Is Bronny James a Nepo Baby? Who Cares

Before the NBA draft I wrote a piece about Bronny James. I talked about his possible future in the NBA, why I hoped he was going to be drafted and why I was rooting for him from now on. None of that has changed.

Well, I guess he was drafted, but otherwise, I'm still unsure of his future and I am still rooting for him. I watched his first summer league game and it was fine. He didn't score a lot, but he was present and tough on defense, he played his role and he had some instances that made me think he has a future as a decent bench player in the NBA. Then he missed the second game and I fell off. I stopped with summer league all together. I check on the Grizzlies, but I'm out otherwise. Today I was out with my son and dad to lunch and my dad brought up a very good question. It is the question I am going to try and answer on this very blog today. He asked me if I think Bronny James is a nepo baby.

Nepo babies were all the rage a few months back. People were pointing out a bunch of actors who have famous parents. Some were outraged, others didn't seem to care. The whole idea of a nepo baby doesn't really sway me either way. If someone is talented enough to be paid to do a job, who cares who their parents may or may not be. If they used their parents to get into a door that others might not be able to, good for them. Your parents are supposed to help you out. I don't care if they used that advantage. That is smart. But, the whole idea of a nepo baby seemed to be relegated to Hollywood. I only ever heard it used when referring to actors. But there seem to be nepo babies everywhere. Parents have never stopped helping their kids get jobs. I know of plenty of people who were hired based upon a parental recommendation. And it doesn't bother me.

In the sports world, the whole idea of a nepo baby is going to be coming up more and more. A bunch of people who played, or play pro sports are having kids. These kids are growing up and they seem to have a natural ability to play the game their parents play or played. Carmelo Anthony's son is committed to Syracuse to play basketball right now. That is Carmelo's alma mater, and I'm certain he helped him in his decision to play there. Does that make Kiyan Anthony a nepo baby? Sure. Do people seem to care about it? Nope. Carmelo Anthony is retired, so Kiyan is going to go as far as he can on his own merit. Ken Griffey Jr played with his dad, who was on the Mariners when he was a rookie. Does that make him a nepo baby? Sure. Do I care? Absolutely not. Ken Griffey Jr is one of the greatest baseball players to ever live. He was already better than his dad when he got to the pros and he had a better career. There are a good amount of college athletes whose parents were college and pro athletes, and no one cares or focuses on them being nepo babies. But when it comes to Bronny James, people seem to ask this question more than they should, in my opinion.

Is Bronny James a nepo baby? Most definitely. But, I feel like he has to do a bunch more to prove his worth than any other nepo sports babies. There are a few reasons. First off, Bronny probably shouldn't have been drafted. Even with him going in the second round as the 55th pick, that seemed too high. He missed a bunch of the college season because of a heart defect. When he recovered, thankfully, he did not do much to prove he was a legit prospect. USC was bad and he was average. But, people could see his skill set and see a possible NBA future, if he went back to school. He did not. He went to the combine and had a solid, yet sometimes shaky showing. He did enough, I thought, that he could get a shot as a two way player. But, the pool of prospects at the combine was very, very watered down. This past NBA draft was one of the weaker classes in a long time, so the top players sat out. They knew, or had an idea of where they would go. Bronny had to go, and he did okay. But, I still do not think it was enough to be drafted. After staying in the draft, Rich Paul hovered over him and told him where and where not to work out. Bronny only worked out for two teams, the Suns and Lakers. Other teams, it was reported, were told not to schedule a workout because Bronny was informed by Rich Paul to not work out for them. Then the draft came. Bronny was not a first round pick, rightfully so. But, as day two dragged on, it was looking more and more likely that he was going to be available late in the second round. Rich Paul decided to get involved again, and told teams that if anyone other than the Lakers or Suns drafted Bronny, he would not play for them. I read that he would go overseas.

So, take all of this and smush it together, it reeks of nepotism. The Lakers were all but told to draft Bronny no matter what. Rich Paul and LeBron James wanted it, and they run the Lakers for all intents and purposes. There is no other way to look at this other than nepotism. But, who cares? Honestly. Bronny clearly has skills to be a pro basketball player at some level. He was a division 1 college basketball athlete. He was invited to the combine. He had scheduled workouts. Teams were interested. But his biggest draw is the fact that he is LeBron James' son. I truly don't know if there is any more known nepo baby than Bronny James. So, while he is, for sure, a nepo baby, that does not change the fact that I am still rooting for him to make a name for himself in the NBA. I don't care if his dad is one of the greatest to ever play the game, Bronny can carve out his own niche and stick around if he plays his way. I believe he can do that.

I'm still a Bronny James fan, nepo baby or not. His family gives me zero pause as to his ability. 

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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Greatest American Music - The Genius of Jack White

I have found myself listening to more and more White Stripes lately. Let’s discuss.

I went through a big phase where they were one of my most listened to bands. Then I fell off. I never really pinpointed why. I think it was a number of things. But, the main issue I had was, I despise Jack White. I still do. He seems like a real piece of work. He feels pretentious to me. I don't like the way he speaks. I don't like his dumb little faces he makes when he is out in public. I think he took his persona a little too far, and now that is his whole being, I must have read something negative about him, and that was all I needed to stop listening to his band. I had all the records, I dove into their history, I saw them live, I felt like I did it all. But, due to the fact that I still listen to, and adore, The Black Keys, Spotify put it upon themselves to play more White Stripes when they curated a Black Keys inspired playlist for me. At first I'd skip and move along. But, one day I decided to listen.

The song was "Apple Blossom", off one of their earliest records, and I wanted to hear it again. I think I wanted to understand why I was so into this band at one point in my life. That particular song took me back. I was instantly into the music. I was vibing out. This made me listen to more and more of their music, and I have found it quite enjoyable. I have rediscovered why I like this band so much too. There is one single reason in fact. That reason is, drumroll please, Jack White.

As much as I dislike his personality, as much as others say he is kind of a jerk, as much as his public persona bugs me, the dude is a musical genius. His writing, while simplistic, is dope. I like the old timey blues lean to a bunch of their songs. You can hear the influences. From Robert Johnson to BB King and Muddy Waters, it is all there. You can feel the imprint a band like Led Zeppelin left on him as a younger person. You can hear the ripping guitar and heavy distortion that made them such a big hit in the early 2010's. That, that right there, the sound, that is what I love most about this band. Meg White is a fine drummer. She can keep the rhythm, she does some pretty cool fills and she seems to enjoy drums. But Jack White is the true driving force behind this band. And it is his guitar playing that makes it so listenable.

I was driving my son home from camp today and the song "Ball and a Biscuit" came on. This is a true hit. This song slaps. This is such a simply written song. But the guitar is truly amazing. That is what makes the song so damn good. Jack White shreds solos over and over and over again. He switches from distortion to reverb and back like it is nothing. The guitar in this song gives me mixes of Zeppelin and if Son House had played an electric guitar. It truly slaps. It is probably one of my favorite songs of all time, and it is solely due to the guitar in there. White, for all of his warts, is an undeniably phenomenal guitar player. The dude knows what he is doing and he does it well. He takes risks on that instrument and he hits more often than not. Even when The White Stripes stopped making music, his other projects worked for me as well. The only reason, he shreds guitar over and over and over again. And I cannot get enough of it when I listen. So, for all the reasons I should not like him, his music is reason enough for me to separate the art from the artist. He has not been accused of some things that other famous people have, so maybe I should be a little less angry about his nonsense.

All in all, I'm stoked that I was able to get to this place with his music because Jack White is a really dope guitar player, and if you are on the fence about listening to him, let it go and try it out. You will not 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 Listens to Courtney Barnett

My dad is always on the lookout for new music. Ever since I can remember, he searches, finds stuff and passes it along to his kids. He has introduced me to a bunch of artists I currently listen to. I have always said that he influenced me on my taste, and that rings true to this day. So, when he gives me a suggestion, I listen.

Recently he told me about an artist he found on YouTube named Courtney Barnett. My dad will sit around and watch tons of different artists on the internet and whittle it down to the few he wants to listen to and tell us about. Courtney Barnett must have stuck in his head for a bit, because he brought her up until I listened.

