A Wrap Up on Pandemic Learning

Both my kids finished off the school year yesterday. For a while I was doing updates on how the year was going during the pandemic. Today I want to talk about this school year as a whole, and how impressed I am with how well the district handled some things. We definitely have other problems, big glaring problems that need to be addressed immediately. But I want to keep this strictly about the pandemic, and how the school was able to finish the year in person after nine weeks of virtual learning to start.

We did start virtual, and that was fine. Last year, when everything suddenly shut down, virtual learning was a mess. It was disorganized, too short, too many internet problems, just everything was sloppy. That was expected. None of us knew what in the hell we were doing. It was scary. We were all just trying to deal with our new reality. When the new school year started, virtual learning was leaps and bounds better. They had a schedule. My kids both had multiple Zoom meetings with their teachers. They were both engaged, and it worked. Those nine weeks were long, but they were, for the most part, a success.

Then both my kids went back in person. This was a struggle coming to this decision for me and my wife. We wanted them to learn, to be social, to see their friends, but so little was known about COVID. There is still so much more to learn about this virus. But we eventually decided that the pros outweigh the cons, and we sent them back. We made sure they knew the importance of masking, of personal hygiene, of social distancing. They were already well versed in it when school stopped last year, so I had some kind of comfort in sending them back. And it worked. There were moments, especially during Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season, when there were rumors of returning to all virtual for some time. The case numbers were going up, the variants started to become a thing, people were skirting the CDC guidelines, it was a mess. The kids had to bring home their computers everyday. The parents received emails letting us know that school could go all virtual at any moment, so we had to be ready. But they weathered the storm, and the kids did not miss a day of in person learning all year unless they had a cold or they got a snow day. We did have some virtual Friday's thrown in from time to time. But when they had class, my kids went. And they loved every second of it.

I was talking to both of my kids yesterday when I picked them up from school. I wanted to know what they thought about this whole pandemic school year. They were both thrilled that they got to go back in person, and they both said they were sad because they wouldn't be able to see all the friends they want to. I was pleased with this answer from them for a few reasons. First, it is clear that my kids like school and want to go. They both enjoy learning, seeing their friends, talking to their teachers, the whole experience is good for them. Second, seeing their friends was a humongous deal when they first went back, and since my kids are not old enough for a vaccine yet, and I hope one gets approved for them soon, they only have a few select friends that we feel comfortable with them seeing this summer. These select friends, I know that their folks are vaccinated, and any kid that is old enough for a vaccine has gotten at least one dose. So the fact that they could see all their friends during school, masked, was so big for them. It allowed them to talk freely to everyone they wanted to talk to. They got to be the social butterflies they both have been since they were born. Third, the teachers were absolute rock stars this year. That they were able to come together, to find a way to teach, to do it awesomely, my hat is off to them. This had to be a very, very, very hard year for them, and they nailed it. My son and daughter were both raving about how much they loved their teachers and how much they learned from them this year. Teachers are totally awesome, but they went up a whole new level after this school year. That is a damn tough job, and they knocked it out of the damn park. I'm even more impressed now than I was before. Finally, the superintendent of our school did a masterful job navigating the students, teachers and parents. He had to deal with a ton of nonsense, the stuff I talked about up top that needs to be fixed and fixed fast, and he handled it so gracefully and so properly. I wish he was not retiring. I wish he was staying on. I am so annoyed and angered at some of the parents that attacked him viciously online. Those people are cowards. They are keyboard warriors and nothing more. The superintendent doesn't deserve any of that. He handled this so well, so effectively and was a tremendous asset to our school. I am really going to miss him. And he handled this COVID school year like a champ. I am as impressed with his job performance as I am with all the teachers.

I guess I just want to say thank you to the staff and teachers of both my kids' schools. You did a wonderful job navigating a nearly impossible school year. I am forever grateful to you all, as are my wife and kids. This weird year wouldn't have happened without the wonderful work everyone involved did. My hat is off to you all. Thank you.

Ty

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

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The Future is Bright for the Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies were ousted out of the playoffs last night. Their season is now over. Let’s talk about it.

The Grizzlies took a game from Utah, game one, but then Donovan Mitchell came back and the more talented team won. The Grizzlies, with last night’s game being the lone exception, kept all the games close. They didn’t get run off the court. They stayed in the games until the very end. Ja looked every bit the star I hoped he would become when they drafted him. Dillon Brooks proved he should get a big payday. And Taylor Jenkins looks to be the right coach for this team. I was a little down on this Grizzlies team going into the season because they played so over their expectations last year. They earned their trip to the bubble. They were very close to getting the eighth seed last year. Ja was the rightful rookie of the year. Then they fizzled in the bubble. I assumed that would spill over to this year. And it looked that way at the start. They dealt with COVID, injuries and poor play. They got off to a bad start. Then Ja hurt his ankle. I was ready to give up then and there. But this team put together a run, won the games they were supposed to, some they maybe had no business winning, Ja came back and they firmly put themselves in the play in picture. With a pretty much full roster, that’s when Jaren Jackson Jr finally came back. The team was full. They had the players they needed, and they played very well. They finished the regular season six games over .500 in the West. They had the nine spot in the play in. They went on to hold on and beat the Spurs, she then they went to Golden State, stifled Steph enough, and won to secure the 8 seed. Then off that high, they beat Utah in game one.

I’m never going to claim a “moral victory”. I don’t care for that term. But I will say this season was a successful one for Memphis, and I’m more excited for the future today than I was when they got bounced from the bubble last season. This team has the look and feel and talent to be a perennial playoff team in the West. They’re shrewdly better than Golden State, San Antonio and the lower tier Western Conference teams. I think, depending on what they do this off-season, they’re better than Portland. I think they’re as good as the Mavericks. If CP3 leaves Phoenix, I’d take the Grizzlies over the Suns. This season has me believing in them. It has me feeling like they’re, at the lowest, a perennial 4 or 5 seed as long as this core stays together. Ja is an absolute star. I am fully on board with my decision two years ago to rank him ahead of Zion Williamson as the best prospect. He was awesome in the playoffs, and when he hones his jumper, watch out. He’s going to be great for a long time. They need to re sign Dillon Brooks. He is a great defender, he’s a great shooter and he’s the perfect menace to have on your favorite team. If JJJ can stay healthy, he adds outside shooting from the front court, and he’s a strong rebounder. Xavier Tillman proved to be a great second round pick. He’s such a strong rebounder and defender, and he can hit the outside shot. Desmond Bane was well worth trading into the first round. He was a delight to watch this season. Jonas Valenciunas is an old school big man, but I like the way he plays rough, and he’s a good low post scorer and rebounder. And guys like Grayson Allen and DeAnthony Melton are great bench guys that know their role. Hell, they can keep Justice Winslow and Brandon Clarke and turn them into defensive specialist. I’d love that. I think this team is going to be good for a good, long time. They will lose some guys, every team does. But if they can surround Ja with JJJ and Dillon Brooks, this team will continue to play hard and win. They also have Tillman and Bane on rookie deals. Some of these other guys seem to genuinely like Memphis too. Maybe they’ll just stay knowing that they’ll be in contention every year.

Today I’m pleased to be a Grizzlies fan. I’m also hopeful. I love this team, I love Ja and they now have a fan for life. Now let’s hope they continue to trend up. I feel like they’re more than capable.

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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Thoughts on The Celtics and Coach K

Two big thinks happened in the world of basketball today, and I’m here with my opinion on both. First we will tackle the whole Boston Celtics.

This is an absolute mess in my opinion. When I read the headlines this morning I had to look at it multiple times before I believed it. For those who may not know, Danny Ainge stepped down and Brad Stevens took his place. Stevens did step down as head coach as well. So what we have is Stevens taking over in player personnel and team decisions, and Ainge waking away before being let go.

That is insane on its own. For years and years all us NBA fans heard was how great of a negotiator and mastermind Ainge was for the Celtics. He acquired picks, he took chances on middling stars, he took the right players in the draft and he was always “one move away from making the Celtics a perennial title contender”. It was becoming too much. Also, he never did much at the trade deadline. He did make good moves and picks. I’ll give him that. He got Kyrie when he wanted out of Cleveland. He drafted Tatum when he could’ve traded up for Markelle Fultz. He took a chance on Isaiah Thomas as a scoring machine. He picked Marcus Smart for his defense. And he gave Jaylen Brown a much deserved Max contract. But he also had his share of crappy decisions. He’s drafted players like Romeo Langford and Robert Williams in the lottery. They’re fine players, but not title contending contributors. He traded for Evan Fournier this season. He should’ve done that three years ago. He gave Tristan Thompson a two year guaranteed deal. He gave Gordon Hayward a super max. He cold blooded traded Thomas after his best season. He has as many mistakes as good decisions. But just biggest whiff was never trading for a legit superstar. Kyrie wanted out in two years. Gordon Hayward is off injured and overrated. He could’ve gotten a player like Victor Oladipo. Anthony Davis was a possibility. When KD left OKC, Boston was up there. But none of those guys wanted to play there, or they couldn’t wait to get out. That Nets trade, the one with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and all the picks, that was so long ago that no one, except NBA nerds like me, truly remember how big a deal it was. That’s because Ainge essentially wasted it.

