Incapable of Creating a Clever Title

Epidilius: Rules to New Girl's True American

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:58:03 -0400

Epidilius: Rules to New Girl's True American:

Game prep:

Arrange the cans of beer around the bottle of rum. The cans are Pawns of the Secret Order, the rum is the King, and the arrangement is called the Castle.

Decide on 4 Zones, and arrange platforms ( chairs, buckets, anything ) in patterns through them. The 5th Zone is the Zone with the…

lac-e: MASSSIVE GIVE AWAYYYY!!!! included: macbook air...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:30:44 -0400

lac-e:

MASSSIVE GIVE AWAYYYY!!!!

included:

macbook air UNUSED

nikon SLR D5100 camera UNUSED

blackberry smartphone 8250 UNUSED

ipod classic

Eternity purfume- Calvin Klein UNOPENED

Chloe purfume- UNUSED

silk shorts- boutique in Italy

skirt boho brint- urban outfitters

infinity red knit muffler- urban outfitters

jewelry- i dont remember haha

my father’s company gave us all these electronics so I decided to give them away :)

ALL of these items will be given to ONE lucky follower from notes of the photo THAT I DO NOT PERSONALLY KNOW

You may reblog this picture up to FIVE times

i will pay for good quality national/ international shipment

YOU MUST KEEP THIS ON YOUR BLOG TILL MARCH 30th (the day the winner is decided)

for proof- the winner will upload a photo of them with all the items!

i will decide the winner in the last week of march

message me for any questions!!

MUST BE FOLLOWING: lac-e

this is not a joke

Photo

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:17:37 -0500

uwomenshoops: A must-watch video on the foundation of this...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:29:31 -0500

uwomenshoops:

A must-watch video on the foundation of this year’s women’s basketball team.

I’m in this!

theuhoops: Dequan Jones Dunks All Over This Highlight Reel

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:16:57 -0500

theuhoops:

Dequan Jones Dunks All Over This Highlight Reel

The Stupidity of Judging by Dress

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:23:30 -0500

Charles Pierce of Grantland.com wrote a great article about the stupidity of dress codes.

“Let me be quite plain. The petty tyranny of dress codes contributed not at all to my abilities as a student, nor to my desire to learn, nor, as near as I could tell, to the overall learning environment in the classroom… My grades stayed roughly the same. I could have dressed like Fred Astaire. I could have dressed like Chewbacca. I still would have nearly failed algebra. Twice. All the dress code served to do was to enforce conformity, to homogenize us so that we could be managed more easily, which was the entire point from the start. How you dress has nothing to do with how you think or how you write. This is an argument we all won somewhere in the late 1960s and apparently have to fight all over again.”

I only dream to articulate like this man

Thinly Veiled Blog Post

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:28:16 -0400

A certain bff of mine is an expert at writing blog posts meant for certain people but never revealing the identity of that person. I really miss talking with him or HER on a nightly basis and learning new things about life and men or WOMEN from her. This particular person has been a part of my life for so long and I just want to have a skype conversation with this person again. I like this person a great deal and when we don’t talk for a while a die a little inside. Maybe this person will realize I’m only doing what this person does.

I miss you, person who does this frequently :)

so-appalled: haha happy halloween

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:25:44 -0400

so-appalled:

haha happy halloween

"The elephant has left the room, but the smell remains, and this is something else left behind:..."

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 01:41:23 -0400

“The elephant has left the room, but the smell remains, and this is something else left behind: (Parcells’) philosophy. His pupils keep trying to win with linemen, in the trenches, signing them for big money and drafting them high. Sparano, an offensive line coach all his life, embraces the antiquated idea of out-toughing teams, beefing up with elephants in a race now run by gazelles. Third-down passing and fourth-quarter passing have become more important than the grind-it-out way championed by Parcells and his pupils. The last three champions — Colts, Saints, Packers — threw the ball an insane amount. The Colts and Packers were in the lower half of the league in rushing, running the ball just to give the quarterback’s arm a rest. The Pats and Jets went after big-name receivers to keep up while the Dolphins drafted a center in the first round.”

