Tales of Watching a Live NBA Game During the Pandemic

I spent this past weekend in Memphis with my dad and son. My son got tickets to a Bulls-Grizzlies for Christmas, and this was the weekend we went. It was fun too. What I want to talk to you all about today is the experience of going inside an arena during a wave of this seemingly never ending pandemic. But first I want to talk about some other stuff I noticed while in Memphis.

First off, the hotel was clean, well managed, got things when we needed them and pretty much every attendant was masked when walking around the main area of the hotel. I felt comfortable, especially after my dad and I sanitized and cleaned every handle and highly touched surface in the room. We also ordered all of our food to go, ate it in the room and did not have to step inside a restaurant while we were there. It was nice.

When we walked around the downtown area, we wore our masks, and I would have to estimate about 80 percent of the people we saw had masks on as well. I was pleasantly surprised. This is on me. I figured that we were going to be in the South, I see people in Saint Louis not following masking rules and that it would be a free for all. It was the opposite. There were more people wearing masks than were not. And if someone did not have one on, a store clerk would hand them one and they would put it on, no questions asked. It was great. I was stoked. And the local coffee shop we found and frequented had excellent coffee, service and also high masking standards. To see that in a college town was icing on the cake.

Monday was game day. That was the reason for being there. This is what it was all leading to. We decided to get downtown at noon for a 2:30pm game. We figured we could go to the fan shop, get our concessions and find our seats before there were a ton of people. It worked. We got into the arena around 12:30 and my son and I did a little shopping. Since his birthday is coming up I told him I would buy him one thing, no jerseys since they were far too expensive. After about a half an hour he found a shirt and we bought it. It was contactless pay, every worker had a mask on, some were gloved and it felt safe. The other customers gave space, we found it easy to maneuver the shop and I felt okay. Then we found our seats with relative ease. They were great seats. And for about an hour, no one else sat by us. This was my time to get the concessions for my son and I. I figured if we could eat before other people came, it would be easiest. And it was. We ate our nachos, drank our water and shared some popcorn, with no one else in sight. It was great. After we were done, we cleaned up and put our masks back on. By the way, we were wearing the KF94 masks, and I highly recommend those. They have the feel of a KN95, but they, for me, fit better. It was tight on my face and it left a little room so my glasses did not fog up.

About 15 minutes before tip, the arena was about half full. I was hoping this would be the case for the whole game. It was not. Maybe five minutes before introductions more people came in. In about five minutes time the arena was about 85 to 90 percent full. This was when my anxiety went up. My ticks came out. I was clearing my throat a lot and twisting my head from side to side. I did my methods to calm my nerves, but they were still pretty high. I made sure we all kept our masks on tight to our faces, and just rolled with it. It did help to see about 65 to 70 percent of the crowd with masks on. Unfortunately the people sitting next to me and my dad did not have masks on, or if they did, they wore them around their chin. Not to be deterred, we put my son between us, and I turned my body towards him so I could protect him the most. And we made damn sure we kept our masks on the whole game.

When the game started something shifted in me. I was still nervous and ticking, but when incredible plays happened, I cheered. When good passes were made, I cheered. When my son had a question I was quick with an answer. When the PA asked the crowd to get loud and stand up, I did. I found myself getting lost in the game action. I was masked obviously, but the game was making me cheer loud. It was kind of neat to see a live game. I have not been to a live game or concert or anything like that in two years. This is because of the pandemic, but also because I have actively chosen not to go. But this was for my son. My dad and I hatched this plan before Omicron was on the radar. We have all gotten our shots, done what we have been informed to do by doctors and scientists and my dad and I have extra antibodies after getting COVID ourselves. I even asked my doctor about going, and he said that, as long as I wore my mask and followed the rules, I should be okay. And now that I am two days removed from going, I am glad that I went and did this thing with my son and dad. I was nervous being in an arena, but I got through it. My dad had a good time watching a live game mainly because he was excited to see his grandson see a live game. And my son, he was eating up every single second. He has not stopped talking about the game since we left the arena at 5:15 Monday night. He is already an excitable, talkative kid, and this game has only multiplied that ten times.

So while I would not recommend doing this unless you go about like we did, I had fun. It was a memory that I will never, ever forget. The look on my son's face was more than worth the trip. He was on cloud 9. It was amazing. And I want to give the FedEx Forum their due. They did an excellent job trying to get as many people as they possibly could to follow the rules, and they did their job. My hat is off to them. And to the city of Memphis as well. Thank you for the hospitality and for wearing masks when they were supposed to. This was a good trip and a trip to see how something I used to do all the time without a second thought would feel now that I haven't done it in two years due to the pandemic. It was a nice experience.

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

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The NFL Has a White Coach Problem

While recording a pod this afternoon the news of David Culley being fired by the Houston Texans came across my phone. I was kind of, not stunned, but wary of the news.

The Texans are not a good football team, but Culley had them playing tough at the end of the season. They also came out in week one and proved that the Jags were going to be far worse than they were, which made my preseason preview marking the Texans as the worst team far off. They also had to throw Davis Mills out there at QB because of all the off field issues with Deshaun Watson. They also let most of their best players leave a season earlier and they were left with unproven rookies and vets looking to continue their careers. I do not know who their running back is. I only know Nico Collins because he played at Michigan. I cannot name one player off the top of my head on their defense. And Culley still found a way to have this team go out and compete. They did not get crushed by anyone, they played admirably and, even though they only won four games, that could have easily turned into six or seven games.

This was a bad move by a bad franchise. What makes this move worse, Mike Tomlin is now the only black coach in the NFL. Now that Culley, and equally as unfair, and Brian Flores have been let go, Tomlin is it. He is the only one left. That is ridiculous. The fact this league does not seem to care about hiring black men in positions of power is downright sickening. Every year we go through coaching hires and fires, and every year it seems that coaches of color are never given a second look. Looking at all the chatter right now, the only black coaches I see mentioned for jobs are Flores, Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles. Every other big name is a white guy. From Jim Harbaugh to Lane Kiffin to Brian Daboll to Kellen Moore, it is a sea of white men. And I am not saying they are not qualified, but why are they deemed more qualified than black coaches who work just as hard and do a great job at their current jobs? Byron Leftwich has proven himself to be an excellent offensive coordinator. Tom Brady is a million years old, but the game plan put together by Leftwich has let Brady continue to be elite. Todd Bowles is one of the best defensive minds in the game. Prior to him being hired in Tampa, their defense was a dumpster fire. He was the coordinator for one of the more dominant defenses I have ever seen in a Super Bowl last season. He also has experience as an NFL head coach. Eric Bienemy continually gets passed up for head coaching gigs yet he has run one of the best offenses in football for three straight seasons. The fact that he isn't a head coach in the NFL is criminal. Brian Flores should have never, ever been fired by Miami. He had that team on the come up, he had two straight winning seasons and he has proven he is the only Belichek disciple that can beat him regularly. Yet these guys either never get a shot, or they get just one shot and they are let go at the drop of a hat.

Look, part of me doesn't want to lose Harbaugh because I do believe he has Michigan going in the right direction. But also, why would the Bears or Raiders choose him over a younger, more liked coach like Byron Leftwich? Harbaugh showed he could win in the NFL, but he also showed that his abrasive style is not for everyone. Or take a guy like Brian Daboll. Why is he the bell of the ball all of the sudden? His offense in Buffalo is not even close to the level that it has been in Tampa. Hell, the Texans offense under Culley looked better at times this season. Kellen Moore is young and innovative, but I go to Leftwich again, and he has a Super Bowl ring to his name. As does Bienemy. It is so shocking how the NFL and Roger Goodell just skirt the Rooney Rule. They do nothing real to enforce it. The interviews are all a sham. It is purely for show.

I have grown extremely weary of the NFL over the past three or four years. It doesn't have the same amount of fun or pageantry as college football, a sport that is also ripe with problems. But now, with black coaches being fired, or not getting real interviews, it just further hammers home how truly racist the league and their front offices are. They are a mockery of a diverse workplace, and Goodell is too spineless to do anything about it. The NFL is gross. And now they are showing their true racism. Something needs to change, I just do not know who will have the guts to enforce it in the NFL. What a crock.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2022 NFL Playoff Preview

After a wild day of football yesterday, the NFL playoffs are set. I have not watched much NFL this year, but due to some circumstances, more on that later this week, I have had to quarantine in my basement, so I have been watching football to pass the time. And today I come to you with my NFL playoff preview and predictions. I was off on the Giants and Baltimore, but I think I got the rest of it pretty close to the actual finish. Anyway, let's get to it.