Now Ainge is out and Brad Stevens is in. This move is like the two Spidermen pointing at one another. They’re essentially the same person. At least Ainge had experience. Stevens is going in cold with a talented young roster. And I think he’s going to waste that talent. He’s going to go after players he coached at Butler, or players he coached against that fit his idea of a good team. That stinks for guys like Tatum, Smart and Brown. Their prime is being wasted. They’re playing with a scrap heap players. Kemba is old and creaky, Thompson is a dinosaur, Payton Pritchard is a late first round “hustle” guy and Romeo Langford doesn’t seem to have the goods. The only other player worth a damn right now looks to be Aaron Nesmith, and he’s a young rookie. Stevens will also be heavily involved in the new head coach decision. I don’t like that at all. I think he will make an unpopular choice, and probably pass on a better candidate because he’s too close to the situation. He won’t be able to flip the switch as quickly as the Celtics will want, and that will hinder this team. This whole situation is messed up, and I think it will only get worse before he gets better. If I were Tatum and Brown, I’d be making plans to find a new team.

The other big news was Coach K’s decision to retire at the end of the 21-22 NCAA basketball season. I think there is so much more to this than him just being “done”. The dude is a good coach. I cannot stand him. I’ve never, ever liked him. I am a true hater of Duke men’s basketball, and Coach K is the main reason. But his resume is stacked. He has five titles, twelve final four appearances and he’s the winningest men’s college basketball coach. The dude has done it all at the college level. But there’s the news, that gets louder and louder everyday, that maybe Zion and other top rated recruits to come through Duke got some improper benefits. It’s becoming so common that I think it’s pretty much true. In college basketball today you cannot win without some kind of cheating, and I think Coach K and Duke were/are doing just that, and they’re on the precipice of being caught. So with him leaving, I think it will “soften” any restrictions future Duke teams may get. He’s pulling a Pete Carroll when he left USC for the NFL. I also think he was never up to the task of coaching in the NBA. Sure he coached team USA, but that’s a group of twelve super stars with the best assistant coaches in basketball. I don’t think he had the nerve to take over an NBA team with one or no stars. He didn’t want the challenge of building a team. I also think he would’ve been baffled when the best talent wouldn’t come play for him simply because he’s Coach K. That would’ve thrown him off. He had his pick of the litter in college. It’s not like that in the pros, and I don’t think he would’ve liked that. I think he saw what happened to Nick Saban in the NFL, and he didn’t want that. Saban is a great college football coach, but he was a disaster in the NFL. I think Coach K monitored that whole situation and decided he was going to stick in college. It’s kind of sad we never saw him coach basketball at the highest level. So I do not think he is retiring because he’s older and tired or whatever was said in his release to the media. I think that’s part of it, but I also think there’s other factors to his decision.

Long story short, this has been a wild day for basketball. That’s for sure.

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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Who Needs Sleep?

Last night my daughter developed croup. This happens fairly common in my house. I got it as a kid, my son used to get it and my wife always has some kind of cough. This is my daughter’s first bout with it though.

The croup came on very suddenly too. She was fine all day. We swam, with other vaccinated people, ate barbecue, made brownies, got cleaned up and enjoyed the day off. Even when we put her to bed we just figured she was tired, that was why she was quiet we all thought. And even when I heard a faint cough from her room around 11pm, my wife and I both assumed it was one of those nighttime coughs that people get.

Then 3am happened. We first heard her get up to go to the bathroom, which does happen from time to time. But when we asked what she was doing her response was very raspy. Then she scurried back to bed, obviously trying to hide her cough from us. About five minutes later I heard the whooping sound, almost like a seal barking, and I immediately knew what was going on. For the next two hours my daughter and I hung out in the lower level of our house while trying to go back to sleep. We had a painter coming over very early, so I was trying to get a hint of rest before having to do all my morning routine along with talking to the painter. My daughter eventually crashed a bit after 5am, but I was in and out of sleep the rest of the night and into the morning. I wanted to monitor her breathing and make sure she was okay. And she’s fine. She has croup, a sore throat and a runny nose. No COVID, no internal stuff, still has an appetite and is as feisty as normal.

What I’m more impressed about, what has kind of shocked me, is how my daughter and my wife and I have been able to function on such little sleep. Back before we had kids my wife had I averaged 8-10 hours of sleep a night, like most couples without kids. After we had our son we slipped to about seven hours a night. Then when my daughter came it was down to six and a half a night. But that works for us. That is a good night’s sleep. If I get more than eight hours now it doesn’t feel as good as it used to. I function better on less sleep. Last night though, I got four hours sleep, my wife was around three and a half and my daughter got about six. We are all exhausted. But none of us have napped. My wife went into the office to work today, and she’s crushing it as usual. I talked to her earlier and she sounded like she always does. She’s a boss. My daughter had a doctors appointment, we picked up lunch, we saw my folks, she played with my mom and we are currently waiting to get my son and her meds. I have obviously been with her the whole time, and I was able to sneak away for a 40 minute four mile run. That was my self care today. I wouldn’t have been able to do that in the past. If I had only gotten four hours of sleep my next day would’ve been ruined. I would have napped, at the very minimum, twice. I know for a fact that my wife would’ve taken the full morning off and stayed in bed. My daughter would’ve been a crabby mess, and she would’ve napped also. I’m just amazed at how the human body adapts and finds a way. It’s really cool actually. I don’t think the doctor could tell how tired we were. My folks said we looked a little sleepy, but nothing out of the ordinary. The people at McDonalds didn’t know how sleep deprived I was when I got lunch. It’s really neat how we adapt the older we get and when you have kids. It’s kind of incredible in fact. I am starting to feel a crash coming, but dinner, getting my son from school, getting the kids to do their chores and clean themselves and go to bed and then spending quality time with my wife will help me push through the muck right now.

I guess I just want to say that our bodies are cool as hell, this stuff makes me appreciate it and want to take better care of it and I’m just blown away at the adaptability. It’s remarkable.

Ty

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

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In Honor of the Best Veteran I Know

Today is Memorial Day and there is one veteran that I want to talk about.

He is my dad.

My dad was in the Navy. I know he gets a little annoyed and embarrassed when he is referred to as a veteran, but he went through a ton of stuff while in the navy. He may not have fought in a war, but he is as much a veteran as a lot of other people. Hell, he is more so a veteran than me or any other schmo who did not serve in any branch of the military. I am very anti war, anti any use of violence to get what you want, but I feel like I became that way because of my father. He never really talks about his time in the navy, or when he does, it is a hilarious story that I enjoy more and more every time I hear them. But my dad is a liberal, or has liberal leanings, even if he will never admit it. He listens to Bob Dylan, he was in a rock/psychedelic band in the 60's, he has many thoughts and feelings about politics and he is just an overall great person. He instilled that in all of us, me and my three brothers that is. I have always wondered why he never really goes into great detail about his time in the navy, but maybe he never did because he didn't want that for me and my brothers. I feel like he joined the navy because it was a way to go to college and to make money. I think he wanted better for us, as all parents do. So he never pushed us. He never told us about how "great" the military could be. He never talked about why we should join and what we could get out of it if we did. I have always appreciated that.

In fact, both my parents let us pave our own path in life. They let us be free thinkers as kids. That is why we are the way we are today, and that is awesome. Me and my three brothers, we all lean liberal. I feel like I am a near progressive democrat, my oldest brother is pretty liberal, my brother closest in age to me is liberal and RD, he is a liberal, no matter how much he will deny it. But our parents also let us question things and talked to us about these things if asked. I do know some of my dad's navy history, but only because I have asked. I know how my parents acted and behaved while my dad was stationed in Rota, Spain and my mom went there to see him, again because I have asked. And I know why he doesn't like being referred to as a veteran because we have had many conversations about it. But again, I think his time in the navy shaped who he became, and helped him with discipline and other things that you have to be able to do as a husband and father.

I adore my father. He is my best friend. He is the person I strive to be when I grow up. He is my idol. So on this Memorial Day, and yes my dad is very much alive, I want to thank him for all he has done. Not just in the navy and the time he served in the military, but for everything he has taught me, my brothers and the rest of our family. My dad rules. He is cooler than any other dad in the world. This is simply an appreciation piece to my dad, the GOAT.

Ty

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

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Thoughts on Hunter Dickinson Declaring for the NBA Draft

Yesterday, as a little bit of a shock to me, Hunter Dickinson, Michigan's true freshman big man, who was a second team all American, declared for the NBA draft. He did leave the door open to returning to Michigan, and I do like that rule, but still I was a bit stunned.

