Let's Talk About Classless Duke Players and Their Fans

A week or so back there was major outrage coming from all kinds of sports media due to the court storming after Wake Forest beat Duke. Everyone was up in arms. Kyle Filipowski had to be helped off the court. His coach had some diatribe about the horrors of court storming. The talking heads, mostly on ESPN, were making this out to be the worst thing since the Michigan sign stealing ordeal. Other coaches were coming out in droves saying how awful court storming is, and that the rules needed to be changed. This was everywhere for over a week.

Leading up to Duke's next game, against lowly Louisville, Duke came out and said they weren't sure Filipowski was going to be able to play. First it was his knee. Then it was a high ankle sprain. Then a regular ankle sprain. Then he was "sore". A surprise to no one, of course he played in that game and Duke won. All was forgotten. No one was bringing up the whole court storming thing anymore. It came and went like a breeze. It was in the past.

Duke had their big rivalry game over the weekend with UNC. ESPN was heavily covering the game. There were videos of Duke players singing with the crowd. The "Cameron Crazies" were everywhere. This time it seemed like Duke was going to win because they had the momentum. UNC won last time, but Duke had overcome this "horrific" court storming and had righted the ship. And the game was in Cameron Indoor. This was going to be what separated them from the rest of the ACC. They were truly going to put the court storming incident behind them.

UNC had other plans.

They went to Duke and beat them for a second time this season. The game was pretty solid too, but UNC kind of had control for most of the game. They are a better team. They were the better team that day and they have been the better team all season. They came out and won and UNC grabbed hold of the ACC.

Unfortunately this game was not without its drama. Kyle Filiposki tripped a UNC player. There was a fast break opportunity, and as UNC was running up the floor, Filipowski stuck his leg out and tripped the player. He was doing his best Grayson Allen impression. He was being the typical white Duke asshole basketball player. He wasn't getting his way, his team was getting beat and he wasn't playing well. That meant he had to take his frustration out on his opponent. Clearly it was not his fault, it was this UNC player who was beating his team, so he was going to trip with the intent to stop a fast break, and maybe injure this player. But, if you were to watch highlights of the game on ESPN, they barely touched on this. ESPN cannot go after their white savior college player. Why would they denigrate this kid, even if he tripped an opposing player? It was a disgusting sight to see. They covered the court storming like it was front page news. It was a crime against humanity. But when he trips a kid they pass it off as no big deal and they want it wiped from their screens as soon as possible. That makes me incredibly angry. And other sports websites were not too high on covering the trip. The other sites seem to blow it off nearly as much as ESPN. We should not forget about this just because of the court storming. They were equally as egregious. I don't care about either to be honest, but when major publications, tv shows and websites are just blowing the trip off, that is wrong. It should get the same coverage. Not to be outdone, the Duke fans decided to throw drinks at the UNC basketball team as they celebrated their win. And for the people telling the UNC players to "win with class", shut the hell up. That was a rivalry game. UNC beat Duke twice. They have played better basketball. And they have every right to celebrate a win over a hated rival. I guarantee that if Duke won and celebrated in UNC's face, it would be a non story. The major websites would be saying that is how rivalries are supposed to be. But for the fans, the famed and disgusting "Cameron Crazies", to throw drinks at people, that is about as classless as it gets. That is foul. That is childish. That is white privilege at its worst. It is the whiniest way to handle a game that doesn't go your way. And these kids, these frat boys and girls can just run away from any punishment and go to mommy and daddy to help them out.

This makes me very upset when people act like this. I hate when Michigan gets all high and mighty, but I have never seen a fan at a live game throw a drink at anyone. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, I just haven't seen it. I have seen video of Duke fans throwing drinks at UNC. I watched Filipowski trip the UNC player. This is all readily available for anyone that wants to see it on the internet.

I have never liked Duke, and this past rivalry game makes me despise them even more. They are not above punishment. They can't just get away with stuff because ESPN likes them. They are not the blueblood they used to be and other fans are starting to notice. Duke is a classless team with a classless coach. They can get any recruit they want, but if this is how they act and their coach continues to act, I will forever root against them. My hatred for Duke only grew over this weekend. Their actions and reactions are childish, from top to bottom. Grow the hell up and stop blaming everyone else. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Dune: Part 2"

I have just returned home from seeing "Dune : Part 2".

I have been really anticipating the release of this movie. I watched the first, new "Dune" during the pandemic. It was released to streaming, and I took advantage and watched that movie in my home. I loved it. I was glued to my screen. I did not look at my phone once. My wife would come in and out of the room and ask questions and I would answer, and then rewind and rewatch what we may have missed. The first new "Dune" was also my first time I found myself cheering for Timothee Chalamet. That movie made me a fan, and I have not looked back. I also watched David Lynch's "Dune" during the pandemic. I did not like that version at all. It was a slog. It was boring. And it was nonsensical. So I've done the necessary homework. My dad joined me this morning, he watched the first new "Dune" on Wednesday, and we set off for a 10am screening.

I want to say, the theater was as clean as I've ever seen a theater before. The crowd was delightful and pleasant. The staff was dynamite and helpful. The Galleria 6 Cinema here in Saint Louis did their job perfectly. There were only two previews, only one commercial, and by about 10 after, we were in the world of "Dune". And from there on out I was in awe of what I was watching.

First off, this cast is incredible. Chamalet is back and does an even better job in this movie. Zendaya is given much more to work with in this sequel and she does amazing things. I was rooting for her character the entire movie. Javier Bardem was more involved, did a great job and even provided some laughs. Rebecca Ferguson did a phenomenal job with her arc in this movie. The whole Harkonnen family was terrifying in all the right ways. Stellan Skaarsgard is back and he is even more scary as the head of the family. David Bautista is back and he is cowardly and in over his head. And Austin Butler is the nephew who is the villainous of all the villains in this movie. He was scary as hell. Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken do some pretty good things here. Pugh figures to have a much bigger part in the third installment of this franchise. Josh Brolin returns and he is having a great back half of his career. And there's all the side characters and minor part actors who do some wonderful things in their very minimal screen time.

Then we have the direction. Denis Villenvue is the best sci fi director in the game right now. I trust him with any material he decides to work on from this moment on. And then there's the stuff on screen. This is an epic in every sense of the word. It was close to three hours but never felt long. The scenery, being pretty much nothing but sand, was mesmerizing to look at on a big screen. The sandworms were the coolest thing I have seen in a movie in a long, long time. I was enamored with those things. The CGI and the massive amount of people in the movie was a triumph all its own.

The story was pretty great too. The majority of the movie is a war movie. There are a bunch of battles. There are moments of strategy. There are training moments. There is hand to hand combat. There are soldiers hiding and attacking from everywhere. It was awesome. And, near the end, although it is what I consider to be the main story, it becomes a religious story, and the problems that lie within following one person. It was interesting to see the movie take this turn and everyone involved pulled it off with grace and professionalism.

I loved this movie. My dad did too. I couldn't believe that they exceeded my high, high expectations. I cannot recommend this movie enough. That is why I left my review so vague. I think you should try and see it in a theater too. I'm not a big theater goer, but this movie needs to be seen on a big screen to get the full effect. "Dune: Part 2" is amazing. Go see it. 

Ty

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

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Ben Simmons NBA Career is a Tragedy

It was announced this morning that Ben Simmons is out for the rest of the season. That is a bummer for him and the Nets. Simmons was a big acquisition. He was the prize for the Nets in the James Harden deal.

Simmons has a rookie of the year to his name, he was an all defensive player, a borderline all NBA player and was the face of the unicorn 6'10 point guard. He was the first big man since Magic Johnson to truly run an offense. He was up and coming, a guy to possibly build around, then the pass against the Hawks happened.

