The Greatest American Music: Lizzo's "Soulmate"

Last week I raved over Lizzo's new record, "Cuz I Love You", and today I want to talk about one specific song on there that I think will have a long lasting impact, especially as a wedding song. As I stated in my review, I am obsessed with this new record. I love the message, her voice, the lyrics and how catchy every single song is. I have been listening to it at least once a day since last Monday. I love every track on the record. My favorite is "Better in Color", because of the blending of old and new sounds.

But, the more I listen to the record the more the song "Soulmate" really, really stands out. This song, at least to me, ranks right up there for single people as Beyoncé's "All the Single Lady's". I mean, the message behind each song is to be independent and love yourself. But Lizzo takes it one step further. Where Beyoncé says stuff like, "if you liked it than you should have put a ring on it", Lizzo talks about how she doesn't need anyone, but herself, to be as happy as she can be. When listening, and then looking at the lyrics, this couldn't be more true. There are certain parts of this song that make "All the Single Lady's" seem timid and not nearly as empowering. Lizzo starts out with a bang. The opening verse has her saying, "they used to say get a man you had to know how to look/they used to say to keep a man you had to know how to cook/but I'm solo in Soho, sippin Soju in Malibu/It's a me, myself kinda attitude". That is some epic stuff right there. She rehashes what people may have told her her whole life, but then says she doesn’t need that stuff, and in fact, she is so much happier chilling at the beach and drinking by herself. She doesn't need to cook to get a dude. She doesn't need to do herself up just to get a guy. That is awesome.

The chorus is what really took me by storm when I actually looked at the lyrics. "All the Single Lady's" does have that catchy as hell chorus, but "Soulmate" is so much more profound. It goes, "Cause I'm my own soulmate/I know how to love me/I know that's always going to hold me down/yeah I'm my own soulmate/No, I'm never lonely/I know I'm a queen but I don't need no crown/Look up in the mirror like damn she's the one". Again, that is such a perfect chorus for all single people, not just ladies, to scream sing on the dance floor, especially at weddings. I mean, it doesn't get much more self empowering than that. She calls herself her own soulmate. She says she will never be letdown. She knows she is a queen, and doesn't need anyone to tell her this, or buy her nonsense. And the whole look in the mirror is just a baller ass line. It is amazing. I can picture, if I flashback to my own wedding, all of mine and my wife's single friends at the time, rocking this song. It would have been epic. Hell, I went to some weddings awhile back where "ATSL" was playing, and "Soulmate", had it been out, would have blown that song out of the water. There is another verse that I adore in the song. Lizzo says, "and she never tells me to exercise/we always get extra fries/and you know the sex is fire/and I gotta testify/I get flowers every Sunday/I'mma marry me one day". Again, perfection. In that one little verse she covers her disdain for exercise, how she eats what she wants, how she is the only one that can please herself and that she's just going to marry herself. Awesome.

Even near the end, when Lizzo talks about how you can find true love when you are by yourself, I love it. Before meeting my wife, I was by myself, and by myself a lot. I started to just be myself the more I stayed by myself. All of that led to me meeting my wife. She liked how calm and, dare I say, cool I was/am. I decided that I was fine by myself, and then I met the love of my life. I kind of think that is the message Lizzo is trying to get across. I think, I in my mind, she is saying you need to love yourself before you love someone else, and that someone else needs to love you for who you really are. I think that is just great.

"Soulmate" rules, just like every other song on this record. But, what "Soulmate" has that some of the other songs might not is the ability to become a big smash hit that resonates with all different kinds of people. I'm happily married, been with my wife for almost 13 years, 10 of which we have been husband and wife, and I yell sing this song in my car. I have other friends that listen to Lizzo, that are single, and this is far and away their favorite song on the record. I have friends that are dating that play this loudly in their home. This song truly runs the gammet. Even my three year old sings along to the chorus. It is a perfect song, and will be for the rest of time. Seriously people, start listening to Lizzo because she absolutely rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is all about loving yourself before you can love someone else. Maybe the incel community could learn something from Ty and Lizzo.

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Ty Watches "90 Day Fiance" Season Premier

A show that I’m pretty certain I’ve talked about on the site before came back this past Sunday night, and boy oh boy did they up the ante.

I have said many times that my wife has gotten into the whole reality TV craze, and one of our favorites, “90 Day Fiancé What Now?”, is back. This show is great because it’s so bad. It’s so poorly acted, and yes, these people are trying to be actors. I know it’s “reality” TV, but we all know now that it’s all scripted. “90 Day Fiancé What Now?” is “The Room” of reality TV. It started out as a look inside the K-1 Visa process, but now it’s blossomed into an insane portrait of couples that should not be together.

When the show first came out, it wasn’t as wild as it is now, and this newest season, they got some of the craziest and unstable people that they’ve ever had on the show. They took the worst of the bunch, making it the most gripping, I use that term very, very lightly, and engaging season so far. I mean, the couple that live in Vegas with the man’s mom, they’re nuts, in all the best reality TV ways. Since we last saw them, the wife may get deported, she flushed her wedding ring down the toilet, they got a new cat, the guy is even creepier than before and the mom is even more stressed out. We have the couple where the guy got a Tinder account only days after he was married to his girlfriend, who broke off 2 previous engagements because of infidelity. When these 2 are on screen, it’s so cringeworthy. It’s all fighting, the young guy trying to justify his scumbag decision, and the wife leaving him to walk home on the side of the road. We get the couple with the husband that legit looks like The Penguin, and is subjecting his wife to living in a storage unit, with no stove. Every time they interview her, I swear she wants to scream out, “help!, I’m a prisoner”. She looks so unhappy and uncomfortable. She’s also so bored, she’s taking an ESL class taught by her husband. The most “normal” couple is the one that lives in North Carolina, but we find out very soon that they aren’t together anymore, and then they flash back to 3 months prior. The husband is terrified to move, and the wife wants to become an actress and thinks Chicago is the best place to achieve this goal. She is also 20 and very much acts that way. The husband also gives off a real peaked in high school vibe.

But the best, at least so far, is the couple that lives in Atlanta. They’re a real mess. The wife’s family wants to hire a PI to investigate the husband. The husband started a huge fight with the wife’s family that he won’t own up to. They constantly bicker and fight. They can’t seem to agree on anything. The wife’s family is super duper crazy. The husband seems like he could be running a scam. It makes for great reality TV.

After the episode was over, we got a coming up on thing, and they’re going to bring back some classics for viewers of this ridiculous dumb, but addicting show. I cannot wait. Also, the premiere episode was 2 hours long, followed by a “where are they now” hour long show. That’s great. TLC knows what they have in this show, and they’re capitalizing on its popularity right now.

I literally cannot wait to see the next episode, and the whole season for that matter. I know it’s bad she dumb and pointless and predictable, but damn do I love “90 Day Fiancé What Now”. Check it out if you just want a hilarious escape for a few hours every week. It’s a delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is waiting for TLC to do a show about thoughtful people who get married. It can be called 900 Day Fiance.

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Ty Listens to Comedy Bang Bang's 10th Anniversary Podcast

The “Comedy Bang! Bang!” podcast is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to honor this achievement, Scott Aukerman decided he was going to do a 10 hour long episode bringing back as many famous guests as possible. So far I’m about 5 and a half hours in, and it is a treat. I’ve loved every single second of this record long podcast. It’s like hearing a ten of Best Of episodes of the show. It is awesome.

The guest list, so far, has been absolutely incredible. Jon Hamm was on for a bit because he’s been on the show from the start. Jon Gabrus as Geno the Intern has made his always funny appearance. Thomas Lennon and Rob Heubel, the first guests on the first show, returned. Lennon also brought back a very old, and hilarious character. Jason Mantzoukas was the first guest of the episode, and he and Aukerman were great as usual. Andy Daly showed up during their interview and played both Dalton Wilcox and Hot Dog, two of his best characters. We’ve been visited by Entre Penure, Bone Queaf and Chief. Those three were absolutely hilarious. I think, so far, I laughed hardest when they were on. Chief, played by Carl Tart, also performed as Sugarloaf, a rapper from the 80’s who just woke up from a coma recently. It was awesome. I just heard from Chelsea Perreti and Adam Scott. When they did the famous “Farts and Procreation” episodes, I’d cry with laughter. Unfortunately Harris Wittles has since passed. But, Scott and Perreti still brought the humor. They’re so funny when they get together. Nick Kroll brought back a famous character. Thomas Middleditch played one of his absurd characters. Seth Morris came on as Bob Ducca. I could go on and on. It’s been truly amazing.

This is such a tremendous collection of super talented comedians and actors. I love how much they love, and appreciate all that “Comedy Bang! Bang!” has done for them and their fans. I first heard of a lot of these people because of this podcast. Jon Gabrus, Nick Kroll, Lauren Lapkus, Seth Morris and Jason Mantzoukas are just a few that I was introduced to by “CBB”.

I highly, highly recommend people check this out. This was such a great idea, and it has given me so much pleasure as a fan. I have been laughing and reminiscing since I started to listen to it on Monday. You do have to be a fan to truly appreciate all the characters, but I’d even go as far as to say that fans of comedy podcast should check this out because it’s a tour de force. I’m so happy with this, and I cannot wait to hear all the characters I will get to hear in the last 4 and a half hours.

Happy 10th anniversary “CBB”, and congrats Scott Aukerman. I really appreciate all the comedy you’ve provided for the past ten years. Here’s to many, many more. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is gearing up for the X Millennial Man 4 hour 4 year anniversary podcast. He is going to sit back with RD and do nothing but Simpsons references for four hours. Stay tuned.

