first time, and it definitely won't be the last time, but my hat goes off to you once again Mr. Glover. You are a genius, and I am grateful that I get to enjoy all of your content. I cannot wait to see what you do next. But, this Teddy Perkins thing was a stroke of genius. I mean, wow.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once played a computer in a play written by the Head Editor. At next year’s Emmys look for Ty to be rocking his Banana Jr 2000 cardboard box costume.

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Ty's NFL Quick Hits: Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL is just about in the books, the Bears and Seahawks play tonight, and I'm here with my quick hits from all the games yesterday. Lets get into it.

We had 8 games that kicked off art noon. There were some solid matchups there, and not so solid matchups. The Bills are clearly the worst team in the NFL. I mean, Vontae Davis, a corner on the team, retired at halftime, with the Bills down 22 points. Josh Allen had a big throw, and scrambled a bit, but other than that, he was pretty dreadful. He also didn't get much help from his line or run game. The Chargers were in complete control of that game from the get go. Melvin Gordon looked otherworldly, but so did Joe Flacco a week ago against the Bills. The Chargers dominated them, but so did the Ravens, so I do not know what to think about the Chargers.

Speaking of the Ravens, they got beat pretty easily when they played the Bengals on Thursday night. Joe Flacco was thrust back to Earth, and the Ravens run game was blah. The Bengals actually look a lot better than I thought they'd be. Andy Dalton is hitting AJ Green, the run game is working and the defense, while still incredibly dirty, is playing at a very high level. I do not know is Bengals fans like this, but enjoy it while you can. I feel like they will be crashing back down to Earth pretty soon.

The Chiefs have seemed to have found their QB of the future. Patrick Mahomes is on fire. He looks like the real deal. He has a laser arm and hits the open receiver every single time. They can also run the ball with Kareem Hunt. They do not play defense, which may come back to bite them, but for right now, their offense looks legit. Their opponent, the Steelers, look like they may be in trouble. They are horrible on defense. They were down 21 in the first quarter. They made a comeback in the second quarter, but they clearly miss LeVeon Bell. James Connor has done okay in his stead, but they need Bell. Also, Antonio Brown has not been the threat that I thought he was going to be so far. The Steelers need to sign Bell and fix their defense, or this could be a very, very long season.

Now lets get to the team that the Steelers tied in week one, the Browns. They had every single chance to beat the Saints in New Orleans. They had a 10 point lead late in the third, they were keeping Drew Brees in check, they slowed the game down to a snails pace, it was all there for them. Then their kicker happened. This poor dude missed 2 extra points and three field goals. I mean, the Browns offense could have done more, but still, if this kid made one of those extra points and one of those field goals, they would have had a legit win. But, they are the Browns, and they blew it.

The Dolphins might have us all wrong. Every writer, myself included, thought they might be the worst team in the NFL. Well, they are now 2-0 with a legit defense and an offense that looks like they can sustain drives. Maybe the Dolphins aren't so bad, and maybe the Jets are not the team we saw in week one.

Also, the Buccaneers, and mainly Ryan Fitzpatrick, are proving us all wrong too. This dude is playing on a whole other level. Next to Mahomes, he is the hottest QB in football right now. He is going to get paid. He shredded the Eagles stout defense. Also, what in the hell is wrong with the Eagles? Nick Foles looks to be a clear flash in the pan, and the defense looks like they did in the Super Bowl. Luckily for them, Carson Wentz is set to return next week. But damn, the Buccaneers might be legit.

The Falcons and Panthers played one of the most boring one score games I saw yesterday. Yes it was close and yes Matt Ryan and Cam Newton had their moments, but it just looked and felt like ugly football to me. The Falcons won, and it's clear that Newton needs help, but this game was not nearly as fun as I thought it would be.

The Texans are in trouble. Deshaun Watson doesn't look the same. Deandre Hopkins cannot get a call. Their run game is rough. The coaching is horrendous. I mean, how do you let a Titans team being QB'ed by Blaine Gabbart win a game? That was insane and wild to me. Watson did look better than in week one, but man oh man do the Texans look like they are in trouble. And good for the Titans. They won with a horrible QB, took a big risk on a punt fake and won the game on a field goal. Good for them.

The marquee matchup was the Packers-Vikings. This game was good. The Packers looked in control, but the Vikings kept fighting back. Aaron Rodgers looked okay on one leg. Kirk Cousins had an incredible second half. Both defenses played fairly well. Then the refs and the kickers got in the way. First off, that roughing the passer call on Clay Matthews was a joke. Even lifelong Vikings fans that I know said as much. I mean, what else is Matthews supposed to do? That was, in no possible way, roughing. It turned the game around. And then, Mason Crosby, who kicked pretty well, missed a 50 yarder in regulation to win. Then the Vikings kicker one upped him three times. Daniel Carlson may need to find a new team. He shanked a 35 yarded that would have won the game. He also missed two 45 plus yard field goals in regulation. It was a tough, tough game. And, of course, because the NFL's overtime rules are so lame, the game ended in a tie. That is so ridiculous. Football games should never, ever end in ties. Both teams looked dumbfounded. It was such a hollow ending to a pretty solid game. The NFL needs to change some things up.

As far as the late afternoon and night games, the best one was the Jags and Patriots. The Lions got beat by the 49ers. And while that game was close, the Lions look really bad once again. I think Matt Patricia is a terrible head coach. And the 49ers took control of all of that. The Rams throttled the Cardinals. The Rams look like legit Super Bowl contenders, and the Cardinals have a ton of problems. First and foremost, Sam Bradford. I think yesterday was a loud call to let Josh Rosen take over. And the Raiders-Broncos game was a test of futility. Both those teams stink.

Now for my predicted Super Bowl Champs. The Jags look like they may be taking over for the Patriots as the best team in the AFC. They looked faster, they are younger, they won with a backup running back, Blake Bortles looked like a top 5 QB, the defense thwarted anything the Patriots tried. The Jags are good, and I hope this game makes people take notice. Yes, it was in Jacksonville, but they dominated that game from start to finish. They look like the real deal. Blake Bortles may never play that well again, but that defense will play like that all year. They are great.

As far as the night game, the Cowboys and Giants, I did not watch a second of it. Both of those teams are meaningless to me, and the NFL I'm pretty sure. Sure the Cowboys won, and the Giants looked pretty bad, but wasn't that expected? I mean, the Cowboys have 6 or 7 wins written all over them, and the Giants look like one of the worst teams in the NFL. Everything I read about that game last night did not change my mind.

There you have it, my week 2 takes. The biggest takeaways I have, the Packers got screwed, the Rams are as potent an offense as there is in the NFL and the Jags are the real deal.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Another damn tie has Ty tied up in emotional knots. Even the head editor (a Vikings fan) knows that Green Bay got screwed. Maybe with the refs on their side, this is Minnesota’s year.