I am glad that he kept mentioning her. She is a pretty dope artist. She is unique and different from current musicians. She has this folk lean to her music, but her singing is akin to Lou Reed. She is monotone, but in a very cool, very listenable way for me. Her instrument of choice is the guitar, and she can play. She goes both electric and acoustic. I prefer her acoustic stuff, but that is only because I like acoustic music more, especially when listening to folk music. She can play. She is no virtuoso, but she can strum it well enough to help carry her song. She also has features sometimes, and when she does that, she tends to let the other musician shine on guitar. She does the majority of the singing, and I like her written lyrics. She is not the best singer in the world, but she can carry a tune. Her voice is different too. She does the monotone stuff, the Lou Reed stuff, but she has these really deep and introspective lyrics. I listen to her more for what she is saying than how she is saying it. She goes into detail in songs. It takes me a few extra listens to get what she is saying, but when I do, it is a very nice payoff. I like how she blends words and melody. She has a real knack for writing a really good folk song. I like what she has to say. That is what has drawn me in most with her so far.

She also has a ton of music. After my first listen, I headed over to my Spotify account and was floored at the amount of music she has on there.  There's a whole lot. And it is all pretty damn good. She has multiple albums, a bunch of singles, she is featured on other records and she is putting in the work. I also like that not everything sounds exactly the same. They have a folk/lo-fi quality, but that is her preferred genre. She can go in different directions within the genre, and she does that very well. She is young too, like in her 20's. That means she has a long, long time to make more and more music. I get hyped with stuff like that. She is still young, so she hasn't reached her music writing prime yet. I get amped to think of what she will write after she lives a little more. I'm sure it is going to be epic.

I'm glad my dad kept at it with Courtney Barnett. I don't know if I would've jumped so deep if he hadn't. And I'm glad that her music is in my life now. She is a very good, very unique artist that more people need to check out. And she has a long career ahead of her. Go check out her music. You won't be disappointed. I think I'm going to go listen to some more of her music now. 

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 "A Quiet Place: Day One"

My wife and I went to see "A Quiet Place: Day One" last weekend. Our kids were staying with grandparents for an overnight visit, so we used that opportunity to go on a date. We went to a movie we wanted to see and had a nice, quiet dinner at home.

We saw the first two "Quiet Place" movies in the theaters as well. The original movie is incredible. It is truly unique. It has a totally different take on a post apocalyptic world. It was an interesting idea that really worked for me as a movie goer. I was all in on the sheer fact that John Krasinki was directing it, and the fact that it happened to work, that was an added bonus. The second installment I was a little cooler on. It is still a good movie, but it just didn't hold the same weight as the first one for me. I liked the idea of seeing the family move on now that the dad had died, but it was more of the same. I knew going in that the monsters attack based on sound, that they cannot see and that water is how you can somewhat defeat them. I was hoping for a little more from the deaf child, but I felt like they didn't push that narrative hard enough. That being said, I liked the whole idea of a town surviving in that world. I thought it was a cool concept. And, spoiler alert, to see how it all came crashing down was a devastating ending, but it was also well done and came across almost flawlessly.

Going into "Day One", I was both skeptical and excited. I was skeptical because we all know this story by now. If you have seen any of these movies, you know the jist. We get the nuance by now. We understand the rules. I was excited though because I wanted to see how this all started. I thought maybe we would get some kind of story telling us why and how the monsters came to Earth. And the fact that they were focusing this story solely in New York City, one of the loudest places on the planet, I was all in for them doing that. So, we got our popcorn and water, sat down in a very comfortable theater and sat back and watched.

We did not get a reason why the monsters attacked, but I was okay with that. I figure that if something like this happens, it will just happen. There doesn't need to be some bigger explanation as to why someone or something decides to attack. I assume with monsters like they have in these movies, they are just out for blood. And that is as acceptable a reason as I need. But, outside of that, this movie didn't really work for me. Lupita N'Yongo is fantastic. She is a damn fine actor and she more than pulled her weight here. But we already know how this all plays out. I wasn't as stoked on seeing the first day of this as I thought I would. When it happened in the movie I sat there and thought, okay, be quiet and get to water. I understand that the storytellers and actors have to do their job and pretend that they don't previously know all this stuff. But if you have seen any of these movies, just like I said above, we know the rules by now. I just didn't buy into the people and how they dealt with this horrific event like I did in the first movie. I already know what the monsters look like as well. And they look great in this movie, and we see them a ton, but the shock and awe wore off for me in the second installment. I didn't really buy any other actors' performances outside of NYong'o's. I wasn't as scared and jumpy as the previous movies made me.

I was talking to my wife and a friend of mine after seeing this movie and telling them that I think they have mined this idea for all it is worth. They can't really tell a new story at this point. They should have stopped after the first movie, but it was a surprise hit and the powers that be want all the money they can get. I get that, but what was once a really cool and different idea has become cliche and, for lack of a better word, boring. Monster movies shouldn't be boring. The monsters should make it exciting. And while I'm not fully on board with this movie, it is good, just not for me. The movie looks great, has one great performance and doesn't linger. But, I could figure out everything that was going to happen, and that is not something I'm always able to do.

Save yourself the time and just watch the first "Quiet Place". Or, if you're a completionist, watch "Day One" and only focus on Lupita N'yongo. She is the only good reason to see 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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NBA Free Agency Gives Me the Chaos I Seek

The first day and a half of NBA free agency has been what I was expecting the draft would be. There have been moves a plenty so far. Some bigger than others, I'll get to those in a minute. Players have changed teams, others are still waiting and the market has dried for some big names. I understand that all the big stuff happens this fast, so we won’t get too many other star moves. But, for the time being, there has been a flurry of movement, and I want to talk about it today.

Right when all of this started, smaller named players re-signed with their current teams. The Pacers retained both Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakim. The Celtics and Lakers kept a few bench guys. Kevin Love is sticking around the Heat. And Kelly Oubre Jr made the correct choice to stay with the 76ers.

Then, as yesterday wore on a bit, some other names started to sign with new teams. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the first "big name" to move. He went from Denver to Orlando. The move was a surprise to me, but all that dude does is win, the Magic are up and coming and he will fit in nicely in Orlando. It feels like a good move all around. Eric Gordon left the Suns and is signing with the 76ers. If he can find his shot again, he adds some depth and bench scoring to a team that needs both. The Suns signed Mason Plumlee, and what he lacks in offense, he will bring some depth and anger to the Suns front court. Naji Marshall quietly signed with the Mavericks. This is a solid move for both. He brings defense and the Mavs clearly need help on that end of the floor. The Mavs were not able to re-sign Derrick Jones Jr though. That will hurt. I know he was not very good in the Finals, but he is a good defender, a world class leaper and he seemed to figure it out last year. The Clippers got him at a steal. I don't understand what Jonas Valanciunas is doing. He left a solid New Orleans team to go play for the Wizards. I get that NOLA wasn't going to offer him much of a deal, but he had other, better suitors. I know the Lakers wanted him. I would have liked the Grizzlies giving him another, smaller deal. He could've gone to the Suns. I guess he wants to put up numbers and get big minutes. That is the only reason I believe he signed with Washington. Andre Drummond is returning to Philly. This is a wonderful move. He will back up Embiid. He is still an excellent rebounder. He can score a bit in the post. And he gives the 76ers a buffer for when Embiid inevitably misses games in the middle of the season.

All these moves were very little compared to what happened after James Harden reupped with the Clippers. We all knew that would happen, I am sure he will be asking for another trade in the middle of next season, but the Clippers offered him 35 million a year. He'd be crazy to pass that up. The next big move after that was the Warriors waiving Chris Paul and then him almost immediately agreeing to a deal with the Spurs. I know CP3 is old and not nearly as good as he used to be, but he is better than every other guard currently on the Spurs roster. He should fit in great with Pop. I am almost certain that Victor Webanyama will adore him. Jeremy Sochan can go back to his natural position. Tre Jones will be much better as a reserve. This is a good move to put together Pop, CP3 and Wemby. I am a big fan of this signing.