- Dan Le Batard- Best Dolphins opinion I’ve heard

I could stare into her face for hours. The never rivaled US...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:57:52 -0400

I could stare into her face for hours. The never rivaled US Women’s National Team Goalie Hope Solo. She’s stunningly beautiful

Photo

Thu, 19 May 2011 13:44:10 -0400

Derrick Rose Annoys Me Already

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:20:00 -0400

Derrick Rose has entered Tim Tebow category. It’s not so much that anything he does bothers me, but for some reason Rose has become a beacon of hard work and being a great teammate, something that has only happened because of the number in the win column next to Chicago in the Eastern Conference Standings. There is no doubt he has maybe the best skill set for a point guard in the NBA and is blossoming into a better-passing Dwayne Wade, BUT, he is NOT the MVP of the NBA this year. The reason the Chicago Bulls have 60 wins to date has more to do with the 91.3 points per game they’ve allowed this season as compared to the 99.1 they allowed a year ago. Whether that defense is due to new coach Tom Thibodeau or the addition of Omer Asik (Laughable, but metrics show he’s been great defensively) or any other new factors is irrelevant. The 8 points per game that they are better on defense is not Derrick Rose’s doing, he was on the team last year. So when I read something like this from Michael Wilbon, I want to vomit:

“I respect John (Hollinger) very much … but to giving yourself over to numbers is always the wrong way to go. Numbers can’t tell you how hard a guy practices and whether his infectious work habits affect the work habits of teammates. Numbers can’t tell you whether a guy grabbed somebody by the collar in the locker room and said, “You’re playing tonight or I’m going to put my fist through your chest” which, trust me, happensNumbers can’t tell you whether a guy played through a sprained ankle when he shouldn’t have and either inspired or scared the hell out of his teammates. Numbers can’t tell you whether teammates and opponents hold a player in awe because of something he does during the game. Numbers tell you a portion of the story, and then you have to use your eyes and sense of the game, hopefully acquired over years and years of watching and listening, and make an assessment.

If numbers prevent you from making those kinds of judgment, based on your own watching and listening to coaches/players/trainers, etc., then to me you’re not doing your job. Now, again, I KNOW Hollinger does his job and works at it passionately. … I just completely disagree with any of these stat metrics that have contributed to a tyranny of statistics, many of which obscure the truth of the matter.

The truth of the matter this season is that NO player in the NBA has meant as much to his team, has played as well, has led as effectively, has been as accountable and as responsible as D. Rose of the Chicago Bulls. Fortunately, I think the vast majority of the voters know this. I know Doc Rivers pulled me aside in January and said, “Rose is going to the MVP of the league THIS year.” Doc said that. I’ll take his informed judgment over all the numbers Hollinger and anybody else can produce.”

I thought as sports fans, we became smarter than this. I thought we had gotten over looking at the fire in someone’s eyes and being a great teammate as reasons why some body is a great player. I thought we had evolved from the sports fan of the past that may as well be a caveman hitting me over the head with a chemistry club. I always have and always will be a defender of numbers. How is sports the only field where we just sort of guess how good something is based on what we perceive? Bill Simmons, Michael Wilbon, and the overall narrative of Rose is that he’s a better team mate and he cares more than most players in the league and therefore he is the MVP. What? That leaves no room for discussion. I can’t tell you what you’re seeing is wrong, because if you want to believe that he has fire in his eyes I can’t tell you that what’s in his eyes is apathy. But what I can tell you is that fire in your eyes really means nothing. It has nothing to do with how good of a basketball player you are and it has nothing to do with how you stack up against other basketball players in an MVP race. There are similar narratives about Kevin Durant and plenty of other NBA players and teams, and yet somehow Derrick Rose is getting all of this. If we were honest with ourselves, the people that are picking Derrick Rose are doing it for three reasons.

The Chicago Bulls were a surprise 60-win team
Derrick Rose is by a lot the best player on the Chicago Bulls
In the absence of an explanation as to why the Bulls are a 60-win team, Derrick Rose has gotten all the credit

What really offends me as someone who believes in the tangible is Michael Wilbon’s blanket dismissal of statistics for opinions based on perception. Give me reality over perception every time. Hollinger’s analysis of the NBA is my personal favorite because he knows this and pours over every meaningful stat and makes his analysis that way. You’ll be right more than not when you have the truth over what you perceive.

