Jason Haskins's Blog, page 40

Inches closer and miles away: A look at the United States Men's Soccer Team

photo: commons.wikimedia.org
A little over a year ago, an argument was being made for the United States Men's National Team to retain Jurgen Klinsmann as coach through the 2018 World Cup.
Then World Cup qualifying began. The United States got off to a horrendous start, Klinsmann was let go, and Bruce Arena was brought in to coach. A one-time thought of soccer ascent now failing, the U.S. turned to its past to transform its future.
Despite  Arena sitting without a loss (7-5-0) since his return, the USMNT looks as uneven as ever.
They can look brilliant, as they did in a 6-0 win over Honduras and a tie with Mexico at Azteca. And the lackluster play follows suit, such as a Gold Cup win over Martinique.
Never mind the team is gearing up for a semi-final match-up in the Gold Cup versus Costa Rica. The results--though at times a struggle--have the United States exactly where they should be in the Gold Cup. 
Arena has used--for the most part--matches in the Gold Cup to evaluate some of the players considered to be on the fringe of making the national team for the 2018 World Cup. Players like Dom Dwyer, Jordan Morris, Kellen Acosta, and a defensive backfield are all trying to secure roster spots. While some have thrived (Dwyer), the players inserted on defensive--for the most part--have not had a very good Gold Cup.
Truth be told, with the World Cup creeping ever closer, I expected a slightly crisper performance from this squad, even with all the changes.Looking ahead to World Cup 2018Even with these "struggles", the future remains bright for the men's team. They have fought their way back into the mix of things in their World Cup qualifying group.
Team USA currently sits in third place with eight points, trailing their Gold Cup semifinal opponent Costa Rica (11 points) and Mexico (14 points).
They have positioned themselves thanks to the play of Fabian Johnson, Darlington Nagbe, and the future of United States soccer himself, Christian Pulisic.
All of 18 years of age, Pulisic is already putting on display a wide array of skills. He became the youngest U.S. team player to score in World Cup qualifying, way back when he was 17. In 16 career appearances for the national team he has scored seven goals. (Pulisic is currently playing for his club team Borussia Dortmund and not playing in the Gold Cup.)
Pulisic, along with younger players such as Nagbe, Bobby Wood, and DeAndre Yedlin are help fortifying the United States team. The more caps they get and the more time they get to play together should only mean great things for the men's team soccer future.
Coupled with the play of seasoned veterans Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Tim Howard, the USMNT is on the right track to get back to the World Cup in 2018.
Interestingly enough, their next opponent (Sept. 1) in qualifying is the team they're playing Saturday night: Costa Rica.Gold CupThe last two match-ups versus Costa Rica have been inverse results. Team USA owned them in a 4-0 victory before Costa Rica turned the tables and beat the USMNT by the same score.
Costa Rica has played much like the United States in this Gold Cup. Neither team has really dominated in their matches.
The USMNT, since Arena took over in November, has been playing better and more inspired. They have these spurts in which they look to be one of the top-ten teams in the world. Usually, it's immediately followed by stretches in which they shouldn't even be on the field. 
Luckily, it hasn't hurt them too much. As things get more serious over the next few months, they will have to start converting on early chances. There have been a lot of near misses and failed opportunities in the Gold Cup; opportunities better opponents will easily capitalize on. 
Yes, this is not the team we will see next summer. They can keep playing at this level and earn a slot in World Cup 2018. But if cohesiveness doesn't occur and Arena doesn't find the right combination of players, then their stay in Russia will be a short one.
And then it will be back to the drawing board all over again.

That's Science! A formulaic journey into 1990's ABC television

photo: pixabay.com
"Pigman is trying prove the Caine-Hackman theory. No matter what time it is, 24 hours a day, you can find a Michael Caine or Gene Hackman movie playing on t.v." - Droz (Jeremy Piven), PCU

There are some days I believe the character of Pigman from PCU is a fictionalized account of my life.