The biggest move of the night came as no surprise, and came in the middle of the night, just like his last move. The moment that the Clippers released a statement saying that Paul George would be signing elsewhere, it was certain he was going to the 76ers. I know he had a "meeting" planned with Orlando, but that was never going to happen. The 76ers had the money, Joel Embiid wanted this, Daryl Morey is a star chaser and Paul George wanted four years. The 76ers gave it all to him. He has a four year max deal now worth close to 220 million dollars. He is teaming up with Embiid. The 76ers just gave Tyrese Maxey a big deal, so he is sticking around. They let Tobias Harris walk, and as I told my son, I'd much rather have George than Harris. They got Oubre Jr to come back. Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond are along for the ride now. I would be stunned if Kyle Lowry left. The 76ers are finally building something that looks legit, if everyone can stay healthy, and that is a big, big IF. Embiid and George are rarely healthy for a full season. But, if they can win enough, which they for sure can in the East, the 76ers can rest those guys periodically, to try and minimize injuries. I'd be willing to put the new three stars in Philly up against almost any team in the NBA. The Celtics have the most to say in regards to this, with Tatum, Brown and Derrick White. But, none of those guys can guard Embiid. The Nuggets may say they can throw Jokic at Embiid, but they can't guard George and Maxey, and when Embiid faces up against Jokic, he eats Jokic lunch. The Mavs have no one that can guard those three dudes. Giannis can take on Embiid, but who do the Bucks have to guard the other two guys? Middleton isn't as up to the task as he used to be. The Knicks have a core four to throw at those guys, but Embiid, who had bell's palsy and was coming off a knee injury, still put up big time numbers against them in round one last season. The Pacers don't play defense, so they are a second thought. 

This is a big time move and a big time get for the 76ers. This is who they wanted all along. They got their guy and I cannot wait to see them play next season. Free agency has been fun so far, and we still have a few moves left to be made. But Paul George was the big name, and he is now on a new team. I love 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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Ty Watches "The Bear" Season 3 Premiere

The third season of "The Bear" was just released. I got to it last night. My wife was working late, so I watched the first three episodes. Let’s discuss.

This show is wonderful. It is one of the better things that tv has to offer right now. I'm all in again, as I expected I would be. Today, I want to talk about the season three premiere. After my wife retired to her home office to take a meeting, I sent my kids to their rooms and I went to mine to watch the show. I wanted to fully focus on only the show. As I turned on the first episode, I was blown away at how good, cool and unique it was. The whole premiere is done like a flashback, or a montage. We get to see Carmy going through his entire cooking journey, which led him to where he is today. We get to see conversations he had with his family members. We get to see who he trained with when he started in the restaurant industry. We see him at his highest highs as a chef, and his lowest lows. We watched him work with Daniel Baluad, one of the world's most renowned chefs. We watch him work at a farm to table restaurant, which was literally built at a farm. We see him back with his asshole of a boss played by Joel McHale. We see the chef from the excellent episode of season two, "Spoons". We see her send him to Copenhagen. We see him leave for New York to start his journey. We get to watch flashbacks with his brother who passed. We see him miss the call about said brother passing away. All of this is in the premiere in a montage. And the montage is underscored by Trent Reznor. The music is at times both sweet and haunting. You get the sense of what he was going for with the score when we see what is happening scene to scene.

I was moved by a lot of this episode, but it was the farm to table stuff that really got me. I have always thought of that idea as hackey. It felt like true schtick to me. But watching the premiere of season 3 last night, I got a new perspective on why that way of cooking seems so important to some chefs. Getting to grow, then use your own ingredients, that has got to feel truly amazing when/if you become a chef. Carmy seemed at his most content while working there on the show. I really liked the way that was all filmed and acted and it turned me from a skeptic into a less cynical skeptic. Even the tough moments, the things that make this show sad from time to time, it was necessary to understand why Carmy is back home, and why he is so determined to run this restaurant and work together with Sydney. He wants something bigger and better, and he wants Sydney to have better things as a chef.

All in all, watching an episode with a runtime of about 40 minutes all through montage should not work. But, "The Bear" not only made it work, they made it work perfectly. You get a much better understanding of the main character in this show and why he is where he is as of now. I cannot recommend this show enough. I know a bunch of people are already watching, but if you are somehow not, remedy that right now and watch "The Bear". This show rules and is so unique. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on the Zach Edey Going to the Memphis Grizzlies

Much to my chagrin, not too much really happened during the first round of the NBA draft. No big names were moved. Some prospects got traded, as did some picks, but that always happens. I think I am getting a little too ahead of myself because free agency starts this Saturday, so that is when the real moves will get started. But, I had this hope that there would be something, anything that would have made the draft a little more exciting.

That being said, I do want to talk about one of the early picks that surprised me in a good way. The Grizzlies did not trade up, like I hoped, so they were stuck picking at nine. The guys I thought they may go with were all gone by this point as well. Donovan Clingan, Ron Holland, Rob Dillingham, they had all been taken before number nine. The Grizzlies need a center, so I have to assume they went with the best available guy on their board, and they ended up drafting Zach Edey from Purdue.

This was a shock at first. I have seen him jump in some recent mock drafts, but no higher than 14. Hell, during the college basketball season, I had written a blog about him going to the Spurs in the second round and how good I thought that would be. But last night he was a top 10 pick. He was drafted before dudes that all the mock draft nerds fell in love with this offseason. He is coming off two consecutive men's player of the year awards. He was the only real Boilermaker that showed up in the title game against UConn. He has dominated the Big 10 for three straight years. Zach Edey is a good throwback basketball player. And now the team I root for in the NBA took him in the lottery last night.

After the initial shock wore off, I kept thinking about his fit. I then listened to some other basketball writers talk about the pick, and I have to say, I'm pumped now. I understand he is older than most rookies, and he hasn't played a single second in the NBA yet, but damn I am excited about the potential. The Grizzlies are going to come into this season whole. Everyone is back, and everyone is healthy. Ja is going to come back and be better and stronger than ever. Jaren Jackson Jr is going to bounce back from a less than stellar season last year. Desmond Bane will have help. He won't be asked to do it all himself. GG Jackson is coming off a heater of a rookie year. Luke Kennard can shoot. Ziaire Williams has potential, but he can also be used as a trade asset. Marcus Smart is a solid guard to have next to Morant. The Grizzlies were the 2 seed in the West two years ago. This is a good team. Now, trading Steven Adams was brutal, but with the pick of Edey last night, I feel like they have his replacement in house. I definitely think Edey should be penciled in as the Grizzlies starting center right now. He is their best option. He is humongous. He is 7'5. The Grizzlies have never had this type of size. Edey hustles constantly. He does not take plays off. He will get in good enough shape to run with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. He is going to set some bone rattling screens. Shooters are going to be open in the corners more than they have ever been in their career. He is going to get opponents bigs in early foul trouble. Teams will not be able to put smaller guys on him in the post. He will bury them. He won't have to be the anchor on defense. They have Jaren Jackson Jr to protect the rim and Marcus Smart to take care of the backcourt. Desmond Bane can defend too. Edey has the potential to be a very important player on this team. He fits like a glove. He should buy into his role right away. He is going to get a ton of minutes.

I am on board with this selection. The shock is gone and now I cannot wait to see how they implement Edey into their offense. I trust the coaching staff to do right by him, and the Grizzlies should be right back where they were a short two years ago. I am extra pumped for the next NBA season. I cannot wait. 

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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What I Want to Happen at the NBA Draft

The first round of the NBA draft happens this evening. Let’s discuss.

As I get older, I find myself realizing I don't know who many of the players are that will be first round picks. I know the bigger stars, I can point out the college players I like, but all in all, this is a mystery to me. I will say that, by most accounts, this is not the best crop of players in the world right now. There is no Victor Webanyama or LeBron James. No one in this draft tonight may have the ability to turn around a franchise. I do believe that this is not like the draft that Anthony Bennett went first overall either. I think some teams may take swings, but much like there are no surefire superstars, I do believe that there is no player that can tank an entire team. This is a very middle of the road draft. Some of these guys may turn into all star caliber players, hell some may even one day be a franchise player. But, to me, it is more likely that most of the players drafted tonight will have uneventful, but long-ish careers in the NBA. There are role players abound that will be picked tonight. And, while I do know that guys like Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are more than likely to go one and two, and I understand that Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle will go early, I am not going to do this like a normal draft preview. Instead of pointing out good, maybe not so good and sleeper players, I want to spend my time today talking about what I hope happens over the next couple of nights.