I sat on the news for a little bit, and I realized how ridiculous it was of me to be "shocked" by this. He had a very good season for a very good team. Michigan was a one seed, they won the regular season Big Ten, they were ranked as high as number two during the year and Dickinson was the one who kind of got them rolling. This decision of his shouldn't be looked at as a shock, but as a right of passage. He led the team in scoring and rebounding. When he finally started, that was when they really took off. I would watch their games and be marveled at how well he played in the interior as a true freshman. I looked to him to get this team going behind only Isaiah Livers, who was a senior. And even when Livers got hurt, and people said that was it for this team, I had faith enough to pick them to make the Final Four, which they did not, they made the Elite Eight, due to the play of Dickinson all year. He should declare. He should see what teams have to say about him. He should get a draft grade. He should stay in the draft if some team guarantees that they will take him in the first round. He earned that. I don't know why us Michigan fans think he shouldn't do this.

The fact is that freshman at every other school do this every year. Kentucky constantly has kids leave after one season and no one bats an eye. The same thing happens at Duke now. Georgia had this same deal with Anthony Edwards. Washington too, with Markelle Fultz. This is the new era of college basketball. Until the NCAA does the right thing, and I will not hold my breath waiting for that, these kids will go pro ASAP, and they should. But, one of the very things the NCAA has done right in recent years is allowing these kids to test the waters as they say while still retaining college eligibility. There are "NCAA agents" that these kids can "hire" to help them gather intel and set up private workouts. These players that declare early can also go to the combine if they get invited. But they have a set time to decide if they are going to stay in the draft or return. I think that is exactly what Dickinson is doing. I think he wants to see if some team will take him in round one. I also think he wants to know what he has to work on to get in better position to be a lock first round pick, or even a lottery pick.

If you were to ask me point blank right now what I think he will do, I think he is a near lock to return. He just wants the info, he wants to get better and he wants to see how he stacks up against elite NBA talent. Dickinson is great, but he does have flaws in his game, as any true freshman would. He is not a great outside shooter, and he didn't show a willingness to do that when presented with the opportunity last season. He took four total threes, missed them all, and very few jumpers. He also gets winded pretty quickly. There would be times he would work real hard on one end of the floor, but then he would be slow to get to the other end. It also takes him a while, and a good amount of touches, to get comfortable. In their game against UCLA in the tournament, he didn't really go hard until the second half, but when he did, he looked dominant. But then he got very tired and started to make typical freshman mistakes. He has a good amount of stuff to work on, and I personally think another season working with Juwan Howard and the Michigan staff will do him wonders. He also isn't listed on any mock drafts, and he isn't inside that golden goose that is the ESPN Top 100 prospect list. Look, guys do this all the time, hell Isaiah Livers did it after his junior year. But they can come back. And I think Dickinson will. But if he doesn't, if he gets a great grade, or has a phenomenal work out, he should stay in the draft. As he said in his letter, that is his dream. Right now, at this very moment, I just do not see it. He isn't up there with players like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Jalen Johnson, any one of Kentucky's freshmen that have already declared, Kofi Cockburn, Makur Maker and even his own teammate Franz Wagner. Those players are ready. They have the pedigree and the talent right now. They are NBA ready.

Hunter Dickinson is really, really good, but I do not think he is ready for the NBA. Not yet at least.

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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A Return to Normalcy: I am Not Quite There Yet

Yesterday I talked about some podcasts going back to recording in person, in the studio, and how it has me feeling kind of optimistic that we may have turned a corner. It seems like things could be getting somewhat better. Some people are starting to go back out to restaurants, concerts are being scheduled, movie theaters are reopening, theme parks are able to operate at full capacity and the CDC is saying that it is safe, as long as you are vaccinated, to hang out in small groups, unmasked, with other vaccinated people. But I also mentioned in my piece yesterday how I am still kind of anxious about reentering society. Let’s talk about it.

I am fully vaccinated. I have been since April. I spend a ton of time outside. I am running with my buddy, who is also fully vaccinated, maskless again. All of that feels safe to me, and I am comfortable with it as well. I am not worried in those scenarios. But there are other things that still kind of freak me out, where I haven't yet been able to make the disconnect, to switch back to "normal". I have gone to two restaurants since getting vaccinated, and I was not comfortable. There just seemed like too many people inside at the time. And any time I was not eating or drinking, I kept my mask on. That made me feel safer. I noticed I was one of the few people still doing that. I still wear a mask when coaching my son and daughter's baseball/softball teams. I do not know where these other kids or their parents have been. I am sure some of the parents and older kids have not been, nor want to, get vaccinated. I'm sure some of them had COVID. Again, the other coaches do not wear a mask, but I still do. It makes me feel safe. I have played basketball in a gym a few times since getting my shots, but I still mask up. Again, it just makes me feel safe. I do wonder though, when, if ever, I will feel safe enough around strangers, or even people I know, to go maskless. There has to be some breaking point, some unknown time where I have to trust other people. I feel like I will always, at least for a very long time, still mask up at grocery stores, places like Target and WalMart and Lowe's and even gyms. But when will I feel comfortable to go to a race or a movie or a school event or the doctor or my kid's baseball/softball games and not wear a mask? I don't know. I just do not feel ready to fully go back to whatever "normal" used to be.

I know I am not alone. I know there are others out there that have these same fears. I have read many articles, too many in fact, that all have the same title. They are always called, "When Will I Feel Safe Again", and I totally empathize and agree. I still do not feel safe. I still do not trust people I do not know. I went to Lowe's the other day to get house stuff, and I was one of four people wearing a mask, including the employees. The same thing happened at my local grocery store. I already stated that I am the only coach that still wears a mask. Even my wife is comfortable not wearing one when she comes to their games. Why am I not there yet? Does this mean there is something wrong with me? I have heard and read too many stories about people lying, or just skirting the CDC guidelines, and all those people are out and about. They have been this whole time. That is another thing, this pandemic is not over. It may feel like it, and I hope we are close to some kind of end, but people are still getting COVID. It is still out there. We still need to be vigilant. But I just wish that I could get to a personal place, a spot where I do feel okay. The reason why I am okay seeing friends and family maskless is because they have been safe, they are still being safe and they have all been vaccinated. Not to toot our own horns, but we have, and still continue to follow the guidelines to a T. I just am not at a place where I feel good enough to do that around strangers. My wife went to a Saint Louis Cardinals game earlier this year, and I have no desire to do that yet. Michigan Stadium has said they are going to be at full capacity in the fall, and I already told my dad maybe I will feel safer going in 2022. The Grizzlies look like they are going to be solid to really good for sometime, but I am not ready to go to an NBA arena to watch a game. My mom and I are in the process of getting a refund for our Rolling Stones tickets for a show we were supposed to see last summer. I'm just not there, I'm not ready, I do not feel safe, not yet.

Hopefully, as more and more folks get vaccinated, and please, please, please get that shot, and the vaccine becomes more available to everyone, my children included, I can get there. But for now, it is business as usual for me, with very few exceptions. It can be a drag at times, but hey, I'd rather just go about my life being safe and get the sideways looks I get. That makes me feel better as of now.

Ty

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

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A Return to Normalcy: Podcasters Back in the Studio

The last two episodes of the podcast “Comedy Bang! Bang!” have been in studio. A week ago host Scott Aukerman had JB Smoove on via Zoom, but Will Hines and Carl Tart were in studio. This week all three guests, Paul F Tompkins, Dan Lippert and Monika Smith were all there. Things seem to be going back to normal.

At first this was a shock. I couldn’t believe they were doing it back in person. Then I remembered the new CDC guidelines, and I assume all of the people who have been in studio have been vaccinated. I know for a fact Carl Tart is vaccinated because he’s said so on other pods. That means they can gather maskless. It is safe. I’ve done this with some family members since I was vaccinated. I went and recorded a different pod with a vaccinated buddy of mine yesterday, that will be out soon by the way. So after the initial shock, I decided to listen and enjoy.

Boy have they been great. Now that things are opening up, of which I’m pretty anxious about, but that’s a different blog coming to you all soon, vaccinated people are allowed to hang out, and the comedy podcast world is reaping the rewards. The past two “CBB”‘s have been so great. You can hear the people feeding off one another. The improv has been so on point. The episodes seem funnier. There are no real pauses or lapses in time. The people can see and react in real time to the other guests. The energy is higher. This is what these podcasters have been waiting for, and it is a treat for us listeners. I know that Zoom and Skype has opened up a whole new world of recording, and it is most definitely here to stay, but having the ability, the chance to do the shows in studio again just adds so much more. I have been howling recently.

The most current episode doesn’t have “star” on it, but the three guests are so great at improv comedy, and being able to simply react, it’s been one of the best episodes of “CBB” in quite sometime. I sat there and laughed and laughed. I listened to some of it while on a run, and I had to switch because I was laughing so hard that it was messing up my breath. I truly think that’s due up the in person nature of the episode. The three guests also play so many different characters that it sounded like there were about ten people in that studio. I also think this is going to open the door for other podcasts to go back to in studio. I know Carl Tart has already done an episode of his show “Carl Call His Cousin” in his cousin’s studio, and it ruled. I would bet that whenever Mike Mitchell returns to LA that “Doughboys” will record in studio. They can get the food delivered, and then record right away. I hope “The Flagrant Ones” gets back because their energy when they are together is amazing. I know Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, from “Ear Hustle” have talked about getting back to their studio. It seems like things have maybe, possibly, hopefully turned a corner.