I'm going with the AFC first.

The Titans may be the least threatening number 1 seed I have ever seen. I know they get Derrick Henry back, and he has had a good amount of time to rehab his injury, but other than him they do not scare me. For the 2-7 matchup, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, I have the Chiefs, but in a closer than expected game. Pittsburgh snuck into the playoffs, the Chiefs haven't looked great and it will probably be cold in KC. I expect a low scoring game, but I also expect Mahomes to make a play or two and win the game. In the 3-6, Buffalo and New England, I really do not know what to think. Buffalo is overrated. New England has a rookie QB and a bunch of guys I have never heard of before. They still have Bill Belichek, but this game is in Buffalo. The weather will be frigid, and with any old Patriots team that would not matter. But this group is full of unknowns. For that one reason alone I am going with Buffalo. The 4-5, Cincinnati and Vegas, will be the most fun first round matchup. I'm going with the Bengals because they are the more fun team. The Chargers also showed that you can throw on this team at will, and Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase will eat that up for a big day. The Bengals will win and should win relatively comfortably.

That means my semifinals are the Bengals and the Titans, and the Chiefs and the Bills. I really want to pick the Bengals for so many reasons, mainly for my brother and his son, but I think the Titans defense is good enough, better than the Raiders for sure, and they can slow them down just enough. This is where having Derrick Henry will help too. They can control the ball all game. The Bengals have a bright future, but they are not ready yet. The Titans will win. The Chiefs will have home field, they are a different team than who the Bills faced earlier this season and they are just a better team. They have more weapons and speed and a much improved defense. I think the Chiefs will win, and pretty convincingly.

That means my AFC title game is Tennessee and Kansas City. And I'm going with KC. Again, they are better, they have more weapons, they are an improved defense and the Titans are non threatening. The Chiefs will be in their third consecutive Super Bowl.

On to the NFC.

The 2-7 features Philadelphia and Tampa. Philly has been a great story, they have a great run game and I am a Jalen Hurts fan. But Tampa is simply better. Even without a guy like Chris Godwin, they still have multiple other weapons. And a solid defense. Philly could be on the rise, but not this year and not against Tampa. The 3-6 features two teams that I have never been a fan of in my lifetime. The Cowboys can be a lethal offense and when Dak is on, he is on. San Francisco is not near Dallas' level on offense, but they have an elite defense and they can go blow for blow against the Cowboys offense. They just held a very good Rams offense in check. I really do not know who to pick in this game. Dallas could go for 40 or 10. San Francisco could run for 150 yards or they may have to rely on Jimmy Garroppolo if they get in a big hole, and nobody wants that. For those reasons, and because I watched Mike McCarthy constantly underachieve for years as Green Bay's head coach, I am going with the 49ers in a very close game. The 4-5 is going to be almost as fun as the AFC's 4-5. The Rams and Cardinals will face off in Arizona and a ton of points will be put up in a hurry. I could see both teams going for 30 plus points and 350 plus total yards of offense. I am going to go with the Cardinals because I like Kyler Murray way more than I like Matt Stafford.

So that leaves me with Green Bay playing Arizona and Tampa playing San Francisco. Tampa should cruise by the 49ers. They have the offense to match their defense. They have a solid enough defense to stop the 49ers run game and force Jimmy G to beat them. Tom Brady will go wild and the 49ers will go home. The Packers should, and damn well better, beat Arizona in Green Bay. Look, it is no secret how I feel about Aaron Rodgers, and it is so hard to root for him and the Packers right now, but Green Bay is simply better. They have already beaten the Cardinals once and I think they are more than up to the challenge again.

That means we have a rematch at our hands, with Tampa traveling to Green Bay in the NFC title game. I am going to stick with my preseason pick and stay with the Packers. They are much better this year, and as long as they do not have to count on their special teams, they should be good to go. It also helps that the game is in Green Bay. I know Tom Brady has played plenty of cold weather games, but he hasn't in two years, and it will be beyond frigid in Green Bay.

So I have the Packers and Chiefs in the Super Bowl. As cool as it would be to see the Packers win the Super Bowl, I cannot, in my right mind, pick them. I loathe Aaron Rodgers and I simply cannot deal with someone as arrogant and prickish as him winning the Super Bowl. He is an ass and I cannot root for someone like him. For that reason, and the fact that the Chiefs are a really good football team, I am going with the Chiefs to win it this time out. Mahomes is a better person and QB, the Chiefs defense is better and they can rely on their special teams if it comes down to it. I'm sorry to my fellow Packers fans, but Aaron Rodgers does not deserve to be put on a pedestal. He is an egocentric maniac and he has made it impossible for me to root for Green Bay. The Chiefs will be your Super Bowl champs, and Mahomes will be the MVP.

Ty

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

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What the Heck is Going On With Michigan Basketball?

I need to eat some crow today. I was super high on Michigan basketball going into the season. The women's team has been great. That one I was right on. They have looked every bit the part of a team that made the Sweet Sixteen last year and are building off that success. The men's team has not been great. What happened?

I was stoked going into this season. They were coming off an Elite Eight appearance, they were a number 1 seed and they had a wonderful group of freshmen coming in. They were a preseason top 10 team, they were picked to win the Big 10, Hunter Dickinson was a national player of the year candidate and Caleb Houstan was going to be a lottery pick. It all looked so good.

Well things have not gone as planned. They lost an early game to Seton Hall. Seton Hall is good, that game seemed like an aberration and stuff like that happens in college basketball all the time. But they struggled to put away a below .500 team after that game. It seemed like they were going to go on a run, and then Arizona demolished them. Again, Arizona was underrated at the time, but they beat the brakes off of Michigan. That game wasn't close. They also got destroyed by UNC in the Big 10/ACC challenge. UNC is also not very good. Minnesota came into Crisler, with the Wolverines riding a two game win streak, and crushed them. Then UCF crushed them. And, most recently, Rutgers got their first ever win in basketball over Michigan the other night. They play MSU tomorrow, and I am not very hopeful for that game, causing me to rethink my 2022 resolution.

This team is not good right now. They play too much individual basketball. They rely too heavily on Hunter Dickinson. Caleb Houstan has not played very well to this point. Eli Brooks can't hit the ocean. Moussa Diabate got hurt. Kobe Bufkin got COVID. Brandon Johns has regressed. Frankie Collins is too inconsistent. They just do not play as a team. They also find some way to melt down after halftime too. They have held leads, or the games have been close at the half in most. Then they get extremely cold from the field and they cannot play defense. UNC throttled Michigan in the second half of that game. Minnesota did the same. They could not stop Geo Baker against Rutgers. It has been a constant downfall in the second half all year. Even the games they won, minus a few, they have really struggled. They have been missing far too many free throws, blowing leads, falling behind by double figures, blowing defensive assignments and just letting one bad thing snowball into many bad things. It has been a struggle. They are not a top 25 team. They are not even a NCAA tournament team right now. They have a lot of work to do.

I do believe they have time to turn it around, or at least become more competitive. The game tomorrow is going to speak volumes to me going forward. Win or lose, hopefully they win, how they perform is going to shape the rest of the season. They have the talent to turn it around. Juwan Howard is an excellent coach. The players are good enough to put it together, they just have to find a way. But this is not the team I was expecting this season. I do not think it was the team they were expecting. They are bad. They have things to figure out. They have to put in more work. But they can do it. I do have hope they can turn it around. I feel like they just need to tweak a few things and put together a full game to get their confidence back. I think they may have been feeling themselves before the season, buying into the preseason hype. Well they have fallen flat on their faces. Now they can try and fix it, or just go deeper into a hole.

Hopefully they figure it out. They are no longer a top seed, a national title contender, a team to fear. But, they can maybe become a solid tournament team. Time will tell.

Ty

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

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RIP John Madden

Last night after dinner I went on Bleacher Report to check if there were any news stories I had missed during the day. Minus the usual COVID news that is hammering the world right now, I saw that John Madden had suddenly passed away.

I was upset. My wife asked what was wrong because I immediately exclaimed, "No! What a bummer". I told her the news, and she asked, the video game guy?'. My son said the same thing. He then asked if they were still going to make the video game even though Madden had now passed. I told him I assumed they would.