There is going to be a ton of movement. I have that feel going into the draft tonight. The Knicks already made a big move, acquiring Mikal Bridges for Bojan Bogdonavic and a bunch of picks. I love this move for the Knicks. They are Villanova 2.0 now. Bridges adds another defender and a solid shooter to an already very good team. The Knicks finally did something, it was smart and it will benefit them in the long run. This is the type of stuff I want to see tonight. I don't think the Hawks will move that first pick, but it would be rad if they did. I'd love to see them trade Dejounte Murray back to the Spurs. They could offload him for one of the Spurs younger guys and picks four and eight tonight. That way the Spurs get Risacher to team up with Wemby, and the Hawks can go full rebuild.

Which leads me to the next thing, I'd love to see the Hawks fully blow it up and trade Trae Young as well. If they offload both guards for younger dudes, maybe the Pistons would be interested in trading away Jaden Ivey or Jalen Duren for Young, then they could truly start the rebuild. I want to see what the 76ers are going to do with all of their cap space. It sounds like Paul George is off the table for them, so where do they pivot now? Tobias Harris is all but gone. But, they have all this excess money that they are going to have to spend. Maybe they go after one or Murray or Young. Maybe they move up to take a player like Stephon Castle. Maybe they add a bunch of vets to shore up their roster. The possibilities are endless with the 76ers. I want to see what the Suns do. Apparently the Rockets are trying to get Kevin Durant now. Maybe the Suns trade him for the number three pick and some youth from the Rockets. That would be wild and out of nowhere. It would also make this mediocre draft class look a whole hell of a lot better. And if the Suns do take Bronny James in round one, what does that do to the Lakers and LeBron? I'm sure he will stick in LA, but crazier things have happened. I'm of course interested in what the Grizzlies are going to do. Everyone should be back and healthy on a team that was the 2 seed in the West only two years ago. I would be ecstatic if they traded up and took Donovan Clingan. I'm not opposed to them picking Zack Edey at nine if they cannot trade up. I'm very intrigued with Ron Holland or Rob Dillingham. But if they could add one more vet, someone who brings toughness and height, that would be a coup for me as a fan.

I mentioned him a second ago. but I want to see where Bronny James ends up. I'm rooting for him to make it in this league, but that is all going to depend on where, and by who he is drafted. There is no middle with him. He is either going to flourish or he is going to end up a lifetime G League player. I also mentioned Paul George, and if he finally makes a decision, there would be no better night than tonight to let it be known. The 76ers chances of getting him are slim. But, the Warriors are apparently willing to give him a four year deal. The Clippers could sign and trade him. He could simply end up back on the Clippers. Or he may shock us all and go somewhere totally unexpected. And when George finally makes his decision, that is when everything is going to start going real quick. Player movement would be very, very high if/when George makes up his mind. And I hope it happens tonight.

So, while there are few players that really intrigue me in this draft, there is stuff on the outside that could make this a very notable night in the NBA. We will only have to wait a few more hours to see if it really starts popping off. Hopefully it does. 

Ty

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

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Give "House of the Dragon" Some Time

"House of the Dragon" is two episodes into season 2 now. The first season was incredible, and my wife and I were both ready for this second season. So far, it has not disappointed us. The two episodes are a slow burn, but it is a wonderful slow burn. They are building towards a heavy duty war. You get that sense very early on. After the events that closed out season 1, a war was inevitable. This was coming.

The leadup to the fighting so far has been the most wonderful kind of tease. They are slowly building to what seems to be an epic battle. The things that have happened so far in season 2, including two primary-ish season 1 characters, spoiler alert, dying off in the last episode. That fight scene was awesome and tragic at the same time. It had a lot going for it at the time. I have grown to hate one of the guards now too. I didn't like him much in season 1, but after his exploits in the first two episodes, that dude can kick rocks for all I care. He is a coward and only looking out for himself. Most people on this show are out for themselves, so when I can grow to point out his exploits, that means this dude is a real piece of work. Matt Smith is even slimier than in season 1. He has some real issues and he cannot handle the fact that he may never be king. The two queens are clearly trying to keep their houses in order, but they have so many other things going on that it is nearly impossible for them to focus on one thing at a time. They have so much on their tables. The kids are getting much more involved in season 2. The king is a little prick. He is also so stupid. But, I found myself feeling bad for him at moments in the last episode. Rhaynera's kids are clearly working through the death of one of their brothers, and they are finding it very hard to move on. Daemon Targereyan was almost assassinated, but found refuge in a brothel. That dude is a bad, bad person, but he is also clearly gearing up to go to war, and he may be the best fighter on his side. The hand is out of a job and looking to move on, but he is going to need his daughter's help. She is too focused on hooking up with the punkass guard, so I really have no idea where they are going to go with his story. And, for a very bad guy, I felt awful for him at the conclusion of the last episode. I actually found myself rooting for him to beat up the king. And the dragons are creeping up here and there in the first two episodes. We've seen them flying a bit. They are coming out of their dungeons and looking to breathe some fire. They are mean and ready for war as well. I also saw some dragon eggs in a trailer for an upcoming episode, and if we get even more dragons, that would be a thing of beauty.

"House of the Dragon" took a long time off, but the work is showing in the series so far. I am so amped to see where it goes from here. And the battle that is incoming is going to be brutal, bloody and amazing to watch. Sunday's cannot come fast enough. I am itching to see more and more of this show. It is one of the best on tv right now. 

Ty

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

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Roy Wood Jr Live is a Must See

This past Friday I had the great pleasure of seeing Roy Wood Jr on his current tour, which ended a night or two afterward. Let’s discuss.

I have been a fan of Wood Jr's for quite some time now. The first place I saw him was "The Daily Show", and I was hooked. I like the way he delivered his segments on "The Daily Show". He had a calm energy, but he could get frenetic from time to time. That stuff always makes me laugh. When you can go from one level to the next effortlessly, I'm going to be all in for that person. From there on, Wood Jr has popped up in things I watch on tv. He was in an episode of "Only Murders in the Building". He had a very big role in "Confess, Fletch". He was a guest on an episode of "CBB". He was on "The Last OG". He even popped up in one episode of "Better Call Saul". It feels like he only does stuff that I enjoy. So, the opportunity to see him on tour was all I needed to see his standup. The fact that it was on the tailend of his tour made me even happier. This meant, to me, that his hour was going to be as tight as it could.

It was a tremendous hour. He had a few local openers, who were pretty funny. I always enjoy local humor that speaks to the crowd. I'm into that. But we were all waiting for Roy Wood Jr. He came on stage and proceeded to crush for the next hour. He would jump from bit to bit with the ease of a pro. He had that same calm/frenetic energy on stage. If anything, he was even more animated doing his show. He made tons of gestures and seemed to walk back and forth on stage the entire time. At one point some random fan started to walk up to the stage, claiming he knew someone from Wood Jr's family. Sure enough he did. But, Wood Jr used this to his favor, taking the crowd on a hilarious ride with this fan and how they knew one another. I like how he explained that he had to get closer to the city to get the fans he wants for his show. The stuff about The Funny Bone was dynamite. When he got into talking about police in a small town, that was some good stuff. He could've made it political and went down a rabbit hole, but he didn't. That was cool, although I would have enjoyed him dragging the police force. His bit about protests was hilarious.

But it was all in his last two long form jokes. He told two great, hilarious and interesting stories to close out his show. The first was about making friends with some old school porn stars and them inviting him to a sex party. From the initial meeting, to the blossoming friendship, to the crowd showing our age, to the brochure and all that followed, it was amazing. When he acted like the private chef I could not stop laughing. When he eventually explained himself and why he did what he did, I was fully on board with this entire crazy story. But, the closer of the night was tremendous. You could tell why this was his closer. He went into this story, which I could have listened to for hours, you realized early on that it was all about soulmates and his feelings on soulmates. It was truly amazing. It was poignant and hilarious. It was beautifully heartbreaking. He jumped from bit to bit within the story and closed it out with an all time banger of a button on a joke.

This show was awesome. I was so happy with the hour and I could have listened to him talk for another hour with ease. Roy Wood Jr is a pro, and this show lets you know that tenfold. Go see him if you get a chance. It is more than worth your time. I am so glad I did and I enjoyed his show so much. It was a great, great time. 

Ty

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

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Comedy Bang! Bang! Live Delivers Again

For the second time in two years I got to see "Comedy Bang! Bang!" live. The show started its tour about a week ago, and Saint Louis was one of the earlier stops.

