This Is What We Like...Parity

In the wake of yet another #1 team losing this week, it is time for me to make my predictions of who the top five teams in college basketball will be at years end.  I heard that this is the fourth week in a row that a number one team has lost.

Personally I think this is great for college basketball.  I think people are getting sick of seeing the same teams at the top every year, the Dukes, the North Carolinas, the Kansas's, we like to see the upstart teams like Michigan this year, or even Indiana.  

So here we go with how I think this will play out in the end, and you do not have to take this is fact, but you may want to...just saying.

#5 Syracuse Orange

Now I know that Syracuse has not been playing as well lately as they can, but I think they still have the talent and defense to finish in the top five.  They are currently ranked ninth, but only have 3 losses and they play in the ever tough Big East.  So if they play well and do not accrue to many losses the rest of the season they have a legitimate shot of making a run at a number one seed again this year.  The zone defense that 'Cuse runs is very annoying to every opponent they play, it is not something teams see everyday and takes a lot of preparation for it because Syracuse runs it so well.  

#4 Michigan Wolverines

I am a fan of the Wolverines this year because they really came out of nowhere at the end of last year and played like they could be a top five this year.  And when I see a team up that high that is not usually there I always root for them to do well.  Michigan has a great mix of older players and young talent and they play very well together.  This team also has a few names that you might recognize on it like Glenn Robinson III, or Tim Hardaway Jr, you know these kids have talent because of their family heritage.  I always wonder about kids with famous parents, are they recruited for their last name or because they actually have talent and want to make their own name in basketball.  Anyway, not to get off topic, Michigan is the sleeper team this year, no one is really aware they are as good as they are, but that will change here in the next little while.

#3 Kansas Jayhawks

I think Kansas gets here thanks to the fact that they play in the Big 12, not the strongest conference in college basketball, and the Jayhawks are by far the most talented team in that conference.  I am not completely cold on Kansas especially recently after losing two in a row to Oklahoma State and TCU, not even close to a basketball school.  But once again because of the lack of good teams in the Big 12 Kansas will be just fine, and will rack up the wins.  The Jayhawks also have one of the better players in the league in Ben McLemore, a very exciting freshman with tons of talent.  

  

#2 Duke Blue Devils

Duke is a perennial powerhouse in college basketball, so is it a surprise to see their name up this high on the list?  Coach K ( I would put his whole name, but I do not have the time to spell it out) is the most successful coach in history of college basketball so you will see his team up here every year until he is gone.  Duke is a very experienced team, and a very big team, they have many many forwards and only a few guards.  Their size definitely causes match up problems for any team.  With Seth Curry playing as well as he has been so far this year, and with the Plumlee brothers camping down low, as the season goes on Duke is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the tournament, as always.  

#1 Indiana Hoosiers

Cody Zeller, that is all I need to say.  If this kid is not voted player of the year, it will be highway robbery.  He can score, he can rebound, he is a great defender and has the most all around game of anyone in college basketball.  I have watched Indiana play a few times on television and I have really been impressed with their team defense, as well as the individual defense played by Victor Oladipo, he is a lock down defender.  I have wanted Indiana to be an elite program for years now, because they did have a few seasons of mediocrity, and it is sad to see such a storied program down in the dumps for so long, and now they have the right coach to do the job.  The one thing that could keep the Hoosiers from being number one at the end of the season is there schedule, they play five teams in the top 25 before the end of the year, including my number four team Michigan.  But if they do end up beating all these teams, they will deserve to be number one.    

Well there it is, this is what I saw when I looked into my crystal ball I keep hidden away from the public.  I could very well be wrong, I mean look at all the craziness that has gone down already this year and there is still ten games left to go.  But I am taking an educated guess from what I have seen, and in conclusion, it is going to be a fun last few weeks. 

  

Patrick Warburton

I have been watching alot, and I mean alot of Rules of Engagement on Netflix the last couple of weeks, and I now need every one to realize that Patrick Warburton should be the voice for...everything.  Now just in case you do not know him from Rules of Engagement, he also voices the character Joe on Family Guy.  He has such a deep voice that it would be recognized everytime someone hears it and they would wanna listen, I would buy anything that he wanted me to, because of his voice, I think it has that kind of affect.  What really convinced me is when I rode the Soarin Over California ride at Disneyland in college and he was the Captain of our trip, my trust was completely his when he spoke, I just felt like nothing was going to happen in his capable hands, and yes I do know he was not really the captain.  I am just saying if companies want to sell more products they need to get Patrick Warburton to be the voice of that brand.  It'll work, trust me, but more importantly, trust his voice.

