Send Me Mailbag Questions

Chop Culture is going on vacation this week so there won't be a new post this week...BUT please send your sports and pop culture mailbag questions to mjfriedman1@gmail.com so I can post a mailbag when I return. Random and off-the-wall questions are encouraged.

Ramblings

• Zubaz produces the most comfortable, stylish athletic pants in the world. The stripe pattern is timeless. Coach Caccetta kept them in business for as long as he could, but they went bankrupt in 1996. As of 2007, Zubaz is back and better than ever. Henleys are next in line to make a comeback.

• Spike Lee’s latest joint is “Kobe: Doin’ Work,” a documentary that follows Kobe Bryant’s every move during a regular season game against the Spurs. I was disappointed with the film – it was just not compelling enough for me. There were a few locker room scenes, but it was essentially just Kobe commentating as we watch the highlights of the Lakers-Spurs game (a game in which Manu Ginobili did not play and the Lakers won by 21). While it was interesting to see Kobe interact with his teammates, one couldn’t help but notice that most of his teammates seemed surprised that Kobe was talking to them. It seemed a bit contrived. Don’t get me wrong, Kobe is clearly a smart player. I would argue he is a top 10 player of all-time, but let’s not pretend that he’s such a great teammate. Moreover, I wish Spike would have given us a better look at Kobe’s life off the court. I just didn’t get it. I did appreciate that Bruce Hornsby (shout out to Williamsburg, VA) composed the score for the film.

• I bought my first pair of croakies ever today. It’s something I promised myself I would never do. I’ve sported just about every other possible piece of fratty flair, but croakies are something I have openly mocked for years. The purchase was precipitated by the fact that I have lost two pairs of sunglasses within the last six months, both of which fell off the back of my neck. My two solutions were 1) wear sunglasses inside or 2) buy croakies. It was a tough choice. At least my new croakies match my boat shoes.

• In my last post, I listed my top 10 sporting events of the summer. I inadvertently left NHL playoffs off the list. Hockey playoffs are a hundred times more interesting than the hockey regular season, but I would still pencil them in a #9 and take the Belmont Stakes off my list. The British Open golf tournament would come in at #11. I like the NBA draft, but I do not consider that a sporting event. Speaking on the NBA, I think I need to move NBA playoffs from #3 to #1. The Cavs-Magic and Lakers-Nuggets series have been unbelievable so far. Although I want to see Kobe against LeBron in the Finals, I have found myself rooting for the Nuggets and the Magic.

• I have said this before, but it’s time to say it again: No one gives a shit who Ted from “How I Met Your Mother” marries. I was hoping the writers would stay away from that storyline despite the show’s name. We are four seasons into the series, and the writers are still teasing us with Ted’s romantic liaisons. Bob Saget narrates the show as grown-up Ted – the more Saget talks, the worse the episode becomes. In this year’s season finale, Ted becomes a professor of architecture (he’s totally qualified), and Saget informs us that Ted’s future wife is in the class before the credits roll. Is that supposed to be a cliffhanger? Again I say, who cares? The show’s had a good run and it is still mildly entertaining, but I hope season 5 is the last.

• How long before McDonald's gets sued for serving a McCafe that is too hot?
  

• Just in case you think Dixon from “90210” has turned soft, let’s remember him from better days as Michael on “The Wire” – see the clip below.

Summer Sports

Summer is right around the corner -- I am excited to think about beaches, dunkaroos, bocce, and the other trappings of summer. I am not, however, too excited about upcoming sporting events. Summer is my favorite season, but it is by far the worst season in the world of sports.

As much as I like basketball, the NBA is only interesting when superstars play each other in the Finals. I have casually watched this year's playoffs, but I will really get into them if Kobe and LeBron match up in the Finals. With Yao and KG out with injuries, the NBA is not rooting for Boston or Houston to advance (although I do not buy into conspiracy theories).

Likewise, I am a casual fan of baseball, but unless it's the MLB playoffs I would rather watch a game live (even if it's minor league) than on TV. Having a beer at a baseball game is one of my favorites things to do in the summer, but that has nothing to do with my love of the game.

Several tennis and golf majors take place in the summer, but those events don't excite me as much as football season and college hoops. The Kentucky Derby is the "Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports," but the other two legs of the Triple Crown lack the prestige of the Kentucky Derby. Unless a horse wins the first two legs of the Triple Crown, viewership is way down for the Belmont Stakes. Moreover, the Kentucky Derby is in May -- which technically isn't the summer.