As you all know, I adore this podcast. It is the one that I have hung onto the longest. I've been a listener now for over seven years, and that is only half of the time that the show has been running. "CBB" was my introduction, for all intents and purposes, to improv comedy. I have become a fan of a bunch of actors and comedians by hearing them on this show first. I did not know anything about Scott Aukerman until I first listened to "CBB". It is my favorite podcast. So, the opportunity to see the show live, I'm going to find a way to see it. When I went in 2022 I was still pretty leary of COVID. I was, and still am, vaccinated, but it was one of the first times I was indoors with people I didn't know. Some had masks, others didn't. Before the show started, I was nervous. Then they did the show and I was able to enjoy myself. It was awesome. That was my first time seeing "CBB" live. I got to see Aukerman, Paul F Tompkins, Carl Tart and Dan Lippert. It was great and seeing a live show for the first time in two years was amazing.

Going into the show last night, I had a whole different vibe. I have been to many live shows since 2022. I am comfortable not wearing a mask indoors with people I don't know. I love sitting in the balcony now. I invited my buddy Kirk to the show, knowing he doesn't really listen to the show. I wanted to introduce him to what I listen to most of the time. I'm in a totally different place in my life and I went to this show expecting and hoping for a good time. And I had a very, very good time. I don't know if Kirk finds it as funny as I do, but I definitely heard him laughing here and there, and that made me smile.

Aukerman came out at 7:45 last night and the show instantly started rolling. He did his catchphrase submission. He did the balcony report. He made a few jokes and it was right to the interviews. PFT, who always tours with him, was the first guest. He was an Irish priest who has only been on Andy Daly's podcast. I enjoyed this character quite a bit. PFT and Aukerman have such great chemistry and they are lifelong friends. It shows when they are on stage together. Their rapport is excellent and they perform with ease. To me it truly feels like they are the only people there and they are having a good time. After PFT's segment Lily Sullivan came on as Bicky from the Gym. This is a classic "CBB" character. She plays an "Australian", but she is really from Ohio, she just studied abroad for one month. She also plays an actress named Lily Sullivan, but she is nothing like herself. Everything is bigger and better. Sullivan is a great improviser and she has really grown to be one of my favorite guests on "CBB". The highlight of the night was the next guest, Conor Ratliff. He was Maurice the Missourah Mule, and boy oh boy was he hilarious. The back and forth with Aukerman was amazing. He had a good time with both Sullivan and PFT. When he went to confession, that was one of the funnier bits of the night. Ratliff has become a fast favorite for me and I laugh harder and harder each time he is on. He hit an absolute home run last night. His performance was great. Carl Tart returned to STL again and played the Pine Sol Lady. I like this character a lot. He always mentions the power of pinesol and it gets bigger and bigger each time. As the Pine Sol lady, Tart likes to talk about her love for porn and crime. He also got up and did 20 push ups during his time last night . I was impressed by that. I also really liked his "monologue" from "The Wizard of Oz". And his take on Imo's pizza was not far off. The show concluded with Will Hines playing the Galactic Boogie Boarder. Before he even got on stage he had a big laugh. He was trying to "skate" onto the stage, but he fell. He also had three pizza boxes in his hands at the time. He was okay, and when everyone was settled, Hines was able to successfully skate onto the stage. From there on out it was business as usual when Hines is on "CBB". He played a rather boring character, and the panel on stage proceeded to mess with him. It was tremendous.

For me, the show last night delivered everything I want from an episode of "CBB". I laughed a ton. I got to hear some of my favorites. I met a new character. And it was longer than a regular episode. I was very pleased with pretty much everything last night. You should see "CBB" live if you can. It is one of the funnier shows out there now, and they seem to be in a groove. They can do no wrong in my opinion. Last night was a total blast. 

Ty

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

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Is Clipse Coming Out with a New Record?

If someone sat me down and asked me my favorite genre of music at this point in my life, I'd have to say hip hop. That is the one genre that has stuck around through all of my musical flings. I used to love jam music, I still dig dingy blues rock, I went through my alternative rock stage and hung on to some of those artists and I have even found myself enjoying pop music since having kids. The one constant has always been hip hop.

From a young age my older brothers turned me onto groups like Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Del the Funky Homosapien, Biz Markie, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, pretty much any cool hip hop that came out in the early to mid 90's. As I got older I started to listen to my own picks. I was early with Missy Elliot. I bought the Timbaland and Magoo album. I found Biggie on my own. I gravitated to an artist like Fabolous with ease. NERD was my introduction to Pharrell Williams. It was during this time that I came across a group called Clipse.

Back in 2002 I had no idea who Clipse was. But, it turns out that their record "Lord Willin" was produced by the Neptunes, so I was in. The Neptunes were Pharrell's production group at the time. And in 2002 that was all I needed to check an artist out. If Pharrell was attached, I was in because I loved NERD. So I went to the local Best Buy and scooped up "Lord Willin".

What I then heard kind of changed my mind on hip hop. This was different. This, to me, was futuristic. Clipse were great. They had this excellent back and forth that I had not been able to find in other duos. Pharrell's beats and production was top notch. Go back and listen to their massive hit "Grindin". You can understand why it was such a monsterous song. I listened to the record the other day, and while it is all good, "Grindin" is on a whole other planet.

After hearing "Lord Willin", I was fully bought in. I bought the other Clipse records that were out at the time. I listened to them over and over. After four records, they stopped, but I still followed up. I didn't check out any of Malice's stuff, I don't know if he did any solo work, but I kept up with, and still listen to, Pusha T. He is one of my current favorite artists. He still sounds to me like he did back in 2002, and that is an accomplishment all its own. I remember being super bummed out when he had to cancel a show in STL because I had purchased advanced tickets. I am a Pusha T fan through and through.

When I started to see things pop up on music sites I follow that Clipse was possibly going to make a new record, I got a little hype. Then I started seeing more and more people bringing it up. I was still a little skeptical because I hadn't heard anything from Malice or Pusha T. But then they showed up at a fashion show in Paris the other night together, and it seemed legit. I let myself get excited. This seemed like the real deal. To hammer that feeling home even further, Pharrell came out and said he was going to be producing the next Clipse record. This meant it was true. I would hope he wouldn't put that out in the world if he didn't want to get fans' hopes up. So I am all in now. This definitely looks to be true. With Pharrell on board and both Malice and Pusha T hanging out, I am fully expecting and will be patiently waiting for a new Clipse record. They haven't put out any new music since 2009, so I am fully expecting this to be amazing. When these two dudes get together, with Pharrell producing, great things seem to happen. I don't know when a new record will come out, but you better damn well believe that I will be streaming the hell out of it on day one.

I cannot wait. I am overly excited about this. This is some good news on the music front. So far, just the fact that they have announced possible new music, I have found my way back to their old stuff and getting thrilled at the idea of what's to come. The new record can't come soon enough. And when it does, you better believe I will be singing its praises on this very website. 

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. Willie Mays

Another legendary athlete just passed away. Last night, after returning home from some child related activity, I read the news that Wille Mays had passed.

This one hurts even more than Bill Walton or Jerry West. Willie Mays was the first person, obviously on videotape, that I saw make the game of baseball fun. Mays was an all around athlete who happened to excel most at baseball. He also had this unbridled joy with which he played the game. Mays, on the videos I used to watch obsessively as a kid, always had a smile on his face. He would walk up to bat grinning ear to ear. He would swing the bat and smile as he ran the bases. He would track down fly balls and make incredible over the shoulder catches, and that smile never left. He would hurl in some of the most incredible throws I had seen, and after the out was recorded, he would laugh and that smile was ever present. Mays loved what he did, he seemed to understand it was a game and he looked thrilled to be on the baseball field doing some of the most unthinkable things at that time in the MLB.

