I have written a lot about injuries over the years, but I feel like out of the "common injuries" (the somewhat serious injuries that aren't quite serious enough to send you to the hospital or keep you out of action for too long like ankle sprains, achilles strains, pulled hamstrings, etc.) a lower back strain is by far the worst. Most other injuries can be worked around or favored or something. Because it's in your core, when you have a bad back literally every movement (or lack of movement) affects it. You're driving and you turn your head to check a blind spot...ow. You roll over in bed from one side to the other...ow. You stretch your arm to grab that one plate or whatever that is just within your reach in the top cabinet...ow. Your back isn't like other parts of your body. If your arm, shoulder, ankle, or whatever hurts, then that's what hurts. If your back hurts, your back hurts, but if you are doing something with your arms or legs (like lifting, running, jumping, or shooting a basketball) it hurts then too. One of the worst parts about having a bad back is that one of the "activities" that aggrivates it the most is simply sitting. So, for anyone who spends a decent portion of their day sitting at a desk at their job or during class (not to mention driving), this sucks. While stretching and walking can help, the best thing you really can do for a bad back is to just rest...and apparently even resting too much can have a negative effect! According to WebMD, too much inactivity can cause a bad back to be weakened.
Anyway, the obvious reason why I bring this up is because my back spazzed-out earlier this week. We had played football on Saturday and basketball on Sunday, and my back was a little stiff come Monday morning, but I didn't pay it much mind. Later in the afternoon while sitting at my desk at work, I leaned forward to get a better look at something on my computer, and it took all my strength to not yelp in pain in the middle of the office. I guess this illustrates not only how painful back injuries are, but also how delicate your back is, as it only took the most subtle of movements to basically turn me into a 70 year old man. I spent the rest of the day trying to be as productive as possible while simultaneously trying to move as little as possible. The spasm had set off some type of physiological response as well, as I pretty much sweated through my shirt the remainder of the afternoon.
That was Monday, and today is Thursday. It's improved slightly each day, but it's still there. I've been in a work training all this week though, and the 8 hours of sitting a day hasn't exactly been my cup of tea. Yesterday, I gingerly tried to work out, and my back seemed to hold up ok. Still, I don't think I've messed my back up this bad since high school, when I took a charge against some guy on Dematha who was built like a middle linebacker. That time, my back didn't get better for about 2 months, but that was partly of my own doing...the injury happened in the middle of basketball season, and instead of taking a week or 2 off when it happened I instead tried to tough it out. This allowed me to play through the season while only missing a game or 2 (as well as a half dozen practices), but I wouldn't doubt that it also prolonged my injury. This time, hopefully I can rehab at my own pace, and this back pain won't drag on too long.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
NCAA Inception
Dreams are always a funny thing, but I can’t think of a more mind-bending dream than the kind I had last night (oddly enough, it’s probably the most simple kind of dream you can have). Sometime in the middle of the night I woke up, staggered to the bathroom to relieve myself, and then stumbled back to bed. Once I got back to bed, I initially had a hard time falling back asleep…or at least so I thought at the time. At some point I realizd I was dreaming, but in my dream I was lying in bed in the middle of the night trying to go to sleep. So I guess I wasn’t actually having a hard time falling asleep, and instead I was asleep, but just dreaming of having a hard time falling asleep. I felt like I was in my own little version of Inception , and I needed Leonardo DiCaprio to come spin his little top to make sure I was in reality and not some other dimension.
I filled out my NCAA bracket this morning, and I can honestly say that I couldn’t feel less confident about my picks. This college basketball season has been as topsy-turvy as ever. Without getting too deep into it, I believe the reason is that the overall college basketball talent pool has really taken a hit the past few years. Obviously, the days of having the best college players stick around until their junior and senior years have been in the rear-view mirror for over a decade now, but it just seems like the one-and-done players have had a cumulative effect on the game over time, and what we get is a watered-down product. It saddens me because college basketball has long been my favorite sport to follow, but it is the reality of the situation, and I’m not sure the NCAA and the NBA are collectively willing to do anything about it.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand…the landscape of this college basketball season changed dramatically the day Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving got injured. At the time, Duke was undefeated and the clear-cut #1 team in the country. The prevailing thought was that with Irving in the lineup, Duke was so much better than even the other best teams in the country (Kansas, Pitt, etc.) that they could possibly make a run at an undefeated season. Duke still finished the season with a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but who’s to say that they are any better than any other team seeded one through four now? Combine that with the precipitous fall of some teams (Michigan State was ranked as the #2 team in the country preseason and backed into the tournament as a 10-seed) the somewhat unexpected rise of other teams (San Diego State, BYU, and Ohio State), and the streakiness/inconsistency of another group of teams (North Carolina, Kansas State, UCONN, and Syracuse), and we have ourselves a mess. In past seasons, even if the early part of my bracket stinks I at least have had a good idea who would advance deep into the tournament. I have had years where I will barely pick half of the games right for the opening two rounds, but I will have almost all of the Elite Eight teams, Final Four teams, etc. picked correctly. Last year I picked fairly well, and I think my picks were in the top 10% in both ESPN and Yahoo’s nationwide tournament challenges. This year, I literally have no idea what I’m doing…and this is coming from a guy who watches a lot of college basketball. I might as well be picking games based on mascots and uniform colors.
In the East Region, I have mostly chalk all the way through. I picked 11-seed Marquette to beat 6-seed Xavier. I like this Xavier team, and Xavier traditionally does very well in the tournament, so this could very well be a foolish pick…but I also like this Marquette team, and I think they are better than their seeding. If I had any balls at all, I would take George Mason to beat Ohio State in the second round. This George Mason team isn’t just “good for a mid-major.” They are just plain good, and I feel like Ohio State is susceptible to an upset if the right team comes along, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on it. Making matters worse, I have Ohio State winning this region by beating West Virginia and Syracuse in the third and fourth rounds respectively…so, no pressure, Buckeyes. In a couple other minor upsets by seeding, I have a physical veteran West Virginia team beating young and athletic Kentucky, and I have Syracuse’s zone taking down North Carolina.
My picks in the West Region are either going to make me look like a genius or a complete idiot. In the first round I have a wildly inconsistent but talented Tennessee team beating Michigan in an 8-9 game, I have 12-seed Memphis upsetting 5-seed Arizona, and I have 11-seed Missouri beating 6-seed Cincinnati. In the second round, I have 7-seed Temple taking down 2-seed San Diego State. I originally had Missouri upsetting Connecticut as well, but I switched the pick (you can even see that I crossed out Missouri and wrote UCONN above it on my original sheet). I am a big fan of the Big 12 teams this year. Plus, I don’t think UCONN is that good outside of Kemba Walker, and I think they will still be gassed from playing five games in five days in the Big East Tournament. Anyway, I digress…in the third round, I have Texas knocking off Duke and Temple taking down UCONN to set up an Elite Eight matchup of 4-seed Texas and 7-seed Temple, and I have Texas beating Temple to win the region…like I said, either a genius or an idiot.
