SeedSing Classic: Advent Calendar of Holiday Television Programs: Day 23 - "Seinfeld - The Strike"

ed note: This article was first published on December 18th, 2016

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 23 "Seinfeld - The Strike"

Original air date - December, 18th 1997 

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,  Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two

For SeedSing's Advent Calendar of great holiday television shows, today, I'm going to write about the "Festivus" episode of "Seinfeld". I know the episode is called "The Strike", but lets be honest, I think we all know this as the Festivus episode. The Festivus episode of "Seinfeld" ranks right up there with any "Simpsons", "The Office" or any other TV show we have written about for the Advent calendar. In fact, I'm going to say that the Festivus episode of "Seinfeld" is the best holiday television show ever. I may quote "The Simpsons" more, or laugh at "The Office" more, but this particular episode of "Seinfeld" has literally changed the way I view the holiday. Today marks Festivus, and I will be airing grievances, showing feats of strength and getting the big pole out for this wonderful pre holiday holiday. 

The episode starts off funny. We all learn that Kramer was/is a worker in a bagel shop, and the strike that he has been seemingly on for years, has ended. Funny right off the bat. The whole thing with the bagel shop, and Kramer's past, and now present, are all classic "Seinfeld". We also get another story involving Elaine giving some creeps a phony phone number and there is some wackiness that happens with this plot line throughout. But, the true gem of the episode is when George's dad tells the world of the joyous day of Festivus.

We learn that when George was a kid, his dad was in line waiting to get him a toy, a doll in fact, and someone else got the last one. He pleaded and prodded the person to give him the doll, but they just would not budge. This caused Frank to lose his mind. He got very, very upset, as he almost always does.  This was when and where he Frank decided he needed to have a "holiday for the rest of us", and thus, Festivus was born. He decided that everyone needs to do many things to make themselves feel a bit better during this holiday season.

Let's be honest, this time of year brings out the anxiety and anger in the best of us. The holiday season can be pretty rough. So, the fact that Frank came up with a holiday where everyone can air their grievances, I love it. I wish this was a real thing and people would not get upset at the outcome. Imagine how nice it would be to tell everyone how you feel, but with the caveat that they cannot get mad at you, and they are allowed to do the same. This would be terrific. To let it all out, that would feel great from both sides. I love that the Costanza's do this every year, because who has more grievances than the Costanza's? No one, that's who. Imagine Frank, Estelle and George sitting around airing their grievances, it must be magically hilarious.

Then, the feats of strength. This would be my absolute favorite. This gives you the chance to prove who is the strongest in your family. I would crush this part of Festivus (ed note: no he would not), and I think my whole family, while they might disagree at first, knows that I would dominate. Now, imagine once again, the Costanza's doing this. I can almost guarantee that Estelle would be the strongest in the family. She may not look it, but I think she would absolutely dominate George and Frank in a feats of strength competition. I bet George is also the weakest, even at everyone's advanced age. He is so meek and mean, but that is just his attitude, I'm sure that does not translate into actual strength.

Then, we have the Festivus pole, which is the alternative to the tree and menorah used during this time of year. It is just an unadorned pole that sits in your living room on December 23rd. It does nothing, but it adds so much to this episode. The fact that Frank just wanted an alternative to all the glitz and glamour of the holiday's is a perfect representation of Frank and the Costanza's. They do not conform to social norms at any times, and I love that.

What makes this episode even more wonderful is the fact that people have made Festivus a real holiday. This has become a real thing. At the time of its airing, it was just an idea that Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David and the "Seinfeld" writing crew came up with, but now, it is real. The computer hasn't proclaimed that I have spelled the word wrong once, there is actual written facts on the internet and most people actually celebrate the day. This has become a world wide, nationally celebrated holiday. I know for a fact that when I go see my family later today, we will celebrate some of the best parts of Festivus, and I cannot wait (ed note: also the fact that Ty will once again lose the feats of strength).

The fact that Festivus is a nationally recognized thing should be more than enough to get this episode on our list, but there are so many more reasons. It is a funny, goofy, Costanza heavy episode, which are usually the best that "Seinfeld" has to offer. While I love "The Simpsons", and it will always be my favorite show, this episode of "Seinfeld" is one of the best episodes of just general television, but it is also the best representation of this holiday that TV has ever put out. It is magnificent.

Go out and have a wonderful Festivus everyone. After all, it is a holiday for the rest of us.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Did we mention that Ty always loses the feats of strength. He does always lose. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Joys of Family and Gifts this Holiday Season

With the world seemingly on fire endlessly, I'm going to focus on upbeat and happy topics on my blog. I will do reviews and stuff like always, but I want my blogs to be a relief from all the horribleness that is going on in our world. It is even happening in sports. I can't escape when I read about the sports I love. I am still plugged in, I know what is going on and I follow science and doctors. I am doing all I can to stop this never ending pandemic. I implore others to do the same. Okay, got that off my chest.

What I want to talk about today is the joy my kids had on their faces when they opened their presents this morning. My family does two Christmas's each year. We have an early one with the four of us, and we travel to a house with my extended family for the actual day. We do celebrate Xmas, but not in a traditional way. We do not go to church, we do not watch many Xmas movies, my wife loves Xmas music, but the rest of us are kind of blah on it and it is only required of my extended family to be together on Xmas eve and Xmas morning. My extended family is also fully vaxxed, including the youngest kids, and all of us that are eligible have boosters. I feel pretty safe doing that. But when my family, the four of us and our dog, celebrate, we do it the day before the trip, which is today, the 22nd. We get up, I went for a run at seven and was home by nine, and we open presents and do our stockings. For my wife and I it is all about what we deem essential gifts. I got her a bunch of bath stuff. She likes to pamper herself, she likes to do steamy showers and baths. She is all about that spa life, especially if she can do it in our home. She got me a couple of books I wanted, a pair of running shorts and a new hooded sweatshirt. It was perfect.

Then it was the kids turn to open their gifts. This is where we get the most excited. We love seeing them in this first round of gift opening. And I know it sounds like I am being a material asshole, but the gifts are a humongous deal for my kids. They are nine and six. That is the prime age for gifts. My son has been champing at the bit for his first round of gifts. My daughter lit up when I started to bring them out of our bedroom to the living room. It was the first of many happy faces this morning. We let my daughter go first and with every gift she would exclaim, "I love this!" or "I was hoping I would get this!". It was wonderful. She is so polite and says all the right things when she gets a gift. I adore that quality. She is a good little kid. She got super fired up when she opened her new Play Doh set. This was the biggest smile from her. She absolutely lit up. She was as excited as I have seen her in a long time. Seeing that smile made me so happy. It made me realize that this is why we go out and get these things and wrap them. It is totally worth it. My son was so hype to open his gifts. He was the last one to go this morning, by his own choice. We got him a good amount of basketball gear. He is super into basketball right now, and we ran with this. He got new basketball socks. I know, socks for a kid? Well, he was stoked. He also got a new headband, which he has yet to take off. A family friend got him a new, good leather basketball, which he has been dribbling around the house all day. But the big gift for him was his new LeBron James Lakers jersey. My wife and I worked hard to find this jersey. And seeing the smile and joy on his face when he opened it up made it all worth it. It was fantastic. Seeing him grin from ear to ear was so sweet. Seeing him wear the jersey as I type this warms my heart. It makes me think back to when I was a kid and my folks would buy me the jersey that I asked for that year. It brought me back to that time that I find myself missing. I know it is not good to live vicariously through your kids, but I do not think that is what I'm doing. I am just remembering the joy I had as a kid, and now seeing it through my kids eyes. And it is the best. I love seeing them light up and smile all day long. It is one of the best things about being a parent. And it also makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to do these things for my kids.

I struck gold with my family. I highly recommend watching the joy in your kids eyes when they open their gifts this holiday season. I know some of my Jewish friends have already talked about the joy they saw with their kids opening Hanukkah gifts. It is so wholesome and one of the best things in the world. I am forever grateful that I get to see my kids do this.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Tracey Ullman has Been an Awesome Treat on "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

I give a lot of love to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on this site, and it is well deserved. And this newest season, which will be over after Sunday, has been amazing. I put it in my top five shows of the year. I have loved everything they have done. I am totally in on how they have attacked this season, and it feels like it could go down as one of the best of the series. But there is one move they made for this season that has put it over the top and made it the classic it will soon become.

Adding Tracey Ullman as Irma has been an absolute home run. She is terrific in this role. She is perfect. She is the funniest part. She makes me laugh harder than anyone else when she is on screen. She commands the viewer's attention, and boy oh boy is she crushing it. I didn't know what to expect when she showed up on screen. She was sitting in a crowd at a political rally and she and David had an interaction. I remember watching that scene and asking my wife if that was Ullman. She later confirmed by looking it up on the internet. We both thought it was going to be a one off, "Curb" does that a lot, but she was there to stay.

Ullman plays a political person in Larry's neighborhood. And for those of us that have watched since the season premiere, Larry needs help from the local government. David decided he was going to date Irma to get what he wants. I am not going to spoil anything further, rather just use the rest of my blog to praise her performance. Ullman's character is supposed to be a gross, loud, obnoxious and simply a miserable person to be around. Everyone who comes in contact with her says as much. And Ullman is nailing it. She is repulsive and gross and hilarious. The interactions between her and David are gold. When Ullman is around other people, say Susie, it is just as great. The most recent episode has a back and forth between Susie and Irma that had me rolling on the floor when I watched last night. Ullman also seems to be having the time of her life in this limited role. She is really going for it and absolutely nailing it. It feels like, and my wife said as much last night, that she and David have known each other for years, and the two of them are just enjoying the hell out of improv-ing off one another. They are clearly having a good time.