Mays also happened to be very, very good at the game of baseball. He is a hall of famer, obviously. He hit .301 for his career. He tallied over 3,200 hits during his time. He hit 660 home runs. He drove in almost 2,000 runs and, to top it all off, he stole 339 bases. Willie Mays was Barry Bonds before Barry Bonds. Mays had this combination of speed and power. But, he could also hit for average. He was a threat anytime he came up to hit a homerun. And, if he didn't hit one out, he was going to get on base, and then he'd turn a single into a double or triple by swiping a few bases when the next hitter came up. He was the first player that I knew of who could do all of these things. Mays was this threat to every pitcher and opponent the moment he stepped into the batter's box. Not to be outdone, Mays also happened to be one of the best outfielders to ever lace them up. His speed gave him the ability to track down long fly balls. The plays that ended up on "Sportscenter" when I was a kid, had that show been around when Mays played, he would have had his own personal top 10 plays. He had to be an influence on other outfielders like Jim Edmonds and Ken Griffey Jr. He also had a rocket for an arm. He would track these long flys down, and then not to be outdone, he would rifle the ball back into the infield, trying to double someone up if possible. He was, more than assured, an influence on a player like Vlad Guerrero, who is one of my all time favorites. The skills were so great that he was acknowledged time and again with accolades. He has a ring. He was a 24 time all star. He was a two time MVP and a 12 time Gold Glove winner. He was the NL home run leader four times. He was a one time batting champ. His number 24 is retired by both the Mets and Giants. And he was on the MLB All Century team and the MLB all time team. Mays is, rightfully so, considered one of the best to ever play baseball.

Mays was beloved by many because he was such a nice guy. He would play stickball with kids anytime he visited Harlem. He never seemed to ruffle any feathers. And most players have nothing but nice things to say about him. Mays stuck around and was a hitting coach a bit after he retired from the game. He then went on to meet with several presidents, culminating in Barack Obama, the greatest president ever, given him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. The MLB would later rename the World Series MVP trophy the Willie Mays World Series trophy in 2017. Mays showed up in movies and tv shows periodically. He was married a few times and has some kids. He is also Barry Bonds' godfather. Mays is an icon when it comes to baseball. He showed up ready to play and ready to dazzle the fans. This is as big a deal to baseball as Walton and West are to the NBA. Hell, this is a bigger deal. Mays was a much bigger star and more important to the game.

Rest In Peace Willie Mays. Grab an over the shoulder fly ball wherever you may be right now. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on the Celtics 18th NBA Title

The Celtics won their 18th championship last night. They did it relatively easily, disposing of the Mavericks in five games. Jaylen Brown was the rightful Finals MVP, Al Horford got his first ring and local guy Jayson Tatum shut his doubters up in the process, delivering a pretty great close out game. Let’s discuss.

I know the media will want to try and place this team in the annals of history today, and find excuses for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and start moving on to next season. I want to look back at these finals and give my impression.

Before the series started I picked the Celtics to win in six games, only a game off, and said I would not be watching much of it at all, I logged about two and a half quarters worth of tv time on these finals. I made it no secret that I do not like either of these teams. I have never been a Celtics fan and the mere presence of Luka Doncic's face makes me annoyed and angry. But, the basketball I did watch, I gained some respect for this version of the Celtics. They have two bonafide superstars currently on their roster. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are legit. They are both in the top 20, maybe 15, of the league right now. Brown was an absolute beast this whole series. He was consistent on both ends of the floor. He wanted this ring more than anybody, or that was how I saw it. He put in the necessary work, stayed healthy and became the best overall player on the Celtics when they needed him most. Tatum showed the viewing public another side of his game. He couldn't score as easily as he does, so he decided to become a ferocious driver and made the right pass time after time. Tatum knew what would work against the Mavs defense and he did it over and over and over again. The Mavs had no answer for this version of Tatum and he used that to his team's advantage. Derrick White was a hound on defense and he made big shots seemingly all the time. Al Horford stepped up and played a great role on both ends of the floor. And Jrue Holiday more than proved his worth each and every night. He may be the most underrated player in the entire NBA. The dude just wins. The Celtics bench stepped up when they needed them to. They rebounded well. They made the right play on offense. They survived their mental lapses. And they played suffocating defense. Their defense in this series was a thing of beauty. They were everywhere. They switched everything. They didn't care who had the ball, they were guarding one on one. It was a breath of fresh air for me to watch. They shoot way too many threes for my taste, but their defensive prowess more than made up for their offense to me.

As for the Mavs, they were overmatched from the jump. Doncic moaned and groaned all the way to fouling out during a crucial moment in game three. He spent too much time focusing on the refs. He got exposed on defense. Anyone that called him the "best player" in this series should be eating their words this morning. Sure, he scored, but he was bad in these finals, very bad. Kyrie Irving was worse. He never made an impact on either end. He had one game where he scored okay, but it didn't matter. He did not bring the same energy on defense that he had in the previous series. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. He struggled mightily. The bigs the Mavs had couldn't do much of anything. Derrick Lively Jr started slow, but did finish strong. He is also a young rookie, so hiccups were expected. Daniel Gafford was played off the floor. PJ Washington was irrelevant. Maxi Kleber was bad. Tim Hardaway Jr never got consistent minutes. The Mavericks bought into the media hype and they were exposed. And Jason Kidd got wildly outcoached by Joe Mazzula. Mazzula had a plan, it worked and he wavered only when he had to. Kidd's plan was to let Luka Doncic do whatever he wanted to do and hope for the best. Jason Kidd is incredibly knowledgeable on the game of basketball, but I do think he is wildly overrated as an NBA head coach. A 35 year old treated him like he was the young guy trying to figure it out in the finals. Joe Mazzula was masterful.

All in all, this was not a very good finals. But, the better team won. The Celtics are just that too, a team. They don't need the 1 star surrounded by role players. Brown and Tatum are upper echelon talents, but they understand the importance of playing team basketball on offense and defense. The Mavericks are not at that level, and I fear they may not get there with this roster and coaching staff. Congrats to the Celtics. They are in sole possession of the most titles in NBA history, and this could be the start of more to come. Time will tell. 

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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"Semi-Pro"" is a Movie Worth Revisiting

I enjoy most sports movies. When the movies focus on sports I watch and play, that makes it an even better viewing experience for me. Over the weekend I revisited one such sports movie from the recent past that I like quite a bit. Let’s discuss.

After I run on Sunday mornings, and get cleaned up, I usually take a rest on the couch. Sometimes I doze off, other times I just want to chill and watch something on the tv. So, yesterday I searched on Max for something to pass the time. Eventually I came across the ABA movie, "Semi-Pro". This movie stars Will Ferrell, and it is about a fictional ABA team, the Flint Tropics. This was when Will Ferrell had a ton of heat on him. He had a blank check and he could do whatever he wanted. I feel like he was given this because of fans like me. I enjoy pretty much every Will Ferrell movie. Even in the adjectively bad movies, I find something to cling to and find myself laughing and laughing. Now, "Semi-Pro" is not a bad movie, far from it. I think it is very funny, the actors totally buy in and they all seem to be having a good time. They also get to cast all of their friends, the basketball is not that bad and the wardrobe is second to none.

For those that may not know, the ABA was a small rival to the NBA. The ABA was more fun, there were more fights, they introduced the 3 point line and dunk contest and the league was full of dysfunction and a form of thievery. "Semi-Pro" has it all, but they imagine a world where it wasn't a foregone conclusion that the Nets, Pacers, Nuggets and Spurs were always going to be the teams that the NBA inherited. In "Semi-Pro", the Kentucky Colonels, Spirits of Saint Louis and the Flint Tropics have a shot to be chosen by the NBA. All they have to do is finish in the top four of the league. This is the baseline story of the movie, but all the while there are jokes flying, solid basketball being played, silly arguments, dope funk music and Will Ferrell and his buddies having a great time on set.

