Conflicting reports on the the status of Ray Horton’s future in Tennessee and Cleveland
January 17, 2016Pics: An up-close look at Nike’s “BHM” LeBron 13
January 18, 2016Happy Monday, WFNYers. Here’s hoping that an excellent, NFL Playoff-filled weekend treated you well. At the very least, if you’re a Browns fan, you got to see what real football looks like. Who would’ve assumed that the Patriots-Chiefs game—the one with the closest spread that had many picking an upset—would’ve been the most boring of the entire lot?
Watching the Cardinals-Packers game on Saturday night was nearly an out-of-body sports fan experience. The interception. The stop. The failed fourth-down conversion. The tipped touchdown that was nearly another interception. The Hail Mary—another freaking Hail Mary. The coin flip. The other coin flip. Larry Fitzgerald. It was the kind of game that sent screenwriters back to the drawing board. Had it happened two or three years ago, Twitter’s servers would have fried.
Then on Sunday, you had the required Tale of Two Halves game with the ever-entertaining Panthers and the won’t quit Seattle Seahawks. Then a game where the Denver Broncos seemingly couldn’t gain a positive yard the entire contest yet managed to pull out a victory after a costly turnover from Pittsburgh’s third-string running back. While one led to two of the game’s best young quarterbacks greeting each other on the field in Carolina, the latter resulted in a host of Cincinnati Bengals tweeting as if Pittsburgh falling victim to poor luck was some sort of vindication for them acting like animals a week earlier.
— Rey Maualuga (@maualuga58) January 18, 2016
What goes around comes around #karma pic.twitter.com/P8lp9ERukT
— Dre Kirkpatrick (@DreKirkSWAG) January 18, 2016
https://twitter.com/JeremyHill33/status/688886566178131968
And then there were four…
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If you haven’t listened to Craig’s Scene Magazine podcast with Annie Zeleski regarding the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, it’s a quality listen that mixes history with some fun, anecdotal stories.
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Speaking of listening: So… Future dropped a new mixtape out of nowhere this past weekend. While this may seem like a non-event, this dude has been working his ass off this past year, and still managed to keep up with releasing a new string of tracks during the first month of the year—something he’s done since 2011. It also comes after a year during which he released his own album, Dirty Sprite 2, teamed up with Drake for What a Time to be Alive, and released a series of mixtapes, Monster, Beast Mode, and 56 Nights.
Oh, and he’s also featured in LeBron James’ latest Nike commercial. Not a bad year for one of the most recent in a long, long list of hip-hop stars to come out of Atlanta.
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And while it wasn’t released on Friday (Kim says Kanye was traveling), we have yet another new track to take us to SWISH. Here’s Kanye and Kendrick Lamar—undoubtedly two of the game’s biggest—with a full six minutes of “No More Parties in L.A.”
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The Jordan XXX (30) was released last week. Expected to be released on the 30th anniversary of the Jordan 1 (which would’ve been in 2015), Nike and Jordan Brand held off until this past week, holding an iPhone-lke unveiling in Chicago. I’ll have to hold off on any sort of review until acutually seeing and feeling the shoe, but according to Nick DePaula of Nice Kicks, the highlight may be that it’s arrival will lead to the XX9—one of the best performance-based shoes ever—being sold at discounted prices. His title (“…The most disappointing shoe in years”) says more than enough.
For now, here’s a look at the XXX:
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Just a heads up that “headache” rhymes with “hot take.” Here’s this week’s edition of #ActualSportswriting:
“The Catch, The ‘Divine’ Photo, And The Photographer Who Was Rooting For The Cowboys” by David Davis (Deadspin): “Dwight Clark’s ‘The Catch’ is one of the most famous plays in NFL history, and made for one of the most iconic photos ever taken by longtime Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr., one of the industry’s biggest names. Yet for all the immortality conferred in the back of Candlestick Park’s end zone on Jan. 10, 1982, Iooss was one of the very few people in the stadium who wasn’t happy about it.”1
“The joy of Cam Newton: How a polarizing QB made (great) football fun” by Tim Keown (ESPN The Magazine): “Cam plays football as if he owns the entire field, every single blade of it. As the Falcons were being introduced at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome before the Panthers’ only loss, in Week 16, Newton stood just beyond the tunnel formed by cheerleaders and band, almost close enough to be singed by two cylinders of flame at the back of the end zone. No other Panthers teammate or coach was near him, and he stood tall and still, an infantry line of photographers crouched at his feet. He stared at each Atlanta player as the Falcons waited for their names to be announced, as if making sure his 6-foot-5, 245-pound body was the first thing they saw as they prepared to play the game.”2
“Hail Mary? Hail Larry: Fitzgerald’s heroics keep Cardinals alive in playoffs” by Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports): “Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter was sunk into his locker late Saturday night, contemplating a trip to the cold tub and looking across the locker room at wideout Larry Fitzgerald. He nodded toward the veteran, the way a student might pay homage to a mentor.”3
“Paul DePodesta explains his path to the Browns” by Mike Vokunov (VICE Sports): “Analytics has not yet revolutionized football like it has baseball, but DePodesta has never been about numbers, per se; rather, the key is in his philosophy, in looking at the status quo through critical eyes and discarding conventional wisdom. In Cleveland, where the Browns have had just two winning records in 17 seasons since returning, and seven head coaches, the conventional wisdom isn’t working.”4
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And finally, I know this has made its rounds, but any video of a child playing instruments at a ridiculously high level is worth sharing. Here’s a five-year-old girl drumming to Van Halen’s “Jump.”
