Bachelorette Finale Live Chat

Wiz and Milli discuss the finale of this season of The Bachelorette, with their beloved back and forth banter.

Wiz - So, did you successfully make it through this season with no spoilers? I did not: saw both the snapchat (which I believe) and the rumor that she picks no winner (which I hope is not true)?

Milli - I’ve seen articles alluding to said snapchat. Wish I hadn’t. Pretty sure we both know who wins...

Skip Bayless: Professional Troll and General Asshole

Milli is starting a new series (in order to have a regular commitment to blog) in which he'll highlight a sports personality who he can't stand. This week: Skip Bayless.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Skip Bayless. He is the definition of a blowhard. He knows little to nothing about analyzing professional sports, but has opinions on everything sports related. He's all about generalities and controversial opinions. He's made a career of being an uninformed troll, and it drives me crazy.

Relentless hatred of Lebron James:

Look, I'm not the biggest Lebron James fan. But he's undeniably an incredible athlete, and the best player in basketball today. Skip will never admit it. Never. Ever. I can go on and on with clips of Skip disrespecting Lebron. It's his main schtick. If Lebron loses, you can be sure Skip is slamming him the next day.

Week 8 Recap: El Padre Edition

Ladies and gentlemen, we have found ourselves THE Bachelor. While part of America is anxiously awaiting who Kaitlyn has picked, at least half (all the women) let out a huge sigh of relief that she is not picking Ben H. This means that he will certainly be the next Bachelor. The biggest question remaining isn't whether Kaitlyn picks Nick or Shawn but whether or not Ben drops the H next season.

The Scoreboard

Bachelorette Week 7 Recap

Drama drama drama! Another fantastic week in Bachelorette land. Joe gets dismissed, Jared is sent packing, and we have another Right Reasons spotting. This season has quickly accelerated from "meh - I guess this is interesting" to "much watch" TV. Also: Are you a virgin?

Bachelorette Fantasy - Week 6 Part 2

Wow, what a week! Just like that nearly half of the remaining men are gone. Kaitlyn quickly cutting the wheat from the chaff, eliminating JJ, Tanner, Chris, and Ben Z. I'm absolutely floored that Ben Z went home instead of Joe but I guess that's what happens when your opponent on the 2x1 drops the "I'm a cheater" bomb. Way to go JJ. Without further ado, here's the scorecard for the week.

Fantasy Bachelorette: Week 5/6

Wow, what a fantastic week... Ian completed his meltdown, we got confirmed coitus on the show for the first time in a while, and Shawn B is teed up for a fantastically emotional heart-to-heart. All of this yielded us..... very few points, so we'll keep it short and sweet this week.

Ian Implodes in an Intellectual...Implosion

So last week on the Bachelorette, Ian decided to be honest with Kaitlyn. He said some things ("She's not half as hot as my ex-girlfriend"), but the producers saved most of it for the next episode. He continued tonight...and he did not spare her feelings. It was a showdown for the ages.

"My connection with Kaitlyn is pretty superficial. Because what I am is pretty deep." #deep

Bachelorette Fantasy Week "5" Recap

Things finally heated up this week. Team Wiz is coming on strong, two "Falling in Loves," multiple "Right Reasons," a betrayal, and one attempt to grind Kaitlyn's self-esteem as low as possible. Let's get right into the action.

Sorry. No Article Today, But...

So this video is making its way around the internet. It's one of the funnier things I've seen recently. Give it a watch or two. I've seen it three times already and can't stop giggling at the silly Bosnians.

Bachelorette Week 3/4 Recap

I will be combining the remaining portion of last week and this week into a single recap, and yet we still get no rose ceremony! Relatively straightforward recap here, however we did get a few scoring disputes that were resolved via league vote. First off, how about a round of applause for the producers! Another fantastic producer plant in Tony the healer aka Hippy Tom Brady.

Why Nadal vs Djokovic is a Must Watch

It's rare that we see the best player in the world, in peak form, face off with the most dominant player on a particular surface. Its even rarer that it happens in the quarterfinals. With Federer losing today, this is widely regarded as the Finals of the French Open. It's just being played a few days too soon. I know it's in the morning, in the middle of the week, but you have to find a way to watch this match. This may be the most exciting and important match since Federer/Nadal (2008 Wimbledon).