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I've Got 15 Things to Say About this Serena Williams Naomi Osaka US Open Final

Like many others, I have some… thoughts on the whole Serena Williams/Carlos Ramos/US Open Final kerfluffle.  The universe (especially the Twitter-verse) is awash in incredibly simplistic takes.  These fall into two very shouty camps.  I’ll paraphrase briefly.  Camp Ramos:  “The umpire was completely right, Serena Williams was being a bully and a brat and how dare she sully the sanctity of our sport with her “thuggish” (subtext: black) behavior.”  Camp Serena:  “Carlos Ramos, the USTA and everybody is totally sexist and racist and DON’T YOU DARE criticize Serena because she is heroic and perfect and always right about everything.”

Frankly, the only person who got out of this unscathed is US Open Champ Naomi Osaka, who seems like a charming young woman who played breathtaking, dominant tennis for 2 weeks, and does not deserve to have her moment overshadowed by this.

Unlike many (most?) of the Hot-Takers mentioned above, I actually watched this disaster unfold in real time, not just reviewing the highlights.  So let’s all take a breath, and realize that many things can be true at once.  I’ll list out some of these true things here:

1.       Serena Williams has been subject to a lot of racism.  There are too many examples to list, but the recent dress code announcement by Roland Garros was the latest.  She and her sister weren’t the first black tennis players, even in the modern game, but they are of a different stripe.  They weren’t raised by well-off upper class parents like Chanda Rubin, or James Blake, or more recently, Sloane Stephens.  They brought with them some cultural stuff that a sport like tennis did not accept without a lot of growing pains.

2.       I’m not black.  I can’t begin to understand what the Williams sisters’ success (and Serena’s in particular) mean to the broader black community.  I am a woman of color, but I realize it’s not the same.  I understand the instinctive defense of Serena when she seems to be under siege. 

3.       Carlos Ramos is an umpire with a solid reputation.  He has officiated finals at all four Slams without incident.  He is fair and professional, but does have a reputation for being strict.  He has called time and coaching violations on Nadal, Djokovic, and many others.  Saturday’s coaching violation shouldn’t have been totally unexpected.

4.       Nothing happens in a vacuum.  Earlier this tournament, Mohammed Lahyani caused an officiating stir of his own, when he climbed down from his umpire perch to give a pep talk to a tanking Nick Kyrgios.  The uproar was instantaneous, and the consensus was that Lahyani was too accommodating with Kyrgios.  He was subsequently relegated to outer court doubles matches.  I’m sure Ramos was aware, and that may have factored into his decision to play it totally straight and not give any “leniency” to any player, no matter how famous.

5.       By the letter of the law, Ramos was totally in the right.  Whether you agree with these rules or not, coaching is illegal.  Racquet abuse is illegal.  Personal insults at the chair are illegal.  Code violations accrue.  Strike one, warning.  Strike two, point penalty.  Strike three, game penalty.  And on and on.  John McEnroe was once defaulted from the Australian Open for verbal abuse of an umpire.  Serena is not new here.  She knows the rules.  Maybe better than most, since in 2009, she lost to Kim Clijsters by getting a code violation on a match point.  (More on that later.)

6.       As a practical matter, Ramos DID have some leeway in how he dealt with the situation.  He could have given her a “soft” coaching warning, without it being an official code violation.  During her extended rant, he could have warned her about an impending game penalty if she kept attacking his character.  He could have, but he didn’t, and now here we are.

7.       Serena’s character was not impugned by Ramos.  First off, the behavior that was flagged was her coach’s.  Said coach, Patrick Mourataglou, admitting he was coaching.  Secondly, there’s no stigma attached (probably because, as Patrick noted, everyone does it).  It’s like speeding.  It’s illegal, it sucks to get caught, everybody does it, and nobody thinks you’re a horrible person because of it.  For Serena to blow it up into a personal attack on her integrity and character is ridiculous.

8.       Naomi Osaka’s win does not have an asterisk next to it, so people can just stop with that right now.  Osaka outplayed Williams from the get.  The reason Patrick was signaling in the first place was because Serena was getting beaten.  The racquet smash was precipitated by Osaka breaking Serena’s serve.  The extended rant at the chair was preceded by another service break.  She was losing, and didn’t have an answer.  The game penalty awarded to Osaka was on Osaka’s service game, which she had been holding fairly easily anyway.

9.       Serena has a pattern at the US Open of blowing up at officials when she’s losing.  See above, re: Clijsters in 2009.  Also, she was very much losing the 2011 final to Sam Stosur when she was legitimately called for a hindrance, and she yelled at the umpire again.  And again in 2018.  Three times is a pattern, and it doesn’t reflect well on Serena.

10.   Naomi Osaka handled the pressure like a boss.  First off, she came out fearless and swinging away against a 23 time champ, her idol, and the ESPN narrative favorite.  Later in the match, she handled Serena’s increasingly graceless behavior with her typical poker face.  At 5-3, after a lengthy and emotional interruption in the match, she basically let Serena have her service game, and then calmly and coolly served out the match at 5-4, throwing in a couple of totally unreturnable serves for good measure.  Those are the nerves of a future Hall of Famer.

11.   There is much to admire about Serena Williams.  As noted before, she’s dealt with a lot of ugly behavior from a lot of quarters over her years.  She’s had two brushes with death and been remarkably candid about motherhood and childbirth.  She works harder than anyone else on the tour.  She’s a 23 time Grand Slam champ, not just through talent, but though grit and determination and hard work.  She’s the toughest competitor on the tour.  Even when she’s down, it’s often foolish to count her out.  In recent years, her fiery persona has been tempered by maturity and little more graciousness and sportsmanship.  Again, there’s a LOT to admire.

12.   Little of this was on display on Saturday.  Serena behaved appallingly.  She stole the moment from Naomi Osaka, and made that match and the narrative about herself.  Even her supposedly “gracious” moment, telling the crowd to stop booing, was followed by a “We’ll get through this.”  Again, Serena, it’s not about you.  A truly gracious speech would have noted Osaka’s brilliant play, and asked the crowd to cheer her win.  Maybe it’s too much to ask for Serena to have her head together enough to do that, but asking the crowd to stop booing is pretty much the LEAST she could have done. (The one moment that touched me was the sisterly and protective way she put her arm around Osaka.  I’m not made of stone, people.) 

13.   The Arthur Ashe crowd should feel shame.  Even if you’re booing Carlos Ramos and the USTA, how do you think Osaka felt?  It broke my heart when Osaka apologized for winning.  She just won the biggest match of her life, and you people make her APOLOGIZE?  I have never heard anyone apologize for winning a sports championship.  No way.  Naomi, you have nothing to apologize for.  You deserve it, congratulations, and here’s to many more.