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Is Urban Meyer Looking for a New Miracle Cure at USC?

Here we go again

I had another piece I wanted to write about today, another sports piece, but that will have to wait because of a text I got from my dad this morning.

I was driving my son to school, and my dad sent me a story from 247 Sports with the title, "Former Stars will Recruit Meyer to USC". I immediately started to crack up. I have written and said, to anyone that will listen to me, or read my stuff, that Urban Meyer's "health issues" are all very, very phony. I have also stated that, since he left The University of Ohio State, if USC didn't get back to being a title contender, he would find his way to becoming their head coach. It's not that far fetched, he has done it before.

Remember when he left Florida because of "heart concerns"? He left Florida with an "illness", but was that really the real reason? I mean, Florida football is just now getting back to being a perennial top 15 team. They had to go through a couple guys before finally getting Dan Mullen to come back. But, I feel like Meyer was starting to see the writing on the wall. Alabama was coming for him. Georgia was getting better. Auburn had solid teams. Even Arkansas, back then, was an eight or nine win team. And let us not forget about the recruiting violations and sanctions that were about to come to light. Also, he vouched for a guy like Aaron Hernandez. All the major journalist forgave him because he coached Tim Tebow, who is so awful on TV by the way. But, I'm pretty sure everyone knew that, not only was Florida not the cream of the crop in the SEC anymore, but their program, and Meyer himself, were doing some shady stuff.

So, he made up some health excuse, ESPN bought it, and he was able to walk away unscathed. ESPN bought his "health" issue so hard in fact, they hired him to call games that same season he stepped away. He was not very good at this, but the whole Jim Tressel and tattoo stuff, and years upon years of cheating, opened up the University of Ohio State job. Meyer openly talked about how he still had "health" issues, but this was his dream job. He is from Ohio, so he would love to finish his coaching career in Columbus. Of course he was cleared by doctors to coach, after only taking a year off because of his "heart" condition, and he accepted the job only one short year after leaving Florida.

After one down year, and only minor sanctions from the Jim Tressel era, the University of Ohio State went undefeated in Meyer's first year. They then went on to win a title, win the Big Ten a few times, win most of their bowl games and beat my team, Michigan. But, this most recent season, Meyer started to complain about "terrible headaches". I wrote about how insane the coverage of all this stuff was during games. It is also very fitting that these "headaches" started to come right after it was found out that Meyer had been lying to cover up for a former coach that physically abused his ex wife and did cocaine in the White House. After all of that was released, Meyer started to suffer "headaches". He would clutch his head on the sidelines of close games. The cameras would zoom in on his face to show him in "excruciating pain". The announcers would cover for him and call him "courageous". It was all so ridiculous. Meyer then announced, after missing out on the playoff, that he would be stepping away again because the "headaches" were too much, and he needed to get healthy for his family. Again, I think he saw the writing on the wall. The University of Ohio State was losing a ton of players to the draft. The stories and whispers of him covering up for this former coach got louder. Some journalists said he should have been fired. Some people didn't believe his headaches. It was all eerily similar to his departure form Florida.

Now, not even 4 months into his "retirement", former USC players, guys like Reggie Bush, according to this 247 Sports story, are saying they will "recruit" Meyer to USC if they don't improve this season. This was absurdly predictable. Their were only 2 jobs that I thought he would take after taking a year off, Notre Dame or USC. And surprise surprise, USC is struggling, and their former famous alumni are aching for a big name coach. I wouldn't be shocked either, if/when he gets the job, if he says that USC is his "dream job". Meyer is a compulsive liar that constantly looks for sympathy from the major media. When things start to get tough for him, he makes up an excuse so it is easier for him to quit. He is also a sanction just waiting to happen. Utah dealt with it, Florida dealt with it and I'm sure the University of Ohio State will get some kind of violations notice.

I hope USC makes the mistake of hiring him because that would be fitting. They did the same thing with Pete Carroll, and he left that program in shambles. Meyer will leave it in even worse shape when he gets some other "ailment" in 6 or 7 years. This is so stupid. I wish colleges and alumni would learn some kind of lesson. But, all some colleges care about is winning football games, and that is the most disturbing thing. Urban Meyer is a liar and a coward. We will have to see how all this plays out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has to deal with an “Urban Meyer” headache everytime he listens to the sports media cover for the guy. It is quite debilitating.

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Who Did Good and Who Did Not So Good in NFL Draft

The NFL draft finally ended on Saturday night. As I have done the past couple of years I want to single out a few teams that I thought did good, and a few that did not do so good. I don't do the whole losers and winners thing because, honestly, none of us know how these players are going to pan out. The draft in any major sport is the biggest crap shoot because there are no real guarantees. Yes, they are some guys that are deemed "can't miss" that go on to have great careers, but there are just as many that flame out of the league in less than 3 years. So, we will not know for awhile who lost or won the 2019 draft. It takes time.

With that being said, lets get the teams that I didn't think did so well out of the way first. First, and this is the easiest one for me, the Giants made one of the worst reaches in draft history when they traded all the way up to 6 to take Duke QB Daniel Jones. I have read since the first day of the draft that the Giants heard that Denver and Washington really wanted him, and he wouldn't be there at 17, and the new GM saying, "we will see how dumb I am in three years". I don't think any of that is true. I  don't think those two teams wanted him. All I heard from Denver was how much they loved Drew Lock. Then they traded the 10th overall pick, so they didn't seem to keen on picking up a QB in the top 10. Washington seemingly wanted a QB, but I think they liked both Lock and Dwayne Haskins. I did not read one story about how much they loved Jones. That was never a thing. All that talk was just that, talk. And the new GM, Dave Gettleman, while he thinks he may be a genius in three years, he looks like a colossal idiot today. Jones was never the top QB in this draft. If anything, he was the fourth ranked one behind Kyler Murray, Haskins and Lock. Hell, I even saw people rating Will Grier ahead of him. This was a rough decision made by a GM that has screwed up 2 straight drafts. Last year he took Saquon Barkley second overall, and while Barkley was tremendous as a rookie, the Giants won 4 games. Last year they could've taken a QB and it would have been much better for them in the near future. And then this year, with the trade up to get Jones, he sets this team back even more. He took the wrong QB this year, he took the wrong skill guy last year, and his undying loyalty to the washed Eli Manning will inevitably be his downfall. The Giants are one of the worst teams heading into the 2019 NFL season.

The other team that I thought really screwed up their draft was the San Francisco 49ers. First off, Nick Bosa is an overrated tool. He is not as good as his brother. He is a racist. He barely played last year. And he is an ego maniac. I hope that kid busts like Steve Entmann. Beyond that though, this team needed young defense, and instead, they went with young skill guys in the later rounds. They didn't get any of the top receivers, they took 2 different running backs, they got no O line help, it was a mess. They outdid the Raiders in taking athletic players as opposed to players they needed. I wasn't too high on the 49ers to begin with, I thought they were vastly overrated last year, I don't think Jimmy Garoppolo is a top tier QB, and Kyle Shanahan is proving he may be better suited as a coordinator, not a head coach. He has some nice new weapons, but it won't matter when teams are scoring 35 points a game because their secondary is so bad. The 49ers had a chance to shore that side of the ball up and they didn't. Their draft was baffling to me. And again, I hope Nick Bosa is so awful because he is a truly awful human being.

Now to the teams that I thought did a fine job in the draft. As much as I hate to praise this team because it's like giving the bad guys in "Star Wars" credit, the Patriots crushed the draft yet again. They got N'Keal Harry at the end of the first round. He is going to fit in just perfectly with this team, and he gets to have Tom Brady throw the ball to him. They got Chase Winovich in the mid third round, and he is going to be a plug and play energy guy for them. They got more backs that can catch. They tool O lineman that will get to sit a year and learn under Dante Scarnecki. And they got a QB very late that can sit behind Brady for a few years. I think Jarrett Stidham should be thanking his stars that the Patriots took him. That could not be a better situation for him. He's going to get the best coaching in the NFL and he gets to learn behind the greatest QB of all time. I feel so dirty giving the Patriots any credit, but man did they crush this draft.

Finally, the team that laid a total egg against the Patriots in the Super Bowl, the LA Rams, probably had my favorite draft, and they didn't even have a first round pick. But what they did in the later rounds was very impressive. They got the best safety in the second round with the 61st pick, Taylor Rapp. He's hard hitting, will start right away and helps put a secondary in desperate need. They also took David Long, a corner from Michigan, in the third round. He is from LA, he too will start from day one and he is a shut down type player. I watched him dominant his side of the field for the last two years. He didn't have eye popping stats because no one threw his way. He is going to be a steal. They got some Todd Gurley insurance by taking Memphis running back Darrell Henderson. That kid averaged almost 8 yards a carry in college. That is insane. He is also super fast and a solid pass catcher. That was a great pick. They got some O and D line help in the later rounds, and they took Dakota Allen, he was on the second season of "Last Chance U", and he is a very solid linebacker. I could see him as a special teams stud for a few seasons, then taking over as a starting linebacker very soon. The Rams addressed what they needed to, got some insurance and just really hit a homerun.

As I said at the top, we will see how all of these players truly pan out in about 2 or 3 years, but from where I sit today, these are the teams that I thought did not so good, and did some great things.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the greatness of the Cincinnati Bengals and their draft strategy of taking guys available. Every year Ty short changes the Bengals and their ability to win 6-9 games a year.