In that vein, here are three candidates for MVP

Player 1: 26.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.0 APG, 27.32 Player Efficiency Rating, 25.6 Estimated Wins Added
Player 2: 23.0 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 2.4 Blocks Per Game, 26.16 Player Efficiency Rating, 22.5 Estimated Wins Added
Player 3: 25.1 PPG, 7.8 APG, 4.1 RPG, 23.77 Player Efficiency Rating, 18.8 Estimated Wins Added

Who’s resume is the weakest? Player 3. Who is Player 3? Derrick Rose

In any definition of value, weather it means who adds most to their team or who is the best player, Player 1 is the MVP. However, player 1 is Lebron James. The PERCEPTION is that Lebron James can’t win the MVP because he plays with two other superstars, but he is still that valuable to the Heat because of how much he has to create and how little the other 9 player on the Miami Heat contribute. According to Hollinger, James adds 25.6 wins to the Heat even though he plays with 2 other superstars. As weird as that sounds, its perfectly true. 80% of the offense comes from the big 3 and if you took Lebron’s offense out of there, the Heat don’t have anything that can compensate for his production.

However, he’s not winning the MBP. The media slight against him and his perception of help will prevent him for winning. The true guy stats nerds should be endorsing is Dwight Howard, Player 2. He’s the best defensive player in the NBA by a lot and has improved on offense. He’s also the league’s best big man and his value to an Orlando team that traded its supporting cast for another mid-way through the season and yet somehow they keep performing well, and its mostly because of the stability in the interior.

Lebron should be the MVP, but Derrick Rose will be. And its because the sabermetricians of baseball have yet to integrate itself with the basketball community like it did with baseball, and years from now, when it does, we’ll scoff at Wilbon’s and Simmons’ ‘fire in the eyes’ analysis and realize the true way to measure performance in the NBA, with math, like we do now in Baseball.

Until next time

Part two of the interview Jenna Medvigy and myself did with the...

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:57:57 -0400

Part two of the interview Jenna Medvigy and myself did with the director of The U, Billy Corben. Great stuff

The first part of the interview that Jenna Medvigy and myself...

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:13:48 -0400

The first part of the interview that Jenna Medvigy and myself did with the director of the 30 for 30 movie “The U” Billy Corben.

Follow up to my 'Idiot's Guide to the Real World"

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:40:20 -0400

So last night I posted an exceedingly long blog about the Real World Las Vegas. I told my friend Priya that oddly it was maybe the best thing I’ve ever written. First time I’ve ever gotten out my sense of humor and the way I view things and analyze them, and it was for the Real World. (You: Use your brain for something else you idiot!) (Me: I should shouldn’t I?)

Anyway, I promised that I was going to tweet the link to all of the Real World cast members, and I did. Two of them were kind enough to send back responses.

Before we get to them, a quick note on why Mike’s tweet back was so funny. I listed 4 ongoing relationships when there are 7 cast members. 6 of the 7 roommates are in relationships, and Mike is left out. So because I’m a douche, I wrote as the 4th relationship ‘Mike and Mike’s Right Hand.’

This is the response I got from him

“@MikeRossMTV @ChrisWittyngham I loved it man. I’ll link it to my site when I get home…and hey, I’m left-handed! Haha”

I could not stop laughing when I realized that’s what he sent me. Here is what cast member Heather sent me.

“@heathermarter @ChrisWittyngham come on, you know noone watching our show has ever read 2500 words of anything. ;) #ikid summed it up well, very funny.”

I appreciate the kind words and the funny jokes in return, and was a source of pride for me today, although I didn’t tell anybody.

Until next time

An Idiot's Guide to the Real World: Las Vegas

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:59:00 -0400

Editor’s(Writer’s) Note: This blog post is way too many words.

Wednesday night is my trashy TV night. Normally, I’m giddy about a night on the couch and by around 8:20 (Gotta give myself DVR cushion. Cushion is my term for watching a show without watching any commercials, so I give myself time by doing other things until I think I can avoid all the commercials, usually 9 minutes in for a half hour show, or 20 minutes in for an hour-long show, I watch TV too much) for Survivor and by 10:20 for the Real World: Las Vegas. However tonight, I had the distinct pleasure of broadcasting the UM Baseball game tonight, a game which they won by a final score of 5-2. So upon arriving at home and schmoozing with my family, it was time for an 80 minute long reality crap double feature.

