Let's Pump the Brakes On All This Luka Doncic Love

The NBA playoffs have been tremendous this season. The games have been awesome, for the most part, the competition is top notch, the programming and "show" of the game is great, the boycott was historical and some of the players have been so rewarding to watch.

One such player who was very good was Luka Doncic. He did some really solid offensive things. That isn't fair, he was electric, on the offensive end of the floor. I do not enjoy watching him play personally, he reminds me of a less athletic James Harden, but nonetheless, he was great. He put up big numbers, hit clutch shots, including a game winning three and basically carried the Mavericks to two wins over a very, very good Clippers team.

With all this being said, you would think with the coverage of him during the playoffs, and listening to the analytics nerds who are destroying the game though, he is the greatest player to ever play. Forget Jordan, LeBron, Bill Russell, Kareem, Magic, or any other hall of fame player, basketball didn't start until Luka Doncic played in these playoffs. It has been a bit too much. It is so much massaging of his ego. People are protecting him as if he is the current MVP and poised to win a title right now. He is not. I already mentioned that he is a very good, to great, offensive player, but he is a sieve on defense. Kawhi did not get the publicity that Doncic did, but he put up similar numbers, hit almost as many clutch shots and actually played defense. Any Clipper that Doncic was put on, for the most part, ate with ease. He really needs to work on that part before I start to memorialize his game. He also constantly complains in the refs direction when he doesn't get a call, or gets something called on him. This is the James Harden part of his game. He whines and moans and shoots far too many free throws, slowing the games down to a dull. It is boring. But again, I have heard basketball writers that I highly respect and adore, most notably Zach Lowe, singing his praises as if he is already this superstar that has won every major award and trophy in the NBA. It was bonkers after he hit that game winner, and then the Mavs went out and got absolutely wiped off the floor when they decided to try 100 percent.

The thing that irritates me most though, yes Doncic was putting up great offensive numbers, but so are Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell, who are playing in a much better, much closer series as we speak. And, they are both still playing. I believe they have a game seven tonight. But their numbers are similar, they both play much better defense, and their series is so much more up in the air, making their performances that much better. Doncic got all kinds of praise when he put up a triple double in a game one loss to the Clipper, meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell put up 50 plus in a game one loss, and it was a blip on the radar. Fifty plus points, and it was mentioned maybe once, compared to full segments dedicated to Doncic on Sportscenter that night. Then Murray and Mitchell both put up 50 point games, in the same game, and it was briefly spoken about on the major networks. They all showed how it hasn't happened in a long time, but then they would switch to a video of Boban and Doncic having fun and goofing with each other. I mean, Mitchell and Murray are doing historic things, and they barely get talked about. Then Murray went out in a crucial game six the other night and exploded. The Mavericks were out of the playoffs by this point, and the full focus should be on this series that is still going on, but it wasn't, unfortunately. Murray has this incredible game, puts up another 50 plus, gives one of the most moving post game interviews I have ever witnessed, and the top story on NBA twitter that night was the bright future of the Mavs. I mean Jesus Christ that is so lame, and so upsetting. No matter how much Bill Simmons and ESPN are horny for the next white super star, Mitchell and Murray are better overall players, about the same age and are on teams that are better set up for the future. They all play in the West too. And I think Kristaps Porzingis is not nearly as good as others do. I don't think he is really a superstar level guy, or a guy that can help you win a title. I'd rather have Nikola Jokic or Rudy Gobert than Porzingis. Both those guys are better, and tougher. Doncic is a very good offensive basketball player. I simply cannot deny that. But people need to realize that there are other guys, guys just as young, that are just as good, if not better. And Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray are right at the top of that list.

I'm just asking to give equal credit where it is due. 

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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Thank You for Not Sticking to Sports

Yesterday was a day that will go down in the history books. I talked about Jacob Blake, the systemic racism in the police department in the US, the hate speech being spewed on the internet and that there was talk of a possible boycott in the NBA playoffs.

Well, the boycott happened. The Bucks refused to come out of the locker room prior to the start of their game 5 matchup with the Magic. The Magic were on the floor warming up, but when they realized what was happening, they left the court and joined the boycott. Three O'Clock came and went, and the Bucks decided it was in their best interest to take a stand. The Magic joined them. Then the Rockets and Thunder decided to boycott their game later in the day, with the Trailblazers and Lakers ready to follow. Before the Lakers and Trailblazers could officially boycott their game, the NBA canceled the rest of the night's slate.

This is historic. Something like this hasn't happened since Bill Russell was playing in the league, and that protest was during a preseason game. The fact that these players, these young men, had the fortitude and the wherewithal to do what they did is simply amazing. I was never more proud to be an NBA fan than I was last night when the boycott started. I was so thrilled that the players were taking a stand against racism, I loved that it was the Bucks since Blake was shot in Wisconsin and I am so pleased that every other player stood with them in this historic moment. There were no dissenters. This was an all for one type thing. And to see everyone come together was so moving and so very important. Then to see Kenny Smith walk off set in solidarity, to see all the tweets from stars and role players, to see Jim Jackson and Chris Webber speak so eloquently and passionately, to see Rachel Nichols, Jay Williams, Marc Spears and Kendrick Perkins all touch on why this is so important, I was stunned in the best way possible.

This was exactly what needed to happen. Just like Chris Webber said, "if not now, during a pandemic, then when". It is awesome. To see young millionaires, mostly African Americans, stand up for what they so rightfully deserve is so moving. Everybody should be treated equally. We all should have the same rights. We shouldn't judge people by the color of their skin. Unfortunately though, we still have monstrous people, especially in the police department, who don't see the world that way. They think they are better and more deserving. They think they have some sort of power that they certainly do not. They are emboldened by the monster that currently resides in the White House. This is a problem, and the NBA, and please do not let me forget the WNBA, what they did was truly astounding and powerful, wearing the shirts with Blake's name on it, and seven red dots on the back for the shots, that was amazing. To see them stand up for what they believe in, to stand together, to say screw it, we want equal rights, the rights afforded to everyone else, it was incredible. I told my son about all of this this morning. I explained to him why there was no basketball last night, and why this was a good thing. I told him that when he is older, he will read about this in history books. This story will be told for generations. My wife compared it to our generation learning about the 60's and 70's. This boycott, the BLM movement, the protests, this is all akin to Kent State and Watergate. This is a shift. This is a moment. And after the NBA boycotted, and the WNBA boycotted, the Brewers decided to not play their game, then a young tennis star decided to not play her match, then a bunch of football teams canceled practices yesterday and today to hold meetings about systemic racism.

We need more of this. We need more pro athletes standing up to their owners and to the "government". I can go protest all I want and make petitions to defund the police, but I won't get a sniff. I am a regular suburban dad. But people like LeBron James and Giannis Antentekoumpo, Chris Paul, Christian Yelich, any famous football player, they can get to their owners, who can get to people in charge and get in their ears. And while I know that finishing the season was on the verge last night, even going as far as the Clippers and Lakers voting to end the season then and there, the NBA did decide to finish. I don't fully know how I feel about that yet, but I do think they can still use this platform to continue to get messages out there to people who need to hear it. But this is historic. This is important. This is something that will go down in history. This is going to be remembered and talked about forever.

Again, I have always loved the NBA, and I always will, but last night that went to a whole other level. I am so impressed and so on board with whatever they decide to do, and I will follow them wherever they go. Hopefully this means a change is starting to happen. Hopefully, this starts a real movement. 

Ty

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

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His Name is Jacob Blake

Another black man was shot, multiple times, by white police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin a few days ago. His name is Jacob Blake, and as I write this, he is in a hospital on life support. Blake was simply walking into his car when the white officers opened fire on him. They shot him in the back seven times. This is madness.

This has to stop. The police need to be defunded. The police need most of their power stripped away from them. The powers that be need to stop normalizing this, and this needs to be addressed. This is a serious problem in our country. There is systemic racism that is being hyper perpetuated by white police officers. The "government" has shown zero progress in making changes, in showing sympathy and trying to understand why this is happening more and more lately. The "government" and the "president" are racists, fascists and they don't care about people that aren't directly involved with them. It's disturbing that this continues to happen and that there is no end in sight. We need to make changes. We need people that actually care and we need people that will do their best to end this.

I also saw a story that some NBA players are contemplating a boycott to the start of the playoffs until something, anything, happens to the white police officers that are constantly gunning down unarmed and innocent black people. They, along with a good portion of the rest of the country, want these murderers, these monsters to be reprimanded and dealt with like the horrible people they are. I agree with the players who are thinking about doing this. They are seeing this all too often, they are young black men, mostly, that have children. They look at other people who have been brutally murdered, George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Philando Castille, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and now possibly Jacob Blake, and they are thinking, enough is enough. They are also trying to send a real message. I have talked about how well the NBA restart has gone, and how it is amazing that the players are using their media availability to talk about systemic racism and what they think needs to change. Chris Paul, after OKC had a great comeback win, was doing his on court after the game interview, and all he talked about was Blake and trying to implore people to go out and vote. That is amazing. Paul George, LeBron James and many others have talked endlessly about Breonna Taylor. Donovan Mitchell hopped on Twitter and gave an impassioned tweet about all the awfulness. And last night after the Clippers win, Doc Rivers gave one of the most moving speeches I have ever heard from anyone anywhere ever in my life. It was incredible. But still, black people are being killed for no reason by white police officers. This is still happening. And when I read some of the comments under the article about a possible boycott, it made me sick to my stomach how awful and rude and ignorant and mean and stupid and spiteful and hateful random idiots on the internet can get. It is truly a disgusting place, the comment section on any website. This stuff that was being written by some of the biggest monsters in the world, who hide behind screen names by the way, is truly horrifying.

Enough is enough. Changes need to happen. And if a boycott to an NBA playoff game, or series, is the catalyst, I say great. We need to wake up and stop the systemic racism in this country. We need better people in positions of power and we need to heal as a country and stop killing innocent black people. This is too much, and I fear it will only get worse. BLACK LIVES MATTER. 