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Ty Watches "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson"

I have always really liked the comedy of Tim Robinson. He is absurd and goofy and goes for it all the time. Some times his bits work, sometimes they don't, but he goes for it 100 percent regardless. I love that. I enjoyed him when he was on "SNL", he did a great Gary Busey. I also felt like he didn't get a fair shot on the show. He could have been great. I also really, really loved the show "Detroiters". I was on board with that show from episode one. I feel like that show didn't get a fair shot. Season 2 got so much better, and I felt like that could have been a major cult hit for Comedy Central. But, they bailed too early on it, and that was a mistake. I was hoping that Robinson and Sam Richardson, I'm pretty sure they are very good friends, would get another chance. Well, Richardson still has his role on "Veep", which he crushes, and he is in a ton of movies and TV shows. He works, and works frequently.

With Robinson, I was listening to "Comedy Bang! Bang!" this week, and found out that he has a new show on Netflix. Robinson was the guest of honor, and was there to promote the show, "I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson". After listening to the pod, I immediately went to Netflix to check the show out.

As I said, I love his sense of humor, so I had high expectations. I'm 4 episodes into the first season, which has 6 episodes, and I love love love this show. It is so weird and odd and absurd and goofy and ridiculous and hilarious. I have found myself belly laughing while I watch the show. Some shows make me chuckle, giggle and I can occasionally get a little loud with my laugh. This show makes me howl. I mean, in tears from laughing so hard at what I am seeing. It is a sketch show, but it is like all the odd sketches that get cut from "SNL", which are usually my favorite. I love the stuff Kyle Mooney does for "SNL" now, but it always gets cut. That is what this show is like. Robinson has such an odd sense of humor, but for me, it works.

The show is bizarre. The sketches are absolutely ridiculous, but they work. Robinson is tremendous. Richardson shows up from time to time, and the chemistry is up front and center. People still on "SNL", like Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer, especially Bayer, are so good in the sketches they are in. That Bayer sketch is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Fred Willard was in a sketch I saw yesterday, and my god it reminded me of how funny he is. It's a great performance. Conner O'Malley, who was tremendous on "Detroiters", is just as good, if not better on "ITYSL". The whole "honk if you're horny" bumper sticker sketch is amazing. Also, each episode is abut 16, 17 minutes long. It is the perfect amount of time for a sketch show like this. They jump from sketch to sketch with ease, and I laugh even harder at the next one. I love it. I am a big, big fan of this show. I also like that it is on Netflix because they will not really mess with Robinson and his crew. It really seems like he has carte blanche to do the show he wants to do.

I hope this show gets multiple seasons. It seems like it will, it has gotten a great social media response, and I will be there to watch every episode. Check this show out if you like absurdist humor. It is hilarious, short and executed to perfection. It is really, really good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is in the weird inbetween of television fandom. He does not watch crap like “The Big Bang Theory”, yet he will not start petition drives to bring back his favorite shows. That is Ty’s tv fandom.

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Ty's 2019 Not Mock NFL Draft

The first round of the 2019 NFL draft is tonight. I know I did a mock last year but this year I want to change things up a bit. Mock drafts are all good and fun, but I want to do my list of who I think are the 20 best players in the draft. I’ll rank them in descending order and give a sentence or two as to why I have the players where I have them. I am also going to give you 5 players that I don’t think will be as good as others do after I rank  my top 20. My list is also going to be boring. In this draft I love the defensive line and offensive line. I also think linebacker is solid. I needed you to know this going in. Spoiler alert, I have zero QB’s in my top 20. More to come on that near the end. Okay, here it goes. 

20-Nasir Adderly. Adderly played lower level college ball, but the dude is a ball hawk and a heavy hitter. I’d love for the Packers to take him late in the first round. Whoever takes him will get a steal. 

19-Chris Lindstrom- Lindstrom is a bulldozing O lineman that paved the way for one of the best rushing attacks in college. He’s big, has quick hands and feet and will start from day one. He’s a solid late first rounder.

18-AJ Brown- Brown is only one of 2 receivers that I like in this draft. Brown is a solid route runner with excellent hands. If the right team takes him, either Green Bay or New England, he’s going to be a star. 

17-Marquise Brown- This is the other wideout I like. Yes he’s very, very small, but he is a speed freak. He’s also a great route runner. He’s going to be a burner, and I think he’s going to be so much better than Percy Harvin ever was

16-Taylor Rapp- He may be “slow”, as far as 40 yard dash times go, but he can cover. He’s the best secondary player in the draft as well. He’s an instant starter with ten year career easily 

15-Jerry Tillery- As much as I dislike his college team, this dude is a disrupter. He destroys backfields and can get to the passer. He’s one of the better D lineman in this draft

14-Greg Little- Here’s another big, dominant O lineman. Little is humongous and a road grater. He’s going to be a right tackle projecting ahead, and he has future pro bowler written all over him

13-Cody Ford- Much like Little, Ford is enormous. He’s a better pass blocker though, and with the NFL shifting that way, he’s going to excel. He will be a late first steal

12- Rashan Gary- I’ve heard the criticism, but I don’t buy it. I watched this kid take on double and triple teams for three years and it allowed other guys to shine. Gary is a beast, the physical traits are amazing, and he’s going to make teams that pass on him regret it. He’s an amazing football player 

11-Greedy Williams- He’s fast, he has great ball skills, he was the guy on a dominant defense and can be a shutdown corner. He’s also got a kickass name

10- Devin Bush- Bush is a wrecking ball. He’s a hitter. He plays with an immense passion. I watched him for three years as well, and loved everything I saw. He’s going to be a very, very good pro. I’ll miss him most next season 

9-Brian Burns- Burns is tall, but explosive and can make moves that put him in the correct spot. He can make himself small and flexible. He’s so big and agile. He’s got quality traits for such a big D lineman

8- Jawaan Taylor- Sure, he was a lineman in a spread option offense that focused on the run, but this kid can learn to pass block as well. I watched him crush Michigan’s D line in the bowl game, and thought then that he was going to be good. He’s also 6’5, which is an added feather in his cap. He’s going to be solid 

7-Andre Dillard- Dillard is the opposite of Taylor. He was in a spread pass offense, but he too has the tools to run block, and to do it well. He also exploded at the combine. He’s a legit top 5 pick to me

6-Christian Wilkins- He was the best D lineman on the best D line in college football last year. He has great hands, feet and technique. He’s also humongous. He is destined to start and shine from day one 

5-Montez Sweat- I know he has some red flags, but his on field performance should have teams aching to draft him. He’s big, fast and physical. He will also relentlessly get to the opposing QB. If he fumbles on draft day, he’s going to be the steal of the draft

4- Jeffery Simmons- Simmons is Sweat’s lesser known teammate, but he’s just as good and has zero red flags. He’s a pure run stopper, perfectly placed as a nose guard 

3-Devin White- White is the best linebacker in the draft. He’s speedy and can cover. He also has range sideline to sideline. He’s the prototype of the modern linebacker. I might take him first overall if I were a GM

2- Quinnen Williams- I mean, when you’re the best player on Alabama, that speaks volumes. He does it all on the D line. He can stop the run and pass. He takes on multiple O lineman to open things up for linebackers and the secondary. He’s as good as it gets

1- Josh Allen- This Josh Allen, from Kentucky, I adore. He is a great, great edge rusher. He reminds me of Khalil Mack, except with more shine coming out of college. He can also cover. He is the type of hybrid D lineman that is taking over the NFL. I’d run to the podium to take him

Those are my top 20 guys. I think all of them will, at the very least, have solid careers. They’ll all contribute, and some, will become stars. Now let’s get to the players I’m a bit down on. 

5- Nick Bosa- This has nothing to do with my fandom. This kid sat out all of last year with an injury. He likes the “president”. He called “Black Panther” overrated, and he’s not his brother. I feel like he’s going to flop and flop hard. I think he’s egotistical and I think he thinks it’s going to be easy for him. It won’t be. I think he’s extremely overrated

4- Kyler Murray- I think Murray is a fine QB, but I wouldn’t put my franchise in his hands. I also think he picked the wrong sport. I don’t think Baker Mayfield is as good as some do, and I get the same feeling from Murray. He’s also small and frail. And he can always quit to play baseball. No way I’d take him first overall

3- Dwayne Haskins- He’s the only QB I “like” in this draft, but I truly don’t like any of them. He’s also very immobile, played in a gimmick college offense, seemed disinterested at times and has sloppy footwork outside of the pocket. I don’t think he’s a first rounder, let alone a top 10 pick

2- Drew Locke- I’ve already written a whole thing on him, and my mind hasn’t changed since then. He’s sloppier than Haskins, he believes in his arm to a concerning extent, he never really shined in big games and is more lucky than good. He is a smaller Blaine Gabbert. He’s a bust

1- Daniel Jones- Jones is a Ryan Leaf level red flag to me. He may look like a prototypical NFL QB, but that’s the only NFL thing about him. He’s inconsistent, never played well in big games, choked when he was on national TV, tried too often to rely on his legs and cannot throw the deep ball with any kind of accuracy. I think it’s hilarious that Washington and the Giants are reportedly “enamored” with him. That would be so fitting if one of those teams traded up to get him. He’s going to be a major bust. This I’m almost sure of. 

Alright, there you have it. I’ll be curious to see where everyone ends up, and if I was wrong or right. It all starts tonight. Let’s get to it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is wondering why the Kipers and McShays of the world have said nothing about Nick Bosa’s tweets. Color and content might have something to do with that.