For people that may not know about this pass, Simmons had a wide open dunk that would've put the 76ers up in a possible closeout game, but he passed it off to Tobias Harris, who was fouled. Harris shot free throws, but the dye was cast with Simmons at that moment. He became the guy scared to get fouled and didn't want the ball in critical moments. He passed up a wide open dunk. I cannot state how wide open this dunk was. He is 6'10. He had zero defenders in front of him. All he had to do was put the ball in the hoop and he chose to pass. After that it has all been downhill for him.

He came into 76ers camp that season after the pass and he could not have been more disinterested. He publicly asked for a trade. The 76ers did not do it during the offseason, and with the threat of not getting paid, he reported to camp. But he didn't have to practice hard while he was there. He wore sweatpants. He didn't participate in any drills. He had his phone in his pocket during practice. He was disengaged when Doc Rivers would speak to the team. He was there physically, but not mentally. Then the season started and the 76ers did just fine without him. They won enough games. Joel Embiid took on the role of focal point and he thrived. He was becoming the MVP player we all knew he could become. Tyrese Maxey started to show signs of growth. Tobias Harris was putting up steady numbers. The 76ers were fine. They eventually got a deal they deemed worthy, and sent Simmons to the Nets. In return the 76ers got James Harden and Paul Milsap. The 76ers seemed happy to move on and Simmons was going to be able to start over. Brooklyn was excited about being somewhere new.

Yet Simmons did not play much his first season with the Nets. He played 42 games, averaged 26 minutes in those games and scored 7 points a game and had 6 assists and 6 boards. Those numbers are all well and good, but compared to his time with the 76ers, it was chump change. For example, the prior season with Philly he averaged 14 ppg, 7 boards and 7 assists. The year before he was a 16, 7 and 8. He had very good numbers with Philly, but he wanted the change and he got it. While the numbers may have not been in his favor, he seemed happier. He openly talked about his mental health struggles. Now, I do believe him when he says he has mental health stuff, but not all of it is causing his game to suffer. He's brought on a bunch of that himself. He always seems to post offseason videos of him shooting threes and playing pickup games. He has talked a bunch in the past two years about how excited he is to play. He seemed very ready to go when this season started. But then he missed a ton of time to start the season. And when he came back, he was a sideline to sideline player. He stayed away from attacking the rim. He would not set up in the dunker spot. He did not want to shoot. He was terrified to get fouled. And he was putting up pedestrian numbers. He was averaging barely over 6 points this season. He was averaging less than 6 assists, which is rough for a lead ball handler. And he was only playing 23 minutes a game. He also only appeared in 15 games before shutting it down this year. His team says it is due to a back issue, and while that may be true, he has other issues to deal with.

I don't know that I've seen a player of Simmons caliber fall as hard as he has to this moment. He was a top tier recruit. He was a solid one and done college player. He was the number one overall pick in his draft. He achieved very high highs in the NBA. And now he is an afterthought. That bums me out. He had the potential to be a modern day Magic. He could have truly changed the game. But he let one play shape him into the player he has become to this day. That is a shame. Ben Simmons could have done great things if he could've moved past one stupid decision in a meaningful game. He couldn't and now he is a player that up and coming kids will not want to be compared to. He has really fallen off. I hope he finds his way back, a la Markelle Fultz. But I don't see that happening anytime soon.

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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Nick Saban Needed to Retire

Nick Saban gave a pretty candid interview recently about his retirement from college football. He said a lot of stuff. He didn't like how his team reacted when Michigan beat them. He said he had been seriously considering retirement since 2022. He didn't like some players' attitude. He felt recruiting was becoming more difficult. You know, pretty much what I assumed he was going to say. But one thing stuck out to me from the interview. Let’s discuss.

When Saban was asked about NIL he told the journalist that kids came to him for their exit interview this year, and he claimed 70 to 80 percent either complained about playing time, or wanted more NIL money. He said that this is becoming too commonplace, and this was another push to retire from coaching. I read this and kind of brushed it off. But while I was out for a run I thought more about this NIL and playing time statement.

I am all for NIL. I think the players who are everywhere should be getting some kind of compensation. It only seems fair. I do agree with some people that it is totally out of hand, the transfer portal is like free agency and there is all kinds of tampering. But, this is the new era of college football, and I figure the new world of college football has maybe passed Nick Saban. Saban is an all time great. Hell, he is the GOAT college football coach. He was utterly dominant, prior to NIL. He got the best players, he got them to stay and he won. Then NIL and the transfer portal rules came into play and it became a little bit harder for Saban to get every player he wanted. Or, if he did get them to commit, that player would transfer out if they weren't playing. Take Tua Tagovailoa's little brother Talia. He committed to Alabama, was behind his brother and was expecting the start. When he wasn't named the starter, he went to Maryland, started for four straight years and set multiple records. I'm sure there are many other players that did the same. And now with NIL, these kids are getting massive deals before they even enter college football. They get big deals, they commit to one school, and if they don't play or their "brand" is not represented the way they want, they will transfer or ask for more. It is the new way in recruiting and dealing with modern college football players.

I don't think Saban liked that he couldn't fully control his players like he was used to doing. He had kids talking back, showing frustration or leaving if they were unhappy with playing time or their personal earnings. While that may be problematic and toxic, that is just how it is. And I think, while some may mourn Saban retiring, and those same people opining for the "good ole days' ', most will remember Saban's greatness, but we will also move on. There will be a new college football coach, that coaches modern players in the NIL era, that will be the next college football coaching GOAT. Think someone like Kirby Smart. Or maybe Dan Lanning. Hell, Saban's replacement Kalen DeBoer thrives in this era.

The other thing with Saban, he was in his 70's. He was going to retire earlier rather than later. And that is what we are seeing a lot with college football coaches. Saban retired. Jim Harbaugh, who is in his 60's, left for the NFL and Michigan replaced him with Sherrone Moore, who is in his late 30's. Mack Brown is still around, but he is not far from walking away again. Chip Kelly left for an offensive coordinator job and was replaced by a former UCLA player from the 2000's. Lincoln Riley isn't 40 yet. Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame is 37. Arizona State's head coach is only 33. Josh Heupel is in his early 40's. The game is skewing younger because these old guys are not into having full control. And these are not no name universities. These young coaches are getting a shot at major universities. And when you look at the older head coaches in college football, you have guys like Mack Brown, Kirk Ferentz, Don Brown, Jim Mora, Kyle Whittingham and Dabo Swinney. I already mentioned Mack Brown and him being near the end. Kirk Ferentz has a good squad on defense, but the offense is anemic. He still coaches his team like the Big 10 is stuck in the early 90's. Don Brown, who I like, has a mess of a team at UMASS. Jim Mora is dealing with the same at UCONN. Kyle Whittingham has a decent Utah team, but they are wildly inconsistent. And then there's the moron that is Dabo Swinney. I despise him. And he loathes the NIL and blames that for Clemson not being a title contender anymore. It is always someone else's fault.

College football is changing and most are changing with it. Some aren't, but they may not be long for coaching in college football much longer. Nick Saban is an absolute legend and will be a hall of famer, if he isn't one already. But to blame kids and their want for playing time and NIL money was a low blow and not needed. It seemed like a bit of sour grapes to me, an old man yelling at clouds. Times are changing and college football fans will find a new GOAT in the new era of college football coaches. It's only a matter of time. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Chris Mortensen

ESPN analyst Chris Mortensen passed away Sunday at the age of 72. This one hurts.

First off I'm one of the people that has been very critical of ESPN this past decade. I find the network stupid. They fire the wrong people. They keep loud talkers. They are a company that is solely based on hot takes. It is a mess in Bristol. But, Mortensen was one of the good ones at that network. He was an NFL savant. He knew the game inside and out. His commentary on the game was always on point. He didn't really say nonsensical things. He never really fought on air. He wasn't on the talking head shows when other colleagues jumped at the opportunity. He was respected by his coworkers and contemporaries. NFL players would openly talk with him. He was damn good at his job, and he will be missed.

