Episode 37 – Old Dudes Talking About Old Basketball

Yeah, Emile and I spend most of the time talking about late-80s/early-90s NBA… so what?

Episode 37 [ 1:49:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 36 – 2k13 Talk
We love 2k13 and we’re sure you do too!  Join Boosh, Demetri, Fendo from Dancing with Noah and myself  talk about 2k13 for an hour.  Yeah, it’s as good as it sounds.

Episode 36 [ 1:11:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 35 – Keepin Our Shoe Game Tight

On this episode Mike, JP and Matt chat about marketable players and the shoe game.  Pretty great stuff, as always.

Episode 35 [ 1:10:35 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Click for full sized image

Photographer: Mike S

Description:  So the first time I came up here on business, my boss was like “Oh, I have to let everyone know I can’t play basketball at lunch today…”  I was all like “Whaaaaa????”

So turns out the Rockwell Automation building in Milwaukee has a basketball court in it.  Way back in the 40s/50s/60s, there was a Industrial Basketball league where like all the manufacturing companies in Milwaukee played each other.  Each team had it’s own home court and Rockwell’s was up on 7th floor of the building.

As you can see in the pic, it’s pretty big and baller.  People play on their lunch during the week and there is an intercompany league.  From the info I gathered, there is still some sort of Manufacturing League, but couldn’t figure out if Rockwell has a team and if they use it as their home court.

So yeah, two things.  It’s pretty boss to have a basketball court at your work to have a nice lunch run… and the idea of like a little city league where old school manufacturing dudes played each other? That rules.

Check out this post to learn how to contribute to the My Stomping Grounds image collection.

Episode 34 – The Time We Found Out Emile Loves Tayshaun Prince

Yep, you read that right.  Emile likes Tayshaun Prince… A LOT.  And Michael Beasley too.  Don’t let that deter you though because there is a lot of great basketball talk in this episode.

Episode 34 [ 1:41:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Have you ever done something then immediately regret it?  Yeah, well that’s how I felt after starting this conversation with Angelo about the Kings’ proposed move to Seattle.  I think I’m just exhausted with talking about this.  But yeah, here are thousands of words about the whole thing.  If you’ve ever fantasized about how IGHN members bicker back and forth, here is a peek inside our world.

From: Mike
Date: January 10, 2013
To: Angelo
Subject: Reasonable Opinions on the Kings
So the internet’s goin nuts over this Kings thing, huh?

I guess the whole reason this email chain is starting is because I don’t get how anyone can think there isn’t blood on the hands of Sonics fans.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
Can I just point out that I love how an email with the subject “Reasonable Opinions on the Kings” has a sentence about there being blood on people’s hands?

This is exactly why I think that this whole thing is being so overwrought. Is it a crappy situation? Absolutely. Is an incredibly loyal, passionate fan base being robbed of their team? Yes. But to go above and beyond that and start moralizing this is absurd. How does this become a moral issue involving anyone outside of the Maloofs?

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Mike wrote:

Well “blood on their hands” is a reasonable metaphor because it implies some guilt. Maybe they didn’t jab the knife in, but there were there watching cheering it on and getting blood on themselves. I don’t think Seattle fans are the primary guilty party, but they play a part in this puzzle that can’t be ignored.  They are implicit.

Here is my case:

Seattle fans are (understandably) upset about how the Sonics were taken from them.  It was a bad situation and most Sonics fans (and a lot of general NBA fans) were very outspoken when the Thunder were in the finals last year.  While I think there is a statute of limitation about complaining about losing your team, it’s reasonable that they are upset.

However, when did it become right to steal a team just because your team was stolen?  How could Sonics fans look at this situation and even remotely say “well sucks for Sacramento, but WE HAVE A TEAM NOW!!!!!”?  I guess this is an argument of principle, but you become a hypocrite when you accept something today that you just cried about yesterday.

Seattle fans didn’t actively steal this team, but they have had years to make it clear that they would only accept and support an expansion team and NOT a relocated team.  I would even be ok with a team moving there that lacks fan support.  But I seriously believe Seattle fans should have some self respect and say “not the Kings”.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
Of course they’re hypocrites. Who isn’t at some point in their life though?

