As you've heard by now, the New York Mets just traded for the best pitcher in baseball. A pitcher so good that he elevates them from talented also-ran to National League favorite. A pitcher so dominating, he single-handedly overshadows The Great Collapse of 2007. A move so far-reaching that the Mets currently have better odds to win the 2008 World Series than the Yankees, according to the Nevada Sports Books. For Mets fans like myself, this deal seems too good to be true. This is the same franchise that has traded away the likes of Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, David Cone, and Scott Kazmir. The same franchise that has never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter, never had an MVP, and has only won 5 division titles in its 46 year history. But even though I should feel ecstatic about the changing fortunes of my team, something just doesn't feel right about this trade. No matter how much it benefits the Mets, this trade serves as the perfect example of the inherent problems with Major League Baseball.
It's been a rough offseason for The (former) National Pastime. Steroids continue to dominate the headlines, as 87 players were named in The Mitchell Report. Roger Clemens has seen his reputation tarnished, while Barry Bonds, the all-time home run leader, has no team to play for. To me, however, the biggest story has nothing to do with any performance-enhancing drug. The most important theme to emerge is the widening disparity between small and large market teams. Take a look at these transactions from the past three months:
1. The Florida Marlins (last year's payroll - $33.1 million) trade Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to The Detroit Tigers (last year's payroll - $98.5 million) for a package of 6 prospects.
2. The Oakland A's (last year's payroll - $78.5 million) trade Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox (last year's payroll - $100.2 million) for Ryan Sweeney and two prospects.
3. The Minnesota Twins (last year's payroll - $71.9 million) trade Johan Santana to the New York Mets (last year's payroll - $120.9 million) for a package of 4 prospects.
Sensing a pattern? Does it make any sense that poorer teams seem to be trading off their best
players in exchange for inexpensive prospects? Does it make sense that the Mets and Marlins play in the same division? Or that the Yankees, who had a record-breaking $218.3 million dollar payroll last year, play in the same division as the $31.8 million Devil Rays? These examples only point out part of the problem. Unbelievably, MLB's draft is also inequitable, as top prospects often make outrageous financial demands, and scare off the poorer teams from selecting them. Also, the money from revenue-sharing, which was instituted to actually help small-market teams compete in this landscape, is often going into the owners' pockets instead of into their teams, thus rendering this process ineffective. The divide continues to grow, and these examples suggest that it will continue.
All of this makes me conflicted as a fan of a large-market team. Next season, if the Mets win their division, there will be no cause for celebration, as they will have done what they were supposed to do. If they lose, it will be another embarrassment, as they will have once again failed to benefit from their edge in talent and payroll. And this Steinbrenner-esque, winning-is-required mentality makes me enjoy the game a bit less. I go into next year knowing that a Mets' championship might not be as fulfilling as one earned in a sport with actual rules. It's never fun to root for the bully, which is exactly what my team has become. There's no question that the Mets are now in position to win a lot of games next year. It's just sad that Major League Baseball has put small-market teams in position to lose a lot of fans.
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Johan Santana Trade - Great for the Mets, Bad for the Game
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Kennedy Seal of Approval: A Huge Endorsement for Barack Obama
Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
Following Caroline's impassioned editorial was an equally stirring speech from her uncle, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact these endorsements will have. While it's certainly been an attention-getter (even overshadowing the President's recycled State of The Union Address), we will have to wait until Feb 5th to see if it will provide the necessary momentum that Obama will need to push him over the edge. As it is now, Hillary still has a commanding lead in the majority of the Super Tuesday states. And if she is, indeed, able to hold on and take the nomination, the bigger question may be: will the American people forgive her for crushing hope?
Friday, January 25, 2008
Economy is in Dire Straits: Why and What to Expect
Usually, I'm not the type to dabble into economic speak but given that things have gone from bad to horrible in a short period of time, I thought it would be prudent to have my financial guru weigh in.
Economy in Peril
by Xen Mogul
Wake up people! We are on the verge of an unprecedented financial collapse. Oil prices have gone through the roof, consumers are over-leveraged (credit cards, mortgages, stippers...etc.) and the economy has now taken a turn for the worse. How in the world could this have happened? Well let me give you a little bit of history.
HOW
So it all started with the Nasdaq (tech) bubble of 2000. After busting early that year, it was followed the unforseen events on 9/11 which officially destroyed our economy. In response, Greenspan cut rates to 1%. This resulted in one of the biggest asset inflation cycles of recent history in real-estate and, more recently, in stocks and commodities. Through various creative financial instruments large investment banks around the world were able to add ridiculous fuel to the fire of rising asset prices (namely homes) driving prices up still further.
This huge influx of wealth generation via asset appreciation ("mortgage equity extraction") spurred massive consumer spending from the US, the global engine of growth. As the US continued to buy stuff the emerging markets (China, India...etc.) profited by making the products for us. This spurred significant growth and wealth generation in their respective economies which sparked a sudden domestic economic growth spurt. All of this further drove up asset valuation around the world as these countries were buying infinitely more of the basics than ever before (coal, iron ore, food...) driving global prices even higher.
NOW
Now the party is over. Home prices are falling and people are defaulting on their mortgages and more recently on their credit card bills. Because of the above mentioned financial instruments, the effect of these declines has a multiplier effect...a multiple so large few can really get their head around it (myself included). Think trillions, not billions. To put this number into perspective...US GDP is $14.5tr; China GDP is about $2.6tr; and Global GDP is about $45tr.