I remember first seeing him in "Outside the Lines". This was a show I stayed away from as a little kid, but as I got older, I watched it more and more. The ending was my favorite thing because each commentator would have a monologue on a topic of their choosing. I always enjoyed Mortensen and Mitch Albom's takes. They had something important to say, and it held weight coming from those two. Mortensen always had thoughtful commentary on the current state of the NFL. He was always well researched and spoke openly, be it good or bad, on the topic he chose. He kept my attention as a younger person. I would stop what I was doing to listen to what he had to say. He was tremendous during those segments. I also watched him quite a bit on "NFL Countdown". He would come on to give updates on trades, injuries or possible coaching moves, and his reporting was always sound. He never said something just to say something. He did his work. He talked to his people. He got all the information and then gave that information to the viewer. He was a respected NFL journalist because he did his job as thoroughly as anyone in the business. His draft coverage was better than Mel Kiper Jr or Todd McShay could ever dream of doing. Again, Mortensen did his homework and studied. He was never a hot take guy. Even with the draft. He did the work, got the correct info and delivered it like a professional. He was head and shoulders above anyone else that ESPN had work the NFL draft.

Later on Mortensen was front and center for deflategate. I am a known critic of this whole "scandal". Deflategate was pure nonsense, and this was one of the only times I ever rolled my eyes at Mortensen doing his job. It was silly and pointless. But throughout it all, I still found myself tuning in whenever Mortensen would have some new information. I knew he had studied whatever he was going to report hard, so I had to hear what I was going to find crazy from Mortensen. No one else could have made me tune in if they were reporting on such a nothing "scandal".

He left ESPN last year after revealing a throat cancer diagnosis that started in 2016. This was a real bummer when I first heard. But, he was doing the work during his treatment, as I expected. This time though, tragedy struck. He was married to the same person forever, he had a son who played college football and is now a coach. He passed away surrounded by his family at his son's home. His journalism will be missed. He was one of the last of the good reporters at ESPN.

Rest in Peace Chris Mortensen. You will be missed. 

Ty

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

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Michigan Wolverines Basketball is Not a Good Watch

I am still reveling in the glory of Michigan's football title. I don't think I'll ever not be happy about this past college football season. It was an amazing season, it was incredible to watch and it made me smile so much. But man oh man is the men's basketball team bad. They are really, really bad.

The Wolverines cannot put it together. I don't think they've played a full game since the first or second game of the season. They have been a team that plays tough in the first half, then they totally flop in the second half. They have blown many halftime leads, they have let close games slip away and they look confused more often than not on the floor. They seemingly have no plan on offense, their defense is horrendous and the coaching has been rough all season long.

Where we sit right now they are 8-22. They have officially clinched the bottom of the Big 10. They have been beaten seven straight times. In fact, they are 3-20 in their last 23 games, and have recently been beaten by 30 at Rutgers. Their best starter, transfer Oliver Nkamhoua, has been inconsistent and now is out for the year with an injury. Dug McDaniel, their lead point guard, got oddly suspended for road games halfway through the season. It was bizarre. There was no reasonable reason for the suspension, other than McDaniel's grades. But, why not just fully suspend him? It was odd. Another transfer, Nimari Burnett, has been on the floor with the team,  but he may be the most inconsistent player in the entire Big 10. Tarris Reed barely gets touches. He has been horrendously underutilized. Howard was a big man, so you'd think he would be coaching him up. It has been the opposite for Reed. And Terrance Williams has never gotten over the hump. He has been an offensive liability since he stepped on campus. The bench is not great either. Will Tschetter is too wild and too inconsistent of a shooter to get real playing time. Youssef Khayat has not gotten any better. Tray Jackson has never gotten into much of a flow. And George Washington Jr has gotten less and less playing time. I fear he may transfer. The team is also trying extra hard to keep their committed recruits, which is never a good sign.

The construction of this team is a mess, and the coaching has been bad. The season started with Juwan Howard out due to heart surgery. I had no idea he had anything wrong. But when the team took the floor for game one, Howard was gone. Phil Martelli filled in just fine, but he is not a head coach anymore. He is an assistant. Howard came back, but it feels like he has not had any type of real gameplan. The offense seems slapstick. They shoot too many threes, but don't attack enough. They seem to settle far too much. There is no real ball movement. The offense feels a lot like going one on one. There doesn't seem to be much of a plan. The defense is very bad. They don't rotate. They get confused too much. They are bad in transition. They give up way too many open looks. Teams move the ball with ease. They are not a good rebounding team. They don't box out and they give up on possible rebounds way too quick.

This Michigan men's team is really really bad. That starts from the top. Juwan Howard is having as bad a year as a head coach can have. He doesn't seem to be in control. It started with him getting Caleb Love to commit from the transfer portal. He committed, was ready to come to Ann Arbor and then he wasn't accepted. His grades weren't good enough from what I read. Howard went to Michigan. He should know the standards to get into the university. Then he took on Nkahouma, who is very talented. But, there has to be a reason he left a very, very good Tennessee team. I don't know if it was a lack of playing time, or something else. Seems odd though. Burnett is on his third team now, and he did not start at either Alabama or Texas Tech. Then Howard had Martelli oddly coach a game that he was healthy enough to coach. But, for some reason he asked Martelli to be the head man for one game in the middle of the year. It made no sense. Then the basketball team strength and conditioning coach just resigned. But, the whole story of why just recently came out and it paints a very bad picture of Juwan Howard. He has clear anger issues that he needs to deal with on his own time. He has had multiple issues with anger in the past, and this deal with the S&T coach leaves Howard with a very bad look. Having said all of this, I would not let Howard go just yet. This season has been bad. The team looks bad, Howard looks bad, they cannot win many games and they are going nowhere. But I'd give Howard one more season on a very, very short leash. If there is no sign of improvement within the first five games of next season, let him go then. Coaches have bad years. Sometimes it doesn't pan out the way you want it to.

This is rock bottom for the men's team. I haven't seen this team play this bad since they were sanctioned to hell after the Fab Five left. Things need to be fixed, and fixed soon. But I wouldn't let this staff go just yet. Give them one final shot at turning it around. 

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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R.I.P. Craig Roh

A former University of Michigan football player, one I followed closely when he played there, passed away at 33 the other day. His name was Craig Roh. I'm sure not many of you know him. I have to imagine a few people out there know the name, but most are not familiar with him. I am. I was a fan.

Back when Roh committed to Michigan, 2008, I followed recruiting heavily. I don't do it as much anymore, kids always change their minds. But back then I wanted to see who was going to be at Michigan, who may restore this team to glory. Roh committed to play at Michigan back in the Rich Rodriguez era. Michigan was not very good back then, especially on defense. So when Roh, a 6'8 260 pound defensive end committed, I was stoked. I hoped he would be one of the guys who could make that unit formidable again. He had all the tools a fan could want from an edge rusher. He was tall. He was strong. He was fast. And he played nasty. I was an instant fan. I also liked that he wore number 88. You didn't see that much back in 2008 from an edge rusher. And Roh was legit the moment he stepped on campus. He started as a true freshman. I don't think a lot of us understand how athletically advanced you have to be to start at a major division 1 football program when you are 18. He learned the defensive scheme fast and it was inevitable during early practices that he was going to start. He started and played in all 12 games as a freshman, eventually playing this hybrid linebacker role due to his speed. He finished the year with 37 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception. Big things were to come.

As a sophomore Roh got bigger and was still one of the faster hybrid defensive players on the team. He also became a vocal leader on and off the field. He defended players and coaches alike and made it known he was a leader of the defense. The defense improved thanks to Roh and he was the guy moving forward for that defense.