I would agree with you if I thought that an expansion team was a viable solution to this problem. But that’s the thing, it’s not. The NBA is a zero-sum game. The talent in the league is already diffused enough with 30 teams in the league. If the league were to go ahead and grant Seattle a team (and another city in the East to even things out), do you think that problem is going to get any better?

I look at this as a far more systemic problem with a lot more blame to go around. The league just came out of a lockout where competitive balance was a major issue (though it was skewed as a small vs. large market issue, which I think is a false analogy). The solution they came up with, the significantly more severe tax system, simply put a bandage on the issue. Sure we’ve seen OKC move Harden due to the tax, but the Lakers are something like $195M into the tax come next season. Given their insane television contracts, they’ll be able to afford paying that tax and will be able to keep Dwight on the books if he so chooses and sign a guy like LeBron James if the Heat blow things up. All that CBA has done is insure that teams with large television contracts can continue to be stacked as long as they have the outside revenue to afford the tax (and they do). There’s still going to be a consolidation of talent at the top. All an expansion team would do is continue to diffuse what remaining talent the rest of the teams in the league have to fight over. Is that really a viable solution to this problem?

Who’s more to blame then? The fans who finally get their beloved team back or the owners and league officials that can’t write a CBA that will allow the league to grow into new markets? I look at this as a problem arising from bad business practices. The NBA hasn’t put themselves in a position where they can grow beyond their current boundaries. Until that problem is fixed, you’re going to have this problem of owners looking to offload teams to better markets because their product isn’t financially viable.

Bottom line, if the NBA had structured a better system, Sacramento could be a more financially viable option for the Maloofs, minimizing their incentive to sell the franchise. An expansion team would’ve been a viable option for the Seattle consortium (minimizing their incentive to purchase the franchise). The problem is that structure doesn’t exist and won’t exist until another lengthy lockout.

And even if Seattle did get an expansion, there’s still teams teetering on the edge of relocation. The Hornets almost left New Orleans. The Bobcats seem like they’re always about ready to collapse. An expansion team is just a stop-gap solution to a much larger problem.

To summarize: even if Seattle wasn’t buying, the Maloofs were still selling.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Mike wrote:

Well maybe this is a dreaming too big, but is expansion really off the table?  Sure, with the economy it makes it a tough sell, but let’s look at the facts.  Stern has said over and over again how the Sonics moving was a regret of his.  And well-respected writers have speculated that Stern wants to get a team back in Seattle as his final act as commissioner.  This all makes a ton of sense.  If Seattle fans framed their case as “we want a team, but only the right way”, maybe the NBA could be strong armed into this happening.  Instead they have taken the “by any means necessary” stand that is not a good look for people who were crying back in June.

I agree with every single word you said about the financial structure of the league and maybe that’s why expansion isn’t viable… but what I can’t get down with is that this financial structure is what is causing the Kings to move.

Let’s be real: The Kings are moving because the Maloofs can’t handle their money.  This has nothing to do with how the league is set up… the Maloofs are kind of bad at business (or placed bad bets due to the economy) and the city of Sacramento is paying the price.  This has nothing to do with the fans.  It has nothing to do with the city of Sacramento (they have stepped up at every instance to basically do what it takes… it just hasn’t been ENOUGH money for the Maloofs).

More realness for you: As discussed by Ziller this morning, while Sacramento has made every possible concession to keep the Kings there, let’s not forget that the city of Seattle was screwing around and played a major factor in the Sonics leaving.  I know it kind of came off as a nasty move, but Seattle wasn’t falling over themselves like Sacramento is to keep the Sonics there.

This is really hard, because I do believe sports franchises are businesses and the owner has the right to decide what to do with their business. However, this all comes back to the Maloofs.  The NBA shouldn’t protect them from themselves.  I see this as there are viable options for them to stay in Sacramento, but the Maloofs just want more and more.  Don’t really know why Seattle fans would want any part of this.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
You think Stern can be strong-armed by a feel good story in a Seattle paper? Come on Mike, this is Mr. “Basketball Reasons” we’re talking about here.