I may be motivated to write more about Crazy Ass Phillip and the other characters on Survivor later, but the main reason why I decided to write this is because I needed to sort my feelings out on the Real World: Las Vegas, its 3rd time in the city tailor-made for this show. There are so many reasons why I love this show. Among them are the stereotypes the people often fill, the breathtaking ways in which drunk young people interact with others, the sheer stupidity that people do on television, and the fact that you end up rooting for things that are just boring parts of life. It’s the only show I take a proprietary interest in. Without further ado, let me introduce this year’s cast, all of which will receive the link to this blog on twitter, I’m not kidding.

Only pertinent information: They are living in a suite at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

THE CAST

I’m going to give every character a nickname

1. Adam (Exceedingly Belligerent Drunk)- I find Adam to be the most fascinating. He’s ashamed to admit his past (we’ll get to pasts) and yet in order to get on the show, he had to reveal his past to the casting people who put all of their information on a TV show watched by 2 million people a week and online where more people can read information on him, which is totally ludicrous. Honestly, millions watching know what you did; yet you can’t tell the people that you’re living with for FREAKING MONTHS. Anyway, 3 episodes in, he’s already had two incidents at the Hard Rock nightclub Vanity in which he didn’t get drunk, he got HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMERED. Both times he ended up shirtless and broke several bottles in the process. The roommates are annoyed by this because as Real World cast mates they get into the VIP area, and Adam’s hijinks may ruin it for the rest of them. Which is ridiculous because the freaking show is an infomercial for the hard rock, and they’ll let them do whatever the bleep they want except for burn the place down. We’ll get to more on Adam because of his fights/relationships with others on the show. My parting shot on him: I know more about his chest hair than I know about my chest hair. He spends about 98.6% of that show shirtless, and if you showed me a picture of only his chest I could tell it out of a lineup, it’s barbaric.

2. Dustin (All American Look)- There’s always one person who shows up to the first episode of the Real World wearing a flannel shirt. Dustin is your guy. He showed up and immediately a girl fell in love with his bowl hair cut and 6-2 muscular build. One part of his past may be the funniest item about a person in the history of television, we’ll get to that. I could have gone with conflicted one, because he’s the guy who flip flops on emotions a lot. There’s one on every season, and its annoyingly compelling.

3. Heather (Token Blonde Who’s Not A Token Blonde)- I find Heather very interesting. First of all, she’s gorgeous. However, what do most beautiful girls always have? Significant others. Both her and the producers made a point to emphasize that she’s been a girlfriend for much of her life, and that she wanted to come to Vegas to be single and enjoy life in Vegas. Which is was makes it funny when she’s making out with Dustin on episode 1, having a fight on episode 2, and having sex with him on episode 3. More on that later

4. Leroy (LEEEEEEERRRRRRRRROOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY JEEEENNNNNNKKKKKIIIINNNNNSSSSS)- All people named Leroy put that YouTube video in my head. He is the only black person on this season (shocking. But not at all). He’s actually my favorite person on this season. He doesn’t help anyone that doesn’t want to help themselves (Adam) and has not tried to alienate himself because he’s the only black guy, which is usually the case on these shows. He’s a giant man without a single ounce of fat on his body and wants to use the internship opportunity with the Hard Rock to improve himself and get himself out from his sanitation job. May be my favorite character on the show.

5. Michael (The one I relate to)- UM student, Maryland of course. He showed up and was the guy who wasn’t sure how much he wanted to embarrass himself on television or how much he was willing to do because his Grandma would be watching. All the other roommates are popping bottles and the other guys are bringing home and making out with Las Vegas slutbags, and Mike brings back girls to read them poetry as they get their 15 seconds of fame as the drunk whores who put up with the smart guy on the Real World. He often makes his roommates laugh because he’s so much freaking smarter than they are. He showed up to his first day on the job with a resume in his hand. When we get to roommate relations, he is the odd man out. He is the verbal confronter, but if it ever got physical, he’d be the first to go down I’d assume. I would play that character on the Real World, except a little more brash. I’d be more open about calling people drunk idiots that behaved like children on television, but other than that, I’m that guy. We differ on “pasts” because like every other real world cast member he had crappy parents.

