“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” Casey Kasem, right? WRONG! Try Theodore Roosevelt on for size.
I know, I know, Casey was “keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars,” but flipping the order doesn’t make it yours, buddy!
I feel like my entire American Top 40 life has been a lie. And of all the people to clue me in…Shakira…a Colombian! Why do people from foreign countries always know more about America than we do? I can’t believe this.
The Idol contestants were asked to perform from the Shania Twain library last night on an evening dubbed “Country Night.” I don’t get it. I know she’s all country, but wouldn’t it have made more sense to call it Shania night?
The NBA sits a distant 3rd in my major sports leagues fanaticism rankings. Even back in the “glory days” of the Association, I didn’t set my sports clock by the action on the hardwood. I rooted for my home team Milwaukee Bucks – went to a lot of games at the MECCA and the Bradley Center – watched a lot of games on television – but the regular season never did much for me…because the regular season in the NBA pretty much sucks. It sucked back then. It still sucks now.
At the risk of generalizing (I guess it’s too late for that, though), the NBA’s regular season is dominated by egomaniacal displays of offense at the expense of just about every other fundamental aspect of the game. It’s the league’s fault. The league has decided to market its stars, its individual athletes…not the teams. In 2010, it is so defined: Kobe vs. Lebron; D-Wade vs. Melo – not Lakers/Cavs; Heat/Nuggets.
But the post-season is an entirely different animal. Suddenly, the supporting cast matters. Suddenly, teams are equally concerned with stopping the opponent as they are offensively dominating them. Suddenly, the better TEAM trumps the better INDIVIDUAL.
The NBA’s post-season is really good hoops. Unfortunately for the Association, the way that it has sold its regular season has so soured the average basketball fan on the experience as a whole, that it’s really tough to get that dude to tune in when it matters most.
It’s too bad…because said dude is not only missing some solid basketball at the highest level, he’s also missing insane halftime antics like this:
The stunt itself is insane, as the YouTube titles suggests, but compounding the lunacy is Bango's blatant disregard for the top rung warning. That is not a step, Bango. Fear the deer!
Version 2010
Posted April 26, 2010 by
Nick Vitrano
Remember “Light it Up?” The theme song for your 2000 Milwaukee Bucks? Don’t worry, it was pretty forgettable. But compared to the 2010 version, it’s Grammy worthy. Still, like any fan musical offering...it's so bad it's good. Thanks for the heads-up, Brad.
The Packers’ first round selection is brought you by: the letter B.
How much fun was last night? The NFL nailed it with the new primetime format, and with the first night limited to the first round, teams made quick work of their ten minutes. And of course, we got Bulaga – a highly rated talent at a position of need! Plus, his name is fun to say.
Bryan Bulaga. You don’t find alliteration like that every day.
Go ahead…say it. “Bryan Bulaga.” Louder. “Bryan Bulaga.” With feeling. “Bryan Bulaga.” Now break it up into syllables: “BU-LA-GA.”
As soon as he’s locked up, we’re definitely going to have to try to tap him for a WNFL blog: “Bryan’s B’laga.” It’s perfect.
You did it, America! You sent Timmy home. In an unprecedented move, Ryan and friends put the axe to a contestant on “Idol Gives Back” night. Not very philanthropic of you folks over at FOX.
Too bad anyone who DVR’d the program didn’t get a chance to see it!
I don’t know who the producers of American Idol are, but each one of them should be fired. Worse clock management than Les Miles:
Regardless, it is a good day. Goodbye, Tim. Hello…floor?
Draft day, baby! How can you be anything but all giddy inside? I love this event - the uncertainty, the surprises, the theatrics, the look on the face of the dude who is free falling from his prognosticated perch…the look on the face of the girlfriend of the dude who is free falling from his prognosticated perch. It’s immediate entertainment with a lasting payoff.
Ted Thompson is steadfast in his philosophy that drafting is best executed via the top rated player available when the team is on the clock. “You can never have enough good football players on your team,” Thompson has stated (or stated something close) over the years. It’s an approach that isn’t always popular, is oft debated, and sometimes does not yield positive gains until the GM who made the call is long gone.
But drafting on talent vs. drafting on need is the sound logic (especially in the first round).
Shangri-la would pair the best player available with the team’s area of greatest need. But what is the area of greatest need for the Green Bay Packers? Look at the roster…really look at it. Can we afford an injury anywhere?
The 2010 Green Bay Packers are one knee away from the perilous shallows of every position on the field. I don’t think it’s a problem unique to the Pack. I wouldn’t launch myself from the high dive into the rosters of the overwhelming majority of the league. But on draft day, it isn’t about the league…it’s about the Green Bay Packers.
“Idol Saves the World” tonight, so nobody is going home. I can’t exactly remember how this works. I think the votes from last night are totaled with next week’s votes and then two contestants eat it next Wednesday, but I’m not sure. The only think of which I am certain is that I need a new rubber roof over my three seasons room, and I’m hoping that Idol will give a little back to me tonight.
We’ve deleted the caption. Insert yours in the “comments” section below. Best caption, as determined by our panel (Maino, webman Feldy, and me), wins a major award. Please be kind.
All right. There is a lot of misconception floating around out there regarding the Maino and Nick cheerleading squad.
We are not seeking out the photos of present-day high school cheerleaders!
You all should be ashamed of yourselves for suggesting this innocent endeavor an eventual Dateline documentary.
The cheerleading squad is merely one facet of the grand goal: the opening of the Maino and Nick Virtual High School.
Send us your photos from high school and we will sort them into their respective groups, ultimately (and hopefully) creating an online yearbook for everyone to peruse. If you played football…send us a photo. If you ran track…send us a photo. If you were on poms…send us a photo. Please e-mail the shots. Do not send actual photographs. And youngsters out there in listener land, you must be 21 or turning 21 in this calendar year to submit a photo.