How is the NBA protecting the Maloofs from themselves in this situation? If anything, buying the franchise from the Maloofs to keep them in Sacramento (much like Stern did with the Hornets), is protecting them from themselves. That starts the slippery slope of the league buying troubled franchises off from owners, which minimizes the risks of them making bad business decisions. Moral hazard. Econ 101.

I’m not trying to downplay how awful this situation is, but I don’t see any way around it, outside of Stern stepping in and forcing the Maloofs to consider a match from another ownership consortium in Sacramento (an idea that I really like and I wish would be institutionalized by the league). The crux of the problem is, there’s a $500M deal on the table. Stern can’t step in and veto that sale and force them to take a smaller deal in Sacramento. Owners would balk and the league would have serious problems stemming from that.

And even if the league stepped in and gave Seattle an expansion team, the Maloofs will continue to look for buyers in Anaheim or Virginia Beach. The root cause of this problem is the Maloofs. Even if the Seattle move is somehow stopped, the writing is pretty much on the wall here.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Mike wrote:

I mean we are arguing the business minutia of this.  This all goes back to the fans of Seattle.  They can just as easily say “we don’t like this and it’s kind of disgusting”.  But they don’t.  I used this analogy on twitter last night: If my wife leaves me, does that make it ok or less morally reprehensible to steal someone else’s wife?  Sure, this is all “business as usual for professional sports”, but let’s not act like the people of Seattle aren’t scumbags for being excited about it.

Also, I am just curious about this:  How much do you think the national “this sucks for Sacramento, but THE SONICS ARE BACK! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!” crowd are influenced by it being Seattle that is getting the team. Like we all kind of get happy/excited thinking about Kemp and Payton.  We all fantasize about Seattle being this great northwestern city (which it might be, I’ve never been there).  I don’t know, just kind of feels romanticized.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
First of all, I don’t agree with that analogy. I think the better way to frame it is dating your friends ex-girlfriend. Sure it’s not the coolest thing to do, but everyone involved is a consenting adult that can make their own decisions.

And I think you’re totally right that the Sonics are romanticized due to the Kemp/Payton era. To be totally honest, once Kemp was on the Cavs, I couldn’t care less about that team. They were just a team. Sure, it sucks that they aren’t around anymore, but I had no personal connection to them outside of watching Kemp dunk on fools when I was a kid.

Let’s frame it like this, if this was the Raptors moving to someplace like Kansas City, you think this would be as huge of a deal? I mean, pretty much no one cared about the Nets moving to Brooklyn last year.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Mike wrote:

I think the analogy works because there is more skin in the game.  The Kings shouldn’t be Sacramento’s ex.  As far as I understand, there are business people ready to buy the team and keep them in Sacramento and the city wants to do everything they can to build a stadium.  I guess the fundamental discussion is: can the Maloofs do whatever they want with the team?

I agree with how you framed it, except I think Toronto has a really good fan base. The Nets are a great example, nobody cares.  If the Bobcats moved, not many people would care.

The problem becomes you are moving a team from one awesome fan base to another.  So once there is a team in Seattle, don’t we play this game again with Sacramento down the road?  What the hell are you even solving?

I just have a hard time with Sonic fans being hypocrites and a ton of people being like “yeah that’s true, but it’s how things work now”.  Stop with this by any means necessary garbage.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
But the Maloofs have every right to sell them. There’s no “from death till we part” here. While that sucks, that’s the reality of it. You can try to change everything about yourself to appease your partner, but they still have every right to walk away from the relationship, which is clearly what’s happening here. To take it out of the ham-fisted analogy though, I agree, Sacramento should have the opportunity to match the deal. That’s the fair way to handle this situation. Will that happen? Who knows, that’s a discussion for a later date.