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Ty Listen to "On the Line"

I’ve been a Jenny Lewis fan for some time now. The first time I really remember getting into her music was when I saw her band Rilo Kiley open for Coldplay. That sure was a lifetime ago. From that night on though, I was taken by her music. I loved the music I heard that night. I went out and listened to a bunch of Rilo Kiley after that.

Then, she ventured away from the band and did some solo, and side projects. Her first solo record, “Acid Tongue” came out at a pivotal time for me with alternative rock/folk music. I was heavy into that style, and her record really spoke to me. I listened to it so much that I had to buy a few copies. She then teamed up with The Watson Twins, and while don’t like country music, I liked their take on it. That record was heavily listened to as well. That album also came out right around the time I started to date my wife, and we listened to it together a ton. It was our album of choice.

Lewis then took some time off. I was craving some new Jenny Lewis music, and in 2010 she released the album “Jenny and Johnny”. I bought it, but I wasn’t crazy about it. It strayed from what I liked about her. It was too poppy. She came back in a big way in 2014 with “The Voyager”. That album ruled. She seemed to be coming into her own.

Fat forward to the present. Her newest record, “On the Line”, this is a work of art. This record was worth the wait. As I said, I had kind of grown a bit fatigued, a lot of her stuff sounded too similar. But, she apparently went through some personal stuff, used that for this new record, and man, it is her best. It is my favorite record of hers, by far. I love every song on the album. I have been blown away at the lyrics, music, production quality and many different genres she does. It is such an eclectic record. It’s different from her other stuff, while still sounding a bit like her old self, the stuff that hit me just right.

The opener to the record, “Heads Gonna Roll”, is great. It blends the Watson Twins stuff with rock. It is a great opening track. And from there on out, the record is a major achievement. Some of my favorite tracks are “Do Si Do”, “Party Clown”, “Wasted Youth” and “Little White Dove”. On “Do Si Do”, she gets some help from Beck, and they make some beautiful music together. Lewis is front and center, as she should be, but you can feel the Beck influence. “Party Clown” has this fanciful piano riff, but the lyrics are crushing. It’s one of my favorite types of songs, the ones that sound fun, but they’re tragic. I listen to that song once a day. “Wasted Youth” is an awesome rock song. It reminds me most of her Rilo Kiley days. It has that great alt rock feel, and it’s a great way to follow up the opening track. And “Little White Dove” is a great Fleetwood Mac impression. My wife pointed that out to me when she heard it, and it is a spot on comparison.

This whole record is awesome. It has that girl power that I’m trying to help instill in my daughter as the other 2 records I’ve written about this week. I also really like that you can hear the life she’s lived in the past 5 years between records on this album. “On the Line” is awesome, it’s continuing the trend of great new music in early 2019. She is touring with this record too, and I’m heavily leaning towards seeing her because I love the album so much.

Seriously people, check this album out. It’s tremendous. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes it when an old favorite artist comes out with new great stuff. Will Ma$e be the next old favorite of Ty’s to come back?

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Ty Listens to "Lux Prima"

About a month ago I saw some stuff online saying that Danger Mouse and Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, were working together on a new record. I was intrigued by this news.

I am a big time Danger Mouse fan. I wrote a whole thing about him and Rick Rubin during our greatest American band series. I think he is the best current producer, and only second to Rubin. What I love about Danger Mouse the most is how he gets these great musicians to try stuff seemingly way out of their comfort zone. He did it with Cee Lo Green, turning their band Gnarls Barkley into a major pop success. He did it with The Black Keys, getting them to add more instruments than just guitar and drums. He did it with Jack White, who is an asshole, and Norah Jones on the record the three of them collaborated on. He has worked with a ton of modern musicians, and all the stuff they put out works, in my opinion.

I was very late to the game with Karen O. I had friends in college that always tried to get me to listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I never did. Then, when Spike Jonze made his version of "Where the Wild Things Are", he got her to do all the music with a bunch of kids. I loved that soundtrack. I still do. I still listen to it on occasion. From that, I finally checked out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I liked what I heard, and that was all due to O's voice. She has a great voice for rock and roll. She also does great things on that "Where the Wild Things Are" soundtrack. I just recently listened to some of her solo stuff, and B side stuff, and I really liked all of that.

So, when the first couple of singles from this new collaboration came out, I listened intently. The first song, "Lux Prima", was beautiful. It has a super long, and awesome, intro and outro. But, when the intro ends, Karen O comes in and just blasts that song to a whole new level. It is perfection. It is the type of odd ball rock song that I eat up. I listened to that track over and over again. A few days later they released a second song, "Woman", and while it couldn't be more different, it was just as good. "Woman" is more anthem like and straight up rock and roll. It is also a great song for me to play when my daughter is in the car with me. It is so upbeat and powerful and forward thinking. It is about the greatness that being a woman in modern America can be. I love this song. So does my daughter. So do my wife and son for that matter. It hits us in all the right ways.

The full album came out about a month ago, titled "Lux Prima", and I have listened to it at least a dozen times now. The whole record just oozes of Danger Mouse, but it has Karen O's spectacular vocals and song writing attached. I already mentioned the 2 singles, but there are so many other good songs on the record. I love "Redeemer", another straight up rock song. "Turn the Light" is a bit more poppy, but I love it. It is fast paced and quick too. "Ministry" slows things down a bit, and it is almost haunting. It is such a good song. "Leopard's Song" totally rules. And the closer, "Nox Prima" tidies everything up like it should.

I love this record, but I already kind of new I would. I am at a point where I do not doubt Danger Mouse anymore. I'm getting there with Karen O as well. I love all the different styles they do on this record. I love Karen O trying out newer and wilder things with her music. There is some really good music coming out right now. So far 2019 has been much better early on than all of 2018, and "Lux Prima" is just further proof. Check this album out, it has a little something for pretty much everyone.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may think that Jack White is a major league asshole, but Ty still wants to try the musician’s famous guacamole.

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Ty Listens to Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You"

After seeing a ton of stuff on social media, and hearing from friends and family members, I finally listened to Lizzo's newest record, "Cuz I Love You" this morning.

Oh, I am listening to it as I type this by the way.

I have never listened to Lizzo before, but I have to say, this record is rad. I am blown away by how much I like each and every song on it. I have listened to it on repeat today. Luckily my wife has the day off, so I got to run my errands solo today, and that gave me extra chances to hear the record. It isn't safe for children's ears, even though I will listen to it with my kids in the car, as I have said, I want them to be exposed to good music.

Man, this lady can sing. Her voice is like the perfect mixture of funk, soul and hip hop. The opener has all three of those styles blended to perfection. It is a great, great way to open a record. In fact it reminds me of my first experience with Har Mar Superstar's music. I didn't start listening to him until he put out "Bye Bye 17", and I haven't looked back. He had that funk sound that attracted me. Lizzo has that, but she adds the soul and hip hop, and it is just awesome all the way around. She can even dip into pop music from time to time, but it is good, and fun, pop music. The song "Juice" has top 25 written all over it. From the music to the lyrics, it is all there to be a top song. I can picture a bunch of teens bumping the song at parties. What I love most about the record is the confidence that she brings. Her voice is already super powerful, but when you actually listen to what she is saying, she has no problem saying exactly how she feels, and what she wants. I wish I had that confidence.

Take a song like the closer, "Lingerie". That song is sexy as hell for one, and when she gets into the words, damn she exudes that powerful confidence. The same can be said for the song "Soulmate". That song is all about self empowerment, and it is great. The hook on the track is wonderful as well. "Like A Girl" is another track that I will play so my 3 year old daughter can hear a powerful, confident woman sing about how she is proud to be a powerful and confident woman. The whole record is going to be like that for my daughter and I listening to it together. I have been trying to expose her to more female singers, I will be writing about some more new albums from women singers this week that we listen to, but Lizzo is tops right now for the easy reason that she is doing ti best right now. She has no fear, she has no qualms about who she is, she knows what she wants and she puts it up front and center on this record. Even her Erykah Badu impression, "Jerome", is a far superior song to "Tyrone", of which I adore. I mean "Jerome" is a hit. The music is so mellow and cool and her vocals, I mean come on, she blasts it out of the park.

I am so glad that I have so many cool people in my life that introduce to me to dope stuff like Lizzo. This record will now be played on repeat in my car and house for a long, long time now. This is the record of the Spring by far, and it may be the best of the summer. I am already feeling like this is going to be on my best of 2019. It is that good.

I highly, highly recommend people listen to "Cuz I Love You". It is amazing.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is holding all his Streisand records for when his daughter reaches the right age to enjoy them. Sixty seems to be the right age.

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Should Have Skipped the Not So Good "Venom"

Last night my wife and I sat down and watched "Venom". It was on Starz awhile back, I recorded it, and we finally had some time to check it out.

Before I get into it, the cast for this movie is really incredible. Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock/Venom. He is one of my favorite actors. I enjoy pretty much everything he does. Hell, I was one of the few people that liked "Taboo". Michelle Williams has a big role in this movie. She is a multi Academy Award nominee. She has been in some great movies. She has had the best career of anyone that was on "Dawson's Creek". Fight me on this, I dare you. Riz Ahmed was the bad guy. He is a legit soon to be star. He was excellent on that crime show on HBO a year or so back. Jenny Slate has a small yet prominent role. I don't think anyone has made it bigger than she has after her snafu on "SNL". She has a solid and growing career right now. Also, "Obvious Child" is one of the most underrated movies. It's a gem. And there is a Woody Harrelson cameo. Harrelson is also one of my favorite actors of all time. He is a super duper star.