That interaction with my wife, who does not care about football, and my nine year old, who is very new to the game, said a whole lot about John Madden to me. Being the sports fanatic that I am, I knew Madden as the head coach of the Raiders the last time they were really dominant. It also helped that my father taught me the history of sports as a young kid. To my dad, John Madden was a coach. He knows of the video game because I still play it, but he is much more of a coach to my father. I have to assume that is the same for his generation of football fans. He was a great coach too. A Super Bowl winning coach. He turned the Raiders into a power when he was the head man there. He was great.

Madden then shifted to broadcasting. He was instantly a hit. He has won so many more awards as a broadcaster than he did as a coach. He was a classic. For me he is second only to Keith Jackson, and that is because I prefer college football to the NFL. But Madden was great. He was one of the few NFL broadcasters that I actually liked. The team of Madden and Pat Summerall has yet to find an equal. Summerall was such a great play by play guy. He knew the game inside and out. He was incredible. He also knew when to rein Madden in, but more importantly, when to let him go off. These were some of the best Madden moments. He would go on and tell some of the wildest stories you ever heard. He would say some stuff that would make Yogi Berra blush. My favorite was, "the team with the most points at the end of the game usually wins". That one still cracks me up to this day. He would talk about the importance of scoring TD's like it wasn't universally already known. But he did this in a way that was so delightful. It was a joy to hear him spew crazy nonsense out of his mouth. One of my favorite things he ever did was his and Summerall's appearance on "The Simpsons". That is an all time classic episode, and to have him end it with the great line, "now that doesn't make a lick of sense", when Vincent Price invites him on a bus is truly amazing.

Today John Madden is known for his incredible video game. Madden Football is THE football video game. It was the first one I played. It is an instant buy for almost every video game player. It is the most intuitive and educational football game that has ever been made. I have read stories from other people saying that, when Madden agreed to do the game, that he insisted it was as real as it could get. It had to be 11 on 11. They needed to have real plays and playbooks. He even gave the creators his old playbooks. He wanted the game to be as close to the real thing as possible. That is incredible. Most other sports games are just heightened versions of the sports they are representing. I love games like NFL Blitz or NBA Jam or NBA Street, but none of them is as real as Madden is. Even if the game has gotten a bit stale, it is still the closest we have to representing the sport it is supposed to. And Madden Football is universally known. As I stated before, my wife and son knew his name because of the game. I have spoken to some other, younger kids who only know Madden from the video game. I bet if I asked ten people to tell me how they know John Madden, or if they know him, all ten would say something about the video game. It is a classic. And Madden has his prints all over it.

John Madden was a great coach, a better broadcaster and helped to create one of the greatest video games of all time. He will be missed. RIP John Madden. You were, and will be remembered as a true legend.

Ty

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

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The Jacksonville/Urban Meyer Experiment Did Not End Well

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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2021 Top Five - Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Some Love for My Memphis Grizzlies

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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It Feels Good to be a Michigan Football Fan Today

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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I Have No Idea Why Brian Kelly Left for LSU

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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I Know Exactly Why Lincoln Riley Left for USC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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It is Time for the College Football Playoff to give Cincinnati Some Love

Tonight is the eve of, I believe, the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings.

Right off the bat I want to say that I fully understand that this is a TV show. Up until they do their final vote, none of this matters. The committee is going to do things to get people talking about why they have certain teams where they have them. I also think rankings are extremely pointless until the end of the season. I loathe preseason rankings. I think ranking teams after three weeks is baseless. Some teams start off hot and cool way down, see UCLA. Other teams have a slip up, the university of Ohio State, and now look like one of the best teams in the country. Rankings are useless, to me, until the end of the season. For example, in the preseason poll, Clemson was second. They are currently unranked. Iowa State was fifth. They are also unranked. Iowa was tenth and they are in the 20's now. LSU was eleven, they are below .500. Miami was twelve, they are right at .500. UNC was fourteen, they need a win this week to become bowl eligible. Indiana was sixteen. They have had a ruthless season full of injuries and have won two games. Florida was seventeen. They just lost to Mizzou and fired their head coach. Texas was eighteen. They are not going to a bowl game this year. And Washington and USC were twenty-two and twenty-four, and they have both fired their head coaches.

On the other hand we have Michigan, who was unranked, sitting at six. Michigan State was a "projected bottom finisher in the Big Ten, they are twelfth. Oklahoma State is currently at 7 seven ahead of Oklahoma. BYU is thirteen. Utah is sixteen. UTSA, Texas San Antonio for those that may not know, is fifteen. Houston is sitting at nineteen. Wake Forest is twenty-one. San Diego State is twenty-two. And the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana are twenty-three.

What I'm saying is, more than half of the preseason top 25 is gone, and there are teams that were outside of preseason top 50's and 60's that are ranked inside the top 25. Rankings are pointless in college sports.

With all of that being said, if the committee is too scared, if all they want is eyeballs and complaints, if they are so egotistical to not have Cincinnati in the top four tomorrow night, they are clearly trying with all of their power to not have a non power five team in the playoff. Cincinnati did their job last Saturday, and then some. SMU was supposed to really push them. They were going to be their biggest test in the conference. They were going to prove how good the Bearcats really are this season. Cincinnati won by 34 points. That is five touchdowns. They torched them. They held SMU, who has a good offense, to 14 points. It was a blowout. It was not on the level that the university of Ohio State laid on MSU, but a blowout nonetheless. Cincinnati more then proved their worth. And we have to bring up the win over Notre Dame, in South Bend, by two scores. I do not care what Lee Corso has to say about why Notre Dame belongs in the playoff over Cincinnati. Cincinnati beat them at their home by double figures. They are a better team. They have proven as much. I heard some folks on ESPN say that they think Michigan has a chance to be ranked ahead of Cincinnati. That is asinine. And as you all know, my fandom for Michigan football knows no bounds. I love that football team, but they are not a playoff team. They do not have any signature wins. Sure they beat Wisconsin in Madison, but that was week four. Wisconsin is a much better team now. And they did just win in Happy Valley for only the second time in fifteen years, but Penn State is 7-4. And they blew a 16 point 3rd quarter lead against MSU. Michigan is a better team than I thought they would be, but I do honestly think Cincinnati is a better team right now. And with Oregon getting the doors blown off of them by Utah, that totally opens the door for Cincinnati to slide into the 3 or 4 spot. I still think they should be 2. They are one of three teams in the top 25 that are undefeated. The other two are Georgia and UTSA. UTSA is too far down to make a play for the playoff, and Georgia is all but assured a spot. So why is it not written in pen that Cincinnati should be in the top 4?

When I look at the rankings, and if I were a member of the committee, I would have, from 1 to 4, Georgia, Cincinnati, the university of Ohio State and Alabama. When the rankings come out tomorrow night, I think the committee, if they do what is right, will have Georgia, the university of Ohio State, Alabama and Cincinnati. I do not like it, but that seems like the direction they should go in. What I think they will do is have Georgia, Alabama, the university of Ohio State and Michigan, with Notre Dame jumping Cinci. That would be absurd. But remember when I said it was a tv show until the last week of the season? When you look at the big games this weekend, the committee can see, as we all know, that the university of Ohio State is traveling to Ann Arbor to play Michigan this Saturday. The winner of that game is going to the Big Ten championship game. The winner of that game has a very real shot of getting the two seed in the final CFP poll. So they will one hundred percent make it a matchup of top four teams, thus screwing Cinci yet again. As for Notre Dame jumping them, the committee has shown they do not care about head to head when they slotted Michigan ahead of MSU a few weeks back.

The committee is hoping that they do not have to be put in a situation where they have to put Cinci in the top four. They want them to get beat. They want the winner of the university of Ohio State and Michigan game to get a big enough victory where they do not have to justify ranking one of them ahead of an undefeated Cinicinnati. They want Notre Dame to finish out the year with impressive wins. They want a team like Oklahoma State to win out and beat up on Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game so they can consider them. They would love it if Alabama were to beat Georgia in the SEC title game so they could easily have two SEC teams in the playoff. They want all the chaos so they do not have to put Cincinnati in the playoff. I think they are going to be forced to put them in the top four though. I think Cinci will easily win out. I think Georgia will as well. I am not confident at all in Michigan this weekend, so the university of Ohio State will almost be assured a spot. I think Cinci can push their way to third, especially if Alabama gets beat by Georgia in the SEC title game. That would give them two losses, and I already said that I think Cincinnati is going to win out.

