Random NFL Thoughts

So there's a few things going through my head now with regards to the NFL.

1) Ines Sainz.

This story is ridiculous. She is ridiculous. I'm not convinced this story is for her own personal goal to get famous, I think she really felt uncomfortable. It's a cultural thing. You can't market yourself though as the "hottest sports reporter" and not expect to be treated like that. This woman can't have her cake and eat it too. Be a professional ALL the time. She flirted with players in previous interviews a couple years ago, so she should expect the SAME. She set the bar. Sorry you don't like it.

My biggest question is WHY is she here? To interview Mark Sanchez. WHY? About WHAT? I understand he's kind of an ambassador for Mexican-American athletes, which is cool, but does she really have to interview him during the season when he's in New York. What's the point?

What's absurd is how much attention it's getting. It shouldn't be. I shouldn't be writing this. This just launches a sexism debate that shouldn't even discussed. There's plenty of female sports reporters that are treated normal. I bet most of them don't pose like a model in their spare time.

Anyone wanna go in $100 with me that she's on SOME reality show soon? Dancing With The Stars? I'm a Celebrity get me out of here? Teen Mom?

2) NFL Red Zone

I heard this thing was awesome. I was able to check it out Sunday on the internet live stream. It's beyond awesome. It's like football on steroids.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, Red Zone is a live 7 hour stream of all the NFL games with a live look in for the exciting plays and plays in the Red Zone. It jumps from game to game, so you never see anything boring.

When you think about it, football is the most watched sport, but it's the most boring. 5 seconds of a play then 20-30 seconds of nothing. Tons of commercials. It's so slow. Red Zone there's never a dull moment, literally. There's no commercials, literally just seven hours of football. It's better than getting the NFL Total Package deal, because it's A) free (okay, just cable) B) it takes you to the game without having to change the channel. You'll see every touchdown. It's perfect for every NFL fan - especially the Fantasy Football fans. Which leads to..

3) Fantasy Football

I hate fantasy football. Our country is obsessed with it. It costs business $275 million and $435 million per week. Per WEEK.

It's all luck and being on top of it at all times. For example: my player got in the end zone, but there was a penalty. Following the penalty, they scored with a different player. I lost so many points over a dumb thing. I know "that's how it goes" but it's so annoying to watch. Or the benching/starting concept. Obviously some games you'll have a clue on who will have a good game and who won't, but you can't predict everything. So you can start someone who has a bad game, but have someone on your bench who scored 3 TDs. Not fair.

And if you're not on top of the waiver wire picking up the latest hot players, forget about it. I'm not invested enough to care. I do it every year, and I'll keep up, but I can't keep up with everyone, and it angers me too much.

Maybe this gets back to my "I'm sports agnostic" theory from a couple posts back, but I just don't really care about fantasy sports. I lost complete track of baseball this summer, it's just not on my radar at all. Jens, if you're reading this, I still am honored to be a honorary Vandy Danny Duberstein.

So that's it. Except I'm also excited about Vick starting for the Birds. Who let the dogs out????

What?? Too soon?? It's never too soon.

Entourage Season 7 Finale

I'm sorry I'm behind. Having a real job is exhausting. Trying to keep a social life is even more exhausting. I still love you, I promise.

I personally was thrilled with the Entourage finale. The season was kind of eh, but the finale validated the downturn. Because they already had everything fall apart, but it was magically fixed for a feel-good end. That was how the show was supposed to go. Everything feels good.

But this time it went bad, real bad. The biggest problem isn't Vince becoming addicted to drugs and is out of control; it's that he's turning his back on his friends - especially when he's there for them. The point of the show is the friendship. They're losing that. It's far more serious than it's ever been. Medellin was just a terrible movie. Turning your back on your friends and going on a downward spiral is far worse - something you can't just "get out of".