The Southwest Region is probably the most boring section of my bracket, so I will keep it short. I basically have chalk the whole way through unless you count 9-seed Illinois beating 8-seed UNLV in the first round and 3-seed Purdue beating 2-seed Notre Dame in the third round as “upsets.” Eventually, I have top seed Kansas beating Purdue to advance out of the region.
While I had more upsets in the West Region, the Southwest Region is the wackiest section of the bracket to me. You have a #1 seed, Pitt, who currently has the label of “best program to never make a Final Four.” You have arguably this year’s best mid-major team, BYU (who also has probably the best individual player in the tournament). You have two mid-majors who have been so consistently good over the years that they are no longer really considered “mid-majors,” but who are having down seasons, Butler and Gonzaga. You have one of the most up-and-down teams in the field, Kansas State. You have the team with probably the most overrated seed of the tournament, Florida. And you have the team from a small school who I thought had a good chance of upsetting their first round opponent before the bracket even came out, Belmont. Anyway, I have three upsets by the seedings in the first round: Old Dominion over Butler, Belmont over Wisconsin, and Gonzaga over St. John’s. In the second round, I have Gonzaga upsetting BYU. I almost always pick Gonzaga to win a couple games in the tournament, and they almost always fail to do so (at least over the past few years). I’m wondering if as an 11-seed this year that they have been so overrated in past seasons that they are actually underrated this year. There’s a part of me that is telling myself to get off the Gonzaga bandwagon, but there’s another part of me that says they’re due…I guess we will see. In the Elite Eight, I have Pitt beating Florida to win the region.
So, after all the craziness I was talking about, I have three #1 seeds and a #4 seed that was the #1 ranked team in the country at one point this season in my Final Four. Hypocrital? Maybe…like I said though, I have little to no confidence in any of these picks. I have Ohio State beating Texas and Pittsburgh beating Kansas to advance to the title game, and I have Pittsburgh winning the whole thing. Truthfully, this Pitt team scares the hell out of me. They are tough and deep, but their tournament history is not great. They have been a top three seed almost every year for the past decade, and they have never made a Final Four. Three things make me think otherwise this year though. First, similar to my reasoning for Gonzaga winning a couple games this year, they’re due. Second, I think most of the other top seeds in this region won’t even make it to the second weekend of the tournament. Third, even if my second point isn’t true, this is the weakest of the four regions, and they should be able to handle anyone in their path. I say, might as well go for broke. Let it ride!
I filled out my NCAA bracket this morning, and I can honestly say that I couldn’t feel less confident about my picks. This college basketball season has been as topsy-turvy as ever. Without getting too deep into it, I believe the reason is that the overall college basketball talent pool has really taken a hit the past few years. Obviously, the days of having the best college players stick around until their junior and senior years have been in the rear-view mirror for over a decade now, but it just seems like the one-and-done players have had a cumulative effect on the game over time, and what we get is a watered-down product. It saddens me because college basketball has long been my favorite sport to follow, but it is the reality of the situation, and I’m not sure the NCAA and the NBA are collectively willing to do anything about it.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand…the landscape of this college basketball season changed dramatically the day Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving got injured. At the time, Duke was undefeated and the clear-cut #1 team in the country. The prevailing thought was that with Irving in the lineup, Duke was so much better than even the other best teams in the country (Kansas, Pitt, etc.) that they could possibly make a run at an undefeated season. Duke still finished the season with a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but who’s to say that they are any better than any other team seeded one through four now? Combine that with the precipitous fall of some teams (Michigan State was ranked as the #2 team in the country preseason and backed into the tournament as a 10-seed) the somewhat unexpected rise of other teams (San Diego State, BYU, and Ohio State), and the streakiness/inconsistency of another group of teams (North Carolina, Kansas State, UCONN, and Syracuse), and we have ourselves a mess. In past seasons, even if the early part of my bracket stinks I at least have had a good idea who would advance deep into the tournament. I have had years where I will barely pick half of the games right for the opening two rounds, but I will have almost all of the Elite Eight teams, Final Four teams, etc. picked correctly. Last year I picked fairly well, and I think my picks were in the top 10% in both ESPN and Yahoo’s nationwide tournament challenges. This year, I literally have no idea what I’m doing…and this is coming from a guy who watches a lot of college basketball. I might as well be picking games based on mascots and uniform colors.
In the East Region, I have mostly chalk all the way through. I picked 11-seed Marquette to beat 6-seed Xavier. I like this Xavier team, and Xavier traditionally does very well in the tournament, so this could very well be a foolish pick…but I also like this Marquette team, and I think they are better than their seeding. If I had any balls at all, I would take George Mason to beat Ohio State in the second round. This George Mason team isn’t just “good for a mid-major.” They are just plain good, and I feel like Ohio State is susceptible to an upset if the right team comes along, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on it. Making matters worse, I have Ohio State winning this region by beating West Virginia and Syracuse in the third and fourth rounds respectively…so, no pressure, Buckeyes. In a couple other minor upsets by seeding, I have a physical veteran West Virginia team beating young and athletic Kentucky, and I have Syracuse’s zone taking down North Carolina.
My picks in the West Region are either going to make me look like a genius or a complete idiot. In the first round I have a wildly inconsistent but talented Tennessee team beating Michigan in an 8-9 game, I have 12-seed Memphis upsetting 5-seed Arizona, and I have 11-seed Missouri beating 6-seed Cincinnati. In the second round, I have 7-seed Temple taking down 2-seed San Diego State. I originally had Missouri upsetting Connecticut as well, but I switched the pick (you can even see that I crossed out Missouri and wrote UCONN above it on my original sheet). I am a big fan of the Big 12 teams this year. Plus, I don’t think UCONN is that good outside of Kemba Walker, and I think they will still be gassed from playing five games in five days in the Big East Tournament. Anyway, I digress…in the third round, I have Texas knocking off Duke and Temple taking down UCONN to set up an Elite Eight matchup of 4-seed Texas and 7-seed Temple, and I have Texas beating Temple to win the region…like I said, either a genius or an idiot.
The Southwest Region is probably the most boring section of my bracket, so I will keep it short. I basically have chalk the whole way through unless you count 9-seed Illinois beating 8-seed UNLV in the first round and 3-seed Purdue beating 2-seed Notre Dame in the third round as “upsets.” Eventually, I have top seed Kansas beating Purdue to advance out of the region.