Again, none of the rankings tomorrow night have any basis in what will happen two weeks from now, but I would not be surprised if the committee goes yet another week screwing Cincinnati over before their hand is forced. Rankings are stupid, and so is the CFP committee. Cinci should have already been a playoff team. Hopefully they get the proper respect they deserve by the end of the season. We will see.

Ty

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

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A Lament of Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is an idiot. Aaron Rodgers is dangerous. Aaron Rodgers is selfish. Aaron Rodgers cares about no one besides himself. Aaron Rodgers is flat out stupid and I have zero respect for him, of which I already had very little to begin with.

I have never been a fan. I'm not just saying that now, it is true. When the Packers drafted him I threw my hands up and openly groaned. RD called me that day to congratulate my father and I, as we are Packers fans, and we both told him we were upset with the pick. Now, he proved us wrong on the field. The Packers have always been a playoff team with him at QB, but that never stopped my dislike for him. I have never liked his attitude. I do not like watching him in press conferences. He is arrogant and full of himself. He has driven me mad as a Packer fan both on and off the field. Last summer, when he wanted to be traded, I told anyone that would listen that I wanted them to trade him. I wanted Green Bay to start over. I was ready for the Jordan Love era. I was ready for them to be a bottom dweller for a few seasons. I was fed up with Rodgers and his holier than thou attitude over the summer. And even when he came back, and the front office bent to his every wish, I was over it. I did not care about their hot start. It really had little to do with him anyway. The defense is actually much better than they have been in quite some time.

Recently when he returned, and all the COVID rules the NFL put out came out, which I love, he told everyone that he was "immunized". I, along with most everyone else, assumed that meant he was vaccinated. Using the word "immunized" is the same as saying you are vaccinated. "Immunized" means that you are immune, or safe, from a disease. He lied to everyone. I have to assume the Packers front office knew he was not vaccinated, so they are equally as much to blame as Rodgers. But facts are facts. Like I said, Rodgers lied. He is a liar. He is a storyteller. He is a snake oil salesman. He is pitiful and disrespectful. To play in eight games unvaccinated, to go to parties with your teammates unvaccinated, to see friends unvaccinated, too flat out lie to every single reporter, what a total and complete asshole. He was putting so many people in unnecessary danger because he wanted to do what he wanted. If my six or nine year old were to do something similar I would ground them for weeks. Telling such a stupid lie makes me furious as a parent. Rodgers is roughly my age, yet he lies like a child.

And then he had that unhinged interview. He went on a radio show and spewed misinformation. He bad mouthed masks. He claimed to be "allergic" to some of the stuff in the vaccine. He eschewed doctors and said he was talking to Joe Rogan about the disease. He quoted Martin Luther King Jr. Everything about this interview just made him look worse and worse. Why on Earth would any sane person talk to Joe Rogan about anything. That guy is a blowhard. He is a dummy. He is so unimportant. Masks have saved millions of lives. I still wear mine everywhere. It is not a bother. It is super important. The fact that he is taking heart dewormer still baffles me. What a goddamn moron. He is not allergic to anything in the vaccines. He is a coward. And quoting Martin Luther King Jr was wrong on every single level. I saw someone online say that, "white people when they are in trouble really like to use Martin Luther King Jr quotes". Never a truer statement has been made.

Aaron Rodgers stinks. I despise him more than ever. I have had moments where I am questioning if I still want to root for this team anymore. I do know for a fact that I am done with Rodgers. Even when he comes back I will root against him very hard. Aaron Rodgers is a quack, a coward, a blowhard and a dangerous individual. I will never, ever, ever believe another word that comes out of his mouth. Rodgers is a danger to society and I hope he is out of Green Bay very soon. Screw you Aaron Rodgers. I did not like you before, but now, and this is a word I rarely use, I hate you. You are a menace and I wish you would just stop talking. Stop making yourself look stupid.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2021 - 2022 NCAA Men's College Basketball Preview

Since my son starts basketball practice tonight, since I kept seeing commercials for college basketball games all Saturday afternoon while watching football and since I am kind of tired after getting my booster shot, I am going to give you all the NCAA men's college basketball preview I have promised.

I am going blind because of the ever changing college basketball landscape. I truly only know who is on the Michigan Wolverines team since I actually follow them. I was stunned to see KU was the third ranked team in the country. I was equally stunned when I saw Michigan State was unranked. I do not know who these top players are, sans for the freshman on Michigan. I am going in blind like I have for seemingly the past decade with men's college basketball. And instead of doing a conference breakdown for everyone, I'm going to go off the preseason rankings, and add a few teams I think could make some noise. Let's do it.

The AP has Gonzaga at number one. I'm pretty sure they have almost everyone back from a team that made the title game last year. Suggs and the other guard, Joe Ayayi, are gone, but they have guys that will take their place. Gonzaga is a reload team. They do have Drew Timme back, and from what I have read, they signed the number one recruit, Chet Holmgren, who plays like KD. Gonzaga is a basketball powerhouse. They are no longer Cinderella. They, save for the championships, are Alabama in college football. If they do not win it all this year though, that would be a bummer for their fans.

UCLA is two and they have everyone back from the 11 seeded team that made the Final Four. This is a team that had zero expectations last year, but now they have all the expectations. They are one of the older teams in the NCAA, they have scoring and defense and a good coach. UCLA is back. Now it is time to see how they play with everyone watching them again. They are not going to sneak up on anyone.

The aforementioned Kansas Jayhawks are next. They have a loaded team, with super talented freshmen, and doing some research, they got the best transfer in Remy Martin. The Jayhawks will be at the top all year, and they could make some noise. I do think Bill Self may consider leaving if the Jayhawks have a really good year for the NBA.

At four we have Villanova. They have tons of talent returning, they have some stud freshmen, they have always been good and they have the best coach in college basketball.

Texas is five, and I think that is all due to them hiring Chris Beard. Beard is a good coach, a good recruiter, but this seems kind of high to me. I do not know anyone on their team, maybe Beard got some good players to commit, but Texas always seems to dissipate when they are looked at as a preseason darling.

Michigan is six. I know a ton about this team. I love that Eli Brooks, Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns Jr came back. The freshmen, mainly Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate, are going to play and be heavily involved. Juwan Howard is not only proving to be a great recruiter, but he is also an excellent coach. I love this team, I cannot wait to watch them play on Wednesday and my expectations are sky high with this team.

Purdue comes in at seven. They have one of the best front courts in the country. They are big and mean and nasty. They can shoot. They are good.

Reigning champs, Baylor, check in at eight. They lost a ton, but they are also a very good team. They do have some returning talent, and that staff can recruit and coach. Baylor will always be a contender.

At nine and ten we have two teams that really stunk last year. Duke is nine. This is Coach K's last year as the head man. He brought in a great class. And I feel like the refs and TV people will do everything in their power to prolong their season as long as possible. Kentucky is ten. They have a great class of freshmen, as they always do. But this group feels a little different. They will be fun to watch, they will put up a ton of points and they will return to the tourney, and most likely be a pretty high seed.

Outside of the top 10, there are a few teams that I am interested in seeing. The Big Ten has a ton of teams ranked. I already mentioned Purdue and Michigan at seven and six. The Big Ten also has Illinois at eleven, the university of Ohio State at seventeen and Maryland at twenty-one. I could have also seen Michigan State, Rutgers and Indiana being ranked at some point. The Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball. The university of Ohio State has one of the best bigs in the country in EJ Liddell. Illinois has Kofi Cockburn who is a preseason All American. Maryland has scoring for days. MSU is always good. Rutgers returns pretty much everyone from a team that made the tourney last year. Indiana has a new coach and some young stars. This conference is amazing.

Alabama is now becoming a basketball power, which is kind of annoying. They are preseason number fourteen, and they will push Kentucky in the SEC.

Memphis has a monstrous recruiting class coming in, Penny Hardaway is a better coach, and if the NCAA lets these kids play, they will make noise.

Oregon, at thirteen, is only behind UCLA in the Pac 12. They are always good and always competitive.

UNC, at nineteen, and FSU, at twenty, will make the ACC highly competitive. They will push Duke to the brink, much to the chagrin of the ESPN's of the world.

UConn will be repping the Big East all year in the rankings. And Virginia feels super low to me at 25. They are a very good program.