Ullman on "Curb" this season has also made me reevaluate how great of a comedy mind the actress has always been. She is not mentioned often enough when people talk about great television minds. "The Tracey Ullman Show" was an absolute treat. It also started "The Simpsons", which will always hold a special place in my heart. On that show she also worked with the likes of Anne Beatts and James L Brooks. She also won multiple Emmys for the show. She then found great success with HBO. She did a bunch of shows based on her character work, which is impeccable. She's also appeared on "Ally McBeal", "How I Met Your Mother", the BBC's "Howard's End" and "Mrs. America". She works. But her role on "Curb" this year has been the creme de la creme. She is simply the best. I hope she sticks around for the next season. I'm super curious to see what they do with her in the season finale.

All I know is, no matter what happens from here on out, Ullman has been dynamite and I am so glad that I got to watch her on this season of "Curb". I recommend you all do the same.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Jacksonville/Urban Meyer Experiment Did Not End Well

Well, I think I called it, but I also did not think it would happen this quickly. Urban Meyer has been let go as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I have to admit, the cynical, hater side of me absolutely loves this. I knew he was going to be a disaster. I called it around this time last year when he was hired. I knew he was going to rub the franchise the wrong way and I knew his style was not going to work with professionals. But this was even worse than I ever imagined. Let’s discuss.

From the start this was a total nightmare. It seemed every move he made was the wrong move. I have even read some other, more notable journalists, saying this may be the worst hire in pro football history. I thought, when Meyer was hired last January, that it would be his style that would be the problem. Well, that was just one of the many problems. After he was hired, and fully took over, he started off by hiring Jack Doyle. Now those of you that do not know who that is, he was fired from the University of Iowa a few months prior to Meyer hiring him. He was let go at Iowa due to allegations of racist talk towards players. He was also, by all accounts, a total asshole. When this was brought up to Meyer he claimed that he knew Doyle, and that was an isolated incident.

Well, Doyle resigned a few days after all this news broke. Meyer made up some phony apology and went to his next debacle, signing Tim Tebow as a tight end. Tebow had never played the position, was out of football for nearly a decade and, of course, did not work out. This was clearly a publicity stunt, and it failed masterfully.

In his first NFL draft he wanted former players he coached. When that didn't work his way, he went out and got the front office to sign players he used to coach. Most, if not all of them are washed up. I didn't even know that Carlos Hyde was still in the league.

Next Meyer told national media that vaccination status was put in play as to who the team would cut. I am all for players getting vaxxed, I think it should be required, but a head coach cannot say something like that out loud. Even I know that, and I am as liberal and democratic as they come.

Once the season started, oh boy did the Jags look bad. I thought the Texans were going to be the worst team, but they destroyed the Jags in week one. Meyer looked lost. He did not know how to coach up Trevor Lawrence. The offense was simply abysmal and the defense was not much better. And the Jags did not get any better from there. Teams were basically licking their chops to play them. I do not know how they won two games.

I think the straw that finally broke the camel's back was after the Bengals game. We have the new Josh Lambo story, Meyer kicking and belittling him, and this whole thing with him lashing out at the assistants he hired, but the incident after the Bengals game was a hilarious mess. The Bengals smoked the Jags, and instead of going back on the team plane, Meyer decided to stick around Cincinnati for the night. He even decided to go out and maybe blow off some steam. But then the dancing happened. He was clearly wasted, didn't know what was going on and decided he needed to grind with a woman that was not his wife. The video that ensued was one of the most cringeworthy things I have ever watched. It was brutal. Imagine your dad doing that, that was how I felt watching him dance with this young lady. He lost all respect and trust, little of which he had, from his team right after that. Then he put out that bull shit apology, which was awful. And then the owner and team openly mocked him towards the media. At that moment I have to imagine everyone saw the writing on the wall. They had to know that this wasn't going to work out. I just cannot believe it took until week 15. And, even though they got beat again yesterday, I loved seeing James Robinson, who Meyer benched in favor of Carlos Hyde, have a solid game.

This hire was an unmitigated disaster. This was one of the worst hires in all of professional sports.This tarnishes whatever kind of "legacy" Meyer has as a coach. This proved he cannot cut it with the big boys. He doesn't have that pull with professionals. They do not take him seriously. I also really hope the Jags do not have to payout the rest of his contract. I see they are saying they fired him for cause, of which there are plenty that make sense, and if that works, they do not owe Meyer another cent. That would be the cherry on the top. Again, I am not right on many sports things, but even I saw this being a horrible hire from the start. Meyer just does not have what it takes to coach at the highest level, especially with an even playing field. The schadenfreude in me is ecstatic to see Meyer getting all the hate he so justly deserves. And the football fan in me is happy to see that the Jags didn't even let him finish the season, and they are going to try and pay him as little as possible because he was so awful at his job. I do not see Meyer coaching again, at any level. This was that bad of a job.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

2021 Top Five - Sports

Today I am wrapping up my best of 2021 lists. I always save sports for last because I love them so much. It is one of my favorite things in the world. There was a lot that I had to leave off my list as well. The return of fans, Shoehai Otahni and Vlad Guerrero Jr, the Cardinals massive win streak, Deion Sanders getting the top recruit in the country to commit to Jackson State, Urban Meyer's punkass getting fired, the college football coaching carousel, all of that stuff, and so much more could have easily made my list. But I think I got it paired down to what I consider the five best sports moments of 2021. Let's get to it.

At five I have the Summer Olympics. All of it. There isn't one event that I want to focus on or anything like that. It was all so good. Simone Biles was amazing, both on and off the gymnastics field or court or board. The skateboarding was kickass. Basketball was fun. Table tennis was oddly interesting. The races were incredible, especially the marathon. The stuff beforehand, the rooms and what not, that was all great. The swimming was phenomenal. I let myself get fully engrossed in the Summer Olympics, and it was awesome. I think it may be a mixture of the pandemic, the fact it was pushed to this past summer and how competitive all the games were, but it all worked so well for me as a sports fan. I also think this may have made me an Olympic fan for life. I am stoked for the Winter Olympics, and you better believe I will be watching the Summer Games in 2024.

Coming in at number four I have the Name Image Likeness bill. This is a humongous deal. We can already see the positive ramifications of the NIL. These college athletes are finally getting paid if the university they attend uses any of the three things in the NIL. And it is all across NCAA sports. It isn't just basketball or football like a lot of naysayers predicted. I have read that all kinds of college athletes are making bank from the NIL. It also isn't just making the stars of their teams money. One of Michigan's bench players on their men's basketball team makes more NIL money than any other player. He barely plays, but he has a massive Tik Tok following. And even the stars, they are cashing checks. One of Michigan's starting running backs gave over 10 grand in gift bags to a local community center. Another Michigan player donated a ton of his NIL money to the Oxford school. Players outside of Michigan are doing the same, I just notice Michigan because that is the team I follow. I also love the NIL because college coaches, who make millions upon millions of dollars, are so up in arms about their players getting paid. It is so hypocritical, but I find it so funny. That is the good thing about the NIL. It is changing the college game, which was sorely needed.

At number three I have the Milwaukee Bucks winning the 2021 NBA title, but more so, Giannis' performance in game 6. I was stoked that a Midwest team won the title. I love that it was Milwaukee because my father has been a long suffering fan of theirs. And I adore Giannis the player and person. He is so wholesome. He seems genuine. He clearly knows how lucky he is in his life. He gives back to family and his community. And that performance he had in the game 6 clincher, that was amazing. He refused to be beaten that night. He scored 50 points. He grabbed double figure rebounds. He made his free throws. He had chase down blocks. He made Phoenix's best offensive players uncomfortable all night long. Every time it seemed like Phoenix may take the game, Giannis did something to turn the tide back to the Bucks. It was an amazing performance. It was one I was glad I watched in real time. I will never forget watching that game. It was that fantastic of a performance. One for the record books.

At number two I have the 2021 Michigan football season. I had little expectations for this team. I believe I picked them to finish 7-5, but it seemed more likely they would go 6-6. I did not know what to expect from all the new hires and I had little expectations for the offense. Well, they proved me, and a whole lot of other people wrong. From the start of the season they had an edge. They played very sound, very fast defense. Their run game was simply amazing. When they had to pass, they did what was needed, with some big plays added in from time to time. Josh Gattis took control of the offense and won assistant of the year. The offensive staff was totally overhauled and it worked. Outside Gattis, Mike Hart changed the run game, Sherrone Moore had the O line playing exceptionally well and the younger staff changed the whole offensive dynamic. The defense had even more of an overhaul, and they were amazing all year. They shut teams down and forced most of them to be one dimensional. They also beat the university of Ohio State for the first time in their last eight tries. I was ecstatic at that outcome. They also won the Big Ten title for the first time in 17 years. They are also in the CFP for the first time since its introduction. Jim Harbaugh won the AP coach of the year and Aidan Hutchinson was a Heisman finalist. This team exceeded all of my wildest dreams. I am so excited to watch them in the CFP in 2 weeks, although I am so very nervous as always. Had someone told me that Michigan football would win 12 games, beat the university of Ohio State by 15, win the Big 10 and play in the CFP before the season, I would have laughed in their face. Well here we are now, and all of that stuff is true. What a season.