During his third season in Ann Arbor they moved him back to defensive end, where he faced a bit of scrutiny from new defensive coordinator, Greg Mattison. It turns out that Roh had a bad respiratory illness that slowed him down at the start of the season. He recovered and eventually led the defense with 6.5 tfl's and 2 sacks. He was also named honorable mention All Big 10 that season.

Roh’s final season at Michigan saw a coaching change. Brady Hoke took over, and while Roh could have left, he decided to stick it out. He was named second team All Big 10, Academic All Big 10 and won Michigan's best d lineman for that season.

He bounced around professionally here and there, but never really stuck. He retired and lived a relatively quiet life. He had been living such a quiet life that I had no idea he was sick. It was revealed, upon his death, that he died from colon cancer, which he had been fighting for the last year. This is a bummer for him and his family. He was only 33. That is way too young. He was in good shape. He was a college athlete. He played football at the highest level. He, from what I understand, lived a pretty clean life. But he is another person struck down far too young from cancer. This stinks. I wish it didn't end this way for him. He was a Michigan man through and through. He would have fit right in with this national title team.

Rest in Peace Craig Roh. I hope you're comfortable wherever you are now. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis passed away at 76 yesterday. No cause of death was given, but he was battling Parkinson's Disease.

This one kind of hit me hard, as a fan. Lewis was a big deal to me due to his recurring role on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". He was a pretty big part of one of the best shows to ever be on tv. Lewis and Larry David are lifelong friends. It showed on the show. The back and forth, the yelling, the lack of courtesy, it all played so well because of their closeness and chemistry. They knew each other so well that they knew how to goad the other one, or how to try and make the other laugh and break while filming the show. It was glorious to watch. To see David get on Lewis' nerves whenever he would cause a break up with the next girl that he would claim to be "the one". These interactions were amazing to watch. I also really enjoyed in recent seasons of the show how they shifted from who Lewis was dating to what they were going to do in the afterlife. In one of the most recent episodes, they yell fight at one another about putting each other in their own personal will. Seeing David endlessly challenge Lewis was wonderful. And all the while you could see Lewis smiling wryly back at David. The closeness and love between the two friends was very apparent. I walk around the house and say "Richie boy!" all the time. That was how David would greet him whenever he was on the show. Richard Lewis' work on "Curb" was his greatest achievement in my mind. He will go down as one of the best people to ever be on this show. But Richard Lewis did so much more.

The first time I saw him was in the Mel Brooks movie, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights". I watched this movie over and over again as a kid. I rewatched it in the last couple of years, and while it wasn't as great as I thought it was when I was a kid, I still found myself chuckling at it, mostly at Richard Lewis' character. He played the king, and he had this mole that always moved. Every new scene, that mole would be in a different spot. And Lewis really played it up. He also got to do some of his standup routine in the movie, and that was just as funny. I liked how he would break character and go into his bits. It was great.

That is another thing I always conflate with Richard Lewis, stand up comedy. He was one of the first stand up comedians I ever saw on tv, and I clocked him as the stand up guy. He had a very unique look, and that was my influence with comedians going forward. Anytime I saw a person that looked or dressed like Lewis, I assumed they were also a standup. I first saw Steven Wright on tv with a hat and black suit coat, thought he looked like Lewis so I assumed he was a comedian, and then he did stand up comedy. The first time I watched "Seinfeld", and saw his stand up at the beginning, he was dressed like Richard Lewis. During that era, he was the guy that made me think of stand up comedy and guided my direction into being a fan of the artform. He ushered me into something I adore so much now.

Outside of "Curb" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", he was the Golem in "The Simpsons" treehouse of horrors. He appeared as himself on the highly underrated "Dr Katz". He co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in "Anything But Love". And lent his voice to "Bojack Horseman". Richard Lewis has always been around in Hollywood. He stayed working, be it tv and movies. But he was, and always will be, best known as one of the best stand up comics to ever do it. He was one of a kind. He was a legend. And he will be missed.

Rest in Peace Richie Boy. You will be missed. 

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 "Beau is Afraid"

After much thought, waiting for the movie to be on premium cable and four sittings, I have finally watched all of "Beau Is Afraid", and boy oh boy do I have some thoughts.

First and foremost, I think I liked this movie. I keep thinking about it. I cannot seem to shake what I watched. I truly loved Joaqin Phoenix's performance. This has to be one of his best performances that I have ever watched. I also enjoy Phoenix's acting for the most part. I like the movies he picks and he truly does give his all. He doesn't halfass anything he is committed to doing. I loved the imagery and the way the story was told. I liked the way it was broken down into different acts. I enjoyed the moments of silence that they have the viewer sit and wait in. All of that leads me to believe that I enjoyed what I saw. But there are some issues I have as well.

This is a long, long movie. It is one minute under three hours. The moments of silence are long and vast. There are some disturbing images that kind of freaked me out and took me out of the narrative of the movie. I feel like Ari Aster wanted to tell EVERYTHING he was thinking at the time of writing the movie. He should have, and could have, edited a good hour out of the movie. Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane could have been given a little more to work with in the script. Parker Posey is only in about three minutes of this movie, and Beau, Phoenix's character, is obsessed with her. Zoe Lister Jones, who I adore as an actor, seems to be chewing scenery. The first hour, which focuses on Beau's current living situation, is bleak and sad and disturbing and overly scary. I understand why it is shot and acted that way, but it feels like it may be a bit much.

Then we have Patti Lupone. Lupone is wonderful. I adore her. I love her outspoken nature. She is not afraid to speak her mind, and I think that is great. But in this movie she is severely underused until the last 30 minutes. In the finale she is great, they, for me, hit all the right notes with her character. And she absolutely shines. But leading up to all of this, she is a ghost. She lingers over the movie, but we don't get the breadth of her situation. We see her a lot in flashbacks, but not enough in the present day. There is her funeral, but that is just a ploy to get Beau back home. And when she returns, after one of the most uncomfortable sex scenes I've ever seen, she acts like everything is normal. It most certainly is not normal.

Looking back at this venn diagram of the good and the bad I found watching this movie, again, I liked it. Excuse me, I think I liked it. Lupone is amazing in the end. The whole scene in the forest, with the play, had me rapt to my screen. I couldn't look away. The creepy underlying stuff with Lane and Ryan had me on the edge of my seat. And Phoenix is incredible. This is a truly amazing performance from him. I like his work here almost as much as I did in one of my favorite movies ever, "Her". He is such a devoted and confident actor. He never takes things less than serious. He is all in. And in a movie like this, one that is this weird and deep, he was made for this. Phoenix is one of my favorite actors at this point. I don't know much about his personal life, but I do like his acting. I'm a fan of his acting, maybe not the person.

I'd recommend this movie with a big, big caveat. It is long, it is weird and you have to be all in while you watch. This is not a movie you can check in and out of. You have to be committed when you watch. Do that, and you will be rewarded. 

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the Duke Court Storming Incident

I want to start out this piece today by saying I think court storming is stupid, unless your team has just won the title. That seems like the only appropriate time for fans to be so excited that they leave their seats and run onto the floor to celebrate with the team. Even then, it seems like a bit much. The fans didn't do anything other than cheer for their favorite team. The players and coaches are the only ones that should be out there right after the game ends.

With all that being said, I now despise Duke men's basketball even more than I thought possible. For people who may nor know, Duke played Wake Forest recently, Wake Forest won, the game was at home and their fans ran onto the court. During this, some of the fans ran into Kyle Filipowski, one of Duke's star players, and he went down in a heap. At the moment, it looked pretty bad. I read that he may have had some kind of structural damage to his knee. At best, for him, it looked like he may have sprained his ankle. Either way, Filipowski looked hurt. But then all the grandstanding from Duke's coach and players started. Duke's coach, John Scheyer, made a face on the floor that looked like someone was physically abusing him. He went into the post game conference and bitched and moaned nonstop. He called for an end to court storming. He wanted to know if the ACC was going to do something about what happened. He said that he was certain Filipowski was badly injured. He cried and cried. And, of course, ESPN latched onto this story and took Scheyer's side. Soon other coaches found a reason to bemoan court storming. This was their in. They just needed someone to whine first before they could all complain.