Just listen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoDZv18xUbE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po40rflA7SU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85u4HSe0Sxg

Top 7 Adam Sandler Movies

I know it has been a while since I posted, maybe almost a year, but Im back and I thought I would hit you with a little something different than usual.  I am like an onion, I have many layers, and sports is just one of them, I mean it is a big thick layer though.  But anyway...enjoy!

I cant say that Adam Sandler is the best actor to have ever graced the big screen, but he is still one of my favorites.  He is hilarious, and he reinvents himself in every movie that he does.  I was going to do a top 10 list but it seemed to long.

7. Grown Ups
I just re watched this movie a couple weeks ago and it gets funnier every time I see it.  Movie goers love to see drama, its probably the number one reason people see movies, to see something happen.  I would classify this move as a one where that does not happen, nothing really bad happens.  The whole movie is pretty much about five friends that get together after a funeral and rag on each other for three days.  I think it was really refreshing to just have a freaking hilarious movie with really no conflict to speak of.  Oh and did I mention the all star cast, Sandler of course, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and David Spade, this should make you wanna see the movie without even knowing what its about.  And for every males viewing pleasure, Salma Hayek plays Sandlers wife so there is some eye candy for everyone.

6. Funny People
When most people think of Adam Sandler movies, this one probably is not in the forefront of everyone's mind.  I definitely do not think it was as popular as most of Sandler's movies, but that does not mean it is not a great movie.  This is another film where Sandler gets to showcase his range as an actor.  While the movie is about a stand up comic and his apprentice, it definitely has a sad or dramatic undercurrent to the whole flick. Seth Rogan is great in this movie and plays really well off Sandler.  When you see Sandlers spiral and fall in this movie, due to cancer, its hard to not feel for his character and what he is going through. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L1WegRiWyM

5. Anger Management
This movie is so good even my mom liked it, and she really is not an Adam Sandler fan, not even a little.  Now it may be that she really thinks that Jack Nickolson overshadows Sandlers performance but either way I will take it.  I do not get many victories.  This is another movie where Sandler plays a very unassuming and shy person, but once again he pulls it off very well.  There are many quotable lines in this movie and I love it. Retard your anger! Its retarted, Im retarted.  This is one of my favorite lines ever, me and my friends quote it all the time.  Nicholson does a great job in this movie, like he does in every one of his films, but for me its his most memorable.  I know most people would say its the Shining, or A Few Good Men, but I think it sticks with me because this is one of the first movies I have seen him be funny.  He can pull off crazy, I think we all know that, see the aforementioned Shining, but he can pull off crazy/funny really well.  And with the plethora of cameos like Bobby Knight, John McEnroe, and John C Reilly this movie is hilarious and a must see for...anyone.  


4. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
It is not just Jessica Biel that makes this movie so awesome, but its alot of it.  Kevin James and Adam Sandler are a great uhh "couple" in this movie.  I love Sandlers New York accent in this movie, it adds so much even though it may not be a great one.  The plot of this movie brings up so many things especially in a time when the gay issue has really been a hot topic in the last few years.  I think it was a perfect time for this movie to be made, and this issue to be brought up into the main stream media. And that is another reason for such the high ranking on my awesome list, plus...Jessica Biel.  Ving Rhames plays a very convincing gay firefighter, and he definitely adds something...to the movie.  I love when actors can play say like a zombie killer to a gay firefighter, its awesome.  I watch this movie ever week, and I really do not see myself slowing down in the near future.