Leverage has been the name of the game for the last five years because the cost of borrowing money has been so cheap. The housing crisis and the resulting loss of unprecedented sums of money has resulted in the loan market to freeze up for some and get much more expensive for most (all this in spite of Fed rate cuts). This is simply because banks don't trust other banks enough in this environment to lend them money. All of this, among other factors, has spiraled us into what I believe will be one of the most difficult times in recent history. The risks are large enough and systemic enough to cause a economic crash.
The Future
Make no mistake about what the government is doing. I'm sure you've heard that they've proposed a "Stimulus Plan" to the tune of $145 billion. This is a sign of absolute desperation. They're trying to avoid a DEPRESSION not a recession. They're scum and judging by their past performance I'm willing to bet this won't work. It will only devalue the currency as they create this money out of thin air.
The next shoes to fall will be credit card and auto defaults and eventually private equity deals. The banks that loaned the money to these retards are going to take it up the booty over the next couple years. People are getting laid-off everywhere and unemployment figures will inevitably rise as lending standards and prices tighten and asset prices deflate. Some argue that the emerging markets have developed local economies strong enough to keep growth rates up in those regions but I disagree. I expect to see them slow appreciably albeit not come to a halt.
As they say, "when the US gets a cold, the world gets the flu."
The flip side of all this, what could make me wrong, is that by some miracle we're able to get the loan market working again and bring lending rates down so people and businesses can re-finance. If this happens we will be ok, but it will still take a long time to recover from the losses we've already incurred. It's all about the US consumer. That's the whole game. When we spend we fuel growth and, unfortunately, right now our wallets are getting tighter not bigger.
Remember that it's in nobody's interest to tell you that stocks are going lower...their jobs are at risk (the media included). So they'll tell you that everything will be fine and not even address the full scope of the risks.
The net of it all...stay out of stocks, hoard your cash and brace yourselves for what could be very difficult times in America. If everything turns around and the market doubles from here, I'm sorry. But if you have no chips you can't play poker. Good luck.
Technorati Tags: Economy Alan+Greenspan GDP Leverage Recession Stock+Market
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Brawn over Brains - Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Toughness in Pro Sports
Picture this scenario: two secretaries get hired by a well-known law firm, and work there for several years. One (let's call him Phil) is somewhat of an underachiever, and is notorious for his surly attitude. The other (let's call him LT) represents the firm with class and dignity, and is the most efficient worker they've ever had. One day, they both come down with injuries while typing. Phil has a torn ligament in his wrist, while LT is in the early stages of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. They both need time off, but the firm's biggest client goes on trial in one week. Phil decides to fight through his tremendous pain, because the person who would take over his work (William E. Volek) isn't trusted by anybody in the firm. LT takes the necessary time off, comforted by the fact that his replacement is infinitely better than Phil's, and can help the company get through its busy time. After the trial, everyone hails Phil's courage, even though the damage in his wrist is so severe that he might not be able to work when they next need him. LT is condemned for his choice, even though he decreased his risk of suffering a long-term injury by getting adequate rest. Despite the fact that LT is an all-time great secretary, and had only called in sick once before in his career, he will forever be remembered for failing to come through in that one week, and his years of hard work become tainted in the process.
Seems kind of rough, no? How many of us would do what LT did, and make sure to avoid long-term injury in order to continue earning a good living for their family? This situation came to fruition this past Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, when San Diego's future Hall-of-Fame running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, carried the ball only twice against New England due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. Their inconsistent quarterback, Philip Rivers, played the whole game with a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament in his
knee, and actually had preliminary surgery six days before in a last ditch effort to play. It's possible that he won't be back in time for their next training camp, as recovery time for this injury can last up to eight months. As expected, Rivers has been universally hailed for his courage, while Tomlinson has been lambasted by fans and media members alike. The obvious question that emerges is this: why do we expect so much from pro athletes? In no other area of life would we debate this dilemma. If you have an injury, and it's going to affect your production, you take time off to heal. Case closed. However, if you play pro sports, and especially pro football, it isn't enough to just be good at your job. You also have to have a level of toughness that's acceptable to not only your teammates, but to the millions of people on their couches who watch and criticize what you do.
We as fans always expect a superhuman effort from our athletes. We demand it, since they charge us so much for tickets, and especially since the athletes get paid such ludicrous amounts of money. So this past Sunday, everyone wanted to see the Chargers play the Patriots with their full complement of starters. We wanted LaDainian to tough it out, since his presence would have made the game better. The problem is that there are plenty of instances when athletes did risk it all, and never were the same again. We always seem to forget that Bill Walton felt such pressure to play through injury that he went against his personal beliefs in the '78 playoffs and took pain killers in order to deal with his foot problems. We also seem to forget that over the next five years, he missed 3 full seasons, and played in only 14 and 33 games in the other two. We also forget that NFL players are more prone to depression, arthritis, and an assortment of other mental and physical problems when their careers are over, because they take risks similar to the one Rivers took. So while I respect Rivers' toughness, I can't use his decision as a reason to fault Tomlinson. Because there is no right or wrong way to deal with this dilemma. If Rivers felt like the risk was worth it, and LaDainian didn't, then who are we to tell them otherwise? Only one thing is certain - next year, if LaDainian continues to break records, while Rivers struggles to make it back from his injury, people will finally acknowledge the complexity of this issue, which isn't as clear-cut as it's currently being presented.
Technorati Tags: sports NFL New+England+Patriots San+Diego+Chargers LaDainian+Tomlinson Philip+Rivers
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Eddie Murphy Predicted Giants Victory 20 Years Ago!!
We all knew that Eddie Murphy was hilarious, but did you know he was psychic too? Exactly 20 years ago Eddie predicted the Giants would triumph over the Packers. Take a look.
Wow! I haven't see Eddie exude this much oneness with the world since his 1998 classic Holy Man.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Michael Jackson Comeback in 2008!