While I had more upsets in the West Region, the Southwest Region is the wackiest section of the bracket to me. You have a #1 seed, Pitt, who currently has the label of “best program to never make a Final Four.” You have arguably this year’s best mid-major team, BYU (who also has probably the best individual player in the tournament). You have two mid-majors who have been so consistently good over the years that they are no longer really considered “mid-majors,” but who are having down seasons, Butler and Gonzaga. You have one of the most up-and-down teams in the field, Kansas State. You have the team with probably the most overrated seed of the tournament, Florida. And you have the team from a small school who I thought had a good chance of upsetting their first round opponent before the bracket even came out, Belmont. Anyway, I have three upsets by the seedings in the first round: Old Dominion over Butler, Belmont over Wisconsin, and Gonzaga over St. John’s. In the second round, I have Gonzaga upsetting BYU. I almost always pick Gonzaga to win a couple games in the tournament, and they almost always fail to do so (at least over the past few years). I’m wondering if as an 11-seed this year that they have been so overrated in past seasons that they are actually underrated this year. There’s a part of me that is telling myself to get off the Gonzaga bandwagon, but there’s another part of me that says they’re due…I guess we will see. In the Elite Eight, I have Pitt beating Florida to win the region.
So, after all the craziness I was talking about, I have three #1 seeds and a #4 seed that was the #1 ranked team in the country at one point this season in my Final Four. Hypocrital? Maybe…like I said though, I have little to no confidence in any of these picks. I have Ohio State beating Texas and Pittsburgh beating Kansas to advance to the title game, and I have Pittsburgh winning the whole thing. Truthfully, this Pitt team scares the hell out of me. They are tough and deep, but their tournament history is not great. They have been a top three seed almost every year for the past decade, and they have never made a Final Four. Three things make me think otherwise this year though. First, similar to my reasoning for Gonzaga winning a couple games this year, they’re due. Second, I think most of the other top seeds in this region won’t even make it to the second weekend of the tournament. Third, even if my second point isn’t true, this is the weakest of the four regions, and they should be able to handle anyone in their path. I say, might as well go for broke. Let it ride!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
A Couple Quick-Hitters
A couple of quick bullets for this post…
- Krissy and I have been going to the same gym for almost three years now. The particular gym has its advantages and disadvantages, but one of the disadvantages always was the lack of certain free weight machines. The weight area has dumbbells up to 100 lb., which is about as much as you can ask for without going to some crazy bodybuilding type gym or big time college football program’s weight room. However, instead of having (for example) a barbell flat bench, incline bench, decline bench, shoulder press bench, and a squat rack our gym always only had one Smith machine, which was basically used as an all-purpose area for all of the above exercises. There are a couple of drawbacks to this. First, it is the most used machine in the whole gym, and if you want to use it on a crowded weekday after work you might as well take a number. Second, I can definitely say that I have added size and strength over the past couple of years, but I always wondered (and even wrote about in previous posts) how my gains using the Smith machine and dumbbells would translate to a standard bench press (for example again). I believe my previous one-rep max was 195 lb. This number was back from when I was a senior in college. It’s pretty unbelievable that I hadn’t touched a regular bench press in about three and a half years given how often I workout, but a combination of injuries and a lack of access have kept me away from it.
Fast-forward to this year, when our gym added on the vacated adjacent space for the purposes of fitness classes and personal training. Luckily, one of the pieces of equipment our personal trainer friend, Scott, added to the training space was a flat bench. Late last week I actually got a chance to use the bench press for the first time. It was encouraging and humbling at the same time. Obviously, I expected the weight on the standard bar to feel about twice as heavy as the same weight on the Smith machine, which it did for sure. The biggest thing is just simply feeling comfortable on the bench again, as my hand placement just never seemed to feel right, and the weights wobbled a little even on my warm-up set with a 45 lb. plate on each side. Still, even after using up some energy with a couple other chest exercises on the equipment on the other side of the gym I was still able to do one fairly easy set of three reps at 205 lb. I decided to try for 225 lb. even though I started to feel a little bit fatigued. I got the bar about two-thirds of the way up when I felt I slight tap upwards on the bar from the guy who was spotting me. If he had let me struggle with it for another second or two, I’m convinced I would have got it up. Even though I didn’t truly finish the rep on my own, I feel like 230-235 lb. is within reach if I hadn’t done anything else before getting to the bench. I think just feeling comfortable on the bench after a three-plus year layoff is the biggest thing though. (Like psyching yourself out looking at the “triple digit” 100 lb. dumbbells, it’s easy to psych yourself out looking at two 45 lb. plates on each side of the bar as well.) So, it was definitely humbling, but it’s hard to be mad at a 30 lb. increase to my one-rep max.
- Several weeks ago (it seems like “years ago” now) when the Miami Heat were in the midst of their twenty-plus game win streak I wrote about LeBron’s full-fledged transformation from Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader. Ironically, that post followed a Heat win against Portland on their home court. Last night, Miami lost to the Blazers at home for their fifth loss in a row. I still don’t think, contrary to the opinion of some, that LeBron, Wade, and the Heat don’t really like to be hated. I think my Darth Vader analogy is correct, and I think most great players would almost rather be hated than loved. The hatred directed towards them just adds fuel to the flame. What I think is evident though after over 60 games is that this team (the key word being “team) just doesn’t have it. Critics have gotten on LeBron and Wade for not coming together to form a truly dynamic duo, for too much dribbling or standing/watching on offense, and for not closing out close games despite their all-world talents. The lack of purpose that Miami’s offense seems to have at times and their inability to make clutch shots at the end of games is somewhat troubling, but Wade and James have (some hiccups aside) still been their dominant selves. For example, in last night’s game Wade and James both played over 40 minutes, shot a combined 26 for 41 (a ridiculously efficient 63%) from the field, and combined for nearly 70 points, 13 dimes, and 17 boards. To me, the problem is one of the original questions that people had from the get-go: the team is LeBron, Wade, and who else? The idea that Bosh is the third wheel in the supposed “Big Three” has long ago been squashed. Being tucked away in Toronto for seven years, I really hadn’t seen Bosh play since his one year at Georgia Tech, when he appeared to be this ultra-quick, ultra-athletic, left-handed version of Kevin Garnett. I’m not sure if injuries just ravaged him or if he never really was what I thought he was in college to begin with, but he’s nothing like what I pictured. In reality, Bosh is a highly skilled 6-11 player…but he’s not good enough to be worthy of a “max” contract from Miami or anyone else. More importantly, he’s just not really a good fit for this team. From everything I’ve seen so far this year, I maintain that Miami’s best overall lineup is to go small with LeBron at power forward, Bosh at center, and then Wade and two other perimeter players…except Bosh can’t protect the paint, rebound, or finish around the basket in traffic well enough to really make that lineup work. I mentioned Wade and LeBron’s minutes last night. Bosh played 40 minutes as well. On a team where you know you’re not going to be the focal point on offense, how can a 6-11 guy play 40 minutes and only get 4 rebounds (nevermind his 7 points on 3 for 11 shooting)? Bosh should be averaging at least 12 rebounds a game this year…instead, he’s hovering around 8, which sounds impossible.
