By Rick Morris
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tremendous Week: The Office Season 5 DVD review
By Rick Morris
As I've repeatedly mentioned here before, NBC's The Office has become my favorite show of all time. I enthusiastically recommended the Season 3 and Season 4 DVDs in previous reviews (Seasons 1 and 2 were also outstanding, but I did not receive the DVDs when they first came out and hence did not review them). I held my Season 5 review to post as a part of Tremendous Week with The 21st Century Media Alliance (which also included our coverage of the Fire Joe Morgan reunion on Deadspin yesterday). I realize that Ken Tremendous errrrrr Michael Schur has now moved on to Parks and Recreation (which, BTW, The Alliance will be liveblogging the season premiere of at 8:30 PM EDT on Googling Atlee Hammaker before we pick up the liveblogging right here on The FDH Lounge with The Office Season 6 premiere immediately afterwards), but he was a part of Season 5 and surely at the very least we haven't seen the last of him as Cousin Mose!
It must be noted that this DVD had high standards to meet given what had come before, but it clearly achieved at that level. True fans of the show know to look for the versions that include fun extras from the show and as such, I purchased the "Beet Box" being sold at Best Buy, which includes many pieces of Schrute Farms merchandise.
While it was in progress, Season 5 was often critiqued as being uneven on various message boards by the hardcore fans. Some episodes were held up as worthy of the vaunted Seasons 2 and 3 and others were considered more on the par of the less popular Season 4. As somebody who has loved all seasons more or less equally, I find some of the nitpicking to be silly, but it is impossible not to note in terms of creating a clear picture of public perception. The accounts of life at Dunder-Mifflin always contain humor, both broad and subtle, as well as accurate portrayals of human nature and the occational note of pathos.
Before we get started, one quick note: if you read the previous two DVD reviews, you will be familiar with most of the major plotlines in the history of the show leading into Season 5.
Season 5 was a tad different from years past in terms of having more mini-arcs than in past seasons. Generally, there were not as many important storyline progressions that only lasted part of a season as opposed to a full season. Here are some of the bigger ones:
^ Michael started the season answering directly to company CFO David Wallace before the rollercoaster of dealing with the idiot savant successes and infuriating childishness led the exec to hire a no-nonsense intermediary.
^ Pam spent the first part of the season at the Pratt Institute in New York as she pursued her art dreams. She and Jim had to manage a long-distance relationshp in the aftermath of Jim's failed proposal at the end of Season 4 (when Andy hilariously jumped in with his own proposal to Angela just as Jim was getting the words out of his mouth at Toby's farewell party).
^ Speaking of the Andy-Angela-Dwight triangle that materialized at the end of Season 4, it endured as a secret well into Season 5 before exploding dramatically.
To explain each of these elements further, in order:
^ At the end of Season 4, when Michael's "hated enemy," the hapless and mild-mannered Toby, relocated to Costa Rica, he was replaced by the goofy and attractive Holly. She proved to be Michael's perfect child-like match. Initial awkwardness faded away as each realized the extent of the other's interest (and as Michael lost interest once and for all in crazy ex Jan and her new sperm bank baby) and they were happy together -- until David discovered the relationship and, fearing potential trouble, had Holly transferred to New Hampshire. Unlike Jim and Pam, they couldn't even get a long-distance relationship off the ground and Michael's downward spiral ensued. Coincidentally, Holly was portrayed by Amy Ryan, who was previously on The Wire and Michael's late-season nemesis, Charles Miner, was also portrayed by a Wire alum (Idris Elba). He came into the picture after Michael got on David's last nerve (due to, among other things, failing to stop Dwight from repeatedly endangering the lives of fellow employees in the name of "safety" during The Office Super Bowl Special, Michael's outrageously inappropriate presentations that he delivered on the ill-fated "lecture tour" of other branches that David designed for him and Michael's harebrained "Willy Wonka" sales promotion that could have financially crippled the Scranton branch). Tough guy Charles unexpectedly induced Michael to quit and start up the Michael Scott Paper Company. The short-lived battle between the upstart and established firms was headlined by a struggle between Michael and former (and future) protege Dwight and it put Jim and Pam on separate sides after she quit the D-M reception desk to sell for MSPC. In the end, Jim was the unlikely hero as his actions preserved a merger on MSPC's terms. He was motivated not only by a desire to help Pam, but also to undermine Charles, who had developed an immediate and irrational dislike of him.
^ As for Pam, she started the season in New York literally and in marital limbo figuratively after Andy's hijacked proposal. However, in characteristic fashion, she and Jim endured before reaching a breaking point (think back to Casino Night and Beach Games) and the proposal came in an unlikely but memorable way. Pam had a love-hate relationship with her new harried life and she had a smitten male friend try to convince her to stay in NYC for good. But faced with having to stay longer to retake a class, she chose to go home.
^ The very last scene of Season 4 came when Phyllis walked in on Angela and Dwight in a compromising position -- the very night the office phony got engaged to Andy! This allowed Phyllis to blackmail the moralist into permanently surrendering the Party Planning Committee leadership. More importantly, however, the ongoing affair continued even as Andy unwittingly drew Dwight into the wedding planning! Eventually, however, the truth came out and after a wild duel sequence, the two learned of the depths of Angela's treachery and BOTH dumped her! At the end of the season, however, there were subtle signs (further fleshed out on the DVD) of a potential Dwight-Angela reunion, which would be weird but certainly entirely fitting.
The multiple partial-season arcs helped to keep a disproportionate focus off of Jim and Pam. I correctly forecast at the end of Season 3 that once the obstacles were cleared out of their way that there would be no silly "Ross'n'Rachel" or "Sam'n'Diane" melodrama-for-the-sake-of-melodrama. The writers accomplished this by moving them from the forefront in Season 4. Viewers were still invested in the ongoing story and the occasional (small) bumps in the road have been addressed in realistic fashion. These included:
^ resolution of the engagement issue, which started in late Season 4 when Pam indicated that she would not repeat her mistake with Roy and move in without a ring
^ the occasional feelings of disconnection and dislocation between them during Pam's time away, which were subtly fueled by a gleeful Roy's planting of troubling thoughts in Jim's head
^ the wrapup of Pam's Scranton-or-NYC tug-of-war
^ Pam's favorable reaction to Jim's big gamble of buying his parents' house as a surprise gesture
^ the effects of the discord between Pam's parents -- and how it ultimately delivered a reinforcement about the value of Jim where she least expected it
^ Pam's post-Pratt thoughts about her professional future leading to the abrupt decision to leave D-M, only to return as not a receptionist, but a full-fledged saleswoman - with Jim to thank for instigating what amounted to a company bailout and her securing that position over Jim's old nemesis Ryan
^ the season-ending pregnancy revelation, prefaced by Jim once referring to Pam as "the future mother of my children," Pam's encounter with a pregnant (and forgiving) Karen and Pam's discovery about her parents and the lesson for her future
As is always the case, the surrounding characters proved to be part of the greatest ensemble on television:
^ Ryan returned from his ill-fated executive tenure at corporate and subsequent legal mess to begin again at the bottom of the ladder as a temp -- where he also ended the season. In between, he re-wooed and re-dumped Kelly, took a trip out of town (not to where he said it was!), returned to work at a bowling alley, sold for MSPC and then lost out to Pam for the sales position after the merger. The payback he received in Scranton was delicious in light of his Season 4 power trip.
^ Dwight had a typical Dwight year: tricking Angela into marrying him during their affair behind Andy's back, the duel with Andy, subsequently forming a weird friendship with Andy, bristling under Charles' dress code before transferring his allegiance to him and trying to destroy MSPC, putting down Pam's art aspirations ... this remains one of the most unique characters in TV history.
^ Almost in spite of himself, Kevin won the affections of a fairly attractive woman in a nearby office.
^ Phyllis and Bob Vance (Vance Refrigeration) took their piggy love to new and disturbing heights on Valentine's Day.
^ New receptionist Erin learned to navigate the insanity of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton.
^ Angela weathered the fallout from her exposure in characteristically defiant fashion.
