The Definitive Top 10 Little Debbie's Snacks

Growing up in the 1980’s and 90’s meant that your house probable had a few different boxes of Little Debbie treats. We would get one after playing outside, have a box handy when we played games with our friends, and definitely had one in our school lunches as our nutritionally mandated dessert. My lunches always consisted of a sandwich with mustard and one piece of Carl Budding ham, a baggie of chips, some form of fruit, a Mendota Springs, and a Little Debbie. That overtly sweet snack cake was the highlight of my entire school day.

Today I am feeling a bit nostalgic and thought it was high time we gave a definitive ranking of what are the ten best Little Debbie treats from my youth. I know there are some new treats in the collection of Little Debbies, but I did not have those in my lunches. If it came out after 1993, I did not eat it. Also there will be no “rolled” cakes on here. The rolled cakes suck, as do the Banana Twins and any marshmallow pie. Take my advice and skip those boxes.

Remember this is the definitive list. We have performed super science to get the correct rankings. Don’t agree? Come at us.

10. Pecan Pie

The mini pecan pie in the tiny aluminum tin is hard to find these days, but it does still exist. Many people hate this extremely sweet and sticky creation. Those people are wrong. The pecan pie has it’s problems (the sticky and sweet parts) but it was always a treat to gulp down a whole round pie in two or three bites. Just make sure you have some Mendota Springs to wash all that sweetness down.

9. PB Crunch

The PB Crunch was like a lower grade peanut butter Twix. Cookie, peanut butter and chocolate, plus the Twix like shape could confuse anyone’s eyes. While the peanut butter Twix is super deliciousness, the PB Crunch had a little blandness. Yet, peanut butter and chocolate can never be a total disaster.

8. Caramel Cookie Bar

Another Twix clone but switch the peanut butter for caramel. Also the shape was flat and not long and slender like the PB Crunch. The caramel was mildly gooey, and could mess up your nice Izod shirt with the popped collar, but was still a decent end to a balanced meal.

7. Cosmic Brownies

Many people are more familiar with the Walnut version of Little Debbie brownies, but if you got the candy sprinkled top of the cosmic variation, you were in luck. The brownie itself is another love it or hate concoction. It was more of a fudge like consistency and a fairly mild chocolate taste. Add the thick frosting (usually half the damn thing) and the colorful candies, the Cosmic Brownie was a faux chocolate delight.

6. Fudge Rounds

Here is where you start getting into some of all time great Little Debbie treats. The Fudge Round had a great cake top and bottom, and an awesome low grade chocolate moose in the middle. All parts of the Fudge Round tasted amazing, it just usually suffered from not enough the middle part. Many times that filling only covered half the cake sandwich. Little Debbie needs to do better.

5. Zebra Cakes

The two square cakes that come in the plastic package have many different versions. There are fancy, chocolate, and a variety of seasonal offerings. The OG Zebra Cake has them all beat. You can actually taste the chocolate and vanilla together. When you sit and peel the cake apart, outstanding. Pulling pieces of frosting off and unwrapping the cake was like a zen ritual to get you through the rest of the school day.

4. Oatmeal Creme Pie

I am not that big of a fan of oatmeal as my cereal or my cookie, yet the Oatmeal Creme Pie is all kinds of awesome. The grittiness of the top and bottom cookie combined with the ample amount of creme in the center is a tactile and taste sensation your tongue will thank you for.

3. Cherry Cordial

For some reason the Cheery Cordial seems to be a seasonal offering (Valentines Day I think?). That is not right because this is hands down a culinary masterpiece. You have another cake sandwich with a creme like filling. This time it is a cherry filling, vanilla type cake, and the entire thing is encased in a chocolate shell. The edges are always have a little more crunch than the center, and it is glorious. This needs to be a year round thing.

2. Nutty Buddy

Peanut butter and chocolate are almost perfect. Add a couple layers of wafer cookies, and Little Debbie achieved near perfection. The Nutty Buddy is better than most candy bars, that is how good this thing is. It is another one of Little Debbie’s offerings that ask you to take the treat apart. Peeling layer after layer of cookie, peanut butter, and chocolate is the near perfect end to any meal. There is almost no equal to this delight.

1. Star Crunch

The Star Crunch not only equals the Nutty Buddy, it surpasses it. The caramel is not overly gooey, the cookie is the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy, the crisp rice adds and extra pop to every bite, and the chocolate brings the whole package together in one of mankind’s finest creations. The Star Crunch is a perfect dessert for any occasion. There is no snack cake/treat equal to the Star Crunch. It is quite simply the greatest Little Debbie ever made.

There it is, the definitive rankings of the ten best Little Debbie treats of my school days. You can not go wrong with any of these ten delights. One’s day is made all the better when devouring these creations. Now it is time for us all to go out and revisit some of the sweetness of our youth. I may just go and house an entire box of Star Crunch’s when I’m done writing here.

RD

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

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

These NBA and NHL Finals are About Respect

Bring it home Blues

Have you been paying attention to the NBA and NHL Finals? You should because things are getting quite crazy. Going into the 2019 version of the NBA and the NHL Stanley Cup finals the narrative was about inevitability. Now that the games are being played, the narrative is changing.

The story in the NBA was about the last hurrah for the super powered Golden State Warriors. Nothing was going to stop this dynasty soon destined to be broken up due to free agency. Steph, Klay, and Draymond started it all, but Kevin Durant was going to bring them another championship on his way out the door. Even after KD got hurt, the Warriors still seemed unbeatable. The Raptors have the awesomeness of Kawhi, but not much else. Many reputable experts picked the series not to go longer than five games with Golden State being victorious. The narrative was about the dominance of Golden State, and there was no respect afforded to the road that Toronto forged to the finals.

Right now the Toronto Raptors have a two games to one lead in the best of seven series. If the series does indeed go five games, it will be Drake dancing along the sideline. The Raptors have relied on Kawhi, and they should because he is great, but the rest of the team has been pulling more than their own weight. Add the effort of the Raptors to the injuries on Golden State, Toronto is taking their chances. In all three games the Raptors have outplayed Golden State ten of twelve quarters. Yes KD would probably make a difference, but he is not there. Toronto is earning respect by not backing down from the unbeatable Warriors. The Raptors may turn that respect into an actual title. That would be crazy.

Over in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the St. Louis Blues keep trading punches with the dominant Boston Bruins and the series is now tied 2-2. On a side note, I know a lot about the Blues and their playoff struggles. I grew up in St. Louis and watched many of a hockey game. Growing up I saw guys like Scott Stevens and Brett Hull become superstars, only they then leave St. Louis and win Stanley cups in new cities. The Blues made the playoffs almost every year I lived in St. Louis, and they almost never made it out of the first round. Now they have made it and they are taking their chance.

In this current version of the Stanley Cup Finals, Boston is the team built for championships, St. Louis is the team built in hopes of making the playoffs and getting hot. Well, St. Louis got hot. Yet like the Las Vegas Golden Knights of last years Stanley Cup finals, the Blues are not losing that winning feel. The Blues are making sure that Boston, and the rest of the hockey loving community, know that they are in this thing to win the cup and finally hoist it under the Gateway Arch. The Blues are earning respect.

The series are still young, and a lot can still happen, but the Toronto Raptors and St. Louis Blues came into their respective championship series as afterthoughts. They are not being looked over anymore. Toronto and St. Louis know that by winning just a few more games, they can change the narrative. What was once a nice story can become a tale of legend.

The Raptors and Blues have earned our respect in these finals. They just may end up earning their first title along with it.

RD

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

Is this the first time SeedSing has written about hockey? What’s next, Ty’s views on Major League Soccer?

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Last Generation Gamer: Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

Last Generation Gamer is Seed Sings way of reflecting on the greatest video games that were released before the current gen systems.  These are not necessarily reviews.  Let's look at these thoughts as a walk down memory lane.  If you have any ideas for Last Generation Gamer contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

It is without question that the Legend of Zelda series of games are some of the most iconic and beloved in the history of all video gaming. The latest entry, Breath of the Wild, has already been heralded as one of the greatest games ever made. The first game introduced revolutionary concepts most games did not adopt until very recently. From the very first gold cartridge to today’s open world marvel, the games that start with The Legend of Zelda in their title are sure fire masterpieces.