As for Sonics fans, what do you expect them to do? Turn them down? That’s not realistic. Yeah, it’s hypocritical, but people are hypocrites. Why should we hold a fan base to an unreasonable expectation that we’d never hold ourselves to in real life? That excuse can be lobbed at Cleveland if LeBron comes back. Is that a fair criticism? Are Thunder fans evil because they welcomed a team into open arms that once belonged to Seattle? Or are they in a higher moral standing because they’re not hypocrites because they never lost a team?

And with Brooklyn, that attitude of “it’s different because nobody cares” is hypocritical. Just because there’s less passionate fans in New Jersey doesn’t mean that to those passionate fans that did exist that this relocation is any different. Just because the outrage is smaller doesn’t mean it’s any less justified.

I guess the bottom line of what I’m saying here is that David Stern is a terrible commissioner and needs to have retired like a decade ago. The NBA will never be the top league in the US until there’s some stability in team locations.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Mike wrote:
I guess the more I look at it, the more I just need to be consistent with my “teams are businesses and the people who own businesses can do whatever they want with said businesses” point of view.

I guess I don’t fault the Maloofs for doing whatever they want, but this is an issue of fans and their behavior.  I guess Sonics fans have the right to be hypocrites, but why should any fan outside of Seattle be reacting to this with any sort of excitement?

Although I do think there are degrees for moving teams.  Here is how I would categorize it (and I am sure this will open up a whole new can of worms):

Unforgivable: Moving a team with a supportive fan base and supportive civic leadership

Not cool: Moving a team with a good fan base, but civic leaders don’t show the proper support

You could make an argument: Teams in markets that aren’t sustainable.  Fans support is only ok, but the business model is not sustainable.

Teams that should most likely move: Poor fan support, poor community support.

I guess this all comes back to if you have a team in one of the top tiers, you should be able to make your team work in the city that it is currently located in. If you can’t, you’re probably a poor business person.

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
I like that matrix, and I think that highlights the root of the problem I was discussing. The NBA, more than any other league in the US, has more teams in the bottom two rungs. I mean, outside of the NBA, the only other team I can really think of in one of those teams is the Miami Marlins. They’ve also made some questionable decisions as to where to locate franchises (Vancouver, two in LA, putting a team back into New Orleans and Charlotte despite a team folding there previously), so they’ve made this problem much worse.

The more I think about this, the more I think teams need to be treated like a restricted free agent. Give the current city a year to match the offer sheet before relocation. I think that would have prevented Seattle from moving and would probably also prevent the Kings from moving. Would have also helped the Hornets and probably would have avoided the league ownership. Does that seem like a fair consideration?

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Mike wrote:

Totally.  I think it gets to the root of what is fair here: let Sacramento match.

Although I’d like to ask about something in your last email: Two teams in LA are a mistake?  I think both do fantastic.  And honestly?  After Seattle, I would consider putting a second team in Chicago.  If you have a big market, why not?

Also lost in all of this was Stern saying last week that we would have European NBA teams at some point in the future.  So domestic expansion to a city that desperately wants an NBA team is off the table, but expanding to Europe is on it?

On Thu, Jan 10, 2013, Angelo wrote:
You think both LA teams do fantastic? Does your memory of the Clippers not extend back before 2010?

You don’t put another team in Chicago because you then have six playoff teams coming from three cities. It’d be a ratings disaster for the league, not to mention isolates a ton of fans, especially in places like Seattle.

And yeah, the Europe thing is ridiculous. But Stern gets to puff his chest and say that the NBA has something that neither MLB nor the NFL has. Nevermind the fact that neither league has European teams because that’s absurdly stupid, but Stern’s gon’ Stern.

DAYS PASS

On Thu, Jan 15, 2013, Mike wrote:
Hey we let this go for a few days, but reading this just refreshed my memory that we need to finish this conversation

Is it just me, or is that letter not helping anything?  Sure, it has the message that you are telling me of “don’t blame the fans, but blame the system”… but I don’t see much in here about keeping up the fight to keep the team in Sacramento.  It almost has the tone of “well just move on and here is how you should get a new team”… no?