People seem to want to get back together in the podcast world and make hilarious comedy or the other stuff I listen to. I know I’m not ready to fully return to whatever the new “normal” is going to be, but if these podcasters are, more power to them. I love it as a listener. It makes for a great show just due to being together. I’ll be curious to see how this all plays out. As for now, I’m on board.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Nobody"

Date night this past Friday was my turn to pick the movie, and I decided on “Nobody”.

I have been wanting to watch "Nobody" since I first saw the trailer a few months back. I love Bob Oedenkirk, I love the "John Wick" movies, I'm not a violent person but I do love violent movies and I like short, 90 minute movies. The only problem was the fact that it only came out in theaters first. I am not ready for theaters, not yet, so this bummed me out. Then, while still living with my folks, I saw that it was going to be on On Demand very soon. When it finally made its appearance, I was more than ready to rent it, and we did.

Right away, I love this movie. I watched it both days we had it on rental. It wasn't because I missed anything, or because I wanted to find some easter eggs, I just wanted to see it again for the pure joy this movie gave me. It was exactly what I was hoping for too. When I heard about it first I was nervous that they were going to go full "John Wick '' and make it a serious violent gangster/assassin movie. And while it has a ton of violence in it, the body count has got to be in the triple digits, this movie was different in tone from "John Wick". This movie doesn't take itself as serious. There is humor. There are legitimate funny moments. I was chuckling at scenes here and there. Even the violent stuff, like the fight on the bus, has some great internal monologue that made me laugh. That is what I wanted from "Nobody". I wanted the violence, but I also wanted some laughs.

Then we have Bob Oedenkirk. Man, he was awesome. There were other solid performances, the RZA and Christopher Lloyd were great, and the villain was a bad, bad dude. But Oedenkirk absolutely owns this movie. In doing some online research, and confirmed by my wife's online research, Oedenkirk had an incident where there was a home invasion, and he thought how he would have acted if he were a badass. That is the movie. His family gets robbed, and he doesn't take action. We come to find out that was a good thing because he has a checkered past, where he is a bad dude. Well, he isn't a bad guy, he takes care of the bad guys that other people do not want to deal with. He tried to get away from that life, hence being a family man and working a crummy job. But when he cannot find his daughter's kitty cat bracelet, there is some of the humor for you, that is what pushes him over the edge. He then gets into this kick ass fight scene on a bus, and we find out one of the dudes he beat the hell out of is related to a real bad bad guy. This is the villain I mentioned before. This throws Oedenkirk, his name is Hutch Mansell in the movie, directly back into his old life, and we learn so much cool stuff about his past. The scene in the tattoo parlor rules. The bus scene, this is the third time I have mentioned it, is incredible. When the villain sends his goons to his home, that is awesome. And that final battle scene, that is one of the best fight scenes I have seen in a movie in sometime. I saw someone online say that that scene was like if "John Wick" married "Home Alone". There is crazy violence, crazy fight stuff, Lloyd and the RZA come to help him out and there are a ton of booby traps and self created weapons Hutch did at his place of work. It is awesome.

"Nobody" rules. It was exactly what I wanted. It more than lived up to the hype. This new career path Oedenkirk is on is not only earned, but so so awesome. I highly recommend this movie. It is tremendous.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches the Opening Weekend of the 2021 NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs got off to an absolute awesome start this weekend. It was so nice to see the teams playing, playing hard, in front of fans and going all out. I watched so much basketball this weekend, and I was never bored. Not once. I am so amped for the rest of the playoffs, and I hope the majority of the games will be like these openers.

With that said, I do have some thoughts about each team we watched. The weekend started for me watching the Heat and the Bucks. Man oh man was this an opener to end all openers. This game was back and forth, was up and down, gritty and grimy and just how I envision this whole series to be. And the game was won on a near buzzer beater from Khris Middleton in overtime. The Bucks got a much needed win that will help boost their confidence going forward. That being said, the Heat did not play great, and they still had a chance at the end. Jimmy Butler came up big when they needed him too, but they just could not pull out the game. But this series is going to be tough, and one hell of a fun watch for fans of old school NBA.

The Mavericks and Clippers followed, and this game was the polar opposite. The Mavericks came out on fire, and for as much flak as I give Luka Doncic, and I do still think he is overrated, he led this team to a road win. The Mavs hit the three, they made free throws, they got clutch points, they did what they needed to win. The Clippers look disinterested, outside of Kawhi, they could not stop Luka, they took some of the worst fouls late in the shot clock, and they had better wake up if they want to recover from their collapse last season. They did not look good at all, and if Luka and the rest of the Mavs keep this up, they will oust the Clippers pretty easily. This is who the Clippers wanted, but man did they look so tired and bored during that game. Time to start playing defense LA.

Then we got to see the Big 3 of the Nets perform to the top of their abilities. KD was hitting mid range shots, Harden was drawing fouls, getting to the hoop and making nice floating alley oop passes and Kyrie, I mean look no further than what he did to Evan Fournier when he dropped him on a crossover. If the Nets top guys play like this, it is a wrap. The Celtics did hold a lead for two and a half quarters, Jayson Tatum did make some shots, Marcus Smart was all over the floor, but they just do not have enough to stop this Nets team. They are too loaded.

Saturday night ended with Damian Lillard doing his thing, quietly as always, and leading the Blazers to a big game one win at Denver. Portland let Nikola Jokic eat, but they did their best to shut everyone else down, and it worked. Jokic was great, but the rest of the Nuggets just could not keep up. Dame was awesome, Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter kept bodying Jokic, Aaron Gordon had a rough game one and CJ McCollum did his thing. I feel like, after this game, that I am one of the many people that are constantly sleeping on Portland. I'm fully on board with them now, and what else can be said about Dame. He is amazing. Portland may very well win this series going away.

I did not think Sunday was going to be as fun. I was wrong. We got the day started off with the 76ers and Wizards, and the Wizards clearly came to play. They were running up and down the floor, they held a lead, Russ and Beal were doing great, then Joel Embiid just took over. Sure, Tobias Harris had a great, great game, and when Ben Simmons needed to play lockdown defense he totally did. But when this team needed to be sparked, after Beal openly mocked Embiid, he came alive. He could not be stopped. He is the MVP. He is unstoppable.

The Suns then beat the Lakers, and they looked like the better team. I will not buy into the Suns being the favorites in this series now because the Lakers lost two game 1's last season, then went on to win four in a row. But this Suns team is much better than last year's Trailblazers and Rockets. They are more complete. Devin Booker is coming of age in the league. Deandre Ayton played like a legit big man. And Chris Paul was classic Chris Paul. Maybe, just maybe, the Suns are going to make this a real series. The Lakers just looked very blah. LeBron had a not great game, and his flopping has got to stop. It is getting out of hand. Anthony Davis was even worse. Maybe he really is hurt because he looks so bad right now. And when Alex Caruso is your most reliable scorer, that is when you have real problems. I am not jumping to any conclusions because the Lakers have two of the best players in the league, but man did they bad. They looked worse than the Clippers, and the Suns took advantage.

I turned on the Knicks-Hawks game in the middle of the fourth quarter, and that game was amazing. Buckets were exchanged. Leads were changed constantly. The crowd, the biggest indoor crowd since the pandemic started, was heavily involved. And Trae Young made sure we all will take him seriously now. This was the game of the weekend. This was what makes the NBA playoffs the best. This was awesome. I know New York fans are upset right now, but come on, this was an amazing game. I hope the rest of the series plays like this. As for Atlanta, what an offensive performance. They looked so ready for the moment and ready for the playoffs. They may not get much further in this series or playoffs, but they are now here to stay. They are a perennial playoff team as currently constructed.

Sunday night ended with my Memphis Grizzlies getting a big time road win over the top seeded Jazz. Dillon Brooks was tremendous on both ends of the floor. Ja did his thing. The bench and other role players were perfect. I am sure this is still some adrenaline from the final play in game, but I also think this team is not afraid of the moment. They may be young, but they appear ready. And hell yes I would take Ja over all the other players in his draft, and some in other drafts. He is that dude. The Jazz did not have Donovan Mitchell, and they crushed them. The pick and roll wasn't there. Joe Ingles, Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson were not making shots. Rudy Gobert fouled out. Everything went right for the Grizzlies, and everything went wrong for Utah. I hope this trend continues. I hope RD was some kind of oracle when he said they may make a run. I am not going to get ahead of myself as a fan, but damn was it fun to see them get this win. They are ready.

The NBA playoffs are here, and they are incredible. I hope this opening weekend was just a sign of things to come. This is what I love about the NBA. The playoffs are back, and they are amazing.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2021 NBA Playoff Preview

After tonight's final play in game the NBA will have its 16 teams set for the playoffs.