Some days.
It's no secret television shows from the 1990's have a grip on me. Saved by the Bell. Seinfeld. ER. Friends. These shows only scratch the surface of what I sometimes watch to pass the time.
It was while watching an episode of Roseanne that took place at Disney World in which the wheels of my inquisitive mind began turning.
Coupled with seeing episodes of The Middle and Modern Family--two comedies currently showing on ABC--I wondered just how how many sitcoms on ABC had episodes centered on a trip to either Disneyland or Disney World.
More specifically, I wanted to focus on sitcoms airing on ABC in the 1990's (or beginning in the late 80's).Forming a hypothesisThe basis of this was already in place. I needed to formalize it a little more. I began to think of shows I watched on ABC during this time frame (already skewing the results, probably, due to my love of the TGIF lineup but it's my study) and came up with the following:
It is my belief that out of the 18 shows I selected that at least 50% of them had an episode that involved the cast going to Disneyland or Disney World.Data collection and researchIn the past, in a pre-internet heavy age, I might have had to wade through a backlog of re-runs of the the selected sitcoms to find my answers.
My memory served me well on some, like Full House and Boy Meets World. Others, like Growing Pains, Who's the Boss, and Doogie Howser, M.D. I would have to look up.
I also checked a Nielsen Ratings list from the 1990's to see what sitcoms I was forgetting.
Here are 18 shows I looked at: 
EllenHead of the ClassWonder YearsWho's the BossDharma and GregSabrina the Teenage WitchCoach Home ImprovementPerfect StrangersDoogie Howser, M.D.Step By Step Family MattersFull HouseRoseanneBoy Meets WorldSpin CityGrowing PainsHangin' with Mr. Cooper
Looking at this list before my search started, I would have thought for sure that more than half of these would have an episode which took place at one of the aforementioned Disney Resorts.The resultsCarefully scouring the internet--without putting in too many hours--I found that only six of these 18 shows went to Disneyland or Disney World at some point. 
Most went to Disney World and the majority of an episode of Sabrina took place at the Animal Kingdom. 
The six:
Full HouseBoy Meets WorldStep By StepRoseanneSabrinaFamily MattersI was surprised to find sitcoms like Growing Pains and Who's the Boss didn't have an episode involving a trip to the Disney Resorts. 
In the case of Perfect Strangers, there was a two-episode arc involving a trip to Los Angeles in which Disneyland was mentioned plenty of times, but as far as I could find Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) and Balki (Bronson Pinchot) never quite made it there. 
Turns out, my hypothesis was wrong. Only 33% of my selected shows had an episode take place at Disneyland or Disney World. And the majority were shows from the TGIF lineup.
Would my hypothesis be closer to correct if I expanded the parameters? Were there shows I was missing? Did the Head of the Class characters never go to Disney World as a reward for some sort of quiz competition?
I could do all of these things, but there is one thing I needed to keep in mind: Disney and ABC merged in 1995. A perfect reason for all of the above shows to have an episode take place where it did: Synergy.
This fact might skew my entire research. Looks like it's back to the lab again.
Did I miss an episode for any of the above shows? Leave me a comment and let me know. Because I like to know things. Or share your favorite Disneyland or Disney World moment of an ABC show, included on the above list or otherwise.




 

The value of the unwritten rules of sports

photo: pixabay.com
Unwritten rules may not be found in an official rule book, but for many, they are just as important as the written rules that govern a game.Last week, while listening to the latest episode of the That Baseball Show podcast, the hosts briefly brought up the unwritten rule in baseball of 'not bunting to breakup a no-hitter'. This made me wonder how the greater Twitter universe felt about this.
That's right. It was poll time.
It's safe to say the turnout was low, but the results were as follows:

Unwritten rule time: Do you bunt to break up a no-hitter?— Jason Haskins (@jasonrh_78) July 3, 2017

Those who voted were pretty split. And with any Twitter poll, there is a lot not said within the parameters of the poll that can come into play. Is it the fifth inning? Seventh? How many runs is your team behind? Is the game tied at zero in the late innings?
My thoughts? You don't do it, especially late in the game, unless the deficit is under three runs. In this day and age, though, who really bunts anyway? Isn't it all about a home run, a strikeout, or nothing?
Poll number two posed this: Is it okay for you to steal a base if your team is leading by five or more runs after seventh inning?