14.   ESPN, Chase, Nike, the USTA, and all the other sponsors and Serena boosters should also feel shame.  They contributed to this environment by making the whole two weeks all about Serena’s comeback/dominance/invincibility, etc.  When that narrative was shattered by Osaka’s exceptional play, neither Serena nor the crowd could handle it emotionally.

15.   The USTA and WTA’s subsequent statements are awful.  They have fully thrown Carlos Ramos under the bus, and I think they should have backed him up.  In sports officiating, I’m a proponent of enforcing the rules as written.  If you don’t want a rule enforced, change it.  In the final analysis, Ramos followed the rules as written, and was punished for it.  That’s totally unfair to the entire officiating community.  What happens next, when Maria Sharapova or Rafa Nadal or another big name throws a tantrum?  The official message to umpires is now “disregard the rules and let it go, because the minute there’s public outcry, we won’t support you.”  That’s bullshit.

As I said before, all of these things are true, and they don’t contradict each other.  It’s possible to recognize that Ramos did his job, and still think that the rules are silly.  It’s possible to have great admiration and respect for Serena, and still think she behaved very badly during the final.   It’s possible for the crowd to get wrapped up in ESPN’s narrative, and still behave gracefully when the outcome doesn’t match up.  It’s possible to think Naomi Osaka is totally awesome and… there’s nothing else to say about that! 

Sorry, I do have one more thing to say. Congrats to Naomi Osaka, future Hall of Famer.

Tina S

Tina is a sometime contributor to SeedSing and occasional guest on the X Millennial Man Podcast. Want to hear what Tina has to say on the topic of the 2018 tennis Grand Slam Season? Check out the latest edition of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

We made a twitter for Tina, go follow her @TinaSeedsing. 

What the Hell is Thibodeau Doing with the Timberwolves?

With the recent NBA news that Loul Deng was bought out by the Lakers and then signed by the Timberwolves, I just cannot help but wonder will happen, now that Joakim Noah is about to be released by the Knicks. I'm not the first person that has noticed that the Timberwolves team this coming season look a lot like the Bulls did in the early 2010's, when Tom Thibodeau was the head coach there. If he signs Joakim Noah, or even thinks about it, I will be all out on the Timberwolves.

Look, I have made it pretty clear that I have struggled to find an NBA team to root for since KD left the Thunder and signed with the Warriors. I eventually decided on the Suns, as I wrote awhile back, but for a moment, the team I was going to choose was going to be Minnesota. I had a history, what with Kevin Garnett being one of my all time favorite players while he was there, and I loved the young talent they had. They then let Ricky Rubio go. I know that they had to. He had run his course, and they needed to free up space for better, scoring point guards. They also traded Kevin Love, which I was also fine with because they got Andrew Wiggins and I felt like he was going to be a solid building block. Then they had the number one pick a few years back, and they took Karl AnthonTay-Towns, who I am a big, big fan of, and it just seemed like a good time to stick up for them. Even when they hired Thibodeau, which I wasn't a fan of, and then traded for Jimmy Butler, which I really liked, I was about to go fully on board with my fandom.

Then, they went out and signed Taj Gibson. I have nothing against Gibson, he seems to be a great team and locker room guy, but his best playing days are far behind him. He played his best when he was last coached by Thibodeau on the Bulls. That was about 5 years ago.

The Timberwolves then, after the Knicks dumped him, inexplicably signed Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose was once great. He won an MVP award. He had flashes where he looked like the next big star. But, he got derailed by two horrible knee injuries. He hen started to make wild claims in New York. He then disappeared for no reason while a Knick. He did the exact same thing when Cleveland signed him a year later. Derrick Rose is clearly not the athlete he once was, and there is certainly something mentally wrong with him. But Tom Thibodeau ignored all of the things we all see, and signed him anyway, and then kept him this offseason.

Now, he has decided to bring on Luol Deng. Deng is like Gibson. He was once a solid NBA bench contributor. He did things that helped the mid 2010 Bulls win games. But, he barely saw the floor last year. The Lakers did almost everything they could to get rid of him last year. His best days are clearly far, far behind him. But, Tom Thibodeau wanted to get the band back together as they say.

So, this whole meme and blog generation, and yes, that includes me, have started to call the "new look" Timberwolves, the Timberbulls. I mean, they now have Deng, Rose Gibson and Butler. Butler is the only one worth having, and he wants out. Go read some of his recent interviews, or just look at the fact that he opted to not sign a mega extension. But it doesn't seem like Thibodeau cares. And now, with Noah out there, I wouldn't be shocked if Thibs gets the itch to sign him. That would be horrible. How any of this fits, with Butler being the exception, with guys like Jeff Teague, Wiggins, KAT, is way beyond me. I feel like Thibodeau is a lesser version of Doc Rivers. He likes guys that used to be good on his teams, or against him, no matter how far past their primes they may be.

The only thing these signings, and the possibility of a Noah signing, does is push back the growth of their young stars. Wiggins hasn’t hit his stride, but he still can. Now though, he has to split time with Derrick Rose. Jeff Teague has proven himself a quality NBA point guard, but he also has to split time with Rose. KAT should be “the guy” for the Timberwolves, but Thibodeau is going to throw Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and, if he signs him, Joakim Noah out there to only stunt KAT’s growth. I wanted to like the Timberwolves. I wanted to be a fan. But, with what GM Thibs has done, I just cannot. He is signing over the hill has beens to play with budding stars. He is going to ruin the young players on this team, just so he can have some former Bulls around him.

What a waste.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a great GM and has NBA 2K rosters to prove it. Call him up T’Wolves.

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Some Appreciation for the Underappreciated Andy Daly

Where is Daly’s damn emmy?

Sometimes on the site I like to point out an actor that did a good job in a movie, has had a solid career or someone more people should know about, someone I deem underrated. Today I will again talk about an underrated actor.

The actor I speak of is Andy Daly. For those of you who may not know who he is, I promise you, you know, or at least have seen him on your TV. For those of you that do know him, you’re probably calling me crazy right now. You probably think he is a person that most people know. Well, people in my circle of friends, people who’s movie and TV tastes I trust, have no idea who Daly is. So, I don’t think it’s too far fetched to say he’s underrated.

I first became fully aware of Daly when I started to watch the great, great show, “Eastbound and Down”. He played the principal of the high school that McBride went back to to teach gym. Daly was perfectly cast as the low key, pushover fiancé of McBride’s high school girlfriend. He had this quiet, yet dark comic timing that was tremendous for the show. There is an episode, the one where he does the triathlon, and then tries to knock McBride out with chloroform, were his dark comedic acting is on full display.

After watching him on “Eastbound and Down”, I wanted to find more stuff with Daly. The easiest way to find him, at that time, was on podcasts, mainly, “Comedy Bang! Bang!”. He always played some weird and wild characters on that show. There were some classics if you listen to him on the back catalog. And anytime he and Jason Mantzoukas were paired up, it was a gem.