And at number one, this is a personal feat for me, I finished my first full marathon this year. I have been working up to that distance for awhile. I have been training for longer distances for a long time. I actually had one planned for the summer, but I got injured. I was devastated when the doctor told me I couldn't run that race. But instead of wallowing, I amped up my training after I healed. I then signed up, along with my buddy Kirk, for a trail marathon(Kirk did a 50k). And the day of the race came and I was nervous as hell. It was a looped race, so I knew I would have my own personal aid stations, but still, nerves were high. It got bad enough that I wanted to quit after 18 miles. I felt awful. But the great people involved with the STL Track Club calmed me down, helped me get over the pain and frustration, gave me some sugar and I went back out for that final loop. As I got closer and closer to the finish line, my emotions took over. I could not believe that I was about to finish a full marathon. I was going to do something that seemed impossible a decade before. And now I have already signed up for a few other marathons. I am returning to run the same marathon in October of 2022, but I may up it to a 50k, who knows. But the fact that I ran a full marathon, that I finished it, that I had the support of Kirk and the STL Track Club and that I am contemplating doing more of them, that is an achievement I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Okay, that wraps up my best of 2021 lists. I love doing these lists and I would love to hear from the readers about some of their favorite things in 2021. Have a good and safe Holiday and a Happy New Year.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

2021 Top Five - Podcasts

Today I have my top five podcasts or podcast moments of 2021. As I say every year, it would be unfair to put the X Millenial Man on this list because that is the greatest podcast that has ever existed. RD and I do some great work, we have gotten better and I am enjoying the hell out of recording it. Seriously, if you are not listening to it yet, get on it. Now that that is out of the way, I listen to a ton of podcasts. I love the format. I love that it is mostly free. And I love content. Feed it to me through a tube if need be. I love listening to them when I am doing housework, running, driving to and from school, basically any time. I still listen to music, lots of it, but podcasts take about 50 percent of my time now. Let's get to the list.

At number five I have The Flagrant Ones, but to be even more specific, their offshoot pod, Carl Call His Cousin. The Flagrant Ones has been great this year. I love it. I love how they still talk hoops, but they are putting more and more jokes in there. Lately they have been reading team names for the new t-shirt they are going to make, and that has been a total riot. But this year I have fallen in love with Carl Call His Cousin. I am a big Carl Tart fan, and these recordings, which are about 30 minutes long, have been exceptional. Carl and his cousin talk about all manners of things. They touch on mostly comedic elements, but they talk about real life stuff too. I love it. My favorite thing they do is what they call "scenarios". Those segments leave me howling. I love it. It is the best. The Flagrant Ones know what they are doing, they are in their pocket and they are crushing it. And Carl Call His Cousin is just a wonderful added bonus.

Coming in at four I have the return of Heavyweight. Heavyweight is one of my favorite podcasts. I always love when a new season comes around. I am not a big fan of them switching to Spotify exclusively, but that is neither here nor there. This season, so far, has been really good. I am digging the two parters they have been doing this season. I love how it leaves me wanting more. That has been a nice touch. Johnathan Goldstein is bringing his usual greatness to hosting. I like how they are doing the show with the pandemic being here. Heavyweight is good stuff, and it may be Gimlet's best show.

Coming in at number three I have myself discovering This Is Important. This Is Important is hosted by the dudes that created "Workaholics", one of my all time favorite shows. And no it is not a rewatch of their old show. They get on mic and just talk about random nonsense, like I'd imagine four friends would when they are just shooting the breeze. It is hilarious, and it works so well because these guys have such a good rapport. Their friendship is so easy to believe because it is so palpable on the mic. I love the soundboard, the jokes, the inside Hollywood stories. I love it all. Even with Kyle Newachek having to opt out recently due to a busy work schedule, it works just as well with Anders, Blake and Adam. They crush it. I do like some of the rewatch pods, but I think there are too many. That is why I like This Is Important so much. They may touch on their older and newer roles, but it is just four dudes having a good time on mic.

At number two I have the introduction of CBB World. I love Comedy Bang Bang, more on that at number 1, and CBB World is just that, but with so many added and commercial free shows. All of Comedy Bang Bang is there, with no commercials. They have old shows from the early Earwolf days, all without commercials. It has been a blast to go back and listen to all of Mike Detective again. They have live CBB's on there. They have CBB Presents, which is always good. But my favorite thing about CBB World is all the Shaun Diston content. I am a fan of Diston's, and I love that he is all over CBB World. They have all of We Need to Stop Talking about TMNT on CBB on there, which is amazing. They also have Scott Hasn't Seen, which is a new pod where Sprague, one of Diston's best characters, and Scott watch movies that Scott Aukermann has not seen, and it is awesome. CBB World is one of a few paid content pods I do not mind paying for because it has so, so, so much awesome content. It is one of the best things to come out of the podcasting in a long, long time.

And at number one I have a specific episode of Comedy Bang Bang. It was a recent ep. Jimmy Pardo and Danielle Koenig were the main guests, and they were great. But when Suzi Barrett showed up, this ep went from good to amazing. Barrett played, quite simply, a potato. She was a sentient potato. It seems dumb, but oh my goodness did I find myself cracking up the whole time listening. I was actually laughing so hard at one point during a run that I had to stop and catch my breath. Barrett played the potato as a little kid. She would add b's and d's to words that didn't need them. Every time she talked about Farmer Hands, which also made me crack up, she would say "dambit" instead of "dammit". Again, silly but extremely hilarious. But every move that Barrett made as Uggams, they named the potato midway through the ep, worked to perfection. I assumed that it was going to be a joke that didn't land, but boy was I wrong. This worked. It worked so well that I have listened to the episode a few times since it first came out. I laugh as hard every time I listen. This character should not have worked. It should have been stupid, but it wasn't. This is why I love CBB so much. They let people take big swings, and when something hits, like Uggams, it is so memorable.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top sports moments of the year.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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2021 Top Five - Television

Today I am coming to you with my top five TV shows of 2021. This one was harder than movies for me. I watch a ton of TV. I watched a bunch prior to COVID, and since quarantine, I watch even more. There were so many shows at the start of the pandemic that I rushed through. Then I watched a bunch of crappy reality TV. I watched the end of one of my favorite series, "Brooklyn 99". All of that stuff could have made it, but I was able to finally pair it down to five shows that I felt really surpassed the rest. These shows have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

At number five I have the newest season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". The newest season has been a total gem. Every episode to this point has been better than the last. I also really like how they have dealt with the pandemic. They acknowledged it and moved on. Now it is as if the characters live in a post pandemic world. The guest stars have been top notch, especially Tracy Ullman. She has been a great addition. But I think what has been the best thing about this season, it is comforting. It is like it never left. Larry David and crew are simply the best at what they do, and when the newer seasons come out it is like they never left. I truly believe that "Curb" is the best written show of all time, and season 11 further proves that point.

At number four I have season two of "Dave". What Dave Burd has done with this show is nothing short of impressive. I assumed it would be joke after joke after joke. I assumed it would be filled with dick and fart jokes. I assumed it would be silly. While it has its silly moments, it is a damn impressive show with real life elements. "Dave" touches on real world issues. It shows us what the music industry is like. It shows the viewers different features of different people from different walks of life. Everything with Dave and his manager is wonderful and sad. The stuff with his parents and Dave's incessant need for love from his mom was great. The stuff with Dave's ex was amazing. The episode that may have had Rick Rubin was the high point of the season. But the stuff with GaTa took this show to a whole other level. GaTa is the star of this show now in my opinion. The way they have showcased him is simply perfect. I cannot wait to see where the show goes from here. And the way they ended season two was perfection.

At number three I have "WandaVision". This was the most innovative show of the year by a very wide margin. The way they chopped and screwed different eras of TV was great. I was super invested. I was also very intrigued at the end of every episode because they always gave it a very enticing button. There was always something odd lingering behind the scenes. As the show progressed it only got better and better. Elizabeth Olsen was already great as Wanda, and this show put her in the upper tier of superheroes. Paul Bettany was fantastic as Vision. I felt his pain and anger during the season. But Kathyrn Hahn stole the show. Hahn as Agatha was one of the best twists I have seen since "The Good Place" season one finale. I am super interested to see where they go with Wanda in the MCU now. They can really do a lot of things now because of how incredible "Wandavision" was. We do not get many new or cool ideas nowadays, so "Wandavision" was a very nice surprise.

At number two I have season two of "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson". There is no better sketch comedy show on any platform right now. Every single sketch has something memorable in it. Be it Dan Flashes, changing lunch times, not knowing how to drive a car, going on a date and getting roasted by a sculpture on the wall, having your old professor eat your dinner, eating sloppy steaks and so many more, it is all quotable and funny as hell. I am stoked that Netflix is giving Tim Robinson an alley to do comedy his way. He never got that chance on "SNL". Comedy Central canceled "Detroiters" way too soon. But Netflix is really letting him stretch his comedy legs with "ITYSL". This show is so funny too. Everyone I talk to that watches this show agrees. There is something special brewing here, and this could become a classic that is talked about for years to come. It is weird, but it is also so well done and so well written. I love what Robinson, Zack Kanin and Sam Richardson are doing with "ITYSL". If you haven't been watching this show, go do it now. It is so worth your time.