Unwritten rule of the day: five-run lead in the 7th (or later): Stealing base okay?— Jason Haskins (@jasonrh_78) July 7, 2017

Apparently no one who voted in this poll cares about unwritten rules. All of you, in fact, would have kindly been drilled in the back the next game for stealing base late in the game with that type of lead. There are pitchers out there who believe in the integrity of the game, following old school unwritten rules and would not have taken kindly to this. Shame on you. Shame.
Unwritten rules are part of not only sports, but a majority of games as well. Money to the 'Free Parking' spot in Monopoly? Not a rule. And even as a man who is definitely old-school at heart, there are certain unwritten rules that deserve to fall to the wayside.Old School vs New SchoolOver the years, the unwritten rules of a sport--especially in baseball--have been a hot topic among players, coaches, commentators, and fans. Much of it has revolved around the retaliation pitch.
The pitch stems from a variety of things. It can range from a rough slide into a second base to admiring a home run for too long. The former might trigger the need for a retaliation pitch. The latter--while deemed an act of showing up the pitcher--should not be.
I'm under the belief a player should have the right to celebrate a home run in a big moment. Jose Bautista a few years ago in the playoffs? Yes. Admire that shot. Bryce Harper doing it in April? No. Put your head down and run.
I also understand, though, that baseball has a reputation for being a conservative sport in the regards of celebrations and such. A player should be allowed to put a little flair and fun into their home runs. Let him celebrate a bit, admire his long shot, and enjoy the moment. As long as he's not deliberately staring at the pitcher and taking five minutes to run the bases, let it go. Move on to the next batter and get back to business.
That being said, a pitcher should be allowed to show emotion as well. Do I expect Chris Sale to celebrate exuberantly every time he strikes someone out? No. One, he would get pretty tired from expounding all that energy in a game. And two, it's his job.
Now, a closer or reliever in a big moment? Celebrate that strikeout, but keep celebrations to a minimum, especially if it's only the first out.
Veering further into unwritten rules of baseball we arrive at sign stealing. I'm not talking about sitting in center field with binoculars. I'm talking about a player being a second base and trying to pick up on the signs a catcher is putting down.
Two managers--Andy Green of the San Diego Padres and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers--recently had words regarding this very thing. Each was defending their respective players who verbally sparred over this fact.
My thoughts? If the catcher has a system in which a player on second can pick out the signs, the catcher should try harder. To me, attempting to pick out the correct signs of the opposing team is all part of the strategic part of the game.Heeding the unwritten rules of Rick ReillyRick Reilly's 'Point After' column on the back page of Sports Illustrated that ran from my teen years until well-into my 20's was always a favorite of mine. In fact, many of these columns touched the heart or were written for comedic value. I saved many of these over the years, ripping them out of the magazine to read and enjoy for future use.
Putting It in Writing was one of these articles.
Let's be clear: Former Sports Illustrated writer Reilly did not invent these rules. In 1995, though, he put these rules in writing. And I ripped this page from that issue and have kept it at the front of a binder to this very day.
They are rules ingrained in people who play and watch sports. They may very from region to region, but these are rules many have unknowingly followed for ages. From pick-up games on the court to professional events, these rules are part of the history of sports.
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to pose poll questions on Twitter regarding these unwritten rules. A few might be from Reilly's article, while others are ones I've picked up or learned over the years. Many might be universal while others might be more obscure. Whatever the case, the results will be used as part of a very scientific study I'm conducting to see if unwritten rules should really disappear from sports forever. The results will be revisited and discussed in approximately a month on this very blog. 
If you're interested (and don't follow me already) go ahead and give me a follow on Twitter. You can find me here: @jasonrh_78 (Or simply click on the tweets above). Vote. Retweet. Leave thoughts if you have any. And don't be afraid of the brushback pitch.