Through this, I suppose, he started to show up on TV shows here and there. I remember that he was a Ben Franklin impersonator on “The Office”. That was a great episode made even better by his presence. I know he was on the original run of “Mad TV”, and that show was okay when it first came out. He was uproarious in the very under appreciated “Semi Pro”. He was always clutch when he showed up on “Reno 911”. He was perfect for the Jon Glaser show, “Delocated”. His one episode of both, “The Kroll Show” and “Playing House” made those episodes even funnier. The 2 episodes of one of my favorite shows, “The League” were better because of him. He’s just as funny on the “CBB” show as he was on the podcast. Hell, even his smallish role on “Modern Family” made the later years of that show watchable. He is also great on another show I adore, “Trial and Error”.

“Review” is what should have made him a household name. That show is going to go down in history as a one of a kind gem. There is, and maybe never will be, another show as bizarre, disastrous, hilarious and perfect as “Review”. It is, easily, one of the best shows of the 21st century. It is great. It really let Andy Daly shine. It was his vehicle, and he got to drive it with little to no questions or notes. I loved that show so much. I wish it was still on. I need more than just 3 seasons.

From “Review” I gained a whole new level of respect for Daly. I now listen to any podcast he’s on first when his name shows up. I am so thankful that Earwolf put the second season of his own podcast, “The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project” out for free. That podcast rules. Also, remember at the top when I said you know, or have seen him, even if you think you don’t? He’s the spokesman for Car Max, and I have to say, I like those commercials simply because he’s in them. He makes them funny.

Andy Daly is a comic genius. He deserves to be regarded as such. I cannot wait to see what he does next. Seriously people, go check out his work. You will love it, as long as you go in open minded, especially with a show like “Review”. Andy Daly is awesome. It’s time everyone knows it.

Ty

Baseball Needs Shohei Ohtani

I know that I am not the big baseball guy on the site, but I want to talk about the Shohei Ohtani news, that he may need Tommy John surgery.

This is a real bummer to me. Again, I do not watch baseball at all, especially right now since football is in full time swing. But, I was looking at Bleacher Report the other day and saw that Ohtani may need the dreaded surgery for pitchers. Now, he has had a very solid season, at least from what I read, both pitching, but more so hitting. He has a decent amount of home runs, he has a decent average and has a good amount of RBI's. As far as pitching, he was doing fine. If you look at him as a rookie, which he is, he has had a very solid pitching season. He has missed a good amount of time, but who doesn't in baseball these days. Also, every star player is treated with kid gloves, so they don't burn out right away.

I had very high hopes for Ohtani, and he was kind of living up to them. I mean, no one really got to see him because he plays on a middling AL team, that is perpetually stuck at, or below .500. He plays on a team that has the best player in baseball, Mike Trout, and they have Albert Pujols, who is coming up on some iconic numbers as a hitter. But, the Angels are like the Chargers of the MLB. They are always the team that is the "sleeper", and they always stumble. I feel real bad for Trout because he is being completely wasted there, and I fear the same is going to happen to Ohtani.

My main point for my piece today, I think maybe the Angels pushed him a bit too much. I know I said that new stars get treated like kids, but they allowed Ohtani to play both. This was exciting to a guy like me, that never really watches baseball, but how was this good for their franchise, I will never know. They should have played him in the outfield, in my opinion, then on the rare, rare occasion that they needed a pitcher, preferably in relief, then they could let Ohtani pitch. I feel like this would have best utilized his unique skill set, and helped this team actually matter when September and October come around. Case and point, a day or two after the diagnosis of Tommy John, Ohtani played, and he hit 2 home runs. The guy can swing the bat. He has proven that he can hit major league pitchers, and hit them deep. He has proven his prowess in the field. Also, if you want to save his arm play him at DH. The Angles are an AL team and they have the DH, so why not? I mean, it would have fit perfectly with my idea to only pitch him in a needed basis.

Whatever the reason, people say Ohtani need this surgery. Who knows what he will do, and what will happen from here on out. I personally hope he doesn't get it. I want him to become a full time DH, and find a way to heal his arm without having this 10-12 recovery period from this surgery. If he does opt for surgery, I feel sorry for Angels fans and hardcore baseball fans. Ohtani has this special ability to hit and pitch at one of the highest levels of baseball. And not only can he just do both, he is very good at both. If he gets Tommy John, these fans will miss a year plus of getting to watch him play. That is a drag. And, who knows how he will play when he gets back. The last person I remember with big time expectations that had to get Tommy John was Stephen Strasburg. Now, he is strictly a pitcher, but people expected the world of him. He then had the surgery, and while he is a fine MLB pitcher, he is not the threat that he was supposed to be. He is a 13-15 win guy with a 3 plus ERA. Everyone expected him to be the next Nolan Ryan, but after Tommy John, he is just another mid level starter on a supposed good team. He isn't even the best pitcher on his team now. I don't want that for Ohtani.

I personally want Ohtani to continue to play. He is one of the very few reasons I even know about baseball right now. I have checked on him occasionally because I was genuinely curious. That hasn't happened with a baseball player for me for a long while. I hope he continues to play as a DH. I hope he finishes out the season and finds a way to avoid Tommy John. I just want him to be on a baseball field next year, as opposed to him rehabbing after a surgery.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He used to pitch and hit for his baseball team. Unfortunately Ty had surgery and his career ended. It was wisdom teeth surgery, and Ty was 20 years old. What could have been?

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Ty Watches "Last Chance U" Season 3

I just finished up season 3 of “Last Chance U”. They did the right thing, changing which school they highlighted, and I have to say, it is still totally worth a watch. Now, I will say, it definitely helps to be a football fan, but it’s not completely necessary. There are human stories outside of the sport that are told this season. They get into anxiety, pressures of being high profiled athletes, depression, anger, struggles growing up and academic problems, just to name a few things outside of football. But, football is the primary source material, as it was in the first 2 seasons. It was no secret that I personally soured on East Mississippi Community College, and mainly their coach, Buddy Stephens. That dude is a piece of work. I felt like 2 seasons there was plenty.

In the third season they chose Independence Community College in Kansas. ICC was notorious for how bad they were. Up until 2 years ago, they had not won a game in almost three full seasons. Not only had they not won, they were the worst team in their conference. They were the team that everyone else beat, and beat bad.

Two years ago ICC went out and hired a guy named Jason Brown. This dude is wild. He is a white dude that was raised in Compton. He grew up tough, and he acts tough. He is a no nonsense, take no prisoners type of guy. He’s big, loud and knows he’s in charge. He also has a reputation of turning programs around. He did it for a few high schools in California. He then became a coordinator for some JUCO’s in Long Beach. He also became a notorious hot head, and could never keep a job for more than one year. But, he has managed to stick around at ICC. The people of the town like him, and he has turned that team around. In his first season they had a .500 record. This past season, they won the conference for the first time since 1987, and won their first bowl game ever.