^ Andy was morose for awhile after the breakup with Angela, but he became more upbeat late in the season and showed an interest in new girl Erin.
^ Kelly was, well, Kelly ... with relationship drama with Darryl and then Ryan again, getting revenge on Dwight and Jim for a perceived slight and taking a weight-loss challenge way too far.
^ As is the case every year, what can you really say about Creed?
^ Stanley's heart gave way to the stress of the office before he failed as Charles' "productivity czar" due to crossword puzzles not being a part of that equation.
^ Oscar bonded with Andy in a strange manner during their trip to Canada with Michael.
^ Crazy Jan finally pushed her luck with Michael too far.
^ Meredith had a near-miss with alcohol rehab -- not the first in her life, I'd wager!
The DVD extras also added much to the value of the product, as is always the case. A wealth of deleted scenes add so much depth for the completists in the fanbase -- as well as just delivering more fun. There's also so much else that adds value, such as a great blooper reel, episode commentaries, 100 moments from the first 100 episodes (check out #60, prompting the "Everyone poops" justification from Mose Schrute in a Season 4 deleted scene) and what is always one of the best parts of the annual DVD release: the look behind the curtain. This year, that comes in the form of a Q&A session that Andy Richter conducts with the writers and actors. The creative process for this show is incredible and it's always informative to learn more about how everything comes together with the show. There is also considerable entertainment in these features every year because of the wit of those involved and the off-camera camaraderie that is so appparent.
This truly is, in my opinion, the greatest show that television can boast. As this is being posted, the Season 6 premiere is mere hours away and I can't wait. Let us remind you again that The 21st Century Media Alliance will be liveblogging the season premiere of at 8:30 PM EDT on Googling Atlee Hammaker before we pick up the liveblogging right here on The FDH Lounge with The Office Season 6 premiere immediately afterwards. Soak in the love of a truly Tremendous Week!
As I've repeatedly mentioned here before, NBC's The Office has become my favorite show of all time. I enthusiastically recommended the Season 3 and Season 4 DVDs in previous reviews (Seasons 1 and 2 were also outstanding, but I did not receive the DVDs when they first came out and hence did not review them). I held my Season 5 review to post as a part of Tremendous Week with The 21st Century Media Alliance (which also included our coverage of the Fire Joe Morgan reunion on Deadspin yesterday). I realize that Ken Tremendous errrrrr Michael Schur has now moved on to Parks and Recreation (which, BTW, The Alliance will be liveblogging the season premiere of at 8:30 PM EDT on Googling Atlee Hammaker before we pick up the liveblogging right here on The FDH Lounge with The Office Season 6 premiere immediately afterwards), but he was a part of Season 5 and surely at the very least we haven't seen the last of him as Cousin Mose!
It must be noted that this DVD had high standards to meet given what had come before, but it clearly achieved at that level. True fans of the show know to look for the versions that include fun extras from the show and as such, I purchased the "Beet Box" being sold at Best Buy, which includes many pieces of Schrute Farms merchandise.
While it was in progress, Season 5 was often critiqued as being uneven on various message boards by the hardcore fans. Some episodes were held up as worthy of the vaunted Seasons 2 and 3 and others were considered more on the par of the less popular Season 4. As somebody who has loved all seasons more or less equally, I find some of the nitpicking to be silly, but it is impossible not to note in terms of creating a clear picture of public perception. The accounts of life at Dunder-Mifflin always contain humor, both broad and subtle, as well as accurate portrayals of human nature and the occational note of pathos.
Before we get started, one quick note: if you read the previous two DVD reviews, you will be familiar with most of the major plotlines in the history of the show leading into Season 5.
Season 5 was a tad different from years past in terms of having more mini-arcs than in past seasons. Generally, there were not as many important storyline progressions that only lasted part of a season as opposed to a full season. Here are some of the bigger ones:
^ Michael started the season answering directly to company CFO David Wallace before the rollercoaster of dealing with the idiot savant successes and infuriating childishness led the exec to hire a no-nonsense intermediary.
^ Pam spent the first part of the season at the Pratt Institute in New York as she pursued her art dreams. She and Jim had to manage a long-distance relationshp in the aftermath of Jim's failed proposal at the end of Season 4 (when Andy hilariously jumped in with his own proposal to Angela just as Jim was getting the words out of his mouth at Toby's farewell party).
^ Speaking of the Andy-Angela-Dwight triangle that materialized at the end of Season 4, it endured as a secret well into Season 5 before exploding dramatically.
To explain each of these elements further, in order:
^ At the end of Season 4, when Michael's "hated enemy," the hapless and mild-mannered Toby, relocated to Costa Rica, he was replaced by the goofy and attractive Holly. She proved to be Michael's perfect child-like match. Initial awkwardness faded away as each realized the extent of the other's interest (and as Michael lost interest once and for all in crazy ex Jan and her new sperm bank baby) and they were happy together -- until David discovered the relationship and, fearing potential trouble, had Holly transferred to New Hampshire. Unlike Jim and Pam, they couldn't even get a long-distance relationship off the ground and Michael's downward spiral ensued. Coincidentally, Holly was portrayed by Amy Ryan, who was previously on The Wire and Michael's late-season nemesis, Charles Miner, was also portrayed by a Wire alum (Idris Elba). He came into the picture after Michael got on David's last nerve (due to, among other things, failing to stop Dwight from repeatedly endangering the lives of fellow employees in the name of "safety" during The Office Super Bowl Special, Michael's outrageously inappropriate presentations that he delivered on the ill-fated "lecture tour" of other branches that David designed for him and Michael's harebrained "Willy Wonka" sales promotion that could have financially crippled the Scranton branch). Tough guy Charles unexpectedly induced Michael to quit and start up the Michael Scott Paper Company. The short-lived battle between the upstart and established firms was headlined by a struggle between Michael and former (and future) protege Dwight and it put Jim and Pam on separate sides after she quit the D-M reception desk to sell for MSPC. In the end, Jim was the unlikely hero as his actions preserved a merger on MSPC's terms. He was motivated not only by a desire to help Pam, but also to undermine Charles, who had developed an immediate and irrational dislike of him.
^ As for Pam, she started the season in New York literally and in marital limbo figuratively after Andy's hijacked proposal. However, in characteristic fashion, she and Jim endured before reaching a breaking point (think back to Casino Night and Beach Games) and the proposal came in an unlikely but memorable way. Pam had a love-hate relationship with her new harried life and she had a smitten male friend try to convince her to stay in NYC for good. But faced with having to stay longer to retake a class, she chose to go home.
^ The very last scene of Season 4 came when Phyllis walked in on Angela and Dwight in a compromising position -- the very night the office phony got engaged to Andy! This allowed Phyllis to blackmail the moralist into permanently surrendering the Party Planning Committee leadership. More importantly, however, the ongoing affair continued even as Andy unwittingly drew Dwight into the wedding planning! Eventually, however, the truth came out and after a wild duel sequence, the two learned of the depths of Angela's treachery and BOTH dumped her! At the end of the season, however, there were subtle signs (further fleshed out on the DVD) of a potential Dwight-Angela reunion, which would be weird but certainly entirely fitting.