6. Nany (The One with the Long-Standing Crappy Relationship)- There are three questions that all the cast members ask each other on the first episode when they first meet. Where are you from? How old are you? Are you single? She was the only one that responded yes to the final question. Since then she’s been confused whether or not to pursue Adam who she’s obviously attracted to as her douche bag overpowering typical Real World boyfriend that will show up on episode 7 says dumb shit when they talk on the phone. A reminder: Nany says they’ve been together for 6 years, which is absurd when you hear their phone conversations. Why do all Real World female cast members that have boyfriends pick the absolute crappiest boyfriends? (You: Chris they’re on the Real World) Oh, you’re right

7. Naomi (Bronx)- Her nickname connotes everything you need to know. She’s a Hispanic girl from the Bronx that embraces that personality but not that type of person, if that makes any sense. I don’t feel much when she’s on screen but she is a solid glue character. The one with the interviews that are always used and always is in the shot, but she’s yet to do something crazy or noteworthy besides not do anything on their first job

Now that I’ve already written 1250 words, more than I would write for an essay in school, let’s keep rolling with the past. Pasts have been a huge motif on this season. Everyone wants to know about each other’s past, and most of them involve shitty parents, or at least shitty relationships with their parents

PASTS

1. Adam- was never really skilled at anything, as he would admit himself. When kids aren’t occupied, the first place they would go is drugs. He says that he was huge into drug dealing and was involved in a shooting that ended up sending him to Juvie for 3 years and probation for another 2. This had made him defiant and hating any and all kinds of authority. Nothing with crappy parents that we know of though

2. Dustin- Great detail coming. Dustin is afraid he might be bipolar because his mom was a bipolar alcohol addict. His step-dad is also abusive. So what does a small town southern kid with shitty parents do? Wait for it… Wait for it… MOVE TO CALIFORNIA AND TAKE PART OF A WEBCAM SHOW ABOUT A FRATERNITY THAT HE’S NOW ASHAMED OF!!! It is a self described uncensored look at how attractive guys live together in a house, and apparently there’s gratuitous amounts of nudity. He now isn’t sure if he wants to reveal this to his roommates. This lead to a hilarious exchange during episode 1 in which they were playing ‘Never Have I Ever’ and one of the guys said ‘Never have I ever kissed a person of my own sex’ and he then put his finger down, which led to an all-time facial expression by Leroy. I nearly bust a gut laughing.

3. Heather- Apparently her brother had a brain tumor and she acted bad because she got no attention and turned to alcohol abuse. She since regrets it. The subject has yet to be broached yet on the show, but it’s on her bio and I needed filler

4. Leroy- His mom had a lung collapse due to alcohol abuse. That’s the starting point. Leroy has tried to overcome crappy parents to make a better life for himself and also takes his past troubles and forces people to not make excuses about their’s.

5. Michael- the guy who showed up talking about what Grandma wouldn’t want him to do has some demons. Apparently both of his parents were into drugs and did jail time and was the oldest of 8 somehow related siblings and had to practically raise them and put himself through college.

6. Nany- we already covered the relationship thing, that’s all we really know about her

7. Naomi- Less than Nany’s description, nothing. She’s from the Bronx. Did I mention she’s from the Bronx?

TENSION (THE SEXUAL KIND)

1. Dustin and Heather- the interview clips that showed they had a connection were shown within the first 12 minutes of the first episode. That didn’t take long. Heather said it best in episode 3. “I’m having the hardest time defining what we are.” Me too, sister. Except, they had sex about 47 seconds after that interview. Both people involved didn’t want to have a relationship with a roommate, but that lasted about as long as Charlie Sheen’s sobriety. Really an all-American couple if I ever saw one and there’s no doubt they’re the next couple that will show up on The Challenge and be put on separate teams and be despised by the rest of the roommates.

2. Nany and Adam- One thing I neglected to mention about Adam is that he said he was single. Then the first thing he does when he gets to the house is call a woman who is listed as his ‘girlfriend’ with the quotes and everything. I’m confused as hell about what this woman is, it’s just funny that he ends every call by saying, don’t do anything with other guys when on night 1 he brought home 2 skanks from a nightclub and was making out with both of them in the hot tub. Nany, as stated above, has been a relationship for 6 years. She gets calls from the abusive boyfriend, blah blah blah. They have an attraction but neither of them knows what to do, except Adam is going for it. He thinks that his wild card is revealing to her that he went to Juvie. He thinks that she’ll fall in love with the bad boy image, which just made me start weeping. LADIES, IF SOMEONE SAYS THEY WENT TO JUVIE AND YOU ARE MORE ATTRACTED TO THIS PERSON, GO JUMP OFF A BUILDING BECAUSE YOU DON’T DESERVE AIR. Anyway, in the coming attractions, they’re fornicating, so obviously, something worked.