The recent success ICC has as much to do with the players as it does with Jason Brown. There was a new rule that was also introduced where any team in the Jayhawk Conference could recruit as many players as they want from any state. That is Brown’s specialty. That dude can recruit. He signed 30 plus players, a bunch of which were former 4 and 5 star recruits. He got this kid Malik Henry who was the top QB in his class and was dismissed from Florida State. He had 2 running backs, Kingston Davis and Rakeem Boyd, both who either left or were dismissed from Michigan and Texas A&M. He had a receiver, Calvin Thompson, who was a return specialist and slot receiver at Texas Tech before getting dismissed for a violation of team rules. He then had a bunch of kids that were good enough to go division one, but due to many different circumstances, had to settle for JUCO.

So, we have the same plot as the first 2 seasons, but with newer, more fun people. Brown is way more fun than Buddy Stephens. The running backs, especially Boyd, were more committed to the sport. Thompson was the star of this season. I’m actively rooting for that kid to make it. Some of the lesser known players, namely Emmit Gooden and Jamal Scott, just had better stories. Bobby Bruce is another kid that has a way better story than any player from the first 2 seasons. The only real similarities were at QB. The QB’s at both schools had big heads, complained too much and were super, super talented. That was it.

I had a lot more fun with season 3. I’m sure it’s due to a ton of different things. It was a fresh school. There were fresh faces. This season felt more real. The people seemed more genuine. The stories were just better. There was a particular episode that chronicled a bunch of players and coaches personal upbringings. This was the best season yet.

I’m glad “Last Chance U” came back. I’m glad they changed the scenery. I like the new people a lot. Maybe that will all change after the fourth season, but for now, this show is great. I highly recommend checking it out. It is well worth your time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He went to a small trade school in St. Louis, and they had a few guys play pick up football on the weekends. What we are saying is that there is a chance to film next season in Ty’s hometown.

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Ty's NFL Quick Hits: Week 1

Every Monday during the NFL season I want to do some quick hits. I want to talk about my reactions, my highlights, my lowlights and just give my own top teams and players. With it being Monday, I will not talk about the Monday night game, and I will not preview the game as well. So, with that being said, lets get to it.

Yesterday was the start to the season. I know we had a game Thursday night, but come on, Thursday night's game was awful. The Falcons and Eagles still need a few weeks before they are the teams they are going to be. And, that is exactly how I viewed the games yesterday. Yes, there are a few teams that we should already know how good or bad they are, but in reality, there are still about 30 teams that I don't have a full grasp on yet, and I probably won't for about 4 or 5 more weeks.

With that said, the Bills are horrendous. They got absolutely smoked by the Ravens yesterday. I know the Ravens have a solid defense, and a good running back, but Joe Flacco looked like a top 5 QB, and that was all because of the Bills awful defense. Flacco was out there throwing dimes and hitting the open guy all game. Alex Collins, the running back, didn't even have to do too much. The Ravens defense also swallowed everything the Bills tried on offense. First off, I cannot believe they started Nathan Petermann. I mean, how is this guy on a roster? How is he a starter? Why did the Bills let Tyrod Taylor go so this mediocre dude could be their QB? None of it makes sense. And, as predicted by everyone, the Bills took him out very early and went to Josh Allen. He didn't fare much better. Allen is going to be a bust. I'm about 99 percent certain of this. That game was awful, and spoke volumes about the Bills. They may be worse than the Browns.

Speaking of the Browns, they didn't lose yesterday, but they also didn't win. I don't know if that says more about them or their opponent, the Steelers. The Browns are not a good offensive team. They have an okay, up and coming defense. But, their offense is real bad. The Steelers are the opposite. They, at least on paper, are supposed to have an electric offense. I mean, I picked them to go to the AFC title game. Now, I know that Le’Veon Bell wasn't playing yesterday, but his backup, James Connor, went off. He had over 130 rushing yards and 2 TD's. He also had about 50 receiving yards. He played great. But, Antonio Brown was relatively quiet. Ju Ju Smith Schuster had an okay game, but nothing spectacular. The tight ends were very blah. And Ben Roesthilberger was dreadful. I feel like he is done. I kind of felt that way last season, but he looked real, real bad yesterday. This actually makes me happy because that dude is a creep, and he doesn't deserve anything positive said about him. I feel like this tie game was solely on him. He stunk up the joint. To go back to the Browns real quick though, they acted excited because they tied the Steelers. That is embarrassing. They have won 1 game over the past 2 years, and they are happy with a tie? Get the hell out of here. I still think they stink. Tyrod Taylor is a good QB, but he doesn't really have anything else. This team is bad.

The Chiefs looked wonderful yesterday. Patrick Malhomes looked awesome. He might be the real deal. Kareem Hunt looked just as good as he did last year. Their defense was bad though, real bad. They had that game sewn up early in the fourth, but they let the Chargers get back into the game. Also, the Chiefs started off super hot last year, and we all saw how that ended. So, I do not put a ton of stock in their win yesterday. Also, the Chargers are still the Chargers. People please, please stop picking them as your "sleeper" team. Please stop saying they are on the cusp. They are who we thought they were to quote the late great Dennis Green.

The Buccaneers need to cut Jameis Winston now and go with Ryan Fitzpatrick. He looked incredible and actually got the ball to guys like Mike Evans in prime position to score. Also, Alvin Kamara is the new best multi purpose back in the league, Drew Brees can still throw the ball, and what in the hell happened to the revamped Saint defense? They could not stop a thing. I think they will fix what ailed them last year, but they need to be better to compete in their hyper tough conference.

The Panthers and Cowboys game was ugly and boring. Ezekial Elliot looks like a flash in the pan. Dak Prescott, who I like, may be best as a backup and their defense is mediocre. As far as the Panthers, Cam Newton needs help. He will try to do it all, but he needs help. He needs weapons around him. At least their defense is sound and physical.