The multiple partial-season arcs helped to keep a disproportionate focus off of Jim and Pam. I correctly forecast at the end of Season 3 that once the obstacles were cleared out of their way that there would be no silly "Ross'n'Rachel" or "Sam'n'Diane" melodrama-for-the-sake-of-melodrama. The writers accomplished this by moving them from the forefront in Season 4. Viewers were still invested in the ongoing story and the occasional (small) bumps in the road have been addressed in realistic fashion. These included:
^ resolution of the engagement issue, which started in late Season 4 when Pam indicated that she would not repeat her mistake with Roy and move in without a ring
^ the occasional feelings of disconnection and dislocation between them during Pam's time away, which were subtly fueled by a gleeful Roy's planting of troubling thoughts in Jim's head
^ the wrapup of Pam's Scranton-or-NYC tug-of-war
^ Pam's favorable reaction to Jim's big gamble of buying his parents' house as a surprise gesture
^ the effects of the discord between Pam's parents -- and how it ultimately delivered a reinforcement about the value of Jim where she least expected it
^ Pam's post-Pratt thoughts about her professional future leading to the abrupt decision to leave D-M, only to return as not a receptionist, but a full-fledged saleswoman - with Jim to thank for instigating what amounted to a company bailout and her securing that position over Jim's old nemesis Ryan
^ the season-ending pregnancy revelation, prefaced by Jim once referring to Pam as "the future mother of my children," Pam's encounter with a pregnant (and forgiving) Karen and Pam's discovery about her parents and the lesson for her future
As is always the case, the surrounding characters proved to be part of the greatest ensemble on television:
^ Ryan returned from his ill-fated executive tenure at corporate and subsequent legal mess to begin again at the bottom of the ladder as a temp -- where he also ended the season. In between, he re-wooed and re-dumped Kelly, took a trip out of town (not to where he said it was!), returned to work at a bowling alley, sold for MSPC and then lost out to Pam for the sales position after the merger. The payback he received in Scranton was delicious in light of his Season 4 power trip.
^ Dwight had a typical Dwight year: tricking Angela into marrying him during their affair behind Andy's back, the duel with Andy, subsequently forming a weird friendship with Andy, bristling under Charles' dress code before transferring his allegiance to him and trying to destroy MSPC, putting down Pam's art aspirations ... this remains one of the most unique characters in TV history.
^ Almost in spite of himself, Kevin won the affections of a fairly attractive woman in a nearby office.
^ Phyllis and Bob Vance (Vance Refrigeration) took their piggy love to new and disturbing heights on Valentine's Day.
^ New receptionist Erin learned to navigate the insanity of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton.
^ Angela weathered the fallout from her exposure in characteristically defiant fashion.
^ Andy was morose for awhile after the breakup with Angela, but he became more upbeat late in the season and showed an interest in new girl Erin.
^ Kelly was, well, Kelly ... with relationship drama with Darryl and then Ryan again, getting revenge on Dwight and Jim for a perceived slight and taking a weight-loss challenge way too far.
^ As is the case every year, what can you really say about Creed?
^ Stanley's heart gave way to the stress of the office before he failed as Charles' "productivity czar" due to crossword puzzles not being a part of that equation.
^ Oscar bonded with Andy in a strange manner during their trip to Canada with Michael.
^ Crazy Jan finally pushed her luck with Michael too far.
^ Meredith had a near-miss with alcohol rehab -- not the first in her life, I'd wager!
The DVD extras also added much to the value of the product, as is always the case. A wealth of deleted scenes add so much depth for the completists in the fanbase -- as well as just delivering more fun. There's also so much else that adds value, such as a great blooper reel, episode commentaries, 100 moments from the first 100 episodes (check out #60, prompting the "Everyone poops" justification from Mose Schrute in a Season 4 deleted scene) and what is always one of the best parts of the annual DVD release: the look behind the curtain. This year, that comes in the form of a Q&A session that Andy Richter conducts with the writers and actors. The creative process for this show is incredible and it's always informative to learn more about how everything comes together with the show. There is also considerable entertainment in these features every year because of the wit of those involved and the off-camera camaraderie that is so appparent.
This truly is, in my opinion, the greatest show that television can boast. As this is being posted, the Season 6 premiere is mere hours away and I can't wait. Let us remind you again that The 21st Century Media Alliance will be liveblogging the season premiere of at 8:30 PM EDT on Googling Atlee Hammaker before we pick up the liveblogging right here on The FDH Lounge with The Office Season 6 premiere immediately afterwards. Soak in the love of a truly Tremendous Week!
Tremendous Week: FJM reunion on Deadspin
By Rick Morris
This week, The 21st Century Media Alliance celebrates Tremendous Week as dak, Junior and Ken Tremendous reunited Fire Joe Morgan for one day yesterday in the form of a takeover of Deadspin. This was done as a means of promoting the "Tremendous" season premiere of Parks and Recreation tonight at 8:30 EDT on NBC. It is worth noting that The Alliance will be covering that in the form of a liveblog on Googling Atlee Hammaker and we will follow that with a liveblog of another "Tremendous" show right here on The FDH Lounge, my favorite of all time, The Office -- which follows immediately afterward on NBC.
The beloved but relatively short-lived FJM blog was voted Blog of the Year by Busted Coverage readers in 2007 and the focus on gleefully and hilariously eviscerating idiotic content all across the sports landscape endeared them to fun-loving people everywhere. And that last sentence actually is a perfect example of something they would mock relentlessly for puffing up the nature of what they did -- and we wouldn't have it any other way! So pull on your Fremulon Insurance hoodie and relive with us the one day where the FJM crew put the band back together again.
Because the headlines themselves were so good, we're not going to do the whole cooler-than-thou deal of embedding the links into text like we did above. You should see the headlines for yourselves in the links and that's how we'll list them below, along with notes about the different topics:
http://deadspin.com/5360355/welcome-letter -- We lead off with an introduction, recap about the site and FAQ in the same tone we've been missing since they signed off last November.
http://deadspin.com/5360379/the-utterance-of-this-word-should-be-punishable-by-death -- Somebody wrote about "scrappy players" and "grinders." Oh my ... do you think they'd have dared resort to such hackery if they knew FJM was coming back even momentarily? Yeah, me neither.
http://deadspin.com/5360398/in-a-time-of-mourning-our-nation-turns-its-eyes-to-jair-jurrjens -- Apparently some writer got the idea that MLB players had some special insight about the passings of Jacko'n'Farrah earlier this summer. The line-by-line disembowelment of their tedious prose -- a style which will never, ever get old and which I miss greatly, have I mentioned that yet? -- proves differently.
http://deadspin.com/5360410/food-metaphor-of-the-year -- Another food metaphor? Really? And parsley? Child please.
http://deadspin.com/5360440/jesus-is-the-derek-jeter-of-christianity -- It figures that Derek Jeter would have one of his greatest seasons at a time when the fellas weren't around to cut through the deification crap -- oh wait, they just did!
http://deadspin.com/5360406/remember-this-guy-is-in-the-hall-of-fame -- If the element of FJM that you missed the most was seeing out-of-touch scribes taken down with ruthless force for their vapid takes, you don't want to miss this one.
http://deadspin.com/5360470/why-your-stadium-sucks-la-scala-opera-house-teatro-alla-scala-milan-italy -- I admit, I like me some Norman Chad, but the last thing you want to do is to take him too seriously on some of his wacky tirades. The FJM guys illustrate exactly why.
http://deadspin.com/5360495/what+if-the-what+if -- Take some naive gibberish, mix in random hypothetical scenarios and add a dash of over-the-top sentimentality and you've got a target-rich environment for FJM.
http://deadspin.com/5360491/the-exception-that-proves-exactly-nothing -- Apparently no team should ever give up in the standings, no matter how dire the circumstances. This one's going to leave a mark, Rick Morrissey.
http://deadspin.com/5360858/adrian-peterwho -- Adrian Peterson and Andre Johnson aren't superstars yet but will graduate to that level this season? Wow. Knowing how the FJMs tear apart folks for examples of far less stupidity, could there possibly be a better inducement to read this blog entry?
http://deadspin.com/5360509/expository-writing -- Goofy, non-scientific reasons to award Jeter the MVP -- and the shredding of said silliness.
http://deadspin.com/5360516/the-relatively-short-goodbye-part-ii -- They managed to get in a shameless plug for tonight's Parks and Recreation season premiere. A tad unseemly, don't you think? By the way, be sure to check out further 21st Century Media Alliance coverage of Tremendous Week with a liveblog covering Parks and Recreation on Googling Atlee Hammaker and we will follow that with a liveblog right here on The FDH Lounge of The Office -- which follows immediately afterward on NBC.