3. Naomi and Leroy- we don’t know anything about how or why this happened but in the ‘scenes in the next episode’ preview, the military vision dark light cam showed them doing it.

4. Mike and Mike’s Right Hand- Too much?

TENSION (THE FIGHTING KIND)

1. Adam vs. Leroy- Adam is belligerently drunk at the club, and Leroy is pissed. He doesn’t want to be a babysitter and he doesn’t want to lose his VIP spot at Vanity. He goes home and just begins to unleash a tirade on Adam and then Adam walks through the door. Adam begins being defiant about not changing and continuing to be a jerk when he’s drunk, which is breathtaking on it’s own. The only reason that Adam doesn’t fight him is because Leroy would kick his ass in three seconds. But they both wanted to throw down. This isn’t done either. I thought they were having a reconciliation scene when all of a sudden it was over and it may have gotten worse. I can’t imagine Leroy and Adam follow each other on twitter

2. Heather and Mike vs. Dustin- in a game of truth or dare, Heather was dared to make out with Mike. Because they’re idiots, they did it, and Dustin was not happy. Dustin began motherbleeping everyone and went through the oddest stages of anger. The first was a stage in which he all of a sudden became a stereotypical angry black guy and started calling people tricks and foo’s and began dropping all of the n’s on the end of words and using all sorts of bad slang. Then he became an angry hillbilly. Just odd. Anyway, they have sinced reconciled across the board. I brought this up because in last week’s preview, it led me to believe that this fight would continue to be a lingering issue but it was literally ENTIRELY resolved by the 4^th minute of the episode, which pissed me off.

THE ‘WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU THINKING YOU’RE ON TELEVISION’ MOMENTS

1. Adam hanging out shirtless all the time.

2. The 3 girls making out with each other and the same time (Note: I’m not complaining, but you’re f***ing parents are watching, come on)

3. Leroy actualling sucking Naomi’s toes in a dare.

4. MTV showing Adam projectile vomiting into a trash can. I rewound and re watched it about 7 times, twice in slo-mo. It was breathtaking

5. Dustin putting a finger down on every thing said in a game of “Never have I ever.” He’s the Quagmire of the real world cast

6. Michael explaining to the cast his theories on the end of the world. YOURE ON THE REAL WORLD, IF THERE ARE SMART PEOPLE, THERE’S ONLY ONE, AND THAT’S YOU.

Anyway, I think 2500 words I enough on the Real World, but this is by a lot my favorite show on TV. Watch it! Wednesday nights at 10 PM on MTV!

The Miami Heat: When I have no Bleeping Idea is a Good Explanation

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:31:49 -0500

I did not watch this game. I did not tweet about it. I simply followed it on my cell phone. Thankfully, my wonderful Publix superiors always seem to schedule me to work during Heat games

I planned on writing a post around a certain idea, but as I was reading my tweets in preparation for it, I stumbled on this tweet from the great Brian Windhorst (he’s great because he returned my text to be a guest on Silverman on Sports).

The tweet read “Stan Van Gundy ‘Well, that defies explanation.’”

It’s flabbergasting that a team with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh can allow a 40-9 run (which they did tonight) or blow a 24 point lead (which they did tonight) and yet somehow, this isn’t the first time a similar type thing has happened. However, the problem when sports fans are flabbergasted or when things happen that are unexpected, they try to explain it.

Here’s what you see when your favorite team punches you in the groin.

They lack mental toughness.

They have no emotion.

They choked.

They’re not clutch

They get complacent.

They don’t care.

Fire Spoelstra.

They don’t keep their foot on the pedal.

Chalmers My Life.

Only the last one is any kind of fair. I’d rather have Justin Bieber play point guard than Chalmers. But that’s not my point. The explanation is that there is no explanation. I can offer up to you that when one of the big 3 is inefficient, you’re missing on 30% of your scoring. I can offer up that the small 12 don’t make their open jumpers. But really, the reason why the Heat can’t seem to keep their leads is… Who freaking knows?