The play in has been a success by the way. The East's games were blow outs, but I enjoyed watching Tatum put in 50, and the Pacers light up the Hornets and then the Wizards putting that same hurt on Indiana. The West's games have been much more competitive and fun. The Lakers got a great knock down shot from LeBron, the Grizzlies held on to beat the Spurs after building a 20 point lead and Steph was being Steph, and will probably be Steph tonight. I do think, as much as it upsets me, that the Warriors will beat the Grizzlies tonight and claim that 8th seed. Then the playoffs will be set. So let's just imagine that the Warriors claim that spot, and I will go on with my playoff preview.

I will start in the East as I always do.

The 1-8 matchup is the 76ers and the Wizards. The 76ers should roll in this series. They are bigger, stronger, longer, deeper and have played like the best team in the East all season. Simmons is as lock down as they come, Embiid is a MVP finalist and the rest of the roster plays their role. Brad Beal and Russell Westbrook will make it fun and exciting, but outside of those two, the Wizards do not have much else. The 76ers should, and will, sweep.

The 2-7 matchup is Brooklyn and Boston. Boston was supposed to be a top team. They were supposed to take the leap. They have all these great young players, but it just did not come together this season. And now that Jaylen Brown is out, they are toast. The Nets have the best three headed monster the NBA has seen in quite some time. They also have excellent role players. They may not play much defense, but they cannot be stopped when they are at full health, which they are right now. The Nets will sweep.

The 3-6 matchup features Milwaukee and Miami. This may be the best first round matchup in either conference. This is exactly what Milwaukee did not want, but here we are. Miami matches up great and they are finally healthy. Milwaukee has been quietly solid all year, and Giannis is still Giannis. Jrue Holiday is also a major upgrade over Eric Bledsoe and the PJ Tucker addition is great. This will be hard fought, gritty and old school. I do have Milwaukee winning, but it will take 7 games and it will be brutal.

The 4-5 is the RD special. We have the Knicks and the Hawks. This is like going back to the 90's. I love this. And, for RD, I have the Knicks winning, and winning it relatively easy. I think it will only take five games. Atlanta is fun, Trae Young is great, but they do not play a lick of defense. The Knicks do, and they have a very solid offense as well.

That would leave us with second round matchups of 76ers-Knicks and Bucks-Nets. The 76ers will end the fun Knicks story. They are just a better team. The Bucks will unfortunately leave the playoffs too early according to their fans because they do not have enough defense to slow down the Nets if they stay healthy. I actually think both series will be no more than six games.

So that leaves us with a 76ers and Nets East Finals. This is, according to the seeding, how it should play out. And while the 76ers are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, they simply do not have enough to stop the Nets. The Nets are absolutely loaded offensively. They will be able to outscore everyone. I think Embiid will feast, but he will be the only 76er that strikes fear offensively in the Nets. The Nets will win in six and be the East representative in the Finals.

Now the West.

As I stated, the 1-8 will most likely be the Jazz and Warriors. The Warriors have Steph, and he is amazing. He may very well win the MVP. Every time he shoots I think it is going in. They also have Draymond who is a defensive genius. He is so so so good on that end of the floor. Outside them we are looking at guys like Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Kent Bazemore. Not exactly a murderers row. The Jazz, with a healthy Donovan Mitchell, are a much better team. Mitchell and Conley are shot creators and makers. They can go and get buckets in a myriad of ways. Rudy Gobert is the best defender in the league and a great rim runner and pick and roll partner. Joe Ingles, Bojan Bojanovic and Jordan Clarkson are better than streak shooters. They make tons of shots. The Jazz look like the team we all thought they would be last season. The Jazz will win this series. Steph will have a game or two where he scores 40 or 50 plus, but it will not be enough.

The 2-7 are Phoenix and the LA Lakers. This is a bummer for Phoenix. They had such a great season, a breakthrough season, and their reward is the Lakers in the first round. Pardon me, a healthy Lakers. This is exactly what they wanted and what the Suns did not. This should be a good series, and I hope Phoenix proves me wrong. But they just do not have the dudes yet. Chris Paul is one of those dudes, but this is Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton and Mikail Bridges and pretty much everyone else on this roster's first time in the playoffs. This stinks for them, but they will be back. The Lakers will win in 7.

The 3-6 is pretty awesome with Denver and Portland. It would be way better if Jamal Murray were not injured, but he is, and here we are. I do love how the Nuggets have played since he went out, but they really need him for the playoffs. He was a revelation in the bubble. Portland is really great offensively, especially Dame, but they are horrendous defensively. Like worst in the league. Dame and CJ McCollum will pour in buckets and get the Trailblazers two wins, but that is it. Denver, even without Murray, will win this series in six.

The 4-5 here is pretty awesome. We have Dallas and the LA Clippers. This was a fun first round last season. Luka Doncic, who I am not a fan of, was great. He has been every bit as advertised, warts and all, since he got into the NBA. I do not like him, but the dude is good. Tim Hardaway Jr is also having his best NBA season. He has been really good. But Kristaps Porzingis is not great, Maxi Kleeber is hurt. Josh Richardson hasn't been that great. This feels like it will all fall on Doncic. The Clippers have the best roster in the league, on paper. They also upgraded their head coach in the offseason. Kawhi seems like he is going to turn it on. PG has had a really good year. Patrick Beverly is still one of the better point guard defenders in the league. Playoff Rondo is back. But they did choke last season. They melted the hell down. I wonder if that will happen again. I do not think so. I think they will be more locked in. I think they want to prove the doubters wrong. And I do think they will beat the Mavericks in round one, and I think it will be easier than last season. They are going to load up on Doncic and make everyone else beat them. I think they learned their lesson last season, and I think Kawhi wants to get back to the top of the NBA mountain.

So that gives us a second round of Utah and the Clippers and Denver and the Lakers. The Clippers will carry over their round one dominance to the second round. I feel like Beverly and Kawhi will shut down Conley and Mitchell. That will leave the offense to Gobert, which isn't a bad thing, but he is not the guy you want as your leading scorer. The Clippers should win in six.

The other matchup would be so much better if Murray wasn't hurt. I know I keep harping on that, but that injury stinks. It is brutal. That being said, I do think the Nuggets will be way more competitive than last season. Jokic is playing on a whole other level, and Aaron Gordon is a really good, really underrated defender. I do think the Lakers will win, they have LeBron and AD, and they are two of the top 4 or 5 players in the league. They also won the title last year, and they are way more seasoned. This will be a good series, but the Lakers will pull this one out in 7 also, setting us up for the battle in LA in the West Finals.

This is what we all wanted last season, but we will finally get it. I also think this is where the Lakers will run out of gas. I think the play in, the 2 7 round series before and the "injuries" to star players will finally take its toll. I think the Clippers will win and they will win in six.

That means I have the Clippers, yet again, as the West representative in the Finals. This means it is Brooklyn and the Clippers playing for the title. And I have the Nets outscoring everyone on their way to a title. They have too much. Harden, Kyrie and KD are too good. They can score 90 points between the three of them every night. The Clippers are the best matchup for them, but even they do not have enough defense to stop the Nets. This feels inevitable. The moment they got Harden I felt like it was a foregone conclusion, especially when I saw them play, and saw that Harden was finally trying again. They are just too loaded and too good. The Nets will win in six and KD will take home the MVP. He will be the best player on the floor in every game. He is incredible.

There you have it, my NBA playoff preview. I'm so excited to watch. Let's 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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Ty Watches "Last Chance U: Basketball"

As I said earlier this week I am catching up on shows and movies I have wanted to watch, but wanted to wait until I got home. One such show is the newest season of "Last Chance U". I have watched every season of this show. It is a very cliché sports show. It has all the usual drama, the big ups and downs, the messy stories and I love it all. It is my jam. When I watch a show or movie about sports that is what I have come to expect. What made this most recent season of "Last Chance U" even better was the fact that they switched from football to basketball.

I love basketball as you all very well know. The football seasons were fine and all, but having a basketball team as the story, that ruled. With a basketball team you can focus more on almost everyone on the team. At the very least you can focus on all the starters, not just the stars of the team. With the football version they really focused on QB's and skill receivers. There were very few defensive players, hardly any O or D lineman and almost no love for the assistant coaches. It was the "important" players and the head coach. With this basketball season we got multiple stories from about seven of the twelve players on the team, and we learned all about the head coach, but also his two assistants. They each had full episodes or big, big story arcs in multiple episodes. And as for the other five or six kids on the team, I knew at least one or two things about them. That was awesome. As for the "highlighted" players this season, their stories were even more compelling than any of the football players. In watching any season of "Last Chance U" you understand that most of the players on the team are at these community colleges because they couldn't make grades to go D-1, they transferred there, they got cut from their original choice, they lost their scholarship, all of those stories are at the forefront. That is why it is called "Last Chance U". This season is no different in that regard, but the stories are way, way better.