It almost was not that way. After the runaway success of The Legend of Zelda, the sequel soon followed. Zelda II was released in Japan in early 1987 and followed to America in late 1988. The game was a huge smash, selling out and being generally well reviewed. All seemed right with the new series of games.

Yet initial success did not help the legacy of Zelda II. If you look up the worst games in the series, Zelda II is regularly listed as the worst one Nintendo ever introduced. Yes, there were the three terrible games licensed to Phillips for their 3DO system. Outside of a terrible cartoon series, those games are not considered by anyone to be part of the Nintendo series of games. When it comes to the “main” games, Zelda II is not held in the same high esteem of any of the other games in the series.

Why such a critical fall from grace? For starters Zelda II is very different than the original. The split between a top down world and a side scroller is not found in any other game in the series. Also, Zelda II is a hard game. The game introduced leveling up by getting experience points, and those experience points take a long time to acquire. The game gives you three lives, another thing not seen in any other Zelda game, and if you lose all three lives, you lose all of the experience you gained. And believe me you needed those three lives. The games monsters also require some wait and see strategy. No barreling through enemies because you are just way too strong, Zelda II made you stop and think. Many times you would need all three lives just to test out strategies to get past a few levels of a dungeon. Once you figured out the right strategy on your last life, you died and have to start again. To make it sting even more, no matter where you lost your last life, you will begin the game right back at where you started in the very beginning. Zelda II added to the tradition known as “Nintendo Hard”.

Zelda II does not deserve the disdain time has given the game. Yes it is hard, but so what. It was so different from the first game, yet added to the charm of the series. The towns became alive, the world of Hyrule was ripe for new exploration, and the hero Link was as awesome as ever. He could jump up and stab downward, how awesome. Zelda II was a huge leap forward in concept and execution than it’s older sibling, and both games lived on the same system. Zelda II was a triumph of it’s time.

It is extremely easy to play the very difficult Zelda II: The Adventures of Link these days. The mini NES that came out a few years ago has it (that is how I am replaying it right now), and it is part of the Nintendo Switch Online catalog of games. The Switch catalog even has an easier version where Link already has many of his power ups and spells. So go find this lost gem and get exploring. Once you get over the frustration of having to play a challenging game, you will find that Zelda II deserves a place of respect in our pantheon of awesome vintage video games. Get to it, princess Zelda needs saving, again.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Up next? Why Kid Icarus of course.

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

So Long iTunes and Thanks for Changing Music

It is finally time to say good bye to iTunes.

Well not really.

Yes Apple is going to get rid of the iTunes app with the newest version of macOS, but all of your music/movies/television shows will just move over to Apple Music and Apple TV. It will be like it already is on one’s iPhone. If you do not have an iPhone, you will still use iTunes. Easy enough.

Since many news outlets are talking about the end of iTunes, let’s reflect on the importance of the little .99 cent music store that could. When iTunes hit the market I was wondering what I was going to do with all of my “illegally” downloaded music from Napster. I had a bunch of cds that were burned into my computer, but my Napster library was filled with some of my favorite songs that came from groups and/or albums I did not care for. I wanted to enjoy “It’s Raining Men” without having to purchase the whole Weather Girls EP. With Napster dying, Apple came in and let me buy my guilty pleasures, and it would only cost me 99 cents. Napster was free, but free was illegal, so Apple came in with a solution to my problems.

For a time iTunes changed music much in the same way that radio in the 1950’s and MTV in the 1980’s changed how we consumed the art form. Radio is nearly dead and MTV is now more of a legend, iTunes will follow those innovators into our collective memories. It is now time for history to be the place we talk about iTunes.

Like so many other things that Apple innovates, the competition was trying to come up with cheaper and more efficient ways to topple the giant from Cupertino. Microsoft came up with a few options (Zune and Groove we barely knew thee), lala came and went without much notice, Rhapsody tried to fill the Napster void with confusing software, and Amazon was starting to peek around the corner. In the end iTunes was king, until there was a new way to get our music.

Free was once again the dagger that went for Apple’s money making heart. When streaming services like Pandora and Spotify started to become popular, iTunes was not able to compete. The new streaming services on the block were free (with ads), iTunes was not. The new streaming services could be curated so a person could create a free radio station with the music of their choice. iTunes could only make playlists from the music you purchased. iTunes changed the music landscape with a pay per song model, the landscape was changed once again with streaming. iTunes was now being left behind.

Ironically it seems like Apple’s own streaming service (one you must pay for) will be the thing that puts the final nail into the iTunes coffin. The masses have moved on to the streaming services. Also you can now buy almost any song from Amazon for the same cost at Apple. It is more likely you will buy that mp3 from Amazon because you are already on the site buying everything else. Apple does not sell everything else. Many times you can buy a physical copy of an album, i.e. CD or vinyl, and Amazon will give you the mp3 version for free. iTunes was not the future path forward, and Apple knows it.

Like the innovators before, iTunes deserves our praise. Let’s all pour one out for the little 99 cent music store that could. So long iTunes, you made it ok for me to buy my favorite hits of the late 1970’s in a judgement free zone. I salute you.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is now wondering if Apple is going to reinvent the world of monitor stands. I think not, that is one to many 9s.

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

Long Live the Gun

Here we go again.

On Friday twelve people were killed by a madman with gun. Eleven of the twelve victims were public employees for the city of Virginia Beach, the other victim was a contractor working in the building at the time of the massacre. All twelve victims died from wounds related to being shot with a gun.

So far we do not know why this madman killed these twelve people. We do know the gunman used a .45 caliber handgun equipped with a suppressor (aka silencer) and was using extended ammunition clips. It is uncertain why the murderer used the suppressor, it does not truly silence a gun like the movies tell us, but the expended magazines were there so the gunman could reload less and kill more. The last thing we know for certain is that this madman killed twelve people with a gun.

Immediately after the massacre, political talking heads dug in and started to scream their positions on gun control. One person on the left says the massacre could have been avoided if we had tougher gun laws. Within seconds, hundreds of right wing zealots scream about politicizing the gun issue in the wake of tragedy. Trying to make sense of the tragedy is now impossible because the screaming match going on in our political culture is all about the decidedly not human gun.

It is time to accept the fact that everyone who talks about gun violence after a tragedy is wrong. Stricter gun laws are not going to bring back the twelve people who died on Friday, or the thousands who have died in the years previous due to gun violence. Screaming about people politicizing a tragedy means you are also politicizing the same tragedy. Everyone is wrong, we need new ideas.

The kids who survived the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are showing the pro gun control work how to make change. These kids are not letting the issue go, like so many politicians before them. They are tireless advocates, powerful spokespersons, and the generation that will soon be running our country. Watch the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school kids.

On the other side we need to look for the truly responsible gun owner, not the ones who blindly follow what ever the NRA is trying to sell. Listen to an avid hunter make their case for gun rights, it usually does not include the right for someone to have a pistol that holds over 20 bullets per clip. Watch for the thoughtful gun owner.

In the end we do not listen to the groups we should. We would rather let the same people yell the same things over and over again and just hope no one we love gets gunned down in a senseless massacre. That is why nothing ever changes. Now the families of Laquita C. Brown, Tara Welch Gallagher, Alexander Mikhail Gusev', Mary Louise Gayle, Katherine A. Nixon, Richard H. Nettleton, Christopher Kelly Rapp, Ryan Keith Cox, Joshua A. Hardy, Michelle "Missy" Langer, Robert "Bobby" Williams, and Herbert "Bert" Snelling need to mourn and bury their loved ones. Those twelve people were killed by a madman with a gun. All twelve died because of a gunshot.

They are gone.

The gun is ok.

Long live the gun.

RD

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

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

I Finally Found Some Good Running Shoes

These are not the good shoes you are looking for

This piece today will be my last for a week. I am about to go on a vacation for all of next week, my wife and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, and we wanted to go on a trip just the two of us, and even bloggers and podcasters deserve a vacation. I'm super stoked because it is just us, we have a short flight, and we will be swimming in the ocean and hanging out on the beach for 6 days. It is going to rule. But, I do want to write about one thing today so I don't leave you high and dry for over a week.

As you all know, if you read and listen to the pod, I am a runner. I also love to hike and play basketball. But running is where it is at for me. It is free, it is easy and I now know what people used to talk about when they said "a runners high". But what makes running so special for me, all you need is the will and a pair of shoes. It can be 100 degrees outside, or freezing. It can be sunny, rainy or snowy. It can be humid or breezy. It doesn't matter as long as you want to do it, and you have proper shoes. And shoes are what I want to touch on today.