This week, The 21st Century Media Alliance celebrates Tremendous Week as dak, Junior and Ken Tremendous reunited Fire Joe Morgan for one day yesterday in the form of a takeover of Deadspin. This was done as a means of promoting the "Tremendous" season premiere of Parks and Recreation tonight at 8:30 EDT on NBC. It is worth noting that The Alliance will be covering that in the form of a liveblog on Googling Atlee Hammaker and we will follow that with a liveblog of another "Tremendous" show right here on The FDH Lounge, my favorite of all time, The Office -- which follows immediately afterward on NBC.
The beloved but relatively short-lived FJM blog was voted Blog of the Year by Busted Coverage readers in 2007 and the focus on gleefully and hilariously eviscerating idiotic content all across the sports landscape endeared them to fun-loving people everywhere. And that last sentence actually is a perfect example of something they would mock relentlessly for puffing up the nature of what they did -- and we wouldn't have it any other way! So pull on your Fremulon Insurance hoodie and relive with us the one day where the FJM crew put the band back together again.
Because the headlines themselves were so good, we're not going to do the whole cooler-than-thou deal of embedding the links into text like we did above. You should see the headlines for yourselves in the links and that's how we'll list them below, along with notes about the different topics:
http://deadspin.com/5360355/welcome-letter -- We lead off with an introduction, recap about the site and FAQ in the same tone we've been missing since they signed off last November.
http://deadspin.com/5360379/the-utterance-of-this-word-should-be-punishable-by-death -- Somebody wrote about "scrappy players" and "grinders." Oh my ... do you think they'd have dared resort to such hackery if they knew FJM was coming back even momentarily? Yeah, me neither.
http://deadspin.com/5360398/in-a-time-of-mourning-our-nation-turns-its-eyes-to-jair-jurrjens -- Apparently some writer got the idea that MLB players had some special insight about the passings of Jacko'n'Farrah earlier this summer. The line-by-line disembowelment of their tedious prose -- a style which will never, ever get old and which I miss greatly, have I mentioned that yet? -- proves differently.
http://deadspin.com/5360410/food-metaphor-of-the-year -- Another food metaphor? Really? And parsley? Child please.
http://deadspin.com/5360440/jesus-is-the-derek-jeter-of-christianity -- It figures that Derek Jeter would have one of his greatest seasons at a time when the fellas weren't around to cut through the deification crap -- oh wait, they just did!
http://deadspin.com/5360406/remember-this-guy-is-in-the-hall-of-fame -- If the element of FJM that you missed the most was seeing out-of-touch scribes taken down with ruthless force for their vapid takes, you don't want to miss this one.
http://deadspin.com/5360470/why-your-stadium-sucks-la-scala-opera-house-teatro-alla-scala-milan-italy -- I admit, I like me some Norman Chad, but the last thing you want to do is to take him too seriously on some of his wacky tirades. The FJM guys illustrate exactly why.
http://deadspin.com/5360495/what+if-the-what+if -- Take some naive gibberish, mix in random hypothetical scenarios and add a dash of over-the-top sentimentality and you've got a target-rich environment for FJM.
http://deadspin.com/5360491/the-exception-that-proves-exactly-nothing -- Apparently no team should ever give up in the standings, no matter how dire the circumstances. This one's going to leave a mark, Rick Morrissey.
http://deadspin.com/5360858/adrian-peterwho -- Adrian Peterson and Andre Johnson aren't superstars yet but will graduate to that level this season? Wow. Knowing how the FJMs tear apart folks for examples of far less stupidity, could there possibly be a better inducement to read this blog entry?
http://deadspin.com/5360509/expository-writing -- Goofy, non-scientific reasons to award Jeter the MVP -- and the shredding of said silliness.
http://deadspin.com/5360516/the-relatively-short-goodbye-part-ii -- They managed to get in a shameless plug for tonight's Parks and Recreation season premiere. A tad unseemly, don't you think? By the way, be sure to check out further 21st Century Media Alliance coverage of Tremendous Week with a liveblog covering Parks and Recreation on Googling Atlee Hammaker and we will follow that with a liveblog right here on The FDH Lounge of The Office -- which follows immediately afterward on NBC.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #73: September 16, 2009
By Rick Morris
The 73rd edition of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 6-9 PM EDT) is coming in the form of our New Media Showcase Event.
Hour One, per the new format, is dedicated to THE GOON SQUAD and THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER, respectively, in the two halves. On GOON, we review our annual FDH fantasy hockey mock draft, preview this Friday's release of FANTASY HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY 2009 and take a look ahead at the NHL Western Conference in 2009-10. Our fantasy show-within-a-show focuses on NFL Week 2 and takes a look at our FDH Lounge Dignitaries NFL Pick Contest.
Then, in Hour Two, the showcase begins with the various members of The 21st Century Media Alliance ...
First up is Lloyd Carroll, sports writer for Queens Chronicle and Good Times Magazine, the one solo member of the alliance. He will catch us up on various aspects of the New York sports scene and also another beat that he covers, the New York entertainment scene. Paul Belfi, President of SportsTalkNetwork.com, SportsTalkCleveland.com and Radio 5678, discusses important developments in internet broadcasting and these ventures in particular. Also in Hour One, we won't be hearing necessarily from all of these gentlemen, but we may talk to a few of them and we will at least be discussing briefly their organizations:
^ Bob Glassman, founding father of the LeBronmeter
^ Scott Pullins of The Pullins Report
^ Ken Becks of 1st Down Scouting
^ Steve Kallas, writer/editor of Sports Plus
^ Ben Chew, proprietor of Outside the Boxscore
^ Tim Dustin, creator/editor/writer of Great Sports Name Hall of Fame
We'll also take a few minutes, humbly, to discuss developments with FantasyDrafthelp.com and The FDH Lounge!
Then, in Hour Three, we unveil our two centerpiece guests for the night.
First up (in a bio that he wrote!), we step outside of The 21st Century Media Alliance to talk with somebody who created one of the world's most influential websites and who is taking an interest in New Media in a big way. Craig Newmark is the founder of craigslist.org, a site where people can help each other with everyday needs including housing and jobs. He's also working with a wide range of groups using the Net to help each other out, like Donorschoose.org, the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, Kiva.org and LendforPeace.org (microfinance), and Consumer Reports. Craig is also actively engaged with government workers on multiple levels to use the Net for superior public service, and with Sunlight Foundation for government accountability and transparency. He's not as funny as he thinks he is, but sometimes can't help himself. Follow Craig on his blog at cnewmark.com, or twitter.com/craignewmark, and facebook.com/craignewmark.
What a rush that's going to be! But we don't slow down from there; we then go to the member of our alliance who has the big project on the way. On September 28, 100 RANGER GREATS hits the stores. We speak with our good buddy Russ Cohen, RANGER GREATS co-author and writer/editor for Sportsology and Card Corner Club, about this amazing book that is due to be released shortly and the other work going on through these websites.
Our wrapup for the night will be very interesting as we speak with Platinum Smalls, proprietor of Googling Atlee Hammaker and Culture Popped. He will be liveblogging our program tonight on GAH via the Cover it Live software, conveying to his readership the experience of tonight's program. He will be on to talk about tonight's experience, as well as everything with his sites and the alliance's coverage of Ken Tremendous Week in the form of the Fire Joe Morgan reunion analysis and our sites' liveblogging of tomorrow night's season premiers of PARKS AND RECREATION and THE OFFICE.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
The 73rd edition of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 6-9 PM EDT) is coming in the form of our New Media Showcase Event.
Hour One, per the new format, is dedicated to THE GOON SQUAD and THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER, respectively, in the two halves. On GOON, we review our annual FDH fantasy hockey mock draft, preview this Friday's release of FANTASY HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY 2009 and take a look ahead at the NHL Western Conference in 2009-10. Our fantasy show-within-a-show focuses on NFL Week 2 and takes a look at our FDH Lounge Dignitaries NFL Pick Contest.
Then, in Hour Two, the showcase begins with the various members of The 21st Century Media Alliance ...