At number one I have "Squid Game". Who thought I was going to try and put "Inside" here? Nope, it is a movie and soundtrack. "Squid Game" is easily the best show that came out this year. I remember my dad telling me about this wild show he was watching on Netflix before anyone else was raving about "Squid Game". He was raving about it. He mentioned it a few times while we were having coffee. And when I left his house he reminded me to watch it when I got home. I did, and boy was he correct. I was hooked immediately. This show is so interesting and brutal and innovative and cool and crazy and so well done. Everything about it is perfect. I would watch multiple episodes a night. I would constantly think about it when I wasn't watching. I would tell my friends about it. I gave my dad all the props in the world the next time I saw him. He was totally on the spot. He was there before it became this tremendous hit. I watched the show all the way through twice. Once by myself and once with my wife. She loved it too. So has everyone else that I know that has seen it. This is a once in a generation type show. I am so extremely excited for season two. I cannot wait to see what they do. I love everything about "Squid Game". It is the best show of 2021.

That is it for today. Come back for my top podcast/podcast episodes of 2021 tomorrow.

Ty

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

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2021 Top Five - Movies

Today I have my top five movies of 2021. This was hard for me to pair down. I have watched a ton of movies this year, both new and old. I also went back to the theater for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. I only went once, it was a work thing with my wife, and that movie, "F9" is not on my list. But I have loved having the ability to see movies in my home the same day they come out in theaters now. This has been a nice, and pleasant surprise of the pandemic. I feel much more comfortable in my home, and I do not need to see movies on a big screen in the theater. My TV at home is big enough and the sound is just fine. My wife and I also do quarantine date night every Friday where we alternate picking what we will watch. Needless to say, I have seen a ton of movies this year. I got it down to five, but this list could have easily been a top ten.

At number five I have "Bad Trip". I adore this movie. I think it needs more love from critics and social media. Eric Andre, who I am a big fan of, created something that was even better than "Jackass", which I used to watch all the time. "Bad Trip" was not a new idea, but Andre and his crew may have perfected the prank comedy. I was howling while watching this movie. So was my wife. The jokes, the jumps, the pranks, it all worked. Getting actors like Lil Rel Howery and Tiffany Haddish to buy in and go as hard as Andre, that was key. This movie worked on every level for me as a comedy. We were living with my folks while getting our home worked on at the time of watching, and my wife and I were laughing so much they asked us to keep it down. "Bad Trip" is a fun, fast moving comedy and it is available to stream on Netflix. I have watched it twice since my first viewing and I am sure I will watch it even more.

At number four I have "Dune". I know this movie has split reviews from many different people, but I loved every second of it. I watched it the night it came out on HBO Max and I was enthralled. It was never slow. I understood what was going on. It was beautiful to look at on my TV. The acting was superb. I am very excited for part two, whenever that comes out. I also like Denis Villenuve's direction. I loved "Blade Runner 2049", and having been a fan of "Dune" prior, I knew I was going to enjoy this movie. I also thought Timothee Chamelet did a superb job as the lead. I am not a big fan of his, but he crushed in "Dune". So did the rest of the cast. This version was everything I hoped and wanted. Again, I know it has many people talking, but I think that is a very good thing. That means a ton of people saw it and they thought about it long after it was over.

At number three I have "Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings". This was the most fun superhero movie since "Thor: Ragnarok". I laughed at this movie. I rooted for the good guys. I wanted Shang to win. I wanted his family to be safe. I was blown away at the effects. I wrote about it after I saw the movie, and I really appreciated the backstory because I knew nothing about this hero. I liked the dude from "Doctor Strange" in the movie. I thought it was as colorful as "Guardians of the Galaxy". That is a good thing. I adored Awkwafina in her role. It was nice to see her in the MCU. I did not know what to think about this movie due to my ignorance of the character. But the moment the fight scene on the bus occurred I was fully bought in. This movie really has everything I want out of a superhero movie, and I am stoked that they are making more and that Shang Chi is going to be part of the MCU moving forward.

At number two I have "The Green Knight". This is the wildest movie on my list. It is big and bold and beautifully shot and just weird. I am an A24 fan. I watch a ton of their movies. I think they make some of the best and most innovative movies. They take chances. They take big swings, and usually they hit. "The Green Knight", for me, was a grand slam. I knew nothing of the ages old story they told, but the way they went about telling it had me on the edge of my seat. I also love that A24 took a chance to make a "big" movie. This was not a cheap movie to make, but I am glad they finally bit the bullet and did it. Dev Patel was phenomenal in the lead role. He is such a good actor and this was a perfect role for him. He commanded the screen. Alicia Vikander played two roles and she was equally great at both. And the Green Knight character was so real looking and so well done. I was confused after watching the first time, but when I watched it again I felt like I understood it a bit more. This movie is a trip, but in the best possible way. The music also kicks ass. So does the scenery. I was hyped to see this movie, and when I did, it surpassed my wildest expectations. "The Green Knight" is a beautiful spectacle.

At number one I have "Inside". I told you all to get used to hearing me rave about this movie/special on these lists. There was no better telling of the pandemic than what Bo Burnham did with "Inside". When it starts it is like a comedy special. There are jokes. Burnham is doing his style of songs. But there is an edge. There is something different to it this time around. It is dark. And when he is doing bits in the first half, they are funny, but dark as well. I loved him doing the reaction to his song bit, but even that felt uneasy and stressful. Then, after performing "30", this movie turns dark. Burnham shows what anxiety and depression and fear and isolation can do to a person. There is a song, "All Time Low", where he talks about his poor mental health at that time, and when he sings he doesn't blink at all. It is unnerving. Before the camera cuts to "All Eyes on Me", he cannot even get a sentence out without breaking down and punching his leg. He openly weeps on camera. I do not know if it is real or a character he is playing, but I felt those emotions while watching. He made it seem real. Even when he is sitting amongst all his cords and covered with a blanket, it felt very real. I, like I said yesterday, fully believe people will look back on "Inside" and say that it is the quintessential viewing for what life was like during the pandemic. It is perfect. I have watched it multiple times. I have talked about it with everyone I know. "Inside" is, by a wide margin, the best movie to come out in 2021.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top TV shows/episodes of the 2021.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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2021 Top Five - Albums

This week starts my Best of 2021. I will do my top five for most of my lists. I will do music, movies, television, podcasts and sports. That is also the order I will proceed with starting today. Some of my lists were easy to get to five, others, not so much. Let's get to it.

Today I am going to do my top albums of 2021. This is one of my lists where I do not have five picks. Part of that is my lack of listening to new music and the other part is I do not know many of these new artists. I used to be cool and hip. I used to know a ton about new and underground music. I used to listen to all different kinds of music. But as I have gotten older plenty has changed. I am kind of stuck in my ways now. I like what I like. I have been introduced to "new" music for me, but it is older bands or musicians I have never really given thought to before. That is my "new" music. I have recently gotten into Prince, more Talking Heads, an indie band called Whitney and more old school hip hop. But I did find three albums that I really enjoyed that came out this year. They are three new albums too. They are by artists that I like, but again, these records did come out this year.

At number three I have Har Mar Superstar's "Roseville". I love this record. It is like a throwback to older soul and R&B. There are horns and back up singers and cool, retro guitar and all along the way we get Har Mar's great voice. I like this new direction Har Mar is going in with his music too. It is very fitting for his voice and his range. You can really tell on this record that he is in his pocket. I also feel like as he is getting older he is starting to pain gratitude to artists he grew up listening to. This record is like an homage to older soul music. And I am a sucker for horns. I just lose myself to the music whenever I hear a good horn section. Lyrically, this album is very poignant and timely. He talks about COVID and other things that are going on in and around his life. It is a good snapshot of what this past year has been like. "Roseville" is very solid and I'm kind of stunned that some of the bigger publications and websites have kind of just pushed this record to the side and do not talk about it.

At two I have Tyler, the Creator's "Call Me if You Get Lost". This record is like older Tyler with his new vibe attached. It is straightforward hip hop. Tyler's rapping is impeccable. He has gotten better and better every year. He is on the Mount Rushmore of current hip hop artists right now. I also love how most of the songs are less than three minutes long. Even the songs that go six to nine minutes have like three different songs built in. They don't linger too long. There is enough change that it feels different. Tyler, much like Har Mar, also touches on the pandemic, but does it his way. I also love the addition of a hype man on the record. It adds so much to hip hop albums. I also really enjoy the production on the record. It may be his second best production, behind only "IGOR". Tyler, the Creator is aging like a fine wine. He is consistently trying new things and it has all been really great as of late. Tyler is getting to that echelon of always doing wonderful and innovative things in music. He is the man.

My number one album of the year is "Inside". Get used to seeing this on my best of lists. This album is amazing. The fact that it was made in a year is astounding. Talk about being timely, this album is all about the pandemic, loneliness, anxiety and loss during COVID. It is truly a masterpiece. Bo Burnham has done something amazing and memorable. To make music like this, at this time in history, to make it this well and this astounding, I'm floored. The way the whole album kind of shifts after "30" is a real feat. It goes from kind of dark to super dark, in all the right ways. There are songs on this album that I feel like school kids should study. There is stuff on this album that will be talked about for decades. This is a true work of art. I adore songs like "How the World Works" or "Welcome to the Internet" that are instant classics. I mentioned "30", that is an exceptional song about growing old. "Problematic" is a great look at his past and how he has grown. "All Eyes on Me" is so twisted and dark and perfect. "That Funny Feeling" may be the best folk song of the year. "Content" is a perfect album starter. I could go on and on and on, and I will on some of my other lists, believe me. "Inside" is amazing. It is the best album of the year, and when we get to 2030, it may end up being the best album of the decade. It is really that good. You can go look at my year in review on Spotify and see how much I have devoured this album. "Inside" is, hands down, the best album of 2021.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top five movies of the year.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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EA College Football is Coming Back and So is my Excitement to Play It.

