Apple Just Quietly Announced One of their Best Products, and Loudly Announced One of their Worst

The regular apple peaked with the pie innovation

The 2017 Apple WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference for those of you not in the know) is currently in full swing. The estimated 5000 attendees packed in on day one to hear the Apple brass talk new software, and some new hardware, to loyal Apple fans worldwide. The WWDC is not the place for new iPhone launches, except for the 3GS and 4 models, but is a place for the Cupertino company to show off new software and sometimes for them to show off their next wave of home computers. Previous WWDC saw the reveal of macOS, the App Store, and Safari. The pressure is usually not as high for the company as it is for an iPhone launch, but plenty of people still pay attention. No matter what Apple does, when they take the stage, people listen.

The 2017 edition of the WWDC was heavy on new software upgrades. Apple's latest operating system, named High Sierra, was put on display. iOS 11 received some new updates including enhanced augmented reality abilities. The voice assistant Siri is getting some much-needed updating. These reveals and updates are par for the course at WWDC.

Lost in all the hoopla of the software advances, Apple announced one of their most mind-blowing products ever. The new iMac Pro is one of the most beautiful, and insanely powerful, computers ever packaged for the consumer market. The specs on this machine, and the price to own one, is off the charts. Much like the light bulb for General Electric, Apple seems to keep its computer business around to show respect to their past. This part of the business is usually neglected. This WWDC is different. With the incredibly iMac Pro, Apple just released the best home computer a whole lot of money could buy.

The iMac Pro was not the big reveal at the 2017 WWDC. That honor was reserved for Apple's entry into the marketplace of smart speakers. The new HomePod joins the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and whatever Microsoft says is coming as the big kids on the personal assistant speaker market. The Siri in a speaker will tell you the news, play music, and do other not described things like all the smart speakers that came before. Apple is confident that their loyal fanbase will give up their Echos, Google Homes, or newly jump into the smart speaker market with their branded offering. The HomePod goes on sale at the end of 2017 for $350.

The Apple HomePod is the dumbest product Apple has ever been happy to sell to their customers. Most of the time Apple will see a market where no one has found the true potential, and then they take over that market with a well thought out product. Apple's offerings are never the best, they never do everything the customer wants, but they do the simple things extremely well. And they look good doing it. The HomePod is nothing like the successful products of Apple's past.

The HomePod is entering a marketplace where the Cupertino company's competitors have been adapting to the customers wants for over a year, and they are all doing it for far less money than what a HomePod will cost. Apple knows they are behind on the smart speaker market. The only way the presenters at the WWDC could differentiate the HomePod is to talk about how good it sounds. That has been proven to not be important for the smart speaker market. The original Amazon Echo was hailed by many in the tech media as a "premium" speaker with the benefits of Alexa. Once Amazon released the affordable Echo Dot, the one without a good speaker, sales skyrocketed. Amazon learned that people want a smart speaker for the smarts, not how the music sounds out of it. If someone wanted a great Bluetooth speaker, they would buy something from a company known for good speakers. Bose, Harmon Kardon, Sonos, they all offered great speakers for less than $300, and they all connect wirelessly to the Echo. Amazon and Google have already used Apple's model of introducing hardware, and now they will swat away the HomePod like all the other failures before.

Apple's claim of making the HomePod a great speaker shows how lost they are with the product. The tech press has predictably been there to hold the water for Apple's bad decisions. Once the HomePod is availbale for purchase, tech media sites like CNET and Gizmodo will no doubt praise Apple for having the best sounding smart speaker on the market. Check out this comically idiotic defense of the HomePod from the Cupertino bootlickers at Engadget. The author wants everyone to forget about the smart applications of the HomePod, and just focus on how awesome the speaker is. This is a speaker allegedly built by the scam artists who built the Beats Audio headphones and speakers. The same people who ruin good sound quality by overemphasizing bass and put unnecessary metal into their products so the headphones / speakers would feel heavy and therefore the consumer would think the product is high end. The HomePod was made by a group of people concerned more about marketing than they are concerned about actual audio quality. That should say all there is to say about the sound quality of the HomePod. 

Many of the Apple faithful will fall for the reviews from a subservient tech media, and they will trust their favorite company and buy the HomePod. These early adopters will then brag to everyone in their social media circles about the superior sound quality. These HomePoders will then have to deal with the smarts of Siri. Here is where they will lose. 

Siri is widely considered far and away the worst of the popular smart assistants, and the HomePod buyers will have only Apple's voice helper. No Spotify, limited use of smart home devices like thermostats and light bulbs, and spotty comprehension. Apple says Siri will be smarter, but they have said that before. In the HomePod reveal, the presenter spent almost no time on the smart assistant features that Echo and Home owners enjoy, and spent a bunch of time having Siri play music from the Apple Music app. On the biggest stage, Apple decided to not show the flaws of their new smart speaker by showing how dumb the HomePod really is.

All these early missteps of the HomePod makes the $350 price tag look even more ridiculous. For the same price people could buy any of these smart home combinations:

2 Amazon Echos (one for the main floor and one for the bedroom)

3 Google Homes (one for the kitchen, living room, and bedroom)

9 Echo Dots (One for every damn room you have, note: you can purchase six Dots for the price of five)

An Echo Dot and a Bose Soundlink Revolve + (this is listed as CNET's best Bluetooth speaker.)

An Echo Dot, Nest Thermostat, and two TP-Link Dimmable Smart Light-bulbs that work with Alexa

An Echo Dot, a Bose Sound Base, and a Harmony Hub (control the television with your voice, and connect to a high-end speaker with Alexa)

An Echo, Echo Dot(s), Google Home, and numerous smart bulbs, locks, streaming devices, whatever, because Amazon and Google have thousands of skills (apps) to properly connect your home. Talk to your house like you live on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

Therefore the $350 price tag for a bass heavy, not very smart speaker, is kind of dumb.

The HomePod will not end Apple. The software updates, the new iMac Pro, and the anticipated tenth anniversary iPhone will keep the small Cupertino company in business for a long time. On the backs of the useless Apple Pencil, the HomePod is just a little bit worrisome. Has Apple given up on innovation? Are they relying solely on the ability to separate idiots from their money? Let's hope not. We need the Apple that goes all out and shows off the new iMac Pro, not the one who tries to sell you an overbuilt, lacking usefulness, speaker. Let the HomePod die a Newton like death. Apple should know better.

RD

RD is the Founder and Head Editor for SeedSing. He created his MySpace profile on an original iMac. It had a red shell.

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

Stupid Ohio State Makes a Stupid Basketball Decision

Because Ty is the most boss of all internet writers he refuses to stop creating awesome content, even when he is on a family vacation. His loquaciousness will be blunted while he enjoys his undisclosed tropical getaway. Each piece will be some quick thoughts on some current things going on, nothing political of course.

Before I get into today's topic, I need to say a very happy anniversary to my very beautiful, smart and wonderful wife. It's been 8 great years as a married couple, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. I love you.

Okay, today's topic is the "resignation" of the University of Ohio State's basketball coach, Thad Matta. I have very complicated feelings on this. As you all know, I HATE HATE HATE that school. They are the WORST. But, was this really the proper timing to make Matta "resign"? I don't think so. Sure, they haven't been that great at basketball lately, but they still post a winning record every year, for the most part. And, don't forget that this team was going to title games and multiple final four's just a few years back. Hell, they were one of the Big Ten's best team, and a top team in the country.

We all know that the University of Ohio State is a football school, their players say that much when interviewed for nationally televised games, or say that, "people don't come here to watch me play school", but Matta turned them into a basketball power. Before he got there, they were a pretty mediocre team. They hovered around .500 and were lucky to get an NIT invite. Then, Matta came in, recruited like a mad man, either legally or, more likely, illegally, and had some great teams. Remember, at one time they had a team led by Mike Conley Jr and anchored in the middle by Greg Oden. A few years after that, they had the top player in the NCAA in Evan Turner. The University of Ohio State was a national power due to the players that Matta was bringing in.

But, as of late, they have "fallen on hard times" so to say. They don't have as great players as they once did. They are getting out recruited by other Big Ten teams like Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue and even Indiana, who just hired a new head coach. But, I remember a few years back, when Michigan was going to be led by Caris Levert, he got hurt and Michigan limped to a 15-17 finish. I heard some rumblings from people saying that Belein may not be the guy to coach Michigan back to relevance. Never mind that they were only a few years removed from a title game appearance and an elite eight showing. Even during this season, when Michigan struggled mightily in the middle of the year, a lot of people were calling out the team, and Belein as well, myself included, although I was much harder on the team. Then, Michigan had a magical run in the Big Ten tournament and a great run to the sweet sixteen in the NCAA tournament. All the talk of getting rid of Belein was done. This should be the case with Matta. Coaches who have had major success at major universities should get a few bad seasons here and there. It is bound to happen. Look at Tom Izzo and Michigan State recently. They aren't the dominant force that they have been, but no one, and I mean no one is calling for Izzo to be fired. Matta got a raw deal from a shady university. That is what all this "resignation" means to me.

What makes me conflicted the most is, as I mentioned, I HATE the team, but I think Matta is a very good basketball coach. He will land on is feet somewhere, and I would bet a lot of money that he will succeed. Also, who does the University of Ohio State think they can get? Do they really expect Billy Donovan, who I read was their top candidate, to just leave a playoff team to go back to college? That is wishful thinking. They can't even get Archie Miller because he left Dayton for Indiana. They would be lucky to get a guy like John Groce, who was fired by Illinois this offseason, but I think he already got another head coaching job.

This was a stupid, holier than thou, quick reaction to one bad season. I hope this makes them even worse for the next couple of years because this was too rash and too quick. Matta should land on his feet, the University of Ohio State, I hope they have a lot more bad seasons ahead of them. That is what they deserve.

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. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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It Would Be Nice to Have a Competitive NBA Finals

Because Ty is the most boss of all internet writers he refuses to stop creating awesome content, even when he is on a family vacation. His loquaciousness will be blunted while he enjoys his undisclosed tropical getaway. Each piece will be some quick thoughts on some current things going on, nothing political of course.

Today, I have some quick thoughts on the first 2 games of the NBA Finals. So far, Golden State has dominated. In game one, they were all over the Cavs and they could not be stopped. They scored at will, and after the first quarter, basically, it was pretty clear that the Warriors were going to win going away. The first quarter was great though. It was fantastic basketball, with the best players in the game, currently, playing their best. LeBron was awesome, as always. Kyrie looked great in bursts. Steph looked like Steph from 2 years ago. KD was on a whole other level from everyone else that night though. He looked unstoppable, reigning threes and dunking the ball with authority any time the lane was open, which was often. The Cavs tried to play the Warriors game, and by the third quarter, they were tired and they looked beat. LeBron can only do so much, and his only teammate that helped even a little bit was Kyrie. Love rebounded a ton, but only scored about 15 points. Tristan Thompson, JR Smith, Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert, they were all useless. They might as well not even suited up.