As for the mid major teams, Houston is lethal. That is why they are ranked 15th. And St Bonaventure, at twenty-three, is loaded with experience. There are always some other mid-major programs, but they end up becoming big time later in the season. I am curious to see SLU because they are local and they seem to have a pretty solid roster.

For me, as I have said many times, the Big Ten is the conference. They will not get all four Final Four spots, but I could see two teams making there with ease. I also think, with Gonzaga and UCLA being the only two other teams, that the Big Ten will win the most postseason awards. I also think the Big Ten will finally, after two decades, bring home a title.

With that, my Final Four picks right now, on November 8th, I have Michigan, Gonzaga, Purdue and Kansas. That is very chalk, I know. I think Michigan and KU will face off in the title game. And, what the hell, I'm going with Michigan to win it all. Their football team continues to disappoint me, so I'm going to fanboy out on their basketball team. But this isn't also simply a fanboy pick. They have experience, depth, talent, great coaching and scoring from every position. They also play defense and they go hard every night. As for player of the year, I'll take Johnny Juzang from UCLA. He is older, he hits clutch shots and I think he will have a monster season. Freshman of the Year is going to be the Holmgren kid from Gonzaga. They have already written that one in ink I bet. Coach of the Year will be Juwan Howard. And my "surprise" team is going to be Michigan State. They will have a deep tourney run and I think they will be ranked inside of the top ten at some point after being left out of the preseason rankings. And my "surprise" player is going to be Patrcik Baldwin Jr from UW-Milwaukee. He was a top recruit, but he chose to go play for his dad instead of going to a major power five school. That kid is going to put up massive number.

Okay, there is my men's NCAA basketball preview. As I saw every year, take it with a big time grain of salt.

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 College Football Playoff Committee are Fanboy Idiots

The first college football playoff rankings were released last night. For college football fans, like myself, this is a big deal. Things can, and definitely will change in the next four weeks, but the release of the first CFP ranking kind of marks the 3/4 mark of the season. We are getting near the end of the regular season.

I do not have much of a problem with the initial rankings, except two teams, who I will get to shortly. Georgia is clearly the number one team. They have beaten the pants off of every opponent, they have the best defense in the country and they can win with both of their QB's. They are really, really good. As much as it pained me to watch last weekend, I think Michigan State is in the right spot at three. They have won every game, they have the front runner, that isn't a QB, for the Heisman and they have found ways to win. Oregon rightfully deserves to be ahead of the university of Ohio State because they beat them, and they beat them in Columbus. It only seems fair. I love that Wake Forest is in the top ten. I don't think Michigan deserves the nine spot, but that is because I am never optimistic about that team. I'm not that upset by Oklahoma being eight because they have had one of the easiest schedules in the country, but they have made all eight of their wins, save for last week, much closer than they should have been. As for the teams outside the top ten, I love UTSA being ranked. They have earned it. I would have put Oklahoma State a little higher. I like that Minnesota is finally getting some recognition. Wisconsin has rebounded nicely after a rough start. Texas A&M has been riding high since beating Alabama, and they have a chance to make a real jump this weekend. And I like that teams like San Diego State and Fresno State got some love.

But, like I said at the top, there are two teams, one that got royally screwed, and one that seems to get their way no matter how they perform on the field. The fact that Alabama is two and Cincinnati is six is a total joke. Again, lots of things are going to change, but to put Cincinnati that low is such a bad look for the CFP committee. And putting Alabama that high, after they have a loss at Texas A&M, makes them look worse. It is clear now that no matter what Alabama does, no matter how many wins and losses they have, this committee will continue to find a way to get them into the top four. They will find a way. They will make excuses. I heard the chair of the committee explain why they put Alabama that high, and it was all nonsense. He was stating ridiculous facts. They have some wins in the top 25, he said. Their loss was a last second field goal on the road to the 14th ranked team. Alabama will play tougher teams. It is all pure nonsense from a college football perspective. And he had the nerve to go on tv and claim, "who has Cincinnati beat besides Notre Dame?". Again, this was like pushing in the knife after already stabbing someone. It was salt on a wound. He sounded like a fan, and that committee is supposed to be non biased. Cincinnati went to South Bend and pretty easily handled Notre Dame. They beat Indiana by two touchdowns in Bloomington. Say all you want about Indiana, but they are a solid football team. They crushed UCF when people thought they could be better than we all thought. They struggled with Navy, but like Michigan State, found a way to win the game. And they easily dismissed Tulane, who put a scare into Oklahoma in week one. They also have one of the best defenses in the country, and while I loathe their coach, he is doing a great job, and I would be stunned if he isn't at a big time power five school next year. Alabama crushed Miami, well they are 4-4. Look at that game like you look at Indiana on Cincinnati's schedule. They beat Florida in The Swamp they may say. Okay, they are 4-4. Their best win is Ole Miss, who they did smoke, but Cincinnati's best win is against a much better, higher ranked team, and it was on the road. I'm fed up with this committee finding excuses to get their beloved Alabama in the CFP. They are a good team, and they may still very well make it to the CFP, but to have them at two in the initial ranking is a spit in the face to the Big 10, the Pac 12 and, most importantly, the Cincinnati Bearcats football team. They got totally screwed by this committee. It is clear they do not have a level playing field. Cincinnati should be two, and hell, I'd put the university of Ohio State, Wake Forest and Oklahoma ahead of Alabama. Michigan State should be ranked higher. Oregon should be ranked higher due to a much better high profile win.

If someone asked me what I think the top four should be right now I'd go with, from 1-4, Georgia, Cincinnati, Michigan State and Oregon. Then I'd have Oklahoma, Wake Forest, the university of Ohio State and then Alabama. I'd have them at eight in the rankings right now. But I'm just a Michigan fan that lives in the Midwest. But I also watch a ton of college football, and I can tell you, on November 3rd, Alabama is not the second best team, Cincinnati is, and they should be ranked as the second best team in the country, like every other major poll has them. This is a bummer, I hope it gets fixed, but also, it just goes to show how stupid and pointless ranking college football teams truly is. It is a genuine waste of time. They should just wait until every game has been played and then make a final decision.

Ty

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

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An Early Look at the NBA Season So Far

The NBA season is a week old now and I have some quick thoughts that I want to get out there. I will do this from time to time because I love the NBA so much, and when it is not Saturday, that is college football watching day, all I pretty much watch is NBA games.

The season has gotten off to a very fun start. The Bulls look good, the Nets look bored, the Celtics look injured and the Bucks look dominant. That is where I want to start, with the Bucks. They look every bit the part of reigning champs. They have brutalized the teams they've faced when they play their full lineup. Giannis looks as good as he did in the finals, Jrue Holiday, save for one minor injury, looks great and Khris Middleton is hitting big jumper after big jumper. The bench looks solid and the Bucks look like a lock to make a deep playoff run only five games into the season.

On the other hand, the Lakers look not so good right now. I am sure they will right the ship, fix some of their problems and be in the thick of the playoff race when it matters. But right now they look really, really bad. The lack of floor spacing is rearing its head. LeBron is already hurt. AD is arguing with Dwight Howard on the bench. Carmelo is missing open threes. Everything people worried about with this roster is happening right before our eyes. I expect them to figure it out, but even I did not think they would look this bad this early in the season.

The Bulls are fun, but their schedule is about to get real tough. But still, they are 4-1.

The Hornets are even more fun to watch. LaMelo Ball is really good at basketball. He is a blast to watch play as well. He is the best Ball brother.

Ja Morant has been amazing to start the season for my team, the Memphis Grizzlies. I have known since he was in college that he was going to be great. If you all remember, I rated him ahead of Zion in their draft class three years ago. I feel pretty good about that right now. But now that the Grizzlies are getting more primetime games, the rest of the country is getting to see how awesome of a basketball player Ja is. I love that.

The Warriors look pretty solid too. Steph is hitting tons of shots, the additions are working and Klay may be back sooner than expected. Maybe I underestimated them a bit.

The Timberwolves, and mainly Anthony Edwards, have been an absolute blast to watch. They fly up and down the court, they score in bunches and Edwards post game interviews are the best. Go look up what he said about Giannis the other night, it was amazing.

Houston, for as bad as they are, they are so much fun to watch play. They are young and not afraid of anything. I'm not a fan, but damn they are fun.

Also, the Thunder are really, really, really bad, but Shai Gilgeous Alexander is amazing.