Yesterday while looking at the sports news, I happened upon a story that commented on the process of the new EA College Football game.

I have said on the podcast and the website how I am not much of a video game guy. I just do not get them or I get bored too easily by them. I am also not very good at most video games. I just do not have that part of my brain that helps you to be good at them. It is not my thing. But I do love the older EA College Football game. I was also pretty good at it. RD can attest to as much. I love college football anyway, so a video game is just another extension for me. It was cool to play as my all time favorite sports team, the Michigan Wolverines. To see their helmets and The Big House on my TV screen through a video game, even I have to admit, that was cool. So this was one video game that I took my time with. And I got good. I figured stuff out. I found plays that worked on offense and defense. I had dynasties that were unstoppable. I had the goods. So when it went away, I was bummed. I bought the last version they made, with Denard Robinson on the cover, and played it until it couldn't be played anymore. Then when I got a newer Xbox, I bought older versions of the game and played the hell out of those. I kept at it. But one day it was totally off the internet. It was no more. The game didn't exist. They had copycat versions, versions they tried to make like the real version, but none of them worked. I bought Doug Flutie's game, which was trash. I found some other college football adjacent games, those were trash. I tried Madden, that never changes, and is kind of trash. So I decided to switch to NBA 2k on my son's Switch. That game is cool, it is fun and easy to play, but it is not EA College Football. I even get bored with NBA 2k. So this news that they are targeting a summer release of a new version of the classic EA game, well I am ecstatic.

None of this would be possible without the NIL either. NIL is one of the best things to come out of college athletics in forever. It is letting these kids finally profit off their likeness, as they should have been able to forever. And without it, the EA College Football game would not even be a topic of discussion. Now it is. Now it seems real. Now it seems like I only have to wait about 18 months to play a game again. I cannot believe it. And with NIL that means we will get not only the real players' image, but their real names also. In the past the players kind of looked like the real version of themselves, but the names were auto generated. I could have gone in and put the real names in there, but that would have taken way too much time and effort. Now I won't have to. With the NIL, all of the players will have their real name in the game if they want. I also think that the college athletes are going to think it will be pretty cool to see themselves in a game. I know I would freak out if I was in their situation.

This all seems so real and so soon and so cool. I hope it comes to fruition. I hope nothing happens to screw this up. I don't want the NCAA to get their grubby hands on this video game. I really miss playing that game, and with it looking like it is going to come back, I simply cannot wait. This is good news for me and a lot of other college football fans. Now we just have to wait a little bit longer. Hopefully.

Ty

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

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"Home Sweet Home Alone" is A Perfectly Fine Kids Movie

As I mentioned yesterday, my family watched "Home Sweet Home Alone" on Disney + last night. This is the time of year where we all cozy up, have some hot chocolate and watch movies. We did "Home Alone" two nights ago, I am sure we will watch "Elf" soon, my wife will for sure be watching "White Christmas", so we decided to all sit down for "Home Sweet Home Alone". Let’s discuss.

I went into this movie differently than I did when I first watched "Home Alone". "Home Alone" came out when I was 8 years old. I decided I wanted to watch "Home Sweet Home Alone" through my kids eyes. They are 9 and 6, so the age is pretty perfect considering when I first saw "Home Alone". Right off the bat, the cynical side of me, the almost 39 year old side of me, did not think this was all that good a movie. It felt clunky and oddly edited and weirdly put together. There were no real bad guys. The story felt too forced. And I was bummed that the only original character they got was Buzz, and he was barely in the movie. Not my personal favorite.

If I wanted to be a jerk, I would continue to destroy this movie. But I am trying to be less cynical. COVID has made me appreciate things in life more, and to be a little less brutal to stuff I may not like or agree with. So removing that part of my brain, and watching it with my kids, that was a delight. It reminded me a lot of when I watched "Space Jam 2: A New Legacy". "Home Sweet Home Alone" was not made for me. Sure they had nods to the movie I loved as a kid, but this is for a new audience. This movie was made for kids. It is supposed to be weird and goofy. It is like a cartoon come to life. The first "Home Alone" was crazy enough, and this reimagining takes it up a few notches. My kids were both laughing as hard at the scenes when the "bad guys" got hit in the face, head and body. The young boy in the movie, he was in "Jojo Rabbit", was very charming and fun to watch. He wasn't the main character, but he was around enough to really steal the show. I found him very funny too. He is a good actor. The main characters, I guess, were the mom and dad trying to get their doll back. They were played by Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney, two actors I enjoy. They played their characters way over the top, but I have to assume that was the direction that was given. They are both solid actors, and they rolled with the material the best they could. I liked that in some of the minor parts they got solid comedic character actors. Pete Holmes was fine as the brother of the family that leaves their kid home alone. Timothy Simons and All Maki were both very funny. Chris Parnell had only one scene, but it was nice to see him in this movie. Andy Daly was misused, but that happens to him all the time. Max's mom, played by Aisling Bea, was very good, she was just hardly in the movie. Kenan Thompson was solid as the realtor. Esther Povitsky and Jordan Carlos, two comedic actors I really like, did a good job with their one scene. Even Jim Rash did okay. The actors they got were recognizable for me, and I like when I see people getting a chance to be in a bigger movie. And when I really sit back and think about the movie, the plot of the original is ridiculous, and they just went further on this one.

Again, the adult in me, the cynic in me, the critic in me would have found a ton of stuff to complain about. But when you separate that part from yourself, this is a fine, kind of charming and harmless kids movie. I promise you, even if you do not enjoy it, your kids will love it. I know it will be playing on repeat in the playroom at my house. That's for sure. Show this to your kids and let them have a good time with it. That was how I enjoyed this movie.

Ty

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

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Uncle Frank in "Home Alone" is the Worst

Yesterday we watched "Home Alone" with our kids. This has become our thing for the past couple of years around our house, and I assume many other houses with younger kids. My son ate it up last year. He loved it. He was quoting it, asking questions, and watched it a few more times, it was great. My daughter turned six in October so we decided she was ready to watch. She watches all kinds of shows with us anyway, so we figured last night was as good a time as any to show her "Home Alone". She was not as much into the movie as my son, but she still found it funny, especially when Kevin gets the Wet Bandits, and she said she liked it. I was relieved. My wife and I were pleased with the results, so we are going to watch the new one, "Home Sweet Home Alone" tonight.

What I want to talk about today is who I think the real villain of the original movie truly is. I am sure other people have had this thought, but I stumbled upon it last night, I have a platform and I want to tell everyone why I think Uncle Frank, played by Gerry Bamman, is the true bad guy in this movie. I understand he is not in as many scenes as other actors, that he only has a few lines and that he was just portraying what many people considered to be the "mean uncle", but this guy was a total dickhead. All props to Bamman for making me feel this way. I did not know who he was when I was a kid, but I disliked Uncle Frank then, and 31 years later I still dislike Uncle Frank. Bamman has been in many movies and TV shows, but after looking at his credits, "Home Alone" has to be his most memorable.

The reason this all started for me, why I think he is the villain is right at the start of the movie. When the McAllister's house is going crazy before dinner, and all the kids are making noise, when the pizza guy shows up and when they finally sit down to dinner, it is Uncle Frank who calls Kevin a jerk. In front of the entire family. As we all know, Kevin loves his cheese pizza. He is understandably upset when it is revealed that there is no more cheese pizza. Sure he acts about it like a baby, but he is eight years old. We all acted like babies when we were 8. So when Kevin decides he is going to stand up for himself, he knocks Buzz over and spills milk and soda everywhere. It is a humongous mess. During the cleanup process this is when Uncle Frank looks Kevin directly in the eyes, again in front of the whole family, and exclaims, "Look what you've done you big jerk". I was astounded. My wife said that if any of our kids' Uncle's said that to them she would ask the kids to leave the room so she could "take care of business". No one says a word to Frank. It is almost like they are afraid of him. Maybe he has some secrets about the family that no one wants to be revealed. You know, like a villain would have.

Uncle Frank only gets worse from here. When they leave in the morning he only cares about himself, and the fact that he may miss his flight to Paris. He is constantly fighting with his brother, and is always pessimistic. When they get on the plane, they make it on time by the way Frank doesn't give his brother credit or thanks the drivers of the vans, he is too excited to get his free champagne and take his seat in first class. He then goads his wife into taking the silverware from the plane. He then makes the flight attendant fill his champagne glass all the way to the top very rudely, and he doesn't thank her either. When Kevin's mom realizes that they left Kevin at home, Frank tries to make her feel better by saying he left his reading glasses at a hotel room or some shit. He is comparing his glasses to her son. What a dick. And when they get to France, and everyone has a job to try and track Kevin down, he is too busy raiding the refrigerator in the hotel and handing out snacks to everyone. I mean, it is clear he could give a shit about Kevin, or his kids or his brother and his wife or anyone but himself.