I figured, much like everyone else, that the Cavs would come out with a better game plan in game 2, and they did, but only for the first half. The game was a ton of fun for 24 minutes. LeBron was attacking the rim, Kyrie was going to the rim as well. They were both going hard and either getting lay ups or getting fouled and going to the free throw line. Kevin Love was on fire too. He was making all his open jumpers, he was rebounding like he did when he was in Minnesota and he looked halfway decent on defense, which is all you can really ask of him. Golden State was just as good. Better, actually. KD quietly scored 17 in the first half, and was an absolute monster on defense. Draymond was in early foul trouble, but that didn't stop him from making crisp passes, guarding multiple positions and starting fast breaks. Klay Thompson looked to be getting out of his slump, making a lot more shots than he has all of the 2017 playoffs. Most importantly, Steph was otherworldly. He was matching LeBron's layups with threes, or free throws. He wasn't hitting the three like he usually does, and he was a bit careless with the ball, but he shot 10 free throws in the first quarter, and when he did hang on to the ball, he was dropping dimes. The Warriors led by 3 at the half. Both teams looked really good, and the Cavs looked like they may have figured something out on defense. 

Then the second half happened. The Cavs, once again unable to play Tristan Thompson at all, tried to play small and fast, and the Warriors destroyed them. They had almost 40 points in the third, taking an almost 20 point lead into the fourth. Steph was dominant. KD started to hit threes and blocked any shot that came near him. Klay was hitting jumpers again. David West was even contributing, as was Zaza Pachulia. The scariest thing about their third quarter, Draymond barely played and the Warriors still gained an enormous lead.

The Cavs need to make a big change. They were in this same spot last year, but Steph was hurt, Klay was starting to go cold and they did not have KD, they had Harrison Barnes. This looks a whole lot different. Two games in, two blow outs, and I don't know what the Cavs can do to even it up, or even win one game for that matter. LeBron is playing out of his mind, but it just doesn't seem to matter, and he has not been good on defense. The Cavs can't play small because that is what the Warriors want, and they can't play their bigs together, so I don't know what the solution is. I'm still a bit hopeful that this series can get better. I know I picked a sweep, but come on, the Cavs have LeBron. But after 2 games, the Warriors have looked absolutely dominant, and I do not know what the Cavs can do. LeBron is playing great, Kyrie and Love have both had really good games, and the Warriors have still blown them out in the first 2 games.

We will see what happens Wednesday night back in Cleveland. A win by the Cavs can completely turn this series around, but I do not know if that will happen. The Cavs have played pretty decent, the Warriors are just a far superior team. LeBron cannot do it all alone, and the Warriors have 4 of the top 15 players in the game, 2 of which are top 5 players, and they look unbeatable right now. We will see if something changes in a few days, or if the Warriors are going to cruise to a title.

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. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Listens to "Waiting on a Song"

Dan Auerbach's second solo record, "Waiting on a Song" was released today. Of course I bought it first thing this morning, and I've already listened to it 3 full times. It's a short record. There are 10 songs and the record runs about 33 minutes long. As I've gotten older, I love when albums are put together like this. Short and to the point. There are no pointless jams and songs that go on just for the sake of going on.

"Waiting on a Song" is also a complete departure from what Auerbach has done on every other record. It's not heavy rock like he does with the Black Keys. It's not psychedelic like when he fronts The Arcs. It's not a blend of hip hop and rock like they did with Blakroc. It's not even like his first solo record, which was basically a Black Keys record, but with a full band. This album is completely stripped down. It is very acoustic driven and sounds almost like a Bluegrass record at times. Auerbach is trying something he's never tried before and I've got to say, I am really starting to dig it. At first listen I didn't really know how I felt, but the more I hear, the more I find myself enjoying the songs, and the record as a whole. It kind of sounds like a modern day version of CCR, a band I adore, but better. I personally think Auerbach is a better singer, and his band on this record sounds tighter.

I heard the single "Shine on Me" awhile ago, and I really liked it. Then, as I got deeper into this album, I think I enjoy 7 or 8 of the songs more than "Shine on Me". "King of a One Horse Town" is a very groove, slowed down folk song. I love the lyrics and I adore the music. "Malibu Man" is a very cool, fun song. "Undertow" is a darker song, yet I still really like it. "Cherry Bomb" is about as rock and roll as it gets, and it is a good, good song.

I am a Dan Auerbach apologist. I will say, I will give him more chances than anyone else I listen to. But, when he and his bands continue to make great music, I feel he's earned his chance to take his music in a bunch of different directions. I knew I'd love this album, I just didn't know how much. I was curious with the new direction, but I've always like folk music, and I went through a big Bluegrass phase, so what's not to like. "Waiting on a Song" is a must have for Auerbach and Black Keys fans, but I feel like fans of folk and Bluegrass would enjoy it too. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He one time confused CCR with CCW. Boy was he confused when he showed up to that class. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Get Your Moronic Divorce Selfies off of My Internet Lawn

Internet Idiots make my fists clench

Last night I was goofing around on my phone, and I came across one of the weirdest, and eventually, most infuriating articles I have ever read.

First off, I enjoy Buzzfeed. The website is kind of like my trashy reality TV on the internet. I think that they have legitimately funny articles, and when they do get serious, it is usually well thought out and well written. But, sometimes they put out an article like they did last night, and I thought it was out of place and just something thrown together last minute.

The article in question was about a new fad that was people taking "selfies" after getting divorced. Right out of the gate, I am not a fan of the "selfie". There is nothing more gratuitous than someone taking a picture of themselves, then putting it out there for the world to see. "Selfies" were not a thing when I was younger. We had disposable cameras, and if we wanted a picture of our self, we needed someone else to snap it for us. If we tried to do it on our own, it was always off center, blurry or both.

Nowadays, and I know this makes me sound old I don't care, "selfies" are everywhere. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are filled with people taking pictures of themselves and posting them with some stupid message. The message is always something ridiculous like, "just left the gym" or "look at this food on my face" or "this is me without make up" or "look at my new, retro glasses" or "what does everyone think of my haircut". I say to all of this WHO CARES! The only person that this stuff should matter to is yourself, and your partner if you are in a relationship. Those are the only 2 people that any of this is of any significance to. This could all be because I do not personally like pictures of myself, but I really despise the "selfie" culture.

Also, why do people want their divorce plastered all over the internet? Do people think this will get them famous? I guess I'm writing about it today, so maybe it works, but Jesus Christ this is stupid. I know some people rush into marriage, fall out of love, find someone else they may think they want to be with, whatever it may be. I have no problem with divorce. Some people are much better off as friends, or completely cutting ties all together. That is fine. But, I ask again, why take pictures of yourselves after signing the papers? Why is this a thing now? I hope it goes the wayside, a la my idea a few years back to send people pictures of Gotye, then captioning it, "You got Gotye'd!". Obviously, that never took off, and I hope this Buzzfeed feature about divorce "selfies" never does either.

Yes, I clicked on the story, it was obvious click bait, so they did get my eyeballs, but what I saw was so god damn stupid. The pictures were ridiculous. People were obviously doing proper poses for these pictures. People were also putting side by side photos of the day they got married next to the day they got divorced. It was insanity. These people looked like they were having fun while going through a very rough process. I saw a guy and a girl that just got divorced, and they looked happier than ever. Sure, divorce was probably best for them, but good god, show some kind of remorse. Other people were writing stupid captions, as one is want to do with "selfies", like, "this is the day I became one" or "me and my best friend are finally cutting ties" or "even though we are getting divorced, we still dress alike". It was complete nonsense.

This is the biggest problem with people in modern times. We are all looking for our fifteen minutes of fame, and we will do anything, no matter how self deprecating or embarrassing it may be, to get it. We will put ourselves in the worst possible situations just to get a mention or a retweet or a like on Facebook. It is pretty upsetting. I do not like the way this stuff is trending. I mean, when a publication like Buzzfeed, which is a big company, picks up a story like this, and runs with it, it makes me sick. We have real problems going on in the world right now, but stupid ass "divorce selfies" are being mentioned by a lot of people, including me today.

I hate this so much, so I wanted to write about why I dislike it so much, but I hate that it has effected me so much. I was viscerally upset when chatting with my wife about this last night. For the record, she thought it was stupid too, but she realizes when stuff like this isn't worth getting angry over. I'm not there yet. I don't know what it is, but this "divorce selfie" thing really made me mad and I had to let you all know about it. I'll get back to some happier stuff tomorrow, Dan Auerbach's second solo record comes out, so I'll write about that, but today I needed to vent to everyone about this stupid new fad. I hope it fades away as quickly as it came on. Fingers crossed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Keep reading his stuff, and you may be lucky enough to get Gotye'd. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

The Last Days of the Trump Presidency

Vacancy here very soon

As of this writing, Donald J Trump is still President of the United States. Over six months ago the repeat failure of a New York businessman improbably won the highest office in the land not by the will of the governed, but through the Electoral College. With only 46% of the voters actually showing faith in Mr. Trump, the US Constitution set up the rules to make him President. Very few people believed Trump would win. Many thought he did not even want to win, because he would then have to have some responsibility for his terrible business practices and his somehow worse personal beliefs. Yet, late on the morning of November 9th the nation was starting to come to terms with the Donald Trump Presidency. The country was preparing for the worst.

Since Inauguration day the United States has been living through the struggle we expected early that November day. Donald Trump has been a terrible President. Nearly every week the Trump White House is spinning lies to cover up their latest amateur mistake. The first few months of the Trump Era have been marked by discord, whining, and finger pointing, and that is just from the Republican Party. The Democrats, who have had no vision for almost a decade, have surprisingly united in battling the Trump agenda. The press, who are responsible for this disaster, have started to act like real journalists who have the public good in mind. Donald J Trump has been so bad as President, that it took only a few months to unite most of the political institutions against his terribleness.

The right wing media, and the minority of voters who support Trump, have predictable blamed everyone else for the President's awfulness. Fox News has to resort to Hillary bashing, and cruel conspiracy theories, to try and keep Trump out of the news cycle. They are failing. Defenders of the white man way of life like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly try to diminish the never ending dumpster fire of the Trump administration by claiming that the negative coverage is a crusade against the rich white men of America. They are idiots. The few people who are the President's supporters whine whenever anyone says something negative about the Donald, and they then cry for a safe place to shield themselves from the never ending bad news. It seems that the President and his supporters are the real snowflakes out there. They are losing the debate.

We should not be surprised that things are this bad. Donald Trump has been a comical failure his entire adult life. He declared bankruptcy numerous times. He was the only man to fail in the casino business. He sold terrible steaks and an even worse college education. His marriages, and divorces, were grocery store checkout line fodder through the 1990s. The only reason Trump is still rich is because his father left him a safety net filled with lawyers who made sure that the Donald could benefit from the rich guy corporate welfare championed by President's Reagan and Clinton in the 1980s and 1990s. Donald Trump is like a bizarro version of the American Dream. The fact that he stumbled into the Presidency of the United States just goes to prove that the ideals of James Truslow Adams are now not a part of the American ethos. Being an entitled, coddled, failure his whole life, why did anyone think Donald Trump could succeed as President?