3. Mr Deeds    
I absolutely love this movie! It is dumb, really has no plot but I cannot stop watching it.  It is also one of my roommates favorites as well.  Sandler plays a regular joe from a small hick town and somehow inherits 40 billion dollars.  I mean what could you do with 40 billion dollars?  If this movie does not make you think about all the possibilities of how to answer that question, well then there is something wrong with you.  The funny part of this movie is that even though he has all this money, he still acts exactly like he did before he became rich...like a hick.  He tries to act like a rich guy, learning to play tennis, running the football team, meeting with for investors.  But still carries his small town crazies; like eating at Wendy's, hugging whenever he has done something wrong, it really is quite the contrast.  The one liners that are in this movie are easy to remember and hilarious and by themselves make it worth the watch.  Actually I think I will watch it tonight, again.    

2. Happy Gilmore
Who does not love a funny sports movie, especially golf?  One of the reasons this movie is so high on my list is because Bob Barker, of The Price is Right, literally beats the crap out of Sandler, it is hilarious to see old wrinkly Barker kick butt.  But some of the other reasons include midget on a bike, a gator, golf with a hockey stick, and Tubbs.  The funniest part of this movie is the utter lack of respect that Sandler shows to the game of golf and the rules.  When he asks bystanders to clap while he hits, throwing his clubs all over the place, swearing like a sailor, it is hilarious.  Did I mention that Bob Barker beats someone up?  And who has not tried the whole running up from behind the golf ball and trying to hit it 400 yards down the fairway and putting with a hockey stick.  Also who has not tried jumping in front of the batting cage pitcher and taking one in the stomach.  I mean c'mon that is awesome right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QJiAK-s5a0

1. Billy Madison
Ok, seriously, who does not love this movie more than anything else?  The utter stupidity of it, the teenage jokes, the awful hyena laugh, it all comes together into of the best terrible movies ever.  I really do feel like a teenager again whenever I watch this movie, and like many other Sandler movies, has probably the most quotable moments of any movie, ANY!  I mean just listen to the plot; a kid with a wealthy father skids by until he has to go back to school, I mean every grade, starting at 1st, and go all the way up through high school.  Does that not scream hilarity?  And if you have not seen this movie, then watch it, and you will have the biggest crush on the teacher.  And the musical number in the movie is hilarious, after watching the movie just a few times you will have the words memorized.  Sandler is at his best playing the dumb uninspired barely 20 year old idiot, it is amazing to watch.        

March Just May Be Madness

So in the midst of March Madness, I want to share my thoughts with what has gone on and what is going to happen here in the next two weeks. Let me just start by saying that all the upsets and crazy games that we have seen are the reason that we have March Madness, for the little schools or low seeds that win games.

All of the brackets that I have filled out are completely worthless, and I think that this is true for just about everyone haha. You can maybe guess some upsets that will happen but when a double digit seed makes it to the Sweet 16 it is really hard to predict that. Unless you are from one of those schools, then you have your team winning it all. Schools like VCU and Marquette give people hope when they bust into the Sweet 16, and personally I love it because I am always a fan of the underdogs. And alot of the teams that I dont like are traditionally high seeds so I love to see them lose too, so there is that haha. But like I said, every one loves a good cinderella story, like George Mason or Gonzaga in the past. Who will it be this year, VCU has played two very good games so far beating Georgetown and a very good Purdue team, and they have a chance to go to Elite 8 because they play a OK Florida State team. And Marquette even though they are from a power conference has kind of disappeared in the last few years after their head coach left for Indiana. So this is there jump back into the spot light, and I think they will be a team to watch out for the rest of the way. I am excited to see what happens the rest of the tournament, I am hoping for more upsets so I can still have hope in all the underdogs out there.

Now I want to address this kid oddly nicknamed Jimmer. If you have never heard of this kid, you must be living in a barn or under a rock, and I think you would of still have heard of him. This kid has taken the college basketball world by storm this year, he is easily an All-American, and is the front runner for player of the year. One cool thing about Jimmer is that he plays for BYU, when was the last time a player that went to BYU was up for player of the year, not a powerhouse like Duke or Ohio State, much less a West Coast school. His name should speak for itsself, or the notoriety that it has reached. To be "jimmered" is now an acceptable term to hear, there is also a remix of Teach Me How to Dougie, called, you guessed it Teach Me How to Jimmer. The reason that this kid is so good is because he can create hos own shot from anywhere on the floor, and when I say anywhere, I mean everywhere. Just look at this clip of a game against New Mexico where he scored only 52 points link. I think his official range is out to the half court line, and he makes it look easy. And just when you want to guard him tight, he uses his deceptively quick first step and intelligence to blow by you and get to the basket. Once he gets to the basket he uses his strength to draw the foul, where he shoots a, surprise, about 90 percent. Before I saw him play I wondered how he could score all those points, he must take almost all the teams shots and not pass, you know the classic "ballhog", but once I actually say him play I was very impressed with his court vision and his ability to pass the ball. I dont know what position he would play in the NBA because he is not a true point guard, and may be a little slow to play the 2 but we will see once he gets drafted. But I can say confidently now he is an amazing player and if you havent seen him play, look him up he is legit.