This actually reminded me a lot of the Michigan sign stealing "scandal". Coaches just needed someone else to bring it up so they could all play the martyr. That is exactly what is happening with Duke and the court storming. Filipowski could have stayed quiet and just tried to heal, but like the white Duke basketball player he is, he came out and said he thought it was "personal". He claimed that it felt like people were purposely running into him during the court rush. He was certain he was badly injured. But as the days have dragged on since it has been revealed there is no structural damage to any part of his body. He may have had a sprain, but it was mild at best. He came out yesterday and said he was "sore". Scheyer has said that he is "doubtful" for their upcoming game against Louisville.

All of this is hilarious to me. This is just a narrative they are pushing that will favor Duke in the eyes of the media. If they play Louisville without Filipowski and they get beat or it is too close for comfort, the powers that be at Duke can say they were missing one of their key guys due to "wild fans" at Wake Forest running on the floor. But, if he miraculously plays, I'm being sarcastic, and plays well, the ESPN's of the world can call him a "warrior". They will compare him to Willis Reed or Paul Pierce. By the way, we all know Pierce pooped his pants. The cat is out of the bag. But Filipowski, Scheyer and Duke are in a win-win. They can do no wrong in this case. A bunch of people are on their side. The narrative has switched from Wake upsetting a highly ranked Duke team to, their fans are crazy and they intentionally hurt a star Duke player. Add to that that Filipowski is white, the main media is creaming in their jeans over this whole thing. Meanwhile, I find this hilarious and catty from Duke. They need a built in excuse for why they are not a contender yet again. This is too perfect coming from this basketball team at this university. I guarantee that the media wouldn't be this crazy about this story if it happened to J'Wan Roberts from Houston. Or Zach Edey from Purdue. Or Caleb Love from Arizona. The media is skewed in the wrong direction, but now they have this story to keep them afloat even longer. I am champing at the bit to see the hubbub when he does suit up and play the game against Louisville. It is going to be so sappy and so stupid.

Get over yourselves Duke. You will not stop courts from being rushed, and you should have won the game. Like they were supposed to do. They could have avoided this whole thing if they were a little better at basketball. 

Ty

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

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An Ode to Lily Sullivan, the Next Big Podcast Star

Listening to "CBB" today I found myself laughing harder than normal. This show always has guests that I like, I wrote about that last week. But they also have recurring people coming on to play multiple characters. I feel like this is what makes this show excellent. I love it when they have famous people that I enjoy, but the recurring guests are usually the best. That was the case this afternoon.

Lily Sullivan was playing co-host on the most recent episode. She was doing a newish character, Tony Sony. Sony appeared once before, and was hilarious. But, they also kept saying that was going to be the first and last appearance. I'm glad it was not. Tony Sony has been cracking me up to this point. And as I was listening, it got me thinking. Lily Sullivan may be my new favorite recurring player on the podcast. She always seems to hit a homerun with whatever character she decides to play that day. Sony is new, but hilarious. I also really enjoy her interpretation of Bridget Jones. Hearing her read entries from her diary, and button them the way she does, it is comedy gold. It has to be so much better than those movies, but I have never seen them before. I also enjoy Francesca Bolongese. The way she and Scott Aukerman argue is dynamite. I love how she goes at him relentlessly. Bicky is pretty great. She is Australian and always says she is confused for the actual Lily Sullivan. But Bicky is also quick to say she is not as attractive as Lily Sullivan. She has also done an okay Cher. She was put on the spot, and asked to sing, and she still found a way to pull it off and make it hilarious. But the best character she plays, which has now moved over almost exclusively to "Hey Randy", is Carissa. Carissa is mean. She messes with Randy all the time. Randy is played by Sullivan's husband, Tim Baltz, who is also hilarious. But Sullivan as Carissa always brings it and is always funny. The way she goes at Randy and Scott Aukerman is pretty great. I love how she has taken that character over to "Hey Randy", but still finds the time to make fun of Aukerman and some other mainstays on "CBB". Carissa may be her best creation so far.

Sullivan has this knack for podcast appearances. She never seems to be taking it seriously, but I always find myself laughing hardest when she is on and performing. I also get pumped to listen when I see her name listed as a guest that day. I know it will, at the very least, make me chuckle. She can hang with, and dole it out to the best of them. And when they try to give it back, she is ready, locked and loaded. She is quick and sharp. She is smart and funny. She has a way to turn the situation on its head in a wonderfully absurd way. She has a joke hit rate of damn near nine out of every ten jokes she tells. It is crazy to see her hand it to Aukerman or PFT or Jason Mantzoukas.

Lily Sullivan is about to hit it big. I know she has had some smaller roles in recent movies and tv shows, but the big time is coming for her. She is about to be on everyone's radar. She has a genius comic mind and I am stoked to see what she does next. Maybe she and Baltz will team up and make a hilarious new show. I hope that's the case. Until then. I have her appearances on "CBB" to look forward to. 

Ty

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

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Zach Edey on the Spurs Makes Too Much Sense

As we get closer to March, I get more excited for the NCAA basketball tournament. Even with Michigan's men's basketball team having a bad season, the football team won the title by the way, in case you all forgot, I still want to watch the tourney. Hell, I'll even check in from time to time with the NIT. I like tournament basketball. The stakes are the highest, we get cool upsets and we see who the best of the best is in the end. The fact that the tournament is around the corner means that it is also the NBA mock draft season.

I look at these closer this time of year because I want to know what players to watch as we get into conference tournaments and March Madness. The mock drafts let me know who I may have forgotten about, or what player from a sleeper team I need to see. This was when my love for Ja Morant started. I saw his name fly up draft boards and I started to pay more attention as his Murray State team made a mini run in the tournament. So, I was looking at a mock draft on Bleacher Report a little bit ago and I saw that this writer had Zach Edey mocked to the Spurs as the 33rd overall pick, the first pick of the second round.

I kind of brushed it off and thought, Edey is big, strong and skilled, he may be a mid to late first rounder. But when I was cleaning my house, I thought a little more about this spot, and the team he was mocked to, the Spurs. For those that may not know, Edey is the starting center for Purdue. Purdue is a good team. They've been in the top 5 all year. And Edey is their best player. He also happens to be 7'4 and he weighs 300 pounds. That is one big dude. I watch him a lot, I'm a Michigan fan so I watch the Big 10 specifically, and not only is he big, Edey is skilled. He has great post moves. He is a good defender. He is a good rebounder due to his height. He is a solid passer. He can see over everyone. And he is pretty dominant in one of the better conferences in all of the country. The only knock on him is his outside shooting, which is non-existent. But, he should make for a fine bench/role player in the NBA. Him being 7'4 has got to be enticing. And this is not a Tacko Fall or Manute and Bol Bol thing. Those guys are very tall and kind of skilled. But they were skinny. Edey is skilled and thick. He will be able to deal with all the stuff that goes down in the post in the NBA. This all works in his favor.

Then, if the Spurs do draft him, they are teaming him up with Victor Webanyama, maybe the best young talent in the NBA. Wemby is amazing. He is supremely skilled. He can dribble like a point guard, shoot like a 2 guard, defend all positions, run an offense, have an offense run through him, rebound, be a menace on defense, he can basically do it all. He has been as advertised. I know the Spurs are very bad right now, but Wemby is worth watching. He is doing amazing stuff night in and night out. But, while he is 7'4 and can do pretty much everything, he is 18 and skinny. Edey can come in and take on the bigger guys in the league and let Wemby be a rover on defense. Edey can come in and find that his role is defense and rebounding, and let Wemby continue to blossom. He can be his backup, or the Spurs could start the two of them together in the low post. That would be a nightmare for opponents, trying to score over those two. Then you throw in a guy like Jeremy Sochan who is already a good defender and menace. He is also 6'8. The Spurs could go guard in this draft, but they do have Tre Jones, who has proven to be a good pick and roll player. They could let Zach Collins or Charles Bassey walk and be okay with Edey sliding into one of their spots. And guys like Malaki Branham, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson will be able to hound guards on the perimeter, knowing that they have two 7'4 guys waiting to protect the rim.