Happy Birthday to (old) America

photo: commons.wikimedia.org
We are all part of the human race. 
As much as there are certain people of power in this nation--and their followers--that continue to believe otherwise, it's true.
In a day we all should be celebrating our freedoms, more and more is being done to undo years of progress, preventing scores of people to truly feel free, to feel safe.
All done in the name of "Making America Great Again". [Sidenote: what is the point of this song? America was pretty great, until late January of 2017.]
Here's what making America great should look like:
A person should have a right to live the way they choose and to pursue that life, within the constraints of laws, of course. (life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness)A person should be able to live without fear of being discriminated against, without judging looks, without have to walk in a neighborhood without being suspicious.Equality.
Here's what the slogan as coined by ol' 45 truly embodies:
Let's go back to a smaller, whiter, more conservative time.Let's only think of ourselves and those like us, not others that might need the occasional pick-me-up.Screw equality.We are at a crucial moment in our timeline.
Our moments are tiny blips on the grand scale of the universe. That being the case, we still want to make our marks, whether that be with a job, a family, a contribution or to simply live with joy in the time we have.
Hate as always been present--and most likely, always will be--but it has sprouted forth with enormous growth over the past few years.
Social media has allowed this type of behavior to move into the forefront. Where once the majority of people simply spoke hateful things behind closed doors, among friends and family, a platform has been given to many spout whatever vitriol and hate comes to their mind.
Why is there such a lack of empathy among people? And how much of the vile things seen on the internet is due to a president who easily attacks with words? He can do this so his followers do the same.
Words erupt on both sides, left and right, religious vs non.
There is a difference between being strong and standing for your convictions versus what ol' 45 does. Political correctness has gone too far to an extent but that is no excuse. 
Unfortunately, the United States of America has a man in charge not building towards a better world. This is a man hell bent on destroying the legacy of a man simply out of spite. The current president is man that has a disregard for regulations and policies put in place to give generations ahead of us a decent future. For a group of people who want less regulations they sure care a lot about regulating a woman's body. 
Speaking of which, religion does not belong in government. People should have the right to worship or not worship a God/Gods/no God of their choice. And if they don't judge you for your choice, you shouldn't judge them. 
Judgement is what it comes back to. Judging one by their looks, the color of the skin, their appearance, their religion, their clothing, etc. Instead of judging, perhaps it's time to walk a mile in another's shoes (a literal mile, if you prefer). Judging an entire religion based off a radical few. Judging a group of people because of a few rotten eggs. Promoting intolerance and hate and fear mongering (on baseless opinions/accusations or expanding on limited data when there are much greater threats in our nation).
The path we are headed down is not a good one. We are a melting pot--and for better or worse--have always been one. We're celebrating 241 years of being independent, but there are scores of people in this country who currently don't feel that way.
And for a country claiming to be great, to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, these last six months have felt far from it. 
So Happy Birthday, America. I am thankful for the freedoms I have, the troops that have fought to protect them, and the people who have made it a great place to live. And I'm thankful for the endless hard work people are doing to secure freedoms and independence they so rightfully desire.
And I hope one day progress can begin again and people around me--near and far--can live a life without fear. And they can pursue their happiness without fear of persecution, discrimination, and judgement hanging over their head.
Because that's what America should be. Instead, we have a country taking two steps back, further away from the greatness and hope the nation once stood for.
But hey, at least we have coal.

Promising stories fall short at The Ranch

"Do you even binge watch, bro?"

I finally submitted to the modern day of watching shows when I went on a three-season, four-day binge of The Ranch.


Normally I'm a big proponent of watching television shows the old-fashioned way: One episode at a time with an ample period of waiting in between.

That's stretching the truth. A few Saturdays ago the great 90's hit ER played on my television for close to eight hours, including a gut-wrenching episode involving Carter (Noah Wyle) and Lucy (Kellie Martin).
When it comes to shows on Netflix, I'm usually a 2-3 episode a week kind of guy.
The Ranch turned out to be much different. This was not due to the fact the show is overtly entertaining. It just was...on. And I let it play.
The worst part? There's actually a great show that occasionally bubbles up to the surface when it's not playing to sophomoric humor.The RundownThe Rundown sure was an entertaining movie, wasn't it? I mean, Dwayne Johnson really bursts onto the scene and--
Oh, right. 
According to IMDB, here is a brief plot description of The Ranch: "The son of a Colorado rancher returns home from a semi-pro football career to run the family business."
The son is Colt Bennett (Ashton Kutcher), who doesn't come home to run the family business, per se. He turns down a spot on the local semi-pro team to help work on the ranch, run by his father Beau (Sam Elliott) and brother Rooster (Danny Masterson).
It's painting too broad of a brush to say Kutcher and Masterson are simply extensions of the characters they played on That 70's Show. It is easy to imagine this if you were hopelessly devoted to their previous endeavor, but they do go a bit further with character exploration when needed.
They live in the town of Garrison, Colorado. In the opening credits, a sign notes the population is 524 (or somewhere near that). And much of the plot revolves around the fact that this town is really, really small.
Through in a few curse words, some nudity, and you essentially have the same type of humor Kutcher was part of during his time on Two and a Half Men.
Which makes sense, because the creators of The Ranch are Jim Patterson and Don Reo, two alumni of the previous show.
Now, in a small town, it makes sense there is only one bar. And even in a population that size, I can get behind the fact there is a Dairy Queen.
But then there is a Cracker Barrel. A Chili's, I think. I remember wondering how close they were to the next major city--and it might have been said in the show--because it's written to seem all of these establishments plus more are in Garrison.
I get that with no commercials involved on Netflix shows, certain money from advertisers has to be written in but there isn't enough substance in the plot to keep me from wondering how the city was still so small with all of these name brands. (Speaking of which, for taking place in Colorado, I don't remember this fictional town drinking any Coors products until the third season. Could they not work out a deal before then?)
Minor grievances. The show is not a straight comedy, though at times it resorts to normal episodic comedy troupes. A mix of drama drives much of the action, but it leaves a lot of potential sitting at the table while played for cheap laughs.A Sam Shepard play in waiting
Pick out a Sam Shepard play and you'll usually find themes of sibling rivalry, family secrets, divorce, alcoholism, facing mortality, unwanted pregnancies and much, much more.
The Ranch has a taste of all of these.
Even the location of being set on a ranch in the west might be something straight out of a Shepard play.
And of course, there's Sam Elliott.
As the family patriarch, Elliott helps bring the western motif to light. He's a hard-working man, up before dawn and working until after dusk. He eats dinner at 6 p.m. And he loves Ronald Reagan.
We also see a stubborn man adjusting to a life around him that keeps moving forward. While he doesn't often fall into this trap, we see nice moments, like him slipping on Kutcher's Uggs (Kutcher carries a lot of metrosexual traits and tendencies) and enjoying the comfort.
And the raw emotions of the scenes when he finds out his wife (Debra Winger)--who also owns the one bar in town--has skipped town and immediately follow give a range of acting desperately needed in this show.
A collection of veteran actors make guest appearances or are recurring characters: Elisha Cuthbert, Martin Mull, Kathy Baker, Barry Corbin, and Ethan Suplee are among them. Through in a few friends from That 70's Show (Wilmer Valderrama, Debra Jo Rupp, and Bret Harrison) and you have enough talent to make the series at the very least watchable.
In the end, though, through three seasons I've been simply left wanting more and, if we were lucky, a spinoff starring Elliott and Winger. 
One can dream.

