Nothing too exciting today. I have one big announcement. I’m going to quit playing online poker until I’m finished recording my album… it’s simply too big of a distraction if I’m planning on hitting my September release date. I’m retiring for three months!
Also, I saw some rough artwork for my album cover and/or flyer. It’s gonna be dope! Hopefully I’ll have some artwork up next week sometime.
I know I’ve been on an Eminem kick lately, but dude did just release a new album and he’s generally a pretty funny dude. This shit is hilarious. “I got testicles.””Oh. I do have those. I have two of them.”
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First of all, if I’ve happened to develop any regular readers of this blog, I’m going to start rewarding you for your patience with extremely regular updates… and by regular, I mean, I plan to make at least one post a day, whether or not that post will be substantial or worthwhile remains to be seen, but I want to start increasing traffic to the site.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently working on my third album entitled Leaving Las Vegas. I’m pretty excited about the project and I think it’s coming together nicely. I’m really in the zone as far as writing is concerned and the last two verses I’ve written might be the best work I’ve ever done. I have parts of 18 different songs written at the moment. I plan to have about 25 songs to choose from and I’ll pick my top 15 or so for the album and I’ll likely release all the songs that didn’t make it on a separate bonus disc. I’m currently targeting a mid-September release (yeah… it is what you’re thinking.. can’t break a trend, can I?) and I think I’ll have no problem hitting that date at this point in time. I’m still undecided if I want to record everything in my bedroom or go for a more professional project. The truth is, I’m not that serious about this shit so I don’t want to invest a ton of money into it and the quality I get from my home setup is pretty solid. The real question is whether or not I want to spend my time personally mixing it when I’m not really that good at it. For those of you that want a sneak peak, you can check out the MySpace page link to the right and listen to “Meghan’s Song” in my profile. Oh, what a sweetheart I am. It’s a rough version that I didn’t put a lot of mixing down time into, but it’s a solid skeleton of what to expect from the track. Don’t worry though… for those of you that prefer the second half of Relationshits, I have been officially crossed and the gloves are now off; someone is getting torched: “Bitch, piss me off, I’ll make another damn Relationshits.” I don’t fuck around and you were warned.
Seriously. He kills these “freestyles.” This is the kind of stuff I wanted to hear on Relapse. You must watch this all the way through.
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I saw this trailer before “I Love You, Man.” It’s the next film from Judd Apatow (”40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up”) and is called “Funny People” starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Uhm… Judd Apatow + Seth Rogen + Adam Sandler + stand up comedy + touching story = sign me up
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It’s always an exciting time when Eminem releases new music… but he’s been pretty bad for several years now, so who really knows what to expect from him anymore. Well, today, we get this gem. At first I was completely appalled by it… it’s just so corny and horrible.. but after digesting it a bit more, I think it’s funny and he’s rapping pretty good on it. The video also makes me smirk. Obviously, I don’t want anything else on the album to sound even remotely like this though. Thoughts?
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It’s kind of a big news day for college basketball, but nothing is bigger than John Calipari possibly taking the head coaching position at the University of Kentucky. This is a somewhat shocking development in my opinion. My first instinct was that there is no way he’d even consider taking the job, but I was playing poker when I heard the news and the chatter at the table was that he’d be an idiot not to take it. Plus, ESPN was running a blurb saying that Calipari met with Memphis officials and players and everybody left the meeting with the feeling that Calipari was going to take the Kentucky job. We all know that Kentucky is one of the most storied programs in college basketball history and Calipari is certainly going to make more money coaching an SEC team.
Here’s what I don’t understand though:
–Memphis has a better basketball program than Kentucky: Yeah, not historically, but over the past 3-4 years Memphis has developed into a powerhouse. Kentucky was a one and done team in 2008 and broke a string of 17 straight NCAA tournament appearances this year when they were relegated to the NIT. Meanwhile, Memphis has posted three straight undefeated seasons in Conference USA and have made it to the Sweet 16, Championship Game, and two Elite 8s over the past four seasons.
–Memphis might have the best recruiting class of all-time for the 2009-2010 season: Calipari has already inked two of the top three recruits in DeMarcus Cousins and Xavier Henry. John Wall, the #1 high school player in the nation (according to www.rivals.com, also has shown a strong interest in going to Memphis. So Memphis has already signed two players that are ranked higher in this year’s incoming freshman class than Tyreke Evans was in last year’s (arguably weaker) incoming class… with the potential of landing the top high school player in the nation on top of that. It’s scary to think of what those three players could accomplish together. On top of that, Memphis has signed three other four-star recruits. Despite being young, that core of players would probably make Memphis the favorites for a national championship next year… and Tyreke Evans hasn’t even declared for the draft yet. Yikes.