Ed note: Since this was written, the NBA has announced that all games are being postponed on Wednesday.

Ty

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

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The Process Will Continue without Brett Brown Coaching the 76ers

I had an idea to keep an up to date detail of how online virtual school is going, but I decided that I will do that more periodically, giving people a break from all of that. Most of us are living it, so we know what is going on. But, I'd still like to chime in every now and then to keep people updated. Instead, I'll do that, but I will mostly stick to pop culture and sports, and even sometimes get political.

Today we have a whopper, well to some, of a story from the NBA. The 76ers finally pulled the plug and let go of Brett Brown. I think there is a lot more change to come, like the front office and roster, but I want to solely talk about Brown today.

Bret Brown really had no shot unless the 76ers won, or even maybe made, the Finals. This was the year that they were supposed to take the leap. I picked them to be in the Finals, and I know a good amount of other sports writers did as well, mainly Zach Lowe. He is the guy I read consistently, and his take on them before the season made me a believer. Welp, that most definitely didn't happen this year. Lowe said, and I agreed, that the heartbreak against the Raptors last year, the Kawhi shot, was just what they needed to get that hunger up to make a push. Then we had all the stories about Embiid being in great shape, how he wanted to win MVP, which he was my preseason pick, and Defensive Player of the Year. There were also rumors that Ben Simmons was shooting threes, they signed Tobias Harris and traded Jimmy Butler, thus getting the "bad guy" out of the locker room, and their final move was to sign Al Horford. They were going against the grain of the modern game, with shooting everywhere, and they were going to go big and punish teams. They were going to be the modern day Bad Boys, only much, much bigger. Again, that did not really happen. Tobias Harris, while good, is not worth the max contract he got. He's a good shooter, but not a three point shooter by any means. He is also kind of soft. He is a fun guy, a player I like, a decent player, but not a superstar. They didn't get nearly enough for Butler in the trade that sent him to Miami, and they clearly needed his determination in that locker room more so than having a nice guy. Butler may be an asshole, he may rub people the wrong way and fight with staff, but the dude is always part of a tough winning culture. The front office, and from what I have heard lately, Brett Brown made a poor decision in picking Harris over Butler. Al Horford was an absolute zero for them. He did not bring them anything they were hoping for. He was the Embiid stopper,, but now they are teammates. What good does that do? He can't really stop a guy when he plays with that guy. And while Horford is a solid player, he is too old, too slow and is being paid way too much money. They need to try and find a trade partner, but it will be very hard with that contract.

Simmons, well, he simply chose to not shoot threes. He took a few, but nothing like people were saying in the offseason. And even during the restart he was hesitant, and then he got hurt. He also looked way less engaged in the bubble. Is this because of the coaching, or can he not really shoot? I think it is the former. Again, I have heard people say that Simmons was on a very long leash, and Brown was never going to really call him out on anything. Sure, he had some veiled stuff through the media, but nothing like talking face to face with him.

Then we have Embiid. He is a great player. He is a dominant force on offense, an excellent rebounder, can shoot from deep and can lock down other bigs on defense, when he is engaged. He is never really fully engaged, and that is a combo of coaching and the player. Joel Embiid only really showed out when people on TV called him out. Charles Barkley and Shaq go at him, he has a great game. The All Star game happens, he is front and center and he is getting all the touches at the end, he looks other worldly. But more often than not, he just kind of came and went all year. He also openly opined for Jimmy Butler and just couldn't put together enough good stretches. He was way, way too inconsistent.

Finally we have Brett Brown. Brown went through some shit man. He was there at the beginning of the "process". He coached a team that won only ten games. He dealt with the former front office offloading young talent for worse, and younger, talent. Then when the team got better, and healthier, he made some waves, but nothing that this team, as constructed could have done. I don't fully blame Brown, but a better coach would have done a better job with this roster. Brown was good at coaching young talent, molding them and teaching them how to play in the NBA. But, he couldn't coach the stars. When his players got big, they didn't fully respect his voice, and they basically laughed at his way of laying down the law. He didn't have their trust, he couldn't get this team over the top and he couldn't coach up "star" players. He also let the front office get rid of way too much outside shooting talent to have this "all bigs" lineup, that didn't work. Brown is a solid coach who may get another gig, but it won't be with a contender. He will have to settle for another rebuilding project, and I don't know if he has that in him if the same thing happens wherever that may be that just happened in Philly.

The 76ers need to get a solid coach, with respect to get this team over the top, but they also need to revamp the roster to fit with Simmons and Embiid. We all knew the Brown firing was coming, so it isn't a surprise. But still, he coached a team with real talent, and they couldn't even get out of the first round of the playoffs. The time had come. 

Ty

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

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The Timberwolves Should Trade the Number One Pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft lottery last night.

I am happy for them, their fans and management. Unfortunately though, I don’t see a player that is worth that spot, especially for the Timberwolves. They traded for their point guard for the near future when they got D’Angelo Russell. They got rid of Andrew Wiggins in that deal too, which they were hoping to do. They have their modern big man for the future in Karl Anthony Towns. He’s amazing on offense, he’s a great rebounder and if he tries, he can play defense. They got their perimeter defender and, hopefully for them, future spot up three point shooter in last year’s draft when they took Jarrett Culver. They also have solid bench scorers in Malik Beasley and James Johnson. I think Josh Okogie can still be a solid bench guy, Juancho Hernangonez needs some real minutes and Naz Reid definitely showed flashes after being undrafted. I feel like the Timberwolves have an okay, and very, very young roster. I also think KAT is going to be a man on a mission next year after losing his mom to Covid. I think he’s going to have a monster year.

Then when I look at this draft class, the top guys just don’t jump out to me. LaMelo Ball is a talker version of his brother. James Wiseman is so skinny, even though he is my favorite prospect. Obi Toppin plays the same position as KAT, and is he a one year wonder perhaps? I know nothing about the overseas guys except Ball. Who knows about all the freshman that declared. And while Anthony Edwards is a great, great scorer, he has to be ready to go and go hard every night if he’s the number one overall pick. There’s no nights off. He also plays a similar position to Culver, and he’s not as good on defense. Not a lot of good choices for Minnesota.

If I were Minnesota I’d be doing everything in my power to trade the pick for a proven veteran, or if they can, a higher echelon player to team with Russell and KAT. They could try some of the other lottery teams. Maybe they can get Blake Griffin, even with all his injury history I think him and KAT would be awesome together, from Detroit. They could swap picks and Griffin, or even just the pick for Griffin. Maybe Chicago would be willing to part with Lauri Markanen, or send Zach Lavine back and build around Coby White and whoever they take number one. They’re clearly rebuilding anyway. Cleveland is less likely to give up on a guy like Collin Sexton or Darius Garland, but maybe another reunion sending Kevin Love back to team up with KAT, and they can get a younger big at number one. I’d even entertain some kind of idea involving Atlanta and John Collins and Kevin Huerter. The Timberwolves have options. There is no Zion or LeBron in this draft. Hell, there’s no Kyrie or KD or Anthony Davis in this class. There is no transcendent player. There’s no one that is a franchise guy, at least on paper.

My opinion? I think Minnesota would be better off trading out of that top spot. They have power, they have the top overall choice and they have options. I think they’d be best off exploring all of them instead of just sitting on this pick. We shall see.

Ty

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

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The Covidiots are Now Attacking a College Football QB

Earlier today an incoming freshman QB at Georgia State said he is sitting out the 2020 season due to a heart issue he has from his recovery from Covid 19. Well, he didn't particularly say that the heart issue was from Covid, but he just recovered from CoronaVirus, he has a heart thing, heart issues have been linked to this disease, so I put two and two together basically. But, he isn't the top QB recruit in the country, he isn't even the starter, but he is a QB who is opting out in a conference that is going forward with a fall season.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Other, bigger named players have opted out, guys that will be first round NFL picks, but none of them have been a QB, and definitely not a QB from a conference that is playing, and not a player from the South. But, he has a heart thing, Georgia is getting crushed right now with new cases, high schools have had to be shut down after being opened and it seems like the responsible thing for him to do. When I saw the news I thought it was a reasonable decision and thought he may be the first QB, but he definitely won't be the last. I then decided to read the story as to why he chose to opt out, and it said all the stuff I just listed above essentially.

Then, for some unknowing, and stupid reason, decided to check out the comment section on the story. I was wrong to do this, and I highly recommend no one else does. It was rough. Well, not at first. At first most people were saying that they hoped the kid would get better, they said he was making the right choice, they supported him, his team supported him, it was all good for about twelve-fifteen comments. Then the insipidness started. Then the fights started. Then the attacks started, and man was it rough. People crushed this kid, his school, other people's political beliefs, it was bad. Then we had the people calling this pandemic a "hoax". We had the people who kept spouting off the phrase, "it's just like the flu". Others said, "he is a young, athletic kid, he should just play, he's already recovered from the virus". It was bad and hurtful and dangerous and stupid. This kid made a choice, he is an adult and he is doing what he thinks is best for his future. Why do others feel the need to attack him? Why call him names? Why bad mouth him and his choice? That is unfair to him and his family. The commentators online are hiding behind screen names and trashing a kid they have never met. That is no good. The trashing of the school is so childish and pointless too. I don't watch Georgia State games, but I also don't watch Georgia or Alabama or Missouri or Texas or a myriad of other teams play. Does that give me the right to bad mouth those schools? Absolutely not. And I don't. I only watch Big 10 games unless the game is a very important one, like last year's CFP title game. So while some may not think GSU is any good, they have fans who are probably bummed this kid is sitting out this year. Your team isn't the only team that matters. There are over 120 D-1 schools, all of which have alumni and fans. It is scary that it has become a political thing mostly though. This disease doesn't care where you fall in your political beliefs, just like any other virus or disease. And this one is particularly dangerous because we know so little about it still. So for "fans" to talk politics in an article about this kid opting out for the year, they need to get a hold of themselves and calm the hell down. He made his choice, there is nothing political about it, and people should be ashamed of themselves for trying to skew it that way. I hope this kid gets better, I hope he can fully recover and play football again, if that is what he wants to do and I wish people weren't so god damn hurtful on the internet.