All of this is being said because I had high hopes for "Venom". It did not live up to my hype. I'm not going to openly be mean and trash the movie because I am trying to be better about stuff like that. But man, "Venom" was confounding and dull and slow and poorly CGI'd and just not very fun. I was utterly confused by the dynamic that was created by Hardy when Venom took him on as a host. It seemed as if Hardy decided he was just going to totally go for it and be as wild as possible, also trying to be funny, and it simply didn't work. It was confusing. When he was talking to Venom, it felt like the movie shifted into a romantic comedy about Brock and Venom, which could have worked oddly, but it was too far fetched. And Williams looked liked she would rather be anywhere else. She seemed to really phone it in. I read some interviews where she pretty much conceded she did the movie just to do a super hero movie. Her and Hardy had zero chemistry. Her relationship with the guy that plays Dan Egan on "Veep" was much more believable. Slate gave it her all, but her role was added to the movie, she is not from the comic books, and it just felt forced. She was good. I put the onus on the 7 writers, that's right, 7, as to why her character didn't really belong. Ahmed goes full Eddie Redmayne from "Jupiter Ascending", and it was bizarre. He constantly contradicts himself. He isn't believable as the bad guy, and when he turns into his symbiote, that is what they call the alien host, Riot, it was far too similar to Venom. He just had some added moves, and it was pretty blah. I respect that all these actors, for the most part, went for it, it just didn't work. I was very disappointed in the outcome.

I really wanted to like this movie. I even tried to make excuses while we were watching it. But, I just can't. It just isn't a very good movie. There are a few decent scenes, but they are immediately erased the very next moment. And man was Hardy's choice for Venom's voice totally absurd. It really takes you out of the movie. I am also bummed that it got the dreaded PG-13 rating. "Venom" should be R, and possibly a hard R. Look at how great a movie like "Deadpool" is because of the R rating. Venom is scary and gross and an alien that likes to eat people. Don't rate a movie like that PG-13. It takes away so much.

Needless to say, I do not recommend "Venom". It just isn't very good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. It is weird that Ty does not think Katie Holmes is the best actor from the “Dawson’s Creek” crew. She really sold her role as wife of Tom Cruise.

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The Greatest American Music: Pusha T's "If You Know You Know"

Awhile back RD and I did a podcast about the best opening songs to records. I’ve gone back and listened to every song I picked, then the record, to see if I still loved them, and I do. With that being said, we left out some great songs. That’s to be expected though. There’s so much great music, and everyone has their own personal taste. But today I want to add a song that I feel I really, really snubbed big time.

In my year end best of’s I do, I picked Pusha T’s record DAYTONA as my number one album of 2018. I still stand by that. And the opening song, “If You Know You Know”, should have most definitely been on my list of best opening songs. This is, not only his best song in my opinion, but one of the best hip hop songs ever recorded. This song really, really sets the tone for the whole record.

When the song opens, it’s a light beat with Pusha talking about a lot of things. It’s almost as if he is reintroducing himself to the public. It’s awesome and unassuming. It reminds me so much of Jay Z’s opener(s) on “The Black Album”. But, I like “If You Know You Know” better. But, when the main beat drops in, this song goes from great to classic. The beat is ridiculously bouncy and incredible. I’ve listened to the song 100’s of times, and I still dance incessantly to it every time it plays. The “bop bop’s” are an amazing touch. And when the beat drops and Pusha comes back on, I mean, come on. He is a great, great rapper. His verses are simply wonderful on the song. He also spans not just his career, but his life in this song. He talks about his drug dealing days all way to his fame and fortune. One of my favorite lyrics is, “I’ve been hiding right where you can see me, the skyboxes right next to Ri Ri”. I mean, that’s poetic man. That lyric says so much about his career. Yes, he’s famous, and yes, true hip hop fans know him, but he’s underrated. He’s so good, yet no one mentions him when they talk about the best rappers alive. That’s why I love the “hiding where you can see me” so much. It’s perfect. Then, he makes it known that he hangs with the biggest pop stars in the world. Ri Ri is Rihanna, I’m pretty sure. That’s incredible to me that he goes to games, and sits with or near Rihanna. I love that he put that in the song. I also love the chorus of the song. He talks about trap doors, car ports, and says more than once, “if you know you know”. Simply saying, the people who get this, will appreciate it. I like to think I understand what he’s talking about. Yes, I grew up in the suburbs, and I’m a white dude, but I know things. I’ve lived a kind of adventurous life. That’s why I feel like I can semi relate to this song.

All in all, what Pusha T packs into less than 3 minutes to open this incredible album is nothing short of amazing. As I said, I get hyped every time the song plays in my car. My kids, who probably shouldn’t listen to it, but I want them to be exposed to good music, love to dance to the song too. My daughter LOVES this song. “If You Know You Know” is one of the best openers to any album ever, and I felt like I had to remedy me not mentioning it during the podcast. This song rules, and everyone, if you haven’t listened to it yet, stop what you’re doing and listen to it right now. It’s that good. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty understands when Pusha T is talking about being the guy next to the celebrity. After all Ty is the guy next to world famous podcaster, and extremely attractive man, RD.

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Is Drew Locke the Next Great NFL QB Bust?

With the NFL draft a little over a week away, and yes, I will be doing a mock draft, I want to take a moment to talk about GM's, and how they get so enamored with one prospect, they are almost willing to set their franchise back a decade.

This came to mind when I had a conversation with my father earlier today. We were talking about the upcoming draft, and how we aren't really impressed with any of the top QB's. I think Kyler Murray is a bit too small and fragile. I do not like Daniel Jones at all. He has bust written all over him. I think Dwayne Haskins has the skills to be okay, but it is going to take a lot of time, and he played in a gimmicky offense in college. And then there is Drew Locke.

Let me start off by apologizing to 2 of my brothers, RD and Ross, but I do not think Locke is a first round talent. I have actually seen this kid a few times live, and I left kind of shrugging. Yes he is good, and I think he will be a fine backup QB, but I saw a mock the other day that had him at 2nd overall, with the Broncos trading all the way up from 10 to get him.

This is insane to me. He is inconsistent. He makes poor choices. He lucks into throws. He has horrendous footwork. But, John Elway is obsessed with him. Sure, he traded for Joe Flacco, but he is just about done. In fact, he is done. So, I think Elway looks at Flacco as a one year starter, then it will be Drew Locke time.

This is nuts. Elway seems to think that he will be able to will Locke into being a top tier NFL QB. He seems to think that he can put him on this team, with this defense, that is going to start to change and age out, and he will lead them to a Super Bowl like he did, and Peyton Manning did. I do not see that at all. I get big time Blaine Gabbart vibes from Locke, except he isn't nearly as tall as Gabbart. And yes, Gabbart is still in the league, but he is a joke now.

But, Elway could care less. He is damn determined to get Drew Locke, and if any of these mock drafts are to be believed, he is willing to trade a ton of current and future picks to get him. If this is to happen, I feel like it will just push this team back 5,6, 7 years, at least. If I were a player like Von Miller or Bradley Chubb, I would not be happy with this infatuation from Elway towards Locke. The offense is not that young, save for Phillip Lindsay, and putting Locke back there, even if it doesn't happen until 2020, would spell doom.

As I said, this reminds me of when the Jaguars took Blaine Gabbart. The GM then was obsessed with his size. We can also look at when the Jags moved on from Gabbart and took Blake Bortles. He was more mobile and had just as strong an arm. Neither guy is there anymore, and both are cautionary tales. We can go back further and look at when the Bears and Bengals became obsessed with Cade McNown and Akili Smith. McNown was a mobile lefty and he was going to be the face of the Bears. Smith was this superstar athlete that would make the Bengals fun again. I think both lasted less than 3 years in the league. We can go back just a few years and look at Washington taking RG3 third overall. That worked out great for about 16 games, then he wrecked his knee, played in a playoff game he shouldn't have played in, and now, he is more known for getting his hair lined for the first time ever. Look at the Raiders and Jamarcus Russell, The Davis family was fascinated by his size and arm. He is one of the biggest busts of all time. I can even go back to last year when the Bills traded up a few picks to take Josh Allen. He has this humongous arm, but he is wildly inaccurate and likes to break the pocket more than scan the field for receiver. Or look at the Bears 2 years ago. They traded away a ton of future picks to take Mitch Trubisky, and he is not that great. At least they have a good team around him. And of course we have Ryan Leaf. I know that Peyton Manning was taken one pick before him, but the Chargers could have had Charles Woodson, who is a Hall of Famer. The GM felt that they needed a QB, and he assumed that Leaf was the second best. He was very, very wrong. And I think the very same thing will happen if John Elway, who is a racist jackass, and loves this current "government", trades the farm to get Drew Locke. I think it would be a bad, franchise changing move.

Final word. The draft is always a crap shoot, and Drew Locke is about as uncertain a prospect as I have ever seen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. This is not the first time Ty has been annoyed by some Mizzou football hype. He has thoughts on the program as a whole.

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Timothy Simons is the Star in the Final Season of "Veep"

For the past 6 plus seasons of the show "Veep", currently airing its 7th and final season, I have been amazed at how funny and overall great the show is. It's dark and satirical and filthy and hilarious in all the right ways. My wife and I started late on the show, binge watching the first four seasons, and now watching in real time, and it has to be one of the best comedies to ever be on TV.