To finish it all up for today, I have to talk about the Packer game last night. They looked so so so bad in the first half. On the other side of that coin, the Bears looked great. Mitch Trubisky was making throws. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen were doing their thing. And my god, Khalil Mack was dominant. He was totally worth all those picks for that trade. They looked to have that game wrapped up. I continued to watch because I am a glutton for punishment when it comes to the teams I root for. So, when Aaron Rodgers went down, and was carted off the field, I was certain they were done, especially after Mack got that pick 6. But, Rodgers came back in the second half, and then the pass to Geronimo Alison happened. That was a beautiful throw and an even better catch. That was when my hope came back that the Packers could win. Rodgers then threw a TD to Davante Adams to cut the lead to three. The Bears answered with a field goal, but that was about all they could muster in the second half. They looked like a completely different team. They looked content with winning a half, not a game. So, when the Packers got the ball back, I thought they could win. Then a 75 yard pass to Randall Cobb pretty much sealed the deal. The Packers came all the way back and won. I was happy for a minute, then I got a little concerned. Yes, they won. Yes, Rodgers looked amazing. Yes, the receivers were tremendous. But, the defense looked bad all night. They have no contain, and they got carved up for a half by Mitch Trubisky. Also, they need Aaron Rodgers. If he goes down, this team is done. They have no backup plan. Hopefully they will explore Colin Kaepernick. He would be ideal to play behind Rodgers. They also need a real run game. Jamal Williams had moments, but he is young and green. Ty Montgomery needs to be a slot receiver and returner, not a running back. But, I do appreciate his willingness to play the position. The Packers need a real running game. So while I am happy with the win, I still have plenty of concerns.

These are some of my thoughts my week one. I'm pretty stoked that football is back.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not happy or sad for the Browns. His emotions are a tie, that is what Cleveland seems to want.

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Le'Veon Bell Deserves to Get Paid

With the NFL season kicking off last night, and pretty much all of the other games kicking off Sunday afternoon, I feel the need to weigh in on the Le'Veon Bell holdout. I've done my whole preview and picks and all that stuff, so I do not need to touch on that again. Today is all about one player.

This Bell holdout has become a very hot topic issue. His lineman are calling him out. Others are in support of what he is doing. He is going to miss out on a big chunk of money if he misses multiple games. His coaches are frustrated. This is what he has done the past couple seasons, but he has always showed up right before the season starts. That doesn't seem to be the case this year though. It looks like he is more than willing to miss upwards of 10 games to prove his point.

Now, I have 2 different thoughts on the holdout. My first one is short. I feel like he is letting his teammates down just a bit. He wouldn't be the running back he is without the help of his O line, and Antonio Brown. Those dudes give him many opportunities that other running backs can only dream of. If he owes anything to anybody, those are the 6 guys that deserve to know what he is doing.

Now, for my biggest point, and, I cannot believe I'm siding with Bell here, he is doing the right thing. He has been the do it all back for the Steelers for the past 4 years now. He carries the ball 250-300 times a year. He also makes multiple catches out of the backfield and makes things happen. He is as patient a runner as I have seen. He is the only current back that helps his line by waiting for them to get in position to block. Some guys are a bit too fast when they see a hole, or too slow to get to an open hole. Bell waits on it, then makes something happen. He has prolonged their sexual assaulter of a QB career much longer than it should have been. That rapist, alleged, can just turn around and hand the ball off to bell 30 times a game and save himself from getting hit. Bell has taken some licks over the past 4 years. When he does get hit, he gets hit hard sometimes. He falls forward a lot, but that still takes a toll on a player that is used as much as him. He helps Antonio Brown, Ju Ju Smith Schuscter, and whoever they have at tight end, face single coverage when he goes out for a pass. The fact that a player like Brown can face single coverage when Bell goes out for a pass, that is enormous for this team. He is the best wideout in football, and single coverage on him is a death sentence for the corner that has to deal with that. That only happens when Bell is out there, going out for a pass. So his plan to holdout, and wait for free agency, I have absolutely no problem with him doing this.

It is a widely known fact that the NFL is toughest on its players. They use you up, and when you are no longer of use to your first team, they cut you or trade you. They will get rid of you the moment you show a slip, or someone younger comes along. Coaches are, in fact, praised for doing such things. So for Bell to holdout, and try and get his, I have zero issue. He deserves to get paid. He has done a ton for the Steelers franchise. He has help to make them relevant and a perennial playoff contender when he is out there. But, the moment he gets hurt, or shows signs of slowing down, they will cut him. He needs to get his money, hopefully guaranteed in his case, right now. His positon, running back, is a dying position in the NFL. LeVeon Bell might be the best of the new era of backs, guy that can rush for 1,200-1,500 yards and catch 50 plus balls. So the fact that the Steelers won't pay him, I say continue your holdout. Wait until some team, be it the Steelers or another team pays you. You deserve a big contract Mr. Bell. The NFL is a brutal, brutal business, and you should get your money however, and whenever you can.

I know if Bell sits 10 games, the Steelers will have to pay him franchise money. I'd say do that, unless they give him what he wants. He can do the same if the Steelers want to continue this stupid game of chicken next season. So, while I think he owes his line and Brown a reason why, I do not think he owes the Steelers a god damn thing. They will just use him and spit him out. So, wait and get your money Le'Veon Bell. You deserve to get paid.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is the franchise player for us here at SeedSing. We will not tolerate a holdout. Hopefully Ty knows this.

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Ty Watches "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Season 13 Premiere

Last night the 13th season of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" premiered. Now, I am going to go about this as spoiler free as possible, but I apologize if one or two things get in here that seem like a spoiler.

I was very much looking forward/skeptical of the premiere last night. I was excited because I love "IASIP". It is one of the best shows that has ever been on TV. It is my generation's "Seinfeld", except "The Gang" is filled with people that are much more monstrous than anyone on "Seinfeld". It is a classic. But, I was skeptical because of how the 12th season ended. This may be a minor spoiler, but Dennis left the gang at the end of last season. He found out he was a dad and he moved to one of the Dakota's to help take care of the kid. So, it was up in the air if Dennis would be back for the 13th season. No one really knew, and the writers and actors tried their best to misdirect fans and viewers, which I appreciate. Also, Glenn Howerton has another show that he is starring on right now, the very underrated "A.P. Bio", and he didn't really let anyone know if he was coming back.

Another thing that didn't get near the attention that is should have, the waitress and Charlie became a couple at the end of the last season as well. I wasn't thrilled about this either because I loved the back and forth between the 2 actors, especially since they are married in real life. Their interactions were some of the funniest parts of the show. The whole musical episode, "The Nightman Cometh", was such a great representation of their character's relationship on the show. So, I didn't know if I would like how they handled that news.

In typical "IASIP" fashion, they handled everything with ease, and it was hilarious. The whole Charlie and the waitress new relationship totally turned. The waitress was now nagging Charlie. She constantly called him. He felt bothered by her. He took it upon himself to find a "companion" for her so she had someone to talk to while he was at work. This, of course, backfired on Charlie, and it all worked to perfection. The break up scene between them was wonderful. I was howling.