Bachelorrette Recap - Week 2

Yes, I know this technically is a recap that encompasses both Weeks 2 and 3, but I am not going to fall into ABC's "To be continued" trap. This recap series and fantasy league will be based solely upon rose ceremonies. This week roses were worth two points (since it was the 2nd rose ceremony). So without further ado, here is the scoring for week 2, brought to you by this dynamic duo.

Bachelorette Power Ranking - Week 3 Quotes

So, here are my top 4 quotes contributors from tonight's episode. Please note that these quotes are as I heard them, and may not actually be what the contestants said. Seriously, if you expect fact-checking, get off my site now.

4. Kupah - 

"We're gonna whisper now"
"I think she has chlamydia"
"I don't even like her"

A Bachelorette Featurette: JJ is the Worst

I think we can all agree that JJ sucks. It physically pained me to watch Kaitlyn not realize how much JJ sucks. JJ just has a punchable face, and it was an absolute travesty he wasn't on the boxing group date to get the ass-kicking he so rightfully deserves. Here are the 9 example of JJ just being the worst.

1. "I'm so bummed. So bummed. But at the same time, I'm not worried about it. I'm not concerned about it. I'm still going to get a rose. So, I'm completely unfazed."

Insecure much?

NFL Extra Point Rule Change

The NFL owners voted to change how extra points will work for the 2015 season. I, for one, am furious. PATs being boring simply isn't a real problem. Here's the rule change:

- PATs will now be taken from the 15-yard line (essentially a 33-yard FG)
- 2-point attempts will still be taken from the 2 (wait, what?)
- Extra point attempts will be returnable for 2 points, in the case of a turnover or missed kick (like in college; I love this wrinkle actually)

This rule change is dumb, for a variety of reason:

Bachelorette Fantasy Recap: Week 1

Check here for the opening post for explanations on scoring and to review the draft.

It was a relatively low-scoring week all told. After all, only one Bachelor was able to score on the first night. But this is merely the calm before the storm - the season preview showed plenty of dramatic, high scoring moments, including confirmed coitus!!! Without further ado, here is your top scorer of the week.

That's right, Chris Harrison scored the most points this week.

The Ballad of Ryan M.

Every year, one contestant gets way to drunk on the first night of the Bachelor/Bachelorette. This season it was Ryan M.

The Calm:

Before the wheels came off, Ryan M. seemed like an all around nice guy. Sure he was drunk, and everyone knew. But they were clearly enjoying it (AKA feeding him more shots). This was about to change.


Shawn E. Arrives: Battle of the Hot Tub Car

The Bachelorette's resident amateur sex coach, Shawn E., made a splash (so clever) by arriving in a hot tub car. While I thought this was a great move, Ryan M. did not.

 "That car sucks."

Fantasy Bachelorette League

This year Milli, myself, and three of our friends (A, K, and E) have decided to do a fantasy Bachelorette league. We will use this league as a vehicle for our weekly recaps.  Scoring is entirely arbitrary and is as follows:

5 points for first impression rose
X points for a rose each week (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.)
2 additional points if the rose is the first or last of the week
10 points for first makeout session of season
3 points for each makeout session thereafter
50 points for ocean coitus
10 points for accusing someone else of not being there for the right reasons
5 points for crying on camera
5 additional points if it's in front of the bachelorette
10 points if you have to be "held back" from fighting another bachelor
20 points if you actually fight another bachelor
-5 points for writing a poem
15 points if the bachelorette writes you a poem back
15 points for going into the fantasy suite
10 additional points if adult activities in the fantasy suite are confirmed

Bachelorette Preview Part 2

Part 2 of our Bachelorette preview. You can find Part 1 here (the cast list and photos can be found here, so you can follow along). We finished with JJ last time, so let’s move on to…

Joe

Bachlorette Preview Part 1

It feels like Christmas came early. The Bachelorette cast has finally been released.

Wiz: Let me start by saying John Wall’s blazer tonight is fantastic (style post coming?). 

Wiz: But seriously, let's start with the girls' pictures. Somehow it seems to me like they managed to make Kaitlyn’s head even bigger than Britt’s.

En Fuego - Bryce Harper and the Nationals

While the majority of DC sports fans have been focused on playoff hockey and basketball, the Nationals are not-so-quietly on fire right now. They've ripped off 10 wins in their last 12 games after losing 6 in a row. All 12 of these games were within the division and they have quickly surged to second in the division, only 3.5 back of the Mets.