The stories involve a player losing both his parents and has to survive on his own or a five star recruit that has a real, real bad temper or a great player, the LA County's top player, who didn't get the grades or the quiet kid that couldn't cut it in high D-1 so he is returning to community college to bump up his stock. Even the kids that do not get all the shine, we get similar stories of why they are at this particular school. As for the coaches, this is the best, most relatable group that this show has ever had. These guys are not dopey cliché filled coaches that just curse and yell and scream at players. These guys actually care about these kids and care about moving them along in their college careers. The head coach is a weird dude, but with every episode I grew to like him more and more. He is a good guy who really, truly wants the best for these kids. He also feels like he is in the exact right place for him. He could have taken other jobs at some high level schools, but he likes where he is, and I feel like he will be there for the long haul. The assistants are great as well. He has his lead assistant that is the level headed one. He calms everything down. He is the voice of reason. He does the grunt work, but he never complains. He seems to really like this job and, much like the head coach, wants to stay. The other assistant, he is a great and relentless recruiter. His backstory was very intense as well. But he is still there, he is still doing it and he cares a lot.

This new season of "Last Chance U" is the best, by far, that they have done yet. I hope they stick with basketball. It is so much better because you really get to know the players and the coaches since there are less by the number of players allowed on the team. And the way this most recent season ended, with the pandemic coming into full effect right near the end, it was gut wrenching. I am so impressed by this season and I cannot wait for more. Hopefully they get to film another season. I don't know yet because community college basketball postponed the 2021 season, but maybe, just maybe they can get some kind of season in. That would be great. I sure hope so. "Last Chance U" took a chance with the switch, and boy did it pay off. This was a gem. Now I hope we get more.

Ty

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

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Better Late than Never on the Documentary "Icarus"

Now that I am back in my home I have been starting to catch up on shows and movies that I didn't watch while living with my folks. Yesterday I watched one of these movies, "Icarus", and I am here to talk about it.

I saw this movie on a ton of lists that centered around the best sports movies currently on streaming devices. The picture they had on most sites had a bike rider with some kind of wild oxygen face mask on, which made it all the more alluring to me. Then I read a brief synopsis of this movie which simply stated that the movie was about a bike rider deciding, for the sake of science, to try doping for six months to see how much better he could do, and some wild stuff happens from there. This was more than enough to check all of my boxes. So I had the time yesterday afternoon to watch and I did.

I loved it. “Icarus” was not like what I was expecting at all. The director, who is also the writer and star, is the bike rider. He is the one that decided to try PEDS. And the first forty minutes of this movie are all about him doing that and preparing for a very big amateur bike race coming up. All of that was very interesting. I was enamored with that whole storyline. I am a runner who runs races, but the stuff this guy does, Bryan Fogel, is way more intense and way more serious than anything type of trail or road race I have done. The guys he competes against are just on the cusp of the Tour de France. These dudes are the real deal. So is Fogel. He finished 14th in this super tough race before he decided to dope for science sake. Then to see him go through the whole doping regimen, that was wild. He was going to do the program with one certain doctor, but he opted to send him to a different doctor, a scientist from Moscow, who is one of the biggest cheats in athletic competition history, and was responsible for almost all of the gold medals that Russia won in the Sochi Winter Olympics. He knows how to mess up tests, how to cheat the system, so these athletes that use PEDs do not get caught. So for forty minutes, we get a great insight in this doctor/scientist method. It is nuts. Fogel does all this stuff, and shows it bare bones and all. It is rough stuff. What made it worse was, he finished further back after using PEDs for six months. He went from 14th to 27th. It could have been because of bike issues, that other racers have been using for years, that he didn't feel as well or all of this combined.

Later we see that Fogel's experiment did not work the way he wanted. I thought the movie would pivot into Fogel and the Russian doctor trying something else, or continuing on the program and doing it yearly. It did not. The movie suddenly turns into this geopolitical thriller. We get the ins and outs of why Russia had so many athletes banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics. I remember hearing that Russia was banned for PEDs, and I thought nothing of it. It just seemed like a bunch of cheaters finally got caught, and they were going to have to pay a price. It seemed karmic. But to see where this movie took us, the insight into how bad, and how deep the cheating goes, how long it has gone on, how the Russian government has covered it up, it was intriguing. I mean, PEDs are seemingly everywhere, especially in the Olympics, but what Russia was doing, and may still be doing, was on a whole other level. And to get this doctor/scientist side of the story, it was amazing. He risks his life. A friend of his who spoke out suddenly died of a "heart attack". The Russian doctor had to go into hiding. He had to go into witness protection. His wife and kids have to bear the brunt of the Russian police, or KGB, who is now known as the FSB. They are ruthless. But what was most fascinating to me was to see the doctor spill his guts. He holds nothing back, nothing at all. He names names, calls out the cheaters, calls himself out for doing what he did, it is all laid out on the table. It is truly incredible to see him do what he did, both the good and the bad. And for Fogel to be there every step of the way, that took guts.

I loved this movie. It takes a turn almost halfway through, but man does that turn payoff. There is a reason this movie won an Oscar for best documentary. Check this movie out. It rules.

Ty

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

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Ty Listens to "Delta Kream"

The Black Keys put out a new album last week called “Delta Kream”. Well, it is new for their fans, but the songs are older blues songs.

The track list consists of twelve songs, one repeat at the end, of songs by artists like RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. These are the musicians that the members of The Black Keys grew up listening to. I had never heard of Kimbrough or Burnside until I listened to The Black Keys. Then I grew to adore their music. It is really grimy and gritty, dirty old blues music. It is fuzzy and distorted and the voices of Burnside and Kimbrough are second to none. So to hear Dan Auerbach sing and play guitar on these songs, and to hear Patrick Carney's drumming, it is sublime. They do have two other musicians on the record, and they are guys that played with Burnside and Kimbrough.

Look, I am obsessed with this record. I remember when the Keys early released the first track from the album, "Crawling Kingsnake", and I was blown away. I wrote about how excited I was when I heard this. It was like a throwback to my favorite Keys record, "Thickfreakness". It has all the fuzziness and distortion and grim that made me first love this band. It is a throwback in all the best ways. I devoured "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Goin Down South" when they released them. I played them for anyone that would ride in my car. I talked about them obsessively. I was already hooked. Then last Friday, the day the album came out, I listened to the record twice. Then I listened the next day and the next. In fact I have listened to it at least once a day since it came out. And the more I hear it, the more I like it. "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Goin Down South" were great early releases. "Crawling Kingsnake" gave me the "Thickfreakness" vibe I have been craving. "Goin Down South" has some awesome music, and Auerbach does a high falsetto type voice when singing, and it works.

Outside those two songs we get some excellent tunes. Songs like "Louise", which is a classic blues song, or "Stay All Night", in which the Keys sound like they did on their first record, "The Big Come Up", those are incredible. We get some remakes of songs they have already covered on other records. Their new versions of "Do the Romp", "Sad Days Lonely Nights" and "Poor Boy a Long Way from Home" are great. They show the growth this band has had in their very long, very illustrious career to this point. Then there are some songs I have never heard that I have grown to love. "Mellow Peaches" is my favorite cover on the album. It is so good. "Walk With Me" is totally rad. "Come on and Go With Me" is as old school electric blues as it gets. I love that song so very much.

This album is really, really good. I do not get the slander on some of The Black Keys fan pages calling this record "slow" and "boring". That is pure nonsense. I'm not always fan of cover records, but when they are done well, like "Delta Kream", they are so so so good. I cannot recommend this album enough. Any fan of blues music, exceptional guitar and wonderful drums will love this album. It is such an excellent homage to these past blues legends that may not get the credit they are very much due. Go listen to this album. It rules.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2021 NBA Play in Games Preview

The NBA regular season is over. It feels weird typing that. Usually, in the before times, we would be knee deep in the playoffs right now. But due to the pandemic, then the bubble, this most recent season had a very fast turnaround. These are strange days indeed.

The season was awesome, in my opinion. I loved watching the games, I found them competitive and I was interested in how all the teams dealt with COVID in many different ways. But I am ready for playoff basketball. Playoff basketball is my absolute favorite sport to watch. It is the best drama on TV. The players step up their game and it is very exciting. I am going to do a full playoff preview, but that will not come until after the play in games are all done. You all will have to wait for that until Thursday. But today I am going to do a play in preview.

First off, I love love love the play in. I like the addition of two more teams, I find it has made the end of the last two seasons a bit more meaningful and competitive and anytime I can get extra playoff basketball, that is a treat. I also like the eight teams we have in the play in. They all have very different skill sets. Some are older veteran laden teams and some, like my Memphis Grizzlies, are very young and on the come up. I also really enjoy the single elimination feel we get from this, and that every team in the play in will have to bring it in order to make the playoffs. This is an absolute home run idea.