Bosh is easy to pick on, but it’s not hard to find other weak links in the Heat’s rotation. I’m not sure if there is even one other guy on their roster aside from James, Wade, and Bosh who would even start for any other team in the league, and those guys would be the last guys on the bench on the league’s other good teams like the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, and Magic. Last night’s game was a case in point, as a deep and talented Portland bench absolutely throttled Miami’s second-stringers. Dampier, Big Z, and Howard simply can’t play anymore. Eddie House is a great shooter, but he’s such a liability in all other areas that he’s a 10 minute per game player at best. Joel Anthony is a complete mop. LeBron and Wade create a lot of wide open shots for guys like Bibby, Chalmers, Mike Miller, and James Jones, but if those guys can’t hit shots (which they haven’t of late) they are pretty much worthless. Another irony of last night’s game is that a guy that Miami could use is a guy like Portland’s Gerald Wallace. Wallace doesn’t have the size or offensive skill of a guy like Bosh, but he’s physical, athletic, versatile, a great defender, and he has great motor. Even though Wallace is a couple of inches shorter than Bosh and more of a combo-forward than a true power forward, wouldn’t somebody like him be a better fit as the guy that hustles like crazy and does the dirty work in that small ball lineup I was talking about before? Would Wallace have gotten torched by LaMarcus Aldridge like Bosh did last night? I doubt it. Anyway, if some of Miller, Bibby, and Chalmer’s open shots start falling it might be a different story, but this is starting to look like an embarrassing early round playoff exit for the Heat this year.
- Krissy and I have been going to the same gym for almost three years now. The particular gym has its advantages and disadvantages, but one of the disadvantages always was the lack of certain free weight machines. The weight area has dumbbells up to 100 lb., which is about as much as you can ask for without going to some crazy bodybuilding type gym or big time college football program’s weight room. However, instead of having (for example) a barbell flat bench, incline bench, decline bench, shoulder press bench, and a squat rack our gym always only had one Smith machine, which was basically used as an all-purpose area for all of the above exercises. There are a couple of drawbacks to this. First, it is the most used machine in the whole gym, and if you want to use it on a crowded weekday after work you might as well take a number. Second, I can definitely say that I have added size and strength over the past couple of years, but I always wondered (and even wrote about in previous posts) how my gains using the Smith machine and dumbbells would translate to a standard bench press (for example again). I believe my previous one-rep max was 195 lb. This number was back from when I was a senior in college. It’s pretty unbelievable that I hadn’t touched a regular bench press in about three and a half years given how often I workout, but a combination of injuries and a lack of access have kept me away from it.
Fast-forward to this year, when our gym added on the vacated adjacent space for the purposes of fitness classes and personal training. Luckily, one of the pieces of equipment our personal trainer friend, Scott, added to the training space was a flat bench. Late last week I actually got a chance to use the bench press for the first time. It was encouraging and humbling at the same time. Obviously, I expected the weight on the standard bar to feel about twice as heavy as the same weight on the Smith machine, which it did for sure. The biggest thing is just simply feeling comfortable on the bench again, as my hand placement just never seemed to feel right, and the weights wobbled a little even on my warm-up set with a 45 lb. plate on each side. Still, even after using up some energy with a couple other chest exercises on the equipment on the other side of the gym I was still able to do one fairly easy set of three reps at 205 lb. I decided to try for 225 lb. even though I started to feel a little bit fatigued. I got the bar about two-thirds of the way up when I felt I slight tap upwards on the bar from the guy who was spotting me. If he had let me struggle with it for another second or two, I’m convinced I would have got it up. Even though I didn’t truly finish the rep on my own, I feel like 230-235 lb. is within reach if I hadn’t done anything else before getting to the bench. I think just feeling comfortable on the bench after a three-plus year layoff is the biggest thing though. (Like psyching yourself out looking at the “triple digit” 100 lb. dumbbells, it’s easy to psych yourself out looking at two 45 lb. plates on each side of the bar as well.) So, it was definitely humbling, but it’s hard to be mad at a 30 lb. increase to my one-rep max.
- Several weeks ago (it seems like “years ago” now) when the Miami Heat were in the midst of their twenty-plus game win streak I wrote about LeBron’s full-fledged transformation from Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader. Ironically, that post followed a Heat win against Portland on their home court. Last night, Miami lost to the Blazers at home for their fifth loss in a row. I still don’t think, contrary to the opinion of some, that LeBron, Wade, and the Heat don’t really like to be hated. I think my Darth Vader analogy is correct, and I think most great players would almost rather be hated than loved. The hatred directed towards them just adds fuel to the flame. What I think is evident though after over 60 games is that this team (the key word being “team) just doesn’t have it. Critics have gotten on LeBron and Wade for not coming together to form a truly dynamic duo, for too much dribbling or standing/watching on offense, and for not closing out close games despite their all-world talents. The lack of purpose that Miami’s offense seems to have at times and their inability to make clutch shots at the end of games is somewhat troubling, but Wade and James have (some hiccups aside) still been their dominant selves. For example, in last night’s game Wade and James both played over 40 minutes, shot a combined 26 for 41 (a ridiculously efficient 63%) from the field, and combined for nearly 70 points, 13 dimes, and 17 boards. To me, the problem is one of the original questions that people had from the get-go: the team is LeBron, Wade, and who else? The idea that Bosh is the third wheel in the supposed “Big Three” has long ago been squashed. Being tucked away in Toronto for seven years, I really hadn’t seen Bosh play since his one year at Georgia Tech, when he appeared to be this ultra-quick, ultra-athletic, left-handed version of Kevin Garnett. I’m not sure if injuries just ravaged him or if he never really was what I thought he was in college to begin with, but he’s nothing like what I pictured. In reality, Bosh is a highly skilled 6-11 player…but he’s not good enough to be worthy of a “max” contract from Miami or anyone else. More importantly, he’s just not really a good fit for this team. From everything I’ve seen so far this year, I maintain that Miami’s best overall lineup is to go small with LeBron at power forward, Bosh at center, and then Wade and two other perimeter players…except Bosh can’t protect the paint, rebound, or finish around the basket in traffic well enough to really make that lineup work. I mentioned Wade and LeBron’s minutes last night. Bosh played 40 minutes as well. On a team where you know you’re not going to be the focal point on offense, how can a 6-11 guy play 40 minutes and only get 4 rebounds (nevermind his 7 points on 3 for 11 shooting)? Bosh should be averaging at least 12 rebounds a game this year…instead, he’s hovering around 8, which sounds impossible.