Being a bad President requires the help of a lot of people, and Trump has plenty of help. His cabinet is filled with greedy demagogues who openly work to hurt hard working Americans so they can line their already stuffed pockets. The clowns in Congress, led by class dunce Paul Ryan in the House and Glorious Leader Mitch McConnell in the Senate, have no idea how to actually govern. Vice President Mike Pence made his name by driving business out of the state he was elected Governor. The whole Trump gang in DC are so inept that the incompetent leaders of the Democratic Party are starting to look like visionaries to the rest of the country. It is obvious how bad Trump is when Nancy Pelosi looks like the smart one.

President Trump can not even be trusted to show leadership on the photo op friendly global diplomatic stage. The Pope was not that excited to entertain the President. The always present insecurity of Donald Trump causes him to be classless and push other world leaders out of the way so he can be the big boy at the front of the line. His supporters likes how he talks tough about Muslims and terrorism, yet he also bows to the Saudis, touches their creepy orb, and warns his Russian buddies about a pointless US military strike. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the real leader of the industrialized free world, has even urged the rest of the world to move on without the United States. President Trump in just a few short months has reduced American influence more so than any President in history. That does not make America Great Again.

The one certain thing about Donald Trump is that he will quit when things became too difficult for him. He has done that in business and television, and he will do it as President. Donald Trump is a small man, and being a public figure of ridicule is way too much for his fragile ego to handle. The United States has problems, and he has no idea how to fix them. The economic divide between the rich and everyone else is getting to it's worst point in the history of the United States. Donald Trump cannot, and will not, fix this. He is determined, with the help of class dunce Ryan and Glorious Leader McConnell, to widen the economic gap. Their efforts may succeed in the short term, but the next duly elected President will reverse almost all of the Trump Presidency. Everyone knows this. The press, the Democratic Party, and the majority of American voters will constantly remind President Trump of his cruel insignificance. The pressure will crack the Donald's ego, and he will quit being President. That is why in only a few short months, we are witnessing the final days of the Presidency of Donald J Trump.

Thank Gods.

RD

RD is the Founder and Head Editor for SeedSing

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

The SeedSing 2017 NBA Finals Preview

Tomorrow we finally, mercifully, get a return to some real basketball. It will have been 9 full days before the NBA Finals finally tips off. I remember when I was younger, the Finals would have been over by now, but money talks, and I guess, even though the NBA is more popular than ever, they need to make as much as they can by spreading this out over an almost 3 month stretch. The NBA playoffs really needs a retooling because this is ridiculous. There are too many teams, games and time off in between these games. I cannot believe that they will not have played the first game of the Finals until June 1st. That is utterly ridiculous.

Anyway, I'm here to break down the Finals and give my prediction, as I do every year. We have a trilogy upon us. This is the matchup that pretty much everyone was expecting when KD signed with the Warriors almost a year ago. I know in my 2017 playoff preview I picked the Warriors to face the Wizards, and I was wrong. But every other time I did some kind of talk and a piece I wrote on the NBA, I said that it would inevitably be the Warriors and Cavs. We all knew it was coming down to this. They are clearly the 2 best teams in all of the NBA.

Combined the two teams have 7 guys that were All Stars this year. I saw a thing the other day that said, between the 2 teams, there are 11 guys that have been to at least one All Star game. We have the best player in the game right now, and probably the third or fourth best player ever in LeBron. We have the best pure shooter I have ever seen in Steph. KD, who is incredible offensively, has decided that defense is important, and he has become a force on both ends of the floor. Draymond Green is, far and away, the most versatile player in the NBA. Kyrie Irving can get ridiculously hot at any time, and he may have the best handles in the game. Kevin Love has found his niche with the Cavs, and it seems to be finally coming together for him. Tristan Thompson does all the dirty work for the Cavs, and he does it better than anyone else. But, what I think should be the scariest thing to the Cavs chances at a repeat is the fact that Klay hasn't really started to make his shots yet. It is going to happen soon, and that should frighten everyone involved with the Cleveland organization.

This is a very star studded Finals that, on paper, could be as competitive as last seasons championship series. I sure hope it is at least mildly competitive because, as I have stated before, these NBA playoffs have been incredibly mediocre. They have been filled with blowouts and stupid skirmishes and it has all just been one long and boring wait for the Warriors and Cavs to finally meet up. We got that, and it starts tomorrow night.

When looking at the rosters, I think the Warriors is much better than the Cavs. Yes, the Cavs have LeBron, and Kyrie Irving loves to play the Warriors, but that is about it. I have no faith in guys like Deron Williams, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver and anyone else that starts or plays meaningful minutes. In all seriousness, the Cavs defense is horrendous, and it is because they have a roster of super old vets that are only good offensive players, and Kyrie and Kevin Love are liabilities on the defensive end of the floor. They can score a whole of points, but they give up a whole lot of points as well. That is all well and good when you are playing the Raptors, Pacers and Celtics, but that won't work against the Warriors. With that being said, the Warriors do have flaws of their own. Steph and Klay have been virtually non existent in the last 2 Finals appearances for the Warriors. they have missed a ton of open shots. Draymond has played great, but he needs to keep his temper in check. If he gets suspended again, that could spell doom. LeBron owns KD on the court. I think, both with the Warriors and Thunder, KD has only won 5 games against him, and he will have to guard LeBron, and LeBron will guard him. Then we have guys like Patrick McCaw and James Michael McAdoo who have not been in very high pressure situations because they are young. Also, the Warriors front court is very mediocre. Zaza Pachulia and David West are fine players, but they are no match for Tristan Thompson. Thompson will crush them on the boards.

Then when I look at coaching, honestly, neither of these teams need a coach. First of all, LeBron is the coach of the Cavs. Ty Lue may have the title of coach, but he is just a figure head. LeBron calls every play, tells the front office who to sign and makes all the important decisions in important games. That is the truth. Steve Kerr is a very good coach, but he has some crazy illness, and he will not be able to coach in the Finals, according to recent reports. That leaves the Warriors with Mike Brown. Yes, he has been fired by three different times, and he has coached LeBron, but, while the Warriors do not have an alpha like LeBron, they have a great core group that feed off each other. It is pretty simple to draw up a play that gets Steph, Klay or KD an open three. Then, there is Draymond, who is just a bad matchup everywhere. So, while Lue was the coach of the Cavs last year when they won, I don't see him as giving Cleveland any advantage. And Mike Brown, well, Luke Walton won a ton of games when he stepped in for Kerr last year, and this is just more of the same. Kerr surrounds himself with smart basketball people, but again, he has 3 of the best 5 shooters in the game right now on his team.

With all this being said, I really, really want a good, hard fought, competitive series. I want this to go 7 games. I want these teams and their super stars to trade blows and make it fun. I want it to go long so I do have some basketball to watch while I'm on vacation next week. I want all these things, but I do not think it will happen. I think the Cavs are a bit too mouthy right now and a little too big for their britches. They are laughing off the fact that they're the underdog when they are unequivocally the underdog. Some anonymous player on the Cavs, who is clearly a coward, is saying that Javale McGee is not "smart enough to play in the Finals". LeBron's teammates, mainly Richard Jefferson, are making excuses for him as to why he played so poorly in game 3 of the East Finals. They are just popping off a bit too much. They almost have too much swagger. Where with the Warriors, I have not heard anything except Mike Brown commenting on what Ty Lue said about the fact that Celtics are harder to prepare for than the Warriors. Everyone involved with Golden State has been pretty quiet leading up to these Finals. Also, Steph seems to have his mojo back, KD is engaged at both ends of the floor and Draymond is being Draymond, without all the dick punching and whining. And, as I stated earlier, Klay is gong to break out of this slump at any time now, and this Warriors team will be unguardable then. As much as I'd personally love to see KD get denied a ring after choosing to join the Warriors, instead of trying to beat them, I just do not see any way that the Cavs can beat them. They're a horrendous defensive team. They are talking way too much shit. I don't think Kyrie will be able to replicate what he did last year. Kevin Love is a horrible defender, and he will be tasked with guarding one of the Warriors many shooters. It just doesn't seem to be in the cards for a Cavs repeat this year. In fact, I think the Warriors will finish this postseason off undefeated and sweep their way to a Finals victory. They have too many shooters on the floor, they play just as good defense as they do offense and they will crush the Cavs. The Cavs have LeBron, but I don't think it will matter this year. The Warriors have Steph, Klay, Draymond, and they basically traded Harrison Barnes for KD. They are just too good. If they do lose this Finals, I think it will be a bigger upset than blowing a 3-1 lead last year.

As far as Finals MVP, I think Steph and KD will cancel each other out, and if Klay finds his stroke, I think he will win it. If he doesn't find his shot, I think Draymond, with his all around play, will win it.

Anyway, the Finals will probably be just as rough as this whole playoffs has been, and I think the Warriors will sweep their way to a title. They look like a team on a mission right now.

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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Cloves and Fedoras: If You Watch Movies, Then You Need to Listen to the Great Podcast "Reel Spoilers"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

Recently, thanks to some advice from RD, I have started listening to a podcast called "Reel Spoilers". First off, the name says all you need to know what it is about. The hosts,Tom O’Keefe, Kevin Brackett, Dan Graney,Joe Buttice see movies, then explain what they liked or didn't like about the specific movie that day. Also, they spoil every single thing in the movie. Up front they tell you that they are going to spoil everything as well, so you have no reason to get mad if you are listening to it.

What I like so much about the "Reel Spoilers" podcast is how informative and smart they are about movies in general. These dudes know what they are talking about when it comes to movies and films. They understand the business and seem to have studied all things involving movies. They talk about the movies so well, I feel like they are all in the industry. They may or may not be, but they sound like they are involved some way, some how.

The second thing I love about the podcast is that the guys are from, and record in my home city, Saint Louis. I am super supportive of people that do things in my home city. I love when someone from Saint Louis goes out there and tries to make it big. These guys have sponsors, so they are, even if it is little, making some money off their podcast. That is something that RD and I are striving for with our own podcast. So, mad props to these dudes from Saint Louis, out there making money while simply talking about movies.

When RD told me about this podcast, he said that he listened to their episode about "Logan", and he was getting ready to listen to their podcast on "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". I hadn't seen either movie, so I wasn't going to start with either one of those recordings. I was going to save them. So, I started with "John Wick Chapter 2". First off, I love both "John Wick" and "John Wick Chapter 2". I have sung those 2 movies praises from the high hills. They are incredible action movies. I was curious to see what the "Reel Spoilers" guys thought of this movie that I hold in such high regard. When they got into the movie, I was blown away by how well informed about every single second of this movie that they were talking about. they were bringing up stuff from the first movie that I had forgotten about. Hell, they brought up stuff from the second movie I had forgotten about. But, what really blew me away was their knowledge of the cast, and all the stuff they had done before. They were also super informative about the effects and all the kick ass fight scenes in the movie. In fact, when they talked about John Wick going to the wine dossier, or whatever the hell those guys are called, and talked about that scene in depth, I was fully on board with this podcast. The way they broke that scene down was amazing. As they went on and talked more about the movie, the more I found myself really enjoying these guys conversation. They really broke the movie down, I am glad I saw this movie before listening to this, but they talked about "John Wick Chapter 2" beat by beat. And, I loved every second of it.  