Going old school in a new era

Confession time.
I am a 38-year old curmudgeon.
I'm not speaking about everything in life. There have been the occasional old man rants over the years. Clickbait headlines will always annoy me. And don't get me started about keeping people off my lawn.
And today, I'm going to add sports to the list.
Am I shaking my fist at the television (or internet), complaining about the lack of respect these kids have today for the game? No. If anything--thanks to the rise of the internet--there might be more respect for the history of the game than there ever was.
Will I stand on a soapbox and tell you how today's players in various leagues aren't as good or as tough as the players of yesteryear? No. Generations produce different aspects of greatness, with things like safety coming into play. (Though I will say there is a certain league that has done a fair amount to eliminate fun from their games. Different story, different time.)
Sports are ingrained in me. I will take watching a sporting event--ranging from basketball to soccer--over most things any day of the week. Professional sports leagues are constantly evolving and need to in order to keep new generations interested. There is something to be said about keeping connected to the older generation's ways, though.BaseballMoneyball is a great book and a fantastic movie. Billy Beane stands at the forefront of the analytical movement. And the rise of thousands of stat categories are trying to ruin reading about the sport for me.
Give me the "back of the baseball card" stats any day of the week. I don't need to know how hard a pitch was hit. I can see with my eyes. Batting average on balls hit in play? No thanks. Batting average is simple enough for me, as are home runs, runs batted in, and runs scored. These numbers are still pretty indicative of a player's worth and value yet there are articles that don't even mention--even casually--what these numbers are.
To an older generation of fans, these are the numbers that matter. And don't even get me started about strikeouts. Strikeout numbers are through the roof, but back in the day being struck out meant something. There was a failure aspect to it, especially with runners on base.  Back in the day, one would just check in to see how many times Mickey Tettleton or Rob Deer struck out. Now, the top-ten leaders in single-season strikeouts are all from the last ten years, including the great Kris Bryant.
Speaking of great players: I don't need wins above replacement (WAR) as a stat to tell me the value of Mike Trout. Your all-world MVP is injured? Of course your wins are going to take a nosedive.
I may never break and get swayed to the new age analytical fans' way of thinking, but I am bending. I pay closer attention to WAR for the middle-of-the-line players. And on-base plus slugging has crept its way into my heart, but I'll take a good runs scored stat any day of the week.BasketballMy old school view on basketball is less about stats and more about the super teams way of thinking seeping into the league.
It's been touched upon in the halls of this blog already, but I'd rather see teams build around a core unit than buying a team.
Now, I'm not saying free agency is bad. Players should have the right to choose who they play for and how much money they can make. It's a free market and I applaud that.
What I don't like is the idea of general managers/owners blowing up a team that won, say, 53 games by removing players from the roster that got you to this point. There's something to be said about adding a piece or two, but possibly mortgaging depth/a future by bringing in two to three more superstars isn't always going to work. 
By adding essential pieces--say one more scorer and a solid defensive player/rebounder--a team can keep the winning intact. In turn, the team that has played together for a few years has a better chance at winning than a team throwing a bunch of superstars together and hoping for the best.
The Golden State Warriors won a championship without Kevin Durant, mostly with a homegrown team and a few key pieces (not necessarily stars) via free agency. Even the super team of the Miami Heat with LeBron James and Chris Bosh had Dwyane Wade and a collection of players that had been in Miami for years.
While we're at it, bringing back the mid-range jumper would be a nice thing as well. Watching the Lakers-Celtics rivalry discussed on ESPN recently, I watched footage of games that seemed to be played quicker, was more fluid, and had the mid-range jumper on a fastbreak instead of jacking up a three. (And fast breaks that were done with mostly passes, not just dribbling. The Lakers could move the ball down the court with three passes only and get a layup. Kevin Love and the Cavs are only one of a few teams I see do that in today's modern game.)
I really do love sports. It's just sometimes I really do like how they were played and discussed in my day. Of course, this is coming from a man that still likes to listen to games on the radio. 
So what do I really know.