Granted, it won't be easy but anyone who thinks that the King of Pop is down for the count doesn't know Jack(o).
Let's for a minute forget about the child molestation charges. Forget about the ridiculous amount of plastic surgeries that have transformed this previously handsome young black man. Because, as we all know, this is America and as history continues to show anyone can make a comeback. And all it takes is a hit record. So I've decided to get my executive producer on and come up with a list of producers to put the King of Pop back on his throne.
Rodney Jerkins
Notable Hits
Brandy & Monica - The Boy is Mine
Michael Jackson - You Rock My World
Janet Jackson - Feedback
Destiny's Child - Say My Name/Lose My Breath
Beyonce - Deja Vu
Of course, Rodney Jerkins is the first guy to mention. He's a certified hit machine. He's worked with Michael before and he can change styles very quickly, delivering club-thumping joints for Destiny's Child, Brandy, etc. while also making traditional smooth R&B for Ciara, Keyshia Cole, Joe and others. He should produce 3 for MJ's next one, 2 smoothed out R&B tracks and one monster club track.
Timbaland
Notable HitsTimbaland - Apologize/The Way I Are
Steroid allegations aside, Timbo is King. So why wouldn't the King of Pop work with, arguably, the most innovative producer of our time? The argument against it is that he would be biting Justin Timberlake's style, as Timbo almost exclusively produces for the King of Blue-Eyed Soul. I would argue against that considering Timbaland switches up his style like it's his job (incidentally it is his job). And besides, JT swagger-jacked MJ first.
Notable Hits
Total - Kissin You
Bilal - Soul Sista
One of the best R & B soul producers of our time. There are very few artists/producers that have the longevity of a Raphael Saadiq. Dude's been around since Tony Toni Tone. He even made Kelis sound soulful. MJ should not be as challenging. After all, we might forget but MJ used to be quite the crooner. If he can put the soul back into his music, it'll sound a little more credible than the endless stream of "pop" songs.
Kelis - Caught Out There/Milkshake
It blows my mind that MJ somehow skipped the Neptunes when they were in their prime. Granted, they're still big hitmakers but they are not every third song on the radio like they were in 2001. That's probably a good thing though. At any rate, they are so good at making hits that MJ would be a fool to not work with them.
Notable Hits
Amy Winehouse - Rehab/You Know I'm No Good/Valerie
Mark Ronson -Version
Mark Ronson will probably be the least obvious producer of the ones I've listed but MJ's needed to step outside of the box for awhile now. The previous producers are pretty safe choices. In particular, I'd like to hear him produce something disco/house influenced. Let's not forget that some of MJ's best music came out of the disco era.
Notable HitsUsher - Confessions/Confessions Pt II/Burn
Marques Houston - Circles
Danity Kane - Ride For You
BMC, as I like to call him, single-handedly took Mary J. Blige from an amazing singer to an icon with 2006's smash "Be Without You." BMC is a genius when it comes to the poppy R&B tracks that get stuck in your head. Who would be better for MJ's second single?
Other producers to consider: Rich Harrison, Just Blaze, WIll.I.Am, Polow Da Don, Danger Mouse.
Technorati Tags: Music Michael+Jackson Timbaland Neptunes Rodney+Jerkins
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Kobe, the Horri-Bulls, and the sad tale of Eminem
A few random notes to get you through hump day:
I was sifting through the NBA standings today, and three things stood out:
1 - Everybody in Miami should be embarrassed, as the Heat are an astonishing 8-28. 8-28!! I know D-Wade is banged up, and Shaq is a shadow of his former self, but it's a complete disgrace for them to have a worse record than the New York Knicks. Pat Riley seems to be already planning his exit strategy, and Dwyane Wade has become as injury prone as his out-of-shape running mate. There seems to be no end in site to their misery.
2 - My beloved Bulls continue to stumble, and currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference at 14-22. Let's just move on...
3 - The number one seed in the West is...the Los Angeles Lakers. I'm as stunned as you are. Granted, there are a bunch of teams jumbled at the top, and the Lakers are about to drop with the loss of their phenom center, Andrew Bynum, for a minimum of eight weeks, but we have to credit their GM for making the best of a bad situation when Kobe Bryant demanded a trade in the offseason. Mitch Kupchak could have caved in to Kobe and received ten cents on the dollar in a trade with the Suns, Knicks, or Bulls. Instead, he stuck to his guns, and now he has a potential contender in the next few years. Also, he appreciated Bynum's talent last year, and smartly refused to deal him for Jason Kidd, who, while still occasionally spectacular, would be a horrible fit in the triangle offense. According to John Hollinger's PER ratings, Bynum is the 16th ranked player in the league this year, while Kidd is all the way down at 82.
And finally, I came across this story when looking at Bill Simmons' weekly
links on espn.com: apparently, Eminem is now weighing in at over 200 pounds (which is bad considering he's 5'7"), and his depression, isolation, and unhealthiness have people fearing for his life. I remember listening to his songs on the 8 Mile Soundtrack, which came on the heels of his best full-length LP, The Eminem Show, and thinking that he did the impossible - he lived up to his enormous hype. Fast-forward to 2008, and do you know anybody who would get excited about a new Eminem record? I know fame is fleeting, but this is just sad...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
"The Greatest [fill in the blank] of All Time"
When the New England Patriots defeated Jacksonville on Saturday, they came one step closer to being inevitably crowned "The Greatest Team of All Time" by all the pundits in the sports world. The logic is simple: if they finish with the best record ever, and they break all the records, then they must be better than anybody who has ever played. As a fan of the record-setting '95-96 Chicago Bulls, it pains me to say this, but that logic is incredibly simplistic and short-sided. It still shocks me that people don't grasp the concept of relative dominance among sports teams. The Patriots, with their amazing point differential and record breaking offense, are the most dominant team ever relative to the league that they played in. If the Pats played in the '70s against Noll's Steelers, Shula's Dolphins, or Madden's Raiders, there's no guarantee that they would even come out of the AFC, much less go undefeated. Clearly, we're watching a dominant team, but should they be considered greater than the '85 Bears just because they have one less loss on their record?