Also I think it’s a little insulting for the Sonicsgate people to give advice to the Sacramento fans… the Sacramento fans have been a pain for the Maloofs for a while now and have been building a template on how to keep a team, rather than how to be crying babies after you lose a team.

On Thu, Jan 15, 2013, Angelo wrote:
God, you’re going to make me read a Grantland article? You’re the worst.

I don’t think it’s fair to label them crying babies, as there’s a fundamental difference between the two situations that keeps being ignored. The Maloofs want to sell the Kings to a Seattle buyer. The Thunder owner wanted to relocate the team from Seattle to OKC after purchasing the team in Seattle. Kings fans have the opportunity to make a counter offer to the keep the team that was never extended to Sonics fans because the move was about more than just cash. I think that’s an important distinction to note, is it not?

Which is also why I think the continued comparisons between the two cities isn’t fair. There’s no way for Seattle to look good in this. Either they’re hypocritically stealing a team from another market, or they’re turning the team down and justifying the move to OKC because they aren’t rabid enough about the NBA.

On Thu, Jan 15, 2013, Mike wrote:
I don’t think there is any fundamental difference.  Seattle lost it’s team because civic leaders refused to build an arena.  Schultz got annoyed and sold the team to someone who was set on moving the team.  They could have kept the Sonics if they just did what they needed to in order to keep Shultz happy.  No?  Sacramento is doing everything they can to not only find an ownership group to match the Seattle offer, but to fund an arena.

Seattle fans would have looked a lot better in they just kept their team.  Sometimes you lose a team and you don’t get bailed out and get one back.  Look at how it worked out in Charlotte.  Why do we automatically think this is such an awesome idea?

On Thu, Jan 15, 2013, Angelo wrote:
Seattle would look better if they just kept their team? Yeah, and Cleveland would look better if LeBron James never left and won a bajillion titles here, but you can’t change the past. Unless you have a Delorean. Do you have a Delorean, Mike?

I’m beginning to think we’re just going around in circles here. Can we at least agree to never read Grantland again?

On Thu, Jan 15, 2013, Mike wrote:
I just agreed with Matt Moore on Twitter.  I must be losing my mind so, yeah, it’s time for this discussion to end.  We’ll just agree that I win (and don’t think I won’t edit out any subsequent email messages from you).

Episode 33 – Bad Basketball, Bad Audio Quality

Welp!  A killer line up of guests was almost ruined by some bad audio quality.  It sounds really bad at some points, but that shouldn’t deter you.  Join us to hear Amin, Matt, Greg (from Sactown Royalty) and Kirk (from The Two Man Game and Mavs Moneyball) talk about cheering for really bad basketball teams.  And yes, this was recorded before the Kings move to Seattle blew up… so deal with it.

Episode 33 [ 1:24:42 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 32 – Real Talk

Things got really real here.  Fendo (from Dancing with Noah) and I get really serious for most of the pod about the (lack of) enjoyment of sports, the state of internet sports writing and just hating everything in general.  And there’s a hot minute at the end when we actually talk about basketball stuff.

Episode 32 [ 1:24:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I GO HARD NOW  understands that you come to our blog for guidance through life.  We mainly provide you basketball opinions to recite to your friends (because we know our readers are totally devoid of their own thoughts), but IGHN writers also give the gracious gift of insight on a lot of worldly topics (love, culture, food, drugs, etc.).

I have gathered some of IGHN’s finest taste makers to drop some 2012-in-review knowledge on you and let you know what you probably missed this past year.  It’s not a traditional “here are the best music, movies, tv, blah blah blah” lists that you are used to.  It’s pretty much what we thought was awesome.  So yeah, it’s basically your chance to live like us going forward.  YOU’RE WELCOME!

Erin

Rockabye Baby Records -

If you aren’t familiar with this “genre” of music, Rockabye Baby cds are essentially cover versions of pop and rock songs that sound like lullabies. My top three are “Head Like a Hole”, “Runnin with the Devil” and “Enjoy the Silence”, but I basically spent the final weeks finishing my masters listening to an 8 hour playlist of these things.