Local dad to children: Love is not a secret ingredient

Landing as the second-favorite parent in his family for all these years finally took its toll on local dad Ray Hansen.
Fed up with second-tier adoration, Mr. Hansen revealed to his children a family secret he'd been harboring for years: their mother's cooking did not in fact include the secret ingredient of love.
"Love is not something you can mix in with flour and milk," Mr. Hansen told his two teenage kids. "Your mother loves you--just as I do--but never once has she put love into your cookies. And her meatloaf? Ground beef and onions are included, but there is no love. Love cannot be measured in a tablespoon or a quart."
Questioned as to why he chose Father's Day to deliver this stunning revelation to his kids, Mr. Hansen defiantly replied, "To be quite honest, I was tired of my kids believing I didn't love them as much just because I didn't cook.  Yeah, I barbeque from time to time, but am I going to say, 'Kid, these hot dogs are made with a special ingredient tonight: Love.' No. I can't say that because hot dogs are made from guts and stuff. Plain and simple. Plus, I was tired of getting a tie for Father's Day. Ten straight years! I don't even wear ties, except to funerals."
Mr. Hansen kept on this diatribe for a good ten minutes. He touched on everything from mothers everywhere "having it so good" to why the god damned Browns can't just get a decent gosh darned quarterback. He also mentioned something about his mother never using love as an ingredient in the microwave dinners he had a child..

Speaking to neighbor Elroy Elderson, "Man, I can't believe Ray did that. I mean, there are some secrets you take to the grave. It's like telling your kids there is no tooth fairy or that Santa Claus isn't real... Wait. Will kids be reading this? Can you retract my last statement?"
As you can see, we did not.

When pressed for answers, Ray's wife Alma replied, "I stand by the fact everything I make includes the ingredient of love." 
She stopped speaking to us after that, offering no further comments or insights.
Both of Ray and Alma's kids--Josh, 16, and Lindsay, 14--offered no comment on the situation. They simply rolled their eyes and went back to posting Instagram stories.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there--near and far. Hope your day is filled with ties, cards, and maybe even your favorite food for dinner. And hopefully it's cooked with love.