The larger issue is that with today's 24-7 news cycle, it's not enough to just say that we're watching a great football team. We have to hear hours of debate about where this team ranks in history, whether Tom Brady is the greatest QB of all time, and whether Bill Belichick is, in fact, the devil. The Brady debate is the perfect illustration of the reactionary nature of today's media. Before the season, you would have a hard time finding any expert calling Brady a better
quarterback than Peyton Manning. Peyton had finally filled the one glaring hole in his resume by winning the Super Bowl last year, making everyone forget his history of big-game failures. Brady, who already had three Super Bowl victories to his name prior to Manning's breakthrough, was highly regarded but largely ignored. This was despite the fact that he had the likes of Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney as his primary receivers, and was simply the result of him not winning the most recent Super Bowl. After his receiving corps was drastically improved in the offseason, Brady had a record setting year, and suddenly he's not only regarded higher than Manning, but also every other quarterback who has ever played the game. At this rate, we're one more New York Giants victory away from Eli being the greatest Manning of all time. So while I have the utmost respect for Brady, there's no way we can call him the best ever just after his 30th birthday. There's nothing wrong with waiting until his career is over before figuring out his (and Peyton's) place in history.
Technorati Tags: sports NFL New+England+Patriots Tom+Brady Peyton+Manning
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The poetry of Mrs. Clinton
Prose is a form of writing that lacks the formal rules and structure of poetry. It is natural, free flowing, and without convention. Unlike poetry, prose is neither constrained by the chains of its predecessors nor confined to rules that exist for reasons we can not explain or make sense of. Prose is prosaic, and though that may sound redundant, it means that prose represents something common, something everyday, something familiar.
So it seems to me that Hillary Clinton's allusion to Obama's campaign being "in poetry", is quite inaccurate. Barack Obama is nothing but prose. He speaks with a candor and verity that is what has lead droves of young people, like myself, to realize it's more important to have someone good than someone female, and that it's more important to have someone we can believe in than someone with a track history. Clinton's years of experience crafting her rhythm and meter, perfecting her stanzas and mastering her rhyme schemes do not impress me. Barack's prose has given me the audacity to have a little hope in a system of government that seems as inclined to serve my interests as the government of Bhutan. And for that I'm still unsure whether to thank him or curse him.
Full disclosure -- I have no specific area that I claim as my specialty. I'm no sports fanatic like Chris, nor am I a hip hop aficionado like XM. By virtue of being an american college student I know nothing about everything. But one thing I definitely do know is my genres. And Barack Obama is definitely prose.
In the words of my good buddies over at Busted Tees:
~Eri
Technorati Tags: Politics Barack+Obama Hillary+Clinton Poetry Prose
Friday, January 11, 2008
What the hell is up with the Media?
Far be it for me to hop on the "blame the media" bandwagon, but in the past few years the mainstream media has just gotten absurdly ridiculous (redundant?).
Let's look at what's been happening:
- Rise in coverage of Sensationalist Journalism (i.e. Anna Nicole, Imus, Michael Richards)
- Openly partisan news organizations (i.e Fox News)
- The emergence of Reality TV (Tila Tequila, Kardashians, Flavor Flav)
- Obsession with the private lives of celebrities (Britney, LiLoh, Paris)
- The Internet serving to inform (specifically bloggers and YouTube)
That, my friends, is the perfect recipe for disaster.
Try watching any of the top 3 news organizations(CNN, Fox News, MSNBC) during primetime and you'll notice that you don't get news from these people, you get news infused with opinion. Of course since most Americans are uninformed they form their opinions based on how the news is presented to them.
Example:
Bill Clinton last week, while in NH campaigning on the trail for his wife, made a joke saying about Hillary "I cant make her taller, younger, male" and the media pounced on it claiming that Bill Clinton was playing the gender card and some even suggesting that Bill might be trying to sabotage her campaign.
Why would news organizations (and reputable ones at that) infuse so much bias and opinion into their stories? My answer would be the Bill O'Reilly effect.
When Bill-O arrived to Fox News he brought with him a brash attitude, partisan monologues, and a penchant for cutting off his guest's microphones. And you know what happened? The ratings went through the roof. Since then it seems that the news has been more interested in entertaining than informing.
Thus we have weeks of coverage on Anna Nicole, and Don Imus and Paris' jail stint, Britney's VMA performance and her child custody case and blah blah blah........
(Sidebar: I saw Lindsay Lohan's father outside of my office today and recognized who he was. Just another glaring example of the extent of her overexposure.)
I barely heard any news about the hundreds of deaths in Kenya that have shaken up one of the few stable countries in Africa. On the plus side, I did get to hear a lot about Hillary crying though.
As much as I mock the news though, it's more important than ever. What with the emergence of blogs and YouTube as expedient sources of news and information, the Edward R Murrow standard of journalism gets thrown to the wayside by shleps like me whose random ramblings entertain and inform with little accountability. That's why I'm harshest on the mainstream media. Because now is when they should be more accurate and unbiased than ever instead of emulating the blogging generation.
Just my thoughts.
