Monday, June 29, 2009

Television and Sports

So, I was stuck somewhere in between a Braves rain delay and the NBA Finals...

While I do enjoy the occasional hoops matchup, I just didn't find Magic-Lakers to be all that intriguing. Despite all the talk about how this was a huge series for Phil and Kobe, I just couldn't get into it. I just couldn't get excited. That all being said, because it was basketball's world championship...I'll took the Lakers in five...they ended up nailling things down in six.

Because of the my lack of interest in Naismith's Game, and Mother Nature's denial of baseball, I was left sifting through the DV-R (which I once described on this very blog as one of the best inventions of my lifetime). This great machine captures all my favorite shows - and a lot of the crap that I really shouln't waste my time with - but it got me thinking. What kinds of shows am I watching? What kinds of shows are you watching? And, frankly, how can I make some sort of sports comparison?

That's when I started jotting down a list of some of the shows that you can find on TV right now and tried to figure out who their athletic counterpart would be. Let me know what you think about this:

30 Rock = Manny Ramirez
They might both be the best out there. People under the age of about 35 LOVE them...people over the age of 35 don't really get them. The "oldies" find them both obnoxious and hard to relate to. You can't argue with the production though. They consistantly give you what you came to get - a couple of awkward moments and bunch of laughs. And sure, an occiasional steriods/female-fertility drug scandal.

The Office = Phil Mikkelson
What's interesting about these two pudgers is that they each have some of the best and worst moments on television. Plus, they need to just do what they do best...rely on the short game. Hour-long episodes of The Office that are "story-driven" just don't work as well as the half-hour episodes that have Jim and Dwight picking on each other. Just put it on the tee, knock it out there, then just give me short little pitches from afew of the tertiary characters and you have yourself a winner.

Heroes = Dontrelle Willis
Nothing has ever started out so hot only to take such a turn for the worse. Both are borderline unwatchable at this point but you gotta keep them in the rotation because you never know when they might catch fire again.
Quick side note: I just don't know if I am okay with Hayden Panettiere being 19 years old...it just makes me feel creepy. Can't she go back to being that little 5-year old girl who draws up high school football plays for her father in Remember The Titans?!

Seinfeld = Ken Griffey Jr.
This is a comparison that I just recently came to terms with. Both, in there time, were unquestionably the best in the business. Both had a long career and have been beloved by almost everyone. Both have become a little dated in the last year or so. Hear me out. I'm not saying that Seinfeld (or Junior for that matter) is done. I'm just saying that neither can really stand with the current players. Sure, every once in a while The Kid goes yard and every now and again you get "The Opposite" and you get that old warm, fuzzy feeling.




That's at least a start...

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Fortress of Smooth-itude!

So...

On June 5th, I ventured to Andrews Upstairs to see Yacht Rock Revue. Adorned in a naval captain's hat, I set sail on a voyage the likes of which few get a chance to experience. YRR belted out smooth tunes by, to name a few, the Doobie Brothers, Captain & Tenille and Toto. Which brings me to today's featured tune: Toto's "Africa"



I was simply amazed by how popular this song was amongst the packed house. This song is already good but it becomes exponentially better when you've had a handful of bourbon and cokes.

Hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Back To The Blogger

I believe that it was either Mary Todd Lincoln or Marty McFly who once asked, "What the hell is a gigawatt?"

Well, a gigawatt is what Jeff Francoeur just put behind a 2-1, Kevin Gregg-delivered fastball in the bottom half of the 9th inning...just a few seconds ago, mind you... to tie things up with the visting Cubbies. It's been a long time since the hometown boy knocked a bomb like that - a menaingful one too. A no-doubter blast!

But I'm not here to talk about Frenchy, or the possibility of moving him away from the Braves. I'll be saving that for another entry.

What I am here to do is welcome myself back to the blog-o-sphere. Back to the creative writing world. Back to commenting on, critiquing and complaining about all the minutia that makes up life. It's been a lengthy hiatus from my regular blogging, which was only ever "regular" during college football season but I'm going to try to get onto a schedule and report on all those big topics that are hitting our world.

My boy Joe, our beloved Suburban Wino, is really my most recent inspiration. He does a spectacular job telling us all that we ever wanted to know about food, wine, beer and music that we haven't thought about in years. Keep it up, Joey!

I've also started a knew life project - went back to school. That's right - me and Thornton Melon. Better start brushing up on my Vonnegut...

The nice thing about this go 'round is rather than studying something lame like English or History or Molecular Biology, I actually get to study sports. Yep, I said sports. I just spent the last three weeks trekking down to a classroom in Georgia State University's Sports Arena to discuss topics like Augusta Natioal Golf Club's membership, fighting in the NHL and about how Manny is...well...simply "being Manny"...

A la Zach Morris, FREEZE IT!

Lou Piniella elected to pitch to Chipper Jones with a runner on second...with first base open...in a tie game...in extra innings. Brian McCann is on deck. Don't you have to walk Chipper here?! I mean, McCann is good but Chipper is a Hall of Famer, for crying out loud. I'll tell you what, I'm not letting a Hall of Famer beat me. Needless to say, Chipper got a base hit and was subsequently tackled in the infield by Kelly Johnson and Jeff Francoeur. Good win for the Bravos!

...anyhow, to shorten it up, grad school is a trip. I just completed a whirlwind of a May-mester and will be starting another 7-week class discussing revenue generation in sports next week. It's wild stuff but it's actually pretty fun.

So, here's what I'm going to try to accomplish: Two to three posts a week (with audience participation in choosing said topics). I'm going to try to step up "The Goods." I'm also going to be looking to spruce this place up - suggestions are definitely welcome.

For the time being, sift around through the old articles and I'll have something new up soon.