It’s intellectually lazy when intangibles are offered. The reason why people use them is that they’re cheap rhetorical tricks. You can take one moment of anything that you see on television and make it representative of the team. You can see lacking mental toughness, but really you have no idea what goes on in the brain of a successful athlete. I know what goes on in my brain “Oh crap I just got the ball I better not screw up.” But these guys grew up being the best players on every floor they were on. I know because I’ve seen a UM basketball player who’s the 8th man on the 8th best ACC team make everyone in a pick up game look silly. We have no idea what these people think about then they’re on the floor and to what degree what goes on in their mind affects their play.

Then there’s Spoelstra. The guy has faced every criticism by you. You call him unqualified. You call him clueless. You question his authority. You question his play calling (absurd for any coach, especially a basketball one). You question every quote out of every press conference. The problem is that not only are any of those criticisms valid or true, they have no bearing on the results of the games. Spo said after the game that he drew the play up for Wade. Bosh took the shot. Sometimes not everything goes as planned and really the coach has so little influence over the result of the play.

Another thing that bothers me is clutch talk. Lebron James immediately stops being the best player on the floor when you need someone to take a 3-point shot. As a matter of fact, none of the big 3 are your best players, not even Wade (who doesn’t get enough criticism for the shortcomings of this team). Miller and now Bibby need to be taking your big 3 point shots, because in those situations the percentages tell you they’re best equipped to take the shot. Just like Lebron is great around the rim in non-clutch situations, he’s great around the rim in clutch situations (3 of 4 from the floor). At the same time, just as Lebron is pretty bad from beyond the arc (33% for his career) he’s terrible in clutch situations (now 0-6 after tonight’s late miss). The point is that clutch is not an ability, it’s actually representative of who you are as a player.

I really believe that the biggest problem with the Heat is outside shooting. But that’s the only way I could rationalize something that you can’t really rationalize. There’s only one question that Heat fans ask themselves in moments of introspection.

How does a team with this much talent manage to lose this way with repition?

The only answer if you’re honest with yourself: Not a bleeping clue.

ESPN Insider on the Panthers

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:59:44 -0500

FB friend Tyler Smith has asked me to send some stuff on panthers trade rumors, good stuff today on insider.

Again, I pay for it, so if Insider wants to come get me they can go bleep themselves.

First Story is on a potential Cory Stillman trade to the LA Kings

Written by Alvin Chang of ESPN Insider

“There’s been a lot of buzz that the Los Angeles Kings are looking at top-six forwards, such as Ales Hemsky. But a guy like Hemsky would cost them something in the neighborhood of a prospect and a first-rounder, so the Kings might be looking at lesser players. So that’s why it’s significant that the Kings had four scouts evaluatingFlorida Panthers’ players, as Helene Elliott tweets.

One prominent blogger thinks Cory Stillman might be the target, which would make sense given that he’s a pending UFA. But Panthers GM Dale Tallon has previously said that no one is untouchable — so inevitably we have to wonder if Stephen Weiss could be dealt, as well. If we were betting, we’d say Weiss is staying put, but it is something to look out for.

If the Kings do swap for the Panthers, Florida GM Dale Tallon will likely push for draft picks and/or prospect in return.”

Again by Alvin Chang, the next story is on the Panthers potential trade partners

“The Florida Panthers have no untouchables players, according to GM Dale Tallon, and so several teams are looking to take advantage of that. Last night, several teams had scouts looking at the Panthers, including the Los Angeles Kings,Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins,Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks, according to the Miami Herald’sGeorge Richards.

The Panthers have been rumored to be shopping guys like Cory Stillman, Tomas Vokoun, Bryan McCabe, Christopher Higgins and Radek Dvorak. There’s even a chance that they’re willing to part with Stephen Weiss and David Booth.

Now, the most intriguing team present to watch the Panthers is the Penguins. It’s clear what they’re looking for: a top-six forward. So are they willing to pay the price for someone like Weiss? Or are they looking at Stillman, Dvorak or Higgins — all of whom are pending UFAs? We’re guessing they’re looking at one of the latter group of players.”

That’s all for now. For more panthers information, George Richards of the Miami Herald will join SILVERMAN: On Sports at 8 PM tonight.
I’m out

Announcing Basketball Games

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:06:58 -0500

I’m an aspiring broadcaster, as people who know me would tell you. I’ve had more than my fair share experience on talk radio both on and off air and seemed to have formed my personality and mannerisms when it comes to that, but as a play by play guy, I’m trying to come up with any way I can improve.