To backtrack to the obsession with celebrity and Hollywood, the series finale of Extras had an amazing ending. If you're not familiar with the show, it's about a couple of British actors who are film extras looking to come up. Well in the finale, our main character, played expertly by Ricky Gervais, achieves success as a big comic TV star and, of course, lets it go to his head. So he becomes a Hollywood prick, turning down roles that he deems beneath him until he becomes a D-list actor. This forces him to do the only thing that will bring back his fame, a reality show.
Anyway, the final scene is great as he comes to a realization that all of the fame and popularity don't really matter. And not in a cheesy puffy way, but in a realistic gut-wrenching performance.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Proof That I Was Certain Hillary Would be Crushed in NH
So I wrote this blog just a few hours before the voting booths closed on Tuesday. Of course, I tried to erase it immediately and replace it with this after hearing the news but unfortunately I was caught by a few readers who've since asked me to repost it. So here you go.
The 5 Moments that Killed Hillary's Campaign
(written 4 hours before voting booths closed)
But before we carve Ms Clinton's epitaph, we've got to write her eulogy. So here it is folks. The five moments that lost Hillary the nomination.
5. Hillary's furious rant about change.
In this frightening moment during the ABC/Facebook debate in New Hampshire, Hillary did what she knew she would have to do following her loss in Iowa- she went after Obama. She started her attack directly but not in personal terms saying that Obama claimed to be against lobbyists but has one on his staff, that he claimed to be against the Patriot Act then voted to keep it in place, and that he was against the war but continued to vote to fund it. She concluded saying Obama "could have a debate with himself" considering how much he's switched his positions. All very strong points and delivered to perfection. She then looked to get John Edwards to join in on a tag team by mentioning that Obama said Edwards was "unelectable" and "inconsistent" on a number of issues. What followed next Hillary could not have been prepared for. John Edwards responded, but instead of responding to the charges leveled at him, he sided with Obama, saying the following:
Now, what I would say this: Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces of status quo attack. That's exactly what happens. It's fine to have a disagreement about health care. To say that Senator Obama is having a debate with himself from some Associated Press story I think is just not - that's not the kind of discussion we should be having. I think that every time this happens, what will occur - every time he speaks out for change, every time I fight for change, the forces of status quo are going to attack - every single time. . . I mean, I didn't hear these kind of attacks from Senator Clinton when she was ahead. Now that she's not, we hear them.
Hillary then responded with a tirade that made her look insane. Her eyes were literally bulging out of her head and she was slamming her hand around in defiance. Take a gander.
This would certainly be higher on my list but since it followed an already sinking ship it only makes number 5 on my list.
4. Hillary attacking Obama for having presidential aspirations in kindergarten.
In early December as Obama's polls began to bring him closer to Hillary, she thought it would be a good idea to start going at Obama a bit more aggressively. On her website, Hillary stated the following in an article entitled, "Sen. Obama Rewrites History, Claims He Hasn't Been Planning White House Run"
Today in Iowa, Senator Barack Obama said: "I have not been planning to run for President for however number of years some of the other candidates have been planning for."
Oh really?
"Senator Obama's comment today is fundamentally at odds with what his teachers, family, classmates and staff have said about his plans to run for President," Clinton spokesperson Phil Singer said. "Senator Obama's campaign rhetoric is getting in the way of his reality."
In kindergarten, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want to Become President.' "Iis Darmawan, 63, Senator Obama's kindergarten teacher, remembers him as an exceptionally tall and curly haired child who quickly picked up the local language and had sharp math skills. He wrote an essay titled, 'I Want To Become President,' the teacher said."
This sounds like something that would come out of SNL. It's that ridiculous. It would probably have gotten higher on my list if people had realized that she was, in fact, being completely serious.
3. Bill Clinton on Obama on Charlie Rose
Following all of the positive press that Obama was getting after the Oprah event, Bill Clinton thought that it would be a good idea to help out Hillary by throwing in his 2 cents on Obama. While completely patronizing Obama by saying that he is a "great politician" Bill went on to call a vote for Obama a "risk" and " a roll of the dice. " To many it looked like something out of the Rove playbook and made Hillary look like she needed her hubby to help her fight her battles when she'd already positioned herself on her own. By all accounts a bad move.
1. Hillary flubs question of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants
True, this is not nearly as sensational as the others, but this was the first crack in Hillary's impenetrable armor. For nine months Hillary was smooth sailing. Yeah, people talked about Obama here and there, but it was all about Hillary. She seemed to win every debate effortlessly and Obama and Edwards got lost amongst the shuffle amongst folks like Mike Gravel and Chistopher Dodd. And then this happened.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Bangin' New Janet Jackson Joint
I know what you're thinking. Janet Jackson? It sounds ridiculous since she hasn't put out anything hot in awhile but this track is just fire. Sort of old-school Janet meets new sound.I can already see this on rull surrious rotation. Plus the video is on point.
Beat is banging. Sort of a more advanced Sexy Back. Produced by Rodney Jerkins. This cat always amazes me, coming back with a huge smash every couple of years with a reinvented sound. Also, peep Janet getting her T- Pain on.
Remember where you heard it first!
Janet Jackson - Feedback
Why Hillary Won NH
Despite the fact that every single poll had Barack Obama winning in New Hampshire by a substantial margin, Hillary Clinton appears to have pulled off the upset of the century. This upset is sure to fire up her campaign donors, as she blatantly alluded to in her victory speech and reinvigorate a campaign that many had thought was, at its best, on its last legs. Shocking to say the least. So how exactly did this get done? Well I've got some guesses that are pure speculation.
1. Women - Based on the exit polls it looks like Hillary cruised among women across the board. Obama had actually beaten Hillary pretty handily among women in Iowa but she seemed to have corrected that pretty quickly.