I get it that there are the Wet Bandits, and that they are criminals, but they have a job that they are doing. And they get their comeuppance. The Old Man is painted as a villain at first, but he is an okay dude. And he saves Kevin. The police are incompetent, much like real life, throughout this whole movie. The police are always a villain. Even the shop boy that chases Kevin is simply doing his job. And Kevin did steal a toothbrush. But Uncle Frank, he is just a rotten dude through and through. He only cares about himself. He only cares about what will benefit him. He only wants material things. He tries to make every situation involve himself somehow.

Uncle Frank stinks. He is the bad guy. He is the meanest person in this movie. My mind is made up and will not be changed. Uncle Frank is the jerk. Not Kevin. Uncle Frank is the true villain of "Home Alone".

Ty

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

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Some Love for My Memphis Grizzlies

I want to talk about another team that I am a fan of today.

I love the NBA as you all know. When I was a kid I was a big time Seattle SuperSonics fan. Kemp and Payton were my guys. I loved that team as much as I loved the Fab Five. The Sonics were a blast to watch, they were good and Kemp was the man. He is the best in game dunker ever. End of conversation. When they unexpectedly, and unfairly, moved to OKC, I followed them there. They had drafted KD, they weren’t great but had potential and I just wanted to stay put. They then got awesome. They drafted James Harden and Russell Westbrook. They made a push to the Finals. They looked like the team of the future. Then they traded Harden. Then KD left. I was done. I still rooted for Russ because I liked his game, and when they traded for Paul George I thought they was a tremendous move. But in the meantime I needed a new team. The Sonics didn’t exist, the Thunder were down to bare bones and I was in no man’s land as an NBA fan.

I looked around the teams and kept checking teams off I didn’t want to root for. No Texas teams because I don’t like teams from there. No LA teams because that’s just front running. The same could be said about the Celtics. Golden State was a no go to because they were the ones that lured away KD. I kicked around Toronto, but they were too bland for me. I decided to go with Phoenix because I liked Devin Booker, but I abandoned them pretty quick. It came down to two teams due to location. I live in Saint Louis, and the two closest teams are Chicago and Memphis. It was an easy choice for Memphis because I had been to a few games there, I like the city and they had just drafted Ja Morant, who I adored coming out of college. So three years ago I decided to ride with the Grizzlies.

Since drafting Ja, Memphis been on an upward trajectory. They weren’t very good his rookie year, but you could see the potential. You have Ja, Jaren Jackson Jr and Dillon Brooks. That’s a star, a stretch big and a great perimeter defender. They also had/have a great, and deep bench. I was excited to be a fan of an up and coming young team. Then last season they burst onto the scene. They made the play in. They beat Golden State in Golden State to make the playoffs. They took a game off the Jazz in round one. I was pumped. I expected, and still do, bigger and better things this year. They started slower than I hoped, but Ja didn’t. He came out of the gates on fire. He was doing it all and finally getting some much due credit. But then he got hurt. I was bummed. The Grizz sat at 9-10 when he got hurt, and I was nervous. Ja has missed a week already, with about 2-4 more before he gets back. I figured that this season may be a wash now. Without their star I just assume they’d struggle to keep afloat.

Well that hasn’t happened. The Grizzlies are currently on a five game win streak. They have pushed their record to 14-10. They have played remarkable defense and have been dynamite on offense. All of this without Ja. I was pleasantly stunned by this. I still am. But I saw a stat last night after they beat Miami that blew me away. During this win streak, again without Ja, and Kyle Anderson I should also add, the Grizzlies have not trailed for one second. All of the past five games, no team has held a lead against Memphis. That is unheard of. I mean, I’d expect a team to lead 4-2 or 2-0. Hell, I wouldn’t have been surprised if a team held a lead in the second half. But no team has. I was astounding. I was baffled. But most of all, I was so happy. My team has not only survived an injury to their star player, they’ve thrived. They’ve won five in a row. One of those wins was by 73 points. That’s the biggest margin of victory in NBA history. I was watching that game on my phone amazed. I assumed the Heat were going to beat them last night, but it was a wire to wire 15 point win. I know this will end, most likely soon, but it’s been so awesome to see my favorite NBA team do what they’ve done this past week. This is an accomplishment. This is a big deal. And it’s shown me that I cannot count this team out no matter what. They have a very good squad, with lots of depth and they are well coached.

I cannot wait to see, in person, the Grizzlies play next month. I can’t wait until Ja comes back. And I can’t wait to see how they finish up the season. I’m fully back on them as a top 6 seed in the West, and I could see them winning a round. I’m glad I went with the Grizz three years ago, and this win streak has more than paid off on my newfound fandom. Go Grizz, and let’s keep this win streak as long as we can.

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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It Feels Good to be a Michigan Football Fan Today

Michigan won the Big Ten title for the first time in seventeen years Saturday night.

Writing that sentence has me in disbelief and joy. I did not think they were going to get back to where they got this year. I have had them pegged as a middle of the road Big 10 team. They would get my hopes up year in and year out and then they'd get their butts whipped by the university of Ohio State. Or they would lose a mid season game to a team like Iowa. They would have complete meltdowns on the road playing Penn State. They would blow an early season game to Notre Dame. Hell, even this year they got beat by Michigan State after holding a 16 point third quarter lead. I had gotten accustomed to this team letting me down. And before this season started I had them pegged as a middle tier team. I picked them to finish 7-5, with the ceiling being 9 wins and the floor being 5 wins. I thought the schedule was going to be really tough, they had some inexperience, they had some guys returning from serious injuries and they lost a good amount of players to the transfer portal. And Jim Harbaugh totally restructured his contract and he hired an almost entirely new staff, all of which were 45 or younger. I was very low on this team.

Then the season started, and they looked okay. They beat up on a solid Western Michigan team. They destroyed Washington in a night game in Ann Arbor. They beat the snot out of Northern Illinois. But I still wasn't buying in. Western Michigan and Northern Illinois are MAC teams, no disrespect, and Washington was not as good as some preseason pollsters predicted. But the first Big 10 game was going to be my barometer, I told myself. They had Rutgers at home. Rutgers is not good yet, but they are getting better. Michigan should have wiped the floor with them, but they only won by seven, scoring only three points in the second half. My nerves were shocked again. Then they went to Camp Randall, where they hadn't won in forever, and beat up on the Badgers pretty easily. They won by 21. Wisconsin was reeling, but Michigan had won a game they usually found a way to lose in recent seasons. They were 5-0 at this point, but I was still a little leery. The schedule wasn't looking as tough as I previously thought. Then they barely got by Nebraska in Lincoln. They needed an Adrian Martinez fumble to get them in field goal range late to win that game. And there is no world where I accept Nebraska as the "best 3-9 team ever" like some pundits tried to push. They then crushed a very bad Northwestern team. They were now 7-0 and facing MSU. We all know what happened, and any faith I had kind of disappeared. I figured this was the same old Michigan I have been watching for the past ten seasons. But they bounced back. They crushed an injury depleted Indiana team. Penn State made it tough, but Erick All had a beautiful run and catch for a TD to secure that win. And they went to Maryland and trounced them by 41.

By this time I was kind of back, but the all important university of Ohio State game was next, and they were coming off a bludgeoning of MSU. I had no hopes. Then the game happened and I was fully in. Michigan won that game pretty soundly. They out toughed them, controlled the line of scrimmage, Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo spent the whole game in the backfield and Hasan Haskins ran for 160 plus yards and five touchdowns. I was euphoric. I kid you not. I walked around my house exclaiming, "FINALLY!!!!!!!" over and over and over again. I was bought in. This team rebounded from a loss that could have ruined their year and won every game since, including finally beating the university of Ohio State. I was nervous for the Big Ten title game, but any fears during that game were easily put away in the second half when Michigan went to a different level and couldn't be stopped. They won the Big Ten title game 42-3. They crushed Iowa. They pummeled them into submission. They ran trick plays and played freshman and did whatever they wanted. I was sitting with my dad watching that game and saying, "I can't believe it", "what a season", "there is no way I expected them to win twelve games", and, "I am so pumped they are in the playoff". These are things I thought were never going to happen again. Like I said earlier, I assumed their best days were in the past. But they did it. They won the Big Ten title. Jim Harbaugh did all the right things this offseason, and it paid off. Aidan Hutchinson is the best defensive player in the country and could be the number one overall pick in the 22 NFL draft. David Ojabo went from unknown to potential first round pick. Josh Ross came back and has played like a leader all year. Cade McNamara has been a sufficient, if at times inconsistent, game manager. Blake Corum has all the speed and moves in the world. Donovan Edwards has an extremely bright future. And Hasan Haskins is the heart and soul of the team. Oh, and both the D and O lines are really, really good.

This team has surprised me in all the right ways this season. I have not had this much fun as a Michigan fan in a very long time. I am proud to walk around in all my Michigan gear. I don't have to preface or make excuses for anything. They proved it on the field. I am very excited for the matchup against Georgia. I still believe Georgia is the best team in the country, but maybe, just maybe Michigan can hang with them. I do not ever pick the Wolverines to win anything because I just do not want that pain of being wrong. But this team could be different. I want them to win the title, which I do every year. But the fact that they made it, the fact that all the pundits that usually mock them are saying nice things about them, the fact that they are the number two team in the country, the fact that they have a shot at a national title again, I am very proud to say I am a devout Michigan fan and I love this team. I'm extremely pleased with this season, this team, this staff, I have nothing but nice things to say about them. I will be rooting extra hard for them on New Years Eve because I do not want this magical season to end. But whatever happens, Michigan football had a great year, a great season and I will remember this year for the rest of my life. Go Blue.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Season 15 Premier

Last night my wife and I watched the season 15 premiere of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". There were two new episodes in fact. And it was as great as I hoped. The show hasn't been on in awhile, but it felt like they never left with the first two eps of this season. Let’s discuss.