Look, the world is crazy enough, we don't need anymore psychopaths yelling at a teenager with a heart issue for taking a year of football off. We should be applauding his very adult decision. 

Ty

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

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Damian Lillard is the Better Version of Allen Iverson

Today since we are at the start of the playoffs, and the Trailblazers are playing in prime time, I want to talk about Damian Lillard.

Yesterday I said he is the modern day Allen Iverson, and I want to expand on that a bit more. Lillard is built like him, he’s an offensive force like him, he doesn’t care who’s in front trying to guard him, he’s ended playoff series, and if he wasn’t on a team in the West, he’d be a perennial MVP candidate. Lillard is the best scorer in the game right now. Take all the players in the league, even the injured guys, and I’d take Lillard if I needed one shot. He’s proven he can do that multiple times. He did it to the Rockets a few years back in a playoff series. He did it to the Thunder, with Paul George guarding him last year. He gets buckets and comes up big in the biggest moments. That all reminds me of AI. Iverson and Lillard are built the same too. They’re both barely 6 feet tall. Both strong, but skinny. Both point guards. And both are fearless. And just like Lillard, Iverson was the best pound for pound scorer when he was at his peak. He carried the 76ers teams he was on to Finals. He won a game over the vaunted Kobe and Shaq led Lakers in Staples Center. This is all akin to what Lillard is doing right now.

Now, what I say next might be sacrilege, or bring a prisoner of the moment, but I actually think, overall, Lillard is a better basketball player. He does all the things that AI did, albeit in a softer NBA geared towards scorers, but he is lethal from outside. AI had the crossover and the ability to get to the rim with shocking ease, but his jumper was never the one thing the defense worried about. Lillard is the second best shooter in the league behind only Steph Curry. You have to guard Lillard the moment he steps across half court because he’s liable to pull up from the logo and drain it. That’s no offense to AI either, but he never had that in his game. Lillard is also as good at getting to the basket and getting free throws. He has the full arsenal. And while Iverson was a rocket to the hoop, had the crossover and played with reckless abandon, he never had the jumper that Lillard has. Lillard also attempts to play defense. He may not be the best, he may get hunted in pick and rolls, but he still goes on that end. He’s good at getting steaks and strips too. Iverson had to assert himself so much offensively, he didn’t always have the energy to play defense to the best of his ability. Lillard at least attempts to. And this isn’t to knock Iverson. He’s one of my all time favorite players. I grew up cheering for him as if he played for the Sonics. I love AI. He is one of the greats. But for me, for my money, if you’re asking me who is a better overall player, I’d take Lillard. It’s close. But the fact that he tries on defense, and that he has incredible range gives him the nod for me. AI is great, a hall of fame player, and well deserved. But in the end, when Lillard is done playing, I think he goes down as the better overall guy.

That’s just my opinion.

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 Picks the NBA Bubble Playoffs

The NBA playoffs start today. In fact, I am writing this while I watch the first game of the day between the Nuggets and Jazz. This is crazy that the playoffs are just starting now, but hey, it is playoff basketball and I am stoked. I am going to do my final NBA playoff preview and picks today. So far the NBA has been doing this whole "bubble" thing right, and here's hoping they get to finish this off on scheduled time.

I will start with the East because it truly is the JV. The one seed is the Bucks. They are facing the 8th seeded Magic. This series is going to be a total wash. I know the Bucks haven't looked great in the bubble, but they are now, finally, going to be playing games that truly mean something. I heard someone on a pod say that the Bucks haven't played an important game in almost six months, and that is 100 percent true. They are going to raise their level, play like they did before the shutdown and Giannis is going to dominate. No disrespect to the Magic, but they just cannot hang with Milwaukee. They are too young, too thin and cannot score from three enough. Bucks will sweep.

The 2-7 matchup is Toronto, the defending champs, and the haggard lineup that is the Nets right now. That being said, the Nets have played fine in the bubble, and Caris Levert has looked tremendous. He is becoming a solid player that could be the third guy when KD and Kyrie come back next season. But, besides Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen, the Nets are super duper thin, and their bench is trash. The Raptors on the other hand are, maybe, the deepest team in the league, they have everyone back from last year except Kawhi and they are all about business. They don't mess around, they don't play games and they are in Orlando to handle things. They also play phenomenal defense. The Raptors are going to sweep, and after they do people will start to talk about how they have the mettle to repeat. They are a damn good team.

The 3-6 features Boston and Philadelphia. This series would be so much more fun if Ben Simmons were healthy, and if Joel Embiid went 100 percent every night. They don't have Simmons, Embiid has been in and out of the lineup in the bubble and they have not looked great. I really wanted the 76ers to take that leap this year, but they have been extremely underwhelming, and that was even before the suspension of the season. I would love to see them prove me wrong and beat Boston, but the Celtics have looked really good right now. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been dominant, no one on the 76ers can guard them and they will eat them up from the perimeter. Boston is a better, more prepared team right now. Celtics in five.

The 4-5 is going to be fun with Miami and Indiana. But, if the previous game, where Butler shut down a red hot TJ Warren, it may be a wash. Indiana isn't at full health, the Heat have been goofing around during the seeding games and they just look too damn good to be beaten by the Pacers right now. Warren has cooled off, Victor Oladipo is still working his way back, Myles Turner hasn't taken over like many hoped and Damontas Sabonis is still hurt. The Warren Butler matchup will be fun, but it won't matter, Heat in six.

That would give us second round matchups of Milwaukee-Miami and Toronto-Boston. These are good matchups and should be good series. Miami has a guy that can guard Giannis in Bam Adebayo. But do they have enough scoring? Are Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson going to hit enough threes? Will Adebayo be too tired on offense because he has to guard Giannis? How is Butler going to handle the full offensive load? As much as I'd like to see Miami push, I don't think they have enough yet. And Milwaukee has been waiting for real games. I feel like Milwaukee is going to wake up in the first round, and roll that into the rest of the playoffs. This will be a well fought series, and I'm going with the Bucks in six.

The Raptors and Celtics is going to be great. It is young versus vets. It is guys on the verge of stardom versus guys that know their roles and play them perfectly. It is 2 of the best minds in the NBA going head to head. This is going to be a throwback, rough and tumble series. And I think the Raptors are the better team. They are laden with vets that will do every little thing to win. The Celtics are still too young. Raptors in seven.

This will give us a rematch of the East Finals last year, and this time around I think the Bucks will exorcise some demons. Every team needs to have those tumbles, like the Bucks did last year, and then they can taste victory. That is what I think will happen this series. It will be tough and long, but I have the Bucks winning in seven games, all of which will be very, very good. The Bucks will be the East Champs.

Now the Varsity. The West is so much better than the East, and so much more wide open. Take the 1-8 matchup for example. The Trailblazers are the 8 seed, and they were in the conference finals last year. They are now fully healthy, they look good and Damian Lillard has been absolutely lights out. But I feel like the Lakers are playing possum, much like the Bucks. And while I don't think the Lakers are as good, or as deep as Milwaukee, they do have LeBron and AD. The Blazers will give them all they have, but they have had to fight to get this spot, I am sure they are tired and who is going to stop AD on that roster? I think it will go six because Dame is the modern day Allen Iverson, but in the long run LeBron and AD will be too much for the Blazers to handle.

The 2-7 is strength versus strength. The Mavericks are historically great on offense and the Clippers have the two best perimeter defenders in the league. What the Mavericks don't have though is a defense of any kind. They are going to have to score 130 every night to stay in this series, and I still think the Clippers would win, and win easily. The Clippers will throw Kawhi and Paul George at Luka and he will have his struggles. Also, Kristaps Porzingis is now simply a 7 footer that shoots threes. He is not a low post threat. The Clippers have too much on defense and more than enough on offense. Clippers in five.

The 3-6, the game I am watching now, features Utah and Denver. I'd be more prone to go with Utah to make it close if Mike Conley were still there. He left to be home for the birth of his kid, and I cannot think of a better reason to leave the bubble. Without him though, I just don't know how they can beat Denver. Rudy Gobert is going to have to use all his energy on defense guarding Nikola Jokic, which will make it tough on the offensive end. Denver is also going to be able to throw a plethora of people at Donovan Mitchell with no Conley there. And even though he has some dumbass theories about the CoronaVirus, Michale Porter Jr has been amazing in the bubble. The Nuggets are good, deep and can score in bunches. The Jazz are okay, but Conley going home hurts and their bench is not very good. Nuggets in six.

The 4-5 is my favorite matchup in all of the first round of the playoffs. We have Houston and OKC. Chris Paul facing Harden, and Russ if he comes back from injury. OKC also has so much more size, is deeper and has the best point guard playing in the playoffs. The Rockets though, they have James Harden and this funky lineup with no one taller than 6'8. How is that going to affect Steven Adams?  Is Harden going to score 40 every night? Will CP3 be seeking revenge? If Russ comes back, how hard is he going to go? This series is going to rule. It is going to be fun, with tons of points, scuffles, history and great games. As much as I'd love to see OKC advance, especially after they made all those trades and people like me thought they were going to tank, I think Harden is going to carry the Rockets to the second round. He is so good offensively, the Rockets are going to shoot a million threes and they will make enough to win four games. I have the Rockets in seven.

The second then features the Lakers and Rockets and the Nuggets and Clippers. The Rockets small ball lineup is going to get destroyed by AD, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. AD is going to eat like he never has before. He is going to absolutely own this series. He could easily go for 40 points and 20 rebounds a night. Harden could go off too, but it still won't be enough. The Rockets lack of size will cost them this series. The Lakers will win in six, but it could easily be five.