Bosh is easy to pick on, but it’s not hard to find other weak links in the Heat’s rotation. I’m not sure if there is even one other guy on their roster aside from James, Wade, and Bosh who would even start for any other team in the league, and those guys would be the last guys on the bench on the league’s other good teams like the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, and Magic. Last night’s game was a case in point, as a deep and talented Portland bench absolutely throttled Miami’s second-stringers. Dampier, Big Z, and Howard simply can’t play anymore. Eddie House is a great shooter, but he’s such a liability in all other areas that he’s a 10 minute per game player at best. Joel Anthony is a complete mop. LeBron and Wade create a lot of wide open shots for guys like Bibby, Chalmers, Mike Miller, and James Jones, but if those guys can’t hit shots (which they haven’t of late) they are pretty much worthless. Another irony of last night’s game is that a guy that Miami could use is a guy like Portland’s Gerald Wallace. Wallace doesn’t have the size or offensive skill of a guy like Bosh, but he’s physical, athletic, versatile, a great defender, and he has great motor. Even though Wallace is a couple of inches shorter than Bosh and more of a combo-forward than a true power forward, wouldn’t somebody like him be a better fit as the guy that hustles like crazy and does the dirty work in that small ball lineup I was talking about before? Would Wallace have gotten torched by LaMarcus Aldridge like Bosh did last night? I doubt it. Anyway, if some of Miller, Bibby, and Chalmer’s open shots start falling it might be a different story, but this is starting to look like an embarrassing early round playoff exit for the Heat this year.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thank You, Dodge
For some reason, Dodge started changing the general look of all their vehicles a few years back. I’m not sure what the reason for the dramatic change was (too lazy to actually look it up), but I’m assuming that it was a last ditch attempt to drum up some interest by re-branding themselves as the economy collapsed and the car market began to sink. Anyway, I might be in the minority in this, but most of the vehicles in this new lineup were a little too, I don’t know, “boxy.” Without getting into the actual nuts and bolts of each car, boxy cars just aren’t aesthetically pleasing to me. For example, I despise cars like the Honda Fit or that boxy-looking Scion SUV. Now, in all actuality Dodge’s new look has produced some really nice vehicles, but sometimes I just can’t help but think that a lot of them look like giant Lego cars. Unfortunately, Dodge felt the need to apply the same Lego/Transformers look to the already existing Dakota and Durango as well…which seemed even stranger because except for some minor tweaks the Ram’s look has been left pretty much unchanged throughout all this…thank you for that at least, Dodge. Check out the 2nd generation Durango here.
Thankfully, it appears Dodge may have come to its senses with at least 1 of its vehicles for its 2011 lineup: the Durango. After a 2 year Durango production hiatus, the SUV has returned to Dodge’s lineup. It’s ditched the boxier look, but while this edition somewhat reverts back to the 1st generation’s style, the 2011 version has more of a sporty look. I have yet to see 1 in person, so I’m not sure if I’m the best person to dissect it, but the 2011 Durango looks like it travels a little bit lower than past versions. It still looks like it has some beef to it, but it almost looks like a crossover on steroids to me. Anyway, like I said I haven’t actually seen 1 on the road yet, but from I’ve seen in pictures and in commercials on TV Dodge gets an A in my book, and it definitely adds 1 more vehicle to my radar when the time actually comes for me to upgrade.
Thankfully, it appears Dodge may have come to its senses with at least 1 of its vehicles for its 2011 lineup: the Durango. After a 2 year Durango production hiatus, the SUV has returned to Dodge’s lineup. It’s ditched the boxier look, but while this edition somewhat reverts back to the 1st generation’s style, the 2011 version has more of a sporty look. I have yet to see 1 in person, so I’m not sure if I’m the best person to dissect it, but the 2011 Durango looks like it travels a little bit lower than past versions. It still looks like it has some beef to it, but it almost looks like a crossover on steroids to me. Anyway, like I said I haven’t actually seen 1 on the road yet, but from I’ve seen in pictures and in commercials on TV Dodge gets an A in my book, and it definitely adds 1 more vehicle to my radar when the time actually comes for me to upgrade.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Maddening
It’s a Monday morning following a 3 day weekend, so it goes without saying that I am not motivated to do any real work. Sadly, I actually have stuff that needs to get done at work for once too, but I just can’t seem to get myself moving. And what could be a more appropriate blog post topic for my current laziness than video games? I have never been what you would call a “gamer,” but for some reason I have recently been on somewhat of a Madden binge. Like I said though, I have never really been a big gamer, so to me a “binge” might consist of playing 4 or 5 hours a week. Anyway, prior to the last couple of weeks I never played against the computer in anything but All-Pro (I had used All-Madden, but only while playing people head-to-head), but I set my most recent Madden franchise to the All-Madden skill level using my crappy hometown Redskins. I’m not the most hardcore Madden player, but All-Pro is just too easy when playing against the computer. Even I can take a weak franchise and cruise to a 15-1 type season and a Super Bowl win while winning most games by at least 3 or 4 touchdowns. When playing on All-Madden, I at first thought I was just a little bit rusty from not having consistently played in awhile, as I got dusted by scores like 63-21 and 56-10 by the Jets and Ravens during the preseason. I hadn’t really gotten frustrated yet to that point. I knew I was getting beat, but I blamed real-life Skins owner Dan Snyder for just how large my margins of defeat were, as his personnel decisions had sapped the team’s depth over the years to the point where the other team’s benches were so much better than mine that it was laughable. I was always losing at halftime, but the 2nd half of these preseason games (when my benchwarmers were going against the other team’s) was when I was really getting smashed.
I didn’t start to pull the hair out of my head until the regular season started though, when it became apparent that when playing against the computer the All-Madden setting is simply too hard. While it’s difficult to tell at times, I can safely say that my play has steadily improved from when I 1st began this new franchise. Still, I’m currently 0-5 in the regular season, with most of the outcomes not that far off from those preseason scores I mentioned before. I am not sure off the top of my head what my worst performance was, but the game that I felt most emasculated after was the something like 52-0 home drubbing suffered at the hands of the unstoppable All-Madden superhuman Packers. It’s gotten to the point that if I’m only losing 17-3 or something like that midway through the 2nd quarter, and Krissy happens to glance at the screen she will say in a perfectly serious voice, “Wow babe, you’re playing well.” The 1st couple of times she made that kind of comment I wanted to throw my shoe through the television screen, but really she’s 100% right.