There's also the Gloria Steinem article in the New York Times from yesterday which basically said that if Barack Obama was a woman he would have no chance in this race. Though probably true that a bi-racial female would probably have a hard time winning, one could equally argue that if Hillary was black (or simply biracial) she would have no shot at the White House either. Regardless, I would argue that those that detest Hillary have reasons (primarily) other than her gender for disliking her. But I digress. . .
2. The Bradley Effect
For those unfamiliar, here is a description of the Bradley effect via Wikipedia:
The term Bradley effect or Wilder effect refers to a phenomenon which has led to inaccurate voteropinion polls in some political campaigns between a white candidate and a non-white candidate.Specifically, there have been instances in which statistically significant numbers of white voters tell pollsters in advance of an election that they are either genuinely undecided, or likely to vote for the non-white candidate, but those voters exhibit a different behavior when actually casting their ballots.
Obviously it's too early to tell and there's nothing worse than being the black guy that plays the race card. But according to RealClearPolitics.com, which averages all of the polls taken, Obama had on average an 8.3 point lead over Hillary yesterday, with some polls giving him a 13 point edge. Taking the average into account, that means an 11 point turnaround in 1 day. Pretty unlikely given there were no significant changes given since the debate. I'm not saying it, but I'm saying. . .
3. The Media
Did anyone else notice how much the media came together to relish in Hillary's downfall? I'm not her biggest fan and even I felt bad for her. The NY Post and Daily News said she was "So yesterday" and "Finished." There were stories that her campaign was running out of money and that they might "bow out" before she loses too much respect for herself. It was quite excessive at times. Given all of the press coverage maybe the maxim that "bad publicity is better than no publicity" held true. Either that or she brought out the sympathy vote from people who didn't like seeing her get so bullied by the press.
4. The Emotion
Maybe like Hillary said in her victory speech she "found her voice in New Hampshire." People are already calling this moment the "gamechanger", if you will (and I will). Peep it.
Most people's response to the clip is "Wow. Finally some authenticity out of Hillary." Or maybe it ties into the sympathy from the media's onslaught. At any rate, it was replayed, discussed, and became the issue of the day so it certainly could not have hurt.
All of this, of course, is just speculation though.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Hate the player, love the game
When I was first approached about contributing to this blog, it was pretty obvious what my focus would be. Throughout my life, I've never met anyone who spends more time following sports than I do. Just to be clear, I'm not making that out to be a good thing. When you can't get your day started without reading at least five different sports-related websites and watching the morning Sportscenter, which you already saw the night before, you might have a problem (and by you, I mean me). So why am I so obsessed? And more to the point, why didn't I just become a sports reporter like people have been telling me since college? Reason number one is that I'm lazy. I had no idea how to get started in that field, and I didn't have the motivation to find out. The other reason, which is much more pertinent to this posting, is because I don't think I'd like sports if I got to know the people involved in them.
Pro athletes are treated like royalty in this country. Have been for years. As soon as you show a good amount of talent in high school, colleges are calling you left and right with recruitment pitches. Imagine being a teenager, and having grown men tripping over themselves to get you to go to school for free? Can you imagine being this kid? At college it's more of the same, except now, if you play a big-time sport, you appear semi-regularly on national TV, and gain fame and exposure on top of the other perks. And if you're somehow good enough to make it to the pros, you live the rest of your life in a dream world filled with money, women, and power. Tell me then, how are these people supposed to stay grounded? It's really not their fault.
LeBron James has been on the national radar since he was about 15, and appeared on ESPN several times during his senior year of high school. Now I've never met LeBron, and, taking a wild stab in the dark, I'm assuming I never will. But I'd imagine it would be really hard for me to relate to him, since he's a multimillionaire, he's called himself "King James" since he was a teenager, and he's only 23 years old. This isn't meant to disparage LeBron more than it's meant to rip the system that he came up in. I would hate to contribute to that system by becoming a reporter, and having to fawn over the LeBrons and OJ Mayos of the world in order to get an interview. So while I love the sports that they play, I think I need some distance from the athletes that play them. And the executives that corrupt them. Which is where blogging comes in. Blogging allows me to pursue my dream in a half-assed manner, getting close enough to the action to discuss it in a public forum, but far enough that I don't have to deal with any of the people involved. So call it laziness. Or jealousy. But realize that I'm fulfilling my passion, without having to call somebody who's younger than me "King." Even if I do wind up reading 10 articles about him tomorrow morning.
CS
Sunday, January 6, 2008
I believe it was Kierkegaard who once said "My loony bun is fine Benny Lava. Minor Bun engine made Benny Lava."
If you're life has not yet been enriched by "Benny Lava" then check this out and remember to thank me later.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Barack Obama Makes History
BARACK WINS IOWA!
What happened in Iowa was nothing short of historic. It's not a media exaggeration and it's certainly long overdue. Let's really think about what happened. Barack Obama, an African-American, "with a funny sounding name" won against an incumbent that had been anointed a year ago and a political machine that had been pre-ordained years ago. For the first time in my lifetime, my generation spoke and it mattered. Now I'm not too hopeful as to fool myself to think that this means that this is Obama's race to lose. Far from it, in fact. Clinton still has a firm grip on this and has the resolve and the money to hold on to that. But none of that discounts what happened last night. And who knows, maybe hope just can work.
An excerpt from Barack Obama's victory speech last night:
For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope.
But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.
Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return.
Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause.
Hope—hope—is what led me here today – with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.