I will start with the East, or the JV as I call it. The 7-8 matchup could have been incredible if not for Jaylen Brown being out and Bradley Beal not at 100 percent. But, both Russell Westbrook and Jayson Tatum are playing really good basketball right now. Russ is getting triple doubles on the regular and Tatum just had 60 in a game, and followed it up with a bunch of 30 point outings. He is on fire. As for who I think will win, this is a total toss up to me. The Celtics are deeper and younger, but not having Jaylen Brown is brutal. The Wizards might be the hottest team in the NBA right now, Russ is doing all the little things and they are getting other guys to contribute. But they are five games below .500. They just started playing well now. For that reason only, I am picking the Wizards. They will continue on their current streak, and the Celtics will have to win two games just to get the 8th seed. Their season has been a total disappointment.

The 9-10 matchup is a tale of two very different teams. The Hornets are young and exciting and LaMelo Ball has been awesome, but they are not a true playoff team yet. The Pacers have vets, they have playoff experience, but they have not been very good all year, and their coach may get fired after his lone season. I really want to pick Charlotte here because I think it would be awesome to see Ball go up against Boston for the 8th seed, but I am going with the experience and picking Indiana.

I also have Indiana beating the Celtics simply because Brown is out, and Boston never really got their footing all year. They are a mess. So that means I have the Wizards as the 7 and the Pacers as the 8.

Now for the Varsity, the West. The 7-8 matchup is going to rule. The NBA and the TV people could not have asked for a better play in game. We get the Lakers and the Warriors. Steph and LeBron. AD versus a platoon of big men waiting to hurt him. Draymond playing defense on multiple guys. The Lakers throwing the kitchen sink to stop Steph. This is going to be fun. In the long run though, I think the Lakers will win. I'm sure both AD and LeBron were hurt, but they also know they can turn this into a "redemption" story. They both missed a ton of games, the Lakers fell to this spot, they need AD and LeBron, and here they come to save the day. This is almost too perfect of a script, and the NBA, AD, LeBron and the Lakers all know this.

Then we have the 9-10, with Memphis facing San Antonio. This is eerily similar to the East's 9-10 matchup with style of play, but both these teams are much better. Memphis is young and hyper athletic. When the shooters are on, they are on. But they have had tons of injuries. I think Jaren Jackson Jr has only played something like 10 games. Ja missed a ton of time earlier this season from an ankle injury. Dillon Brooks has been in and out of the lineup. They also have had trouble finishing games lately. The Spurs got really fat on an easy early schedule, but they had a murderers row to close the season. They won some of the games, but that schedule pushed them where they are now. The Spurs are a typical Gregg Poppovich team, they pass well, play great defense and don't take dumb shots, but this is a rebuild for them. They are so young and so inexperienced outside of DeMar DeRozan. I am picking Memphis, and I will watch every single second of this game. Memphis is better and deeper, but can they finish? That is the big question for me.

So with the Lakers at 7, we would have Memphis and Golden State playing for 8, and we just witnessed this game yesterday. Memphis just couldn't get out of their own way, and they let Steph go off. I feel like the same thing is going to happen. It will be close and tough, but Steph will do what he does, and the Grizzlies will be knocked out of the playoffs yet again. That means I have the Lakers at 7 and Warriors at 8. The NBA will be thrilled at the first play in game, and then having both those teams make the playoffs still. I cannot wait for these games to start tomorrow night.

This is going to be a blast. I love playoff basketball.

Ty

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

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Ty's Paused Adventures in Running

Yesterday I wrote in my preamble how I suffered an injury that is preventing me from running my first marathon ever tomorrow. Today I am going to talk about said injury, and how I have been feeling about it all week.

First things first, this could've been much worse. I do have a stress fracture in my left knee, but it is a minor fracture. I actually talked to my orthopedist this afternoon and he said that it is much closer to a stress reaction. I didn't know what that meant, so I asked. A stress reaction is the beginning of a fracture. It is what sets it all off. So the fact that they found this very early, that I had enough pain in my knee to go see a doctor on Monday, was a good thing. This means the recovery time is way less than it could have been had I left this untreated. Instead of 6 to 8 weeks, the doctor told me that an injury like this is more of a 2-4 week recovery period. That was some mild relief. But, I cannot run for two weeks, I cannot play basketball for two weeks, I cannot play softball, and while I can still coach my kids in their sports, I have to be braced and move as little, and slowly, as possible. That is going to be the hardest part for me. I like to be active. I get bored sitting still. I don't like not having things to do. It is just who I am. So no running for two weeks, when the weather is perfect for running, is going to be brutal. Luckily I have house stuff and my kids sports to keep me occupied, but it is still not going to be fun. Running is my getaway. It is my alone time. It is when I am doing what I want to do for myself. It is therapy. It is one of my absolute favorite things to do.

Then throw in the fact that I cannot run my race, a race I have been training really hard for for three months, I broke down when the doctor told me. I actually cursed really loud in his office. It was loud enough that I had to apologize for my outburst. I have been crushed since I officially found out on Wednesday that I could not run the race. I have gone through many emotions in the last three days. I have felt that my training was all for nothing. I have had worrisome moments where I think that I will never run again. I asked for multiple opinions before finally, mercifully, opting out of the race. This is my athletic life now. I do have rec league basketball and softball, but those don't measure up to running anymore. I first ran to lose weight, but I have fallen madly, deeply in love with the sport. I have gone from barely being able to finish a mile to running 25 miles in a six hour period. I run five times a week. I need it in my life. It is an addiction, but I feel like it is a good addiction. So to have it taken away from me for any amount of time, yeah, it really bums me out. I am not going to lie and say stuff about silver linings or getting my head right. I'm frustrated and mad. I was sad, but now it is just anger.

I do know that I will get back to running, but this really stinks. This is the worst case scenario for me. This was what I have been able to avoid for seven years. I knew this would happen at some point, but to have it happen a week before my first marathon, that is a hard pill for me to swallow. So I will do the rehab, I will do the resting, but I am not going to be happy about it.

This is a setback, but it will not stop me from getting back out there in four weeks, or whenever my doctor gives me the go ahead. I am bummed now, but hopefully it will only be temporary. Hell, I know it will only be temporary. I will run a marathon before 2021 is over. You can count on that.

Ty

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

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It is Time to Give Russell Westbrook the Respect He Deserves

Sorry for no blog yesterday. I got some upsetting medical news, stress fracture in my knee, and our house addition was finally finished, so I had a busy/bummer of a day. But I’m back and I’m here to lavish praise on Russel Westbrook.

I’m a big, big fan of Westbrook’s. I’ve made no bones about it. He more than deserved his MVP. He is one of the most athletic players I’ve ever seen. He’s unfairly criticized by some lame publications and bad sports writers. He plays hard every night. He’s a good dude. And he’s an exceptional basketball player. The other night he made history. He surpassed Oscar Robertson’s triple double record, and he’s going to average another triple double for the fourth time in five seasons. I mean, that’s amazing. We are watching a once in a generation talent. There are not many people that have been as productive and plays as well as Russ has done his whole career.

Westbrook, along with Bradley Beal, have the Wizards in the play in. I thought the Wizards were going to be bad too. I put a nail in their coffin. I assumed they were going to be a lottery team. I liked the Westbrook trade, but I just assumed the rest of the roster was going to drag them down. And while they’re not even a .500 team, they still have won way more games than I thought, and a lot of that is due to Westbrook’s play as of late. He is putting up insane, video game esque numbers. The other night he had a triple double that included 24 assists and 21 rebounds. There are only two players that have ever done that. It’s Russ and Wilt Chamberlain. That’s it, that’s the list. To be in the same company as Wilt is incredible. And Russ has followed that up with a few more triple doubles, and has led the Wizards to some crucial wins while Beal has been out with an injury. Russ has been the dude. He’s willing this team to win. This is akin to his MVP season with OKC. Right now, without Beal, Russ is carrying a team with a bunch of random dudes. He’s crushing it too. He’s so good.

Yet we still have some of these hot take dummies saying it’s “hollow”, or calling him a “selfish star hunting player”. Most of it comes from the staff at The Ringer. First off the writers and podcasters there, for the most part, are Bill Simmons clones, and that makes for bad business. If it isn’t Boston, or an athlete they’ve befriended, they feel the need to trash them. That’s bad journalism. Also, I bet Bill Simmons would kill to have Russ on the Celtics, but he’d never admit it. We also have a writer like Kirk Goldsberry, who I believe works for ESPN, writing an article about Russ that only talked about his poor mid range shooting. He found a way to downgrade Russ’ awesomeness by writing a nonsense article about mid range jumpers. Who cares. There’s also someone I really respect, Zach Lowe, who barely talks about Russ because he’s too busy gassing up Luka Doncic. I just want to know when these “reputable” writers and podcasters, are going to realize and recognize Russ’ greatness. It needs to happen soon. I feel like Russ will continue to be chastised while he plays and then loved when he leaves. There is a lot of Allen Iverson in Westbrook. They’re so similar, and I feel like their careers, both during age after, are going to be the same. But I don’t want that for Russ, just like I didn’t want that for AI. Iverson is one of my all time favorite players, and it blows my mind that he didn’t get his much due respect until he retired. We need to bask in the greatness that is Russel Westbrook while he’s still playing and still doing exceptionally athletic things on a basketball court. I know I have his whole career and will continue to while he’s still playing and when he retires.