Over in the East, I already mentioned the Bucks and Hornets, but it looks way grimer than the West. The Nets look bored already. KD looks good, but I expected that. James Harden is not scoring like he used to, he is not getting cheap foul shots anymore and his passing game is not nearly as lethal with his lack of points. Joe Harris is off, and the rest of the lineup, save for Patty Mills who has been great, just looks out of shape. They will right the ship, but they have to at least look like they care.

Atlanta is still fun, but the same thing with Harden is happening with Trae Young right now. He is not getting cheap foul shots anymore and he hasn't adjusted yet. He will, but right now he is struggling to adapt.

The Knicks look fine, and I like the Kemba addition, but I expect them to be a solid team.

The Celtics look jumbled and are not winning if Tatum and Brown do not have humongous nights on offense. Maybe I overrated them a bit.

The 76ers do look better than I thought without Ben Simmons, so at least there is that. I read that Embiid is suffering through some pain right now, but when he is on the floor he has been dominant.

The Heat look as good on defense as I thought, but the offense needs work. I could say the same about the Raptors.

The fact that the Cavs are sitting in the 6 spot should tell you all you need to know about the first week of the season in the NBA.

Outside of the teams, it has been neat to see fans in the stands. I am not going to any games yet, but it is nice to see people at these games. I love the new no foul call when the offensive player forces all the contact. It has made the game much more fun to watch, and it makes it flow much better. I'm a big time fan of the new rule. I would love to see them get rid of the foul where the defense intentionally fouls a team on a fast break as well. Hopefully they will. And seeing teams other than the Lakers, Celtics and Nets on primetime has ruled. I've gotten to see the Grizzlies twice. I've seen Portland play a few times. I watched the Thunder the other night. The Timberwolves got in there. The Nuggets have been on a few times. The Hawks had a primetime game. It has been cool to see some "smaller market" teams getting some shine.

The NBA rules. I'm so happy it is back. I do not feel as gross watching as I have in the past. Basketball is back, and I couldn't be more excited. Go watch some games, they are fun. I promise you.

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 2021-2022 NBA Preview: The Postseason

Yesterday I wrote about the marathon instead of doing my NBA postseason and awards predictions. Today I will remedy the situation. I will pick the ten playoff teams from each conference, who I think will win the play-in games and then the rounds and I will pick the Finals matchup and the Finals winners. After that I will do a quick little awards prediction.

I'll start with the East.

The two best teams, by a wide margin are the Nets and the Bucks, in that order. It is a fact. Everyone seems to agree. After that it gets a smidge dicey, but not too out of the ordinary. The rest of the playoff teams, in order, according to me, are Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Philly, New York and Chicago. The 9 and 10 teams are Charlotte and Toronto. I see the Raptors having a "bounce-back" type of season. Charlotte nor Toronto will make it to the top 8, so my order is set.

In round one the Nets will sweep the Bulls, easily. The Bucks will beat RD's Knicks in five games. Miami, who will have the best defense in the NBA, will end up beating Philly in round one, regardless of the Ben Simmons situation. And the 4-5 will have a fully healthy Boston beating the Hawks in a very close, very fun seven game series.

That means round two has Brooklyn facing Boston and Milwaukee playing Miami. Brooklyn will steamroll the Celtics. It will look a lot like their first round series last season. Boston just doesn't have the defense to stop them. I think the Celtics get one game, but that is it. Brooklyn in five. The Bucks and Heat will play what will inevitably be the best series of the entire playoffs. Giannis and the Bucks will go at Jimmy Butler and the Heat. The Heat will make it brutal and grimy and gritty. It will look a lot like a playoff matchup from the 90's. In the end though the Bucks are too talented to let it slip away. I also love what I saw from Giannis in the Finals last year, and I feel like that will carry over to this season. Bucks in seven.

That means I have a rematch from last year in the East Finals, but this time the Nets will prevail. The Bucks will be tired, they won the title last year and the Nets have revenge on their minds. They will win game seven at home to reach the Finals.

Now for the West.

The West is not as easy to pick as the East because it is so wildly competitive, and some teams, the Nuggets and Clippers, are going to miss star players the whole season. I have the Jazz getting the one seed yet again. They are a very good regular season team. The rest of the West is as follows, Phoenix, LA Lakers, Portland, Denver, Dallas, Golden State and Memphis. The two play-in teams will be Minnesota and the LA Clippers. Much like the East, the West's two play-in teams will not make the top 8. Minnesota will be happy to just be there and the Clippers are totally hamstrung without Kawhi.

In round one the Grizzlies will get two games this time out of the Jazz, but that is it. Memphis is on the come up, but they have to take their lumps first. Jazz in six. The first major "upset" I have is Golden State beating Phoenix in seven games in round one. Golden State will, presumably, have Klay back at, or near his regular self. And I think the Suns had so much luck last year that this year will not be the same. The Lakers will brutalize the Mavs in four games. They will run up and down the floor on them. And I have a ton of faith in Portland this year simply because I think it is Dame's last season with the team. They will beat the Nuggets in seven games. My prediction would be different if Jamal Murray were healthy.

That means I have the Jazz facing the Trailblazers and the Warriors playing the Lakers in round two. The Jazz will be able to keep Portland at bay. They have the second best defense in the league behind only Miami. It will be a good series, but I think the Jazz will win in six. I really want to pick the Warriors to win again, but they just do not have the guys to stop both LeBron and AD, if they are both healthy. I'm going to presume they will play, and that AD will dominate in fact. He needs to re prove himself.

That leaves me with the Jazz and Lakers in the West Finals. This is where the lack of floor spacing and three point shooting will catch up with the Lakers. They will not be able to just drive to the basket because Rudy Gobert is the best rim protector in the league. The series will be close and fun and go the full seven, but I have the Jazz winning. This is their last chance to prove me right because I really dislike this team, except for Donovan Mitchell.

That means I have the Nets and Jazz in the Finals. This is almost too easy for the Nets. They have the shooting to outmatch the Jazz's defense. They have more than enough bodies to throw at anyone not named Donovan Mitchell. They will get the necessary stops. Who cares that that dumbass Kyrie Irving may or may not be on the floor. They still have Harden and KD. The Nets are too good to not win the title this season. Much like last season we will have a first time title winner. The Nets will win the championship in five games, and KD will be named the Finals MVP.

Now to awards. I have Giannis winning the MVP for a third time. He showed how truly amazing and great he could be in the Finals last year, and now he seems to have found a solid mid range game to add to his incredible arsenal. He is such a good driver, he can hit hook shots and floaters, now he has the mid range shot and he is a world class rebounder and defender. He can almost do it all. Coach of the Year will be Nick Nurse. He will have Toronto looking decent again, they will become a free agent destination and he will help guys like Pascal Siakim get back to all star contention and OG Anuonoby becoming a face for the next generation of star players. Defensive Player of the Year will not be Draymond or Rudy Gobert for once. I think it will go to Bam Adebayo. He will be the best defender on the best defense in the NBA. He gets better every year and he adds to his game. His defense is going to take a leap. Rookie of the Year is going to be Jalen Green. He is going to score in bunches and be the only reason to watch a very, very bad Rockets team. Most Improved is my guy Jordan Poole. He was awesome in the play-in last year, he has been incredible in the preseason and he is going to play a major role in the Warriors lineup until, and most likely after Klay comes back. And finally we have Sixth Man of the Year. I've got Derrick Rose winning it this season to add to his impressive trophy case. He has fully taken on the role of 6th man in New York, his jumper is better, he can still get to the hoop and he has completely revived himself the past three years in Minnesota and New York. Derrick Rose is a super impressive basketball player.

There you have it, my NBA postseason and awards predictions. This wraps up my NBA preview for the 21-22 season. The season starts tonight. Enjoy the games everyone. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Ty

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

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Tales from My First Marathon

I know I said I was going to do my NBA postseason and awards predictions today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I did something this weekend that I would have never thought possible about 10 years ago. Let’s discuss.

I used to be a heavy dude. I still am a big guy, but I used to be BIG. At my biggest I weighed 340 pounds. I was active back then, but I loved my food. I still do. But one day, right around the time I became a stay at home dad, I found myself winded after running around our tiny backyard in our first house with my son. When I put him down for his nap that day I was still tired. As I sat there on my couch I decided something had to change. That was when I decided I was going to do the Atkins diet. It has been an absolute home run for me. I'm not a big bread or pasta guy anyway, so this seemed like the best fit. And it worked. I started to lose weight. At first it was a few pounds here and there, but then that turned into big cumulative losses. I was loving it, and I felt much better. I could run around with my son and not get tired so quickly. At my lowest weight I was down to 240 pounds. It was awesome.