I have written before about Nike being king of the shoe world, and I still fully believe that to be true. I still will only wear Nike for basketball. They make the absolute best basketball shoe money can buy. But, outside of basketball, I have been on the hunt for the best running shoe, and I think I may have found through the help of a very good friend. At first, when I was a novice runner, I wore Asics. Those were fine, but I wore them more because they looked cool. I had some kick ass glow in the dark low top Asics that I loved. But, I tore through those in about 2 or 3 months. I then tried Nike. While Nike has cornered a good portion of the shoe world, I found their running shoes to rip up much faster than I expected, given they started out as solely a running shoe company. The light weight fit was great, but with my big feet, and even bigger toes, I would absolutely shred the front of the shoe in just a little over a month. I then talked to some people I knew that were runners, and they recommended Brooks.

Brooks are tremendous. For the majority of the beginning of my race running, Brooks were the only shoe I would wear. They had nice thick soles. The comfort was exceptional and they felt like the perfect running shoe. They also lasted longer. I thought I found the perfect running shoe.

Another close friend of mine told me to try out Hoka. I hadn't heard of that brand, but I was told that they were thicker and more comfortable than Brooks. I needed to try it for myself. I bought a pair, and I was blown away at how correct my friend was. I was sold on Hoka's. I wore them all the time. These weren't just my running shoes, they were my everything shoes. I would not leave the house without my Hoka's on my feet. But, after running a half marathon, a couple of trail races and a good amount of 5 and 10k's, I noticed that the sides were starting to fray. I went for a run one day, and I had a complete blowout. It was so bad I am shocked I didn't hurt myself. I was on the hunt again.

This is where my good friend, and running buddy told me about Altra running shoes. I had never heard of the brand, and like a great salesman, he sold me on, at the very least, trying Altra's out. I went to my local running shoe store, talked to their trail running expert, and they seconded what my friend had told me about Altra's. What sets this shoe apart from every other running shoe is the toe width. They are designed with extra space in the toe so that when your feet expand fro running, it is a real thing people, you don't feel it because of all the room. That was the first indication that I found that made me think I would love these shoes. They also have a thing called zero drop, where when you go down a hill, or a curve, it doesn't wreck your knees or feet. The shoes are designed to stabilize your legs and feet. They also have a built in sole that pretty much forces you to run in an upright position. If you have the wrong running posture, Altra's will get you to run right. And it has totally paid off. I don't have back or knee pain anymore because I am running correctly.

I now love Altra shoes so much, I bought a pair of their casual shoe as my everyday shoe. It has that same toe width and excellent traction i found in their trail running shoe. I think I have finally found the best running shoe that the US has to offer. Altra shoes are as close to perfect as it gets. I have my buddy mostly to thank for this too. Without his knowledge and recommendation, I don't know if I would have stumbled upon this tremendous shoe.

If you are a runner, and you haven't yet found the right shoe for you, I highly recommend trying out Altra. They rule. Okay people, I will talk to you all in about 10 days. I just wanted to leave you with a piece about a great running shoe company. See you all soon.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is wrong about needing shoes to run. The head editor ran the last half of a college cross country race in bare feet because his shoes failed him in the first half. The head editor came in dead last.

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

Richie Incognito Again? What the Hell NFL?

Yesterday I heard some very, very troubling NFL news, yet I am not shocked, which is a problem in and of itself. I heard that Richie Incognito was coming out of retirement, and he had signed with the Oakland Raiders.

I mean, what in the hell?! This is absolutely insane to me. I cannot believe that this steroid infused, racially insensitive bully gets what seems to be his one millionth chance, while Colin Kaepernick is still unsigned, and it seems like no team is even willing to give him a chance. The fact that a horrible human being like Richie Incognito gets yet another shot drives me up the wall. And, this isn't coming from a place of dislike for his college team, Nebraska. No, I am not a fan of the Nebraska, but I could care less that he went to school there. What makes me so angry is his off, and on field attitude, and the fact that he just keeps getting chance after chance after chance, no matter how awful his personal life gets.

Let’s break it down. We are talking about a guy that bullied a former teammate so much that he was contemplating suicide. Now, I know all about the former teammates misfortunes after leaving football, it is awful, but I feel like Incognito was the one who pushed him over the edge. He pulled the final straw. You then look at his on field stuff, he is out of control. He is just as liable to pull a guy's helmet off as he is to make a block. If someone on the line does something he doesn't like, he will ream that player out on the field, during the game. He is a head hunter. He throws illegal blocks. He is a dirty player playing a very violent sport. He is also a terrible racist. He has made it clear that he loves the current "president". He, I'm sure of it, wears confederate flag stuff. He is the epitome of a pick up truck driving hillbilly. He is just a miserable human being.

I know Incognito is trash from a personal encounter.

When the Rams were still in Saint Louis, my mom worked at a battered woman and children's center. She used to coordinate a 5k every year, we showed up to support her, and the Rams would send a player or two. One year they sent 2 guys, one of which was Incognito. The other guy they sent, his name escapes me at the moment, was also an offensive lineman, and he had previously played in Jacksonville with a high school friend of mine. I was very intrigued to talk to this gentleman because I wanted to know how my buddy was doing in the NFL. My mom brought me over to introduce me to the 2 guys, and upon hearing who they were, I said hello to Incognito, and then I kind of cornered the other guy because I wanted to talk about my friend. When I did this Incognito looked like he felt disrespected. He had this look of awe and anger on his face because he was supposed to be the big name at this event. First off, he was only there because he had just gotten in trouble for assault against women, and the Rams sent him to try and smooth things over. I'm sure he would've rather been anywhere else that day. Second, I could've cared less that he was there. I had zero interest in talking to him about anything. I know that the two of us have nothing in common, so why would I waste my breath on a person that would just upset me. That seemed like a waste of time to me. Third, he couldn't have been more of an asshole to everyone there that day. We are talking about people who do a very hard, very tough job, and Incognito just had this air of arrogance about him. He was, for lack of a better term, an asshole. I don't like to associate with people like that. So, my dislike for this move is so much more than just the college team he played for.

Richie Incognito is everything that is wrong with the NFL. He is the exact opposite of what the NFL should be going after. He is abusive and rude and arrogant and a clown and a bully and racist and just a bad, bad person. The fact that he is getting another chance, or that Chad Kelly, go look up stories about this monster if you want to be appalled, is getting another chance, but Colin Kaepernick has had to lose his career for a peaceful protest, I am getting to a point where I just can't do it with the NFL anymore. For the Raiders and Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock to think that this would be okay is astonishing to me. This is disgusting and despicable. If Roger Goodell wasn't such an awful commissioner, and a coward, I would hope that he would have vetoed this. Of course he didn't, and now I have to read stories about a horrible person.

This is bad, and the NFL is going to lose even more viewers. This is also a slap in Colin Kaepernick's face. He was a peaceful protester, and he has lost his career. Meanwhile, guys like Chad Kelly and freaking Richie Incognito continue to get signed. What a crock.

Ty

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

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

Ty Reads "Basketball: A Love Story"

This afternoon I just finished the book "Basketball: A Love Story". This book was on my must read list since right before Xmas. I got it as a gift, and it finally found its way into my rotation about a month ago. I am a slow reader, but this book is stuffed with all kinds of wonderful basketball stories. Rafe Bartholomew, Dan Klores, and especially Jackie MacMullan, have done something magical with this book.

For those that may now know, "BALS" is pretty simple when broken down. The book is pretty much a series of interviews in every chapter. They have a topic, they talk to some of the prominent figures from that topic and each writer adds a bit more info in the middle or end of each chapter. There are also some tremendous photos in this book as well. When you break it down a bit more, the book is so much more special.