The Nuggets and Clippers will be harder fought, but with a similar outcome. Jokic will cause problems for the Clippers, as will Porter Jr if he keeps this up. But again, the Clippers can throw Kawhi, George, Patrick Beverly and the Morris brother at Porter Jr. They can also throw Kawhi, George and Zubac at Jokic. He may be able to pass out, or get up shots over these guys, but the Clippers are too good on defense, healthy and finally all back together. Clippers in six.

This gives us the battle of LA, and yes I am very aware I went chalk with the entire playoffs in both conferences. I think that is what the bubble is going to produce. The best, most veteran laden teams will advance. As far as the battle of LA, I think playing in the bubble favors the Clippers. There is no home court advantage, and if we never had a stoppage, the Clippers wouldn't have had a home court advantage anyway. LA is a Lakers town. But in Orlando, with no fans, none of that matters. And while the Lakers won the last game before the stoppage, and the first in the bubble, they were going all out while I felt the Clippers were kind of going through the motions. Now the games matter, Kawhi is going to turn that switch and Paul George is as healthy as he has ever been. It will be a good series. It will go seven games. But I just think the Clippers depth, when they unleash Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, they are a better team. AD will eat in this series too, but the Clippers can throw everyone else at everyone else on the Lakers. I don't like to ever pick against LeBron,  but the Clippers depth and defensively switch ability will be too much for the Lakers to overcome. I have the Clippers in seven.

As for the Finals, I am going with the Clippers in six. I have stuck with them the moment they acquired Kawhi and PG, so why would I change now? For all the same reasons I think they will beat the Lakers, you can say the same for the Bucks. Giannis can go off, but will the rest of the Bucks roster do the same? I don't think they will be able too because of the defense the Clippers can, and will, play. The Clippers will win the Finals in the bubble, and it will go down in history. I'm also going with Kawhi as the MVP because he is the best overall player in the NBA.

There you have it, my NBA playoff preview and picks. Now lets all go watch some 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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Time For Another Idiotic, Semi-Racist, Take from Bill Simmons

Since I am in a crummy mood this week I do want to thank RD for telling me to check out Twitter the other night. He told me this after the Big 10 canceled their fall sports, and said to search for Bill Simmons. Oh boy.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of Simmons. I was, but then I grew up, realized he is a mediocre, front running writer and now I have come to realize that he is too, albeit not on the surface to some, a racist. This isn't a new development either. Noam Scheiber of New York Times wrote a great piece awhile back detailing not only his racism at ESPN, Grantland and now The Ringer, but he also pointed out his sexism and his want to be famous and how that makes him treat others as if they are beneath him. I know he read this, and the replies, even though he claims he never does because since that piece, all of the sudden, The Ringer podcasting network had shows that featured writers that are not white that are on staff. It was way, way too heavy handed the way he did this too. I listen, or used to listen, to a good amount of the shows on The Ringer, and all of the sudden guys like Tyler Tines and Van Lathan and Larry Wilmore just started "randomly" popping up as guests, or with their own shows. It was a bit much.

Yet, as he is want to do, Simmons was talking on his pod, again I don't listen anymore, and I guess he had made a statement with another white guy that works there, Ryen Rusillo, comparing Luka Doncic's assists to James Harden's. RD told me this, and I didn't think it would be much. I was reeling, upset about college football, just kind of mopey. But I went on Twitter, just to see what the hubbub was all about, and man oh man was this a very, very underhanded racist comment made by Simmons. He said, "Luka's assists are like Bird's- they're not cheap assists... like the James Harden type of assists".

Let that sink in for a minute. He is saying that a white point guard, who he is comparing to another white player, has better assists than a black man that has revolutionized the way offense is played in the NBA. Also, how is any assist cheap I ask? They all do the same thing. They all lead to a bucket. It doesn't have to be fancy or whipped around the perimeter or anything. An assist is an assist is an assist. Harden, Doncic, LeBron, KD, Russ, all of their assists are the same, at least to me. It's not like these guys are hunting assists. I am not a Harden guy too. He is a great, great offensive player, I just find his brand of basketball boring. But his assists are just as important or special as anyone else's in the league. His lobs are also very useful because he gets teams to collapse on him, leaving the dunker wide open. He is such a threat from the outside, that when he up fakes from three, he usually has two or more guys open, leaving them with wide open looks. If anything, Harden's assists are the opposite of cheap. He is getting guys the cleanest looks they will ever find in the NBA. And Doncic is a great player too, but he is not on Harden's level yet. Doncic is a fine young player, one of the better players in the league, but guys like Bill Simmons, and the majority of the staff at The Ringer are so horny for a white savior in the NBA.

Simmons has made the Ringer in his racist image. The majority of his hires are writers who have, at one time, worked for him already or for the Celtics. That's why they all loved the Gordon Hayward signing when it happened, loved the Brad Stevens hire, but bristle when Marcus Smart calls someone out, or when Jaylen Brown goes on TV and talks eloquently about systemic racism. People like Simmons don't want to see that because he grew up watching a player whose nickname was "The Hick from French Lick". And Larry Bird was great, one of the best. I'm not calling him out, I'm calling out Boston fans that opine for the days when he was the star of the team. For Simmons to say this, and to take the side of Doncic, to call Harden's assists "cheap", it is lazy and hackey and he is trying so hard to be cool. Simmons is no better than anyone that works at Barstool Sports, a horrendously awful website, he just has the ESPN recognition to his name. I have to assume there has always been an underlying racism within Simmons, and now that he is older, it is starting to rear its head. He is trying to be a hip guy, but he comes off as a wannabe and a dork. He makes these grand declarations, and then tries to backtrack immediately.

Simmons is a phony, a hack, the type of guy that reminisces of his high school days, and now, a blatant racist. Since I read this quote and did some more research, I have unsubscribed from anything and everything involving his company. I don't want anything to do with him, or the myriad of white men he tends to hire time and time again. I'm not sure my unsubscribing will do much, but hey, if half the people who read this do the same, maybe we can make Bill Simmons admit he is a racist, misogynistic dickhead one day, and he will get his comeuppance. Here's hoping.

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 College Football Problem

I've had a day, and a not so great night of sleep, to think about the Big 10 canceling fall sports this year. I know the Pac 12 did too, and that the three other power 5 conferences are trying to continue with a fall season, but this piece is about my disappointment, my understanding, my fears and my distaste for how the NCAA treats its student athletes in the Big 10. The other conferences, quite frankly, I could care less about.

Say that college football does play a season, or attempt one in the fall, I am sure there will be stops and starts and players getting sick, players opting out and coaches whining and complaining about the "sanctity of the game". People in the South will riot if they don't get one Alabama or Texas game, so I am sure that their AD's and president's are going to do whatever, including endangering children, to play some football. Anyway, like I said up top, I am disappointed. I am feeling things that I have never felt before. I feel heartbreak, and not like when you break up with someone.

College football, Michigan football, these have been two of the most constant things in my life. They have always been there. Every fall since my existence they have played. This year they won't. I feel like something was stolen from me, like a piece of me is simply gone, almost like a limb has just disappeared. That may sound dramatic, but that is how I feel. I look forward to fall. I like the weather, but more importantly, that is when Michigan takes the field and I have twelve to thirteen weeks of angst, exuberance, anger and joy all at once. When the Wolverines take the field, I hang on their every play, good and bad. I know it may sound sad, but it is true. Outside of family, Michigan football is the only thing that I have ever truly loved. Now it is gone.

There are a myriad of reasons for the loss of Michigan football. I mentioned all the maskless idiots, the people who think CoronaVirus is a "hoax", the MAGA dummies yesterday. After reading why this happened, I found out new things that are happening behind the scenes. One thing in particular that doctors are seeing in young athletes who have had Covid and supposedly recovered from it, they are having heart issues or complications. The doctors have seen this in at least five Big Ten athletes, and they say that others who have recovered are saying they are having heart issues as well. This is what made me stop and really think, is it worth it? Do these young kids really need to risk the rest of their lives to play ten football games so I can yell at them through my TV screen? I know they want to play, they say they want to play, they have been at school gearing up for this, they have spent their lives dedicated to this game, but why on Earth would you want to risk your long term health, especially when you don't see a dime for the work you put into this sport.

That is another big time issue I have with all of this. All of these people who say it is a "hoax", all of the Big 12, ACC and SEC fans calling out the Big 10 and Pac 12 today for canceling, do you really think the NCAA cares about these kids and their want to play? There is no way in hell that I will believe that for one second. The NCAA makes money hand over fist off these football players. The schools do too. So do the coaches. But the kids, what do they get? They get a free education you may come back at me with. Okay, so a free education is worth risking their lives to you armchair QB's? These kids going out and playing a sport where spit and sweat are going to be flying all over the place and they will be so much more susceptible to contracting this virus because of that, you are okay with that? The fact that they will bash into one another for three plus hours once a week is fine because you need your football? That is all BS. These "fans" that say these things are no better than the NCAA and Mark Emmert and the presidents of the schools that voted to cancel this fall season.

I firmly believe that the powers that be in the NCAA were afraid because college athletes were starting to use their voice, and the possibility of them unionizing was becoming more and more real by the hour. I fully believe that the Big 10 and Pac 12 commissioners were much more apt to cancel when they figured this out. They just used the CoronaVirus as the face. I am sure both things factored into the decision, but in the long run, and it saddens me to say, I think the NCAA is becoming fearful that players were going to start to get what they truly deserved. They were going to get more than an education, which they most certainly deserve. The NCAA saw this, and they knew they needed to act now. The fact that it was the Pac 12 and Big 10 that canceled first is no surprise. They have schools that actually care about academics, and don't hold football over everything else. The Pac 12 and Big 10 formed groups that were making demands that any regular working person gets. There are smart kids at these schools. Northwestern, Michigan, Purdue, Washington, Oregon, Stanford these schools are just as hard to get in as a regular student. Throw on the athlete part, and it is even tougher. The NCAA and Mark Emmert thought they could pull one over on these kids, these kids who give them free labor while making them millionaires. But these kids wouldn't stand for it. They made a list of demands, the NCAA and the two league commissioners saw this and they had to shut it down. The kids were becoming too powerful for them. That is so sad. It is sad because they chose their own power over safety. Again, they will use the pandemic as the face to shutting it down, but people in the know know that it was these kids finally having leverage that caused the cancellation.