The All-Madden setting is so hard that it is really borderline cheating. I’m not sure whether playing offense or defense is more frustrating. Probably the most maddening (no pun intended) thing overall is how the computer completely and utterly dominates the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. My offensive line (which I would call respectable, but not great) looks like a sieve playing against the CPU’s superhuman d-linemen. Unless you randomly catch the computer D in some type of obvious pass defense formation with only 5 or 6 guys in the box, you pretty much have to forget trying to run the ball…even then, the holes close up so quickly that a 4 or 5 yard gain is cause for minor celebration. And yet, your best chance at keeping the score close is by being patient and continuing to try to mix in the run as much as possible. If you can stomach the no gains and 3 yard losses, it at least keeps the clock running and shortens the game a little bit. If you think trying to run the ball while 3 defenders penetrate into the backfield is no fun, try passing the ball in the same situation. Donavan McNabb has been lying on his back more in this virtual season than a $2 hooker. I think all of this hurts my offense more than it would others because when I play against the computer on All-Pro or against other actual people I like to rely on the run and the play action pass…and it’s tough to do either when your QB/RB is constantly running for his life behind the line of scrimmage. Screen passes were also always a favorite of mine, but those also become exponentially more difficult when the superhuman linebackers and defensive backs always expertly knife through my would-be blockers on the way to the ballcarrier. As a result, I basically have ended up calling a lot of short crossing patterns using 3 and 4 wide receiver sets to try to get the ball out of McNabb’s hands quickly. With that being said, the majority of my pass attempts are still checkdowns to Portis out of the backfield and Cooley. In the rare event that I do call the perfect pass play for a given defense and have time to throw, there’s probably a 50-50 chance that the receiver either drops the ball or McNabb throws the ball straight into the ground. Either way, you’re pretty much screwed.
Playing defense against the computer on All-Madden is equally if not more soul-crushing than playing offense. Probably the worst part is trying to stop the run. Whereas you might consider 2 or 3 yards per carry a monumental success for your offense when playing on All-Madden, the CPU All-Madden running backs continually rip off 6 and 8 yard runs even against run blitzes. The superhuman CPU backs almost never can be brought down by 1 defender, and routinely break multiple tackles on a single play. At least once a game, expect the back to be seemingly bottled-up only to break loose and run for a 30+ yard score. Just like when playing on offense against the superhuman CPU d-linemen, the All-Madden computer offensive linemen make it look as if the mid-90’s Dallas Cowboys are playing against your high school’s junior varsity. Sometimes I will watch the instant replay after the computer makes a nice running play, and my entire defensive line will have gotten pancake-blocked…at the same time. On passing plays, if you don’t blitz, you are not getting to the quarterback, and even then the line usually stonewalls every defender creating a perfect pocket. If you somehow magically force the computer into a 3rd and 17 or something, a receiver will inevitably run down the seam and catch a pass for 22 yards. If you do somehow stumble into perfect coverage, don’t expect your defenders to corral any interceptions even if it is thrown directly to them…meanwhile, the computer’s superhuman defense has no trouble making one-handed diving picks look routine. Also, happen to force a fumble? Don’t count on recovering it…I have yet to win a fight for a fumble playing on All-Madden.
While I’m probably on the way to an 0-16 season, I’ve taken solace in a couple of things. 1st, I think I’m a lock for getting the #1 overall draft pick should I continue my franchise for a 2nd season. 2nd, despite the I have pretty much gotten sha-lacked in every game so far, I do feel like playing on All-Madden is making me a better player overall. Your playcalls have to be perfect. On offense, you HAVE TO pick the right gap on running plays and pick the right receiver to throw to (and throw to them on time). You HAVE TO read the defenses better both pre-snap and post-snap. And you HAVE TO make quicker decisions because the pocket is collapsing and oh-my-damn you are about to get broken in half by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis…sorry, flashback. The same concepts can be applied to defense as well. Even if you do all these things, you are probably still going to get crushed, but if you don’t at least do these you have no chance at all. 3rd, apparently I’m not the only one who’s had these problems. Over the last couple of weeks I had started to think that I must be the worst player in the history of Madden. I asked my brother-in-law, Frankie (an avid Madden player), how he normally does against the computer when playing on All-Madden, and he responded emphatically, “It’s impossible. I can’t do anything.” This was actually pretty comforting because I have played Frankie dozens of times in Madden, and I would say that we matchup pretty evenly. I also did a quick Google-search of “All-Madden franchise,” and there are dozens of Madden message boards that pretty much echoed my thinking: that even for hardcore Madden gamers, the makers of the game simply made the All-Madden setting too damn hard. Supposedly, if you make a franchise on All-Madden and continue to progress your franchise through several seasons, the ratings of your players will continue to progress and improve as well, thus improving your team…the problem is that the progression of the players is based on their individual stats, and it’s pretty hard to put up good stats if your team is losing by 4 touchdowns every game. So, to say it’s an uphill battle is an understatement.
My last game was against the Colts. I lost again, but the final score was only 24-7, which is my closest outcome to date. The key to keeping it that close was defense. I had 2 or 3 sacks. I forced 3 fumbles (of course, I only recovered 1). I held Addai to under 100 yards for the whole game (he still averaged almost 5 yards a carry, but I consider that a monumental achievement). I only scored 7 points, but I probably played better and smarter on offense than any game to this point. I missed a 30-something yard field goal, and fumbled away another scoring chance inside the red zone as well (which was actually more my fault than the computer “cheating”). Hypothetically, I left either 6 or 10 points out on the field, which could have brought me as close as 24-17, and that score wouldn’t have been indicative of a “sha-lacking” at all. I think the worst record in the league by season’s end is still a lock at this point, but hopefully if I get just a little bit better (and luckier) I can sneak out 1 win before the season is over. If not, I guess there’s always that #1 pick.
I didn’t start to pull the hair out of my head until the regular season started though, when it became apparent that when playing against the computer the All-Madden setting is simply too hard. While it’s difficult to tell at times, I can safely say that my play has steadily improved from when I 1st began this new franchise. Still, I’m currently 0-5 in the regular season, with most of the outcomes not that far off from those preseason scores I mentioned before. I am not sure off the top of my head what my worst performance was, but the game that I felt most emasculated after was the something like 52-0 home drubbing suffered at the hands of the unstoppable All-Madden superhuman Packers. It’s gotten to the point that if I’m only losing 17-3 or something like that midway through the 2nd quarter, and Krissy happens to glance at the screen she will say in a perfectly serious voice, “Wow babe, you’re playing well.” The 1st couple of times she made that kind of comment I wanted to throw my shoe through the television screen, but really she’s 100% right.
The All-Madden setting is so hard that it is really borderline cheating. I’m not sure whether playing offense or defense is more frustrating. Probably the most maddening (no pun intended) thing overall is how the computer completely and utterly dominates the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. My offensive line (which I would call respectable, but not great) looks like a sieve playing against the CPU’s superhuman d-linemen. Unless you randomly catch the computer D in some type of obvious pass defense formation with only 5 or 6 guys in the box, you pretty much have to forget trying to run the ball…even then, the holes close up so quickly that a 4 or 5 yard gain is cause for minor celebration. And yet, your best chance at keeping the score close is by being patient and continuing to try to mix in the run as much as possible. If you can stomach the no gains and 3 yard losses, it at least keeps the clock running and shortens the game a little bit. If you think trying to run the ball while 3 defenders penetrate into the backfield is no fun, try passing the ball in the same situation. Donavan McNabb has been lying on his back more in this virtual season than a $2 hooker. I think all of this hurts my offense more than it would others because when I play against the computer on All-Pro or against other actual people I like to rely on the run and the play action pass…and it’s tough to do either when your QB/RB is constantly running for his life behind the line of scrimmage. Screen passes were also always a favorite of mine, but those also become exponentially more difficult when the superhuman linebackers and defensive backs always expertly knife through my would-be blockers on the way to the ballcarrier. As a result, I basically have ended up calling a lot of short crossing patterns using 3 and 4 wide receiver sets to try to get the ball out of McNabb’s hands quickly. With that being said, the majority of my pass attempts are still checkdowns to Portis out of the backfield and Cooley. In the rare event that I do call the perfect pass play for a given defense and have time to throw, there’s probably a 50-50 chance that the receiver either drops the ball or McNabb throws the ball straight into the ground. Either way, you’re pretty much screwed.