Some of the things that the writers touch on, and get the interviewees to talk about are simply astounding. The whole chapter that is dedicated to the racism in the early stages of the sport was eye opening. Hearing Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell talk about some of the horrific things they had to deal with was harrowing. I couldn't believe that stars as big as them dealt with the idiocy and maliciousness of racism. It was nuts to hear Russell talk about leaving a hotel because they wouldn't allow his teammates that weren't white to stay there. Also, hearing about the whole "quota system" they had when integrating the league was bizarre and stupid. I cannot believe this sport used to do things like this. It was sickening. The NBA has come a long, long way. I also enjoyed the ABA chapter. What I loved about this chapter so much was, I have read "Loose Balls", which is extraordinary, and I highly recommend that book, it was like an extra chapter from that book. They told new, and different stories that I didn't read about in "Loose Balls". It was the same thing with the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird chapter. I've also read MacMullan's book on the two of them, and this chapter in "BALS" was another great extension.

What separates this book from other basketball books for me was the wide swath of subjects they talked about. I talked about the racism, Magic versus Bird and ABA stuff. There were also chapter dedicated to the Duke-UNC rivalry. They also gave Dean Smith and early UNC an entire chapter, which made me respect the hell out of Smith and that program. Their chapter on the influence to the foreign game was excellent. To hear about young Arvdyas Sabonis was awesome. I forgot how great a player like Sarinlous Marcilonus was. Drazen Petrovic could have been one of the greatest if not for his accident. Yao Ming was an exceptional talent. Toni Kukoc, Peja Stojakavic and Vlade Divac were very open. It might have been my favorite chapter. I also loved the chapters where players simply talked about their love for the game. I adored the chapters about Pat Summit, Geno Auriemma, the Tennessee-UCONN women's rivalry and the beginning of the WNBA. It makes me want to start watching the WNBA again.

"Basketball A Love Story" is a tremendous read. It is a must for hard core NBA fans, and I think even the casual fan would find it illuminating. This book is a work of art, and I know that this will not be the only time I read it. This is a multiple read for me. Check it out. This book rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wishes a book would cover the golden retriever takeover of American sports. Air Bud needs his due.

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

Ty's 2019 NBA Finals Preview

The NBA Finals tip off in 2 days. I'm coming to you today with one of my favorite blogs to write, and that is my finals preview and prediction.

I will say, in the entirety of this website, I am pretty sure this is the first time that the Warriors are not going up against the Cavs. The Warriors are still there, but after the debacle that was the Lakers season, and LeBron going out West, this year, the Toronto Raptors exorcised some demons, traded for Kawhi Leonard, and they are there as the East's representative. Unfortunately for them, I don't think Kawhi will be enough to dethrone the Warriors. He is also hurt. And, along with Kawhi, the Raptors acquired Danny Green for his three point shooting and defense, but in the past 2 series he has been pretty much unplayable. He isn't making shots and he is getting beat regularly on defense.

It also needs to be said that the Warriors will, most likely, be without KD for the Finals, and even though he has hinted at playing, I think it would be better for both parties if Boogie Cousins didn't play either. But, last week I wrote a piece on how much fun the Warriors have looked since KD went down with a calf injury. They are certainly not better, no team would be better if their best overall player was out. But, they are so much more balanced, and fun, to watch again. This current iteration, as I said last week, reminds me of the first Warriors team led by Klay and Draymond and Steph and Steve Kerr that won the title in 2015. They play a lovely brand of space and pace. They are a faster version of the Spurs, with much, much more prolific shooters.

So, while I don't think this series will go very long, I do think it will be a tough played and hard fought Finals. Kawhi Leonard has been otherworldly in these playoffs. He has been a scoring machine. He has held up like the boss he is on the defensive end of the floor. He definitely got into Giannis' head in the last series, and shut down Ben Simmons. Who's to say he won't do that to a player like Steph or Klay. But, therein lies the problem with the Raptors, and what benefits the Warriors. Kawhi can only stop one guy. Whoever he isn't on has the ability to go off, especially if they are a perimeter player. Look, I love that Kyle Lowry has played better in these playoffs, but either Steph or Klay will torch him. And who's to say that he won't regress in the Finals. I hope he doesn't, but that seems to be his move every year in the playoffs. He's also going to find it hard to score on Klay, who I imagine the Warriors will put on him. Draymond is the biggest X factor in this series. He has been wildly impressive during these playoffs, running the offense and playing exquisite defense. His scoring hasn't been there, but they haven't needed him to score. Does he guard Kawhi, or do the Warriors basically let Kawhi get his, and dare everyone else on Toronto to beat them? I'd say they let Kawhi go off because, outside of him, no one on Toronto has put together a solid stretch of games. Pascal Siakim has been better of late, but he has been very inconsistent, and this is, by far, the biggest stage he has ever played on. How he reacts to the big stage will say a lot about Toronto's hopes for pulling the upset. Serge Ibaka has been to a Finals before, but he has only gotten older and slower since then. He is also a mid range shooter now, and the Warriors will use their speed to get him off the floor. This is also the furthest that Marc Gasol has ever been in the playoffs. He has also been a reluctant shooter all playoffs. He will have a height and weight advantage on whoever plays center for Golden State, with the exception being Andrew Bogut, but he is well past his prime. But, I don't think that will matter. I don't think he will be able to keep up with the speed that Golden State has been playing with since KD went out.

Kawhi Leonard is great. He has reestablished himself as a top five player. He is going to make a ton of money this offseason, and this postseason from him has been a joy to watch. That will only be good enough for 1 game to me. I am picking the Warriors to win in 5 games. But, I think it will be 5 hotly contested games. I get the same feeling from this matchup as I did from the Blazers-Warriors West Finals. The Blazers are a good team, they just aren't at Golden State's level, even without KD. But, no team is as good as the Warriors are. They are a dynasty. They are the 21st century Bulls. And the fact that I don't even think they need KD to win their third straight finals should speak volumes as to how good I think they are.

The Warriors are the dominant NBA team, and they will win their third straight finals to really cement their status. I cannot wait for Thursday. Lets get back to some NBA playoff basketball.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience"

Last night I was finally able to watch the new Lonely Island visual poem “The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience”.

It is a wonder people.

This visual poem was one of the most unique and coolest things I’ve ever seen. It was made as a faux art project, I assume, and the Lonely Island absolutely nailed the absurdity of these visual art pieces. Add on the fact that it is basically a new rap album from them, this was bound to hit me in all the right spots. Then, add on the other news that Andy Samberg played Jose Canseco and Akiva Schaefer played Mark McGwire, I mean, it’s just absolutely perfect in every possible way. All the new songs they did, I’m already a fan, are peak Lonely Island. They’re goofy and hilarious, but the beats are top notch, and these dudes can rap. If they decided to go the Donald Glover route, and take it seriously, they could be this generation’s Beastie Boys. They’re that good. Add on guest appearances from people like Maya Rudolph, Jenny Slate, Hannah Simone, Stephanie Beatriz and Sterling K Brown as Sia, you read that right, take this from great to classic. I was absolutely blown away by this visual poem. It was so perfect in every way. It hit my funny bone perfectly. The Lonely Island are in that territory for me where they can do no wrong. Everything they’ve touched lately has been gold. This was a great follow up to “Pop Star”. I cannot recommend this enough. It’s weird and funny and absurd in all the right ways. I’ve already watched it twice and listened to the album 3 times.

Watch this visual poem, it rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He now challenges The Lonely Island to chronicle the rise and fall of Shawn Kemp. There could be a song called Fat Off Cocaine.

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

I am Excited for the Juwan Howard Era at Michigan

After about 10 days, the University of Michigan men's basketball has found their new head coach, and I am cautiously optimistic.

The Wolverines hired the first of the "Fab Five" players to sign back in the day, Juwan Howard. I loved Howard when he was a player on the team. His game was so admirable, and impressionable, to me as a young player. He fought hard on the block. He worked the low post. He was an excellent rebounder. He could run the floor. He played defense and he put in work every game. He was the hardest worker on the team, and he also happened to be tremendously skilled. He was also the most mature guy on the team, even when he was a freshman. Chris Webber was the best player, Jalen Rose had the swagger, Jimmy King was an explosive athlete and Ray Jackson had that dog in him. Juwan Howard was the glue that kept them together. He was a great, great Wolverine.

Howard then went on to have a very solid NBA career, playing more than a decade, I'm sure he made at least one all star team, won a couple of titles and became a solid assistant coach for the Miami Heat. When the Michigan job opened, unexpectedly, I didn't even think of Howard until Jalen Rose said something about it on his show. Then Chris Webber said something during an NBA playoff broadcast. Reggie Miller echoed his statement that night. Then Jimmy King came out and said something. When all these people, who I respect, started to talk about him for the job, I became intrigued. I found out that he has been working with the bigs on the Heat, and that he has also been picking the brain of head coach Erik Spoelstra, who I adore, and Pat Riley. If you are going to learn coaching from any 2 guys in the NBA, I would think that Spoelstra and Riley are at, or near, the top.