I kind of love this idea in this mock draft I read today. Pairing these two is an exercise I'd like to see take place. If Edey pans out even a little bit, the Spurs could be a force within a year or two simply due to their defense. I say do it San Antonio. Take Zach Edey at a reasonable spot if he is available in the upcoming draft. They are trying to build around Wemby, and building means protecting the young star. This will be a great protection on the defensive end. I hope it happens and I hope it works. These two on the floor at the same time would be very cool for me to watch as a fan. Go do it. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on EA's "Gifts" to use College Athletes NIL

Now that the NCAA Football game is officially coming out this summer, I read today that every team is involved. There is also the portal, NIL, recruiting, all the good stuff that I want in this game. This is all good news. But, I did read that players have to opt in if they want their name, image and likeness involved. I get it. It makes sense. If you are to be represented in this game, I'd figure you'd want it to look as real as possible. It would also be pretty darn cool to see yourself in a video game. I know I'd go crazy over that. All this makes sense.

What I have an issue with is the kickback from the people at EA. If a player opts in they will be given a copy of the game and 600 dollars. That all sounds very good on paper. You get a nice upfront payment and a free video game. But as I sat here today with my thoughts, I went more in depth and realized this is kind of a slap to these players. I mean, most of the players that opt in are already making much, much more than 600 bucks in the NIL world. Also, I am pretty sure that is a one time payment. It is not like they will see that money time and time again. For every fan that purchases and plays this game this summer, and for future releases, 600 dollars is chump change. These players are going to have all of their info put into this game and it only costs EA 600 dollars? That is robbery. They are going to have their face on my video screen? That should be way more than 600 bucks. I am going to buy a new system to play the game when it comes out because I do not have a system that can support this game. The two separate systems I'm looking at are in the high 400, low 500 dollar range. So I'm to believe that if a college athlete opts in, gets the 600 dollars, but has to buy a new system, they are left with 100 dollars. That is asinine. I'd, at the very least, double that money. We all know that EA has way more than that to hand out. And then they are given a copy of the game? Again, sounds fine on paper, but do these athletes really care about that? If I were to guess, this game will be around 80 dollars to buy. Great, they are saving a net total of 100 dollars by not having to buy the game if they need a new console. This is like a second thought of a gift. It feels like EA was thinking, well, 600 dollars isn't quite enough, why don't we just give them a free copy of the game? And the geniuses that work in the front office must have thought that the person that came up with that idea was the ultimate genius. They are not. This is damn near the least they could do in this scenario. And I get that they could have to hand out a big, big amount of money, but they have it, and then some. And having to give out free video games may look like it will be a bunch of money on paper, but think of all the people that are going to be buying this game as long as they continue to make it.

I have all kinds of internal issues with this, but I am going to get every new version that comes out when they come out. And I'm not a gamer. I couldn't care less about video games, except this one. EA can, and should do better by these kids. They are playing a game that is incredibly dangerous. I get it is a choice, but the vast majority of these kids are going to make their money with NIL. A good portion will not be pros, and even if they do, even more of them will not see the riches that some other football players have reached during their careers. They need to give more. They need to up the pot. Six hundred dollars is a drop in the bucket. And a free video game is a total afterthought. More consideration should have been put into this decision. But, here we are. I'm interested to see the reaction from the players. It could get spicy. 

Ty

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

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Go Get Yourself a Gochujang Snickerdoodle Cookie

I like trying different foods. There’s not much I don’t eat. I don’t like artichokes and olives. That’s about it. There’s other things I want to try. I’ve never had bone marrow. I’m interested in offal. I’d try done exotic meats. I’d like to eat durian. But, I’ve never had any of those, and I may not like them, or I could love them. Who knows. I also enjoy combo foods. I’m a fan of salty and sweet. I like combining veggies for salsa. I’ll do a chocolate covered potato chip. Give me some wild food combos, and more likely than not, I bet I’ll be a fan.

One such food I just made, and really love, is a gochujang snickerdoodle cookie. I was looking at interesting recipes online and came across a New York Times article where they mentioned this cookie. I was intrigued. When I looked at the recipe, I had most of the ingredients, and it was simple. The only outlier, gochujang.

For those that may not know, gochujang is a Korean spice. And it’s good. You may have had it without knowing it. Chinese and Japanese restaurants use it a lot. Fast food Asian inspired restaurants use it a lot. I believe my first encounter was at a Panda Express, and I’ve always been a fan. So, when I saw this recipe was calling for gochujang I decided I had to try it. Snickerdoodle cookies are my absolute favorite. A sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar? Yes please. I can eat way too many of these in one sitting. But, adding a spice that is spicy, that sounded good to me. I like a Mexican hot cocoa. I’ll eat a spiced chocolate bar. I’ve been known to add cayenne to my coffee from time to time. I thought of all those things and decided then that I was going to eat these cookies.

Again, all you do is make your basic sugar cookie. Then, instead of rolling in cinnamon and sugar, you make a mixture of butter, brown sugar and gochujang. Then you set that mixture aside while you make the cookie dough. After adding all the other stuff together, you swirl in the gochujang mixture. It almost looks like an orange cinnamon roll after swirling in the mix. Then you bake the cookies for about 13 minutes and let them totally cool before eating.

When I ate one, I loved it. It’s a sugar cookie with a Korean spice I love. Every bite your greeting with a classic cookie, but then the spice hits you. But it’s not overpowering at all. It’s nice and underlying. It’s a slow heat, which I love. My lips were tingling in the best way possible. I am a fan.

I think people who like food combos and a little spice will enjoy them. Try these out. You won’t be disappointed.

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 "Bottoms"

Over the weekend I was finally able to see the movie "Bottoms". I remember previews for this and wanting to see it. I remember it getting very good reviews after it was released and wanting to see it even more. I remember hearing possible awards buzz surrounding the movie and wanting to see it the most. But time got away from me. The winter is the busiest time for me as far as coaching and dad duty goes. But, we had a date night, it was my turn to pick the movie and "Bottoms" was streaming on Amazon Prime for free. So we watched.

I loved this movie. I laughed at this more than most comedies that have come out in the past four or five years. The basic plot is, two nerdy, gay high school girls start a fight club to meet their crushes. That is the short version. But there is so much more on screen. First off, this is a high school spoof of a movie. When I looked up the cast, no actor was younger than 20 years old. But this was a situation where you could tell it was done with intention. The creators wanted actors that looked young, but we all know that they are not very young. This made some of the stuff we watched even funnier.

Ayo Edibiri and Rachel Sennott are the leads, and they are perfect. Sennott is the more outgoing, funny and talkative one. But, she will never be confused as a "cool" kid. Edebiri is more soft spoken. She doesn't want any trouble. She just wants to get to college. These two are sensational. When they finally get alone with their crushes, I was stoked, and then devastated for Sennott's character. These two used to be college roommates, and you can tell from their electric chemistry on screen. Sennott really keeps your attention when she talks. And the moments where Edibiri gives a speech, or does a monologue, are pretty powerful. They filled the cast with other actors that I don't really know. The crushes are played by Havana Rose Liu, this is the first thing I've seen her in, and Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford's daughter. They were excellent. Ruby Cruz is the one who kind of gets the whole fight club going. She was funny and had a solid arc. Punkie Johnson plays Edibiri's wild aunt who lives in a trailer. Zamani Wilder, Summer Joy Campbell and Virginia Tucker are members of the fight club, and all three bring some hilarious traits. The football players, namely Nicholas Galitzine and Miles Fowler, are wonderfully goofy. The whole stuff with the QB, Jeff, is riotous. And then we have Marshawn Lynch. What a star-making performance from him. He is hilarious, he pretty much improvised all of his lines, he took this role to make up for the way he reacted to his sister coming out, and he absolutely crushed. They took a chance and they were paid off tremendously by his performance. All of the actors did a wonderful job.