Have a great Monday, you guys. Be good to one another.
- Anyone who ever gets the chance to speak with a high-end sports photographer should do so. The stories are endless, and the care they put into their craft is incredible. Walter Iooss Jr. is a freaking legend. [↩]
- One of the best writers at one of the best magazines covering one of the best players—if not the best—player in the NFL. Thank you sir, may I have another? [↩]
- The best recaps are those that tell you what TV can’t. While many folks penned excellent gamers following the Cardinals’ overtime win over Green Bay, Charles Robinson’s was easily one of the best. [↩]
- We’re now going on Week 3 of Paul DePodesta pieces being penned. Props to VICE—one of the most ambitious new outlets out there—for securing the first interview since the long-time baseball mind joined one of football’s most embarassing franchises. [↩]
31 Comments
I don’t much care for the Patriots, but Tom Brady is one tough dude. He got pasted out there, and he kept bouncing right back.
And his spats are so cool.
In the spirit of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”, I’d like to point out that Kendrick’s contribution to No More Parties in LA is incredible. And that’s all I have to say about that song.
I personally felt the Denver game was the boring one.The NFC games were easily the best.
I really hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think that the AFC Championship game is going to be very good. Peyton Manning is done. He can’t play anymore, and I’m afraid the Patriots are going to tear him/them apart. The Steelers had the best chance to beat the Patriots, especially if they got Brown back. I am definitely looking forward to the NFC Championship game, though.
Agreed, Denver isn’t very good. The Patriots shouldn’t be with all of their injuries but somehow Brady/Belicheck find a way
Denver has a good to great defense – that backfield is tremendous; I just don’t see that being enough to beat the Pats, which is sad, because, as you said, the Pats aren’t that great, either. In my mind, the biggest shame of this season was the Bengals losing Dalton. They had the best all-around team in the AFC. I wish they were still playing (and I hate them).
I personally think the NFC had four teams that would have won the AFC this year. Now, you never know in a one-game set that is the Superbowl, but the NFC was much better football.
(things that make you even more sad about a team going 3-13 in the lesser conference)
You *really* don’t like Kanye.
Kanye feeds valuable carbon dioxide to surrounding plants.
Best thing about the weekend is that those insufferably arrogant Seahawks are done. They’re the biggest jerks in the league. That TD celebration in the Super Bowl last year where the guy simulated taking a dump is probably the most classless thing I’ve ever seen in sports. New England’s interception at the goal line made my year.
This never gets old…
http://i.imgur.com/2dfDpfz.gif
Ah, yes, there he is, the leader of the loudmouth brigade. Beautiful.
He was also mugging for the sideline cameras and celebrating their win IN THE THIRD QUARTER. Ha ha, eat it, loser.
(I’d learn how to do gifs, but I already spend waaaaay too much work time fooling around here.)
Manning is falling apart in front of our eyes.
hi GARRY … sorry if i seemed a little perturbed , or short with you on Friday. i’m good … i wasn’t upset at all … maybe it was just the way my posts came across.
Don’t believe it, Garry. He hates your guts. He was trashing you all over the Twitter this weekend.
LMFAO !!
watching 5 year-old Eduarda makes me a little green with envy … love it though.
Speak it!!!
Go Pats.
great song great job!
There’s still time for all ya’ll to get Gronked! Go Patriots!!!
http://www.patriots.com/sites/patriots.com/files/styles/borealis_rotator_respondlarge/public/2015thelist_960x347_ticketshero.jpg?itok=k_uNdJ0A×tamp=1439434958
Snapchat and Vine too!
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/1816723/dry-heave-o.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcpt6n1XVK1rpbxguo1_500.gif
“yup” …
On this national holiday I’d proceed with caution if I was you buster…
http://33.media.tumblr.com/dae3787b8156e2f5e0407ac86b7a1d59/tumblr_mkby97WdcG1qh7is7o3_250.gif
http://gif-finder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Morpheus-Come-At-Me-Bro.gif
One thing is certain: I’m #TeamNFC in the coming Super Bowl. Great as it is to see the yinzers gone, I cannot possibly pull for either the Pats or Broncos.
Joe Buck, is that you?
http://www.mansworld.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wall-FB55e8b016b2305.jpg
I’d like to see NE win, so Brady thank Goodell when he hands him the trophy…
https://media.giphy.com/media/uYOgd0l1uRVbq/giphy.gif