I immediately thought about the celebrities you hear about who have these crashes - Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears come to mind - who go crazy and reach a breaking point (jail, DUI, shaving your head, among other things) and are making a desperate cry for help. That's Vinny right now. That's what the whole season has been. Really when you think about it, it's been building to this point since the season 5 freefall when Vince loses control and actually did fire Eric. I think we forgot that it happened because everything was fixed 6 minutes later. Season 6 was nice, but it was clearly temporary.

Even with Ari - the once powerful agent who was an ass at work and the hero at home, his worlds have collided, and now everything COULD fall apart.

It's the celebrity lifestyle going to the head of these people - they don't stay the same. The only one that's really the same is Drama - and isn't that a relief.

You get the feeling that going into a short season 8 and with a predicted movie coming, the ship will right itself before the ultimate end, but Doug Ellin's created enough drama to keep people interested. The friendship will stay true, but there's still a little bit more to come until then.

VMA Hangover

Last night was the VMAs. Eh.

I think last year's was SO overtalked about that everyone was left disappointed. Obviously the Kanye/Taylor Swift storyline stole the show last year, but there were still so many other great parts. The Jay-Z premiere of Empire State of Mind, Taylor Swift's Subway ride to outside Radio City. The Gaga/Elton John thing. I liked the Green Day performance, but I also love Green Day. The MJ tributes. Beyonce.

This year just didn't really feel like the performances were that great. I was watching online through a bad connection, so I missed Usher and the "Florence and the Machines" thing, who I've never heard of before. All I heard was Usher sucked and lip-sung. Weird.

Let's be honest - we remember the VMAs for what happens. And that's it, nothing happened. The performances were eh. Nobody had anything creative. Taylor Swift's was creepy. Eminem was decent, but not really. I wouldn't say Drake was a disappointment, but given how Drake has blown up, you'd expect him to do a bigger performance I still believe people only like B.o.B.'s songs because of the choruses that he doesn't sing (What's the most famous part of Airplanes? Hayley Williams part).

Honestly the only thing that I thought was decent was Bieber. Kid can do it. I don't understand how a 16 year old can write so many songs about being in love, but whatever. The only thing I think about Bieber is that he is Dani, the female runner up to Tila Tequila's Shot at Love. Pictured below.

You know I'm right.

So anyways, my point is, there just wasn't anything worthwhile. It doesn't even have to be controversial. You remember things from previous VMAs because there were AMAZING. For example:
2008 - I really liked the Jonas Brothers one, but Pink killed it, T.I. Live Your Life, and it was Britney's night. Oh and Russel Brand WTF, and Kanye premieres Love Lockdown
2007 - Britney's disaster, Tommy Lee/Kid Rock whatever
2006 - okay I lied I don't remember everything
2005 - Trapped In the Closet? Absolutely. And Since U Been Gone.
2004 - okay I was too upset over the Blink breakup to watch.
2003 - Britney/Madonna/Aguliera. Boom. But Jay and B too.
2002 - The "return" of Guns N Roses - but delayed 8 years.
And somewhere Blink had an awesome show.

I'm just saying, there was nothing here. Absolutely nothing. No inspired performances. That's what I like about Lady Gaga. I don't go crazy for her like everyone else does, but she really cares about everything. That performance last year was real intense. I've heard her concerts are very artful and inspired. Her dresses - even though she looks stupid to me - are very important to her. Winning the VMA for Video of the Year was SO important to her that she started crying. When have you seen that? That's what I respect about her. And not only that - she's using her fame to help shine light on others less fortunate than her. Mad props.

Everyone was SO looking forward to the Kanye/Taylor moment and were let down when nothing really happened. What did you think would happen? It's been a year. It doesn't matter. It almost seems silly that Taylor wrote a song about it, and waited to perform it that night. Stop milking it.

Obviously I love Kanye, I thought the song was great. It doesn't matter how he pulls it off, as long he does. It wasn't about redemption so much as just moving on. The song won't be his best, but it's an admittance of how much of a (insert word here) Yeezy's been for "way too long." Kanye's been forgiven. Let's be honest, these people go to prison and come back bigger than ever. When Weezy's out? It's gonna be a takeover.