The Barclays Center -
I moved to New York in 2010, and aside from paying a small fortune to see the Cavs play the Knicks at the Garden, I would take the PATH train to Newark (kind of a slog) to see the Nets play whoever I cared about for considerably less at the Prudential Center. the relocation of the Nets to Brooklyn meant I live a ten minute trip from the arena, and now get to see pro basketball on the regular, just as i did when i lived in Cleveland. Broooooooooklyn!

Neil Young’s Memoir, Waging Heavy Peace -
If you don’t acknowledge the importance of Neil Young in the world, we probably can’t even have a conversation. This book is basically Neil Young’s livejournal, and I loved all 512 pages of it. I didn’t want it to end. Topics discussed include: Orange Julius, freedom, horrible medical procedures, his music service (multiple times), stuff that sucks, stuff that is awesome, Sonicare toothbrush replacements, a boat. It was so good i used to do readings of it to one of my roommates.

The Internet -
This is a perennial favorite of mine. The Internet has allowed me to sustain friendships with people across the country, there’s always hilarious stuff to read and/or look at (this, in particular: http://twitpic.com/8z12ea), and I can’t imagine it not being in my life. This year it led me to some pretty hilarious experiences and even better people in my non-internet life, and I’m super stoked about that. Thx internet, i l u 4evz.

My Trip to Los Angeles in October -
This final thing I loved in 2012 started off as the pair of vintage Bulls sweatpants I bought at and still on la Brea and then I thought about the 2 Chainz (Editor’s Note:  2 CHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ) record from the Best Buy in Atwater Village that I  listened to in my rental car, and then I thought about Metropolis II @ LACMA. It’s all under the umbrella of this trip. It is no secret that I am in love with LA and it is my dream to move there, so leaving it off of a list of my best things of 2012 seems criminal, even though I’ve loved it outside of this year and will continue to forever. This trip included some of the greatest people I know on this planet, the beach, an exorbitant amount of thai street food, me riding a bike (first time since 2008!) and five days of feeling like my best self. If i can’t go to heaven, let me go to LA.

Spacefunmars

I’m quick hitting this because I’m sick and just took my nightly handful of sleeping pills so I can get my beauty rest.

James Harden’s Beard -
I feel like Harden’s beard really set the standard for 2012 facial hair.

Kyrie Irving -
2011 was a little shaky for Kyrie, but 2012 saw him move from “I hope he’s really good” status to “He’s a star” status to “for sure superstar” status. As a Cavs fan, I love it.

Grizzly Bear -
“Shields” is my favorite album of the last five years. Or more. I haven’t actually counted. Also, actual grizzly bears are pretty cool, too.

Mars Rover Curiosity -
Call me bias, but I love any money put into our space program — especially when it has to do with Mars.

Marc Gasol’s Continuous Validation of the Pau Gasol Trade -
Self-explanatory.

Angelo

Let’s face it, 2012 was a pretty terrible year for Cleveland sports fans. Sure, Kyrie Irving’s rookie campaign was incredible and great to watch, but the rest of the Cavaliers during that rookie campaign? Woof. While Dion Waiters has his moments, the Cavs are currently sitting at 6-23, good for the third worst record in the NBA. Oh, and most of the team is wearing face masks. And Twitter has devolved into one long argument about Tristan Thompson that never ends. And the Indians imploded in spectacular fashion. And I don’t care about the Browns (sorry, I don’t). And the Heat won. And now people won’t shut up about how great LeBron James is now. And LeBron James stories still show up in my Cavaliers newsfeed on Yahoo. And now people are saying he’s going to come back and save the Cavs, but he won’t, because that’s ridiculous and please shut up.

Ugh.

In other words, my favorite things about 2012 don’t involve sports. Actually, sports aside, 2012 was a pretty awesome year filled with cool shit. Here’s some of my favorites:

“The Walking Dead” (the video game) -
While the game play itself isn’t anything spectacular (it’s basically an old school point and click adventure game), the story is phenomenally engaging and moves the whole medium forward. I’ll admit it, I kinda teared up at the end of this one. It packs a punch.