As far as the Dennis departure, once again, they handled it great. When the episode opened, we hear a woman's voice, and she is giving a speech. The voice is revealed to be Mindy Kaling's. She is basically Dennis' replacement. She seems nice on the surface, but she does some shady stuff in the episode. She is a smarter, more updated version of Dennis. She knows how to manipulate people, but she tries to get the gang involved, instead of demeaning and degrading them. While having a meeting, it is revealed, and this is not a spoiler, it was all over the commercials, Mac gets a package, and it turns out to be a sex doll that look EXACTLY like Dennis. He got it, he tells the gang, because Mindy Kaling's character, Cindy, tells him, in his words, "he needs to fill the Dennis shaped hole in his life". She didn't say that exactly, but with Mac finally coming out of the closet last season, it was a perfect response from him. The stuff with the Dennis sex doll that happens throughout the episode is all gold. The stuff with Mac is great. The fact that they start to hear it talk to them all, except Cindy, is even better. Seeing a Dennis sex doll at a strip club with everyone else, hilarious. It was amazing.

When the gang finally fully buys into the fact that Dennis is gone, and they need to accept Cindy, a big twist comes at the end. I'm not going to say what happens, but it is a very obvious twist. After watching the premiere, I am very excited to see where they go from here.

This premiere more than exceeded my expectations. I don't know why I doubted it. These people that work on this show are awesome. I should have expected greatness. I'm so glad "IASIP" is back, and I hope the rest of this season is just as good as the premiere. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is with Mac and Charlie in not understanding why conservatives would want to drink something that liberals tear. That makes no damn sense.

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Nike and Kaepernick are Awesome

You do my name well sneaker people

I have always, and will always, be a Nike guy. I know I’ve written about Brooks running shoes, and how great they are, but Nike’s are still the best shoes I’ve ever worn. They’re the most comfortable. They’re the most durable. They look the coolest. And they always up the game in style.

Nike’s rule.

That is why I am so very, very happy that they are siding with Colin Kaepernick. The new ad campaign for their 30th anniversary features Kaepernick, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. This is a great, savvy move by an extremely smart company.

Now, I understand all the stories about child labor and poor work conditions and low pay. I’m well aware of that. But, I want everyone that talks about that to look at what products they wear, and try to justify their company’s working conditions. Sure, Tom’s shoes donate a pair for every pair bought, but I bet their factories that make shoes aren’t much better than Nike. I’m sure companies like Patagonia and Brooks and North Face and Reebok and Adidas all have shady business deals. I know for a fact that the idiot that owns Under Armour is a big fan of that moron in the White House right now. So all the talk of Nike’s poor work conditions, I throw all that out as nonsense.

What sets Nike apart is their willingness to strike a nerve, and I love it. They did the whole, “I’m not a role model” campaign with Charles Barkley. They let Spike Lee direct Jordan commercials. They came up with the “Bo Knows” campaign. They know what they are doing whenever they do something like this. That’s another reason why I love them making Kaepernick the face of their new campaign. This is a perfect time to do this.

What Kaepernick has done, basically risking his professional career by kneeling in the name of police violence against minorities, is crucial in our current political climate. He is now the face of the resistance to me. And this Nike thing is only going to make him that much more of an icon. He will always be remembered for what he did. He was always be talked about not just among sports people, but in history books when my kids are in college. He has made a name for himself for standing up for what he believes in, and Nike wants to be on board with that. I mean, how can you not love all of this.

And for these idiots out here burning their Nike gear, or cutting the swoosh out of clothes and socks, you will be on the wrong side of history. Also, you are essentially burning money that you worked for you dumb dumbs. Could you be any more stupid? I will never, for the life of me, understand why these morons burn clothes they bought. It’s so dumb.

Also, for you idiot right wingers that are now “boycotting” Nike, how did that work for you when you tried to “boycott” Keurig or Dick’s Sporting Goods or Hamilton? All of those things are thriving. In fact, since you idiots tried to start a “boycott”, those companies have made more money. Your lame attempts don’t work, just like everything else in your miserable little lives. So yeah, try and boycott them, it won’t work. This only makes Colin Kaepernick that much more of an icon/historical/memorable person in our history.

Thank you Nike and thank you Colin Kaepernick. This is amazing and just makes me want to spend more and more money on your products. As I write this I have Nike slides, a Nike shirt and a Nike hat on, and I can’t wait to get more. This is awesome.

Just Do It.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is rocking his Michigan Wolverine Nike gear when he writes. Michigan may disssapoint, but Nike rules.

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What the Hell is Wrong with Braylon Edwards?

Like most Michigan fans, Saturday night was not fun. I had higher expectations for the game. I thought they would come out better. I thought I was going to be able to rely on the defense if the offense came out flat. I thought that the offense was going to be different under Shea Patterson. I thought they had the best guys on the field. I thought they were going to win.

These were all mistakes by me. They came out flat and looked tired. The defense was horrendous in the first half. They fixed it in the second half. The offense, while they did more shotgun, looked very similar to last year. The O line was getting beat on a consistent basis. Patterson looked way too amped up. The run game never got going. They never found any rhythm. The defense couldn't get off the field on third down, which they excelled at last year, and if they had a chance to, they committed some dumb ass penalties. The coaches were not prepared, and neither were the players. Due to all of this, they got beat, and they got beat fairly soundly. I know the final score was only a TD difference, but anyone that watched that game knows what I know. So yeah, I was frustrated and annoyed and a bit upset.

But then I went to bed, slept on what I had saw, internalized everything and got over it. It is a game played by kids. They tried their hardest, they just had a rough night. But, you know who didn't sleep on it and let his emotions get the best of him? Braylon freaking Edwards. Go read his ridiculous tweets right after the game. Go see him call out players by name, kids that are in their late teens, early 20's, and say they played "scared", or called them, and the team, "trash". Look at him scream into the internet and see him say that he is "done with this team". He went to school there. He was an all time great while he was there. He is the last player to wear the number 1 jersey, when it meant something, that truly deserved it. He delivered as a wide out for this team in the early 21st century. There is no doubt about that. But for him to do what he did just a couple of days ago, that is absurd. To call out your former university on Twitter is the height of childish behavior. Then, to double down on it, after other former Wolverine told him to calm the hell down, what was he thinking? Finally he issued an apology, but only after he was suspended by his current employer, the Big Ten Network. And that apology was so half assed, he would have been better off not even saying it. Oh, and don't let me forget, he was still found to be tweeting some dumb ass nonsense after he got suspended.