I thought Chelsea Handler was funny too. And probably hammered, which is why I love her. It was such a great upgrade over Russell Brand, who had such unmemorable performance TWO years in a row.

We expect too much all the time. It was shorter too - only two hours? Went a little longer, but still I was shocked at how short it was. I guess last year's was 3 because of the MJ tributes, but 2 felt short.

Until next year VMAs, where I'm sure Gaga will win again. I'm sorry I'm rambling this has been like a 2 day process to write this my thoughts are scattered.

Don't Ping Me

I'm not talking aobut the Ping golf clubs. If you want to Ping me with them, please do! I need a new driver! No, seriously.

As part of Stevie Jobs' Apple conference last week, he announced the launch of Ping through iTunes, a new social network to follow your favorite artists and friends, and to help customize the music that you might like based on what you & your friends have previously bought via iTunes.

Therein lies the problem for people like me - I don't buy my music on iTunes. Most of the time I'll buy the CD version, because if they're the same price, why not have a hard copy? They work the same. Apple chose to ignore your music unless it's got the Apple stamp of approval. I know why - the $$.

Apple wants to know what you've bought and encourage you to keep buying what they suggest which is (conveniently) through them. Makes sense from their perspective, but it annoys me. I typically don't like being told what I'm supposed to buy or do with my life. Especially when it's from big bad corporations. I like to decide for myself. Maybe that's a little brash, but it's honest.

The other thing is that Ping isn't really anything new. I can - and do - "follow" these artists on Twitter. Plus, they don't have a very real feel. I wrote in my last post about how celebrities on Twitter don't feel real. This doesn't either. It needs some more personal feel. Who's writing the posts for Weezer, U2, Pearl Jam etc? When it's dealing with bands there's more than one person's opinions. Obviously most bands only have one front man, but the other members are people too, right?

How can Apple make it real? I'm not sure, maybe let the artist's customize their page, not make it just a promotion of their music. If the band isn't personally contributing to the page, then don't waste our time. No one wants to hear them self promote. Apple won't let that happen, because they love being in control. They won't give it up. Absolutely not.

It's only been a week, so there's still plenty of time to recover, but I'm not confident I see the point of the network to make it worthwhile. If my friends don't buy music from Apple, then how is it any different than Twitter, except for Apple trying to force me to buy music from them?

You don't win this round Jobs.

Kanye West is Perfect for Twitter

A few days ago, Kanye had over 50 tweets regarding public perception of him, his own evaluation of himself, and the VMA/Taylor Swift incident that caused recent (although almost a year ago) criticism.

Before I get too far into this, I should say my opinion about Kanye. I really believe he's one of the most talented and inspired artists out there. I would almost say he's a genius musically. He is always exploring new avenues for music that have not been written before. Every album sounds different. He took a chance on 808s and Heartbreak - and was successful with it - that you wouldn't see most artists dare to attempt. I almost believe he's bored musically, because he's challenging himself to be better and doesn't want more of the same. He's exploring other avenues as well - fashion obviously being one of his other passions. You don't usually see a straight black man adamant about creating new fashion, yet there's Kanye doing his thing. He's got very strong emotions, as you can see in his tantrums, beliefs (like the George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People), and even how upset he got over his mother's untimely passing.

He's cocky. There's no doubt about it. But he usually backs it up. He really believes that he deserves all the credit in the world for his music, and can't believe that U2 could possibly create a better record than him for the 2006 Grammys. Really Kanye? Better than U2? Good luck. Many people hate him for his brashness. I think that's what makes him so great; his belief in himself that he is the best. It's a gift & a curse. You think Taylor Swift really thought she was good enough to win Album of the Year this year? Over GaGa, Beyonce, Dave, and Black Eyed Peas? (I love/have a crush on Taylor and think she's absolutely adorable/amazing/etc but she probably would have bet on all of them but herself. That's part of what makes Taylor great though. I'm rambling.) Kanye believes he's the best. You have to respect his opinion.