Let's Grade the Draft Too Early!

Draft season has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that we have to stop talking about the draft. Football won't be played for months, so we have to fill the time with way-too-soon draft grades (we've also seen 2016 mock drafts, but that's silliness we won't even talk about today). Never mind that none of these players have played an NFL snap yet. 

These "analysts" may claim that they try to judge whether a team got value for their selections, or whether their picks fit their needs or scheme. Really though, it comes down to their opinion (not evaluation) of certain players. These guys have managed to come up with completely different grades for the same drafts. Let's take a look. Below is a table of the draft grades given by various sports news outlets (converted to a number grade for ease of calculation).

Big Brother - Méhico Edition

We're back! After a couple of weeks of working hard (Wiz) and vacationing (Milli), we're trying to get back in the groove of blogging this week. And what better way to get started than celebrating Cinco de Mayo and a recent trip to Mexico by watching some trashy Mexican reality TV.

Since Big Brother Mexico is the first Google search result, and they are bringing it back after a 6 year hiatus, that's what we'll break down. Author's Note: Despite having been in Mexico for a few weeks I am not fluent in Spanish

A Deep Dive into Bow Ties

With horse race season upon us, Wiz and Milli do a quick breakdown on bow tie selection - a critical aspect of any race-worthy wardrobe. (Sidenote: No Clip-ons, No Brown Ties)

The Standard: Stripes

Wiz: Standard. Not much to see or say here. Will garner just enough attention to get noticed but nothing more. Easy to pair with color-wise and useful for multiple occasions.

Milli: Exactly like a striped tie. Sometimes classic is just a euphemism for boring.

How You'll Feel:

Wiz: 4/10 - Like a First Timer or an Old Timer

Milli: 4/10 - Like you should have opted for a different tie

Quick Take on Tyus Jones Declaring for the Draft

I, for one, will be happy to see Tyus Jones out of the ACC.

Dude's clutch.

So Now What: "Work" Shoes

In this series, Milli and Wiz evaluate clothing and accessory options that a young professional needs to be thinking about now that he is in the "real world." This week - Shoes.

In college you only needed a few pairs of shoes:  boat shoes, flip flops, some running shoes, and maybe a retro pair of Nike Air Max 90's. That list changes a bit once you get into the real world. I'll evaluate some of the more common shoes, looking at Formality, Style, and Who's Impressed by the shoes you've got on.


The Workhorse: Brown Wingtips

Watching Sports - Without Cable

As some of you may know, it's been said I spend my money wisely (Editor's Note: What Wiz means to say is that he's cheap).  I'm not one to spend an extra $30 a month on a deluxe sports package if I don't have to. I've gone without cable for 18 of the past 24 months - here's how I did it and why.

Step One: Have friends that have cable

This is the most critical step. How do you watch March Madness at work? How do you log in to WatchESPN for your Sunday morning Sportscenter fix? What do you do when you're taking a break from sports and need to watch the latest episode of The Challenge? Answer: Phone a friend. Having a few Comcast/Verizon passwords to sign in with is vital to maintaining a cableless life style.

Walk of Shame Shuttle on VH1

And the Lord said unto Walk of Shame Shuttle, "Return for those who have been forsaken; those who have been promiscuous and those who have partaken too much, and give upon them conversation and transport back to their home." - Exodus 3.1

Wiz's Final Four Preview

The NCAA could not have asked for a better final four grouping. Michigan St, Duke, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.  Izzo, Coach K, Ryan, and Coach Cal.  What more could you ask for? Here's a quick breakdown of the games and picks for who will survive to fight on Monday.

Early Game: Duke vs Michigan St

Izzo made the point that his team has played the toughest four teams up to this point (Georgia, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Louisville).  That's true - but Duke has played tough teams all season long, and playing a talented team like Sparty will not catch them at all. The two teams played earlier this season with Duke winning easily.

What to Expect: A much more competitive game than they played in November. Izzo is a fantastic coach and his team will undoubtedly be ready for this one. The problem is, he's facing an even more fantastic coach in Coach K.  Okafor was unstoppable in the first matchup, racking up 17 points on 10 shots.  He dominated the Michigan State front line and controlled the paint on offense.  The scary thing is he's only gotten better. On the flip side, look for Valentine and Trice to try to score in bunches to keep up with the Dukies.