Of course, all of this is subject to change if Calipari decides to jump ship. If that happens, surely John Wall will play elsewhere. I’m not sure what the ruling on backing out of a Letter Of Intent is, but who knows how Cousins and Henry will react when the coach that recruited them is no longer a part of the picture. Personally, despite the financial security and exposure that an SEC head coaching job will bring, I think Calipari would be wise to stay in Memphis. He has the potential to build a dynasty type of program there and I’d hate to see him walk away from it.
March 26th, 2009:
Just got back from Watchmen. Movie is very long. Mixed feelings. Graphic Novel is better. Rorschach is bad ass. Must remember to elaborate further.
Been busy with college basketball updates. Will have some movie updates sometime in the next seven days. Also watched Role Models and Milk. Will discuss soon. Brother Ali released new EP. It is great. Will explain why.
Lifted weights for first time in six years yesterday. Legs very sore. Can barely move. Started 4000 calorie diet today. Will gain massive amounts of weight. Progress will be posted. Current Weight: 145 lbs.
Maccent
March 26th, 2009
With the 2008-2009 season winding down, I’ve been thinking about what players are graduating, what players are likely getting drafted, and what players will most likely be returning next season and thinking of what teams are looking to be strong next year.
In no particular order, these teams look like they are going to be beasts next year:
Kansas: Even if Cole Aldrich enters the draft and gets picked, which is very likely, Sherron Collins is probably coming back and so is every other piece of a young team that has played its way into this year’s Sweet 16. Kansas figures to lose no one from what was largely considered the #2 recruiting class this past season and already have a solid class this upcoming season that includes 5-star talent Thomas Robinson and top 30 recruit Elijah Johnson.
Bottom Line: I’m leaning towards Aldrich being gone, but even so, Kansas is going to have to be considered a top 10 team heading into next season. If Aldrich decides to come back, they jump to a top 3-5 team.
Syracuse: Syracuse will graduate three seniors from their 2009 Sweet 16 team, but none of those seniors are vital part of the team. Paul Harris, Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, Andy Rautins, and Rick Jackson (5 of the top 6 scorers) are all certainly coming back for next season. The question mark here is whether or not Jonny Flynn comes back. He’s easily the most talented player on the team, but he’s appearing on most mock drafts late in the first round, so there’s a solid chance he’ll be gone. ‘Cuse does not have a strong recruiting class next season.
Bottom Line: If Flynn doesn’t come back, a year of growth for everyone else should make Syracuse at least as good as they are now. If Flynn comes back, they have a championship caliber team.
Villanova: Scottie Reynolds hasn’t been appearing on many mocks, so I’m banking on him coming back for his senior season. Losing an immensely improved Dante Cunningham is going to hurt, but Nova is going to be returning both Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) and those kids can play. Despite graduating three seniors that get regular minutes, Nova should still have a good amount of depth next year as they are bringing in a remarkable freshman class that includes three top 25 recruits and another 4-Star power forward.
Bottom Line: Already a Sweet 16 team, Nova will bring back most of its scoring and add one of the best freshman classes in the nation. They should be better next year than Kansas was this year.
Ohio State: This is hard to call. Evan Turner wasn’t on anyone’s radar before the season started, but now I’m seeing his name regularly in the middle of the first round in most NBA mock drafts. I’d hate to see him go pro after this season, but it’s seeming more and more likely, and he was certainly one of the more impressive all-around talents I saw play all year. BJ Mullens has received the opposite treatment; he started the season near the tip top of most mocks, but his stock has dropped drastically after what most people would consider to be a disappointing freshman season that saw him start a mere two games and only show brief moments of brilliance. He is definitely someone that needs another year of seasoning in college, but it’s going to be hard for the pro teams to pass up a future top 5 pick when he slides to them in the mid-to-late first round. The Buckeyes will lose no one important to graduation and return Dallas Lauderdale, Jon Diebler, and William Buford, who was very impressive as a freshman. David Lighty, injured almost all season, will be back and healthy next year. The administration must have confidence in its current roster because no one has signed a letter of intent to play at OSU next year.
Bottom Line: It all depends on Turner and Mullens. If they don’t come back, OSU will still return a solid core of players that should make them competitive next year. If Turner and Mullens return, and the latter develops, this could be a championship caliber team.