Here is the video of the speech in its entirety.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Lupe Fiasco - Intelligent Lyricist but Retarded Citizen
(Peep the story here)
1. He's not going to vote
2. If he did vote, he'd vote for Hillary
3. Obama wants to push to bomb Iran because he's a man and will follow Bush's agenda
4. Hillary will be an example for all women around the world
Now, to state the obvious. Lupe is a black man from Chicago with Muslim beliefs. To his credit, he's not simply voting for Obama because he's a black man from Chicago with a Muslim name(Obama's not Muslim for the record) . And he should not. If he doesn't like Obama for valid reasons, that's more than fair. In fact, it's expected. That being said, I think Lupe is making this statement to simply be "different" and to not fit neatly in the box that you want to put him in, a la Fiascogate. I say this because it's quite clear that Obama is the most anti-war candidate running (Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul notwithstanding) and was staunchly against the Iraq war from Day One. A war which Hillary voted for and has since never apologized for.
Obama has never advocated the bombing of Iran or even hinted at it. Hillary voted in the Senate to name Iran's army a terrorist organization, a step that can only lead to less diplomatic talks and worsened relations with Iran.
If anything Obama represents hope and change and a new direction. He would also serve as a symbol for Americans and the rest of the world of America's willingness to change.
On top of all this, Lupe says he won't even vote!
It's killing me. This is almost as bad as Cam'ron on O'Reilly.
Ok, Not quite as bad in some ways. But on another level, Lupe, come on man you're smarter than this!!
Technorati Tags: Politics Hillary+Clinton Barack+Obama Music Hip+Hop Lupe+Fiasco
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Best in Hip Hop 07
Now that '08 has officially begun it seems like as good a time as any to rank the best hip hop 2007. Despite a lot of bad music trends ("Ay Bay Bay" "Pop Lock and Drop It" "Crank Dat") there was a lot of great music that came out. Here are my definitive lists for '07
Most Dashing Awards '07
Best Mixtapes
5. Saigon - Moral of the Story
4. Joe Budden - Mood Muzik 3
3. Bishop Lamont - Ni##er Noize
2 Lil Wayne - The Carter 3 Leak
1. Little Brother - Separate but Equal
Best "verse for verse" MCs of 2007
(with standout verse)
5. Phonte - "Sirens"
4. Jay-z - "Success"/"Ignorant Sh*t"
3. Lil Wayne - "I am the Future"/"We Takin Over"
2. Lupe - "Dumb it Down"
1. Andre 3000 - "I Choose You"/ "Art of Storytellin (part 4)"
Best Producers of 2007
10. 9th Wonder - His first year as a free agent proved to be a good one as 9th produced bangers for Bishop Lamont's street albums and reconnected with Little Brother for "Breakin My Heart."
Also honed his skills dropping Dream Merchant Vol. 2 (anyone remember a volume 1??) with appearances by Mos Def, Saigon, Jean Grae, Memphis Bleek, Royce da 5'9 and others.
9. Soundtrakk - The man principally responsible for the production behind Lupe's modern classic The Cool. Nuff said.
8. Mark Ronson - Along with Salaam Remi, Mark Ronson is primarily responsible for Amy Winehouse's new sound. He also proved he could carry an album on his own with the release of Version, an interesting mix of covers that he reinvented.
7. Polow Da Don - Showed serious crossover appeal with hits for Fergie("Glamorous") while still keeping it hood producing Rich Boy's "Boy Looka Here" and Young Buck's "Get Buck."
6. The Runners - Could be heard all over the radio producing DJ Khaled's"I'm so Hood," Beanie Sigel's "All of the Above" and songs for T.I, Birdman, Rick Ross, and a host of others. Proved themselves to be beyond "the guys that made 'Hustlin'."
5. Exile - The self-described "Pete Rock" to Blu's CL smooth, he produced Below the Heavens in its entirety recreating and updating the timeless sound of early 90's hiphop.
4. Badboy's Hitmen - Produced most of Jay-z's "comeback" CD American Gangster, including the smash "Roc Boys"
3. Kanye West - What can you say about this guy that he hasn't already said about himself? He keeps doing it. This year was no different. Starting off this year with the purist's anthem, Common's "The People" and closing out with a bevy of hits of his own, most notably the commercial smash hit"Stronger." The rest of Graduation wasn't too shabby either.
2/1. Danjahandz and Timbaland - These dudes are certified hit machines. Hard to pick one over the other for 1 and 2 especially considering that they work so closely together so they collectively get the 1 and 1 slot. Starting with Danja, this year he established himself as a great producer in his own right working with T.I, Trey Songz, Lil' Wayne and others. On top of that he with made the smash "We Takin Over" for DJ Khaled. He also succeeded in a Herculean feat, making Britney Spears' Blackout actually listenable producing the first single "Gimme More" along with nearly half the album. Timbo continued to be the hitmaker we've known him to be dropping three hit singles off his album Shock Value, the latest "Apologize" is number 3 on the charts eight months after the album was released. Add to that another hit with Bobby Valentino's "Anonymous" and the string of Timberlake/Furtado hits that carried over into '07 and you've got the biggest producers in the game right now.
Best Hip Hop Albums
10. T.I - T.I vs Tip
Why: Though it's not as impressive as King, T.I's last offering this album still boasted a bevy of hits and offered the creative concept of T.I fighting his alter ego T.I.P. And it worked. Add that plus a bunch of A-list features (Jay-z, Eminem, Busta Rhymes) with knockin' beats and you've got yourself a hot album.
Standout Tracks: "Big Things Poppin" "Hurt" "Tell Em I Said That"
9. Little Brother - GetBack
Why: Like, T.I, not quite as impressive as their previous offerings but impressive nonetheless.
From the outset there were skeptics since 9th Wonder departed. People wondered if they could maintain their sound. The truth is they didn't. Sometimes it worked("Sirens") and other times it didn't ("Two Step Blues"). Bottom Line though, even a good album by these cats is still great.