There's no way around the Taylor Swift/VMA incident. He came off looking like an asshole. Everyone hated him. He was right though - Beyonce's video was the best. He just had (or created) a platform to share his opinion with the world. And look - Beyonce's video won Video of the Year. (Random tangent - how do you lose Female Video of the Year but win Video of the Year, don't they correlate? MTV is dumb.)


That doesn't make what Yeezy did right. It was Taylor's time to shine. He took that away from her. Asshole move, absolutely. He tweeted how everyone benefited from it though - and yet again, he's right. Taylor was/is clearly a rising star destined for the top, but her hysteria reached a new high following that incident. So did Beyonce's. Jay Leno certainly did for his first night. So did Kanye's. I think he summed it up best in this tweet: "Remember in Anchor Man when Ron Burgandy cursed on air and the entire city turned on him? But this wasn't a joke. This was & is my real life"

So besides 'Ye's spelling problems, it's so true. Ron Burgundy came back from his exile. Which finally (and longer than I had planned) gets back to why Kanye is good for Twitter. Kanye seems to be the rare breed of celebrity that really doesn't censor himself. He doesn't have someone talk for him. Kanye talks from his heart, without thinking rationally or about the implications of his words. At his level of celebrity, society says he can't say things like our President doesn't care about black people. His emotions told him otherwise.

Some celebrities don't speak, and if they're on Twitter, it's automated or fake or just stupid tweets. I'm not saying Kanye's are the most intellectual things out there, and it's not how everyone else (read: probably you) should tweet. But Twitter breaks down the barrier between the fan and the celebrity and Kanye can really speak to us. I saw his UStream from a month ago and was surprised at how normal he is, yet how much of a genius he is. It opens a whole new door that I think is perfect for him.

So Kanye apologized on Twitter. He's done it before. Going through all of his tweets, you can tell he has really thought about this. It's been on his mind for a while. The amount of criticism he got was unreal. I'm real excited to hear his song that he wrote for Taylor, and his new album. I don't really believe Kanye is a "changed man" - you can't change who you are. He may try harder to be a better person, but he is who he is - and that's why we listen to his music.

No one man should have all that power.

I think I'm becoming agnostic to sports

I went to the Phillies game the other night with my dad, which was a great time. However, as I sat there, I found myself really uninterested in if the Phillies would win, and more interested in seeing a great game. The Phils were playing the Brewers, so I was hoping to see Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun play well for the Brewers, just seem some good playing.

I was looking around and watching as all the fans in the crowd were so into the game and so emotional towards every action. Stupid actions though, like thinking a foul ball could of been a home run. Or clapping for the adult who catches the foul ball with a glove. He's got a glove, he SHOULD catch it.

It was a weird feeling for me. I think I would say that baseball is EASILY my favorite sport to follow, with the Sox & Phils being my favorite teams to root for. Growing up, the Phils sucked (losing 100 games a year was not good for my health) and the Sox won me over with a young Pedro and Nomar. I've already documented my Nomar obsession. Baseball used to be the sole purpose of living. I'd watch every possible game and episode of Baseball Tonight and wear my (very beaten up and sweaty) Sox hat everyday for almost 5 years. That thing was gross. It was a point of pride for me to wear my Sox attire as many days as possible. Washing optional.

Since I've now seen those two teams win championships within the past three years (and 2 in the past 6 for the Sox), I almost feel numb towards them. Like they're still there, but it's not as exciting. We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish. It was exciting, heart racing, and at some times absolutely terrifying. I just don't get as excited as I used to. I'm not entirely sure that's the reason why, but it's something.

Another thing has been how I've been more around the "business" side of sports with some of my internships, and I've seen more how that side works. It's a transition from fan to professional. I was fortunate to see several Sox games through my internship, but just never really got into the game because I was "working." I went to a few Bruins/Flyers games and wanted to get into the game but couldn't because I was "working." And it just wasn't the same. I wanted to see the Flyers win, but I wasn't screaming/yelling/fighting/etc to see it happen.