Purdue: Another current Sweet 16 team that figures to lose no one important to the draft or graduation. I saw Purdue play twice this year and JaJuan Johnson looked NBA ready in both games (30 points vs Ohio State, 22 points 5 rebounds vs Washington). All indications point to him coming back for his junior season and improving even more. 5.6 rebounds per game from a 6’10” stud is probably the reason he’s not making regular appearances on draft boards. He could be next year’s Dante Cunningham. Robbie Hummel, the Big Ten Preseason Player Of The Year, will be back with something to prove after a year of inconsistency and injuries halted his progress a bit. Hummel’s skill set is pretty similar to Kyle Singler’s, whose name is appearing late in the first round of NBA mocks while Hummel has been completely absent. E’twuan Moore makes up the third part of the triumphant of stud players that Purdue will return next season. Chris Kramer, Keaton Grant, and Lewis Jackson will all be back and add depth next year. Purdue has a modest set of in-state prospects coming to the team next year.
Bottom Line: There’s no question marks here. Everyone from this year’s Sweet 16 team will be back next year and I expect significant growth from both Hummel and Johnson. The recruiting class isn’t very strong, but that won’t matter. Assuming OSU loses Turner and Mullens, Purdue has to be the team to beat in the Big Ten next year and should be considered a top 5-10 team overall.
Washington: The bad news is that Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon will be graduating. The good news is that Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter will return. IT should continue to develop into one of the best guards in the Pac-10 and Q-Pon’s offensive output should increase dramatically. While UW can certainly function without Dentmon, filling the void left by Brockman is going to be tough. Matthew Bryan-Amaning has looked capable of taking on that roll at times, but he looked awful and confused a lot of the time this past season. An off-season focused on improving his skill set and confidence would do wonders for this team. Abdul Gaddy, the #2 high school point guard in the nation, will be a more than competent replacement for Dentmon and should take the table-setting pressure off of Thomas and allow him to focus on scoring. Tyreese Breshers, a 4-Star power forward whose season was lost to injury, could also help replace Brockman if he returns healthy. Elston Turner and Venoy Overton are great options off the bench.
Bottom Line: UW unexpectedly won the Pac-10 and was 3 points shy of making it to the Sweet 16 this year. Even with the loss of Brockman and Dentmon, expectations should be higher next season and their will be a target on this team’s back. Abdul Gaddy is a better prospect than Brockman ever was, but it’s unlikely he’s going to have the same kind of impact that the big guy did. I think the X-Factor here is Bryan-Amaning and how much he can grow as a player next season. Regardless, I like UW’s chances to repeat as Pac-10 champs.
Florida: This team that narrowly missed the NCAA tournament only had two upperclassmen and will only lose one player to graduation. While it boggles my mind that Nick Calathes isn’t on draft boards, it looks likely that he will be returning for his junior season. Calathes is one of the best all-around players and another year of growth should do wonders for his draft stock. Calathes is more likely to go off for a triple-double than anyone else in college basketball. Florida will return everyone else from a team that posted a 25 win season with only one senior.
Bottom Line: With Calathes returning and a solid recruiting class, Florida has to be the favorite in the SEC next year.
While my bracket doesn’t look like complete shit after the first two rounds, I do feel like I made some unforgivable mistakes that someone with the basketball knowledge I’ve developed this year should have avoided (Boston College). How Barack Obama picked more Sweet 16 teams correctly than I did is beyond my comprehension. This year has been relatively straight forward as 13 of the top 16 teams on the last AP Poll have advanced to the Sweet 16 (with Florida State, Wake Forest, and Washington being the only victims). Purdue was ranked #17 and Xavier was ranked #20, so it’s not like those teams advancing are all that shocking, especially since Xavier (a 4 seed) was actually favored to do so. The only team that’s in the Sweet 16 that is surprising is Arizona, a team that almost everyone thought shouldn’t have made the tournament in the first place with their mediocre 19-13 record. Even so, Arizona has probably had the easiest path to the Sweet 16. Despite being a 12 seed facing a 5 seed in the first round, I don’t think the world was too startled to see a Pac-10 team with three legitimate stars topple Utah, a representative from a weaker conference with no household names. I wasn’t surprised at least, as I didn’t hesitate very long in predicting that upset in the first round. For the second round, Arizona faced the only Cinderella type team to advance (Cleveland State) and beat them rather easily. So, all in all, the representatives in the Sweet 16 are unsurprising and the only team I think is a clear top 16 team that is no longer in the tournament is Wake Forest, but they have been inconsistent all season.
1st Round: 23 of 32
2nd Round: 11 of 16
Elite 8 Teams Left: 7 of 8
Final 4 Teams Left: 4 of 4
This weekend is going to suck for me. I work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and even though I might be able to get off early the first two days, I really can’t afford to. I need $$$$… so I’m likely going to miss 75% of the action this weekend after getting to see virtually all of the first two rounds. Fortunately, I scheduled myself off for all the Final Four games and the championship.
Performance Of The Tournament (so far): Cole Aldrich, 13 points, 20 rebounds, 10 blocks in 60-43 win over Dayton.
The Bat Cave 