“Game of Thrones” -
I hate fantasy stuff. I walked out of the first two Lord of the Rings movies. I have no desire to sit through nine hours of The Hobbit. And yet, I absolutely love this show and have started reading through the books. Maybe it’s the boobs.

This Pollos Hermanos tub filled with rock candy that looks like Heisenburg meth -
This is totally awesome, but I have no idea who has $1,656 to drop on some rock candy and a plastic bucket. Come on son.

@Horse_ebooks -
I know most people don’t get it, but I don’t care. This shit is hysterical.

“They Live”
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper fighting aliens in a John Carpenter movie that inspired both Shepard Fairey and the Cripple Fight episode of South Park. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

Triz

On a personal level, 2012 was not one of my best years. Despite the suckiness, there were some great things that came out it:

The Weeknd
I have to give some love to Mike (@mikeyfivebucks) and Justin (@paluchador) for tipping me off to him.  I remember Mike telling me that The Weeknd was “in your lane” and music you want to “fuck and do drugs to.”  Boy, was he right. From the first beat drop in “High for This” to his cover of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana,” The Weeknd changed my life for the better. It’s been the only thing I’ve listened to the past six weeks and I don’t see it leaving the rotation anytime soon. The best part about his music is the mood it sets.  It’s not traditional slow-jam R&B.  It makes you feel like you are rocking back and forth in a hazy trance with some cute girl rolling on E in the coolest underground spot in New York City.  Give it a shot. Some songs to consider: “High for This”, “Wicked Games”, “Montreal”, “XO/The Host”, “The Zone”, “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” and my absolute favorite, “Lonely Star.”  How addicting is this album? I drove around Cleveland for two hours on a late Saturday night because I didn’t want to stop listening.

Warby Parkers and Pencil Skirts
Girls, this outfit is fire.  I don’t know what it is, but there was nothing sexier this year than girls rocking a pencil skirt with some Warby Parker frames. Well done, ladies.

Sports Play of the Year
Yep, this happened.

Mike

“The Master” -
To be straight up, I didn’t fully get it and I don’t know many people who did.  What I DO know is that it was beautiful to look at and am insanely compelling story about the relationships between people.  I’m sure there was a way deeper meaning, but I took away interesting insights into the dominance/submission that happens in any friendship. You should probably see it and make up your own mind what it’s about.

Scott Snyder’s Comic Book Writing -
So yeah, I was late to the party, but he’s a beast when it comes to writing comic books.  In 2012 I caught up on his American Vampire series and his run on Batman/Detective Comics.  It’s incredible stuff and if you are even remotely interested in comics you should peep that shit.

“Blue Chips” by Action Bronson/Party Supplies -
Action Bronson released two mix tapes this year and this was the better of the two.  Action Bronson pretty much does him on this shit, but Party Supplies’ production is crazy.  Like really good and fix’s Bam Bam’s style perfectly.  Just download the mixtape (IT’S FREE!), listen to Pouches of Tuna and tell me it isn’t hot.  I dare you.

“R.A.P. Music” by Killer Mike -
If “Blue Chips” was mixtape of the year, “R.A.P. Music” might be the hip hop album of the year… and I would have a really hard time not considering it for my overall album of the year for 2012.  Socially conscious rap without being boring.  Listen to the second verse of Reagan and figure out what’s good.

Portland -
Went there on my honeymoon in October and had a blast.  Shouts out to all the Basketball Twitter I met out there.  Shit was fun.

“How Music Works” by David Byrne -
Do you care about music and/or the Talking Heads?  Read this book.  Equally a autobiography and music criticism, David Byrne has this whole music thing figured out.  And he’s just such a fucking weird guy.  It’s memorizing.

So yeah.  That’s it.  Go forth and be more like us.

Episode 31 – Sheed, Antawn Jamison and Chris Duhon

Yea, you read the title right.  We talked about all of these things… at length.  I won’t lie, we talked about other stuff too, so check out this week’s pod with Seth Rosenthal from Posting and Toasting and Emile from Hardwood Hype, in addition to myself and BOOSH!

Episode 31 [ 1:10:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download