The first one was all about their characters 2020 in review. They posed it as a government official coming in to ask about personal PPP loans, but it was really just a platform for them to do what they do best, make super tasteless, super funny jokes. The fact that they all claimed to have something to do with the 2020 election was pretty great, and kind of scary because of how truthful some of the stuff they did. I could have easily seen people as vile and brutal as their characters doing the same. And to end it with "their guy" being Kanye West, it was simply genius.

The second episode was all about them making "Lethal Weapon 7". For fans of the show, we all know the gang's love for the "Lethal Weapon" series. But this time they wanted to be more sensitive. Again, it was so funny. The pimp Pepperjack, that actor was amazing. All the stuff with Frank was hilarious. Dee's arc, oh man that was some "Always Sunny" at the top of its game. And Dennis explaining how he has changed, it was too perfect.

The premiere was great. Seriously, go watch. But what I want to talk about today is how great "Always Sunny" really is. It has staying power, it is still great, it is one of the funniest shows on tv, it has a "Curb" like appeal of never having a bad episode. The show works so well. It was also nice to have it back. I have found during this pandemic, seeing older shows, returning shows, classic shows coming back for record breaking seasons or in reruns, it makes me forget about how tough the past two years have been. The shows let me escape. Even with the gang talking about the pandemic, hearing them say COVID, seeing extras wearing masks, it did not take me back to how hard the past two years have been. The creators and actors are so good at their jobs that they let me escape into their world. They let me forget what is going on outside for 30 minutes. I really appreciate that. And to have a show like "Always Sunny", that is so great, back on TV, that rules. These people know what they are doing. They know what works. They know how to craft perfect jokes for their characters. It is truly a great thing to see genius people doing genius work. I know a lot of people say that "Always Sunny" is my generation's "Seinfeld". I used to balk at that because I always felt like both shows are so different and so great. But when you sit down and think of it, they are right. "Always Sunny" is a millennials version of "Seinfeld". Both shows have no redeemable characters, but they know that and they roll with it. "Always Sunny" just goes a bit further with their jokes. The shows are also so brilliantly written that it is easy to see the comparison. Very funny, very smart comedic minds coming together to create something classic, that is a thing of beauty.

"Always Sunny" is a classic, and it is a classic for a reason. And again, it is comforting to have it back on TV. I love this show and I cannot be more excited to see where they go from here.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "This is Pop"

Recently I found a new show on Netflix that I have really enjoyed. The show is called "This is Pop". The pure nuts and bolts of the show is how pop music has changed, mixed with genres, tells stories and made its way into our lives for good. There are eight episodes that each focus on a different topic.

I was skeptical of the show at first because I have always said I am not a fan of modern pop music. There are a few bands and singers I like, but for the most part, it is not for me. I was not a fan of boy bands. I did not buy into the bubble gum aspect of Brittany Spears. Pop music was not for me. I like hip hop, rock, blues and folk. Those are my preferred genres, with hip hop being my favorite. But I have got to say, this show has changed my mind on pop music in general.

The first episode was all about Boys 2 Men. I knew of them of course. They were super popular when I was a younger kid. I loved their first single when I was little. But then they went away. What this episode did was show me their process. It showed me how hard they worked and how great a group of singers they were and still are. It also showed me that they were the first true boy band that existed. I also liked learning about them being able to crossover to many different fans. It was fascinating.

The second episode was all about auto tune. This has been my favorite episode. It was so interesting to hear about the auto tune phenomenon and why it is so hated by fans but beloved but some musicians. T-Pain comes off wonderful. I am a fan of his personality for sure. I also really liked how they showed the comedic use of auto tune. It was great.

The third episode is all about how some of the most famous pop songs ever written and recorded come from Stockholm, Sweden. I had no idea that pretty much all of Brittany Spears, The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync's songs were written and produced in Sweden. I also had no idea how hard the Swedes work, and how humble they are about their fame. The people involved in this episode, the people we never see or hear from, have been a part of some of the biggest pop songs ever. "Hit Me Baby", "I Want it That Way", "Bye Bye Bye", all of those songs were written and produced by the Swedes. We also got Roxette and Ace of Base from Sweden. Some of Pink's biggest songs were written by Swedes. It was incredibly informative.

Episode four talks about country music shifting to pop. For a person that is not a country music fan at all, this ep was really cool. I did not realize all the crossover and how stodgy old school country musicians are. Also, Dolly Parton rules. She is the best.

Episode five dove into Britpop. This one was cool because they mostly focused on the "fight" between Oasis and Blur. I am personally a Blur fan, but it was cool to see all the different people talking about why they liked each band. I found it very interesting that Oasis was more the working class band. The episode also made me appreciate Damon Albarn all the more. He is truly a musical genius. This was a good one.

Episode six was all about festivals. This one gave me the heebie jeebies. There were too many people. Too much stuff going on. Festivals were never my thing. This was probably the one ep I would skip if I were to watch this series again.

Episode seven was the most powerful. It was called "What Can a Song Do", and it was all about the power of music. They went from Woody Guthire to Billy Bragg, to Public Enemy to music in the Me Too movement and Riot Grrl stuff. I found this episode to be incredibly important. It was truly wonderful and powerful to see the strength that music has, to see the change that music can create. Hozier was a wonderful narrator for this episode. I am still thinking about everything they said today. It was moving and tremendous.

The final episode is all about the Brill Building in New York and how some of the most famous pop songs were made in this one building. Again, a fascinating event that I have never thought about before. Also, Neil Sedaka seems like a delightful human being. I have not fully finished the episode yet, but I will today.

I think this show is very well done. It tells very good stories about people and events that music fans may take for granted. Each episode is about 40 minutes long, so it is not a total grabber of your time. You can do what I did and watch 2 episodes before bed. Check this show out. It is very good and very informative.

Ty

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

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Better Never Than Late on "Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage"

This past Saturday my wife and I did our weekly date night. It was her turn to pick the movie and she went with "Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage". We actually bought it on Amazon. There was no other option. And it was not as expensive as going to an actual theater. So we now own this movie. Take that any way you'd like to.

I remember watching the first "Venom" movie and thinking it was not good, but it was fun. It was a fun bad movie. There is a difference between a bad movie and a fun bad movie. Fun bad movies are goofy and enjoyable and you can make fun of them while watching and talk to other people who feel the same way. A bad movie is just bad. There is no joy. No fun. No goofing on it with people. Bad movies are tedious and blah. If you'd like an example, "The Room" is a fun bad movie. "Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is simply a bad movie. Unfortunately "Venom 2" is a bad movie.

I really tried with "this movie. As I said, I found the first one semi enjoyable. But this one, it tried too hard to be cheesy. They leaned into the "friendship" between Venom and Eddie Brock far too much. In the first "Venom" it was crazy when they started acting friendly and having legitimate conversations with one another. In this sequel it seems as if they forced the friendship. The first scene with Brock and Venom was crazy. Brock is talking to a detective and when he doesn't get the assignment he wants, Venom pops out of his back and attempts to eat the detective. Brock pulls himself into a bathroom and he and Venom have a full on conversation about their set of "rules". Brock goes as far as to grab part of Venom's tentacles like hands to calm him down. It was insane. And it only got crazier from there. The way Venom and Brock live is nuts. The apartment is a mess. Brock complains all the time. So does Venom. Apparently Venom is sick and tired of eating chocolate and chicken brains. Venom wants human brains. Brock is not on board with this.

Also you have to remember, this movie has Academy Award nominated and winning actors. Tom Hardy is Brock and the voice of Venom. He tries, but he does not do well. Michelle Williams is the former fiance who has moved on, but she is barely in the movie. And when she is, she is a cliche superhero's ex. She says some of the corniest written lines. Woody Harrelson plays Carnage, and it is cool to see him play a bad guy, a villain, but he chews so much scenery. It is too much. If he had toned down the wackiness by 1/4 it could have been great. But he went too far and did too much. And they hardly used the Shriek character in this movie. She could have added great depth, but they kept her on the sideline, and that was a bummer. Also, Andy Serkis' direction was kind of clunky. There were odd cuts. I already mentioned the misuse of Williams and hardly using Shriek. And he let Harrelson and Hardy riff and go too far over the edge. It seemed like he wanted to make a comedy or a drama. He couldn’t pick one or the other. It was frustrating.

I really wanted to enjoy "Venom 2" like I did with "Venom". I went in expecting it to not be good, but to be fun bad. Unfortunately for me it was just bad. If you want to watch it, or you have an urge to watch every MCU or DC or any superhero movie, watch it. Maybe there are things I missed because I have never read the comics. But for me, "Venom 2" was a total misfire. That bummed me out.

Ty

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

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I Have No Idea Why Brian Kelly Left for LSU

Just when I thought it couldn't get any wilder, LSU goes out and hires Brian Kelly to be their new head coach. I thought Lincoln Riley to USC was wild, but this is a whole other level of nuts. I am still kind of in shock. I was going to write about the movie I watched this weekend, but this is so crazy that I have to designate another blog for another coaching change. Let’s do it?