By the time all this news came out, and after I did my personal research, I was on board. Then, Billy Donovan pulled his name, and I started to stump for Howard. I told my dad at my son's baseball game this past Sunday, I hope Juwan Howard gets named the new head coach no later than Wednesday. Well, that was exactly when it happened. But, as I stated at the top, I have good and not so good feelings on this hire.

Lets get the bad out of the way first. Howard has zero head coaching experience. Now, that isn't that bad, he has been an assistant in the NBA for going on 5 years now. But, he is taking over a team that was in the title game 2 years ago and started out last season with 17 straight wins. Michigan also played a very complex offense that was hard for opposing teams to figure out. Michigan will, most likely, lose many of the assistants that worked under John Beilein, mainly Luke Yaklich. He turned them into the stellar defensive team they were last year. Michigan is also losing 3 starters from last season, and their top recruit decommited when Beilein left for the Cavs job. These are my only concerns.

As far as what I am hyped about, what I love about this hire. They got a big name. While Juwan Howard may not have been a hot coaching candidate at the current moment, his time was coming. He was clearly working his way to becoming a head coach. He was putting in the grunt work. Michigan is also getting one of their greatest basketball players ever to come back and coach the team he played for. That sense of pride and want and will to win at your alma mater is humongous. He can recruit. I know he hasn't done it yet, but when he was 17, he was the one that convinced the "Fab Five" to get together. He was the first to sign his letter, and after that, he was in the ear of the other 4 guys pretty much instantly. He got them to come there even before they were given money while at the school. Everywhere Howard has been, for the most part, he has been on a winning team. I'm sure he will want that to continue. I have faith that, even if Yaklich does leave, Saddi Washington will stay, and he is a key assistant. I also think Howard will be able to lure good to great assistant coaches.

Back to the recruiting for a second. He played and coached guys like LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. They both adore him, they pushed for him to get this job and they have 2 young sons that will be college basketball players very soon. I'm sure they will want their kids to play for a coach that they know and like. Also, there are a bunch of other kids out there with parents like me who were big time fans of the "Fab Five", and they may nudge their kids to, at least, consider Michigan because of Howard's presence.

What makes me most confident in the hire, he already has a very good team in place. The transition to this next season should be smooth-ish. He has a floor general in Zaiver Simpson. He has his modern big in Jon Teske. David DeJulius was a top level recruit last year. Brandon Johns was Mr. Michigan basketball. Colin Castleton got quality time. And they have a solid class coming in, even if Jalen Wilson doesn't go back.

I'm letting myself get excited by the Juwan Howard hiring. In fact, I like this hire more than when they hired Jim Harbaugh as head football coach 5 years ago. Don't get me wrong, I liked that too, I just have a different, more excited feel for the Juwan Howard hiring. He was a great choice and I hope he has a tremendous amount of success, obviously. This has been an odd, and sometimes rough, offseason for Michigan basketball. But, the hiring if Juwan Howard eases a good amount of that fear. Now lets see how he does.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ground Sausage Patties are the King of the Breakfast Meats

yum

Today I am going to come at you all with one of my hottest takes ever.

So, before I met my wife, I was not a big breakfast person. I didn't feel like eating when I got up. If I was hungry I'd always eat something that was filled with empty calories and tons of sugar, like brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Don't get me wrong, I love those still, but honestly, they are absolutely horrible for you, and to eat them for breakfast, you are just asking for a bad day. I usually would just wait until lunch time to eat my first meal, and that was also a mistake because I ate far too much lunch, and did the same at dinner, and I would snack until midnight.

When I started to date my wife, and especially when we moved in together, she was pretty staunch about eating breakfast. I started to make sure that I was getting something in my body before I would head off to work. At first it was more of the same sugary nonsense. Then, I started to have breakfast shakes or smoothies. When the allure of that wore off, I started to navigate more towards savory foods for breakfast. Back when I was working a full time job, it was hard to get up and make eggs or something along those lines. I would opt for microwavable breakfasts then. I would get those scrambles or frozen breakfast meat or a bagel. Basically something I could eat on the road. Then, when I became a stay at home dad, I was able to make a proper breakfast for myself and my son, and then my daughter. When I was first at home, with just my son, he and I would eat oatmeal and some kind of breakfast meat. It was great to have a nice hearty breakfast with him.

Then, I went on my diet pretty soon after I started staying home, and I cut out the oatmeal and started to make eggs with whatever meat we had. My son loved it too, especially after his egg allergy wore off. Even now, with my son in school full time, my daughter and I have some kind of meat with our breakfast, and she will have cereal or oatmeal or pop tarts, and I will have eggs. I have also completely adapted to being a coffee drinker.

What I want to say today, to finally get to my hot, hot take, I think that ground sausage patties are, by far, the best breakfast meat in the world.

It is not even close for me.

Look, I have tried pretty much every variance of breakfast meat there is. I love steak, so I have had steak and eggs. Ground sausage patties are better. Bacon is a homerun with pretty much everything, especially eggs. Ground sausage is better. Canadian bacon and ham are excellent bacon substitutes. Ground sausage is better. And sausage links, be they ground or frozen, are okay, there just isn't enough. The great thing about ground breakfast sausage for me, I feel like I am eating a bun less burger for breakfast. I mean, how dope is that. I put a little American cheese on my sausage right near the end of the cook, and it melts so perfectly over the top. It is divine. I also love having it on the side of my 2 scrambled eggs because I can cut tiny individual pieces and combine the 2 for a perfect bite. I also like the ground, raw sausage because when you cook it, if you do it right, you get that great, almost burnt crust on top of the meat. It is like biting into a hot dog casing, which I also think is great. I also appreciate how salty the patty is as opposed to the link. There is more surface area for the spices to all blend together to give you a great salty and spicy bite. Links are fine, but they don't give you that perfect bite every time like a patty does.

I'm the only one in my family that prefers the ground patty to the frozen link. My wife likes the ease of the link. My son likes the fact that he can put away 3 or 4 links to 1 or 2 patties. My daughter likes how much easier they are to eat. But me, I'm perfectly happy waiting for the patty to be properly cooked so I can enjoy the deliciousness it brings. As I said, I have tried pretty much every breakfast meat, or meat substitute, or veggie option, but the ground sausage patty is, hands down for me, the absolute peak breakfast meat.

I know this my be divisive. I know people may think I'm weirder than they already do. I know I may get some heat for this. I don't care. This is my platform, and I am here to drop truth bombs on you all. Ground breakfast sausage is the best breakfast meat in the world.

There, I said it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty has not had the one true king of the breakfast meats. Come on down to Cincinnati and get yourself a plate full of goetta.

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

The Warriors are Fun Again

The Golden State Warriors advanced to their fifth straight finals after a thrilling overtime victory in Portland last night. That game was fun and close and I enjoyed every second of it. I will say, even when the lead ballooned to 17, I never thought the Warriors were out of it because they are never out of it. They have so many solid shooters and a very good, and underrated, defense. They can also catch fire at any moment.

So, instead of checking out, I stayed to watch all of the second half and overtime. And the Warriors pulled it out. What makes this so different was the fact they swept out a very, very good Trailblazers without KD. Also, they, and I hate that I am writing this, were an absolute joy to watch. They have been so much fun for the past 5 games in fact. Don't get it twisted, KD makes this team pretty much unstoppable. He is the best scorer in the league, he is an outstanding defender and rebounder and he is a matchup nightmare. He is one of the greats, a hall of famer and an MVP candidate every year. He is a beast. But, with him out, the Warriors remind me a bit of the team that won their first finals. They are swinging the ball all over the floor. Steph is putting in 30 plus points like it is nothing. Klay, while his shooting has been wildly inconsistent all playoffs, is locking it down on the defensive end. And, another thing I never thought I would say, or want to say, Draymond Green has been otherworldly. He is the straw that stirs this team's drink. He gets everything flowing. He runs the offense. He snatches rebounds. He is the best defender in the NBA, and it is not even close. And, his recent interview where he said that he used to do more crying than playing, made me respect the hell out of him. He has also dropped 20 pounds and looks like he can run all day. He has been the best all around Warrior for the past 2 series. Without his play, they don't beat Houston, and they certainly don't sweep Portland. Draymond has been absolutely outstanding. Hell, if he keeps this up, he may win Finals MVP over Steph, and it would be totally justified.