First up is Lloyd Carroll, sports writer for Queens Chronicle and Good Times Magazine, the one solo member of the alliance. He will catch us up on various aspects of the New York sports scene and also another beat that he covers, the New York entertainment scene. Paul Belfi, President of SportsTalkNetwork.com, SportsTalkCleveland.com and Radio 5678, discusses important developments in internet broadcasting and these ventures in particular. Also in Hour One, we won't be hearing necessarily from all of these gentlemen, but we may talk to a few of them and we will at least be discussing briefly their organizations:
^ Bob Glassman, founding father of the LeBronmeter
^ Scott Pullins of The Pullins Report
^ Ken Becks of 1st Down Scouting
^ Steve Kallas, writer/editor of Sports Plus
^ Ben Chew, proprietor of Outside the Boxscore
^ Tim Dustin, creator/editor/writer of Great Sports Name Hall of Fame
We'll also take a few minutes, humbly, to discuss developments with FantasyDrafthelp.com and The FDH Lounge!
Then, in Hour Three, we unveil our two centerpiece guests for the night.
First up (in a bio that he wrote!), we step outside of The 21st Century Media Alliance to talk with somebody who created one of the world's most influential websites and who is taking an interest in New Media in a big way. Craig Newmark is the founder of craigslist.org, a site where people can help each other with everyday needs including housing and jobs. He's also working with a wide range of groups using the Net to help each other out, like Donorschoose.org, the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, Kiva.org and LendforPeace.org (microfinance), and Consumer Reports. Craig is also actively engaged with government workers on multiple levels to use the Net for superior public service, and with Sunlight Foundation for government accountability and transparency. He's not as funny as he thinks he is, but sometimes can't help himself. Follow Craig on his blog at cnewmark.com, or twitter.com/craignewmark, and facebook.com/craignewmark.
What a rush that's going to be! But we don't slow down from there; we then go to the member of our alliance who has the big project on the way. On September 28, 100 RANGER GREATS hits the stores. We speak with our good buddy Russ Cohen, RANGER GREATS co-author and writer/editor for Sportsology and Card Corner Club, about this amazing book that is due to be released shortly and the other work going on through these websites.
Our wrapup for the night will be very interesting as we speak with Platinum Smalls, proprietor of Googling Atlee Hammaker and Culture Popped. He will be liveblogging our program tonight on GAH via the Cover it Live software, conveying to his readership the experience of tonight's program. He will be on to talk about tonight's experience, as well as everything with his sites and the alliance's coverage of Ken Tremendous Week in the form of the Fire Joe Morgan reunion analysis and our sites' liveblogging of tomorrow night's season premiers of PARKS AND RECREATION and THE OFFICE.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
The Downfall of Awards Shows & Late-Night TV
By Tony Mazur
Remember the days when you sat through an awards show to see who was performing? Remember the days when you would turn on The Tonight Show to see what guests Johnny Carson will be interviewing?
I do (except in my case I watched Letterman). And it wasn't too long ago when those programs were still entertaining. But somewhere along the line they became bland and uninteresting. They have become elements of the past, along with variety shows and prime-time game shows from the 1970s. Where's Gene Rayburn when you need him?
Kanye West's outburst during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards shouldn't have been shocking. Yeah, I felt bad for Taylor, regardless if Kanye's inebriated appearance was staged or not. But after Beavis & Butt-head, Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up", and the hundreds of reality shows, nothing should be shocking to the MTV audience. I believe this incident was drummed up by the media to actually get people interested in the VMA's again (if they ever were in the first place). The last time I tuned into that rubbish was in 2002, when the censors bleeped out any use of the word "gun", including when Guns N' Roses hit the stage.
On Monday, I sat through The Jay Leno Show. I like Leno, but his show was like watching The Tonight Show, only at an earlier timeslot. There was nothing earth-shattering about it. I enjoyed "Headlines", but again, this was a Tonight Show bit. And I have not watched Conan O'Brien's version of The Tonight Show, mainly because I don't care.
Honestly, when was the last time your water cooler talk revolved around a cable TV awards show? When was the last time you guffawed about something David Letterman said on his stale CBS program?
The only reason why Leno, Letterman, O'Brien, Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel (he still has a show, right?), and Craig Ferguson still have jobs is because they are more cost-efficient than a scripted and produced TV drama or sitcom. If so many people were sick of reality shows, then why are they still on TV? Because they are cheap to produce.
The medium of appearing at awards shows and late-night talk shows is dying. Nobody cares anymore. If Kanye didn't open his cakehole, not one person would have muttered a word about it on Monday morning.
Maybe TMZ has had something to do with it. TV viewers once had a couple of opportunities to catch their favorite actor or musician; the Oscars/Emmys/Grammys, and if they were interviewed by Carson. Now that TMZ is ever so popular, we can get daily updates on how old Chevy Chase looks like, rather than wait for him to go on Letterman to promote yet another failed attempt at a show.
And by the way, it is sad that I get more accurate reporting of breaking news than legitimate news outlets. TMZ reported the death of Michael Jackson LONG before the rest of the mainstream media considered it safe to run.
While Leno's show can still be funny, I think we will be seeing the death of the late-night talk show in the coming years. Each host has gotten away with copying Carson's format for too long. It is time for TV executives to find original and creative programming to fill the gaping holes in their programming.
The same goes for the awards shows. Change the format and keep it interesting. As the years go by, each show is even more forgettable than the last.
But by all means keep your silly programs. I'll just watch infomercials of Vince Offer pitching ShamWows! and hooker repellent.
Remember the days when you sat through an awards show to see who was performing? Remember the days when you would turn on The Tonight Show to see what guests Johnny Carson will be interviewing?
I do (except in my case I watched Letterman). And it wasn't too long ago when those programs were still entertaining. But somewhere along the line they became bland and uninteresting. They have become elements of the past, along with variety shows and prime-time game shows from the 1970s. Where's Gene Rayburn when you need him?
Kanye West's outburst during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards shouldn't have been shocking. Yeah, I felt bad for Taylor, regardless if Kanye's inebriated appearance was staged or not. But after Beavis & Butt-head, Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up", and the hundreds of reality shows, nothing should be shocking to the MTV audience. I believe this incident was drummed up by the media to actually get people interested in the VMA's again (if they ever were in the first place). The last time I tuned into that rubbish was in 2002, when the censors bleeped out any use of the word "gun", including when Guns N' Roses hit the stage.
On Monday, I sat through The Jay Leno Show. I like Leno, but his show was like watching The Tonight Show, only at an earlier timeslot. There was nothing earth-shattering about it. I enjoyed "Headlines", but again, this was a Tonight Show bit. And I have not watched Conan O'Brien's version of The Tonight Show, mainly because I don't care.
Honestly, when was the last time your water cooler talk revolved around a cable TV awards show? When was the last time you guffawed about something David Letterman said on his stale CBS program?
The only reason why Leno, Letterman, O'Brien, Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel (he still has a show, right?), and Craig Ferguson still have jobs is because they are more cost-efficient than a scripted and produced TV drama or sitcom. If so many people were sick of reality shows, then why are they still on TV? Because they are cheap to produce.
The medium of appearing at awards shows and late-night talk shows is dying. Nobody cares anymore. If Kanye didn't open his cakehole, not one person would have muttered a word about it on Monday morning.
Maybe TMZ has had something to do with it. TV viewers once had a couple of opportunities to catch their favorite actor or musician; the Oscars/Emmys/Grammys, and if they were interviewed by Carson. Now that TMZ is ever so popular, we can get daily updates on how old Chevy Chase looks like, rather than wait for him to go on Letterman to promote yet another failed attempt at a show.
And by the way, it is sad that I get more accurate reporting of breaking news than legitimate news outlets. TMZ reported the death of Michael Jackson LONG before the rest of the mainstream media considered it safe to run.
While Leno's show can still be funny, I think we will be seeing the death of the late-night talk show in the coming years. Each host has gotten away with copying Carson's format for too long. It is time for TV executives to find original and creative programming to fill the gaping holes in their programming.
The same goes for the awards shows. Change the format and keep it interesting. As the years go by, each show is even more forgettable than the last.
But by all means keep your silly programs. I'll just watch infomercials of Vince Offer pitching ShamWows! and hooker repellent.