Losing carbs wasn't working as well once I got to the 250-260 range. I needed to start doing some kind of exercise to keep the weight off because right around the 250 mark I started to allow myself some sweets and pasta as a treat. I have always played basketball, but that is a sport that is easy to take breaks while playing. This was when I took up running. I decided I was going to run to simply keep my weight anywhere from 260-280 pounds, which my doctors informed me was an ideal weight for me. So I tried it. It was tough, real tough at first. I could barely make it a full mile without stopping to walk or catch my breath. But then that mile got easier so I upped it to two miles. Then I did a 5k. And now I am at that place that I thought was unattainable a decade ago. I have done multiple 5k's and 10k's. Done a bunch of trail 10k's and 15k's. I've run many road and trail half marathons. All of these were fun but I would always say that 13.1 was my limit. I did not think I could go further.

When COVID hit I started to run everyday, but still never past my 13 mile threshold. But prior to COVID I signed up for my first marathon. It got pushed to 2020, but I was still going to do it. So I trained, and trained hard. I got to a point where I could run 18 miles in one go and not feel too bad afterward. When things started to open up a bit I signed up for an in person six hour loop race in Columbia, Missouri with the intention of running the marathon distance, but only made it 25 miles before I was spent and my time limit was up. After the race in Columbia I started to have knee problems though. I would try to run through it, or take more days off, but the pain was not easing. I saw an orthopedist about ten days before what was supposed to be my first official marathon and he informed me that I was not going to be able to do it. I had a minor stress fracture in my knee that was only going to get worse if I went and ran the race. I was devastated. Things got dark. I couldn't run for four weeks, and four weeks after that I was only allowed to do four miles at the most. But I got better. My knee healed. I saw my doctor multiple times and every time he said my knee looked better and stronger.

So when my buddy Kirk told me about this race here in Saint Louis called Declue Loops, I was intrigued and wanted to do it. The race had four options, one loop, which is 8.2 miles, two loops, three loops, which equaled a marathon with a little extra on your first loop, or four loops, a 50k. I signed up for the three loops and Kirk did the four. We had a few months to train, so we both hit it pretty hard. We would meet once a week to run trails, and I decided in June that I was going to start my very own run streak. A run streak is running at least one mile everyday no matter what. Kirk and I would do longer distances on the trails. I was making sure I was averaging four miles a day. The knee felt good. Kirk was a constant inspiration and a great listener to any fear I had going into the race. We even went out about twelve days before the actual race and did two loops just to be acquainted. That run that day gave me the boost I needed.

Race day finally came this past Saturday the 16th. I was nervous the night before, but I also felt better. I knew the nerves were getting to me a bit because I only got about four hours of sleep. It didn't matter though when the nine marathon runners and twelve 50k runners got the go ahead to start at 7am. I went out ready to go. I felt pretty solid on my first loop too. The terrain was tough, but I knew it well enough. It was perfect weather, 45 and sunny. The other runners were just as hyped as I was. When I got back on the main trail it was this perfect moment of zen. I felt so good that I ran pretty much all of that first loop. I filled my pack at the aid station, grabbed some snacks for the second loop and made my way out feeling pretty solid. Then at about mile 14 I hit a major wall. I felt terrible. My legs were getting tired. I ate my food way too quickly. I didn't take in enough Tailwind. I just felt bad. I walked for a bit, but that didn't seem to ease any distress mentally and physically I was feeling. The terrain, again which I knew very well, seemed to be rockier and harder. The second loop felt like it had way more elevation. I was starting to get frustrated.

At mile 16 I decided that I was going to drop. I figured I could hike the final two miles of the loop and just go home feeling dejected. When I got to the aid station after the second loop I stopped, grabbed my knees and told one of the workers that I was done. I went over to my pack and the guy I told that I was done told me to just stay there for a minute. Then one of the main people at Saint Louis Track Club, they put on the race, came over and talked to me. He told me exactly what I needed to hear. He said these races are supposed to hurt. You are supposed to feel shitty. No marathon is fun for the whole thing. He told me to get the negative thoughts out of my head. He gave me a Coke and told me to drink half of it. He helped to make my pack lighter. And when he said that he could see in my eyes that I wasn't done, that gave me this sudden burst of energy I didn't know I had inside of me. Once I heard that and put on my much lighter pack, I looked at him, thanked him profusely and exclaimed, "I'm going back out there to finish this damn thing!". And when I took off for that final lap, hearing the people cheer only made me more convinced I could do this. I took that final lap slow. It took me nearly two and a half hours to do the 8.2 miles. I walked more than half of it. My legs and calves and thighs and feet hurt. I got passed by a few 50k runners on their final lap. But when I got to that final hill climb, which meant I was less than a mile away, this feeling of euphoria engulfed my body. I made a video to send to my family to let them know how much I love and appreciate their support in my newfound love of running. After the video, when I was all by myself making that climb, I started to tear up from happiness. When I got to the final tenth of a mile I started to jog again, and when the crew saw me coming I heard someone say, "there's our guy!". It was amazing. I felt like I was on top of the world. When I crossed the finish line multiple people were clapping and telling me what a good job I did. The guy who convinced me to finish told me I looked better at the end than I did when I thought I was done. The running community that I have become a part of now is one of the best groups of people I have ever been around. They are so cool and inviting and nice. When I was done I told my buddy Kirk that we did it. We finished. He said he wanted to be there when I finished my first marathon, and he was right there when I crossed the finish line.

I never, in a million years thought a full marathon was in my grasp. It seemed like a pipe dream. Now I have done it, and on a trail no less. I spent seven and a half hours in the woods, finished in last place of all the marathon finishers, am still very sore, but I did it. I ran a god damn marathon. It is an incredible feeling. It is crazy what the human body can do when it is trained and pushed to the limit. I know I am bragging, but I do not care. I am damn proud of myself, proud of all the other finishers and love the Saint Louis Track Club and the running community. Saturday was a great, great day.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2021-2022 NBA Preview: Bucks and Nets

Welcome to the final day of my 2021 NBA countdown. I have two teams left. These are the two best teams, kind of by a wide margin, in my opinion. They both have real title aspirations, and if we are lucky, we could see them meet in the playoffs yet again. That would be awesome considering how great their series was last season. Now, let's get to it.

At number 2 I have the reigning champs, the Milwaukee Bucks. Both of the teams today are pretty interchangeable. It would be better to have them listed as 1A and 1B honestly. The Bucks are back pretty much intact. Giannis Antentekoumpo is the best player in the NBA right now. I know that LeBron is the best player in the league now, and Kawhi prior to his injury was right up, and I'm sure guys like Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker might have a say, but Giannis is the main man. He went totally supernova in the Finals last season, and he is still only 26. He is an amazing player. He is unstoppable on offense and a great, great defensive player. And if this mid range he has shown off in the preseason is real, watch the hell out. He could be like Wilt, but better on defense. Khris Middleton hit some of the biggest shots in the Finals, and he has gotten better every season. He is the glue for this team. He is the guy they look to when they need a jump shot and Giannis is totally gassed. Jrue Holiday staked his claim as the best perimeter defender after his wonderful Finals. He was very inconsistent on offense, but he was incredibly good on the defensive end. He was traded to Milwaukee for a ton, but it was worth it for everyone involved. He was what they missed. Brook Lopez became a stretch 5, but it was his work in the post, the stuff that made him an all star, that really helped this team and has helped him continue to be a key contributor. Donte DiVincenzio is back from injury, and they will need his jumper. He is a very solid floor spacer, and to have a guy like him on the floor helps Giannis a ton. The same could be said for Pat Connaughton. He is also a very solid defender and rebounder. Bobby Portis was a total revelation. He completely bought into the role of energy guy off the bench, and he was playing crucial minutes in the Finals. He has had quite a turnaround. George Hill brings excellent veteran leadership. Grayson Allen is a little shithead, but the dude can shoot. I like the addition of Semi Ojeyele. The Bucks have a very, very good team. They also have Giannis. This team is more than poised to defend their title. The Bucks are here to stay.