The performances on “Veep” are second to none. Julia Louis Dreyfuss is so wonderful, and so very deserving of all the awards she has won. She is gritty and angry and, probably, the filthiest one on the show. Her accolades are more than deserved. Matt Walsh, in a smaller role, is goofy and dumb and a total fish out of water, which I feel like is perfect for him. Tony Hale is tremendous as Selina's aid. He is a total whipping boy, who is the boorish son that Meyer never had. Sam Richardson was a great addition. I crack up every time he is on screen. Gary Cole is always consistent, and on "Veep", he adds so much greatness. Anna Chlumsky is as dirty as anyone, and her character Amy is at times insane, but other times, you feel for her. She really crushes this role. And even some of the people that are just side characters, actors like Patton Oswalt and Diedrach Bader and Andrea Savage, among others, are wonderful. But today I want to focus on the great, and I feel underrated at times, Timothy Simons.

Simons is a gem on the show. He plays Jonah Ryan, and each and every season, just when you don't think he can get any worse, or become more of a joke, he ups the ante. He started out as basically an intern on the show, and now, in the final season, he is running for president. I mean, it's insanely funny to see him mess up at every single turn, yet failing upward. It's funny, but also a little bit scary considering the day and age we live in now. Ryan has connections in the government, and that is the only way he has moved all the way up to a presidential candidate. And man, does Simons nail this. I find myself cracking up at him every time he is on screen. He is never not funny. Every word that comes out of his mouth is wrong and rude and crude and ignorant, and I find myself laughing, and then looking internally at America right now. Jonah Ryan would fit in perfectly in current Washington D.C.

But, "Veep" isn't making him look like a real politician, I feel like, in this final season, the writers and directors and Simons are trying to show the viewers how insane politics and D.C. truly are. The last episode of "Veep" was a great representation of Simons talent to play an ignorant moron. He uses words that no one nowadays should use, and he has to go to sensitivity training, where he is so much of an asshole he makes one of the workers there cuss him out. He also has a scene at a fair where he is, sorry mom and dad, deep throating corn dogs as a joke. He is married to his step sister, and constantly gets into fights with his step dad at rallies. There was a whole scene in the season premiere where women came out and said that they never dated him, and that anytime they went out with him, it was strictly business. He is such a creep that women don't want to be associated with him. His response to this was epic and hilarious.

Timothy Simons, at least so far, has been the star of this season. I am so excited to see what they do with his character and the people that he surrounds himself with. I know it is going to be great because this show is so great, and Simons is perfectly cast. But what makes his performance so much better is the fact that he is as liberal as myself or RD. He knows he is playing a ridiculous person, and totally runs with it. He is awesome, "Veep" is awesome and lets all hope that Jonah Ryan gets the crummy sendoff that he deserves. I really hope Simons gets recognized for some kind of awards come that season because he has totally earned it. He is one the best on a show filled with awesome actors and wild characters.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was thinking of running for President in 2020. Then Ty realized that he would be like President Not Sure, the smartest man in Washington.

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Ty Watches "Game of Thrones" Final Season Premier

Awhile back I wrote about catching up with "Game of Thrones" because I felt out of the loop, as far as social media stuff went. I didn't get a lot of the jokes. I didn't understand GIF's or meme's or jokes on shows I adored that were based on "GOT". My wife kept telling me to watch, but I kept putting it off. I tried once, early on with the show, but I couldn't get into it. But, after seeing how the last season that was on ended, I then decided that I was going to power through and watch it all.

Luckily for me, I was hooked from the jump. I don't know if it was time away or having my wife explain it to me, or the fact that I just wanted to be in the loop, I was on from episode one. I watched all 7 seasons in less than a month, which is pretty quick for me. After that, I was one of the million, maybe billions of people, that were left waiting for the new episodes, the final 6. I started to feel like everyone else. I was giving my own theories, guessing what was going to happen, siding with people I never thought I'd side with. It was crazy.

Well, last night the long anticipated wait was over. The first of the last episodes premiered, and it did not disappoint.

I'm not going to spoil anything, although, I feel like if you watch the show, you aren't going to watch to binge the final episodes, I'm sure you are going to watch in real time. Anyway, the season 8 premiere, in my opinion, was a great way to open the final season. Yes, there wasn't too many action scenes, although we did get the boat scene, but that is okay. I felt that this episode was more so to remind everyone of the big war that is coming, and reunions. The reunions in this episode were just awesome. I was so excited for the main characters who got to see one another again. The fact that Aarya got to see Jon Snow, Gendry and The Hound was perfect. Her interaction with each of them was so fitting for their respective pasts. I absolutely loved the 5 seconds her and The Hound had together. It was great. Jon Snow got the most scenes with people he hadn't been with in awhile. I already mentioned Aarya, but he also got to see Bran and Samwell. This was awesome, especially when he met up with Samwell. This was a very important scene, and totally sets the stage for the rest of the season, and it was great. To hear the news that was spilled, and to see the reactions, it was excellent. But the biggest "reunion", I don't even want to really call it that, lets go with "sighting", happened at the very end. This isn't a spoiler because it happened in season one, but at the very end, Jaime Lannister arrives in Winterfell, and he locks eyes with Bran. I mean, this has been years I the making. I was stunned, and I knew it was coming. It was such a baller move to end the first episode on that image. It has me very pumped for the rest of the episodes.

Outside of all that, I thought this was a very strong way to start the final season. I don't know why I was worried, this show has always delivered. I'm pumped for the rest, but I will be bummed when it is over. But, I have 5 more weeks, and I bet they are going to start getting very, very action heavy. "GOT" is back, and I'm fully back on board already. What a great, great show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also liked the scene where Jack, Hurley, and Kate got to meet up with Sawyer and Juliet in the past. Wait, that was a different show with a cast of many. 

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Ty's 2019 NBA Playoff Preview

The NBA playoffs begin tomorrow, so I am here today with my preview and predictions. I'm so excited for the playoffs. The last couple weeks have been a slog, and now it is finally time. The best basketball will be played now for the next couple months, and I am all in for it. I'm going to start with the East, then do the West, picked a champ, and I will give my playoff MVP as well.

With that said, lets start with the JV of the NBA, the East. I will say, the top 3 teams are really, really good, the Celtics are okay, the Pacers are solid, but missing their star, and the bottom three teams are just not ready yet. There is really not going to be many surprises.

I'll star with the 1-8 matchup, Milwaukee and Detroit. Detroit snuck into the playoffs, winning their final game to secure their spot. Luckily, they played the Knicks, so the win was pretty much in hand. But, the Bucks are going to get their first playoff series win since drafting Giannis, and it will be so very easy. Sure, the Pistons have Blake Griffin, who is nursing an injury, surprise surprise, and Andre Drummond has been great in the second half of the season, but outside of them, they have nothing good. Reggie Jackson is trash. Luke Kennard is garbage. Ish Smith is not a top notch player. They just don't have the guys to keep up with Giannis and Bledsoe and Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton. The Bucks will not miss Malcolm Brogdon in this series either. Bucks in 4.

The 4-5 matchup would have been awesome if Victor Oladipo were healthy. But, the Celtics lucked out, and they get to face the Pacers minus Oladipo. Sure, the Celtics won't have Marcus Smart, but they should win round one. It won't be easy though. The Pacers are tough. Myles Turner is awesome, Domantas Sabonis has made a leap and Bojan Bogdonovic can stroke from three. But, Kyrie Irving lives for the playoffs, and he has something to prove. Also, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Al Horford and Marcus Morris helped this team make a run to the conference finals last year. The Celtics will win, but it will be in a very tough 6 games.

In the 3-6 matchup we have the 76ers and Nets. The Nets are back! Yeah! That is about all the praise I can heap on them. They have some good guards that will exploit the 76ers, and Joel Embiid may not be 100 percent, but they should win with ease. D'Angelo Russell and Caris Levert and Spencer Dinwiddie will make it interesting at times, but I just don't see them as a threat. And as good as Jarrett Allen has become as a rim protector, Embiid eats his lunch every time he has played him. Ben Simmons will be fine and Jimmy Butler is on a mission. Oh, and Tobias Harris is a really, really good player. The 76ers will win in 4.

The 2-7 matchup includes the return of the Magic. Who made the playoffs with a 42-40 record, which was good enough to win their division. That should tell you all you need to know about this matchup. The Raptors are going to throttle the Magic. Kawhi is dominant. Kyle Lowry, even if he chokes, has so much help. Pascal Siakim is a burgeoning star. Marc Gasol adds some offense. And the Raptors are insanely deep. Raptors in 4.

In the second round we will have the Bucks facing the Celtics and the Raptors facing the 76ers. This is where the East playoffs get good.

In the Bucks-Celtics matchup, I feel like the Bucks are going to trash them. All the in fighting, all the whining, all the shortcomings all season long for the Celtics will come to a head, and the Bucks will dominate. This is where Giannis is going to solidify his MVP. He simply cannot be stopped, and the Celtics will start to point fingers, and the Bucks will roll from there. I have the Celtics winning one game, but that is it. Bucks in 5.

The Raptors-76ers, on paper, should be a well fought series. It won't be though. The 76ers are so thin after their starting 5, which is one of the best in the league, cannot play the whole game, and this is where the Raptors depth will make an enormous difference. I also think that Kawhi is going to show off his offensive game in this series because no one, including Jimmy Butler, can stop him. It will go 6, but the Raptors will make it look fairly easy.

That means I have the Bucks and Raptors in the East Finals. This is the matchup I want, and I also believe, we will get. These are the 2 best teams, by far, in the East. And the series will not disappoint. I think it goes 7, with Toronto winning. I feel like they will let Giannis get his, as I said, he is impossible to stop, and they will stop everyone else on the Bucks. Lopez won't be able to shoot threes, and Middleton will get shut down, Brogdon will be back, but I feel ineffective, and Bledsoe just isn't as good offensively as he is on defense. I'm stoked for this series, and I picked Toronto at the beginning of the season, and I'm going to stick with them now.