Monday, September 14, 2009
OSU/USC Game of the Year Recap
By Rick Morris
I covered the OSU/USC game from the stands this weekend as part of a media project providing live, real-time analysis. My texts paint a picture of the game as it transpired, quarter-by-quarter. Due to a malfunction on that site, only the texts from the first half were posted then. Here's the complete list from that night:
PREGAME AND FIRST QUARTER
^ Band coming out, place is electric.
^ Place is electric before kickoff, incomparable atmosphere.
^ Horrible int, no in-stadium replay to see.
^ Trojans off-balance with run and pass established. Most critical drive in 3 years.
^ Bad throws, but USC trusts Barkley.
^ Crowd had the wall of noise going on 3rd and long.
^ Weather is so perfect.
^ Barkley is gonna get the nose at the closed end next drive.
SECOND QUARTER
^ Carroll trusted Barkley too much!
^ Crowd would be louder with the college kids.
^ Barkley's completions hurt. You have to load up against the run.
^ Trojans are loose, dancing as crowd sings 7 Nation Army instrumentals.
^ Kicker missed with wind at his back.
^ Big run changed everything, allowing Trojans to go into 2-minute offense at midfield.
^ If Trojans win, big late run was turning point.
THIRD QUARTER
^ USC should stay with hurry-up.
^ So weird the extent to which this is a field position battle.
^ I wouldn't want to be the long snapper on the flight home!
^ Settling for FG big blow to OSU. Where's the freaking screens?
^ USC's run game has been so much better.
FOURTH QUARTER
^ The noise really disrupted the SC offense.
^ Tressel's been running out the clock all quarter.
^ Joe McKnight is the truth. This drive is unfolding as if in slow motion.
^ Pryor ends the night on a fitting note. Completely outshined.
To amplify the observations I was making at the time:
^ Barkley is the real deal at QB. He was unrattled the whole night and was put in position to make plays the whole time. If anything, Carroll seemed to trust him more than Tressel trusted Pryor. While McKnight was the MVP, a true freshman impervious to the pressure was a necessary component for the victory. Meanwhile, it's amazing that Ohio State came as close as they did with such a dud of a performance by Pryor. Granted, the play-calling didn't help, with RB Saine being used only begrudgingly and screen passes still AWOL from the playbook.
^ Jim Tressel looked to be content with trying for a 15-10 win in the fourth quarter and it came back to bite him. Granted, it is a transition year offensively for the Buckeyes with the turnover that they have had, but they still don't go into attack mode often enough. Conversely, while Carroll did the better job on the Xs and Os, he too was off a bit on the play-calling coming out of halftime. After marching straight down the field at the end of the first half, USC should have stayed in the hurry-up until OSU proved they could stop it. Had Southern Cal come up short, it would have been interesting to see how many pundits grasped this missed opportunity.
^ All in all, the low score was reflective of the fact that both starting QBs combined for less than a full year of college experience, very unusual for a game between teams that are national powers year in and year out. Both had their moments (Pryor's being fairly few and far between), but the inexperience contributed to at least a tinge of overall sloppiness.
^ Ohio State will have their hands full in Cleveland this weekend with a high-powered Toledo squad. Just ask Rich Rodriguez how tough they can be! Meanwhile, USC probably has to continue to improve just to win out, which might have been surprising a week or two ago -- and if they enter the BCS voting with the same record as the Big 12 and SEC champions, they'll be on the outside looking in just like last year.
I covered the OSU/USC game from the stands this weekend as part of a media project providing live, real-time analysis. My texts paint a picture of the game as it transpired, quarter-by-quarter. Due to a malfunction on that site, only the texts from the first half were posted then. Here's the complete list from that night:
PREGAME AND FIRST QUARTER
^ Band coming out, place is electric.
^ Place is electric before kickoff, incomparable atmosphere.
^ Horrible int, no in-stadium replay to see.
^ Trojans off-balance with run and pass established. Most critical drive in 3 years.
^ Bad throws, but USC trusts Barkley.
^ Crowd had the wall of noise going on 3rd and long.
^ Weather is so perfect.
^ Barkley is gonna get the nose at the closed end next drive.
SECOND QUARTER
^ Carroll trusted Barkley too much!
^ Crowd would be louder with the college kids.
^ Barkley's completions hurt. You have to load up against the run.
^ Trojans are loose, dancing as crowd sings 7 Nation Army instrumentals.
^ Kicker missed with wind at his back.
^ Big run changed everything, allowing Trojans to go into 2-minute offense at midfield.
^ If Trojans win, big late run was turning point.
THIRD QUARTER
^ USC should stay with hurry-up.
^ So weird the extent to which this is a field position battle.
^ I wouldn't want to be the long snapper on the flight home!
^ Settling for FG big blow to OSU. Where's the freaking screens?
^ USC's run game has been so much better.
FOURTH QUARTER
^ The noise really disrupted the SC offense.
^ Tressel's been running out the clock all quarter.
^ Joe McKnight is the truth. This drive is unfolding as if in slow motion.
^ Pryor ends the night on a fitting note. Completely outshined.
To amplify the observations I was making at the time:
^ Barkley is the real deal at QB. He was unrattled the whole night and was put in position to make plays the whole time. If anything, Carroll seemed to trust him more than Tressel trusted Pryor. While McKnight was the MVP, a true freshman impervious to the pressure was a necessary component for the victory. Meanwhile, it's amazing that Ohio State came as close as they did with such a dud of a performance by Pryor. Granted, the play-calling didn't help, with RB Saine being used only begrudgingly and screen passes still AWOL from the playbook.
^ Jim Tressel looked to be content with trying for a 15-10 win in the fourth quarter and it came back to bite him. Granted, it is a transition year offensively for the Buckeyes with the turnover that they have had, but they still don't go into attack mode often enough. Conversely, while Carroll did the better job on the Xs and Os, he too was off a bit on the play-calling coming out of halftime. After marching straight down the field at the end of the first half, USC should have stayed in the hurry-up until OSU proved they could stop it. Had Southern Cal come up short, it would have been interesting to see how many pundits grasped this missed opportunity.
^ All in all, the low score was reflective of the fact that both starting QBs combined for less than a full year of college experience, very unusual for a game between teams that are national powers year in and year out. Both had their moments (Pryor's being fairly few and far between), but the inexperience contributed to at least a tinge of overall sloppiness.
^ Ohio State will have their hands full in Cleveland this weekend with a high-powered Toledo squad. Just ask Rich Rodriguez how tough they can be! Meanwhile, USC probably has to continue to improve just to win out, which might have been surprising a week or two ago -- and if they enter the BCS voting with the same record as the Big 12 and SEC champions, they'll be on the outside looking in just like last year.
A year ago today the world imploded
By Rick Morris
This crappy decade got the only bookend that it seemingly could have one year ago today. With 9/11 having defined "the oughts" at the outset, the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing completion of the global financial crisis that was in progress came seven years and three days to that horrible moment in September.
Who caused the crisis? You name it ... greedy aholes in the mortgage business pushing "Ninja loans" on unsuspecting marks, the marks themselves, financial "wizards" who invented off-the-books forms of derivatives that lit a time bomb, politicians who had no clue about what was going on ... the list is endless.
To this day, we believe that our financial crisis FAQ provides the best, most easily understood guide to how we came to be in this mess.
We continue to believe that the TARP bailout was a necessary evil given the abyss that faced us all last fall. But that is a position that we never should have been in in the first place. Our politicians and financial regulators should take this occasion to vow that, no matter what, we will never again be in a position where the government will have to step in and assume so many unconstitutional duties. That way lies fascism.
This crappy decade got the only bookend that it seemingly could have one year ago today. With 9/11 having defined "the oughts" at the outset, the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing completion of the global financial crisis that was in progress came seven years and three days to that horrible moment in September.
Who caused the crisis? You name it ... greedy aholes in the mortgage business pushing "Ninja loans" on unsuspecting marks, the marks themselves, financial "wizards" who invented off-the-books forms of derivatives that lit a time bomb, politicians who had no clue about what was going on ... the list is endless.