All of this is to say, I cannot believe I have found myself having fun watching the Warriors win lately. When KD signed there 3 years ago, they immediately became the villain. They soiled the NBA. The competition was moot and pointless. It was a done deal. And for 2 years, that very thing happened. But, when he went out late in the third quarter of game 5 of the Houston series, this team almost instantly became likable again. They started to whip the ball around. They started to share more. They ran more. They ran less iso basketball. Steph and Klay stopped deterring. Draymond pretty much completely took over as the lead guard on offense. They became, at least in their minds, the "underdogs" again. Hell, I picked Houston to beat them after KD got hurt. But, they showed us that they aren't a one man team. That, when given more shots, Steph is an MVP. Klay proved his worth. And Draymond is making himself a ton of money when his deal is up in a year.

In no way am I saying that this team is better off with KD out. That is insane. What I am saying is, this team is fun to watch without KD. They remind me of the Spurs when they had Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan. Draymond, Klay and Steph are the 21st century version of those guys. I have never met anyone that doesn't like those Spurs teams or players. Hell, I know I rooted for them to beat the Big Three Heat teams. I in fact have always liked the Spurs. And god help me, this is what this iteration of the Warriors remind me of right now. If they end up facing Milwaukee in the finals, I think they will need KD. But, if it is Toronto, I bet they could win without him, and they would be as much fun to watch as they are right now.

I guess this piece is all to say that, I cannot believe that I like this Warriors team. They are supposed to be the villain, the bad guys, the one team that made the most super of super teams. But dammit, I have really enjoyed watching them since game 6 of the Houston series. They play a beautiful game when they play like they have lately, and it is a joy to my eyeballs. We will see what happens in 9 days, what with KD's injury, and if Boogie Cousins comes back or not. But, for the time being, this version of the Warriors is fun, and they play exquisite basketball. It is truly basketball at its highest form.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Internet Idiots Could Not Ruin "Game of Thrones" for Me

Maybe Internet idiots need to discover this device

I, along with millions of other people, watched the series finale for "Game of Thrones" last night.

I liked it. I thought it was a solid way to send the show off. I felt like everything that happened was for good cause. I do not want to spoil anything, so I'm not going to go into too serious of detail. I understand that people don't get to watch everything they want to in real time. I'm sure there are a few people that haven't seen the finale yet, so I don't want to ruin it for them.

I do want to say, I thought Peter Dinklage was tremendous last night. His monologues were perfection. I also, like I said before, thought that everyone ended up pretty much exactly where I thought they should have. Sure, it was slower at the start, but things picked up, and the finale wrapped a nice bow on a show that I binged watched for the last year. It was good, the performances were good and I was entertained by all of "GOT".

What I really want to focus on today are the mean spirited internet bullies who have attacked this final season. Look, I have been there. On this very site, in the early stages, I trashed shows like "Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead". I was rude and angry and I let my frustration show. For that, I am a little embarrassed in myself. But, I have tried in the past year to be less cynical about things like movies and TV shows and music. Hell, I have even tried a bit with sports. I understand that all this stuff is here for my entertainment, and I should be thrilled that I have so many options available to me. "Mad Men" was a great show that just lost steam to me. I shouldn't have been that hard on it. As for "The Walking Dead", it just went too far off the rails for me. I know a lot of people still like the show, and the fact that it is still running proves it has solid staying power. The only show, of which I tried to defend at first, that I feel I was right to go after was whatever in the hell Bill Simmons tried to do with "Any Given Tuesday", or whatever in the hell it was called. That was a bad show. I feel no remorse for trashing that. But, I do feel bad for going so hard at the other shows after what I have seen people do to "GOT" now.

Fans have been way, way too hard on this show that has entertained them for nearly a decade. The creators and writers and directors and actors owe us, the viewers, nothing. I know I've mentioned it before, and I am sure I will again, but I always go to the Poochie episode of "The Simpsons" where Comic Book Guy complains that he is "owed" something from the writers. Bart calmly tells him that that show has givens him hours of free entertainment, and if anything, he owes them something. That is exactly how I feel about this season, and for that matter, all seasons, of "GOT". This show has captivating millions upon millions of people. This has to be the most talked about, and I wouldn't be shocked, most watched show of all time. Hell, my wife just had a work party solely based on the show. We had my dad come over every Sunday to watch with us. I have talked to friends and family about it for the past year. It ranks right up there for me with shows like "The Simpsons", "Breaking Bad" and "The Wire". It is that good to me.

So, for the phonies and nerds that hide behind screen names and start dumbass petitions and live in their parents basement, it was never going to live up to their astronomical expectations. I'm sure these deweebs put such a high premium on this show, that no matter what happened, they would have made up something to complain about. And that is just the thing for me. No one can just be happy with a TV show or movie or music anymore. There is always going to be someone who takes it way too seriously and feels they are owed something from people that they will most likely never meet. There is always going to be a group of people that find something to groan about. As I said, I did this just as early as 2 years ago. And now, you have myriads of unqualified people starting a petition to redo the final season. What qualifications do they have? How many TV shows have they worked on before? How much writing have they done? Do they even know the first thing about getting a TV show put on the air? I'd venture to say no to all of these questions.

People need to chill the hell out. We are extremely lucky to have shows that entertain us for years. And to those of you that are saying you are going to cancel your subscription to HBO, or that you were "bored" by this final episode, or that you have "wasted 10 years of your life" on this show, that is just sad to me. "GOT" is a fantasy show about dragons and magic and people coming back from the dead and zombie armies and people who can have visions. It is fake. It is here purely for entertainment, and it entertained the hell out of me. I'm so weary of these bullies that have to hide behind a screen and gripe about one of the best TV shows to ever be on TV.

Anyway, I just needed to touch on that, and say that I really enjoyed this season, and all the previous seasons of "GOT". It was beautiful to look at, well acted, left me speechless at times and kept my interest all the way through. This show was a true achievement. Well done.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty was a big fan of “Game of Thrones” well before he saw an episode, and he has hated internet idiots for a while now.

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

Ty Watches "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum"

I was going to do a thing on “Game of Thrones” today, but I need to save that for Monday. I need to save it because I went to see “John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum” with my dad this morning, and I need to talk about it.

I have been a big time fan from the start of this franchise. I’m so much more in on “John Wick” than I am on other series of movies. I’ll take “John Wick” over any “Fast and Furious” movie, I’ll watch it over “Star Wars”, I’d spend my time with it over “Jurassic Park”, I’ll even take it over the “Raid” movies. This is my new favorite franchise in movies. It is so perfect. “John Wick” knows what it is, and they absolutely go for it all the time. “Parabellum” was no different.

This movie picks up exactly where the second movie ended. Wick is on the run in downtown NYC. He has pretty much every assassin in the city after him. He has a multi million dollar bounty for his head. He is no longer safe. And from there on out, for the next 130 minutes, it’s pretty much all action. The fight scenes in this movie are astonishing. I read someone earlier this week call it a “gory ballet”, and they were 100 percent correct. I was taken aback at how well done and brilliant these scenes were. The movie was also filled with them. Sure, there’s a story attached, and they spend a little time telling it. But, for every minute or 2 of dialogue, there’s a 4 or 5 minute action scene that follows. It was exquisite. I have loved how the writers and directors have upped the ante with each movie. They have the budget now to go absolutely wild. It’s awesome.

As far as the acting, it’s perfect for this style movie. Keanu Reeves is Wick, and he barely has to say anything, which is perfect for him. He says a few things here and there, but he’s mostly there to whoop bad guys. Angelica Houston was chewing so much scenery in the best possible way in this movie. She was excellent. Laurence Fishburne knows what kind of movie this is, and he does his role magnificently. Ian McShane and Lance Reddick are dapper and badass. Halle Berry tried a little too hard, taking it a bit too seriously, but her action scenes, and dogs, ruled. Asia Kate Dillon was a menacing villain. I knew she was crushing it when I hoped she would be taken down by Wick at some point in the movie. Mark Dacascos, you may know him as the chairmen from “Iron Chef America”, was a great bad guy, and he was pretty funny. Jason Mantzoukas had one or 2 lines, but they were memorable, and his expressions were wonderful. Even actors in very small roles, be it Jerome Flynn or Said Taghmaoui, did a really campy, really good job.