Playing defense against the computer on All-Madden is equally if not more soul-crushing than playing offense. Probably the worst part is trying to stop the run. Whereas you might consider 2 or 3 yards per carry a monumental success for your offense when playing on All-Madden, the CPU All-Madden running backs continually rip off 6 and 8 yard runs even against run blitzes. The superhuman CPU backs almost never can be brought down by 1 defender, and routinely break multiple tackles on a single play. At least once a game, expect the back to be seemingly bottled-up only to break loose and run for a 30+ yard score. Just like when playing on offense against the superhuman CPU d-linemen, the All-Madden computer offensive linemen make it look as if the mid-90’s Dallas Cowboys are playing against your high school’s junior varsity. Sometimes I will watch the instant replay after the computer makes a nice running play, and my entire defensive line will have gotten pancake-blocked…at the same time. On passing plays, if you don’t blitz, you are not getting to the quarterback, and even then the line usually stonewalls every defender creating a perfect pocket. If you somehow magically force the computer into a 3rd and 17 or something, a receiver will inevitably run down the seam and catch a pass for 22 yards. If you do somehow stumble into perfect coverage, don’t expect your defenders to corral any interceptions even if it is thrown directly to them…meanwhile, the computer’s superhuman defense has no trouble making one-handed diving picks look routine. Also, happen to force a fumble? Don’t count on recovering it…I have yet to win a fight for a fumble playing on All-Madden.
While I’m probably on the way to an 0-16 season, I’ve taken solace in a couple of things. 1st, I think I’m a lock for getting the #1 overall draft pick should I continue my franchise for a 2nd season. 2nd, despite the I have pretty much gotten sha-lacked in every game so far, I do feel like playing on All-Madden is making me a better player overall. Your playcalls have to be perfect. On offense, you HAVE TO pick the right gap on running plays and pick the right receiver to throw to (and throw to them on time). You HAVE TO read the defenses better both pre-snap and post-snap. And you HAVE TO make quicker decisions because the pocket is collapsing and oh-my-damn you are about to get broken in half by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis…sorry, flashback. The same concepts can be applied to defense as well. Even if you do all these things, you are probably still going to get crushed, but if you don’t at least do these you have no chance at all. 3rd, apparently I’m not the only one who’s had these problems. Over the last couple of weeks I had started to think that I must be the worst player in the history of Madden. I asked my brother-in-law, Frankie (an avid Madden player), how he normally does against the computer when playing on All-Madden, and he responded emphatically, “It’s impossible. I can’t do anything.” This was actually pretty comforting because I have played Frankie dozens of times in Madden, and I would say that we matchup pretty evenly. I also did a quick Google-search of “All-Madden franchise,” and there are dozens of Madden message boards that pretty much echoed my thinking: that even for hardcore Madden gamers, the makers of the game simply made the All-Madden setting too damn hard. Supposedly, if you make a franchise on All-Madden and continue to progress your franchise through several seasons, the ratings of your players will continue to progress and improve as well, thus improving your team…the problem is that the progression of the players is based on their individual stats, and it’s pretty hard to put up good stats if your team is losing by 4 touchdowns every game. So, to say it’s an uphill battle is an understatement.
My last game was against the Colts. I lost again, but the final score was only 24-7, which is my closest outcome to date. The key to keeping it that close was defense. I had 2 or 3 sacks. I forced 3 fumbles (of course, I only recovered 1). I held Addai to under 100 yards for the whole game (he still averaged almost 5 yards a carry, but I consider that a monumental achievement). I only scored 7 points, but I probably played better and smarter on offense than any game to this point. I missed a 30-something yard field goal, and fumbled away another scoring chance inside the red zone as well (which was actually more my fault than the computer “cheating”). Hypothetically, I left either 6 or 10 points out on the field, which could have brought me as close as 24-17, and that score wouldn’t have been indicative of a “sha-lacking” at all. I think the worst record in the league by season’s end is still a lock at this point, but hopefully if I get just a little bit better (and luckier) I can sneak out 1 win before the season is over. If not, I guess there’s always that #1 pick.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Fever Blister
There is a somewhat cliché line about getting older that goes something like this: the older we get, it’s not the “day of” that gets harder; it’s the “day after.” I’ve echoed this before, and I believe it to be true. When I play pickup basketball or in our touch football league, I don’t think I’ve lost much physically (maybe half a step) from when I was eighteen, but the following day is a different story. As an eighteen year old, I could go hard for a couple hours one day, and then come back the next day and do the exact same thing. As an almost twenty-six year old, if I go hard for a couple hours one day, it’s just about out of the question to do anything at all the next day, and I might be moving pretty slow the day after that as well. It just takes longer to recover, plain and simple. And that goes for not only muscle recovery, but recovery of my little nagging injuries as well. I’ve been used to lacing up ankle braces, strapping on knee braces, and nursing nagging hamstring and groin injuries for awhile now. One of the things that I still haven’t gotten completely accustomed to is this achilles tendonitis, which I guess is just never going to go away for as long as I do anything that involves moving my body, but even that I have learned to deal with. One thing that is hard to stomach is what I will call “equipment induced injuries.” This past Christmas, I bought Krissy a new pair of basketball hightops. They were the white, black, and red CP3 III’s made by Jordan brand. I got them at the Nike Outlet near our apartment, so to say I got a good deal was an understatement. Anyway, they gave Krissy some blisters as she was breaking them in the first few weeks, but by all accounts she loved them, and so I eventually bought the same shoe in black, white, and blue. They were actually marked down even more when I bought them – $37 to be exact – so I thought I got even more of a steal.