I had to listen to some more of their episodes. As I wrote last week, I finally saw "Logan", and one of the first things I did after seeing it was download the "Reel Spoilers" episode of "Logan". Again, the guys gave me a bunch of information that I did not know, or that I missed. They are much more well versed in comic books and super hero stuff than myself. I like that type of stuff, they seem to love it. They were referencing stuff from old comic books that I had never heard of. I feel like they introduced me to a whole new side of my favorite super hero. But, what I loved best about this specific episode was the fact that they felt the same way as I did about "Logan". One of the guys said that this was a Western that just happened to have super hero in it. I said the exact same thing to my wife after seeing the movie. Also, their episode of "Logan" got me through a good portion of a 10k that I ran last weekend. So, thanks for the help getting through a 6 mile run guys.

The last episode I listened to was "Alien: Covenant". Now, this was the first time I disagreed with them, but I still loved all almost 90 minutes of the episode. Everyone knows how I feel about that movie, I wrote about it yesterday. But, these guys really broke it down. Now, all of them said they enjoyed "Prometheus" in different ways. I hated "Prometheus", so I was curious as to why they liked it. They all gave their reasons, and I thought, okay that is fine, to each their own. But, when they delved into "Alien: Covenant", they all liked it a bit more than I did, but I got what they liked about it. With that being said, they still had problems with the movie, and I totally agreed with their gripes.

I highly recommend people go out and check out "Reel Spoilers". It is a very well made podcast with very smart and fun and funny hosts. Remember, when listening to it, EVERYTHING is going to be spoiled, but that shouldn't stop you. This is a very good, very fun podcast. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Since the X Millennial Man Podcast is recorded, edited, and released from Cincinnati Ohio, Ty only roots for the half of the podcast that comes from the talking of the St. Louis host.

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"Alien: Covenant" is a Pointless Way to Spend Your Holiday Movie Watching Weekend

Spend the unofficial star of summer here, not in Ridley Scott's Alien world

First off, Happy Memorial Day. I'm a little conflicted as a person on this day. I support the troops and those that fought for the freedom of this country, but I am vehemently opposed to war, and I HATE our current government. So, for me this Memorial Day, I choose to remember family members that fought in wars, and Harambe. It is just over one year since we lost Harambe. Those are the people I will memorialize on this day.

Now that that is out of the way, lets get to my review of "Alien: Covenant".

I was very excited to see this movie. I, like most movie watchers, love "Alien" and "Aliens". Those are 2 exceptional, scary, tight paced horror movies that happen in outer space. I'm not a big fan of horror movies, but there is something about being in space that attracts me to movies like "Alien" and "Aliens". There is nothing more I can say about those movies that hasn't already been said. They're classics.

On the other hand, "Prometheus" is one big pile of trash. I was so stoked to see that movie when it came out a few years back. I was pumped that they were going to do a prequel to 2 great movies. I was so excited that one of my favorite actors, Michael Fassbender, was going to have a big part in it. I loved that Damon Lindelof, of "Lost" fame, was writing it. It had everything that I thought I wanted. Then, I watched the movie and I just hated it. It was boring, incoherent, poorly acted, poorly written, terribly directed, it was bad. My wife fell asleep during all the big scenes, and I wished I had to. The only decent thing, and I use decent very loosely, was Fassbender. That dude is a great actor. I so wanted Noomi Rapace to be awesome, and while she was okay, she was no Sigourney Weaver. Everyone else was just awful. "Prometheus" nearly turned me off "Alien" and "Aliens". But, I re watched them both, and I was back on board.

Then, about a year ago, I heard that Ridley Scott was returning to do a new "Alien" movie. I got excited once again. Then, when I saw pictures of the set, heard about the cast and heard that the Xenomorhps would be back, needless to say, I was going to see this movie. The movie came out a couple of weeks ago, but with it being a holiday weekend, I had a chance to see it yesterday, and my dad and I took advantage of our open afternoon, and we went to see it. I sat down in my chair fully expecting to fall in love all over again with this franchise. This one was definitely was going to be better than "Prometheus" I said to myself.

The opening credits rolled, And yes, it was better than "Prometheus",  but, this wasn't the movie I was hoping for when I first heard about it. The movie got decent reviews, but the consensus of the mass critics kind of summed it up perfectly. They said it was a nice return to form, and better than "Prometheus", but that it didn't add anything new to the franchise. I thought that was spot on. Everything about this movie was fine. Nothing was terrible, but nothing was great. The actors were all pretty decent, highlighted by Danny McBride and Michael Fassbender. Fassbender had dual roles, as 2 versions of his robot, and he played his part very well. I totally bought it. McBride, who I have only ever seen in comedies, I thought handled the drama, suspense and horror very well. Everyone else did okay. Not great, just okay. Katherine Waterson as Daniels, essentially the Sigourney Weaver role, was kind of a bad ass, but nowhere near as bad ass as Weaver. The rest of the crew was blah. Billy Crudup, Demian Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez and Amy Seimetz didn't really leave any kind of impression on me. They were just there. The story was still a bit slow too. They focused a bit too much on Fassbender's robot, and that was to their demise. They relied a bit too much on Fassbender's great acting I think. The action sequences were okay, but they did not blow me away. In fact, you could definitely see the CGI in a few scenes.

Say something positive I keep hearing my mother say. With that in mind, the best part of the movie was the Xenomorhps, and the other aliens that scurried through the forest. They were definitely scary and crazy looking. My only problem with the aliens though, we saw the main Xenomorph in the previews. They should have held that out. It would have made it so much more cooler had I not known it was coming.

All this being said, "Alien: Covenant" was better than "Prometheus", but that is not a compliment. I expected a whole lot more from this movie. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I really wanted this movie to be a lot better. I'm glad I saw it, I am a completist. But, it just wasn't as great as I wanted it to be. I had higher hopes.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Harambe also loved "Alien" and "Aliens". The world owed him a better film than "Alien: Covenant".

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Better Late than Never on the Incredible "Logan"

"Logan" is now out on various forms of DVD and On Demand. This piece will spoil many parts of the film. If you have not seen "Logan", go watch it, then come back and read the article.

I finally got a chance to see "Logan", and boy oh boy was this movie incredible. RD, and everyone that was telling me how great it was, were one hundred percent correct. I have been pretty clear here on SeedSing that I despise "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", and that I am one of the few people that enjoyed "The Wolverine". But, "Logan" completely blows both of them out of the water.

First off, I was thrilled by the fact that is was rated R. Wolverine, and his powers, are brutal and vicious. This has only been shown in snippets in all the original "X-Men" movies and the 2 other stand alone Wolverine movies. Well, in "Logan", they show what those adamantium claws can do. There was an incredible scene to open the movie when some guys are trying to take Logan's tires off his car, and after he gets shot a few times, he then unleashes hell. He starts to get all angry and mad, his claws come out and he just obliterates these guys. He puts his claws through one guy's arm, he is holding a shot gun, and cuts it clean off. There are a couple of other guys that get claws through their head and brains. The other guys, they get the claws to the gut. It was brutal, bloody, violent, and I loved every second of it. I was immediately hooked. The movie is violent, there is cursing and I knew this wasn't going to be your typical super hero movie. When James Mangold directed "The Wolverine", it was off the beaten path, but with "Logan", this was like a modern, bloody Western. I am a big, big fan of modern Westerns. I love how brutal and unforgiving they are, and that was "Logan".

From the opening scene, we come to find out that Logan has become a drunken old man that is basically a taxi driver. The movie jumps to 2029, but other than the time change, nothing is really that different. Well, one thing is very different. Patrick Stewart, coming back as Professor X, is now in his 90's and is clearly suffering from an Alzheimer's like illness. He has done something horrible, wherein his mutant ability, and his deteriorating brain, caused him to kill a lot of people, including seven X-Men. Patrick Stewart is absolutely incredible in this movie, and I will voice the same sentiment RD has said, if he doesn't get, at least nominated for an Oscar, it will be very upsetting. He was incredible in his final role as Professor X. The scenes where he has his "seizures" are some of the most nerve racking, brutal and nail biting scenes I've seen in a long time. Stewart was amazing.

Stephen Merchant, as Caliban, the mutant that can track other mutants, was really good too. I've only known Merchant as a comedic actor, but he was really good in a pretty dramatic role. There was no real funny stuff from Merchant. His story is quite brutal, but he does go out like a god damn boss.

The main bad guy, Pierce, played by Boyd Holbrook, was a bad dude. He was very quiet and menacing in this role, and I loved it. He greets Logan early on, telling him what he needs from him, and it was very scary and very well acted. Holbrook, with his metal arm and all, was great throughout this entire masterpiece. He was such a bad guy, I'd put him up there with Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises".

The other bad guy, Dr. Rice, played by Richard E Grant, was basically a scientist gone mad. He was creating new mutants in a lab. In "Logan", especially after what Professor X did, the mutant race was all but gone. There weren't many left. In fact, the only three they showed in the movie were Caliban, Professor X and Wolverine. But, this doctor was creating an army of young mutants that he was going to use as weapons. One of these was a younger, more brutal, most vicious and more of a killing machine than the original Wolverine. They called him X-24, and he was a total badass. It was amazing to watch the scenes he was in. He was such a brutal killing machine.

There were a lot more younger mutants, but the one that stands out most was Laura, played brilliantly by Dafne Keen. She was Wolverine's daughter, essentially, because she was built with Logan's DNA, filled with adamantium and had claws in her hands and feet. She was a violent killing machine, akin to X-24, but she was only 11. This was an incredible performance by a first time actress, and I couldn't believe how awesome she was. Now, as a father to 2 young kids, I would've never let my children be in this movie, but props to Keen's folks for letting her do this because this was a once in a lifetime performance. I'd go so far as to argue she deserves an Oscar nod as much as Patrcik Stewart does. Her fight scenes were a thing of gore and beauty. The karate, the running, the fighting, the claw slashing, everything was just dynamite. She was the heart and soul of this movie.

Then, we have Hugh Jackman's last performance as Wolverine. I already stated at the top how violent he was, but Jackman went out with a bang. This was, by far, his best performance as Logan/Wolverine. He was the moody loner that fought for what he thought was right. He was also great as the reluctant "father figure" to Laura. He didn't want to be a dad, but when he needed to help her and his friends, he did what he could. Spoiler alert, but when X-24 kills him, I cried. I cried for 2 reasons. I will miss Jackman as Wolverine. He will always be Wolverine. No one else will be as good as him at that role ever. I also cried because he finally got his peace. He has seen so much death, to family, friends and loved ones, and had to live through it all. Well, when he says, as he is dying, "this is what it feels like", I was almost happy for him. He finally gets to be with all the people he lost.

"Logan" was amazing. It is probably the best "super hero" movie ever, and that is because it wasn't really a super hero movie. It was a Western with Wolverine in it. Much like "The Dark Knight Rises" is a crime movie, "Logan" is a Western. Both just happen to have super heroes in them. Much like RD, I will talk about this movie all year long, and it will most likely be my number one movie of 2017 when I do my year end stuff. "Logan" is an incredible display of film making. It is glorious.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the part where Wolverine and Deadpool team up and star in a buddy cop film. That may be just a dream. An awesome dream.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

The Missouri Tigers are Assembling an Incredibly Talented Basketball Team. Will it Work?