Now, on to the Varsity. The West is so, so much better than the East from 1-8. These are the best of the best teams in the NBA, and I think the West is going to be wild.

In the 1-8 matchup we have the Warriors and LA Clippers. I actually grew to like what the Clippers did this year. They shed all the baggage, got some team guys and played solid basketball all year. They also stayed relatively healthy. Unfortunately for them, they drew the Warriors, and the Warriors are about to flip the switch. This is probably their last go round with KD, and only season with Boogie. They have slept walk through the year, and they still got the one seed. Now, they flip the switch. As much as I now kind of enjoy the Clippers, and my newfound respect for Doc Rivers, they are getting swept out of the playoffs with ease. Warriors in 4.

In the 4-5, we get Houston and Utah. I could not dislike these 2 teams more. Houston is boring and plays a dull, slow game. And Utah has the most racist fans in sports. But, the players on the floor are great. Houston has Harden and Chris Paul, Clint Capela and PJ Tucker. That's four great players right there. Utah has Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell, 2 of which could be the future of the league. I also think Gordon Hayward leaving 2 years ago was a blessing in disguise. Both team shave been on a tear since the All Star break, and I know that most people have the Rockets winning this series with ease. Not me. The Jazz will muddy this series up, they will play bully ball, they won't let Harden get to the line as much as he is used to, and I'm just waiting for the Chris Paul injury. This is going to be a rough and tumble series, and I think the Rockets will miss having a guy like Trevor Ariza for this series. I have this going 7, and I have the Jazz winning an improbable game 7 in Houston. I also think the Rockets are kind of looking ahead to the Warriors, and that will bit them in the ass.

In the 3-6 we have OKC and Portland. I LOVE this matchup. OKC has come on strong at the end, and Paul George might finally be healthy. Also, Westbrook has been a lot better lately, and the role players are doing solid stuff. Portland has been hot for awhile now. Damien Lillard is in the MVP conversation, they finally have CJ McCollum back and Enes Kanter is a beast on offense. But, the loss of Jusuf Nurkic is a killer for Portland. He was such a key cog, and now that they don't have him, Steven Adams is going to control the paint. This series is going to go 7, and I have OKC pulling out the victory. Lillard will show out, and I think McCollum will play well, but no one on that team can stop George or Westbrook, and as I said, Adams will lock down the middle.

As for the 2-7 matchup, we have the new, young Denver Nuggets facing the old hand, veteran laden Spurs. This is going to be a good matchup of contrasting styles. The Nuggets want to get up and down, and run everything through Jokic. While the Spurs will be perfectly happy running clock and playing a half court game. I really like what Denver is doing, and what direction they're going in, but Greg Poppovich is the best NBA coach ever, and he is going to take this Spurs team to a game 7 win in Denver. I mean, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan and Patty Mills are all playoff vets. They will know what to do for the series win. But, Denver is about to become a stalwart in the West. They just aren't ready yet.

So the second round will feature Golden State facing Utah and OKC facing San Antonio.

Utah, after taking down Houston, is going to get throttled. Yes, I love Gobert and Mitchell, but the Warriors can start five all stars. Also, the flip switch I keep talking about is coming. I feel like Klay and KD and Steph are going to go off in this series too. The three of them could go for 30 each and win all games by themselves. Once again, I have the Warriors in 4.

The other matchup is interesting because it is 2 veteran laden teams that like half court basketball. I'm going to go with the team with more talent, and that is OKC. They have one of their best chances in awhile to make a playoff statement, and I think they will do it this year. The series will be good, as far as on court lay goes, but OKC is younger and more athletic. The Spurs will fight, but I have Paul George really showing out, kind of how he looked at the start of the season, and I have him leading the Thunder to the conference finals. Thunder in 6.

This gives us OKC and Golden State. I want this matchup so badly. I know the Thunder won't put up much of a fight, but Westbrook and George will, at least, get them one win. They can do it. But, again, this is the only time the Warriors really care about, playoff time, and they are scary good when they turn it on. Look at what they did to Charlotte and Denver when people questioned their talent. Warriors will win in 5, but it will be a fun 5 games.

That leaves us with Golden State and Toronto in the NBA Finals. This is the same matchup I picked in the preseason, and I have seen nothing to change my mind. This will be a solid series. Kawhi always shows up against Golden State, and I think Siakim will give Draymond and Boogie fits. But, the Warriors have KD, Klay and Steph. I mean, pick your poison Toronto. You cannot stop all three of them. You can kind of shut down Boogie by getting in his head, and Draymond is not good offensively. But, just like the Utah series, the three "guards" that the Warriors trot out there can win games themselves. I have the series going 6, with people freaking out after Toronto ties in up after game 4. But, the Warriors will then throttle them in the next 2 games and hold up their fourth Larry O'Brien trophy in 5 years. Things will change drastically after that, but that is another piece for another day. I also have Steph finally winning his first Finals MVP. Now that he can see, he is going to score a ton of points in the playoffs, and especially in the Finals.

There you have it. I am so pumped for the playoffs to start tomorrow. Lets get to it.

Ty

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

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Dirk Nowitzki and Dwaye Wade Helped Shape the Modern NBA

Last night two great NBA careers ended. Both Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade played their last NBA games last night. And they both played pretty well. I think they are both doing the right thing walking away now, but both look like they could still contribute, albeit in a small way, to most NBA teams. But I wanted to take a minute today to congratulate both of them on their hall of fame careers.

That's right, both are surefire first ballot hall of famers. Dirk was the first Euro league player I saw that was that big and could shoot that well. He was 7 feet tall, but he played an outside game. He had a nasty pull up jumper. He could also elevate over smaller defenders, which was the majority of NBA players, and hit jumpers with ease. He was the first big guy that made jumpers fun. To see him do the things he did, at his height, amazed me. He was a less athletic KD. He was a stronger Manute Bol. He was a taller Karl Malone. And when he first was in the league, he did a go to the basket move. He, Steve Nash and Michael Finley were a ton of fun to watch when they were all on the Mavs. They ran a great fast break, with Dirk finding the open spot on or near the elbow, and Finley filling the lane. He also came back from some hardships on the floor. He won the MVP awhile back, and that team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the "We Believe" Warriors. But, Dirk came back next year and helped lead the Mavs to the title. The team they beat in that Finals, it was the first year Big Three Heat. The Mavs totally shut down LeBron, and Bosh was neutralized. This helped Dirk play top notch offense, and he led that team to its only title. He totally redeemed himself. And like I said before, he paved the way for big guys like KD and KAT and AD to want to shoot, and make, three pointers. He made the pull up jumper en vogue. If I heard Steph call him an innovator and an influence, I would totally buy it. Dirk was also a great teammate. You never heard anyone complain about him. He took on free agents and rookies like family. He seemed like a genuinely fun guy to be around. He was always good in interviews and on TV. He was the consummate pro. What I loved most about this final season though, he waited until the very end to let everyone know he was retiring. It seemed like a foregone conclusion, but he didn't want the hubbub or fanfare. He left the game like Tim Duncan, on his own terms.

As far as Dwayne Wade goes, he more than deserved his sendoff. I adored that he made this season a farewell tour. Prior to all that though, Wade was a killer and a winner. From his draft day slip to now, he has always played like he has something to prove. People seem to forget that he was the MVP in a Finals before LeBron joined up with him. Wade, and a much older and slower Shaq, beat the Mavs in 6 games to win a title, and Wade was the man in that series. Sure, there is some question to the officiating, but Wade did what he had to do, and dominated those Finals. It was his big time coming out party. It was when he ascended to superstardom. After that, he was always an all star, a perennial all NBA player, in talks as an MVP. He was one of the best shooting guards in the game, and one of the best shooting guards ever. Even when LeBron showed up, I still thought that Wade was the engine that made that team run. He did the veteran move and stepped aside, but without him, the Heat don't win those titles. He always had big time playoff games and would constantly remind the nation that he was a monster on the court. And even when he left Miami and joined LeBron back in Cleveland, he was still important. His one year with the Bulls he almost helped them upset the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. He then went back to Miami and helped them back to the playoffs with a team filled with no big named people. And while this final season didn't end in a playoff appearance, Wade played really well and seemed to enjoy every moment. I also love that Paul Pierce tried to claim he was as good as Wade, and he was not having it. Wade has better averages across the board, more titles and is much more important to the game than Pierce could've ever dreamed of being. And I think Pierce was a great NBA player, he just isn't Dwayne Wade great. Wade, like Nowitzki, was also a great teammate and a consummate pro. He was just more fun to watch, at least for me. I think it is awesome that he went out with a triple double too.

Last night saw 2 great careers end, but not in a sad way. They both went out on their terms, in their own personal ways, and I loved every second of their illustrious NBA career's. Enjoy retirement you 2, you both more than deserve it.

Ty

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

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

Magic Quit on the Lakers

Shockingly, Magic Johnson stepped down as the head operations of basketball related issues with the Lakers last night. Basically, he is done trying to get and sign big name free agents for the team he once starred for.

This stunned me when I heard the news yesterday. I know that this season went about as bad as possible for the Lakers. Things looked bright and it seemed like they would easily get back in the playoffs after they got LeBron to sign a 4 year deal. But then, things just kind of went haywire.

The problems started in the offseason after the James signing. I guess he had told Magic that he wanted some vets, so he and Rob Pelinka went out and signed guys like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley. They also let Robin Lopez and Julius Randle walk. Magic also traded D'Angelo Russell last offseason so they could draft Lonzo Ball. When I saw their projected roster, I was confused, but figured LeBron would make it work.