Standout Tracks: "Sirens" "Good Clothes" "Dreams"
8. Common - Finding Forever
Why: Much like T.I, Common figured he would try to redo the success that he had with his previous effort. Also, like T.I, it falls a bit short and lacks creativity. That being said the album still boasted a whole lot of heat. His hard tracks hit with fury but unfortunately his introspective ones didn't hold much weight.
Standout Tracks: "The People" "The Game" "Southside" "Start the Show"
7. Ghostface - Big Doe Rehab
Why: While I don't agree with the many who believe this is Ghost's best offering since Supreme Clientele, I can see the argument. BDR is loaded with straight up grimy hard Wu tracks and unapologetically neglects crooning to the ladies (see "Never Be the Same Again" "Back Like That") Couple that with great verses from Wu brethren Method Man(bout time you represented) and Rae and you got a new Wu Banga.
Standout Tracks: "Yolanda's House" "Toney Sigel aka The Barrell Brothers" "Slow Down"
6. Freeway - Free At Last
Why: No Kanye? No Just Blaze? Only one Rocafella feature? Still hot? Yes. Freeway proved to the haters that he can make great albums for the second time. This time by his lonesome. He's one of the few rappers that can convey pain, regret, anger and jubilation effectively from track to track while keeping consistency on his albums. His crazy rhyme scheme is as impressive as ever and he still manages to keep some soul in there despite Kanyeeze and Just Blaaaze.
Standout Tracks:"Baby Don't Do It" "When They Remember" "Nuttin on Me"
5. Kanye West - Graduation
Why: Ok, so "Drunk and Hot Girls" sucked and Lil Wayne did not exactly impress on "Barry Bonds" but Kanye still managed to put together a great album. This album confirms that he will be a huge player in hip hop for a long time as he continues to push the envelope creatively with each new album. Do you remember when people said all he did was make chipmunk beats? How ridiculous is that now?
Standout Tracks: "Stronger" "The Glory" "Good Life"
4. Talib Kweli - Ear Drum
Why: Because I'd written Kweli off. His voice is kind of annoying and I was not impressed with his last two albums and my expectations were pretty damn low. Then guess what? This happened. Easily his best album since Reflection Eternal. From the opening verse of the album, you notice that Kweli has added swagger. That's right. Swagger. From Kweli. Who knew? He smoothly blends the jazz/soul with the hard rhymes and beats and doesn't run for radio hits and it works perfectly.
Standout Tracks: "Soon the New Day" "Everything Man" "Hostile Gospel" "The Perfect Beat"
3. Jay-z - American Gangster
Why: Because Jay-z fell off, right? Jay-z never fell off. He was sleep in Beyonce. Well, apparently he's back and with a vengeance. You need only keep reading my blog to get my full review but needless to say American Gangster is among Jay's best. Arguably right beneath Black Album. So ignoring the abyssmal "Hello Brooklyn" and the bonus tracks (though at least they grew on me) the album is damn near flawless. Diddy's hitmen blessed him with the beats and Jay hit them out the park.
Standout Tracks: "Fallin" "Success" "Pray" "Ignorant Sh*t"
2. Blu and Exile - Below the Heavens
Why: Because I wasn't expecting it at all. Sure, I'd read some reviews from underground purists saying it was good but then again these guys also swear by Aesop Rock, Dilated Peoples, Kenna and other stuff that when I eventually download I'm deeply disappointed by. Blu and Exile, however, is a different story. This is Nas's Illmatic. This is Mos Def's Black on Both Sides.
No exaggeration. An intelligent creative lyricist (with flow) over sample-heavy beats that are a blend of Premo, Pete Rock and 9th Wonder. This new cat is the truth and he woulda been number 1 if not for this next cat. . .
Standout Tracks: "Cold Hearted" "The World is" "So(ul) Amazin" "In Remembrance of Me"
1. Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
Why: Where do I start? For starters Lupe is the only one on this list who managed to make their best album this go round. Let's ignore the obvious. The kid has lyrics for days. The kid has flow for days. The kid has concepts for days. We knew about that on the first album. But what this album has that Food and Liquor didn't have is risk. Sure, there were some very creative concepts but this album takes serious risks. And as we all know, great risk often gives great rewards. Examples, you say? Sure.
"Go Go Gadget Flow" starts the album off with an old-school Timbo style beat where Lupe channels Jet Li in Unleashed and just goes off on the track.
"Paris Tokyo" is a straight up Native Tongues inspired cool out jazz track (perhaps an ode/apology to Tribe for Fiascogate) that he pulls off effortlessly with old school flow and lyrics complete with obscure reference to Charles de Gaulle.
"Gotta Eat" is an appetizing track about a hustler who will do whatever it takes to keep eating, complete with a food metaphor that he maintains throughout the whole song. "Twice the bread like he had two buns, and he had a whole lotta seeds, even his kids had meals(mills) For reals some rich small fries wrapped in paper since they was little, ketchup nigga" The wordplay is on a whole nother level.
"Hip Hop Saved My Life" is a third-person story that doubles as an ode to hip hop, which forgivably borrows from Hustle and Flow.
The truth is I could go on and on pointing out,"Little Weapon" "Streets on Fire" "Put You on Game," all intricate tales over diverse beats that step outside the box. Where this album succeeds the most is that you have the lyricism of a Nas, with the clever wordplay of a Jay, the production diversity of a Kanye with concepts like no other. And you know? It all works perfectly.
Technorati Tags: Hip-Hop Lupe+Fiasco Jay-Z Kanye+West Talib+Kweli Common