Are you questioning my talent basketball writer guy?

The University of Missouri basketball program is putting together a recruiting class on the same level as a Kentucky, Duke or any other program that has bought into the "one and done" culture. This comes a few seasons after Missouri basketball has been downright dreadful. Last year they won 8 games total. That is abysmal.

The tigers did the right thing and fired the coach and brought in a great coach in Cuonzo Martin. They rid themselves of a guy that should be a D-2 coach, which he was before he took the Missouri job after Frank Haith left. Cuonzo Martin has won everywhere that he has been, and I think he will do the same at Missouri. He is a very, very good coach.

Then, this class that he has brought in with him so far is amazing. He has the top player in the state, and one of the top 5 players in the country in Michael Porter Jr. This was a big, big get for Martin. Missouri was finally able to get the best in state player to stay home. This wasn't the case a few months ago though. Porter Jr was originally committed to Washington, but they have been a trash program, and Lorenzo Romar finally got the axe this offseason.

Being a smart coach, Martin brought Romar on as an assistant once he took the Missouri job. This happens all the time in college, and it is not illegal. It is shady, but not illegal. My man, Jim Harbaugh, has done this same stuff since he took the job at Michigan three years ago. So, the hiring of Romar got Porter Jr's attention.

Martin then went out and hired Michael Porter SR as an assistant as well. Again, shady, but not illegal. Porter SR was a respected high school coach, and the next logical step was to move up to the college ranks. After Missouri hired Porter SR, it was a done deal that Porter Jr would be wearing black and gold next year.

Martin and company have been reeling in 4 and 5 star guys left and right. They have some great player from East Saint Louis coming in, some of Porter Jr's buddies who he is openly recruiting, and recently, they got Porter Jr's brother reclassified, and he is now eligible to play at Missouri next year. I will say it again, it is all shady, but it happens all the time in college athletics, especially in college basketball. Anyone who thinks that schools like Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State or any other blue blood that recruits "one and done" guys doesn't do the same stuff that Martin is doing right now, you're an idiot. This is the world we live in for college basketball right now.

What I hope does not happen for Missouri and Cuonzo Martin is, either an LSU and Washington scenario where these guys don't mesh and the team wins between 15-18 games and misses all tournaments, or what happened at Michigan after the Fab Five split and all the accusations came. Those accusations, which were found to be true, crippled the Michigan basketball program for over a decade. I am not a fan of any of the University of Missouri sports, hell, I have written a whole thing about how I hate their football program, but I do not wish what happened to Michigan basketball to happen to anyone.

Michigan cheated to get the guys they got, and they paid for it. When they signed Juwan Howard then Jimmy King then Ray Jackson then Jalen Rose and finally the cherry on top, Chris Webber, I couldn't believe it. Sure, I was a naïve pre teen that just loved to see these guys play together, but the older I got, the more curious I became as to how they got all this great talent in one single recruiting class. It was boosters and money and homes and jobs being given illegally to family members and friends of these elite athletes.

College sports has become a win at all costs game, and it can get sickening at times. These are young kids, going to play a sport for which they receive no financial incentive, and they seem to cannot wait to get out of there. Webber was known for openly complaining that he couldn't buy himself a meal, but the University was selling a jersey with his number on it for 40 plus dollars. It is a common and relatable gripe. These players do not see the benefits until they leave for the pros. The college coaches will continue to do anything and everything to bring in top talent. All they have to do is win games, and the boosters and fans are happy. They don't really care about these kids. The same can be said for Calipari and Coach K. They may say they care, but they don't. They bring in new kids every year, and they could care less about their well being. They just want them for basketball.

I hope this doesn't happen at Missouri. I also hope, for the fans sake, mainly my two brothers, Ross and RD, that this actually works. It worked for Michigan. They went to 2 straight Final Fours and 2 straight title games. These kids, luckily, meshed and played well together. But, look at what happened at LSU 2 years ago when Ben Simmons committed there. He was supposed to be the best thing to happen to that program since Shaq was there. Well, he was an inconsistent shooter, got hurt here and there and checked out when it was clear they wouldn't be a tournament team. LSU won 18 games with an incredible recruiting class. Or, look at Markelle Fultz and Washington last year. Fultz was one of the best point guards in the country, and will most likely be the first pick in the upcoming draft, and Washington won 9 games. One more than Missouri did last year. Fultz was in a crummy situation with a coach that didn't use him properly. The same thing happened the year before with Washington when they had Marquess Chriss. Chriss is an other worldly athlete, and Washington couldn't even make the NIT. Arizona is another example. They are a little better, they are a tournament team, but they always flame out. A few years ago they had Rondae Hollis Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, and I think they were bounced in the second round. California is another team that just couldn't do much with a few great recruits. Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb came there 2 years ago with super high expectations, and in year one, they got beat in the first round and Brown left for the draft. And last year, with Rabb as the guy, they were marginal at best.

So yeah, in the 90's it worked for Michigan. Sure, Duke won the title a few years ago with 4 freshman being the core. Calipari has won one title with a mostly freshman laden squad, but great recruits does not make for great teams all the time. All these kids are the stars at their school, and they expect to be the star in college. We have way more examples of freshman led teams flaming out than we do of them going deep in the NCAA tournament.

I hope it works out, not so much for Missouri, but for Cuonzo Martin. I think he is a really good coach, and I hope these 18 and 19 year olds listen to him. And, I hope Martin and Missouri do not get hit with the same type punishment Michigan got after the Fab Five was gone. I hope he is doing his recruiting as fairly and properly as possible. Time will only tell. Until then though, holy cow does Missouri have the kids to turn this team back around. Let's see them do it on the court now.

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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"Bob's Burgers" is a Great Show, and Now it is Also a Great Album

The best companion to a great tv show

About a week ago the television show "Bob's Burgers" put out an album of original music from the show. This has been done before. Most shows release scores and some original stuff from their series. I remember when "Lost" was on TV, they had a very memorable theme song, and a great song called "The Walking Song" that they released to the public. "The Simpsons" have released a ton of music. Like I said, it happens a lot.

What makes the "Bob's Burgers" record special is how many tracks are on it, and how well it is made. The album I bought off iTunes has 112 songs on it. That is a whole lot. Sure, most of the songs are less than 45 seconds long, but that doesn't make me like them any less. When I can hear stuff like "Burgers and Fries", "The Theme From Banjo", "Fracas Foam", "Da Ding Ding", "Weekend at Mort's", and so on and so forth, that makes me very happy. When they do go over a minute, the songs are still great. The extended theme to the show is wonderful. "Derek Dematopolis" is tremendous. "Bad Things are Bad" and "Good Things are Good" are both awesome. The little Fred Armisen run, when he played the health code guy, is great. "Sex, Sex, Sex", "Daddy" and the "Itsy Bitsy Stripper" are all very good, and very funny songs.

The standout for me, my family, and probably a lot of other people is the song, "Electric Love". This was in one of "Bob's Burger's" best episodes, and the song is dynamite. The song is about Thomas Edison's love for an elephant named Topsy. Gene writes the song, and while it seems that he and Tina are performing it, it is actually Gayle and Mr. Fischoeder. The song is so great. It is goofy and weird and just flat out bizarre. My wife and I have been singing and humming this tune since we first saw it. We hoped that one day it would be released to purchase. We sang it so much, our son, who was 2 or 3 at the time, would sing along with us. He still loves it to this day as well.

Another thing that makes this record great is that all the actors came on and sang the songs themselves. The whole cast, Jon Benjamin, Kristin Schaal, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, John Roberts, a real standout as Linda, Larry Murphy, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Kline, Megan Mullaly, Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifinakis, Bill Hader, Rob Heubel, I mean, I could go on and on and on. They're all on this record on one song, or many. It's pretty cool that they did all this for this newly beloved show. What makes it even better with all these people, they might not be the best singers in the world, but if they brought on different people, singers and musicians, it wouldn't hold the same weight with me as it does with the actual cast. I love that Jon Benjamin sings monotone as Bob the whole time. I adore John Roberts over the top Linda voice that he uses, not only when talking, but especially when singing. I like Mirman's voice as young Gene. Gene knows he's not a good singer, but man does he try, and Mirman is exceptional at this. Mintz as Tina is more monotone than Bob because that is who she is. Schaal yell singing lyrics as Louise is just what I want from her on a record. It is so wonderful that they all stay in character and sing these songs.

On the record I bought, they do bring on some pros. There are a couple of guys from the band The National, St. Vincent is on a song, Stephen Merritt and Kenny Mellman do their own version of "Electric Love" and Lapsley shows up on the final track. And, while they do their own spin on previous tracks, they are not taking it seriously, and that makes it even better. Everyone is having a good time on this album, and you can definitely hear how much fun they're having when you listen to it.

So no, this isn't the first time a show has made an album, but to this point, I think this may be the best TV album that I have ever heard, and that includes anything from may favorite show, "The Simpsons". "Bob's Burgers" is an awesome, well written and incredibly well voice acted show, and music plays a big, big part on the show. I love this record and I highly recommend that any fan of the show go out and purchase it immediately, if you haven't already. Hopefully they make another one of these after they do a few more seasons. I'm sure it will be just as fantastic as this first record.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. In a freak coincidence, Ty talks about this album, and LeBron, and Trump on today's mini X Millennial Man Podcast. Download it for free today.

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LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs are Better Together

The Spurs and Aldridge need to put a ring on it

With the Warriors sweeping the Spurs out of the playoffs last night, to no one's surprise, the question of trading LaMarcus Aldridge has been at the top of a lot of sports websites today. And we here at SeedSing are no different. I want to talk about how I think this is not a viable option for a team like the Spurs.

Yes, Aldridge has not been as productive in the 2 years he's been with the Spurs as he was in his first 7 with the Trailblazers. Sure, he has disappeared in the playoffs. Yeah, when Kawhi went out and he was the focal point of the offense, he struggled. But, what do the Spurs think they could get for him, and it is just not in the Spurs nature to do something like this. When was the last time they just traded away a very good player? They traded George Hill away a few years back, but that was to get Kawhi. Other than that, nothing comes to my mind. This is a team that builds through the draft and signs players near the end of their career that can give them one or two more years. They also love to take foreign players in the draft, stash them and have them come over in a few years. They also always draft late in the first round, and they take guys that fit their system that can sit behind an already established NBA player. The Spurs are a smart team is what I am saying. 

When they signed Aldridge 2 years ago, that was the biggest move I have seen them make since tanking and taking Tim Duncan first overall. Aldridge was supposed to be the heir apparent, but it is wildly clear that Kawhi is the guy now for the Spurs. But, Aldridge is still a very good and competent big man in the modern NBA. He can shoot, rebound and is an okay defender. He is also very coachable and doesn't seem to complain too much behind the scenes, at least to the public's knowledge. He is also best fit to be a second or third option on a team. He is the second guy in San Antonio, and he was the second fiddle in Portland. Some may say that he was the first option, but that team was being built around Damien Lillard. That should have been made very clear when he was free to walk 2 seasons ago. Portland always wanted Lillard to be the guy. 