Now, as I said, he was great while he was there, but what did he win of any importance? He is out here talking all this shit like the Wolverines won a national title when he was the team captain. Well, I think I should know as well as anyone, I mean I love this team with all of my heart, and they didn't win shit while he was there. Sure, they had one or 2 double digit win totals, and they were always in a bowl game, but they never won a big game because of him. And yes, I am fully aware of his spectacular game he had against MSU in triple overtime when Chad Henne was a freshman, my god was he amazing that game. But you know what, MSU was not a very good football team back in the early 2000's. Get over it Braylon. Also, the best bowl game he played in was the Rose Bowl, so big time, and he did have three TD's in that game, but they got beat by Vince Young and Texas. That was the same year he won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country. So, maybe it was just his personal stats and accolades that mattered to him. But, I don't remember him calling out players and coaches by name after they lost a game they should have won. I don't remember him saying that the teams he played on that went 8-4 and lost some games they probably shouldn't have were trash. Hell, I don't even remember him saying that the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke era teams were "trash". Braylon Edwards clearly has some kind of weird complex. He also clearly doesn't think before he speaks. He also doesn't seem to look back at record books from when he played. He just seems to be a guy that pops off at the mouth because anyone can do that now. To call out kids on social media though, that was a real low blow. He should know better than anyone else that that was wrong. Imagine if Twitter were a thing when he was in college. People would have trashed his stone hands all the time, especially when he got into the NFL. He dropped a ton of balls he should have easily caught.

That was what irked me the most was him calling out guys playing by name. That was a low blow. So I'm glad that Jim Harbaugh and Khalid Hill called him out. I'm glad that BTN suspended him. I'm glad that he is now being raked over the coals by other former Wolverines. If he doesn't want to root for the team he played four years of college football for, fine. Just don't talk about it in such a public way. Believe me, there are tons and tons of other, faithful Wolverine fans, such as myself, that will always stick by this team, in both bad and good days.

I used to be a big time Braylon Edwards apologist. But, after this childish nonsense, I am done. He can root for any team he wants, but he needs to cool it on bad mouthing his alma mater. I know he was mad, I was mad too, but I slept on it, and I am a god damn grown up. Maybe Braylon Edwards should grow the hell up as well. His actions were ridiculous. Get over it, it is just a game played by children that are ages 18-23. They are kids and you are a grown up. Now prove it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was not on twitter after the Michigan Notre Dame game because Ty is not a man child who is only defined by the time he was a good sports person.

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SeedSing Classic: It is Time to Repeal and Replace Capitalism

The failure of capitalism is on display with the criminal greed being seen in our corporations and government. We wanted to re-post our thoughts on our broken economic system. The post originally appeared on September 7th, 2015.

What do we really celebrate on Labor Day? History says that the day started as a reaction to the Haymarket Massacre in 1886. The deaths in Chicago that day brought to light the struggles of workers nationwide. Demonstrators at Haymarket Square that day were rallying for an eight hour work day. When we go back and look at how the heads of capitalism treated their workers, who were US citizens, it is frightening. The labor movement needed to strike, rally, and demonstrate just so the capital owners would treat the workers like real humans. We celebrate Labor Day because workers needed to demand, and risk their safety, for a humanity that the capital owners were not willing to provide.

Capitalism is anti humanity and it is not allowing us to socially evolve, it is time for a new economic system. The people at the very top of our capitalistic society are large carnivores that get rewarded for anything that they can consume. There is no humanity to the capital owners. We celebrate record stock markets, and forget we have such a small volume of people participating in the market. We complain about welfare queens, without accepting that some of our richest CEOs get their salaries enhanced by government subsidies. The devourers at the top of the economic food chain have made the people below fearful and reverent at the same time. Capitalism is not allowing us to grow as humans, it is keeping us in cages like the animals that the capital owners need to control.

The way capitalism is sold to the general public is through use of code words like freedom and opportunity. In the world of today there is very little opportunity or freedom for the people not at the top of the capitalism food chain. The use of freedom and opportunity have their roots in trying to keep people non-empowered. If you want to go out and start your own business, you do have that freedom. If you have a great idea that can change the world, you have the opportunity to pursue that dream. Our modern capitalistic system does throw up every hurdle imaginable so the current capital owners have a say over your success. The system allows for the commoditization of people who can steal and exploit other people's work. The defenders of capitalism use opportunity and freedom as defenses for these patent trolls. Capitalism does not create ideas, it creates ways to steal great ideas and give them to the carnivores at the top.

The idea of commoditization has reached a truly dangerous level in our society. We have used capitalism to justify putting a price on the our most important human needs. Healthcare is one of our largest, and wealthiest, industries. We all accept that doctors should be well paid because of their skill and necessity. Our ability to get healthcare, through insurance, is directly related to our income. That is insane. Medical care is a necessity for everyone in the world, why should it be a commodity? Why do we not question this? Most doctors are not builders and creators, they are administrators. When you go to the doctor, it is for maintenance or to discuss something out side of the norm. Your income level rarely dictates the maintenance you require. Your income level can directly relate to the need for a doctor when there is something outside of norm. Lower income people have more severe, treatable, medical issues because of how capitalism financially elevates doctors. Basic human needs like healthcare are not a commodity. Capitalism has set a value to our lives, that is anti-humanity.

The ability to communicate has been the greatest tool for social evolution. The printing press created a new world filled with scientific and social advances. The internet is just getting its legs, and changing the entire world for the better. Many of the innovations related to communication were not done in pursuit of economic riches. The internet was created by the government, and nurtured by the social system, to become the tool we use today. The engineers of the world create things that not only maintain society, but allow it to grow. The Wright Brothers looked to the government for support before they looked to the capital owners. Roads, rails, and bridges are designed and built by engineers with government support, not private business support. Why is it that the government has allowed business to commoditize basic needs like communication? The rise of the telecom deregulation was another sacrifice at the idol of capitalism. We have been told that private business can handle our communication better than the government funded engineers who built the network. Our reward is one of the worst communication networks in the developed world. The telecom companies get their money, the CEOs get their large paydays, and the citizens get a subpar product thanks to the tenets of capitalism. The telecom companies do not have any concern for our ability to communicate, their concern is only to gain money. Our government, and our cultural programming, have allowed for basic communication to be another commodity to be bought and sold. Due to capitalism the more wealth you have, the better communication available.

Capitalism is a wall that stops innovation. The ability to create a commodity out of basic social needs is a large problem. Your health is not something that should be paid for. Your voice and ideas are not things that should be granted by a company with no creators. Capitalism exists to give freedom and opportunity to those already established, and make sure the non established have very nearly no options to compete. We deserve the right pursue our dreams, and not be hampered by our inability to pay for health or communication. Everyone deserves freedom and opportunity.

Capitalism is one of the most destructive forces in history. We need to have a discussion on how to replace this carnivorous ideology with one that rewards innovation and creates an evolving society. In the future we will continue to discuss the pitfalls of capitalism, and start to formulate an ideology that will bring about a brighter future. We encourage your dissent and contribution. Your ideas are not a commodity. Come share them with us.

Happy Labor day. Enjoy this day of rest and remember that protesters died for the right to have a reasonable work schedule. Let us use this Labor Day to start a new movement. The old capitalistic ways need to be repealed, the replacement will produce true opportunity. We can find this new way forward together. The only thing we will lose are the cages the capitalists keep society in.

RD Kulik

RD is the creator and Head Editor for SeedSing.