So my predictions for this tournament still holds strong because fortunately the team I picked to win it all is still in contention, and that team is the UConn Huskies. Their point guard Kemba Walker is to me the runner up for player of the year, he is a great true point guard but scores as well. UConn is one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament winning at least 6 games in a row, including 5 games in 5 nights in the Big East tournament.

This is obviously my favorite month of the year because it is all basketball all of the time, and it is any sports lovers dream. Now I am not able to watch every game due to my lack of cable but I try and watch every game that is on CBS, so if you wanna get a hold of me this month you know where I will be.

And now let me teach you how to jimmer:

My Life As We Speak

This is a post not so much relating to sports, I know I said this blog was gonna be all about sports, but hey I am not one dimensional, like Donkey says, I am like an onion I have many layers, sports is just a really thick layer. But it will still be interesting, cause its about me obviously.

Since about January until about a week ago, I was in a rut/funk or whatever noun you want to use for this word. I had just recently gotten back to Washington after finishing up an internship in Arizona. I really loved it down there and I tried my hardest find a job so I could stay and live down there. But despite my best efforts, the economy has hit especially hard down there so I was not able to get a job. During my last few weeks down in Arizona I had been talking to my buddy Jeff and he said that if I cant get a job down there that he could get me a job working for a company called Center Partners in Spokane and that he also had a apartment and was looking for a third roommate, so to me this sounded like a great deal, little did I know, but we will get to that later.

So I made the harrowing trip back up to Washington, luckily my little brother flew down to Arizona and drove back with me. When I got back to Washington and lived with my parents for a while, the first thing I did was fill out an application to work at Center Partners as a Sales Agent. I knew a little about the company but not a lot. I had an interview set up for about a week and a half later in Spokane, and also on this trip I was going to take a look at the apartment I was going to be renting. The interview process was pretty easy and I was reasonably confident that I would get the job and they let me know that day that I did. So at least that part was out of the way. I also went and looked at the apartment and it was awesome and cheap.

Anyway I started working for Center Partners in the middle of January. The first 2 weeks of work were all training and I quickly realized the first day that I might be in over my head because if anyone knows me I am not what you would call a people person, and thats really what this job is is talking to people. My job was to take incoming calls from people who wanted to set up service with T Mobile, which may sound easy but more than half of people who call in arent trying to set up service, they have other questions and it was our job to try and sell them something using the ruse that we could save them some money. I am not good at this kind of thing, so it was really hard for me to want to go to work, or even want to do well at my job. This was the start of slip into a funk, it was this job that started me down the slippery slope. I was not happy at work, and my schedule was 2 in the afternoon until 10 at night, which made it so I could never really do anything during the week and I never saw my roommates until the weekend. It was a very lonely time as well because I only ever saw people at work, and not my friends. The first day I got hired I started looking for a new job, and I looked everyday, thats not an exaggeration at all, every day.

Through all of this I have also been having money troubles so that has not made it any easier for me when I have to worry from paycheck to paycheck. All these factors put together really put me into a rut which I am not accustomed too. I was never in a really good mood, and just didnt like where my life was at.

Fortunately in the last few weeks things I think have started to take a turn for the better. My obsessive job hunting finally paid off because I found and got a job with the city of Liberty Lake working on their "Parks Crew", which means I am able to work outside and with my hands, and most importantly not deal with stupid people who have no idea how to be successful in life. This job is really more suitable for me and I have already seen a change in my attitude for everyday. I am tired at the end of every day but I think that is a good thing, because that means I accomplished something, when I can step back and say I did that.