The following is my list of the top 10 sporting events of the summer (I consider the summer to be June through August rather than the official calendar dates and I am not including the World Cup or Summer Olympics):

10) Little League World Series - 11-12 years olds (except in the Dominican) just having fun.


9) Belmont Stakes - Only if the same horse wins Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

8) Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest - The summer is slow so this counts as a sport, Kobayasi vs. Joey Chesnut is one of the best rivalries in any competition.

7) UEFA Champions League Final - Best futbol outside of the World Cup (technically takes place in late May).

6) College World Series - Only time most people care about college baseball.

5) French Open - Nadal has dominated on the red clay recently.

4) MLB - Back in the day, nothing was worse than watching Sportscenter four times in a row with nothing but regular season MLB highlights, but it still makes the top 5. The All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are great mid-summer traditions.

3) NBA Finals - Will move to #1 if it's LeBron vs. Kobe.

2) U.S. Open - Golf's toughest tournament, Tiger always plays well.

1) Wimbledon - Tennis anyone? Borg, Sampras, Federer, all whites, strawberries & cream, rain delays. It's all about tradition and etiquette at the All England Club. I look forward to another Federer-Nadal final.

Ramblings

• Kentucky Grilled Chicken? WTF?

• Much to my dismay, “90210” has already jumped the shark. It has sucked ever since the first few episodes, but it officially jumped when Silver turned crazy. Mischa Barton would have been proud of the scene where Silver threw a wine bottle at Mr. Matthews and told him to “fix it!” Lady, you’re scaring me. Barring an unexpected turnaround, I will never discuss this show on the blog again.

• I won't knock it until I try it, but I don't understand the fascination with Twitter. Why do I give a shit what Ashton Kutcher is doing right now? My least favorite part about Facebook is the status updates -- yet updating your status seems to be the ENTIRE premise of Twitter. By the way, the only thing lamer than being on Facebook is not being on Facebook and frequently perusing the site on your spouse's account. You're not fooling anyone.
  

• For my money, the best commercials on TV right now are the talking baby ones from E*TRADE. I love watching this tot flex his golden pipes.

• I’m starting to think Greg Paulus doesn’t care about playing college football as much as he wants attention. Greg, it’s an easy decision: go to Syracuse and back to relative mediocrity. Check out this t-shirt that follows Greg’s college football recruiting tour:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=paulus/090430&sportCat=ncb

• “Southland” is the best new show on TV. It rivals any other police drama currently airing. It is impossible to distinguish between Ryan Atwood from “The OC” and Officer Ben Sherman from “Southland” (both played by Ben McKenzie). They are pretty much the same character. I keep waiting for Seth Cohen to pop out of the back of the squad car.

• I learned of a great new shot today – the LeBomb James. It is a shot of Crown Royal (LeBron’s nickname is King James) placed in a cup of Red Bull (as in a Jager Bomb). After you drop the shot in the Red Bull and chug, you take three packets of Splenda, pour them in your hands, and “baby powder throw” it into the air like Bron Bron does before games. Am I mistaken or did LeBron steal the baby powder toss from KG, who had previously stolen it from Michael Jordan? I think it's weird that the chalk clap is being touted as LeBron's creation.
  

• I am surprised to see our old friend Saul Hudson (Slash) on American Idol tonight. It is rock week, but come on Slash. I shouldn’t be watching, but you really shouldn’t be a guest mentor on this show. In my book, you’re still a real mentsh!

• Colin Cowherd compared Brett Favre (potentially) going to the Vikings to a guy marrying his best friend’s ex-wife. I completely disagree. The Packers and Vikings are rivals, but I have no problem with Favre going to Minnesota. First of all, the Packers didn’t treat Favre with the respect he deserved (although I can’t blame them since he kept changing his mind about retiring). Second, Favre isn’t interested in Minnesota to spite Green Bay – rather, they are just one of the only teams that needs a quarterback. Detroit and Tampa Bay addressed QB problems in the draft. Most other teams are set at the position. I am tired of all the Favre talk, but deep down I hope he comes back again.

• I’m fascinated with the recent pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia. Am I the only person that didn’t realize (until a few months ago) that there were still pirates in the world? Tourism in Somalia might hit hard times this summer: http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/well_there_goes_our_dream?utm_source=c-section