What most impressed me was the writing. This is an absurd movie, but it is absurd in all the best ways. The spoof of the football team's importance landed perfectly. The way teachers and administrators behave was tremendously done. How the main characters arc from nerdom to popularity and back to nerdom paid off. I was overly impressed with how well thought out and how simply insane the movie came across on screen. We need more comedies like this.

"Bottoms" is just as good as "Booksmart" and "Superbad". I actually think I may like it a bit more because of the presence of Ayo Edibiri and how ridiculous it is supposed to be. I definitely recommend watching this movie. It is very funny and very good. 

Ty

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

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NBA All-Star Weekend Needs Some Change

The NBA all star game is starting to look more and more like the pro bowl before they went to flag football. Let’s discuss.

This is the first time in a long time that I can remember not even being interested in the all star game. I used to live for the whole weekend. I always wanted to watch the slam dunk competition. I'd tune in for the three point final. I enjoy the skills competition. I used to even watch the celebrity game to see who was actually skilled at basketball. And the way to close out the weekend was seeing the game with the best the NBA had to offer that season. These dudes used to take it semi seriously. They'd give a little bit of effort. They'd show what they could do against one another. Hell, with the addition of the Elam ending a few years back, that made the last couple of points highly competitive and fun to watch. Go back before the pandemic shut down the season. That all star ending was dramatic and fun to see. Watching LeBron and Giannis go toe to toe, that was amazing. It was cool

The NBA All-Star Game today is just a layup lane and a dunk contest. Oh, and they shoot massive amounts of threes from everywhere on the floor. I saw a clip of Damian Lillard pulling up from halfcourt. No defense was in sight and he heaved it. It went in, but it was so anticlimactic for me. This wasn't a buzzer beater. This wasn't a heat check. Lillard pulled up during an exhibition game because he figured, who cares, no one is trying or really going hard at all. I am all for scoring. I like when the games are 140-135. I do find the theater in that to be quite dramatic and engaging. But that happens when both teams are going all out. They want the win. They are trying on both ends, it just so happens that both teams are scorching from the floor. That was not the case with the clips I've seen from last night's game. Karl Anthony Towns scored 50 points, and he was never truly considered for game MVP. Tyrese Haliburton hit five threes in his first five attempts and decided that was all he was going to shoot. Luka Doncic was doing his usual bull shit that some fans love, I cannot stand it. Anthony Edwards and KAT kept throwing the ball back and forth to one another. It felt forced at times, but also incredibly boring. Looking at the stats makes this even more glaring that no one cares. KAT took 35 shots. In an all star game. KD took 12, eight of which were threes. Steph Curry missed 11 of his 17 shots, thirteen of which were from 3. Anthony Edwards only took three shots during the whole game. Lillard took 26 shots, 23 coming from 3. Bam Adebayo only took two shots, and he was a starter. Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes combined for 19 shots. I wanted to see more from them. Jalen Brunson took nine of his twelve shots from 3. Tyrese Maxey only got up five shots. And Jaylen Brown inexplicably took 23 shots. Awful.

It doesn't make much sense to me what they are even doing anymore. Why not more from LeBron? Anthony Edwards is an up and coming star, but he barely got any time. Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous Alexander are fun when they run up and down the floor. They didn't do that last night. No big men really do much of anything. It is bad, and getting worse. They did away with the Elam ending too, which makes zero sense to me. All in all, this was about as bad as it could get for the professional league that I think is the best in the country. The east scored over 200 points, but I don't even care this morning. The West had 186, and my thought was, that's it? That should not be the case when these types of numbers are being put up.

It wasn't just the game that didn't interest me. Mac McClung won the dunk contest again. So what? He is a G League lifer and sideshow at this point. Lillard won the 3 point contest again. Great. He's an amazing shooter. The celebrity game is dumb. The nonsense they are doing with the rookies versus sophomores game is wildly idiotic. The whole weekend is a waste for the fans. I fully understand that this is a break for these guys, and they deserve it. But to be this nonchalant and flippant is a major turnoff. I think the NBA may be better off just giving the players a week off in the middle of the season than making a select few play in an all star game. A week off may benefit everyone.

Something has got to change though. This all star game was very, very cringey. 

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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An Ode to the All Stars of "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

Anytime I download my podcasts in my library, every Monday there's a new episode of "CBB". This is my favorite podcast. It wasn't my introduction to this world, but it is the one I've stuck with the longest. Other shows come and go, but "CBB" has always been there. The only Patreon I subscribe to is "CBB World". I'm a big fan.

Whenever I see that the guestlist includes Jason Mantzoukas, I get stoked. I want to listen right away. Jason Mantzoukas is hilarious. He makes me laugh during any podcast appearance, any tv appearance and any movie appearance. The guy is funny, has great comedic timing and knows how to really sell the jokes in any setting. He is a great comic foil for Scott Aukerman. They have a great rapport and it is some of the best podcasting out there. Mantzoukas co-hosts his own podcast, the dynamite "How Did This Get Made", where he is just as funny, and a little crazy. When he appears on  "CBB", he is much calmer and more there to enjoy. That is my favorite version of Jason Mantzoukas.

Then, when I see Andy Daly's name on the list, I get even more pumped to listen. Daly is one of the most underrated comedy actors out there. "Review" is one of the best, and least seen, shows I have ever watched. He is hilarious on "Eastbound and Down". He shows up for little character arcs in shows from time to time and he is the best when he does that. He also has his own little podcast empire with all the characters he has created on "CBB", and those shows are wonderful as well. I enjoy most of the characters he plays, but Dalton Wilcox has to be one of the best. I am also fond of Hot Dog. And then when you pair him and Mantzoukas together on "CBB", I know I'm going to have a good time, and I'm going to be smacking my leg cracking up. Those two, combined with Aukerman make for some of the best comedy podcast listening out there.

Then we have Paul F Tompkins. He is on "CBB" a bunch. He and Aukerman are good, long friends. They have been working together since "Mr Show". They have seen things, done things and seem to have an absolute blast whenever they get together on mic. PFT is one of those performers that I know will make me laugh and will not disappoint. He is, as much as he may not like this, a podcast pro and is amazing at what he does when he is on any podcast. So, when PFT, Andy Daly and Jason Mantzoukas are on separate from each other, it is wildly funny and successful. Put them all on with Aukerman running the show, that is comedy dynamite.

This is what we got this past Monday. All of them were there and all of them were great. Daly and PFT played an abundance of characters the whole time. They were jumping back and forth between the plethora of the people they have done on the show in the past. Mantzoukas and Aukerman were egging them on and continuously adding more and more people for them to play. And like the pros they are, Daly and PFT ran with it and made this one of the best episodes of the best podcast I have ever heard. I was cleaning my house while listening to the episode and I had to stop multiple times due to how hard I was laughing. I was literally cackling walking around the house all morning long. I didn't want the episode to end. I could have listened for hours and hours. It was a perfect episode of "CBB".

I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you are on the fence about the show. This is a perfect starting point for any new fans. These are the best of the best. It is all you could want in an improv comedy show. I have it saved to listen to again, and I cannot wait until they are all back together in the next year or so to do it all over again. This was gold. Check it out. 