When the season started, it was going fine. They were nestled into the 4 or 5 spot, and seemed playoff bound. But then things got really bad. LeBron got hurt on Christmas day while the Lakers were throttling the Warriors. He missed more time than he ever has in his career. This was, by far, the worst injury he has ever suffered. The team did not play great in his absence either. Brandon Ingram wasn't making the leap that many, myself included, thought he would. Ball still has a trash jumper, and he got hurt too. Josh Hart totally disappeared. Kentavious Caldwell Pope was playing like himself, which is to say, he is mediocre. McGee proved he isn't much of a starter. He is so much better as an energy guy. Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson were jokes. And Rondo was Rondo. He griped about a lot this year.

Then, Magic decided he was going to go all in on AD. AD made his trade request very, very public, and LeBron's agent and buddy Rich Paul were just as vocal. Magic decided he was going to do whatever it took to get another superstar in LA, even if it meant destroying their future. He put up Ball, Ingram, Beasley, Ivan Zubac, Lance Stephenson and picks to try and get AD. The Pelicans, who seemed to be simply messing with LA, kept asking for more. This destroyed the locker room because all these young guys took it way, way too seriously, and their play suffered. After "activating playoff mode", LeBron came back too early, and the Lakers couldn't even beat a team like the Suns. Then Magic comes out after the blown trade and says he is going to talk to the young guys that he put on the block. He tried the whole "this is a business" thing, but the damage had been done. And LeBron did not help at all. He looked disengaged, never sat by the team on the bench, they had a team meeting where the young guys told him how they felt and he couldn't have cared less, and the Lakers got officially eliminated earlier than they did last season.

With the uncertainty that they may not get AD until next offseason, I think Magic saw the writing on the wall. I think he realized that he won't be the one to get the Lakers back to contention. I think he realized getting LeBron was more so for life after basketball as opposed to winning titles. But I think the botched trade is what put the nail in the coffin for him. I think he finally realized that this is an entire new generation of players, and he can't keep up with the times. But, the way he did it is odd. To just up and quit, without telling pretty much anyone involved with the organization is odd. To say he has felt "handcuffed" is absurd to me. He willingly took this job. I think he is leaving because he realizes it's a different game. I also think he is fed up with all the tampering fines. But man, what a cowardly way to go out. To just essentially "drop the mic" on a team that he was supposed to be able to lure big time stars to is sad.

I loved Magic Johnson the basketball player. But, he is proving that he cannot do much good as a coach or executive. He has spectacularly failed at both of those, and this season was the icing on the crap cake for him. I don't know where the Lakers go from here, but this season was bad enough, and now with Magic gone, the offseason may be worse. Time will tell.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

A Great Title Game Caps Off a Great Tournament

After the first 5-7 minutes of the title game last night, boy was there a show put on by both Texas Tech and Virginia.

The beginning, especially for Tech, was very ugly. They just could not put the ball in the hoop. Virginia did not really capitalize on that either. Sure, they pushed the lead to the 10 early, with the score 17-7, and then it became a good to great game. After Virginia got the double digit lead, a bench guy for Tech hit three threes and a jumper to tie the game. Then Virginia went on a run to push the lead to 4 or 5. Then Tech would come back.

For a game that I fully thought would be in the 50's, this game turned out to be beautifully both on offense and defense. Yes, both teams went over 70, and Virginia over 80, but there was some tremendous defense, rebounding and all around good defense being played. These players were making tough shots to be honest. I mean, how can I not start with Deandre Hunter. He was my pick for MOP for this tournament, and while he didn't have the best of games, he saved it all for last night, especially in the second half. He hit monster shot after monster shot. His elbow jumper was unstoppable. He made 2 of the biggest threes that I have ever witnessed in a college game. And he did it in the title game. He played best when he needed to play best. And man was he amazing on defense. He locked down another potential lottery pick in Jarret Culver. He was all over him all night. He made his life miserable for 40 minutes. It was a sight to behold. I told a buddy of mine that he played like Kawhi in college, except he has a much better jumper at that time in their lives. He was incredible. So was Kyle Guy. He hit some big threes. He made some good baseline jumpers. And he hit major free throws, which he is now expected to do. Ty Jerome ran that offense like a machine. The three he hit at the end of the first half was enormous. He also created tons of open shots for his teammates. He also covered Tech's big shooters, and limited them better than anyone else has all tournament. And Mamadi Diakite was snatching offensive and defensive rebounds all night, and played tremendous help d in the post. He was so awesome all tournament.

That's not to say that Tech didn't show up. Culver struggled, Hunter shut him down, but he still found a way to get double figures. The Italian dude has such a pure shot, and he was automatic from the line. The other guard, Mooney I think his name is, hit some critical threes even after struggling from the floor for about 30 minutes of play. Odiase was Tech's version of Diakite. He played great D on Hunter, swatting a critical shot, and he was grabbing boards. And grad transfer Tariq Owens, on a very hurt ankle, played his heart out until he fouled out.

This was a really good title game. I mean, it went to overtime, it had drama and it is a great, great story after what happened to Virginia last year. I know there wasn't a "hot" team, like Duke or Kentucky, but we still had very good teams, with lottery picks and great head coaches last night. Anyone that decided not to watch because there was no "sexy" team, I feel sorry for you. This was one of the better title games I watched. I was super impressed with both teams. The refs didn't do anything too outlandish. And I think the better team won.

This was a solid way to end a very fun season of college basketball. Congrats Virginia. A title well earned.

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 Watches the 2019 Final Four

The Final Four did not go as many planned it would this weekend. First off, I do not think the ratings were as bad as many expected. I'm sure they weren't enormous, but I still think they were pretty solid. I live in Saint Louis, a hockey and baseball town, and the games were on at the restaurant I went to on Saturday night. Point is , people seemed to be watching.

So while we didn't get Duke, UNC or Kentucky, we still had 4 very deserving, and good teams, with future NBA players. Second, I do have to say that the quality of the games was not great. Granted, all four teams left won based on defense and rebounding, but still, there was no offensive explosion by any of the teams. All four teams scored under seventy. Virginia, Auburn and Texas Tech all barely cracked 60, and Michigan State struggled to crack 50. But man was the defense fun to watch. It was great to see a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds going as hard as they could to block a shot, get a steal, grab a rebound and play 30 seconds of solid defense every single possession. I appreciate that. I am of the firm belief that defense wins titles so this was nice for me to see.

As far as the 2 games, lets talk about Virginia-Auburn first. This game will forever be marred by one missed call. More on that in a minute. This game was really a matchup of 2 totally different styles, and to be honest, I think Virginia won the style clash because they did not really allow Auburn to run up and won like they want to do. That doesn't mean that Auburn didn't try, Virginia just turned the game into a slog.

Now, Auburn should have won, as much I may not want to say it. I do not like Bruce Pearl, he is a known cheater, and the stories of him "overcoming adversity to be where he is today" were total nonsense. I also think Auburn was the only team in the field with no real NBA guys. But, they got hosed by a missed call. The foul call on the three was legit. The defender went underneath the shooter, the shooter did not force contact and that is a foul. But, the fact that the refs missed a blatant double dribble, and allowed Virginia even a shot at three was ridiculous. Anyone that has played, or even watched basketball, knows that was a double dribble. The point guard lost the ball, picked it up and dribbled again. You cannot do that. And, he did it right in front of a ref. That is so bad. That will be what this game is remembered for. Auburn should have been the winner. But, props to Kyle Guy for making all three of those free throws and winning the game for Virginia. But man, what a terrible blown call by the officials. They have been bad this year, real bad, and that no call might be the worst. With that being said, I'm glad a scumbag like Bruce Pearl is not playing for a title tonight.

The exact same thing, except with much more enthusiasm from me, can be said about that sleaze bag Tom Izzo. His team, the same team that has covered about sexual assault and abuse for decades, were the presumptive favorites after they beat Duke. But they were not up to the task of beating Texas Tech's defense. They put up a better fight than Michigan and Gonzaga, but in the end, they couldn't get the win. Tech let MSU get off to a hot start, but after it was 16-11, they clamped down. They shut down Cassius Winston. Matt McQuaid faked cramps all game long, and he looked exhausted 5 minutes into the game. The big men for MSU were getting shots swatted left and right, and they were finding it hard to grab offensive rebounds as easily as they have done all year. Sure, the refs did their part in this game to make it close. At one point in the second half, after Tech had built a double digit lead, MSU shot 6 straight free throws to close the gap, and then CBS put up the free throw numbers for the half, and MSU had 9 attempts to Tech's 1. But, in the end it didn't matter. And for all the Jarret Culver slander that has been going around all tournament, man did that kid step up when his team needed him most. Tech was clinging to a one point lead with 2 and a half minutes left, and Culver went on his own 7-0 run, draining a step back three with 1 minute left to seal the deal. That was super impressive. He proved a ton in that last 2 minutes, and he is a surefire lottery pick now. I'd for sure take him over that Barret kid from Duke after seeing what he did.

So that leaves us with a Tech-Virginia title game this evening. This is going to be a race to 50, maybe 45. Both of these teams play methodical offense and lockdown defense. Tech has the best player, Culver, but Virginia is more seasoned, and they have something to prove after last year. I'm going with Virginia in a very, very close game. And while I know it will be low scoring, it will be an exciting game. Time for Virginia to get that monkey off their back.

Can’t wait to watch the end of a fantastic tournament.

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.