The same kind of student athlete activism isn't going to happen in the South. The Alabama's of the world, the Texas', the Clemson's, they don't give a rats ass about these kids, they just want some football. And when these kids are no longer good to them, to hell with them, bring on the next guy they say. But what will these diehard fans do if one of these kids, one of the star kids gets Covid and has to miss the season? How will Clemson fans deal if Trevor Lawrence gets it because he is supposed to be a football robot? Or how about Sam Ehlinger at Texas? Or Najee Harris at Alabama? If one of these kids gets it, that team's season is all but over, if they actually do end up playing. How will fans of those teams feel then? Will it be next guy up, or will they actually realize that it is too dangerous to play a sport like football right now? I don't know, and that is the scariest thing of all of this to me.

I was so angry, I was depressed, I am still feeling feelings I have never had just like I said up top, but I do get why they are doing it. I get both the ethical and unethical parts of it. It's upsetting, but canceling, and I don't for one second think a spring season is viable in any context, is the necessary thing to do. Just look at how poorly the MLB has done, and that is a professional league with the best doctors and training staffs in the world. At the end of the day I am upset, but I will get over it. I am hopeful to see college football, the Michigan Wolverines that is, next fall.

While I don't think this is a death knell for the sport, I do think the players need to continue pushing and demanding more rights. If anything, they have the time and the backing of many, many people now. I also don't think the long term risks outweigh the short term happiness any lazy ass American sitting on their couch will get this fall. While I am sad, I will get over it and I am pretty sure I will see Michigan play football again in the Big House with 100,000 plus fans maybe as soon as next year. Right now though, I get why they had to cancel. They had no choice. I will be curious to see if other leagues do play, if they even get close to finishing and who opts out and who stays. Time will tell.

This is a wild time we are living in right now, and it seems to get worse and worse by the day. Football should be the least of our worries 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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Some Thoughts on the Cancellation of Big 10 Sports

I’m very,  very upset and very angry right now.

The Big 10, my conference with my favorite team that has ever existed, officially canceled all fall sports today, including football. They hope to play in spring, but who the hell knows. I’m too angry to do a full fledged article today. I need time to process. But for now, for today, I hope all of you that laughed at this virus, that refused to wear masks, that take advantage of these student athletes, that think it’s a “hoax”, that support that monster in the White House, that are arrogant and self righteous, I hope you’re at peace with this decision. It sucks, but we didn’t have to be here if we weren’t so god damn entitled. This is crummy.

More to come tomorrow.

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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And Now We Have Lost the College Football Season

Today has not been a good day. Today has been a very sad day for me in fact. And while nothing is official, it seems like, at the very least, the Big Ten and Pac 12 are all but ready to cancel all of their fall sports, including football.

Now, I am not reporting this, I am not trying to be one of the first people to get this out on the internet, I am not trying to stoke any flames. But, if you have read anything this morning or afternoon, or read anything yesterday, big time important people from the power 5 conferences had an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss calling off the season. That type of thing doesn't happen, or if it does, it is not for good news. But, like I said, nothing is official yet, but it seems like it is inevitable. I have read two conflicting reports in the last thirty minutes where one person said the Big Ten voted and canceled the season, and twelve minutes later, I kid you not, another reporter came out and said that they spoke to a Big Ten spokesperson, and that person said that there have been no decisions made. Both of these reporters are reputable too. This isn't 247 or Rivals or anything like that. This was Dan Patrick and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic. These people are in the know. But either way, this is upsetting and troubling and makes me so mad at our country, and the lack of taking this virus serious. I am also hyper pissed off at the NCAA, which I will get to today.

This is upsetting because I love college football. I truly do. It is my favorite sport played in my favorite season. Look, I love basketball, I love watching my son play baseball, but college football is head and shoulders above all of that. It has been the mainstay for my life to this point. My earliest memories are watching Michigan with my dad. I named my puppy after Bo Schembechler. I have a Wolverines tattoo. One of my most prized possessions is a Charles Woodson signed football. And there is nothing I enjoy more than watching college football from dawn to dusk on a Saturday afternoon in the fall. The fact that it is going to be, most likely, canceled or postponed is a real bummer. I'd be lying if I didn't say I got choked up reading stories about the inevitable downfall this morning.

I'm mad at our country because a lot of people, far, far too many, have just blown off the CoronaVirus. I see people not wearing masks in public. I see people gathering in crowds well over the suggested size, and of course they aren't social distancing. I have seen far too many people flood restaurants the moment they reopened. I see way too many people throwing humongous parties. But what is most frightening is the people who think this is a hoax. How stupid and selfish and ignorant and arrogant do you have to be? What kind of an asshole are you that you think you are above this? Does the death count, which I believe is over 165,000 in the US, not strike fear in you? Do you still think that is a "hoax"? Does your "president" really make you think this is going away, or that it is under any kind of control? If so, I feel so very sorry for you, and I do not need you in my life. The simple fact that sports have been affected by this should be evidence enough that this is real. Sports didn't stop during the Spanish Flu, sports didn't stop during wars, sports didn't stop after 9/11. But sports have been shuttered and left to the unknown since CoronaVirus. The sheer fact that we have had stops and starts, shutdowns, brand new protocols, should be more than enough evidence that this is real, and this is scary. How are you morons going to feel come fall when The University of Ohio State or Michigan or Oregon or Texas or Alabama or Florida or California or UCLA isn't taking the field because of CoronaVirus. Will you then, finally take this seriously? Is canceling football finally going to be the thing that makes you stop and think and act correctly for the first time in your life? I hope so, but I doubt it. You will all say, we can watch it in the spring or we will wait until next season. What if things aren't better by then? We all thought this was going to go away, but it hasn't. It has only gotten worse. Who's to say where we will be in the fall, winter or next spring. But, if we keep living how we are living right now, it won't be better.

As for the NCAA, to wait until now to make these conferences make decisions, and for Mark Emmert to come out and say stuff, I say, sorry mom and dad, shut the fuck up. You have had four plus months. You had time to see how other sports have handled this. You've had time to put things in place to make a season possible. Hell, you have even had conferences shift to a conference only schedule, had them release it, get fans' hopes up, and now you are saying it needs to be shut down. What a crock the NCAA and Emmert are. They are thieves of joy and they are taking advantage of the student athletes. I'm so happy that guys like Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence are putting their voice out there and letting the NCAA know that they want to play, and that they think it is safer to play than to abandon these kids for an entire season and to send them home. Fields and Lawrence both said they think it is safer to stay and play. They have proper protocol going on. Lawrence went as far to say that he thinks it is safer than if he were sent home where he knows people aren't following the proper protocol. Fields echoed that. Hell, even Jim Harbaugh has come out with a statement in support of the players who want to play and feel safe to play. He even added some stats about how Michigan has managed to keep their positive cases so low, in fact zero positive cases as of their last testing date. But the NCAA won't even give these players, or Harbaugh the time of day I suppose. I'm sure they could also care less about the guys who are seniors and will never play football again, or the guys that had a shot at the NFL, but needed to come back to improve. I hope, at the very least, these players get to form a union and get paid for their likeness being used all the time.

This whole situation is crummy and it didn't have to be this way. Fall collegiate sports had more than enough time to figure out a safe way to do this and they blew it harder than the MLB is blowing it right now. It stinks that I and many other college football fans will not be able to watch our favorite teams and players. I know it is the safest thing to do, I really do, canceling or postponing the year, but the NCAA could have come up with something instead of just assuming CoronaVirus would go away, or be tamped down by now. It isn't, and that was fools thinking. Today is a sad sports day indeed. 

Ty

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

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The MLB Restart Has Been a Disaster

I have to give credit where credit is due. RD was right in his MLB preview. He gave some picks, even a World Series winner, but he ended it by saying that they wouldn’t be able to finish the season. So far, he looks like he nailed it. This first couple weeks have been, putting it lightly, disastrous. Multiple teams, including my Saint Louis Cardinals, have seen Coronavirus outbreaks. The Marlins had to postpone their opener to this week because they had, at last count, 18 players and staff test positive. The Phillies had an outbreak, although now they’re saying there were some false positives. And now we have the Cardinals. It started with four at the start of the weekend, and last night the news said that the team “expects many more positives”. Their whole series with the Brewers was postponed. Who knows if they’ll even attempt to play the Tigers this week. It has been just horrible.

The MLB squabbled all summer long about minuscule, to them, amounts of money. They couldn’t come to any agreement. One day the players would say they’d play only to have the owners ask for more. Then the owners would want to play, and wouldn’t you know it, the players would say they wanted more. They spent months arguing about money and not coming up with a solid, and safe, plan. They could’ve used that time griping about pennies on the dollar, again in relative terms, trying to figure out a safe solution. The fact they didn’t try a “bubble” scenario still baffles me. They could’ve done it in Arizona, Texas or Florida. I know numbers have been high there, but hey, the NBA is in a bubble in Orlando and they’re doing just fine. But the MLB insisted, once they finally agreed to something, on playing in home stadiums and letting players travel. I get the whole idea of traveling within close quarters, but traveling, especially on a plane right now, is just too risky. These players were going to get sick, and most likely easily. That was my first thought when I read the MLB’s agreed upon plan for playing the season. All the while we’ve had these three outbreaks, so far, other teams are still playing. There were a bunch of games this weekend. I even tuned into the Red Sox-Yankees game last night in between NBA games. That means that some teams may finish their 60 games well before other teams do. Most teams, so far, have played anywhere from 8 to 10 games. Then we have teams like the Phillies and Marlins, who’ve played 3 games. The Cardinals have played 5, the Brewers have played 6. And the defending champs, the Nationals, have played 7. Teams are going to be playing catch-up all year if this continues. Like I said before, I’m still unsure if the Cardinals are going to even play this week. I’m sure the Marlins will have another outbreak. It wouldn’t stun me if the LA or New York teams have to stop. Hell, the Midwest is getting punished with positive cases right now, so I imagine both Chicago teams and Pittsburgh will have to postpone in the very near future.