“Parabellum” is the third of a very, very solid action franchise. I love that these movies come out every other summer because I get so hyped to see them on opening day in late May. This movie rules, and I hope they will continue to keep making them as long as they keep having fun. Go see this movie, it will most likely be the best action movie you will see all summer long. What a great movie. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Much like the character of John Wick, Ty’s true passion is restoring old books.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Detective Pikachu"

As RD and I talked about on a recent podcast, I did take my kids, mostly because my son begged me, to see "Detective Pikachu". I talked on that pod how I was kind of reluctant to see the movie. I am a Pokémon novice. More correctly, I know next to nothing about Pokémon. I do know who Pikachu is. I know some other names of some other Pokémon. I knew that Ryan Reynolds was the voice of Pikachu. But, other than that, I was lost. My kids uncle did come with us, and thankfully, he knew a ton about Pokémon. He was able to talk to my son about everyone in the movie. He knew just as much, if not more, than he did, so it was nice for my son to have someone who he could converse with about the deep characters in the movie.

All of this leads me to my personal review of the movie. "Detective Pikachu", from a true outsider's perspective, was an odd, but fun movie. I do need to say, the look and feel of the movie was pretty cool. This movie took a real shot, and I think they hit a double. No homerun, not even a triple, but they accomplished a little something that made it memorable for me, and it has nothing to do with the story. The story, if there was one, was absurd, but I expect that from a Pokémon movie. That is my one very nitpicky thing about the movie. From an adult, and a parent's perspective, going to this movie, don't expect a cohesive story. The movie jumps and changes at the drop of the hat. Yes, there is a bad guy, a fake out and something that seems like a thru line, but outside of that, it kind of goes off the rails. But, when I really look into it, especially through my son's eyes, that doesn't matter. The movie was very nice looking. The way they shot it, they really made the world of Pokémon pop. And that is another thing, about shooting this movie, they did it on 35 millimeter film. That is wild. That is taking a chance. That was a baller move. I respect that. This is, for all intents and purposes, a kid's movie, yet they shot it on real film. That took some guts. I also appreciated the fact that they tried to make this a noir movie for kids. It also resembled old school detective movies. Hell, it is called "Detective Pikachu". I am a big fam of noir and thriller movies. It is one of my favorite genres. So, for a kids movie to attempt the noir, again, I respect the effort. I really enjoyed the thought that went into this choice, the lingo they used with the characters and the "dark" tones to try and set up a noir feel. It was fun.

All in all I'd give "Detective Pikachu" a solid B-, maybe a C+. It isn't the best movie in the world, but I have seen a lot worse kids movie. I was never bored for the 90 plus minutes run time. I liked the look. I enjoyed the feel. I had no idea what was going on, but my son absolutely loved it, and that was why I went to see this movie. It achieved its goal for me. My son has not stopped talking about it since we saw it last Saturday. He and his friends are all talking about it too. This movie knows its targeted audience, and they won all those people over. And, for a non Pokémon fan, it kept my attention. It was an okay movie, and fans of Pokémon, I'm sure, will love it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He feels cheated because they never made any big budget movies about his favorite toys. Where is Ty’s Pogs movie?

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Some Thoughts on the NBA Draft Lottery and the New Lakers Coach

Before I get into movies and TV the next 2 days, I’ve got 2 more basketball things I want to touch on today.

First, I want to talk about the NBA lottery last night.

The NBA won last night. More clearly, the commissioner, and the new flat odds rule won last night. The Knicks, Cavs and Suns tanked all year. The Lakers, when they realized their season was over, tried to tank. The Hawks, while fun to watch, didn’t win too many games. Despite all this, the Pelicans got the first pick, and Memphis got the second pick. The Knicks and Lakers finished out the top 4, but neither got the pick they were hoping for. The Pelicans now hold every single advantage in the whole AD thing now. They can ask for a kings ransom to any team trying to get AD, or a team that may want presumed number one pick, Zion Williamson. This was the absolute best thing that could’ve happened to New Orleans, David Griffin and Alvin Gentry. They don’t have to tear it all down now. They can get a tremendous package now, stay relevant and get back in the playoff picture ASAP. Also, I don’t think this was rigged at all. If it was rigged, the Knicks or Lakers would’ve gotten the number one pick. The fact that neither is in the top 2, of a seemingly 2 player draft, speaks volumes to the possibility of this lottery being rigged. I think it’s hilarious that some think it was fixed. I don’t think the NBA was begging for Zion to go to New Orleans. That’s nonsense. Anyway, congrats New Orleans. You not only won the draft lottery, you regained, and added, a ton of power in the AD saga. Hilarious.

Secondly, I want to talk about this whole Frank Vogel being named the new head coach of the Lakers. I mean, what the hell? This is absolutely absurd. This is a consolation “prize”, after Monty Williams took the Phoenix job and Ty Lue walked away. Frank Vogel was an okay coach when he was in Indiana, but basketball was much different back then. Roy Hibbert was an all star and a guy you needed on the floor. He’d be unplayable in the modern NBA. After getting fired from Indiana he took the Orlando job, and boy oh boy was their team not very good. He didn’t work well with the young talent, and they let him go after only three years. And when you look at the Pacers and Magic now, they’re both better off. They’re both playoff teams. Hell, the Pacers fought for homecourt in the first round until Victor Oladipo got hurt. Frank Vogel is an okay coach, but not worthy of coaching a team LeBron is on.

Which brings me to my next point. The fact that Jason Kidd is the lead assistant is very prophetic for who will be the head coach by Christmas Day. This is almost exactly what happened in Cleveland when LeBron came back. David Blatt was hired before he decided to come back, took them to the Finals, then the next season Ty Lue was named lead assistant, and 20 games into the year, he was the new head coach. LeBron may not be saying anything about this hire right now, but a few months into the year, if the Lakers are still struggling, LeBron will say some stuff to the media, and within a week Kidd will be the new head coach. It’s so easy to see this in the tea leaves. Vogel is a scapegoat. He’s a figurehead. Since James signed with LA, Jason Kidd’s name has come up for head coach a bunch. It is clear that he, Maverick Carter and Klutch Sports are running this Lakers team. That’s what LeBron does. Teams that sign him should know that the moment they sign him, he’s in control. Much like the lottery, the Frank Vogel hire is hilarious to me. He’ll last one full season if he’s lucky. Honestly though, I think he’s gone before Christmas, and Kidd is introduced as the head coach. And I think both LeBron and the Lakers will seriously regret it in about 2 years.

This has been a wild few days in the NBA. But, it’s also been fun to watch since I have no rooting interest in most of the teams I mentioned today. Gosh, the NBA is so much fun. 

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

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Ty's NBA Conference Finals Preview

Tonight is the start of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals in the NBA. I was going to talk about the Lakers, but that can wait until tomorrow. I want to touch on each final, give my prediction, and give you a few things that could happen that may shock some people.

I want to start with the East first. Milwaukee coasted to the East Finals. They ran rough shed over the Pistons, who just laid out and let the Bucks walk all over them. They then had a bad start to the next round, losing game one by double figures to the Celtics. A bunch of people said that the "Celtics were coming together", and "they figured it out", and "Kyrie was finally playing team ball". Well, the Bucks then proceeded to absolutely dismantle the Celtics. They destroyed the Celtics in the next four games. Giannis shed whatever "rust" he may have had and looked like the MVP in those four straight wins. He was unstoppable, and the Celtics looked terrible on and off the court.

The Raptors had a much tougher road to the East Finals. They lost game one to the Magic in round one, but coasted from there. Where it became rough was against Philadelphia. That series was hard fought, a slug fest, a rock fight, whatever cliché you want to say about a physical series. Each team took, and gave, tons of punches. Game 7 was epic too. It was back and forth, at one point Toronto looked in control, but then Philadelphia would make a run. Then we had that Kawhi shot. That was one of the most incredible, and lucky shots I have ever seen. It hit every inch of that rim, and somehow went in. That is a heartbreaking way for the 76ers to go out. But, Kawhi did exactly what the Raptors hoped he would do when they traded for him.