If they do trade him, who could the Spurs go out and get that can replicate what Aldridge brings to the team? Like I said, he is a modern NBA center. So, if the Spurs want to trade him, who should they look at getting? I'm sure they would want a young guy like Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Davis or Boogie Cousins. That is not happening in a million years. Those guys are number one guys, and I don't think they'd want to leave to go be the second option behind Kawhi.

So maybe a second tier center you say. Okay, Nerlens Noel is very happy and fits perfectly in Dallas. None of the 76ers young guys fit what the Spurs want to do, and Embiid is not available. The Rockets aren't going to trade away Clint Capela or Nene, they are great fits in Houston. Steven Adams is not leaving OKC. He is beloved there, and while his style of play is a fit for the Spurs, OKC is not giving him up for Aldridge.

That would leave the Spurs with guys that aren't a tenth of the player who Aldridge is for them. They could go out and get a Zaza Pachulia, Al Horford, Marcin Gortat or a Willy Cauley Stein type guy. That is not the route I think the Spurs would want to go. It is definitely not the route that Pop wants to take.

The Spurs need to keep Aldridge. They are most likely going to lose guys like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli to retirement. And when those 2 do officially retire, I will write pieces on them and how great they were. Patty Mills will most likely leave in free agency. Pau Gasol is probably gone, either to retiring or signing elsewhere. And, Johnny Simmons and Dewayne Dedmond might get extremely overpaid this offseason. If they were to trade Aldridge, and lose all these guys, they'd be very, very thin, especially in the front court. If they do trade Aldridge, I'm sure they'd do everything to keep Dedmond, but he is not LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs have guys to replace the Ginobli's and Parker's of the world. Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson are ready to be starters in the NBA. Brinn Forbes is a decent defender and three point shooter. Johnny Simmons, as long as they keep him, is extreme energy off the bench and can score and defend. I'm sure they have some guys on their deep bench that are just awaiting their turn. But, they do not have that front court depth. Gasol will be gone. David Lee is done. Dedmond is inconsistent and unplayable at times. In my opinion, they need to keep Aldridge no matter what.

I've grown tired of hearing about how LaMarcus Aldridge is a trash player and a choker. How is his playoff performances in the past couple of years any different than James Harden? Harden has laid 3 straight eggs in the playoffs, yet no one is saying that the Rockets need to trade him. All this, "we need to trade guys after 2 years because they aren't who they were with their first team" is nonsense. LaMarcus Aldridge is a damn good NBA player. Give him at least one more season, paired up with Kawhi, and I bet he will play his role to near perfection. It wasn't his fault that Kawhi got hurt. It's not his fault that he plays a mid range game. He is too good, and young, to give up on right now. I hope the Spurs keep him because he and Kawhi are the West's best shot to beat the Warriors. The Rockets don't play enough defense. The Thunder only have Westbrook. The Clippers are about to blow it up. The Jazz are good, but not that good, and they may lose some key guys this offseason. The Spurs though, they can play with the Warriors when fully healthy. They would have won game one if not for Kawhi's injury. But, Aldridge was also very good in that game.

Don't give up on Aldridge San Antonio and your fans. He is still a very, very good NBA player.

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

LeBron Will Never, Ever, Be as Good as Jordan.

Today was supposed to be about how dominant both the Warriors and Cavs have looked so far in the playoffs. Granted, they're both going to meet in the Finals for a third time, but the Cavs, and LeBron, laid a total egg last night. Let's talk about it.

LeBron had 11 points after going for 30 plus in 9 straight games. He just flat out disappeared last night. Sure, he wasn't needed in the first half, the Cavs were up by as many as 21 points. Kevin Love was hitting threes, Kyrie was making jumpers and getting to the rim and Thompson was out rebounding everyone. Then, the third quarter happened. Yes, the Celtics started making shots and playing very good defense, but where in the world was LeBron?

This is why I don't think LeBron will ever surpass Michael Jordan as the GOAT. Jordan never disappeared like LeBron always seems too, especially in the playoffs. This isn't a one time thing with LeBron either. He's been in the league for 14 years, and there's been multiple times that he just seems out of it or even disinterested. He's an incredible, wonderful, awesome basketball player, but sometimes, he just doesn't feel like playing. That's a problem when you want to be the best. Try to find one time Jordan had moments, in the playoffs, where he just decided to mail it in. He not only never had these moments, he only ever thrived. Even when the Bulls weren't the dynasty Bulls, he still showed out. He was the guy that put up 63 in Boston Garden against a vaunted Celtics team, led by Larry Bird. He came to play every night against the "Bad Boys" Pistons team, no matter how many times they put him on the floor, cheap shot or not. Jordan not only gavemaximum effort always, he also wanted to destroy you.

LeBron doesn't seem to have that side to him. He is fake tough when he wants to be. Jordan was real tough and dominant. LeBron is the best player now, but he has too many friends in the league. No one was Jordan's friend, especially on the court. Jordan was never hugging other players and high fiving opponents before and after games. He wanted to rip their throats and then stomp on them. LeBron, and most modern stars, are too friendly.

That is another reason there will never be another MJ. Jordan is the best. LeBron's performance last night further proved that to me. Like I said at the top, I was ready to heap a ton of praise on him. He looked locked in like never before, which is saying something for him. He was demoralizing everyone in his path. He was ruthless. But, we got fake tough, whiny, disinterested LeBron last night, and that stinks. Look, the Cavs are still going to beat the Celtics, probably in 5 games, but that performance by him left a bad taste in my mouth. LeBron is great, probably top 5 ever. But, if he continues to have games like last night in the playoffs, he will never surpass Jordan. Jordan is the best, and the most ruthless. LeBron is incredible, but he comes and goes as he wishes, and he's too friendly to be the best.

The fact are as follows, LeBron is still incredible, but he's not Michael Jordan, and he never will be.

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. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Colin Kaepernick Deserves to be on an NFL Team

First off, I have to say a very happy birthday to our head editor, and my brother, RD. Hope you have a great day big bro.

Anyway, where we sit today, on May 19th at 2:35pm in the Midwest, Colin Kaepernick still remains unsigned. Now, I have been, equal parts hard and supportive of Kaepernick. I think, as a football player, he is marginal, at best. I also think, as a person, he is more American than most people and he has done wonderful things to bring to light some big time social injustices.

With that being said, I am shocked that he is not on a football roster right now. Yes, I already said that he is a marginal player, but he has an overall record as a starter of 32-32 and he has been to a Super Bowl. He almost won that Super Bowl single handily for the 49ers as well. He is better than a decent amount of the starters in the league right now, and I think he would be an incredible backup QB, on the right team.

First off, let's look at some of the starters right now going into 2017. I'd much rather have a guy like Kaepernick leading my team than say, Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler, Mike Glennon, Jared Goff or Sam Bradford. Those guys have never done anything of importance in the NFL, let alone making a Super Bowl. Sure, some of those teams may not fit his style of play, but he changed the way he played from college to the NFL, so I'm pretty sure he could manage a shift to a more traditional NFL offense. Hell, if I were the Vikings, I'd try as hard as I could to sign him. They play a west coast offense, which Kaepernick excelled in in San Francisco, and he is way, way better, and more reliable, than Sam freaking Bradford.

Those are just some of the starters that I think he is much better than. He would be the best back up in the NFL if that's the route, which is most likely, that he should choose. He is a million miles better than guys like Charlie Whitehurst, Mark Sanchez, Trevoyne Boykin, Connor Cook, Matt Schaub or Chase Daniel, just to name a few. I'm sure a team like the Saints, Titans, Seahawks, basically any fringe playoff team, would love to have him. The only back ups that come to my mind that are better than Kaepernick are, Jimmy Garropolo, possibly Alex Smith and maybe even, hell, I cannot think of any other back ups that are better than him.

While Kaepernick's best days as a player may be well over, he is still a viable option as a roster player in the NFL. I'm puzzled as to why no team has even brought him in to talk. I've heard a bunch of the Seahawks players want him, and even though I loathe that team, that would be the most ideal spot for him. It is almost too perfect. He is a taller version of Russell Wilson, and he is consistently more healthy. I actually kind of hope this happens because I am now a fan of Kaepernick's, and he deserves to be on a team.

The other reason he may not be getting signed is the kneeling during the anthem, and that is utter bull shit. He kneeled during a song, who cares?! He protested, which is well within his rights, and he is now being black balled for this? That is so, so stupid. And, by all accounts, this did not cause any type of split or friction in the 49ers locker room last year. In fact, the vast majority of his teammates, coaches and opponents stood by him and protested along with him. He started a movement of sorts with his protest. I loved it. Some of the police are maniacal monsters drunk on power, for the most part, and they are especially brutal to people of color. Kaepernick had every right to do what he did. I do not like the fact that he didn't vote, but that is another topic for another day. He is allowed to do this due to free speech. As I have already said, he is more American than most dumbass police officers that stereotype and racial profile. Also, look at all the great things he has been doing this offseason. Just go out and google Colin Kaepernick charity, and you will be blown away.

I am just baffled that he remains unsigned. I already named a bunch of starters and back ups that he is better than, and all he did with his kneeling was peaceful protesting. The fact that a guy like Adrian Peterson, who physically beat a 4 year old, or Richie Incognito, who is a racist bully, or Riley Cooper, who uses racial slurs at country shows, or Greg Hardy, who abuses women far too much, keep getting chances, and Kaepernick does not is utterly ridiculous.

The NFL, Roger Goodell and a lot of GM's are out of their minds and making me question one of my favorite sports to watch. The fact that Kaepernick is unsigned is stupidity at its highest, and hopefully this gets corrected. He is too good a player and a great person. He is the type of athlete that deserves a "second chance".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His ass kissing at the top should be rewarded with dollars. Help Ty get his dollars by donating to SeedSing. 

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It is Time to Repeal and Replace Capitalism

The failure of capitalism is on display with the criminal greed being seen in our corporations and government. We wanted to re-post our thoughts on our broken economic system. The post originally appeared on September 7th, 2015.

What do we really celebrate on Labor Day? History says that the day started as a reaction to the Haymarket Massacre in 1886. The deaths in Chicago that day brought to light the struggles of workers nationwide. Demonstrators at Haymarket Square that day were rallying for an eight hour work day. When we go back and look at how the heads of capitalism treated their workers, who were US citizens, it is frightening. The labor movement needed to strike, rally, and demonstrate just so the capital owners would treat the workers like real humans. We celebrate Labor Day because workers needed to demand, and risk their safety, for a humanity that the capital owners were not willing to provide.

Capitalism is anti humanity and it is not allowing us to socially evolve, it is time for a new economic system. The people at the very top of our capitalistic society are large carnivores that get rewarded for anything that they can consume. There is no humanity to the capital owners. We celebrate record stock markets, and forget we have such a small volume of people participating in the market. We complain about welfare queens, without accepting that some of our richest CEOs get their salaries enhanced by government subsidies. The devourers at the top of the economic food chain have made the people below fearful and reverent at the same time. Capitalism is not allowing us to grow as humans, it is keeping us in cages like the animals that the capital owners need to control.