First off, Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, the coach, owner and starting forward of the Tropics. He has a humongous curly afro and has "written" a hit song. He is hilarious. Patti LaBelle plays his mom too. It was so funny when she showed up in the movie. Alongside Ferrell, we have Andre 3000, Woody Harrellson and some other comedy buddies, all having the time of their lives. The point guard for the team has some of the best, most understated jokes in the whole movie. Andy Daly and Will Arnett are the announcers. Their back and forth is tremendous. Andy Ricther and Tim Meadows work with Ferrell and for the Tropics. The whole "jive turkey" scene is one of the most nonsensical and hilarious scenes in movie history for me. Kristen Wiig plays an animal tamer. Paul Rust and Jason Sudeikis are lifetime fans of the Tropics. Jackie Earl Haley, coming off an Oscar nomination, plays a hippy who happens to also be a fan. Rob Cordry is married to Maura Tierney, and he happens to be obsessed with Woody Harrellson's character. David Koechner is the commissioner of the NBA. Matt Walsh is a priest who moonlights as an ABA ref. I mean, the list of comedic names in this movie is truly staggering and makes it all the more funny. For that reason alone, this movie is worth the watch. But, as I said before, the basketball is very well filmed in this movie. Andre 3000 has some skills. When they show them figuring out how to do an alley oop, not only is it funny, but it also looks great. Harrellson obviously has skills due to his time in "White Men Can't Jump". It is no secret that Will Ferrell enjoys basketball. The actors in this movie have enough skills to make it look realistic. Finally, for me, the music in the movie is rad. It is all 70's funk, which I adore. The bass is thumping, the guitars are groovy and the singing makes me yearn to listen to more Parliament. When Ferrell is driving to the club after the first scene in the movie, he is listening to an old school funk song and I find myself singing along with every rewatch of this movie.

"Semi-Pro" is an underrated gem from the late 2000's. It is much better than the critics gave it credit for, and better than you probably remember it being if you have only seen it once. Yesterday was probably the 5th or 6th time I have seen it, and I cannot wait to watch it again. "Semi-Pro" has a special place for me. It is pretty wonderful. 

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 "Clipped"

I started to watch the hulu miniseries "Clipped" the other day. I have been looking forward to this since I listened to the podcast miniseries, "The Sterling Affairs", that it is based on. I followed along with the casting, the writers they hired and when it would be released. Then I went on vacation and forgot about it. That is until my cousin messaged me to ask if I had seen any of it yet. That jogged my memory and I fired it up the other day.

Now I truly cannot decide if I like it or not. This is a wild, widl story. For people who may not know, "Clipped" is centered around Donald Sterling, the former owner of the Clippers, and his relationship with his assistant V Stiviano. He said some horribly deplorable things about other races, Stiviano taped it all, and when she felt like she was being pushed out of his life, she released the tapes for all to hear. I have never listened to the tapes, but from what I have read about them, they are abhorrent. Sterling is a racist through and through. He also seems like a real crummy person to be around. He is an awful person who deserves all the hate he is rightfully getting right now. Ed O'Neil plays him in this show, and I have to give him credit because he is creepy as ever. Everytime he is onscreen portraying this monster my skin crawls. I cannot stand this person and O'Neil hammers that feeling home for me. Stiviano is played by Cleopatra Coleman, and she does a very good job of portraying someone that is just out to be famous. She doesn't seem to care how she gathers said fame, she just wants to be famous. Jacki Weaver plays Shelly Sterling, and she is delivering as she always does. The final main character of this story is Doc Rivers, played by Laurence Fishburne. He is, far and away, the best actor in this whole thing. He has totally embodied Rivers. He sounds, moves and reacts just like Rivers. It is uncanny.

So, with this main cast being a bunch of homerun hitters, and this story being juicy as hell, that should make for an easy 1-2 punch to make this whole show sing. But, it seems very different and odd at times while watching. I told my wife that I don't know if these people are really this shallow, or that was the direction the actors were given. At times the show seems very much like a melodramatic soap opera that "Talk Soup" would have made fun of in its heyday. Other times they try to be very serious, but it feels like they go over the top with it. When I was watching the second episode the other day it felt very much like a Spanish telenovela. I don't know if that is the vibe this show is going for, but that was the feeling I took away the other day. And the casting team did no favors to the actors they got to play the players. None of these actors resemble any former Clipper. During a basketball scene when they are playing the Warriors, the guy they got to play Steph Curry is the bottom of the bargain barrel version of Curry. But, with all these criticisms I may have, I find myself going back for more. It is like a trainwreck that I simply cannot look away from. I will laugh hysterically at something that I have to assume they were going for drama and not comedy. There are other times that I will exclaim, to no one in the room, "WHAT!!!!????!!!". I cringe consistently at some of the basketball stuff they do. There is a scene where they do the roll call song, and it made me squirm on my couch.

All in all, this show is inconsistent, and at times very dumb. But, I want more. I think because I was so interested and I devoured the podcast miniseries, I will finish this. But, I'd be wrong if I said it was actually good. It is a soap opera and that is how I will watch it going forward. 

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 "Iron Claw"

I had a free afternoon yesterday and I used it to watch "The Iron Claw". This is a movie I have wanted to see for a while now. I had tried to see it in the theaters with my dad, but the timing was never any good. Too many things going on with my kids. But, he and my mom had seen it recently, and my dad told me that I should watch. He wanted to get my thoughts on the movie. So I sat down and tuned in.

Right off the bat, this is a very, very well made movie. The wrestling looks real and looks amazing. The look of the movie transported me back to being a kid in the late 80's. The writing was never cliche or over the top. A lot of sports movies get cliche and easy to predict. This movie did not go that route and it is better for it. The direction is very well done. And the acting is top of the line. I enjoy Zach Efron as a person. He seems like a good enough dude and I appreciate that he is trying to get out from the Disney kid shadow. But I have not really considered him to be the best actor out there. Well, my mind has been changed. He absolutely nails it here. He does a fantastic job playing the oldest surviving brother of the family. And he completely transformed his body. He is shredded. The first image we see of him is him waking up and the dude is cut. Good for him. The other brothers in the movie do an excellent job as well. Jeremy Allen White gets to do what he does best. He is dramatic and doesn't have to say much. Harris Dickinson plays the brother who is kind of thrust into the limelight. He does great work with the whole trash talk thing that they do in professional wrestling. And the fourth brother, there are five in real life but they left one out which I was fine with, Stanley Simons, also nailed it. He was the outcast. He wanted to play music and not be a wrestler. He was kind of thrust into that world, and this actor's portrayal of that pain was done very well. And the mom and dad, Maura Tierney and Holt McCallany, play super serious, super intense enablers. They were both wonderful in their roles, especially McCallany. He was mean and bitter and tough and I grew to loathe him by the end of the movie. That is a sign of a well acted role. The back and forth between him and Efron was stunning to watch for many reasons. It was great acting, it was tough, I bought that this was a real relationship and I ended up feeling bad for both of them.

The first hour of this movie is a thrill. There are a bunch of wrestling things, both behind the scenes and in the ring that were an absolute blast to watch. Seeing the brothers interact and work off one another was cool. Seeing Kevin, Efron, find a person who loved him and see them grow and get married was great. Then, about an hour in, this movie turns very sad and it is relentless. This is where all the death and destruction of the family begins. I guess it is no surprise to people who know of the family that this movie is based on, but it felt like one tragedy after the next. Each kid, with Efron being the lone exception, dies in a tragic, awful way. And they show us. We see the bad things that happen. And it is brutal. Watching this movie, I got similar vibes to the first time I saw "Full Metal Jacket". Each movie starts all fast and moves quickly. But then it takes a dramatic turn and turns into something totally different. And both movies are really damn good.

I liked this movie. But, it is very tough to watch. You need to understand that going in. This movie is sad and it does not let up in the second half. But, I recommend watching. Hell, I'd say watch it for Efron's performance alone. He is wonderful, but so is 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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R.I.P. Jerry West

I returned home from a run this morning and read that Jerry West had passed away at 86 years old.

This is a true bummer. West is an all timer. He was nicknamed "The Logo" because that is him in the logo for the NBA. Everytime we see that image, it is Jerry West. That is as high an honor as most in professional sports. When I look at other logos, MLB, NFL, College Football, none of those have a silhouette. The NBA does and it is of an actual player. That is truly mind blowing to me.

I vividly remember when I found this information out as a kid. That put me on a path to figuring out as much as I could about Jerry West when he was a player. He was damn good as a player. He is the only player to win Finals MVP for a team that did not win the finals. He went to many finals, but only won one. He was incredible in every finals appearance. He was the type of player who literally left it all on the floor. He was a 14 time all star. He was the 1969 MVP. He was the second overall pick in the 1960 draft. He played his college basketball at West Virginia, where he was a two time All American, two time SoCon POTY, the Final Four MOP in 1959 and had his number retired. To go along with his ring and MVP, he was on the All NBA First Team 10 times, the all defensive team 6 times, the scoring champ in 1970, the assists leader in 1972 and had his number retired by the Lakers. He is a hall of fame player who left the league scoring over 25,000 points, grabbing over 5,300 rebounds and dishing out over 6,200 assists. He was also on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He did it all as a player.