The first couple of times I wore the shoes, I loved them. They are sharp-looking, they are light, and they were comfortable. I say “were” because the third or fourth time I wore them while playing ball my right heel was in so much pain that I almost felt like sitting out. I guess they still need to be broken in, but what’s weird is that I had no such pain the first few times I wore them. It’s a strange kind of pain also…it feels like a bad blister or burn, but neither Krissy nor I can see anything on my heel with the naked eye. And I feel like it has to be from the shoes because when I wear other sneakers the pain isn’t there. (It does hurt a little bit when I’m wearing dress shoes for work now, but that’s it.) Krissy suggested that the blister might be a result of the way the padding is designed in the heel, but I only have the “blister” on the one foot. Also, I went to the closet to pull out an old pair of Melo’s (also Jordan brand), which happen to have the same heel padding as these CP3’s, and I never had any kind of blister or anything from wearing them…so, what the hell?!? In effect, I have some kind of “blister mystery” here. I think Krissy may have thought I was losing it this past Sunday because after we got home from basketball I messed with the shoes for a good hour or so trying to feel for anything in the heel of the shoe that might have caused it. Anyway, I don’t have a great solution other than just trying to let the “blister thingy” heal and further break in the new sneakers, otherwise it’s going to be out with the new and in with the old…because I’m not getting another pair of sneakers right now, $37 or not.
The first couple of times I wore the shoes, I loved them. They are sharp-looking, they are light, and they were comfortable. I say “were” because the third or fourth time I wore them while playing ball my right heel was in so much pain that I almost felt like sitting out. I guess they still need to be broken in, but what’s weird is that I had no such pain the first few times I wore them. It’s a strange kind of pain also…it feels like a bad blister or burn, but neither Krissy nor I can see anything on my heel with the naked eye. And I feel like it has to be from the shoes because when I wear other sneakers the pain isn’t there. (It does hurt a little bit when I’m wearing dress shoes for work now, but that’s it.) Krissy suggested that the blister might be a result of the way the padding is designed in the heel, but I only have the “blister” on the one foot. Also, I went to the closet to pull out an old pair of Melo’s (also Jordan brand), which happen to have the same heel padding as these CP3’s, and I never had any kind of blister or anything from wearing them…so, what the hell?!? In effect, I have some kind of “blister mystery” here. I think Krissy may have thought I was losing it this past Sunday because after we got home from basketball I messed with the shoes for a good hour or so trying to feel for anything in the heel of the shoe that might have caused it. Anyway, I don’t have a great solution other than just trying to let the “blister thingy” heal and further break in the new sneakers, otherwise it’s going to be out with the new and in with the old…because I’m not getting another pair of sneakers right now, $37 or not.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I thought about doing a Super Bowl recap blog, but the result of the game kind of was what it was…while the finish was entertaining, it wasn’t a particularly well played game by either team. The matchup and the resulting outcome pretty much confirmed what we already knew. The Steelers (much like the Spurs in the NBA, in my opinion) will always be that solidly built team, and as long as they have Big Ben and a stingy D they will contend for championships. The Packers finally proved they were the team everyone thought they could be for the last two years. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if these two teams met up in a Super Bowl rematch in the not too distant future. To me, the coolest thing that came out of Super Bowl Sunday was one particular commercial. My Super Bowl viewing experience was kind of odd this year. Normally on Super Bowl Sunday, I can be found plopped down on the couch for seemingly the entire day, but this year Krissy and I were helping my parents do some stuff around their house during the afternoon. This resulted in us using a technological marvel known as a DVR to watch the game. Anyway, when you DVR anything, the natural tendency is to just fast forward through all the commercials, but during the Super Bowl the ads are sometimes as entertaining as the game itself. With that being said, Super Bowl commercials have been severely lacking the past few years, so I sped through 95% of them. I would occasionally hit play when I saw an E-Trade Baby ad or an ad with a chimp in a suit driving a car to work, but for the most part I fast forwarded through everything.
During one particular timeout, a car ad seemed to be running. I didn’t pay a great deal of attention to it, but as I was fast forwarding I noticed what I thought was Eminem towards the end of the ad. Being the huge Em fan that I am, I immediately rewinded to the beginning of the commercial to watch it in full. I have to say that as far as TV commercials go, it was brilliant. There was no slapstick comedy in it (like some guy getting hit in the balls or Betty White getting tackled into a pool of mud), no grandiose or expensive looking CGI, and no self-important tagline where the ad-makers think they are a lot more clever than they really are. The camera brings you through what looks like authentic Detroit. The narrator tells you of the struggles and perseverance of the city, and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” starts to quietly build in the background. The narrator says something to the effect of, “This isn’t New York City, the Windy City, and it’s definitely not the Emerald City.” The camera cuts to Eminem getting out of a Chrysler, and stepping into Detroit’s world famous Fox Theatre where a Gospel choir continues to lead into the instrumental bridge of the song, and Eminem turns to the camera and says, “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.” The commercial then ends with the words “Imported from Detroit” across the screen…now, I am already biased to liking anything involving Eminem, but it was just very cool. I am not from Detroit, nor do I have any affiliation with the city, but it was hard not to feel kind of proud after watching that. Detroit is as all-American and as blue-collar as any city in the country, and for me at least I couldn’t help feeling a little patriotism start to swell up. For a moment, it caused me to forget any notion I had of buying a Toyota, BMW, or Suburu…which is what makes the ad so smart and effective in the first place. I’m not saying I still don’t want to buy a Tacoma, but the ad definitely appeals to my wanting to buy a domestic vehicle when the time comes. Anyway, check out the Chrysler spot below and decide what you think for yourself.
During one particular timeout, a car ad seemed to be running. I didn’t pay a great deal of attention to it, but as I was fast forwarding I noticed what I thought was Eminem towards the end of the ad. Being the huge Em fan that I am, I immediately rewinded to the beginning of the commercial to watch it in full. I have to say that as far as TV commercials go, it was brilliant. There was no slapstick comedy in it (like some guy getting hit in the balls or Betty White getting tackled into a pool of mud), no grandiose or expensive looking CGI, and no self-important tagline where the ad-makers think they are a lot more clever than they really are. The camera brings you through what looks like authentic Detroit. The narrator tells you of the struggles and perseverance of the city, and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” starts to quietly build in the background. The narrator says something to the effect of, “This isn’t New York City, the Windy City, and it’s definitely not the Emerald City.” The camera cuts to Eminem getting out of a Chrysler, and stepping into Detroit’s world famous Fox Theatre where a Gospel choir continues to lead into the instrumental bridge of the song, and Eminem turns to the camera and says, “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.” The commercial then ends with the words “Imported from Detroit” across the screen…now, I am already biased to liking anything involving Eminem, but it was just very cool. I am not from Detroit, nor do I have any affiliation with the city, but it was hard not to feel kind of proud after watching that. Detroit is as all-American and as blue-collar as any city in the country, and for me at least I couldn’t help feeling a little patriotism start to swell up. For a moment, it caused me to forget any notion I had of buying a Toyota, BMW, or Suburu…which is what makes the ad so smart and effective in the first place. I’m not saying I still don’t want to buy a Tacoma, but the ad definitely appeals to my wanting to buy a domestic vehicle when the time comes. Anyway, check out the Chrysler spot below and decide what you think for yourself.
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