The MLB’s ill conceived and poorly thought out plan is simply not working. It’s been rough. It also is giving me a look into what pro and college football will look like if they proceed with their seasons, and don’t make some serious changes to testing and protocols and isolating. This has had the exact opposite effect that basketball had had. This “plan” has ruined baseball this year. I’ve said it before, baseball could’ve owned the summer, but they screwed they up, and now look where they are after fighting over some money. After watching games unfold for two weeks now, not only do I agree with RD that they won’t be able to finish this “season”, but it has also made me realize how little of a chance football had of being played in full, or at all, this fall.

This stinks and the MLB has shown us all the wrong way to try and play sports in this pandemic. They get a big fat stinky F for their efforts thus far.

Ty

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

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The NBA Did Not Disappoint

Last night was absolutely amazing. I watched every second of both NBA games that were on, and boy did both of them deliver. The games both started kind of slow, but other than that, they had some great moments, some big dunks, great defense, exceptional passing and it was the first time in four months that I felt somewhat normal. I was watching professional basketball that counted and it was simply wonderful.

This pandemic is just getting started, we are still a ways off from any kind of answers, other sports, mainly the MLB and football, seemed doomed to be postponed or out and out canceled, but the NBA, they seem to be doing it right. They seem to have figured something out. They are, much like other pro soccer leagues overseas, doing the right things, and it is working. And last night was the first big punctuation to their plan. This was the NBA putting their flag in the ground and showing how this could work right now. It was awesome. Outside of the basketball on the court, I'll get to that in a minute, all the prior to the game stuff was done very well. The introductions felt real. The announcers were there, but they were separated by Plexiglass. Everyone who was with the team, but wasn't a player or coach, they were all masked up, and most were gloved. The players that they let come watch the games, they were spread out, they had masks and they seemed to be enjoying themselves and their teammates' company. The kneeling before the game during the anthem was perfect. Every player and coach on both teams knelt before both games. It was tremendous. The social issues that some players chose to wear on the back of their jersey's was very tastefully done, and I loved reading all the different sayings, and seeing which player wore what saying.

Then we have the actual basketball. As I said, it started a bit slow, you'd expect that after an emergency four month stoppage. But as the games wore on, the play became better and better, and more competitive. It seemed like the players were feeling each other out at first, but then they simply switched into game mode. Brandon Ingram, in the Jazz-Pelicans game, was out there cooking for a while. Once he got going, the rest of the Pelicans started to buy in. Zion threw down an alley oop that was spectacular, JJ Redick provided some nice moments off the bench, Jrue Holiday was playing lock down defense and hitting shots, and the Pelicans started to get up and down the floor. The Jazz came out hot, with Rudy Gobert running things, but kind of cooled off for a minute. Then they started to chip away at the Pelicans lead. Mike Conley hit tough shots, Joe Ingles was a pest, Royce O'Neal was hitting threes and Donovan Mitchell started to feel it in the second half. The game came down to the end, with Brandon Ingram just missing a three that would have won the game at the buzzer. It was a great appetizer to the main course.

That main course was a scintillating Clippers-Lakers game. I know the Clippers were without Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, but hey, they are still a solid team without those guys. The Lakers though, man did they come to play. Anthony Davis was doing it all, including hitting an inordinate amount of free throws. JaVale McGee was rolling and dropping hooks everywhere. Dwight Howard provided solid rebounding off the bench. Danny Green made shots. But LeBron showed why he is still the best player in the world. He had a rough shooting night, but he made great passes, played some solid defense, and when he needed to, he made shots. The Clippers looked pretty good too. No Harrell meant more time for Zubac and Joakim Noah. Both guys had solid defensive games. Reggie Jackson got the start since Patrick Beverly just cleared protocol prior to the game, and he played like he did while in OKC. Beverly was no slouch either when he got in. He didn't shoot well, but he was that bulldog on defense. Paul George looked fully healthy for the first time in two years. He was making jumpers, asserting himself to get to the rim and playing his usual stout defense. Kawhi had some short jumpers, tired legs, but he ratched it up when he needed to like LeBron, coming on real strong in the second half. LeBron ended up hitting what was essentially a game winner, and the Lakers got a win on opening night in a game that was better than the first.

This couldn't have worked out better for the NBA. They had two great games, all the stars that were there played, made some plays and were all over highlights this morning. The lack of a crowd was nullified for me watching from home. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. The fact that these guys played as hard, and as well as they did, it made the fact that there were no fans moot. I liked the big TV screens that showed people, and the pumped in noise, but again, it didn't really affect my watching at all.

I'm so happy that the NBA is back and started off with a bang like it did. I hope they continue to have success, as far as people staying healthy and good games, and they are able to let this thing run its course. But, for at least one night, I felt normal again, watching real basketball games. 

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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Tom Thibodeau is Not What the Knicks Need

Awhile back I talked about the New York Knicks and their opening at head coach. I went through the candidates I thought were viable and through my research I thought that Mike Brown was the best fit. He has coached a super duper mega star, he has been to the Finals, he has been to the playoffs and he has helped start a rebuild. Recently he has been the main assistant to Steve Kerr in Golden State. I felt he was owed his next shot at running a team, and I felt he would fit in perfectly with the Knicks.

Well, the Knicks are going to do what the Knicks are going to always do, and they went ahead and hired Tom Thibodeau. The deal was made official yesterday I believe. He is now the head coach of a very young team, younger than when he took over the Timberwolves, without a player of Jimmy Butler's caliber, or KAT's of that matter, who doesn't play much defense and is trying to build around RJ Barrett, who is okay, but I don't even think he is all rookie caliber. The best player the Knicks have is Mitchell Robinson in my opinion, and while he fits the mold of an old fashioned Thibodeau player, he is not going to be the offensive weapon that they need. And while they may try to mold Barrett into that kind of guy, he did not look to have the goods to be a great offensive player in the NBA. Also, Kevin Knox looked lost last season, they waived Alonzo Trier, they won't get a great college guy and the rest of the roster is, well, underwhelming to put it nicely. This should be a full rebuild. But, I just don't think Thibodeau is the guy for that. He wants to win and win now. To his credit, everywhere he has been, he has had teams that are in the playoffs, that make the game gruff and he has always had at least one guy that can score in the crucial moments. In Boston, as an assistant, he had Kevin Garnett to run the defense, and had KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, plus Doc Rivers as the head coach, to run the offense. They won a title. In Chicago he had Joakim Noah to play brutal defense, and a young Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in the history of the NBA, to run offense. He played those guys way, way too many minutes at a very young age, never got out of the second round of the playoffs and Derrick Rose destroyed his knee. In Minnesota he had Butler, who was the do it all guy on both offense and defense, and he had KAT playing good enough D, and scoring in bunches. That team had to fight to get the 8 seed in the playoffs, and then got their asses blown out and Jimmy Butler pushed his way out. Minnesota wasn't very good after that, and Thibs was let go. He has a decent track record as a head coach, but he cannot build a team, he plays his starters far too many minutes and he burns guys out. He has also had, at the least, one all star caliber player at his disposal everywhere he has been. As I pointed out, the Knicks don't have that yet, and they don't have a lot of the other things teams need to compete, even in the East. And I understand that Thibs and Leon Rose are buddies. I get that they hired World Wide Wes, and he knows people. I understand that, at least at the beginning, Knicks fans will like Thibs because he is old school and will work these kids. But what happens if they go 20-62 next season, and strike out on big time free agents? What happens if Mitchell Robinson pans out, but goes the Butler route and wants out? What happens if RJ Barrett is never more than an inconsistent scorer? What happens if Kevin Knox is fully a bust? The list of questions could go on and on, and you may say that these questions can be asked of other teams, successful teams at that, but this has happened everywhere Thibs has coached. Butler pushed his way to the 76ers. Derrick Rose was played far too much and he has never been the same. Rookies in Minnesota never got any real time to show themselves because Thibs wants to play vets. The Knicks biggest score in free agency in the past decade has been guys like Enes Kanter and Julius Randle. This just seems like a situation where Thibs will get frustrated, the Knicks won't get the meetings they want, the Nets will be more enticing, the guys Thibs will want are either too old, or simply not stars and the Knicks will be right here in two or three years again, looking for a new coach to go through yet another rebuild.

I want the Knicks to be good. Basketball is way more fun when they matter. The Lakers haven't been good for eight years, but this year, as much as I dislike them, has been better because they are a legit title contender. We need that from the team in New York, the team that plays at the most famous arena, the team that pushed the 90's Bulls. I just don't think it will work with Tom Thibodeau as their head coach. I feel like I have been ragging on him since he took the Minnesota job, but hey, that turned out to be one thing I was correct on. And this situation in New York is much, much worse than what he walked into in Minnesota. I wish the Knicks would think like a modern NBA team, but that just doesn't seem to be the way they do business. They need to get with the modern game, and Tom Thibodeau is not the head coach to do that. Oh well, maybe they will prove me wrong, I just don't see it. Not with him as the head coach and the current roster they have. 

Ty

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

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Ty's NBA Restart Preview

The second round of recent tests just came out in the NBA bubble and there were zero positives. This is a good sign, and it leads me to believe, at the current moment, we are going to get basketball, and maybe, just maybe, we can get a long run of games with no interruptions. I plan on watching basketball all day tomorrow. Real games, that will count towards real standing that will lead into the real playoffs kickoff in the afternoon, and games go through the whole night. I plan on parking myself on a couch and watching as much of these games as possible.

With that being said, I want to do a restart preview and playoff prediction. I already gave everyone my award winners, except for Rookie of the Year, it is Ja Morant in a landslide by the way, so those will not be mentioned. I will pick my playoffs, conference title matchups and Finals winner and MVP. The fact that there are only 22 teams makes it easier. I am not going to go through each team, but the absence of eight teams just makes this so much easier to do.