The way capitalism is sold to the general public is through use of code words like freedom and opportunity. In the world of today there is very little opportunity or freedom for the people not at the top of the capitalism food chain. The use of freedom and opportunity have their roots in trying to keep people non-empowered. If you want to go out and start your own business, you do have that freedom. If you have a great idea that can change the world, you have the opportunity to pursue that dream. Our modern capitalistic system does throw up every hurdle imaginable so the current capital owners have a say over your success. The system allows for the commoditization of people who can steal and exploit other people's work. The defenders of capitalism use opportunity and freedom as defenses for these patent trolls. Capitalism does not create ideas, it creates ways to steal great ideas and give them to the carnivores at the top.

The idea of commoditization has reached a truly dangerous level in our society. We have used capitalism to justify putting a price on the our most important human needs. Healthcare is one of our largest, and wealthiest, industries. We all accept that doctors should be well paid because of their skill and necessity. Our ability to get healthcare, through insurance, is directly related to our income. That is insane. Medical care is a necessity for everyone in the world, why should it be a commodity? Why do we not question this? Most doctors are not builders and creators, they are administrators. When you go to the doctor, it is for maintenance or to discuss something out side of the norm. Your income level rarely dictates the maintenance you require. Your income level can directly relate to the need for a doctor when there is something outside of norm. Lower income people have more severe, treatable, medical issues because of how capitalism financially elevates doctors. Basic human needs like healthcare are not a commodity. Capitalism has set a value to our lives, that is anti-humanity.

The ability to communicate has been the greatest tool for social evolution. The printing press created a new world filled with scientific and social advances. The internet is just getting its legs, and changing the entire world for the better. Many of the innovations related to communication were not done in pursuit of economic riches. The internet was created by the government, and nurtured by the social system, to become the tool we use today. The engineers of the world create things that not only maintain society, but allow it to grow. The Wright Brothers looked to the government for support before they looked to the capital owners. Roads, rails, and bridges are designed and built by engineers with government support, not private business support. Why is it that the government has allowed business to commoditize basic needs like communication? The rise of the telecom deregulation was another sacrifice at the idol of capitalism. We have been told that private business can handle our communication better than the government funded engineers who built the network. Our reward is one of the worst communication networks in the developed world. The telecom companies get their money, the CEOs get their large paydays, and the citizens get a subpar product thanks to the tenets of capitalism. The telecom companies do not have any concern for our ability to communicate, their concern is only to gain money. Our government, and our cultural programming, have allowed for basic communication to be another commodity to be bought and sold. Due to capitalism the more wealth you have, the better communication available.

Capitalism is a wall that stops innovation. The ability to create a commodity out of basic social needs is a large problem. Your health is not something that should be paid for. Your voice and ideas are not things that should be granted by a company with no creators. Capitalism exists to give freedom and opportunity to those already established, and make sure the non established have very nearly no options to compete. We deserve the right pursue our dreams, and not be hampered by our inability to pay for health or communication. Everyone deserves freedom and opportunity.

Capitalism is one of the most destructive forces in history. We need to have a discussion on how to replace this carnivorous ideology with one that rewards innovation and creates an evolving society. In the future we will continue to discuss the pitfalls of capitalism, and start to formulate an ideology that will bring about a brighter future. We encourage your dissent and contribution. Your ideas are not a commodity. Come share them with us.

Happy Labor day. Enjoy this day of rest and remember that protesters died for the right to have a reasonable work schedule. Let us use this Labor Day to start a new movement. The old capitalistic ways need to be repealed, the replacement will produce true opportunity. We can find this new way forward together. The only thing we will lose are the cages the capitalists keep society in.

RD Kulik

RD is the creator and Head Editor for SeedSing. 

RIP Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell was found dead this morning at 52 years old.

It took me awhile to process this. Awhile back I wrote about Soundgarden as one of America's greatest bands. I was a fan of Soundgarden before most other grunge groups. Soundgarden was the psychedelic grunge group. I loved Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but for some reason, I enjoyed Soundgarden the most. They were bizarre and weird and like nothing I had ever heard before. They also made some of the most innovative and inventive music videos I have ever watched. "Black Hole Sun" to this day still scares me a teeny tiny bit.

What attracted me to their music was their guitarist, Kim Thayil, but there was always something about Cornell's voice that I really liked. He was great at grunge music, but he could also do rock and psychedelic vocals with relative ease. His voice was one of the first things that made me realize how great music with instruments can be. I love hip hop, I always will, it has probably surpassed blues music as my favorite genre, but back when Soundgarden came about, I was listening to some really crappy hip hop. Soundgarden kind of shifted my taste in music as a teenager. And while it was Thayil's crazy guitar that I loved, Cornell's voice had just as much to do with it as anything else.

Chris Cornell was different from guys like Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, who he will be forever compared and mentioned in the same breath as. Kurt Cobain was pretty much the John Lennon of the grunge scene. He was the moody genius that left us way too early. Eddie Vedder is the Paul McCartney of the grunge era. He has done so much great stuff, both with and without Pearl Jam, but his best stuff is his Pearl Jam stuff. Just like McCartney's best is with the Beatles. To me, Chris Cornell was the George Harrison of the grunge genre. Now, for those of you that do not know me, that is incredibly high praise. George Harrison is not only my favorite Beatle, but he is one of my all time favorite musicians. What I loved about Harrison, I find myself liking the same things about Cornell. They were both different. They both tried weird and crazy shit that other contemporaries didn't have the guts to try. As I have already mentioned, look at the music video for "Black Hole Sun". Sure, maybe a video like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" might have meant more to the generation, or "Jeremy" may have had a better message, but I remember "Black Hole Sun" more than both of those videos, or any other video from that era. It was cool and crazy. The stretchy faces and the wild stuff that was going on, I was scared, but I could not look away.

As far as his music stylings, he was a lot like Harrison as well, just with different genres. Harrison was able to straddle the lines of pop, rock and Indian music. He loved his sitar and that sound of music. Cornell was a rock legend and could do some of the best psychedelic stuff since the 60's. He made psychedelic music accessible to kids like me that didn't discover the greats until later in life. And, the best thing about this, we didn't even know we were listening to psychedelic rock. We just thought it was rock music, but looking back at it now, Soundgarden, and Cornell more so, were presenting us with some of the wildest psychedelic music since Jefferson Airplane, not Starship, or Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. I will be forever grateful to him for this. He was my gateway to psychedelic rock. I have found other, older artists, but Cornell and Soundgarden were my stepping stone.

Cornell even ventured out himself and formed the band Audioslave. For the record, I think this was a failed project, but it did give us the chance to hear Cornell sing with the greatest guitar player of my generation, Tom Morello. In his band, Soundgarden, he got to play with the most underrated guitar players, Thayil, and in Audioslave, he got to jam with Morello. That kicks ass. These 2 guys respected him so much that they asked and enlisted his vocals when forming their bands. That should speak volumes to Cornell's talent and pull with people in his field.

I'm still kind of in shock that he is gone. When I saw the headline this morning I said out loud, "NO WAY". I just couldn't believe it. I mean, he was only 52. That is way, way too young. He had so much more that he could have given the world with his music. The early reports are saying that it is a possible suicide as well. That makes it even more unfortunate and upsetting. Things seemed good for Chris Cornell, Soundgarden was back touring, and he seemed in good spirits at their last show according to all reports. I had even contemplated going to see them here in Saint Louis this Saturday. They were doing a show here in 3 days. Now, no one will ever get to see the original Soundgarden ever again. That is a sad statement. I can't peer into someone's soul or mind, but if it was suicide, that would be heartbreaking.

Go out, especially if you are in your mid 30's like me, and listen to as much Soundgarden as possible today and remember their greatness and Cornell's incredible voice. Rest In Peace Chris Cornell. My idols and people that shaped the person I am today need to stop dying.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255. 

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Even a Fixed NBA Lottery Cannot Save the Lakers from Themselves

Amidst the Warriors blowing out the Kawhi less Spurs last night, we also had the NBA Draft Lottery Show. Now, just to put it out there, I did not watch the show. I was playing basketball. I think the lottery show is pointless, and I can see where every team picks on the internet later in the night.

With that being said, I do think that this lottery was fixed, much like the 2003 and the 1985 lottery shows. I was only 3 in 1985, but I know my NBA history. This was the year that Patrick Ewing was becoming a pro, and I have heard, and agree with, all the theories that the envelope was frozen, or at least cold, and it was fixed so the Knicks could take him. I fully believe this to be the truth. I also like the fact that Ewing was a Knick. It made all the sense in the world, and I rooted for the Ewing led Knicks team when I was a kid. The Sonics were my team, but I also enjoyed the Knicks back then.

The other fixed lottery, the 2003 one, was so blatant, people just bypass even talking about it. This was the LeBron year, and of course the hometown Cavs got the number one pick. Why would the NBA want it any other way? Of course this was great for the league, for LeBron, for David Stern, for the Eastern Conference, it was all just a little to perfect. Again, I had no real problem with this either. It's always nice when a hometown kid can stay home and turn the team around. LeBron was going to thrive anywhere, but it was nice that he was able to start his professional career in Cleveland.

Well, last night's lottery now has me convinced they fixed it for, at least, the third time in my life. And no, I'm not talking about the Celtics getting the first overall pick. They earned that right when they fleeced the Nets a few years ago. That is what happens when you give up asset after asset to try and chase a title with an aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Celtics did the exact right thing, and they reaped the benefits last year, getting the third pick, and even more so last night, getting the first pick. I'm also not talking about the 76ers getting the third pick. This has been their "process" for the past 5 years, and they keep getting top 3 picks every year. I'm also not talking about the Kings getting 2 top ten picks. They, much like the Celtics, earned that right when they traded Boogie to the Pelicans, and asked for an unprotected top 10 pick. All of that stuff, and all the other teams, like the T'Wolves, Knicks, Suns, they all "earned" their right to draft in the top 10. That's is what teams get for tanking nowadays. As much as I dislike the whole tanking thing, it works for these teams.

The reason I think this particular lottery was fixed was the fact that the Lakers got the second overall pick. Yes, they were bad. Yes, they "earned" the right to pick top 5. Yes, they can get a possible transformative player in this upcoming draft, which is loaded. But, they could have lost a whole lot if they didn't get a top 3 pick. The NBA did not want their beloved Lakers to have to go through a full on rebuild, even though that is currently what they are doing, and they made sure they did not lose this pick. Had they been given the fourth pick, they would have had to give it up, and they would have lost their first round picks for the next 2 years. That would have been a brutal blow to this blue blood franchise. Can you imagine how angry Magic Johnson, Adam Silver and Jeanie Buss would have been had they not gotten their top 3 pick? It would have been an absolute nightmare. So yes, I do think the people involved with the NBA and the lottery made sure that the Lakers got one of the top 3 picks.