I am glad that I did not give up because I may have been stuck in that job for a long time if I didnt have the motivation to look for another job, but thats how bad it was, immediately I started looking. But anyway, my life is now on the upswing, and right now I couldnt be happier, that is all.

College Bowl Season

I know I am not the first person to say that the college bowl season is getting ridiculous in terms of length and sponsorship. When an announcer has to say a stupid sponsor name every time they say the name of the bowl it gets more annoying every time, especially when its something like the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, or my personal favorite the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. These names take away from the quality of the bowl games because it makes them seem like they sold out, and some of the names just make it sound pompous. The one bowl that is the exception to this rule is the Chic-fil-a Bowl which has not changed the name of the bowl since they started sponsoring the bowl, which was way before a lot of the bowls. Some of the bowl games I did not even want to watch in fear of how many times I would hear the stupid sponsor name. Some are so ridiculous that they literally make me laugh out loud every time i hear them. I was talking to my dad and he remembers when bowls were just the Military Bowl, the Rose Bowl, and the Gator Bowl. I realize that companies will use any platform to market for their company, but apparently having signs all over the stadium is not enough anymore. The NCAA needs to look into this problem and quickly find a solution, limit the words, or say that signs are enough and do not need to blemish the name of the bowls.

On another but no less annoying point about the bowl season is how long it drags on and on and on and on. You can ask my mom, I love football way more than anyone should, but even I think there are to many bowls to watch. It seems like every team is in a bowl nowadays. Teams that are 6-6 with six division one wins are eligible for bowl games, which to me is just promoting mediocrity. These teams are obviously not the cream of the crop in college football but are still being rewarded for finishing right at 500. They need to cut down the number of bowl games, the count for games this year was 35. So 70 teams made it to bowl game this year, and I bet about 15 of those teams were a mediocre 6-6. I think they should cut the number down to around 16 bowl games every year, which would make the games much more competitive and would give extra motivation for teams to win. More people would tune in to fewer games because they have not become saturated with average football. Now I do know that some of these average teams do pull an upset once and a while, like this year when Washington flattened Nebraska in a rematch of a earlier game this season. These games are few and far in between, but they do appeal to people, who always love an underdog. So some would state the case that teams that finish 6-6 or even 7-5 do deserve a chance to play in a bowl game, but I think that you need at least a 8-4 record to make it to a bowl game, the competition and audience would sky rocket. I mean I am just saying, but I like to think I know what I am talking about.

What Am I Doing Out Here

These were the words that Brett Favre uttered to himself while once again lying on the ground after a 300 pound lineman took him to the turf. As a Vikings fan, I do not want to hear words like this coming from my quarterback, no matter how much i dislike him. I am a Vikings fan through and through no matter who is my quarterback...even Brett Favre. But having said that it is time for Brett "Flip Flop" Favre to take a permanent vacation away from the NFL, before he dies. I have not watched a Vikings game for the last three weeks because I cant stand that Brett Favre is not playing because he loves the game anymore, he wants to play so he can prove to everyone that despite his age, injuries, and stupidity, that he still gives the Vikings there best chance to win. This is garbage, he can barely move, every time he gets hit it takes about an hour for Favre to pull himself off the turf. It just kills me to see him throw interception after interception because he does not know when to just take the sack and hold onto the ball. Let me speak to Brett Favre himself, your time is up old man, you keep holding on hoping that you will have one game that will make up for the crap you have put us through the last year and a half, well guess what its not gonna help, your washed up and need to realize it. Go spend some time with your hot wife and daughter and let this franchise move on.

Now that I have destroyed Brett Favre, let me convince everyone why Tavaris Jackson needs to be the starter...because HE GIVES US THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN, not Favre. Let's start with the fact that he is almost half Favre's age. He is young and mobile, much more less susceptible to injuries, and wont crumble to the turf after every hit. In 2008 when T-Jack had the opportunity to start 8 games he ended that season with 1000 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, but immediately got shoved to the back when The Relic came to town. I don't think Jackson has gotten his chance to shine in the NFL yet, he has so much potential and his ceiling is high. The Viking fans love Tavaris, especially when he running down the field because they know Favre couldn't and wouldn't do that.

It is time for a change in Minnesota, Favre had his fun, ruined me as a fan, and now needs to move on and leave us alone. I dont know how Packer fans put up with this for so long...