I am going to start with the East, or as we call it on the pod, the JV. The East isn't bad, it just isn't as good as the West. The East invited the current 8 playoff teams, and added the Wizards. Sure, they had a chance to make a push to possibly get in the playoffs, but the real draw was Brad Beal, and he opted out of the restart. The Wizards will see what kind of young talent they have, but that is it. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't win a single game while in Orlando. The East playoff will be good though. The Bucks are the clear favorite, and they should be. I wouldn't expect Giannis to play much in the first eight games so he can be fully ready for the playoffs. The Raptors are good too. They are the new era Pistons, not the Bad Boy Pistons either, but the team that had Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace. They are gritty and they beat the hell out of you on defense. Then it gets kind of jumbled. The Celtics are good, but very young. The Heat have a great, loaded defense, but can they score enough? The 76ers, my preseason pick to come out of the East, have been wildly underwhelming, and they are not good on the road. All the games in Orlando are away from Philly. Then we have the Magic and Nets. The Magic are a nice story, and it's cool that they are playing in their home city, but they won't do much. The Nets are a shell of themselves, and if they win a game in the playoffs, I'd be stunned. As much as I cannot quit the 76ers, I am going to finally bury that and pick the Bucks and Heat to play in the East Finals, with the Bucks winning in 5. Giannis is the MVP, the Bucks are the best team in the NBA by record, they are deep and they can pretty much do it all. It is their turn.

Now for the varsity, the West. The West is loaded. I mentioned the Wizards were the one extra East team, the West has the Spurs, Suns, Pelicans, Kings and Trailblazers. Add that to the Grizzlies, who currently sit in the 8 spot, and the fight for the 8 seed in the West is going to be the most fun thing to watch in these first eight games. It is going to be an all out brawl. Every game is going to matter. Every team is going to want to win and get in. The Suns and Kings are the only teams I look at and think they don't have a real chance, but hey, they have looked okay during the scrimmages. The Spurs have the best coach, so who knows what he will pull out. The Trailblazers have Dame, and he alone can carry that team. He also plays his best when his back is against the wall. And the Pelicans, before the shut down they were figuring it out, the NBA wants them in the playoffs and Zion is officially back as of today. Also, the Grizzlies have a two game lead, they have the ROY, Jaren Jackson has looked good and they only have to win 3 of the first 8 games to secure their spot. But, it is going to be tough. In the end, while I think it is going to be a great, great ride to the final playoff spot in the West, the Grizzlies are going to hold onto that 8 spot. Maybe it is the fan in me, but they have a pretty big lead, and their schedule isn't nearly as rough as it was going to be had the league not had a stoppage.

The rest of the West is so good. The Lakers and Clippers are so goddamn good. I think the Clippers are deeper and play better defense, but the Lakers have LeBron and AD. Two of the five best players in the league are in their starting lineup, and that is a humongous deal. The Nuggets are a very solid team, they have great ball movement, and as I wrote yesterday, Bol Bol is the new face of the league. Dallas is historically great on offense and at full strength. They also have a great coach, but who knows if their defense can stop anyone. The same thing with the Rockets. They can score in bunches, but they can also go ice cold and they are so, so small. PJ Tucker, while being their only good defender, is only 6'8, and he is going to have to guard centers and power forwards. That is a tough task. The Thunder are the best story in the league, and they will put a scare into whoever they face in the first round, but no more than just a scare. They do have the building blocks for a great future, and while this season has been fun, just wait until next season. I am sticking with the Clippers to come out of the West, but they will have to fight to get there because the Lakers are a very, very, very good team, and LeBron is going to want to prove that he is still the dude in the NBA. Also, AD, while only being in the playoffs twice, he has shined both times. The Clippers do have a ton of guys they can throw at both of them, and in the end, I just don't think the Lakers have enough outside AD and LeBron to get to the Finals. Clippers will win the West Finals in 7.

This gives us a Clippers-Bucks finals. I think they are the two best teams, I think this is the best matchup, I think it will get the most eyeballs on the screens and it will be a dynamite Finals. As much as I'd like to pick the Bucks and make my dad's dream come true to see another Bucks championship team, the Clippers have so much firepower on both offense and defense. It will be another hard fought, fun series to watch, and I think it will go 7 and I think all of the games will be close, but the Clippers will always have one better guy on the floor than the Bucks will, and that will bring the title to LA. The Clippers will exorcise past playoff demons and they will win the title. As for the MVP, it is going to be Kawhi. He has proven to be the best overall player in the league the past 2 years, he is rested, he is always ready and he has already shut down Giannis once before.

There you have it, my restart preview. The NBA is almost back people. Now let's just hope it sticks around. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the best damn basketball writer on all the internets.

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Bol Bol is the Early Star of the NBA Bubble

The 2020 NBA restart is just two days away. By all accounts, it looks like things are a go, and teams will start playing real games on Thursday. I have a whole restart blog I will do with picks and who I think will get into the playoffs, and win, tomorrow. Today though, I want to talk about Bol Bol and how wonderful he has looked in these scrimmages.

Yes, I have watched an inordinate amount of the scrimmages as well. I am starved for sports, the MLB doesn't look great right now after last night, I am not a soccer or golf guy and I have never seen a UFC fight. That means these scrimmages have been what I have watched, and gladly watched I might add. It is cool to see the teams playing, kind of taking it seriously and what kind of wild lineups teams are putting out there. That was what led me to watch Denver when I saw what they did on the first day of the live scrimmages. They put out a lineup that had no one under 6'8 as a starter out there, including Bol at forward. He is over 7 feet tall, and they played him at forward. That was more than enough for me to tune in. As I watched, I remembered why he was such a get when he committed to Oregon two years ago. He was a top flight recruit out of high school. You go back and see his mixtapes, and he was dominant. Bigger, faster and more nimble than anyone that he was going up against. He parlayed that into, I think it was only seven games that he played at Oregon. He was a nightmare matchup for opponents. He was a very solid rim protector. Sure, he was a bit too thin, but his speed and quickness more than made up for how much he weighed. He could also drill threes. Like, he wasn't just taking them to see if he could shoot them, he was a solid three point shooter. Players needed to be prepared to come out and guard him at the top of the key because he can hit that shot at a solid clip.

Then he got injured. Then he decided to skip out on the rest of the college season all together. Then his injury got worse. Then he had a bad showing at the combine. Then he slipped out of the first round and went deep into the second round. When the Nuggets took him at 44 I was stunned. I couldn't believe he fell that far, and I couldn't believe that the Nuggets were able to steal him from a team that might actually need him. The year before they were able to snatch up Michael Porter Jr in the late lottery due to injury concerns. This is what the Nuggets do. They are so loaded with talent, that when the draft comes, they can take any gamble they choose. Hell, they had both Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic, both later first round picks, and were able to trade Nurkic without a second thought. The Nuggets are a very well run franchise, and these picks prove that even more. Porter Jr is going to be good when he gets real minutes, and when he can stay healthy. But the way that Bol has looked in these scrimmages, my goodness, he can be great. He just needs time too. I have seen him take, and make, contested threes. I have seen him recover and swat both jumpers and layups. I have watched him throw down alley oops and run pick and rolls for easy dunks. He is out jumping guys for rebounds. He looks like the kid that was such a coveted recruit. He even looks a little thicker too, which is good. Bol looked so good in his first scrimmage, he got "randomly" selected to be drug tested by the NBA. I mean, if that isn't recognition that he is good, I don't know what is. And believe me, I understand these are scrimmages, not everyone is going 100 percent, not every team has their full roster of players and some are going a little easy, waiting for the playoffs. But, these guys are all still pros, they are on these teams rosters or part of their G League affiliates. They have been in the league for awhile. They are pro basketball players. And Bol is looking more and more like a dude that can be special in the NBA. If it happens in Denver, great. But, with their depth, I could see them striking while the iron is hot and trading Bol for a solid deal as well. Based on these scrimmages I think some teams, especially ones not in the bubble, are wishing they had taken a chance on Bol, and now, they may trade a bit more than they would have to acquire him.

I have loved what I have seen out of him, and I am rooting for him. I would love to see him do something similar to what Rashard Lewis did. For those that may not remember Lewis, he was a prep to pro that was invited to the green room for the draft, and he didn't get picked until the second round. He was the last person left in the green room. He vowed to make teams regret their mistake, saying as much at his interview, and he went on to have a very, very solid NBA career. He was an important player on some very good teams. I want Bol to have that same career, he just needs a real chance. But damn has he been fun to watch in these scrimmages, and I think he will force the Nuggets to play him, or trade him to a team that will play him. Bol Bol is good. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the best damn basketball writer on all the internets.

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Letting Sports Stars Talk About Social Issues is Why We Need Sports Right Now

Of all the professional sports leagues in the US that have restarted, started a shortened season, or at least have some kind of plan, the NBA seems to be doing it the very best. The NHL isn't too far behind, but they don't start until August. MLB started yesterday, pro soccer has started in some spots, golf is going on and the NBA is supposed to restart in six days.

So far the bubble seems to be working. I know it has only been about two, maybe three weeks, but the guys there seem to be having fun, they are making the best of it, they are following the rules and they are trying like hell to play. They also had zero positive Covid tests during their last run, which is the best they could have hoped for. It may not, it most likely won't stay this clean, but for right now, this has all been very good news.

I also saw something else on Wednesday, when the scrimmages started, that made me even more on board, and happy with what they are doing in Orlando. During the post game interviews, which they are conducting very properly, all of the players are taking their time to focus on social issues. They will answer one question about the game just played, or about basketball in general, and then they will completely turn their attention to social issues. Paul George answered one question and followed it up by saying he only wanted to talk about Breonna Taylor and the officers who are still not arrested for her murder. He spent the rest of his time strictly talking about it. LeBron did the same after the Lakers first scrimmage yesterday, and he didn't wait. He immediately went into it, calling out the officers, talking about being a black person in America today and saying some very important, very poignant things. Tobias Harris did it too on the 76ers first media day. He simply, and politely stated that he will only talk about Breonna Taylor. I loved it. He made sure to let the media know that was all he would speak on. It was perfect. Now it seems like most players are doing the same, or something similar. I saw videos of Alex Caruso, Jeremi Grant, CJ McCollum, Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon, among many many others taking this same stance. They would only talk about social issues currently going on in the world today, and it is a perfect way to get the word out to millions upon millions of people.