West also happened to be a top notch executive. He is an 8 time champ as an exec, and he won executive of the year twice. Some notable moves he made as an exec include, trading for Kobe Bryant, signing Shaquille O'Neal, drafting Paul Gasol in Memphis and hiring Hubie Brown, drafting Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in Golden State and bringing in Kevin Durant. He was also the driving force that brought Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers. The dude not only knew how to play, but he could build some damn good teams, especially in the modern NBA. He did coach for a bit, but realized he was much more suited to doing the work behind the scenes. That speaks volumes to me. I know that he wasn't a fan of his depiction on "Winning Time", but I do think he had to be a little crazy to accomplish all he did. Most super intelligent people are a little nuts. And when it comes to basketball, Jerry West was a genius.

What I think I latched onto most with West was his personality. He seemed to be, by all accounts, an introvert and dealt with anxiety. I too have the same things going on in my life. I'd rather blend into a crowd or just go home to my people. I feel like Jerry West was the same. And the older he got, the more open he was with his personal issues. I appreciate that. He came out and said it and I like to think that a lot of others found the courage to do the same after West.

All in all, West was one of the best the NBA has ever given the fans. He was a relentless player and executive when he was in the league. He drove himself to be great. He dealt with things that could not have been easy back in the 60's and 70's, but he came out of it a better and stronger person. He is beloved by players old and new. The outpouring has been amazing to watch. The first two people I saw say something were LeBron and Michael Jordan. The two greatest to ever do it, and they instantly show their love and support. That is a beautiful thing.

Rest in Peace Jerry West. Go get some buckets wherever you may be now. 

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 "Madame Web"

Yesterday I wrote about a movie I loved, "Godzilla Minus 1". Today I am writing about another movie. Unfortunately for me, this movie was not nearly as good. Hell, it wasn't even enjoyable. The movie is "Madam Web".

Now, before I get into it, I had heard all of the bad things about this movie. I read reviews. I saw videos of people mocking it. I saw the stars of the movie bemoaning it publicly. Still, I wanted to watch it. I have also heard a few podcasts talk about it, and while they acknowledged how bad of a movie it is, the majority of the pods seemed to think it was still enjoyable to watch. I started to get feelings that it may be akin to "The Room". That is one of the worst movies ever, but I think it is endlessly watchable. There is a difference. Some movies are just bad. Others are bad, but in a fun way. "Madam Web", at least for me, is just bad. Part of the push to watch this was my wife. She loves superhero stuff. I never really was into superheroes until I met her. She has definitely made me a fan of some of the MCU, namely X-Man stuff. So, she wanted to see the movie, I had heard that it could be fun bad and it is now streaming on Netflix. All of these things came together one night that was free, so we sat back and watched the movie.

From the start of it I just could not find anything I enjoyed about the movie. Dakota Johnson's performance felt so phoned in. It seemed like she was forced to do this movie. I asked my wife if the people who made the movie had some incriminating evidence, and if she didn't do the movie they would let it out. Her performance was boring and hollow. And she is the main character. Adam Scott was fine, but I'm a fan of his. He did the best with what he was given. I can say the same thing about Emma Roberts. I have not seen much of her stuff, but here, much like Adam Scott, she did the best she could with the lines she was given. Mike Epps, who I enjoy quite a bit, was barely in it, and they killed him off pretty early on. The three girls that Dakota Johnson takes under her wings are as cliche as they get. They have the "bad girl", the "nerdy girl" and the "lonely girl". And they all want to do their own thing until they can't anymore. And to cast Sydney Sweeney as the quiet dork is some of the worst casting in movie history. I hate to be the typical hetero male here, but she is far too attractive for that type of role. It is impossible to buy. The villain in this movie was horrendous. I feel like the majority of his lines are ADR. Paul Scheer even said as much in the live recording of "How Did This Get Made" when they talked about this movie. Anytime he has to give extra lines of dialogue, they cut from his face and shoot him from the back. And his voice was incredibly grating and awkward. The scene at the beginning, with Johnson's mom, was awful and proves that the actor was almost all ADR. That whole scene too was a total mess. They don't explain anything that is going on, some wild stuff happens, and then we are transported to modern day. This movie also felt like a COVID movie. A bunch of scenes were outdoors. When they were inside, there seemed to be no more than a few people on screen, with the exception being the baby shower. That scene is a mess all its own. It is truly bad. The action sequences were bad. We only get to see the superheroes in their costumes in two very short dream sequences. The writing is very bad. The actors seemed disengaged and bored with what they were doing. No one seemed to buy into the whole world they tried to create in this movie. There is no post credit scene, which I am fine with but my wife was mad about. She likes that type of thing in her superhero movies.

"Madam Web" is a big miss, and I didn't even find it fun bad. It was just bad bad. I do not recommend this movie. It is just a hair under two hours, but man did it feel a whole lot longer. Skip this and watch "Godzilla Minus 1" instead. 

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 "Godzilla Minus One"

Hello all. I'm back from a relaxing vacation and I have things to talk about. I see RD wrote some excellent pieces while I was gone. I'd like to give him a big thanks for that. One article struck me the most. It was his love for "Godzilla Minus 1".

He has been talking about this movie since it was in the theaters here in the US. He has always been a Godzilla fan too, so him gassing this movie up so much was not surprising. Me, I am pretty indifferent when it comes to Godzilla. I like some of the movies, haven't seen others and some are pretty bad. But, the way RD wrote about "Godzilla Minus 1" intrigued me. So, the night we got back my wife and I wanted to veg out and watch a movie. It was my turn to pick and I picked "Godzilla Minus 1". I also made sure to mute my phone and put it somewhere that wouldn't tempt me to look at it while the movie was playing. I'm glad I did that.

From the moment this movie started, I was all in. That first sequence, where they have the mechanics and the kamikaze pilot being attacked by the Godzilla in this movie was amazing. It was at night, but you could fully see Godzilla. We got a very good look at this monster that we would follow throughout the movie. But we also got some backstory on the people being attacked. The kamikaze pilot did not go through with his mission. He cowardly fled when he was supposed to complete his mission. The only mechanic that survived the attack was rightfully pissed at the pilot. They got on a ship to go home, the war was over, and the mechanic let the pilot know how mad he was with him. He gave him photos of the deceased families that they left behind. The pilot arrived at a ravaged home. His city was decimated by the war. The bombs took almost everything out. The pilot returned to no family. Only one person he knew was left, and she was unhappy with him. I think all of this made this movie all the more better.

Sure, there was a Godzilla monster that the humans had to fight, but we also got a story about people. We got to know the characters. This wasn't just random people fighting a monster. We got to see the aftermath. We saw PTSD. We saw the town get rebuilt, only to be destroyed by Godzilla again. That scene, when Godzilla comes on land and crushes the city, was marvelous. Godzilla had grown radioactive spikes at this point. Godzilla had fire breath. Godzilla was there to cause chaos, and chaos abounded. Buildings were reduced to rubble. Houses were gone. Many, many people lost their lives. And when we get to the climactic battle, the big boss match up, it was a thing of beauty. I kept saying to my wife how I couldn't believe that it wasn't real. They made the waves and the water and the monster all look so real. The whole fleet of Navy ships and the tugboats that accompany them was a thrill to watch. And Godzilla was so damn cool to look at while watching this movie. The way they made the spikes and the radiation come to the forefront of the monster was the best I'v ever seen in a Godzilla movie.

As I stated above, the story and the acting is wonderful. These actors made it seem like so much more than a monster movie. I rooted for and against people. The four main guys we get for the majority of the movie have some excellent moments between them and solo stuff that is awesome to see. And the fact that they made Godzilla simply a destructive force, doing what Godzilla does because it wants to, that is the best way to show this monster on screen.

RD was right. This is an incredible achievement. There is no other movie that has come out this year, maybe "Furiosa", that reaches the levels this movie gets to along the way. "Dune: Part 2" may be close as well. But, for the moment, "Godzilla Minus 1" is the best movie I have seen in 2024. I for sure recommend watching this movie. I have no notes and no real criticisms. "Godzilla Minus 1" is as close to a masterpiece as we have gotten in a long, long time. 

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.