So we now have Milwaukee-Toronto. I think Milwaukee may come out flat in game one, the whole rust over rest theory, but I feel like they will coast from there. Milwaukee is deeper, they have the best player in the series, and they have home court advantage. I think Toronto will win 2 games, but I think Milwaukee wins in 6. I also think Giannis will further his case for MVP, and top three player in the NBA.

In the West we have Golden State-Portland. I love this matchup. Golden State was the presumed team from the start of the season. They have it all. They have one of the best starting fives I've ever seen, and they are the 2 time defending champs. They let the Clippers get 2 games from them, but easily won from there. Then we had the big showdown with Houston. After taking the first 2 games, Houston rallied back for 2 very impressive wins to tie the series. In game 5 it looked like the Warriors were going to run away, but Houston came all the way back to take the lead. Then KD hit a shot to go ahead, and his non contact injury that I touched on happened. I, much like almost everyone else, assumed that the Rockets would take advantage of this. They did not. They choked it away like they always do. They couldn't get a lead in the first half of game 5, even with no KD and Steph scoring zero points and picking up three fouls. Then Steph got hot, Klay started playing incredible defense, Draymond ran the offense exquisitely, and the Warriors bench got a chance to shine. And, the Rockets blew it. I will say, Harden did his part scoring 12 in the quarter. But, he also had 4 turnovers. Also, Chris Paul was a ghost, PJ Tucker got no looks, Gerald Green play an inexplicable amount of minutes in the game, Austin Rivers was awful and Clint Capela was neutralized. This is what the Rockets do, and I don't know why I thought this year was different. Golden State pulled away late and closed the series out in 6 games.

Portland took a much more dramatic path to the West Finals. Yes, they beat OKC in 5, but those games were all close. If not for Lillard going supernova, and hitting shots from the logo, I think that series might have went 7. But, it didn't. Portland closed it out. They then had to deal with Denver. Both teams traded blows. Both teams took a game from each at their home court. And it looked like Denver was going to close it out early in game 7, building a 17 point lead. But, with Lillard looking exhausted, CJ McCollum absolutely took over. He was amazing, and it made me rethink trading him this offseason. He was awesome. He hit all the big shots. He was the man that lead the full comeback to get Portland back to the West Finals for the first time since 2000.

All that is gravy for Portland. Unfortunately for them, as soon as KD gets back, I think the games will be fun, but the Warriors will end up winning the series, most likely in 5 games. I think the series will be a delight for lovers of offense, and the scores will be high, but the Warriors are a better team. They have so much more talent. They also have multiple guys that they can throw at CJ and Dame. If they thought Denver was tough, just wait for what the Warriors will bring at them. Game one is going to show me how prepared and ready Portland is, but I think the Warriors are too good. They might not have KD for the first 2 games, but I don't think it matters. Portland will get one at home, but that is it. The Warriors are just too good.

I'm very excited for the games to start tonight. These are the 4 most deserving teams left. I'm glad it worked out this way. Lets get to it.

Ty

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

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Why John Beilein, Why

A lot of stuff happened over the weekend in sports and movies and TV. But the story I awoke to this morning takes precedence over all the other stuff I want to write about.

I was resting in my bed, my son was playing video games, my daughter was sleeping and my wife left for work when the news buzzed across my phone. John Beilein, the head basketball coach at Michigan for the last 12 years, was leaving to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I didn't believe it at first. I thought it might have been a joke, or a wrongly reported story. I thought maybe the people got the name wrong. After he flirted with the Pistons last year, I assumed that he was going to stick in college for the rest of his career. But, after doing a good amount of research, I found out that it was true. Whenever you see Woj has reported the story, when it comes to NBA news, you know it's true. Beilein then went on Twitter to confirm the news himself.

I was stunned. I took this a lot harder than I thought I was going to. I think it hit me so hard because I did not see this coming, at all. Every year I have to hear about how overrated a football coach Jim Harbaugh is, but that this NFL team or that NFL team was going to lure him away from Michigan. Harbaugh has been there for five years now, and after every season, he is mentioned in open NFL head coaching jobs. It is something I have come to expect. But John Beilein has been a staple.

Beilein came to this team 12 years ago, when they were in the toilet, and he has built them up to a perennial Big Ten power. He has led them to tons of Sweet Sixteen's. He has been to 2 Final Fours and 2 title games. He has gone to the NCAA tourney in 9 of his 12 years. He turned guys like Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mo Wagner and Mitch McGary into first round NBA picks. He helped Glenn Robinson III to the NBA. He has been able to replace top notch point guards year after year. He has added great assistants every year. He has adjusted his teams to fit their strengths. They were all offense when he first got there, then they had super athletes, then they became a deadly three point shooting team, then he made his big men become stretch 5's, and this past season, he helped turn them into a defensive powerhouse. And they looked to be pretty solid heading into the 2019-20 season.

And then this news appeared this morning.

As I said, I have read a ton of stuff since hearing the news, and I still am a bit shook. I heard that he is leaving because he doesn't like the state of college basketball recruiting. He is not a fan of the "one and done" culture. I get that. I mean, Iggy Brazdeikes is good, but he is not NBA ready. But, he has decided to test the waters. He is also losing Jordan Poole because Poole had a few good games and some GM's said he could be a pick. I love Jordan Poole, but I do not think he is even close to being ready for the NBA. And even earlier in his career, guys like Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III and Daruis Morris all left much earlier than they should have. This is a problem with college basketball. I get that. But, he is going to have to deal with guys that make much more money than him, and if he doesn't produce soon, he will be gone.

Which leads me to another thing I read. He chose the Cavs because he will be able to rebuild. Sure, that sounds nice, but like I just said, how patient will that fan base be if they don't get the number one pick this year, and win 20 games over the next three years? That will not be fun. The 76ers fired a ton of coaches during the process era. The Lakers are on their third coach in 5 years because that fan base is hungry for wins. The Knicks have gone through a ton of coaches because they can't, or aren't willing to try, to win games. This could very well happen to Beilein. Cleveland is not a good team. They have one solid player in Colin Sexton, and nothing much else. I know Kevin Love is there, but he is only getting older, and he is always injured. I also think they are going to trade him. I like Cedi Osman, but he is still a work in progress. Tristan Thompson is a bum. Matthew Dellavedova is a scrub. I mean, this roster is rough. And if they don't get Zion Williamson, they will be probably take someone like RJ Barrett or Cam Reddish. Those guys are the definition of a project. I don't know if Beilein wants to take on that task.

The one thing I heard that has me not questioning his move was Beilein wants to try at the highest level. That actually makes sense. He is 66 years old, making him the third oldest coach in the NBA now. If he was going to try, now is the best, and possibly only, chance he has. When this contract is up, if he makes it all the way through, he will be 71, and, I'd assume, ready to retire. This is the only reason I, right now, will accept as to why he took this job.

I'm still stunned. I am upset because I adored him as the Michigan basketball coach. He made them a power again. He restored this team. They have been far superior to the football team for some time now. They have won big games. They have played on big stages. They did everything, minus a national title, that any fan would want to see. And now he is leaving to coach the Cavs. I just cannot wrap my head around that. I get the lure of the NBA, but if he really wanted to go, why not take the Pistons or Magic job that he interviewed for last year? They were both playoff teams with solid rosters this year. I just do not get the choice to take the Cavs job. He could've stayed at Michigan and been poised for another deep tourney run this year. He had some good recruits coming in. He had a great core returning. Now he gets to coach the remains of a team LeBron left in shambles a year ago.

I really do wish John Beilein nothing but the best, I always want to see former Wolverines shine at the highest level. I'm trying to not be so skeptical and cynical. But, this move is bizarre. This team is bad and he, if he doesn't show improvement very soon, will not finish out this contract. I've watched enough NBA to know that the Cavs front office is volatile, and while they like you today, they may hate you in a month, especially if you don't win games. I'm upset and bummed, but I hope John Beilein succeeds. I don't think he will, but I'm rooting for him.

What a bummer of a day to be a Michigan basketball fan. I'm curious to see who they hire next because it will set the tone for awhile. They don't necessarily need to make a "splash" hire. But, they need to make a very, very solid hire. I want to keep believing in this team like I did when Beilein was hired, and after what he has done for 12 seasons.

Ty

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

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

This Kevin Durant Injury Sucks

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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