Key Matchup: Dawson vs Jefferson/Winslow. As usual, everyone is predicting Dawson to be the X-Factor. Everyone expects him to play well on offense, regardless of who is guarding him. I think that both Jefferson and Winslow will play better D then the analysts think, and Dawson may struggle a bit on offense. The more interesting side will be to see how he stacks up with Winslow on the other side though.  If he shuts Winslow down, expect Michigan State to hang in there, but if Winslow gets on a roll things will be tough for the Spartans.

The Pick: Okafor dominates, Winslow steps up on both ends, Trice's hot shooting ends, and Duke wins 76-66.

Late Game: Wisconsin vs Kentucky

This is the dream matchup that everyone has been hoping for. The rematch from last year's Final Four. Surprisingly, both teams are returning most players from last year's squads.  Kaminsky and Dekker have improved for Wisconsin and the Harrison twins + Cauley-Stein have another years under their belt for Big Blue. This should be a titanic matchup that goes down to the wire.

What to Expect: Expect for Kentucky to hammer away down low early on, trying to get Kaminsky into foul trouble.  On the flip side Wisconsin will play through Kamisnky on the inside and Dekker on the outside. Towns presents a matchup nightmare for Wisconsin, and Dekker will be tough for Kentucky to guard.  Look for both teams to perform surprisingly well on the offensive end.

Matchup to Watch: Towns and whoever is matched up on him. This will be a big decision for Bo Ryan. If he puts Kaminsky on him, he risks Big Frank getting into foul trouble. If he throws Hayes at him he will be giving up four inches to a talented big man.  Regardless, Towns should be getting a lot of touches early on the block. When Wisconsin's on offense it will be interesting to see if Kaminsky can get get free against Cauley-Stein. Cauley-Stein has proven to be an elite defender and should be able to take Big Frank both inside and outside. If Frank is limited, expect Wisconsin to rely on Dekker on the outside.

The Pick: As tempted as I am to take Wisconsin, I'll take Kentucky on a Harrison jumper at the buzzer 78-76.

So Now What: Watches

In this series, Milli and Wiz evaluate clothing and accessory options that a young professional needs to be thinking about now that he is in the "real world." This week - Watches.

In college, I almost never wore a watch. If I needed to know the time I just looked at my phone, plus they just got in the way.  But in the real world, it's a bit of a necessity - you can't check your phone in some meetings, and they are expected at certain events. Here, we will break down some different watch categories and assess them on functionality, formality, and style.

Classic Watch

Every guy needs one of these in their closet. These watches feature a leather band (either black or brown) and a plain, small to medium face. If i had to pick one, I would pick a black band, white face, and gold case. This is your heavy-duty, everyday at the office watch.  Professional, but not going to wow anyone.  Appropriate to wear at work and all formal settings; not great for extracurricular activities.

Functionality: Flip phone in a smart phone world
Formality: Wearing a dark navy suit to a job interview
Style: Like a low 90's fastball right down the middle


Casual Watch

These have more variety.  Maybe the face, case or band are a unique color.  Maybe they are a made of an unusual material. Maybe the face is over-sized. These watches let you flash a little creativity or personal style.  Appropriate to wear in business casual settings, while hanging out or when out and about with friends. One of my personal favorites is watches made by WeWood (as you may have guessed it, the band and casing are made of wood).

Functionality: Like a spoiler on a car that can't break 120
Formality: Perfect for gauging how many drinks you can get in before last call
Style: Like wearing rainbow socks to work


Metal Watches

For people trying to show a little flash at work or while out.  Great if you have a few grand burning a hole in your pocket or to receive as a graduation present. Made of steel for a clean look; gold/silver for the fashionistas out there. Versatile - you can wear them with a suit or at the beach.  Personally, I've never liked them, but some swear by them.

Functionality: It tells the time
Formality: The Swiss army knife of watches
Style: Bling, bling, bling


Sports Watches

For fishers, runners, and the other aspiring sportsmen of the world.  These watches tend to be bigger, more complex, and have added functionality (submersible, GPS, etc).  Great for their intended functionality but not great in the office or for around town.  Some fitness trackers are small enough that they can be paired with a normal watch on a day-to-day basis, but ordinarily leave the sports watch at home when you go to work.