And at number 1, my top team coming into the season is the Brooklyn Nets. Now let's talk about Kyrie Irving real quick. The fact that he is a flat earther and an anti-vaxxer is not surprising. He is a selfish, egotistical prick. He has been since he entered the league. He's a nuisance, a shit head and him not being on the Nets does not do anything to tamp down my expectations for this team. Kyrie Irving is a dumbass, I hate that kids look up to him and I could care less if he ever plays another game in the NBA. He will not be missed.

Okay, now to the players that actually care and will be on the floor. Kevin Durant is fully back. He was amazing in the playoffs. He was taking on the Bucks pretty much by himself, and he almost won that series. KD is amazing. He is probably the second best player in the league right now. James Harden, who I do not like to watch play basketball, was a great add last season. He has fit in perfectly with the Nets. He gets his when he plays with KD, but when KD sits, Harden feasts on second units. He is doing exactly what he should for this team, and if he can stay on the floor he could exorcise some playoff demons this year. Joe Harris is still here. He is a very good shooter and defender. He needs to play better when it counts, the playoffs, but other than that, he is a great role player for this team. Blake Griffin looked revived when he signed with them last season. He had some lift, he hit some shots and he grabbed some boards. I love, love, love the Patty Mills signing. He adds a great scorer to their second unit. He has tons of playoff experience. And he is very comfortable in a backup role. Cam Thomas was an excellent late first round pick. I love his scoring ability, and he is going to learn from some of the best. Bruce Brown is such a good cutter, he finds the open spots on the floor, he makes the easy shots he gets from being so wide open, he is a solid player. Nic Claxton showed flashes of being a solid pick and roll guy and he can play some defense. He will easily fill the role of Deandre Jordan. LaMarcus Aldridge had a heart scare, retired, then got cleared and is now back with the team. This is a big deal. He is a good mid range guy, and he brings depth and height to this team. Paul Milsap was a sneaky good signing. If he does anything for the Nets like he did for the Nuggets, the one year deal was more than worth it. And James Johnson and Jevon Carter bring some attitude and defense. Kyrie or no Kyrie, it does not matter. The Nets have Harden and KD and a bunch of solid role players. They have the best roster. They have the best team on paper. They should be the odds on favorite to win the title. They have it all.

Okay there is my countdown of all 30 NBA teams. Come back Monday for my playoff and awards predictions.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Ty's 2021-2022 NBA Preview: Celtics, Suns, Jazz, Lakers

Welcome to day seven of my 2021 NBA countdown. This is it. These are the best of the best. These are the teams that can truly win it all. They are not at the level of my top two teams, which get a full blog tomorrow, but they have the goods to win it all.

At number 6 I have the Boston Celtics. I do not like the Celtics, I never have, and their offseason was weird, but they have a very good team. This team was in the East Finals in the Bubble. Jayson Tatum is on the verge of becoming a super star. He has it all, and he is still very young. He has had COVID, I think he is now vaxxed and that will only help him stay on the floor. He is great. Marcus Smart, who was just suspended for some unknown reason, is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He is also becoming a better, not reliable, but better three point shooter. Jaylen Brown is coming off an injury, but he was an all star before he got hurt. He is a very, very good basketball player. And watching the playoffs last year, seeing him so nervous and angry that he couldn't play, that made me like him even more as a player. I like the Dennis Schroeder signing. He messed up by not taking the deal with LA early in the season, but now he is on a one year "prove it" deal, and he is a very skilled player. Al Horford is back, and while he is older, he is still a solid defender and can stretch the defense. I loathe Payton Pritchard, I have since he was at Oregon, but the dude is a good role player. Robert Williams has the talent to be a very good center, he just has to stay on the floor. I like the toughness of the bench that Bruno Fernando brings. Enes Kanter is still a top level offensive center. Jabari Parker played well in spurts. Grant Williams took a little step back, but he is still a rock solid defender. And Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith bring youth and athleticism to this squad. I actively root against the Celtics, but they have the talent to make a deep run. Last season was definitely an anomaly.

At 5 I have the Phoenix Suns. They were in the Finals last year. They had a 2-0 lead. They looked really good in getting that lead. And they return pretty much the exact same roster. Chris Paul is back, and he just continues to be one of the best point guards the NBA has ever seen. He is so good at running an offense and making a young team grow up real fast. Devin Booker is an elite shooter, he is starting to get super star calls and his offensive game is lethal. The way he cuts and hits that mid range jumper is impressive. He even got a little better on D last season. Deandre Ayton needs to be more assertive, but he is a highly skilled big and is going to be a double double machine. I wish he had a bit more anger to his game, but maybe that will come with time. Mikail Bridges is like Spiderman on defense, and he hit some big shots in the playoffs. Cam Johnson is great off the bench. Jae Crowder is not afraid of any moment or any player. He is a perfect fit next to CP3. Cam Payne looked better than he ever has in the league as a backup. I like the addition of Javale McGee for defense. I like the acquisition of Landry Shamet. He is a good shooter off of the pick and roll. Elfrid Payton doesn't bring much to their offense, but he is a solid perimeter defender. Dario Saric fits in nice there. And Frank Kaminsky flashed a few times in the Finals. The Suns are a very good team, and if this core can stay together, they are going to be a problem in the West for the next decade.

At number 4 I have the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are the NBA's version of the Seattle Mariners with more success. They were the one seed in the West last year. They dominated the regular season. And then they blew a 2-0 to the Kawhi less Clippers. Donovan Mitchell is awesome. He is a budding MVP candidate. He is a scoring machine. He is better than Luka Doncic and Trae Young. He is legit. Rudy Gobert is the best defensive center in the league. He swallows up drivers and makes it next to impossible for centers to score on him. They should use him more in the pick and roll on offense. Joe Ingles is an ass, but the dude can stroke it. He is a very good shooter. Jordan Clarkson is an electric bench scorer. He is amazing on offense. I really like the additions of Eric Paschall and Rudy Gay. Gay adds a veteran with real postseason experience and Paschall is a very skilled post player. Royce O'Neal is their second best defender, and he takes on the perimeter's opposition best player every night. Udoka Azubuike should get a few more minutes, and I think he will add a nice little bench element at center. And their rookie Jared Butler shot lights out at Baylor last season. The Jazz will be a top 3 seed again, they just have to make a real playoff run for me to take them real seriously.

The final team for today, at number 3 I have the LA Lakers. They have LeBron James. He is the second best player to ever play in the NBA. He is an amazing basketball player, an even better person and he seems as locked in as he has been since the Bubble. He is awesome and I will never count a team out that he plays on. They also have Anthony Davis. The dude simply cannot stay healthy, but when he is on the floor he is amazing. At both ends of the floor. AD could be one of the top 5 players in the league if he could not get hurt. Then the roster gets real weird. They have Russell Westbrook. He is as athletic a player as I have ever seen, but he is older. He is coming off injuries. He got COVID. He is a turnover machine and he shoots way too much for a guy that isn't a great shooter. I love Russ, I am a big fan, always have been, but he is on the other side of the cliff in his career. They also have Carmelo Anthony. Melo looked fine in Portland, but he got to play how he wanted. In LA he is going to have to buy in on defense, which he has never done, and he is going to have to come off the bench, which we all know he doesn't like. Dwight Howard and Deandre Jordan are their picks for center. Howard looked pretty bad last season in Philly, but he looked great in the Bubble with the Lakers. Deandre Jordan didn't see the floor in games that mattered in Brooklyn last year, and he doesn't have the lift he used to while with the Clippers. I like that they got Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn for the mid level exception. Monk has never been as good a shooter in the NBA as he was his one year at Kentucky, and Nunn lost a ton of minutes last season in Miami. Time will tell with those two. Rajon Rondo is back, and unless he returns to playoff Rondo, I do not see him taking real minutes from Russ. Kent Bazemore was a good addition as a shooter, but he is also older and on the back end of his career. Talen Horton Tucker is young and skilled. He'll need minutes, but he also just got injured and will miss some weeks. Trevor Ariza is also older and hurt. Wayne Ellington used to be good, we will see here. The Lakers have the names. They have former MVP's and all stars on this team. They have LeBron and AD. But they are old, not too rich at shooting guard and will have a tougher time on defense. They will still be a very good team. But when the rubber meets the road, when they need a big three or a defensive stop, I'd be reluctant to say that they have the guys to do it. The playoffs will be the true test of this roster construct.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top two teams.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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