To this day, we believe that our financial crisis FAQ provides the best, most easily understood guide to how we came to be in this mess.
We continue to believe that the TARP bailout was a necessary evil given the abyss that faced us all last fall. But that is a position that we never should have been in in the first place. Our politicians and financial regulators should take this occasion to vow that, no matter what, we will never again be in a position where the government will have to step in and assume so many unconstitutional duties. That way lies fascism.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
OSU/USC Game of the Year Preview
By Rick Morris
I will preface this column by directing everyone to the site of tonight’s most unique and all-around coverage of the big game: no, not the “ESPN family of networks.” I speak instead of a fellow member of The 21st Century Media Alliance, Googling Atlee Hammaker. This is truly a cooperative effort among Alliance members as The Scout Ken Becks of 1st Down Scouting will be the man coordinating all of the reports while delivering the best Xs and Os breakdowns you will find anywhere. With GAH proprietor Platinum Smalls reporting from an OSU street party in CBus, another correspondent at a USC street party in LA, perspectives from the press box, sidelines – and from yours truly in the South Stands of the Horseshoe – among other vantage points, this collective liveblog helps augment big-game viewing like nothing else that has ever been produced. If you’ve got your laptop with Net connection in front of the tube or your smart phone with you, you owe it to yourself to check in with our surround coverage.
This is easily the intersectional game of the year, a must-win for two teams hoping to remain in the national championship chase. While much has been made, deservedly so, of how the Buckeyes must prevail here to salvage their big-game reputation after the crushing losses to Sun Belt powers in recent years, it’s also worth mentioning that USC isn’t likely to rack up enough big wins the rest of the way to put themselves back into the national championship picture with a loss in Columbus tonight. Frankly, playing in the Big 10 and the Pac 10 leaves little room for error when you consider the meat-grinder schedules that the SEC and Big 12 champions must necessarily navigate (including title games, which neither the Big 10 nor Pac 10 plays).
Both teams suffered some offseason turnover, but return with areas of strength as well – hence their national rankings, although those probably also have something to do with the fact that the NCAA has seen a lot of parity down past the “super tier” over the last several seasons. USC has one of the greatest depth charts in the history of college football at running back, although few on that list are ever likely to earn much acclaim individually at this level because they are all used interchangeably. This takes some pressure off of true freshman QB Matt Barkley, who will face the greatest challenge yet to his unflappable nature when he faces 100,000 crazies on the banks of the Olentangy after dark. He is also blessed with an offensive line that has a rare blend of size and athleticism.
OSU QB Terrelle Pryor cannot say the same. The most disturbing element of Ohio State’s near-miss against Navy last week was the fact that the retooled offensive line failed all day to establish any kind of push despite outweighing the Midshipmen front line by an average of 45 pounds per man. If you extrapolate that against facing the Trojans … well, good night now!
Frankly, Pryor has to be the best player on the field, maybe by a decent amount, for the Buckeyes to win. USC has the advantage at several positions, not least of which because of their athleticism across the board. What keeps this game from being a foregone conclusion is that Pryor does have that capability. He’ll have to freeze the Southern Cal front seven by pulling down the ball and running, something that Troy Smith made work for the Bucks in the past and something that USC has had some trouble with in recent years from mobile QBs. He can’t expect a lot of help from his backfield mates; Dan Herron looked like Maurice Wells sans dreadlocks last week and for whatever reason, the coaching staff never wants to unleash the explosive Brandon Saine. Whether or not this ties in to Jim Tressel's general tightness in the aforementioned recent huge games is not generally known.
Seeing a game of this magnitude quarterbacked by two players with less than a full season of experience between them is quite unusual indeed. What will be required from the two of them is quite different. Barkley must merely survive, counting on his O line to hold off the strength of the Ohio State team, their defensive line. He just has to avoid mistakes. Pryor, the prototypical multidimensional quarterback, must call upon all of his capabilities to gel with a young receiving corps and make several big, career-defining plays.
The question we always pose at FDH is: what is the likeliest outcome? Read back the previous paragraph and you will see that it answers itself. While the big clash is likely to come down to the last few minutes, the winner has to be assumed from the aforementioned matchups and the trajectory of both programs in such monster games in recent years. The lack of success everyone points to with Ohio State in recent years came in the '06 and '07 national championship games, the '09 Fiesta Bowl and the '08 USC game -- none of which were at home. So the Buckeyes can cling to the notion that they are playing one of these games in Columbus for the first time in this era. For that reason alone, it is likely to be relatively close. USC 24, OSU 16.
I will preface this column by directing everyone to the site of tonight’s most unique and all-around coverage of the big game: no, not the “ESPN family of networks.” I speak instead of a fellow member of The 21st Century Media Alliance, Googling Atlee Hammaker. This is truly a cooperative effort among Alliance members as The Scout Ken Becks of 1st Down Scouting will be the man coordinating all of the reports while delivering the best Xs and Os breakdowns you will find anywhere. With GAH proprietor Platinum Smalls reporting from an OSU street party in CBus, another correspondent at a USC street party in LA, perspectives from the press box, sidelines – and from yours truly in the South Stands of the Horseshoe – among other vantage points, this collective liveblog helps augment big-game viewing like nothing else that has ever been produced. If you’ve got your laptop with Net connection in front of the tube or your smart phone with you, you owe it to yourself to check in with our surround coverage.
This is easily the intersectional game of the year, a must-win for two teams hoping to remain in the national championship chase. While much has been made, deservedly so, of how the Buckeyes must prevail here to salvage their big-game reputation after the crushing losses to Sun Belt powers in recent years, it’s also worth mentioning that USC isn’t likely to rack up enough big wins the rest of the way to put themselves back into the national championship picture with a loss in Columbus tonight. Frankly, playing in the Big 10 and the Pac 10 leaves little room for error when you consider the meat-grinder schedules that the SEC and Big 12 champions must necessarily navigate (including title games, which neither the Big 10 nor Pac 10 plays).
Both teams suffered some offseason turnover, but return with areas of strength as well – hence their national rankings, although those probably also have something to do with the fact that the NCAA has seen a lot of parity down past the “super tier” over the last several seasons. USC has one of the greatest depth charts in the history of college football at running back, although few on that list are ever likely to earn much acclaim individually at this level because they are all used interchangeably. This takes some pressure off of true freshman QB Matt Barkley, who will face the greatest challenge yet to his unflappable nature when he faces 100,000 crazies on the banks of the Olentangy after dark. He is also blessed with an offensive line that has a rare blend of size and athleticism.
OSU QB Terrelle Pryor cannot say the same. The most disturbing element of Ohio State’s near-miss against Navy last week was the fact that the retooled offensive line failed all day to establish any kind of push despite outweighing the Midshipmen front line by an average of 45 pounds per man. If you extrapolate that against facing the Trojans … well, good night now!
Frankly, Pryor has to be the best player on the field, maybe by a decent amount, for the Buckeyes to win. USC has the advantage at several positions, not least of which because of their athleticism across the board. What keeps this game from being a foregone conclusion is that Pryor does have that capability. He’ll have to freeze the Southern Cal front seven by pulling down the ball and running, something that Troy Smith made work for the Bucks in the past and something that USC has had some trouble with in recent years from mobile QBs. He can’t expect a lot of help from his backfield mates; Dan Herron looked like Maurice Wells sans dreadlocks last week and for whatever reason, the coaching staff never wants to unleash the explosive Brandon Saine. Whether or not this ties in to Jim Tressel's general tightness in the aforementioned recent huge games is not generally known.
Seeing a game of this magnitude quarterbacked by two players with less than a full season of experience between them is quite unusual indeed. What will be required from the two of them is quite different. Barkley must merely survive, counting on his O line to hold off the strength of the Ohio State team, their defensive line. He just has to avoid mistakes. Pryor, the prototypical multidimensional quarterback, must call upon all of his capabilities to gel with a young receiving corps and make several big, career-defining plays.