The NBA is still trying to deal with the Knicks being horrendous, the Bulls constantly being in flux, the 76ers being one of the worst franchises in all of sports. They could not have the Lakers going through a massive rebuild as well. Never mind the fact that the NBA is as popular as ever, the powers that be want the Lakers to, at least, be relevant. Teams like the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, Celtics, they are all great, but the NBA does not want the almighty Lakers to continue to be a 20 win team.

I do not care about them fixing the lottery, and I think it is fine. I also think it will be hilarious when they draft Lonzo Ball second overall. This is going to cause almost as much drama as if they lost a top 3 pick. There are much better players that fit what the Lakers want to do, but they will be told to take Ball. The NBA, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV will want to have the Ball family in LA. They will make it so.

To make things even more interesting, the Lakers already have a point guard. Sure, D'Angelo Russell is inconsistent, but he is only 21, he has only been in the league for 2 years and he showed flashes of being a decent point guard last year. Players need time to grow, especially guys that are only 21.

The Celtics will either trade the first pick for a superstar, or take Markelle Fultz. So, when the Lakers pick, Fultz will most likely be gone. That opens up a lot of options for the Lakers. Ball will be there, but so will guys like Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, Johnathan Issac, Lauri Markenien, De'Aron Fox and Malik Monk. A lot of these guys would be a much better fit on the Lakers than Ball, and from what we know, they don't bring the baggage of Lavar Ball.

I think a guy like Josh Jackson would be a perfect fit in LA. He is long, can guard, will learn to shoot and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I also love pairing Brandon Ingram with Johnathan Issac. Issac is another long guy that can defend, he's a better shooter and, again, brings no known baggage. Hell, I'd even look at Jayson Tatum before Ball. Tatum didn't really show out, but he looks like he could be a poor mans Carmelo Anthony in the NBA. He can get his own shot and usually knocks it down. If I were the Lakers and Luke Walton, I'd look at someone in the front court as opposed to a back court guy in this draft.

Now that I gave LA some sound advice, I would bet a whole lot of money that the Lakers will take Ball, trade Russell and that will put them back even further. No one will want to sign there because no bona fide star will want to deal with the circus that is the Ball family. Luke Walton, who looks like he will be a good coach, will get very irritated and aggravated at having to deal with Lavar Ball. And, this means they will have to break up their young core of Russell, Julius Randall, Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson to make room for Ball. The Ball family will not settle for his son sitting and learning, he will demand playing time right away. This will be the main problem with this pick. Lonzo Ball will set the Lakers back.

Congratulations Lakers. You guys got your top 3 pick, but I'm pretty sure you will blow it by drafting Lonzo Ball. The NBA did what they could to keep you relevant, but your front office will most likely screw it up. I guess that is what happens when you fix a lottery.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Carnival Eats"

Amidst all the TV shows I watch because I genuinely have interest in them, i.e., "Legion", "Fargo", "The Simpsons", so on and so forth, I need shows like "Bar Rescue" and "Barefoot Contessa" that are just kind of on in the background, serving almost as white noise. Well, I have found another show that fits this bill perfectly, and it has become my show of choice on Thursday afternoon, if I am inside at the particular time the Food Channel is running a marathon.

Said show is called "Carnival Eats", and it is my new obsession. First off, I love the host. His name is Noah Cappe, and he is a wonder to watch. The guy has a ton of energy, but is very good at doing people on the street type interviews. He's incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to certain foods. And the people he talks to that make the food seem to enjoy his company.

The food that Cappe gets to eat as well, man does it make me jealous. Obviously, due to the name of the show, Cappe goes to random cities that have big carnivals, and he tries what some consider to be the best spots. His job makes me so jealous. I would do awful things to get a job like his. What is even more confounding, and makes me want to watch this show even more, the dude is in relatively good shape, considering all the crap he eats.

Anyway, I cannot get enough of "Carnival Eats". Cappe has eaten so much fried food that I would love to try just once. I've seen him eat so many variations of a corn dog, and they all looked tremendous. One of them was a breakfast type corndog, with the batter being pancake batter, but the chef used a polish dog, and the outside of the corn dog was drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate sauce, and to top it off, they put a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. My mouth is watering as I type this. He's had many varieties of funnel cakes, including a red velvet funnel cake. I love red velvet cake, so I imagine a funnel cake version is just as good, if not better. He's had fried Twinkies, fried doughnuts, even fried s'mores.

The craziest fried food I've seen him eat was fried watermelon. I was put off at first, but after he ate it, then described it, I want to try some fried watermelon right now. The person that made it used a pancake batter, of course, froze the watermelon over night, and after they fried it, he drizzled a watermelon syrup on top. The chef also added powdered sugar because, why not. Cappe said it tasted like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. That is my absolute favorite flavor. I need to go out and find some fried watermelon now.

It is not just fried food at these carnivals. He has had cheesecake quesadillas before. You read that correctly. He had a strawberry cheesecake quesadilla, covered in a cherry sauce. It looked incredible. He has eaten popcorn balls that have sparklers in them. Again, it looked awesome. He has had many different ice creams and a wide variety of slushies.

All the sweet food looks so great, but the savory stuff looks just as good. Cappe has eaten a ton of BBQ on the show. On a recent episode, he had a slow cooked pulled brisket bowl that included mac and cheese, cornbread, homemade baked beans and a homemade BBQ sauce. It looked dynamite. He's had so many different tacos, it is hard to single out any single one. They all look fantastic. He has had a million different types of mac and cheese. Whenever my son watches with me, he sits up when he sees mac and cheese because that is his favorite food. He has had some crazy pizza, including a gyro pizza. The gyro pizza looked so good, I wanted to crawl through my screen so I could try it.

Then there are the burgers. My god, these burgers look glorious. He has had all types of hamburgers. Burgers with doughnuts as the bun. Regular burgers heightened by the chefs secret recipe. Fried burgers. You name it, he has had it in burger form.

I absolutely love "Carnival Eats". Anytime it is on, I stop what I'm doing and watch. It's great for my kids too because they love food shows, but there is also the carnival angle, and they enjoy that as well. I always say to my wife, "I wonder if he is going to throw up this episode because he has been on the tea cup ride like 10 times". "Carnival Eats" is a homerun in every possible way. I think Cappe is wonderful. The food looks great. The people on the show seem to be having a ton of fun. Hell, even the rides look like they would be a good time. But, what makes it great is, I can put it on and just go about my day. I don't have to have laser focus like I do with other shows. It is just white noise, but it is the best kind of white noise.

Check out "Carnival Eats" if you don't already watch it. I think you'd enjoy it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He used to work for a carnival, and has eaten his fair share of funnel cake batter and cotton candy sugar. He just has not had any of these fine foods in a higher form, yet. 

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Chance the Rapper was Great. Everything Else at his St. Louis Show was Terrible.

Last night I had the pleasure to see Chance the Rapper in concert here in Saint Louis. The show was great, but there was some not so fun stuff I, and a lot of other people, had to deal with last night.

I want to get the bad out of the way first, then give the review of the Chance show. First off, I think the Scottrade Center oversold the show. There were enormous lines just to get in. They seemed to have every door to get in open, but when you got in, there were only 2 security people and 2 metal detectors. So, they had four or five doors open only to let all the people in those four or five lines regroup and get into 2 lines. It was a cluster from the start. After we finally got in, we found our seats fairly easily, but since the show seemed to be oversold, there were multiple people with the same seats as my friend and I. This was frustrating, but we made it work because everyone stood the whole time. Still, it was annoying.

Chance had 2 openers, and neither were that good, in my opinion. I already forgot the rapper's name that was the first opener. His stuff was your typical bass heavy, gun shot sounds and air horns over and over again. It was very forgettable. Then there was DJ Oreo. This guy did have a ton of energy, and was a great hype guy for the show, but all he was doing was taking requests from the crowd. I'm serious. He had his Twitter and Instagram handle on the big screen and was playing parts of songs that people in the crowd had tweeted at him. I can listen to the radio in my car or at home. Like I said, he was full of energy, but we were basically listening to a very, very loud radio. This was made even worse by all the clearly drunk teens that were rapping very loudly with every single song. These were all white teens as well. It was embarrassing. This was one of the first times in my 30's when I actually felt old. I was getting irritated by all this. I don't do dance clubs and I hate when non singers sing. It was very upsetting.

DJ Oreo, after what seemed like an hour, finally said that Chance was ready to come on the stage. I got excited, but then there was another 30 minute wait. So, this DJ gets the crowd ready, then we sit there for 30 minutes. I was very close to getting ready to leave, especially when 2 of the WASPY-est people I have ever seen said that we were in the wrong seats, finally got it all figured out, and then the male of the group was dropping unspeakable words along with every rap song.

What kept me and my buddy there was, the lights went down, and finally, after 2 plus hours of listening to a very subpar rapper and a DJ playing today's hits, Chance the Rapper finally hit the stage. He rode out on a scooter and immediately went into the song "Mixtape" from "Coloring Book". All my anger disappeared. I was happy to be seeing this great artist live. For the next 90 minutes, it was great. Chance played a ton of songs, not just stuff from "Coloring Book". He played a lot of singles that he has performed on with guys like DJ Khaled. He did one of his lesser known tunes on a project he did some surfer guy when they were both broke. He played a ton of stuff off my favorite record, "Acid Rap", highlighted by my favorite Chance song, "Favorite Song", ironically. I was pumped to hear so much from "Acid Rap". I was also thrilled to hear that his mother, who was in attendance, loves "Acid Rap" as much as I do. The show was on Mother's Day, so it was nice to see his mom in the crowd. I love stuff like that at live shows. It was great.

Midway through his set, he introduced a special guest, Maxwell. I remembered the name, but I couldn't figure out who he was. Then, it dawned on me, he was a big R&B guy in the mid to late 90's. I remember a bunch of girls in high school loved his songs. It all came flowing back when he said to the audience, "I want to take you all back to 96 with this song", and he played one of his hits. It was an odd change of pace, but I've got to say, it was nice. All his songs were specifically for the mothers in the audience, and like I said, it was very nice and sweet.

After this little interlude, Chance came back on stage and crushed for another 40 minutes plus. This was when he did a bunch off of "Coloring Book", and all the songs sounded great. I loved when he did "Same Drugs" specifically. He was sitting on a stool and singing, then all of the sudden a big stage rig dropped down over the audience and he walked across singing the song to all the people there. It was cool as hell. There were a lot of fireworks, smoke, fires and a great light show. He clearly put a lot into the production of this tour. He was great as far as his performance, and at times, he seemed like a conductor, imploring the audience to sing along. This didn't make me as mad as usual because Chance is so god damn charming. He is also a very deep individual, giving a lot of deep talks and philosophizing on life and love and faith.

So, while I was frustrated at the start, Chance the Rapper came out and played one hell of a live show. He is a very good, very giving performer. Know that when you are going to his show that you will have to wait for awhile, almost to the point of wanting to leave, but when he hits the stage, the wait will be worth it. I cannot wait to see what he does next, and I recommend going to see him live if he comes near, or to, your town.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is also a white kid who loves rap, he just forgets to be a douchebag like so many others. 

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