I have never, in my lifetime of watching college football, seen a coaching carousel like this. We are talking about big name coaches going to big time programs. Like I said before, this one is nutso. I have been thinking about this move, talking to my dad about it, reading other articles about it, and I am still at a total loss. I despise Brian Kelly. I loathe him. He is a slimy snake oil salesman. I have not liked him since he left Cincinnati to take the head job at Notre Dame. He is arrogant and selfish and a total asshole. But he has proven to be a capable college football coach. Notre Dame is relevant again. He coached them to the BCS title game and has made the CFP. He has had a Heisman finalist. Notre Dame is perennially ranked inside the top 25 every year. While I dislike him and that team, they are good. I cannot lie about that. And Kelly has the Irish on the cusp of the playoff this year. If things break their way this weekend they can find themselves back this season. But Kelly just up and left. He took the LSU job without telling any of his staff according to the reports

I have read. He moved on because he wanted to. He didn't care about his team, his staff, the university, the AD, this was all about Brian Kelly getting paid and taking on a new challenge that only he wanted to do. And like I said with Riley, take the money when you can get it. I do not bemoan that at all. But I do not like the way either coach went about the business of getting paid. This was a first for Riley, but this seems to be the move for Kelly. He left Central Michigan for Cincinnati without informing most of the people around him. Then after building Cincinnati into a contender, he had them in the Sugar Bowl, he left without even coaching them in that game. He was gone. One day he was there, and the next, he's a ghost. Now he has done the same thing at Notre Dame. He took this LSU job seemingly in the middle of the night. And he just accepted it. He told no one. He took it and made some half hearted statements to his former players and changed all of his social media bios to inform everyone he was the new coach for LSU.

I was, and still am, astonished. But maybe I shouldn't be. This is his move. This is what he does. He is selfish. He only cares about Brian Kelly, and what is best for Brian Kelly. He is an egomaniac. But unlike Riley at USC, I think it is going to be real tough sledding for Kelly at USC. He had a cherry gig at Notre Dame. They are an independent program and they get to pick all twelve teams they play every year. They have no conference title game. They have no built in teams they play every year. They get to pick who they want to play, when they want to play them and where they want to play them. For people to call USC or Stanford or Michigan a "rival" for Notre Dame, I don't buy that. They do not play those teams every season. The university of Ohio State and Michigan play every year. USC and UCLA play every year. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play every year. Notre Dame gets to pick when they want to play their "rivals". They also have their very own television network that funnels in millions of dollars to the program. Again, a cherry gig. LSU does not have those same things. They play in the SEC. They play Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss, year in and year out. They also recruit against those teams every year. The stadiums are massive and filled every weekend and have rowdy super fanatics. Brian Kelly is in for a world of pain the first time he has to travel to Bryant Denny Stadium or The Swamp or Georgia. Sure, LSU has Death Valley, but Clemson's Death Valley is much more intimidating. And SEC fans are way more passionate than Notre Dame fans. They don't want to wait for a title contender. They won't deal with a random 4-8 or 6-6 season. They want gratification every year. Ed Orgeron, who is also an ass, won a title two years ago. He was fired this year after two, I say again, two less than better seasons. Who is to say that their fanbase and alumni won't do the same if Kelly doesn't yield instant results? I wouldn't put it past them.

Again, this is still very wild. This is very out there. This one makes way less sense to me than what Lincoln Riley did. If anything, all it proved to me is how truly selfish Brian Kelly the person really is. I do not know if this will work out, but he does have 15 million reasons to fall back on if it doesn't. I am still stunned.

Ty

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

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I Know Exactly Why Lincoln Riley Left for USC

Michigan finally beat the university of Ohio State on Saturday after almost a ten year drought. It was glorious and wonderful and they punched them in the mouth and I just kept putting my hands up in the air while saying, louder each time, "FINALLY!". This was the first time that either one of my children have seen Michigan win The Game. But I already expressed all my joy with my family and friends that are fans as well. We all shared that experience together. It was a great day to be a Wolverines fan. They still have work to do, but that win on Saturday was pretty great.

The big win is not the main point of my piece today. While basking in the glow, the college football world was hit with some big time news yesterday. And yes, I am still in a good mood today from the win. But Lincoln Riley, after getting beat in Bedlam, decided to leave Oklahoma for USC. When I first saw that he was a candidate I pushed it aside. But no more than about an hour later he was accepted the head coaching job at USC. He told his team, told the university and was on his way out the door of Oklahoma.

Again, I was stunned. He had something special going on at OU I thought. He has coached two Heisman winners. He has been to the CFP three times. He, until this season, has owned the Big 12. He is an ace recruiter and was luring some top level talent to come to Norman. But just like that, he is gone for what some consider greener pastures at USC.

California is a recruiting hot bed, that is for sure. The Pac 12 has an easier path to the CFP. No one other than Oregon has much top level talent. Riley is young and now about to live in LA. And apparently he is going to get PAID. I read that Oklahoma could not match what USC was offering, and that was one of the main reasons he decided to take the job. But still I have questions. I am a bit confused.

I do not understand why he would make what I consider a lateral move. The NFL seemed like the next step for him. But I have actually thought a lot about it today. I have had some time while I was grocery shopping and doing some chores to think about Riley's decision. First, the money thing is real. I know OU fans will call him all kinds of names, but any one of them would take a much higher paying job if they had the chance. That is human nature. I used to get mad at athletes and coaches when they would leave one job for another because it was paying them 2-5 million more dollars. Now I have no problem with it. Get paid. Take the money and run. If someone is going to give you all that guaranteed money, take it.

Then we have the Pac 12. That is an easier path to the playoff for sure. Who, outside of Oregon, is going to really challenge them? UCLA was better this year, but with Riley at USC, and his recruiting and offensive coaching prowess, they do not really stand a chance. Arizona State is okay, but they have some off field issues, and I could see Herm Edwards leaving sooner rather than later. Arizona has one win in their last 20 plus games. Washington was really down this year and they need to find a new head coach. Washington State had a decent year for them at 7-5. Oregon State is better, but they are still years away from truly competing. Stanford really took a nosedive this season. They will be better, but not at USC or Oregon's level. Colorado has been down for a few years. Utah is solid and could contend, but they are not very good offensively. And Cal is stuck in neutral. The move to the Pac 12 makes sense.

Riley also gets to live in LA now. No disrespect to Norman, Oklahoma, but LA is a lot of people's dream destination. It isn't for me, but I am in the minority. The weather is beautiful and it never really gets cold there.

I think the biggest reason for the move, something I forgot until a ton of people brought it up yesterday, Oklahoma is about to move to the SEC. If Riley thought the Big 12 was tough, he was in for a rude awakening in the SEC. He was going to have to compete for recruits, and on the field, with teams like Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and on and on. That is no joke. I may not be a fan of the SEC, and the sports media is totally biased for the SEC, but that is one hell of a battle on and off the field. The Big 12 was easy, but the Pac 12 is even easier. I do think Riley saw the writing on the wall, especially after a "letdown" of a year for him at Oklahoma. They went 10-2. They will not be a playoff team. They had to switch QB's midway through the season. I was way off on that team. They had so many problems, and I think Riley figured, if they cannot win the Big 12 this season, how on Earth was he going to compete at the highest level in the SEC. The Pac 12 was much more intriguing to him. I think that is the main reason why he chose USC over LSU or staying at Oklahoma. He did not want to fight to compete in the SEC. It was too daunting a task for him. I agree with him taking the money and living in LA, but I also think he was very afraid of having to face tough competition week in and week out, and on the recruiting trail. That is why he picked USC.

I will be interested to see how many more changes come, but this one was a big, big deal. This changes a lot of things in college football, and I am very curious to see how Riley does in a new conference with a storied program.

Ty

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

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Booches Burgers are the Best

Today my family is in Columbia visiting my extended family. We come up every year, except last year for obvious reasons, for Thanksgiving dinner. I get to see two of my brothers, my nieces, my sister in law and my mom and dad, they travel up for lunch. But after eating three straight turkey meals we are all ready to have something different for lunch. Today we chose burgers. Let me tell the tale.

We decided to go to a local joint called Booches. People may have heard of this place. It has won awards and it was mentioned by Sports Illustrated as the best college town restaurant recently. The place is a dive, but damn is the food, mainly the burgers, really tasty. They do have fries or salads or anything like that. But they do have chili, chips, hot dogs and burgers. I got the burgers today, as I always do. But today they hit different. They were extra juicy. They were nice and greasy. The onions and pickles were crunchy. The bun was fantastic. I have to assume it was because my brother was manning the flat top today. He knows his way around a kitchen. And the burgers were something special. I mentioned all the fixings and the juiciness, but the taste was incredible. It was nice and meaty. It was cooked to a great medium temperature. The cheese was gooey and melted. The fixings adding the perfect taste that you want from fixings. It was the perfect burger. I really like Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor. Bailey’s Range in STL is great. I love Steak N Shake as far as chain restaurants go. But Booches has the best burgers I’ve ever had. I realized that this afternoon. The burgers were that incredible.

I highly recommend people take a trip to have a Booches burger. Get it with everything on it to get the full grasp of how good it really tastes. They really are worth it. Booches is great.

Ty

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

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