There isn't much else to do right now, and with CoronaVirus numbers skyrocketing pretty much everywhere, people are aching to watch sports, and lots of them are aching to watch basketball, just like me. LeBron was correct when he said that he didn't think playing in Orlando in the bubble would stop him from talking about changes that needed to be made. I hate to say this, but Kyrie Irving was wrong. I don't hate to say that actually, he was wrong, and LeBron was right, as usual. You can play basketball and you can help change things. These guys have billions of fans all over the world who are accessible to them via their phones. So, for them to take their media time to only talk about racial inequality, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, defunding the police and so on, that will reach so many, many people, and it may help change their minds.

I think this is great, I think the NBA is doing a tremendous job of letting their players speak and I think doing this while the whole world is watching is going to be remembered for a very, very long time. This is wonderful. A spark in a very rough year so far. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the best damn basketball writer on all the internets.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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The SeedSing 2020 MLB Preview

Much to my surprise, and it was a pleasant one for once in 2020, I realized the MLB season is starting today.

I usually don't watch the MLB, I find it mind numbingly boring, but hey, in 2020 I have found myself watching snippets of UFC, soccer, Korean Baseball and, just yesterday, NBA scrimmages. So, the fact that a major pro sport, who couldn't seem to get things right this summer, is finally getting underway. Who knows how it will go, who knows if they will finish, who knows how many players will get sick, all of that is up in the air. But, they are going to be playing real games that will count towards real records and will, hopefully, get to a World Series and crown a champ.

With all that being said I am going to do my best to do a mini MLB preview. The season is going to be mini, I don't know as much as RD does about baseball, I honestly don't know who is and isn't playing, my dad had to remind me that the Nationals won the World Series last year, so my preview is going to be like all of what I just wrote, very jumbled and mini. Okay, here we go.

I will start in the AL. The season is going to be 60 games, so anything can really happen. If this pandemic was last year, the Nationals wouldn't have even made the playoffs. So, I don't think it is going to be as clear cut as some do. I know people have said that the Yankees and Astros and Red Sox and Twins were all good last year. Well, the Astros are cheaters, so I hope, and don't expect that they will be any good. The Red Sox lost their best guy to the Dodgers, who knows if Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton can stay healthy for such a short season and maybe the Twins were a one season wonder. I would say the best bet of those teams is the Twins, but who knows. I also wouldn't count out teams like the Rays, Athletics, Indians, Blue Jays, if they can find somewhere to play, or even the Angels. Each team has something special that can propel them in such a short season. I do know that the Orioles, Royals and Tigers will not be good because they have been bad, possibly on purpose, for the past couple years. If I am going to pick one team to come out of the AL in this shortened mini season, I think it is a real toss up between the Twins and the Yankees. Again, not much would surprise me, except the Orioles going .500. I could see the Rays making a run, they have solid pitching. Or maybe the A's find some kind of magic like they do every couple of seasons. Or maybe the Astros have found another way to cheat that the MLB doesn't know of yet. But, if I have to pick one team, in a 60 game season to come out of the AL, what the hell, I am going with the Twins. I like their bats, I like their pitching a bit better and I have family that lives in the Twin Cities, and the Twins making the Series would delight them to no end.

Now the NL, the varsity if you will. The teams in the NL are so much better. There is so much more competition. Even the teams considered "bottom feeders" will be hard to beat in a shortened season. The usual suspects will be there. The Dodgers are going to be awesome. They spent enough money to make sure of that. The Braves are very young and very talented. The Phillies have Bryce Harper. The Nationals won it all last year. The Brewers are liable to win 40 plus. Same thing with the Cardinals. And the Diamondbacks still have really solid pitching. Even the teams that I consider "surprise" teams are already good. The Reds are solid. The Cubs still have a great core. The Mets have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. And the Rockies made a ton of noise last year, and they still have Arenado. The only teams that I think won't be great, but still tough, are the Pirates, Giants and Marlins. The NL is far, far superior to the AL. There is no Baltimore or Detroit in the NL. The Marlins come closest, but I'd still take them over one of the bottom dwellers in the AL. Which team do I think will come out of this and represent the NL? I'm not sure. But, if I had to pick, I'd go with the Dodgers. They have bought the best team money can buy. They also have a really great pitching staff and they have been, and should have won, the past couple of Series. I do think the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves can challenge, but the Dodgers are too good on every level. They truly do have it all.

So that leaves me with a Twins-Dodgers World Series, and I am picking the Dodgers, and picking them in a sweep. They are too loaded, and in this shortened year, I feel like they are going to run roughshod over the league. I could see them winning 50 plus games. I'm serious. They are that good. I also don't see them struggling too much in the playoffs, whenever, or if ever, that happens.

Okay, there is my weird, bizarre 2020 MLB shortened season preview. Time to play ball.

Ty

RD’s thoughts on the season 

I am happy baseball is back. I am not thrilled with how they are doing the season.

I would normally breakdown each division and talk about surprise teams, but that is pointless with this MLB “season”.

Ty is right, the Dodgers are the only sure thing I see in this season, and that is mostly due to the fact that they will play the weakest competition with the AL and NL west. LA is also loaded, I was going to pick them as my NL champs back in late March.

The AL will be won by a team with 35-40 wins. There is a bunch of crap in that league, but no one is as sure a bet as the Dodgers are in the NL. The Yankees have bats, but their pitching is not there and those bats get hurt a lot. The Twins also have bats, but their pitching is a bigger problem than New York’s. Also, the Twins have to play a brutal schedule with all the NL Central teams. The Yankees schedule is not much better adding in the NL East. I think a 35 win Twins, Yankees, or Astros team will come out. I’m going to go with the disgusting Astros.

Astros v Dodgers. LA is going to crush Houston and get their overdue World Series trophy from the cheaters that should not be there.

Oh, and the Cincinnati Reds are going to be solid like Ty said. A solid 30-30 team.

Last prediction, I do not think the season will completed on time, or at all. Too many covidiots that won’t wear a masks

Play Ball.

RD

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

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Ty's Two Cents on the NBA Awards

With the NBA restart approaching, and boy do I hope it happens, award season is right around the corner. They usually do it during the Finals, but 2020 has been anything but normal, so they have had to push all their awards to the beginning of the restart playoffs. But, the people who vote have to have their ballots in within the next week.

Some of the awards I feel are easy. I think Nick Nurse is coach of the year hands down. Toronto has been surprisingly great, and they lost Kawhi. Brandon Ingram should be a shoo in for most improved. He has only gotten better in every phase of his game, he was an all star I believe and he is the reason why the Pelicans are where they are right now. Zion is the reason people want to watch, but Ingram has carried the offensive load in his absence. Lou Williams or Montrezl Harrell are winning sixth man. The Clippers have owned that award since they signed Jamal Crawford years ago, and that has continued since they signed Williams and traded for Harrell.

The MVP and defensive player of the year, to some, seems to be the one with some questions. Not for me. I think Giannis more than deserves both of these awards. He was the MVP last season, and he has been better this year. It shows on the floor and in the stats. The Bucks are also, record wise, the best team in the league. Giannis is also putting up these numbers in less minutes than last season. Add on his newfound tenacity on defense, he is far and away the MVP. And his defense, he is getting to that Kawhi level. He erases whoever he defends on any given night. He is so long, so it's easy for him to block shots or recover on the rare occasion he gets beat. He is one of the better thieves in the league, getting a solid amount of steals for a power forward. He can also be a rim protector. He can guard the perimeter. Giannis, once he gets a semblance of the jump shot, will be more unstoppable than he is right now. He is the MVP, and he is the defensive player of the year. It is that easy for me.

I have heard some argue that it isn't that clean cut. I have seen names like Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis mentioned as DPOY. Sure, they are good, but not Giannis good. Look, I think Gobert is one of the best modern defenders this league has seen, but he won't get the award this year because people will point to him as the guy that shut the league down. Also, he can't guard the perimeter like Giannis can. Giannis has taken that step. While Gobert is the best rim protector, Giannis can do it well, and he can also guard shooters. Anthony Davis came out like a house on fire with his defense, and had he kept that up, I would have listened to an argument. But he tailed off near the shut down. He would do good things here and there, but he wasn't the dominant force that he was in the first half of the year. I think the Lakers also asked him to take on more of the offensive load, and that meant defense had to take a little hit. Davis is still a great defender, but he isn't Giannis.

As for the MVP, Giannis is a no brainer for me, but some have started to take LeBron James' side. In fact, I think a lot has to do with voters doing to Giannis what they have done to LeBron. They don't want to vote for the same guy year after year. It has happened to LeBron, Shaq, Jordan and Giannis seems like the new guy that will have to endure this. Don't get me wrong, LeBron has been wonderful this year, and to do the things he has done at 35 years old and 18 years in the league is amazing. But, I think Giannis is more valuable to the Bucks than LeBron is to the Lakers. Both teams wouldn't be that good without either guy, but I think the Lakers would be a little better if they had the same roster they currently have. AD, Rondo, Kuzma, Danny Green, these are vets, all stars and solid players. Sure, the Bucks have Khris Middleton, but he only got good with Giannis. Same thing with Eric Bledose, and he chokes in the playoffs. After that, the Bucks have solid guys, but no one near Davis, and no one that will impose their will like some of the guys the Lakers have. Both LeBron and Giannis have had great years, but Giannis is coming off an MVP season and he is better. I just don't see how he doesn't win the MVP again. He deserves, his team is better record wise and they'd be a middling, at best, team, if he weren't there.

That's just my 2 cents.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the best damn basketball writer on all the internets.

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