Russ is great. He’s a hall of famer. He’s one of the best guards to ever play the game. He might be the most explosive guard to ever play. He’s super human and he’s doing super human things on the floor. Russ rules and he will forever be one of my favorite players to watch. Stop slandering this men and recognize his greatness. He’s more than earned all the accolades he should be getting. Russ is awesome. He’s an timer. He is great.

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Urban Meyer is an Idiot

Urban Meyer is at it again, First he hired a coach that was fired for abusing players at Iowa. Second he goes out and complains that "free agency is too hard" in the NFL. And now he has made the dumbest move as far as player personnel goes that I can ever remember.

For those that have been living under a rock, or do not follow the NFL, the Jaguars and Urban Meyer just went out and signed Tim Tebow, as a tight end, to a one year deal. Now, he has to make the team, which I think is a very, very, very, very long shot. But still, to waste a contract on a guy that hasn't played football in a decade, while having him change positions is such an epic failure as a coach, a GM, a front office and a team can make. I understand that these two have a close relationship, and that Tebow won a Heisman when Meyer was his coach at Florida, but we are talking about things that happened over a decade ago, and the NFL has changed drastically since then.

This is such a puzzling and, quite frankly, stupid move. Everyone who signed on for this, who gave it the go ahead, I have one question, what in the hell are you all thinking? Why would you allow Meyer to talk you into signing Tin Tebow? What can he possibly bring to this team? How does he help as a player or a locker room guy? How does this help Trevor Lawrence at all? What about the other, more qualified tight ends already on the roster? Why on Earth would you do this? Is it simply a PR move? Will he make the team just because he is a buddy of the new coach? This is just asinine. If I were Tyler Davis, Ben Ellefson, Luke Farrell, Chris Manhertz or James O'Shaughnessy I'd ask to be released or traded immediately. This is a spit in all of their faces. These guys are all actual tight ends that made the NFL as a tight end. And then Meyer brings in Tim Tebow to compete for playing time with them. Come on man. That is ridiculous. He doesn't have the talent to play in the NFL. That has been established. And for the very few people that want to bring up his one playoff win, which was a miracle, get the hell out of here with that nonsense. I like to look at his whole career prior to that one moment. He was an absolute mess as a starter. He was an embarrassment. Then he became a gimmick. Then he couldn't even make the Patriots as strictly a gimmick player. Then he was out of the league. And after that, he stole someone else's job in the MLB when he decided he was going to be a baseball player. That is what Tim Tebow is to me, a thief of more deserving players' jobs. He gets fans to come out and watch, but it is like going to a circus. People want to see the freak show that is Tim Tebow. They don't want to see him succeed because he hasn't succeeded in any level of professional sports.

This move is strictly because Meyer thinks he can build a good team by getting his former college players on his team. That is a method that is going to hilariously blow up in his face. First he signs Carlos Hyde, who was toast five years ago, and now he is bringing in Tim Tebow. Who is next, Chris Leak? Alex Smith? This madness he is working on this offseason is going to explode, and I will be laughing the whole way. And for websites like Bleacher Report to talk about what a great move this is, how it will help the locker room and to call Tebow a "weapon", just stop right now. You are embarrassing yourself with that nonsense.

What pisses me off most about all of this is the fact that a guy like Tim Tebow can get a job in the NFL, can take a spot away from someone much more deserving and be praised by major media outlets, it just goes to show that the NFL has clearly blackballed Colin Kaepernick. If it wasn't wildly apparent before, this should hammer it home for anyone who is smart and doesn't think Kaepernick is being blacklisted. This move by Jacksonville makes that fact abundantly clear.

The Jaguars signing Tim Tebow isn't just a joke, it is an embarrassment to the NFL, and it is really showing their true colors. I cannot wait to watch this fail spectacularly because that is what is going to happen. What a bunch of nonsense.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Golden Arm"

For date night this past Friday my wife and I watched the movie “Golden Arm”. This was my choice. I have wanted to see this movie for awhile. I am a big fan of the actors in this movie, and I was pumped that some of them were finally given a chance to shine.

I love Betsy Sodaro, and the first place I heard about this movie was via her Instagram. She, to me, is the leading star of the movie, and she nails it. She is so good. She’s so funny, but also has some very nice, very tender moments. She really takes the reins of this movie, and she is more than worth the price of admission. She has the best lines, the best jokes, the best flashback scene and she carries this whole movie. From the opening moment where she is arm wrestling in a dive bar, to the end when she is her best friend’s coach, she absolutely nails it. She was amazing.

Mary Holland plays her best friend, and she too is very good in the movie. She plays a down on her luck bakery owner, but she has a past with Sodaro and arm wrestling. I mentioned that flashback scene, she and Sodaro are college roommates, they’re both dressed goth and Holland wins all their matches, giving her the right to choose where they get dinner. She has what is known as the Golden Arm in arm wrestling circles. Sodaro goes and finds Holland because she’s broken her wrist and can’t arm wrestling in the big tournament. She tricks her into closing her shop for a bit so they can go on the road and Sodaro can see if she still has the magic. She does. They end up at some dive bar in middle America and Holland has to arm wrestle to win their money back. She tentatively agrees, then wins and that’s when Sodaro knows she still has the gift. This scene also features a great cameo from Kate Flannery, who you all may know as Meredith from the American “Office”. It was hilarious.

From this scene on out the movie follows typical sports movies clichés, but that is what I love about sports movies. They meet a trainer, Big Sexy played by Dot Marie Jones. She is the typical trainer that sees a no one, but gets the best out of her. My only critique is that I wanted more Big Sexy in this movie. She’s great. We get some great comedic scenes from Ron Funches. He and Sodaro have a past, their soft, sexual talking is a riot and he crushes as the big event’s announcer. Eugene Cordero gets to be the love interest to Holland, and he’s great. He’s funny and sweet. The baseball field scene with him and Holland is fantastic. Aparna Nancherla only has one scene, but it’s hilarious and memorable. And Olivia Stambouliah as the villain Bone Crusher, is phenomenal. She’s ominous and scary, but also very goofy and funny.

Overall, this is Mary Holland and Betsy Sodaro’s movie, and they make it great. I had a fantastic time while watching. It’s a breezy 90 minutes, and fun too. Also, when the two leads do their Robert Deniro impressions, holy cow is that hilarious. Of course I recommend this movie. “Golden Arm” is a gem.

Ty

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

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Moms Rule

Mother’s Day is Sunday. I have a mom, and a wife, with whom I have two kids with. I also have a fantastic mother in law.

Moms are great. Moms rule. Moms are comforting. Moms help you when you get hurt. Moms run the world. Dads are great too, but there is nothing quite like your mom. Moms just ease all the tension you may have in this world. It’s no different for me. I may be my father’s son, but I go to my mom with most of my problems or short comings. If I have a bad panic attack, I talk to my mom and then my therapist. She knows how to talk me down, how to comfort me. She knows how to help me breath and pull through the worst of it. She’s also made sure I have been level headed in everything I have done and still do. Be it sports, politics, family stuff, marriage stuff, kids stuff, she keeps me in line and keeps me focused. She was the stay at home parent when I was a kid, so obviously I followed in her foot steps. Both my parents were there for everything, but my mom cleaned the cuts and scrapes, made my lunches, got me ready for school, taught me the importance of doing my chores. These are things I am now trying to instill in my kids. I learned all this from her. She was the one who told me I should propose to my wife. I knew I was going to marry her, I just needed that nudge that my mom provided. She has helped me with house stuff, bills, basically stuff that all adults have to get accustomed to. She has lead the way for all of my life.

My mother in law is also the world’s best mother in law. She’s taught me how to use tools, to do repairs and projects around my home, how to garden, how to deal when her daughter when we get in a dumb argument. She rules. I know the cliché about in laws, but I have none of that with any in laws, but especially none with my mother in law. I feel very close to her.

Then we have my wife. She is the best partner I could have ever dreamed for. She’s strong, smart, funny, loving, loyal and the best provider. She’s all that and so much more as a partner and a mom. She works her butt off everyday, then comes home and pores herself into our kids days. She’s a great relief, and when she walks through the door, all of us light up. We are so happy to see her. She makes all of our days instantly better. This past year, while very hard, has been great having her work from home. I love going downstairs to do laundry and see her. We get to have nice little conversations daily. I adore our lunch dates. It’s been wonderful. The kids have loved it too. She comes to every game our kids have. She supports my daily running habit. She cheers me on. She makes me feel better when I’m sick or when I’m just having a bad day. She is the best. She loves me and she loves being a mom. I love her, and I know the sun sets and rises with her in our kids eyes. She is the absolute best person ever. It’s over, she won, and I’m thrilled, and so so so lucky that she chose me to spend her life with, and give me two awesome kids.

I love all three of you ladies. So don’t forget your mom or wife or in law this Sunday. Show them love, show them how important they are and heap the much deserved praise they have earned. Happy Mother’s Day to every mom out there. Enjoy your day. Then continue to go out there and kick ass like you all do.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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