The question we always pose at FDH is: what is the likeliest outcome? Read back the previous paragraph and you will see that it answers itself. While the big clash is likely to come down to the last few minutes, the winner has to be assumed from the aforementioned matchups and the trajectory of both programs in such monster games in recent years. The lack of success everyone points to with Ohio State in recent years came in the '06 and '07 national championship games, the '09 Fiesta Bowl and the '08 USC game -- none of which were at home. So the Buckeyes can cling to the notion that they are playing one of these games in Columbus for the first time in this era. For that reason alone, it is likely to be relatively close. USC 24, OSU 16.
NCAA football picks Week Two
By Rick Morris
Last week: 3-7 (gasp!)
This week:
Iowa -6 over Iowa State
Georgia -7 over South Carolina
Notre Dame -3 over Michigan
USC -7 over Ohio State
Ohio -2 ½ over North Texas
Last week: 3-7 (gasp!)
This week:
Iowa -6 over Iowa State
Georgia -7 over South Carolina
Notre Dame -3 over Michigan
USC -7 over Ohio State
Ohio -2 ½ over North Texas
FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XXXVI
By Rick Morris
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11 amnesia
By Rick Morris
NOTE: We post September 11 coverage every year to properly remember the horror visited on our country on that day. From 2007, here is a reprise of my 2007 column on the subject.
While there are other subjects certainly worthy of comment on The FDH Lounge right now, it would be unseemly not to save them for another day. It is September 11, the day which so many of us vowed we would not forget in the awful autumn of 2001, but which too many of us certainly have. And while there are legitimate doubts as to whether this country has consistently acted in its own best interests since then (and I have said that I firmly believe we have not), nobody thinking with a clear head can pretend that we are not engaged in a brutal struggle worldwide with the jihadists who want to replicate 9/11 on a grander scale on our soil -- and nobody thinking with a clear head can pretend that a humiliating end in Iraq will be George Bush's failure alone and not something that all of us will be haunted for for generations. It's one matter to want to hold people accountable for our mistakes -- it's another altogether to pretend like so many pinko blogs that our successes and our failures as a people are not something that we ALL own.
So today, it 0nly seems fitting to post the lyrics from Daryl Worley's song "Have You Forgotten?" -- because the majority of us are back trying to live in a September 10 world.
I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this my friend
CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right
CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still insideGoing through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet they remember
Just what they're fighting for
CHORUS 2
Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry about Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
NOTE: We post September 11 coverage every year to properly remember the horror visited on our country on that day. From 2007, here is a reprise of my 2007 column on the subject.
While there are other subjects certainly worthy of comment on The FDH Lounge right now, it would be unseemly not to save them for another day. It is September 11, the day which so many of us vowed we would not forget in the awful autumn of 2001, but which too many of us certainly have. And while there are legitimate doubts as to whether this country has consistently acted in its own best interests since then (and I have said that I firmly believe we have not), nobody thinking with a clear head can pretend that we are not engaged in a brutal struggle worldwide with the jihadists who want to replicate 9/11 on a grander scale on our soil -- and nobody thinking with a clear head can pretend that a humiliating end in Iraq will be George Bush's failure alone and not something that all of us will be haunted for for generations. It's one matter to want to hold people accountable for our mistakes -- it's another altogether to pretend like so many pinko blogs that our successes and our failures as a people are not something that we ALL own.
So today, it 0nly seems fitting to post the lyrics from Daryl Worley's song "Have You Forgotten?" -- because the majority of us are back trying to live in a September 10 world.
I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this my friend
CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right
CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still insideGoing through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet they remember
Just what they're fighting for
CHORUS 2
Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry about Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
2009 NFL predictions
By Rick Morris
AFC EAST
X-New England 12-4
Y-New York Jets 9-7
Miami 8-8
Buffalo 7-9
AFC NORTH
X-Pittsburgh 10-6
Baltimore 9-7
Cincinnati 6-10
Cleveland 6-10
AFC SOUTH
X-Indianapolis 11-5
Y-Houston 9-7
Tennessee 9-7
Jacksonville 7-9
AFC WEST
X-San Diego 10-6
Denver 6-10
Kansas City 5-11
Oakland 4-12
NFC EAST
X-New York Giants 12-4
Y-Philadelphia 11-5
Dallas 9-7
Washington 7-9
NFC NORTH
X-Green Bay 10-6
Y-Minnesota 9-7
Chicago 8-8
Detroit 5-11
NFC SOUTH
X-New Orleans 9-7
Atlanta 8-8
Carolina 8-8
Tampa Bay 4-12
NFC WEST
X-Arizona 10-6
San Francisco 6-10
Seattle 6-10
St. Louis 6-10
Wild Card Round
Pittsburgh over Houston
Philadelphia over Green Bay
New Orleans over Minnesota
San Diego over New York Jets
Divisional Round
New England over San Diego
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis
New York Giants over Philadelphia
New Orleans over Arizona
Championship Sunday
New England over Pittsburgh
New York Giants over New Orleans
Super Bowl
New England over New York Giants
Super Bowl MVP
Tom Brady
NFL MVP
Aaron Rodgers
Coach of the Year
Rex Ryan
NFL Power Rankings as of Week One
TOP TIER
1 New England
2 New York Giants
3 Pittsburgh
4 Philadelphia
5 San Diego
6 Arizona
7 Indianapolis
8 Baltimore
9 Tennessee
10 Dallas
SECOND TIER
11 Green Bay
12 Minnesota
13 New York Jets
14 Houston
15 New Orleans
16 Atlanta
17 Miami
18 Carolina
19 Chicago
20 Washington
THIRD TIER
21 Buffalo
22 Jacksonville
23 Denver
FOURTH TIER
24 Seattle
25 San Francisco
26 St. Louis
27 Cincinnati
28 Cleveland
FIFTH TIER
29 Kansas City
30 Detroit
31 Tampa Bay
32 Oakland
AFC EAST
X-New England 12-4
Y-New York Jets 9-7
Miami 8-8
Buffalo 7-9
AFC NORTH
X-Pittsburgh 10-6
Baltimore 9-7
Cincinnati 6-10
Cleveland 6-10
AFC SOUTH
X-Indianapolis 11-5
Y-Houston 9-7
Tennessee 9-7
Jacksonville 7-9
AFC WEST
X-San Diego 10-6
Denver 6-10
Kansas City 5-11
Oakland 4-12
NFC EAST
X-New York Giants 12-4
Y-Philadelphia 11-5
Dallas 9-7
Washington 7-9
NFC NORTH
X-Green Bay 10-6
Y-Minnesota 9-7
Chicago 8-8
Detroit 5-11
NFC SOUTH
X-New Orleans 9-7
Atlanta 8-8
Carolina 8-8
Tampa Bay 4-12
NFC WEST
X-Arizona 10-6
San Francisco 6-10
Seattle 6-10
St. Louis 6-10
Wild Card Round
Pittsburgh over Houston
Philadelphia over Green Bay
New Orleans over Minnesota
San Diego over New York Jets
Divisional Round
New England over San Diego
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis
New York Giants over Philadelphia
New Orleans over Arizona
Championship Sunday
New England over Pittsburgh
New York Giants over New Orleans
Super Bowl
New England over New York Giants
Super Bowl MVP
Tom Brady
NFL MVP
Aaron Rodgers
Coach of the Year
Rex Ryan
NFL Power Rankings as of Week One
TOP TIER
1 New England
2 New York Giants
3 Pittsburgh
4 Philadelphia
5 San Diego
6 Arizona
7 Indianapolis
8 Baltimore
9 Tennessee
10 Dallas
SECOND TIER
11 Green Bay
12 Minnesota
13 New York Jets
14 Houston
15 New Orleans
16 Atlanta
17 Miami
18 Carolina
19 Chicago
20 Washington
THIRD TIER
21 Buffalo
22 Jacksonville
23 Denver
FOURTH TIER
24 Seattle
25 San Francisco
26 St. Louis
27 Cincinnati
28 Cleveland
FIFTH TIER
29 Kansas City
30 Detroit
31 Tampa Bay
32 Oakland
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)