The Cleveland Cavs: Dreaming the impossible dream

photo credit: en.wikepedia.org
The Cleveland Cavaliers certainly like to make things interesting as far as the NBA Finals are concerned.
The 2017 iteration is trying to outdo the 2016 championship team by trying to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the title.
In 2016, the Cavs shockingly came back from a 3 games to 1 deficit to take down a Golden State Warriors team which had won a regular-season record 73 games.
To even get one victory in this series, it has taken a herculean effort by LeBron James and a record-setting 24 made three-pointers in game four victory to get the Cavs even this far. 
James--in 2016--had quite the Finals, finishing with averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists. In 2017, he is doing his best to outperform those averages, despite essentially having the same makeup of players supporting him.
To wit, his 2017 stats (thru four games): 31.8 ppg. 11.8 rpg. 10.5 ppg.
via YouTube.com
The man--hated or loved--will go down as one of the greatest of all-time.
Looking past the "greatest-of-all-time" debate that has intensified the last few weeks about James and Michael Jordan, James is having another outstanding Finals. Early career failures and playoff disappearing acts once haunted the James legacy. These past two seasons have seen him do his best to put that behind him. (And for the record, the James/Jordan debate I won't get into. Both are great in their respective generation and it's something that's always going to arise between generations. And if number of NBA titles is your threshold, I will point no further than to Bill Russell. End of discussion.)
A game three, fourth-quarter meltdown by the Cavs prevented this series from being tied at two games heading back to Golden State. Trailing now 3-1, the deck is seemingly stacked against the Cavs in hopes of pulling off the miracle comeback two seasons in a row.
Sitting at the top of the deck: Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors.
Ushering in a new era of title chasingEveryone knows Durant. He's the man who couldn't lead his own franchise to a title so he gave up and decided to attempt to piggy back his way to a championship.

Before digging too deep, let me say this: I don't blame the Warriors organization. They are playing by the same salary cap rules as everyone else. They had MVP players on relatively sane contracts, had the money to proceed, allowing them to be within their rights and means to pursue the best player(s) available.
The problem lies with Durant--who I will admit did the same thing James did when he left for the Miami Heat via free agency. I liken it to someone being not willing to battle to ascend to the throne. Instead, you lay down your sword and walk over to the other side to join the folks winning.
This isn't a knock on free agency. I understand players wanting to go to teams giving them the best chance at winning and a shot at the title. Like any other job, you're going to go where the best opportunities are or the best money is at. Sometimes--as in the case of Durant--there is the perceived idea the route will be easier certain ways.
Is it a problem for the NBA? No. Stars having been chasing titles for years. Why do you think Gary Payton and Karl Malone joined Shaq and Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers?
The deeper issue might lie in the fact of applying the number of titles to a player to decide how great they are. It's certainly a factor in a player's career but can sometimes carry too much weight. Charles Barkley, Malone, and John Stockton are no less great players because they don't have titles affixed to their names. (And on the flip side, because Eli Manning made two throws to win two separate Super Bowls does not necessarily make him a Hall of Fame player.)
Durant is having a great Finals, averaging 34.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He was a favorite player of mine before leaving for the Warriors. Durant is one of the top-three players currently playing in the NBA, but have less regard for him since he packed up his bags and headed out west. He isn't the first to help form a super team and he definitely won't be the last.
In my old school ways, I'd rather see a team build rather than bought. It's a reason--during their first championship run--I enjoyed the Warriors. Their top three players had all been drafted, with a collection of a supporting cast built around them.
It's also why--in addition to them being my favorite team--I like watching the Boston Celtics battle with the current team they have (and am pretty firmly entrenched against them finding "another" huge star. Another discussion, another time). Teams should have that desire to knock kings off the mountain with what they have and not be content with saying "it's not fair" or "we'll never beat them". 
For that, I'm dreaming the impossible dream right there alongside the Cavs, even though chances are by this time next week the 2016-17 NBA season will already have a few days in the books.
And then we will start the free agent dance once again.

June newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 2

Growing up in a pre-cable television society, television watching in the summer revolved around a collection of shows.When I wasn't outside playing Wiffle ball--creating fantasy leagues in my head and ultimately knocking the game winning home run out of the park--I could be found in front of the television.
This wasn't a day long thing, as I was also responsible for building forts on my family's property and collecting ants and placing them in jars to study their tunnel making ways. But when I did find myself in front of the television, my eyes belonged to The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, and the original Batman.
These were the syndicated shows of my childhood heyday, to which my Sundays to this day usually involve The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, and Saved by the Bell on in the background on MeTV as I go about my Sunday chores.
Batman had taken a back seat over the years, but I still indulged myself in the occasional Saturday night viewing on the above mentioned channel. These shows transported me to a simpler time; a time when my only worries were if my fort had stayed up over night and if my "stuffed animal" Wiffle ball team would again defeat my sister's or brother's team of stuffed animal all-stars (they did).
Adam West was part of that childhood. The WHAM! POW! of my youth will always be remembered, as will Mr. West, who passed away earlier today. Bringing his superpower ways to people's lives--even in the non-personal way of being viewed through a television screen--will never be forgotten.
On with the newsletter.
Currently reading: After months of delay, I finally broke down and bought A Feast for Crows, the fourth novel in the Game of Thrones series. Normally, the library had been my source for reading these books. Seeing the novel on sale convinced me to purchase the book rather than to continue to wait to see if it would ever be checked in at the library.
I also finished Neil Gaiman's Stardust. I had never read any of Gaiman's work over the years and decided to start small before jumping into his American Gods.
Currently watching: I'm watching Garden State right now. Don't judge me.
Home Alone is also on CMT so maybe I'll switch it to that channel.
Okay. I'm working my way through the third season of Bloodline. Though it's lost some of its steam and intrigue from the first season, I am powering through because of my admiration of Coach Tay--er--Kyle Chandler. I will watch anything with a Friday Night Lights alum in it. Any. Thing.
Currently listening to: I recently purchased Damn by Kendrick Lamar. I settled on a compact disc instead of vinyl, mostly because I haven't gone full on hipster yet and started purchasing vinyl for new releases. (If in fact it is indeed available on vinyl).
I have really got into Kendrick Lamar over the past year. I don't really care for most of the new hip hop, am mostly an old school guy, and Lamar has that same storytelling ability in him. (Same with Chance the Rapper.)
Podcast time: Not a whole lot has changed here in the normal rotation I mentioned last month. I have added Pod Save America and Myths and Legends to the list. The first involves a heavy dose of liberal politics and the latter, well, speaks for itself. There was a time--in being a fantasy writer--in which I tried to avoid this sort of thing while currently working on a fantasy novel. I didn't want stuff like that or other fantasy novels to influence my own writing. As I've grown older, I've learned that avoiding the subject has quite the opposite effect.
The Thin Air Podcast also returned with new episodes on May 29 so my slate of podcasts is pretty full (but ever growing).
Thanks for taking a few moments to read over what is capturing my pop culture interest(s) this month. I'm also watching the NBA Finals, of which you can catch my thoughts on this very site later Saturday night or some point on Sunday. Stay tuned.
"We are all undergoing the mythological adventure without even knowing it."- Joseph Campbell

A sneak peek at 'The Dragon Princess'

The NBA Finals? The United States Men's Soccer team? Ol' 45 continuing to ruin progress of this nation?

Presenting myself with a multitude of options to talk about this week, I decided to go the easy, self-promotion route, finally settling on an excerpt from THE DRAGON PRINCESS.

Nearly three years ago, I published my first fantasy novel via Kindle Direct Publishing. Coming up on nearly finishing the first draft of its follow up THE BLUE GEM, I decided to do this gentle reminder THE DRAGON PRINCESS is still available to purchase and download for only 99 cents here.

(And along the pandering lines, if you feel like leaving a review on Amazon or my profile on Goodreads--good or bad, anonymous or not--please do. Both criticisms or affirmations help me grow as a writer. Appreciate it.)


The plate of food was shoved into the cell and the sound of scampering feet dissipated. Princess Riyana of Thurston waited until the door at the far end of the hall closed before emerging from the shadows of her cell. The hall itself was dimly lit by two torches, shining just enough light on the edges of the cell. Riyana quickly gave a look before snatching the plate into her hands. The plate was covered with fruits and bread. Riyana cradled the plate as she recoiled into the shadows of the cell and seated herself on the cold cement floor.
Riyana tossed a couple of berries into her mouth, savoring the juice flavor. She was being held prisoner here, but had been well taken care of as far as receiving meals regularly. Riyana next reached for the bread, ripping off a good chunk of it. She bit into the bread like a wild animal, pushing aside etiquette and shame while embracing her new style of eating. Receiving food was the one thing she looked forward to each day. She still had no clue as to why she was being held captive. Riyana believed her captors to be Gnomes, but that was solely based on the events of the night she was kidnapped.
Riyana took a brief moment to enjoy the food in her mouth. She wiped her hands on the gray soldier's uniform she had been wearing the night of her kidnapping. The uniform was two sizes too big but she'd always enjoyed how comfortable the uniform felt when she slept. Riyana's long, auburn hair reached down to her waist. Due to the days of being in the damp cell, her once silky straight hair had become greasy and tangled. She longed for a hairbrush, but even more so she  longed for her brother Rion. The two had never been separated for this period of time before. Though he was often a pain in her side, Riyana wished more than anything for him to get her out of this dingy place.

Riyana turned her attention back to the plate. She picked up an apple, poised to take a bite before suddenly remembering the man locked int he cell next to her. The man always stayed hidden in the shadows so she did not even know what he looked like. In fact, the man had not once revealed his name to Riyana.