Before I move on on that, let me start by saying, play by play is infinitely more fun. Now having done both, I enjoy the play by play experience a lot more. It’s certainly more challenging, especially with something as fast-paced as basketball. I form my sports opinions carefully and in detail and can spout them in my sleep, but keeping up with something that’s fast and giving as much information as possible while not over-talking, as broadcasters sometimes are one to do, is a challenge. The rhythm of the game is something that requires reps, which is the best thing about working for UM’s campus station WVUM. The amount of experiences you can acquire because we broadcast so much in the way of sports is extremely valueable. I’ve only done volleyball and women’s basketball so far, admittedly not the most entertaining of games, but I still find the prep work and the challenge of balancing solid information, going to break on time, reading liners and spots, painting the visual without the visual, giving the score out as frequently as possible while still keeping solid conversation with your partner to be extremely fun, especially when done right.

What I was thinking about recently is adding personality to broadcasts. In your first 5-10 games you figure out the nuts and bolts, the basics of announcing a game. But part of announcing is to be professional yet entertaining without overdoing it. It’s surprising to me how few of people are good at this. I’ve studied just about every broadcaster and I’m surprised and how few of people actually stand out. Locally, I only really like Rich Waltz (Marlins and College Basketball) and I like Mike Inglis and Steve Goldstein. Nationally, its amazing how many announcers there are yet how few of them stand out. To me Gus Johnson (biased because he’s been on my radio show twice), Brent Musberger, Marv Albert, and Doc Emerick really stand out. They’re the only people who really stand out. To me being a stand-out broadcaster is about a few things. First is having a stand out personality. Second is having a signature characteristic or highlight. Third is genuine excitement or pleasure from what your watching and announcing. Fourth is balancing a personality and professionalism. Fifth is pushing your partner over. There are a ton of other things that come up in my head but those are the main ones.

Bringing it back to me, as this is a blog about me, I’m trying to come up with ways to advance my personality as a broadcaster. Trying to come up with new points of emphasis or new ways to say “Player X made a basket” and improve as a broadcaster. New ways to exclaim a three pointer without saying “FROM DOWNTOWN.” Trying to come up with ways to let my personality to come out over the air without making the game about me, because it isn’t. Big ups to WVUM for letting me iron out these kinks. I think that like anything if you watch it or ingest it enough, you can recreate it and I think that’s why even as a newbie to broadcasting I think I’m pretty good.

Wanted to end on this, if you to are an aspiring media type, or an aspiring anything but specifically with media, it’s all about repetitions. If you want to be a writer, start a blog and write as frequently as possible. If you want to be a broadcaster, there are a million different sports shows or stations and be open to doing work on a smaller place and be willing to do anything.

On that note, I think I’ve written enough, I’m out

And by the way, if this idiot in the courtyard at UM keeps falling while trying to do tricks on his skateboard, I’m going to run at him, point, and laugh.

My Championship Picks

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:45:46 -0500

Decided I wanted to write out my picks this week because I’m bored and I need to kill 30 minutes.

(Home teams in caps)

BEARS (+3.5) over Packers

If you’ve paid attention throughout the playoffs, at least one of the underdogs have not only covered, but they’ve won. Of the two, I trust the Bears a lot more to achieve this. Despite everything that has surrounded the great Aaron Rodgers (my man-crush), I think that this defense can slow him down especially if the great chicago defense can slow down starks in the running game, which is probably relatively easy to do. I think Jay Cutler has his breakout performance today and gets to the Super Bowl by being himself, taking chances and converting his opportunities. Bears not only cover but win at home.

STEELERS(-3.5) over Jets

If this doesn’t happen, my life will be miserable for the next two wins listening to jets fan yap for two weeks about how great they are. Wearing yellow and black today because I want the Steelers to win so bad. I don’t even like the Steelers that much, considering their fans filled about 40,000 of the seats of Sun Life Stadium with those annoying terrible towels. To me, the difference between the first game, which the Jets won 22-17 in Heinz field, is the health of Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller. I think the steelers shut down the jets running game at home on a bad field and the Steelers win and cover.

(waving my terrible towel)

I’m hoping for Packers-Steelers in the super bowl, but knowing the NFL, you can never pick both favorites in a playoff weekend.

You can catch me tomorrow night on SILVERMAN: On Sports talking about these games and hopefully breathing easy after the Jets were eliminated

I’m out.