I thought it was just me growing up, but I know that there are adults who act as crazy as I used to. I think it is likely that we are on different intellectual levels and "see" things differently. I'm not trying to make myself sound smarter, I'm just serious.

What I like to see is good games. Pitchers duels. Hitters battles. Milestones. I really want to see Albert Pujols absolutely crush the Home Run record. I hope the best for Strasburg & the Nationals. That would be great for the city and franchise if he can work out. Same with Bryce Harper. Maybe one day the Cubs can not suck for just 182 games. It's not so much about the teams to me anymore. I don't get super upset when the Yankees win. I just can't blindly and give my undying allegiance to a franchise anymore. I want to see things that are good for the overall health of the sport. I'm tired of the steroid nonsense, and I think we're definitely over the hump with regards to that.

But it's not just baseball. I can say the same for football. I really want to see good games rather than just root for the Eagles even when they suck (which I'm fully expecting this year, but Andy Reid likes to prove me wrong).

Or basketball. As much as I don't like the ego of LeBron, he is an amazing player and it should be a blast following the Heat for the next few years should they steer clear of injuries. It'll be great to watch the rest of the league - supposedly we could see the same thing happen for the Knicks with Carmelo/Amare/CP3 if the stars align correctly. Sure, we're not seeing competitive basketball from every team, but I like seeing the players be more in control of the league than the overbearing owners.

I guess I just like seeing the good stories, the things that really make sports special. I feel like I've lost attachment directly towards a specific team and instead embrace the entire sport. It's much more difficult because there is no real "winning" or "losing" for me, because the end of a season just means the end of another chapter of a book. It sounds weird, and I don't like it either.

So I guess this post is just me talking myself through my current state of mind, and your supposed to listen. Thanks?

The Case for the iPod Classic

I just watched the latest Steve Jobs Apple news conference. I wasn't blown away by anything - because it was nothing really that special. I'm not really an diehard Apple fanboy, but I do like most of what they are doing, but have problems with their we-must-control-everything mentality.

So Jobs introduced all the new iPods. New Shuffle. New Nano. New Touch. Cool. Whatever. The Nano and Shuffle are so small. It's an amazing technological achievement, but it is not practical. Their too easy to lose, be stolen, disappear, whatever.

I guess I'm old school, but I always liked the old "Classic" iPod.


It's original. It's simple. It's the perfect size for my hand/pocket etc. I've said before how I've stocked up on too much music before, and have separation anxiety without having all of it. It's so stupid, but that's Apple's fault. They give you the option to have 160GB worth of music. And my iPod is my number two attachment behind my cell phone - so I need a really good reason to NOT have it with me all the time.

I don't need my iPod to do video. I don't give a damn. It's too small a screen, having to hold it at the right angle for an extended period of time, it's not worth it. If I'm going anywhere for an extensive period of time where I want to watch something, there's a good chance I'll have my laptop, with a much better screen.

Today was "an all new lineup" for the iPod "family" - but the Classic was left out. What's that about? I know it's hard to re-invent the wheel (pun intended) but there's got to be something. Put a camera on it. Radio FM player. Upgrade the operating system. Make it thinner. They make the iTouch thinner and add a camera, but can't do anything for the Classic. It's like they've left their first-born to live on its own. No more support, no more upgrades. Maybe that's why it's the Classic. It's sad. But it's fine. Don't fix what's broken. Not like Apple ever follows that policy.

I've got my 160GB iPod Classic, and also have an 8 GB iPod Touch. One gets more use than the other. It's not hard to guess which. Maybe old habits die hard, and maybe I'm stubborn, but I plan on using my old iPod until the thing literally dies on me, and hope that the Classic is still around when I need another one.

It'd be nice to see Apple not ignore their original child that is the sole reason Apple is what it is today, because I still think it's their best iPod out there. In the meantime, I'm souped about the iPad Printing feature, and when the new ones come out, I'm going to be in that long line. Can't wait.