Ty

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

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Ty Wants to Play EA Sports College Football 25

Well, after eleven years and seemingly endless roadblocks, NCAA Football from EA Sports is finally coming out this summer. I am beyond excited.

This is the one and only video game that I have ever been really good at, and that I enjoy playing. RD and I used to play this game a ton when we lived together. When my wife and I started dating this was the video game I showed her when she asked if I liked playing video games. I've talked to my son about this game as being the only video game that I have ever truly liked. And the fact that it is coming back has been extra pumped.

I have watched the trailer multiple times already. RD texted me this morning to let me know the news, and I almost didn't believe him at first. As I said, I had heard the rumors. I bought into the rumors. I have been ready ever since the last version came out. When they announced that they were going to stop making the game, I would go on my Xbox and buy the old version to play. I played it a ton at the start of the pandemic because I still had the old version. But it fully went away on my Xbox a few years ago. I tried to search for it in the store to no avail. I heard that you could buy a version of the game, but it was wildly expensive, and you had to have way more computer knowledge than I have ever had in my life. I tried to buy games that the reviewers said were similar, but it was not the real thing. Not even close. So I have been just waiting.

My son will ask me from time to time what video game I would buy if I could buy any game. I have always told him it is NCAA Football. And I was going to wait for it to come back before I bought a new game. I don't care if I have to buy a new system. I hope they have it for Xbox, but if I need to get a Playstation, I'm going to be more than ready to have that talk with the family. If I need to upgrade my Xbox, you better believe that is in the cards.

When I get this game, you better believe I'm going to play it until I'm as good as I used to be. I will sit down and give this video game my attention. I will take my beloved Wolverines and keep them at the top of the college football world. I will jump back into the dynasty version. I'll figure out the transfer portal. I'll do the recruiting. I'll find the plays that work best. I'll make my team a fun run and gun squad. I'll have an attacking and menacing defense. Punts, never heard of them. I will challenge any and all comers. RD can tell you about my prowess with this game. I used to beat his super teams he'd create with Michigan. This is my game. I love it. I'm here for it.

I am so ready, willing and able to play. I am so stoked. I cannot wait. When the next update comes in May I'll be waiting with bated breath. And when the game comes out, I'll be getting it on release day. This is good news and I have never been this ready for a new video game to come out. This is rad. 

Ty

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

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Don't Be a Gatekeeper

I've been gatekeeping my son as far as his fandom goes with sports. If you are not familiar with what I'm talking about, as far as gatekeeping, I find myself giving my son a hard time about which professional sports teams he chooses to root for. He is 12, and has been a pretty big sports fan for about four years now.

My son was always into sports, but recently, after playing competitive sports, he has become even more of a fan. But his favorite teams seem to change yearly. When the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, he was a fan. Last season he loved the Eagles. This year he glombed onto the Lions. All of these teams have had a glow up in the past four years. As far as the NBA, he became a Bulls fan when he started watching. They were not the champs, but they were a playoff team. He chose DeMar DeRozan as his favorite player and he has followed him ever since. He does like other teams though. He was a Lakers fan pre pandemic. He is now a Pacers fan since my dad and I took him to a game last year. He likes the Thunder and the Nuggets. Again, all teams that have blown up recently, with the Lakers being the exception. And with the MLB, he was born into a good fan situation being born in Saint Louis. We have the Cardinals. And even though they struggled last year, they are always good. But he also likes Shohei Ohtani, so he is now a Dodgers fan. He likes Atlanta. He finds himself watching the Rays and the Blue Jays during the last baseball season. All of these teams are perennially solid.

When I sit with this on my own, I have let it frustrate me lately. I've been a Michigan Wolverines fan my whole life. That was the first team I truly rooted for, and now I'm a super fan. This past season was amazing. As for the MLB, I'm a Cardinals fan. That is the only STL based team I openly root for. I'm a Packers fan due to my father. And I love the Memphis Grizzlies. These are my teams, and with the exception being the Grizzlies, I was a massive Seattle Supersonics fan as a kid, I have always been a fan of these teams. But if I sit down and look at it, the one team I love the most is Michigan football. I'm fully invested in them. They are my true one and only squad. But that is just me. I know others feel the same about their team.

As adults, we all have certain teams that we root for, and will always root for. So for me to tell my son who he should and shouldn't root for, who do I think I am? I am not allowed to pick his favorite team. I want him to find this out on his own. He doesn't have to root for who I like. He doesn't have to root for his hometown teams. I've always found that you are supposed to root for your hometown team dumb. There is no reason that you have to like a team based on location. That is absurd. Like whoever you want to like. Just as in life. As long as you aren't hurting anyone. I have heard a lot of younger actors that I listen to on podcasts getting in their bag as gatekeeping fans and it has irked me quite a bit. Just because they live in LA doesn't mean we all have to be Clippers or Lakers fans. And if they like those teams, great, but don't force your fandom on me, or judge me for liking Michigan just because I was born and raised in the STL.

I need to let my kid root for who he wants. If he now wants to be a Chiefs fan, more power to him. He is a kid and kids usually gravitate towards a team that wins. I'm sure I did this outside of my Michigan fandom. But I guess what I am trying to really say today, don't judge people based on where they are from and who they root for. Who cares? Sports are entertainment and it is not my place to tell people how they should enjoy watching and cheering for particular teams and players. Just let it go and enjoy being a fan of whatever team you adopted. Don't gatekeep anyone else's fandom but your own. 

Ty

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

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Ty Plays Retro Bowl

My son plays his Nintendo Switch a lot. I’m not much of a gamer, as you all know, but time to time I’ll play the Switch just to pass the time. It can be a good way to turn my brain off for a bit. I’ve mentioned playing MLB The Show before on the site. I play NBA2k a little here and there. We play Mario Kart and Mario Party as a family. The Switch gets used.

Recently though my son has been telling me to play Retro Bowl. He knows I have a lot of love for Tecmo Bowl. I played that game quite a bit when I was a kid. It was either Tecmo Bowl or NBA Jam for me when I was in middle school. But when my son told me Retro Bowl was similar to Tecmo Bowl, I was skeptical. The other day I grabbed the Switch while some reality show was on and I was not feeling The Show. I go through this with games. I get really into them for a few weeks, but when I’m done, I’m done. That is where I am currently with The Show. So I decided to give Retro Bowl a try.

When I turned the game on, it definitely had a similar look to Tecmo Bowl. That made me smile. I was a little turned off when it wouldn’t let me be the Packers right away though. But as I got more into the game, it definitely got more fun. I was getting real Tecmo Bowl vibes. It’s so simple to play. In Retro Bowl I don’t even have to pick a play. It’s not much, but when I play a game wherein I have less decisions to make, that’s a feather in its cap. So, after being given the Arizona Cardinals, I started to play and was instantly in. The passing is so easy. Move the cursor, press a button and hope you don’t throw a pick. When you catch it, that’s when you can make a move or two, but pressing one button. The same goes with the run game. You press one button, the qb hands it off and then it’s up to you to get yards as the running back. As for defense, you don’t have to play. It simulates it all for you. That makes the game go by super quickly. I can finish a game in about eight minutes. That means I can do more than 1/3 of the season in less than an hour. It’s a little more involved than Tecmo Bowl with the weekly stuff you do. You can make players, facilities and your stadium better by spending coins you earn. You can sign and trade players. You get to draft new players yearly. You can make decisions on coaches both during and after the year. And then you go and play more games.

I have found myself enjoying this game a lot. I think about it from time to time during the day after I’ve already played it. It took me five seasons, but I just won my first Retro Bowl. I’ve taken the Cardinals to the top of the Retro Bowl mountain. And now I have to decide if I want to stay or build up a new team.

I recommend this game for sports fans, especially ones my age that once loved Tecmo Bowl. It’s a nice comparison to the OG Nintendo football game. Retro Bowl is a blast. I can’t wait to play it later today.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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