Functionality: Can tell you just how slow you really are
Formality: Like a short sleeve button down
Style: N/A


Smart Watch

The jury is still out on these from a utility perspective, but with the announcement and pending release of the Apple Watch, I am sure they will begin penetrating the workforce. Apple made a clear stance that they want their watch to be seen as a fashion accessory with the gold variants, but it's not clear whether these will catch on and replace traditional watches.  My hunch is that they may catch on as a day-to-day timepiece, but will never replace the most formal of watches.

Functionality: So you can see that text message 10 seconds faster
Formality: Not quite yet
Style: My smart watch brings all the nerds to the yard

The Recent History of Quarterbacks Picked in the Top Ten

It's commonly said that you can't win without a quarterback. That's why there's so much focus on Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota this year. There aren't any other quarterbacks with a first round grade, and so it's likely that these two go 1-2 in this year's draft. Let's look at the history of first round QBs, and see whether grabbing a QB early in the first round actually brought any of these teams to the next level.

2004 - Eli Manning (1st) and Phillip Rivers (4th)

These two will be forever linked (for obvious reasons). Eli Manning is the definition of inconsistent, but he also has two Super Bowl rings. I doubt the Giants would complain, even when he does things like this:

The Predictably Anticlimactic Challenge Finale

Milli's out on vacation this week so I will be doing this one on my own. 

We should have known that the finale would be relatively unexciting given last week's episode and how it ended.  They have split the last handful of challenges across two weeks, starting it one week and then finishing it in the final episode.  That was not the case this year, they squeezed the entire final into one episode. There are a couple reasons for this:

1. The drama from last week was FANTASTIC, and they wanted to get as much of that footage in as possible.
2. The third team in the finale was so weak that they essentially had 2/3 of the footage that from the finale that they usually do. (Spoilers after the jump)

Elite 8 Sunday Showdowns

Both of yesterday's match-ups were fantastic, down to the wire, drama filled basketball games. They were everything that makes the tournament one of the greatest sporting events year after year. Unfortunately I'm not sure we will be able to say the same about today's games.

Game 1: Louisville vs Michigan State

I said it in Friday's preview, and I'll say it again.  Louisville is a complete enigma to me, a team that keeps surprising me at how well they are able to play without a key piece of their team. This is a clash of two great tournament coaches, Rick Pitino and Tom Izzo.  Every year both these coaches lead their teams deeper in the tournament than expected and everyone acts surprised.  Maybe it is time for the committee to wisen up and seed these teams a little higher.

Millionaire Matchmaker with...Lil' Romeo!

So, I stumbled across an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where the millionaire was freaking Lil' Romeo. That's right. Lil' Romeo of My Baby fame.

Yes, he's still a player. Or so he says. But now he needs a girlfriend. He's just looking out for his future family.

Saturday's Elite Eight Matchups

Disclaimer: Milli is on vacation - expect grammatical errors

Since there are no more overlapping games, we will do a deeper dive into each of the day's games. Both should be exciting, competitive games, and are the best match-ups we could have hoped for when the brackets came out two weeks ago.

First Game: Wisconsin vs Arizona

Yes - last year these two faced off in the elite eight, and Wisconsin was victorious in an epic OT game.  In the game Kaminsky went off for 28 of Wisconsin's 64 points.  In that game Dekker only made 2 FG and was a relative non-factor.  I expect the game this year to be a bit different. First off, both these teams have improved since last year.  The roster turnover is minimal, everyone has improved, and both teams seem to be clicking on all cylinders.

Sweet 16 - Friday Matchups

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

I picked every game correctly in the Midwest so far... awesome.  That may or may not be the case for the other regions.  Of the eight teams playing today I only had Duke and Utah #awesome.  Enough about my bracket, here are today's match-ups.

Early Time Slot: Louisville vs NC State

Both of these teams fit the classic mold of "lots of talent but inconsistent", and both teams could make it out of the region if they win this game.  Looking back on it, the ACC was clearly undervalued by the committee and you could argue that NC State's talent is top 5 among the remaining teams. They have proven they can beat everyone (see convincing win at Duke).  Lousiville on the other hand is a complete enigma to me.  I'm surprised at how well they have played without Jones, and I will be surprised if they continue to play at that level.  I think the the three-headed guard monster of Barber, Turner, and Lacey show up, Anya neutralizes Harrell to some extent, and NC State wins relatively comfortably (note that NC State beat Lousiville in L'ville in their only prior meeting when the Cardinals still had Chris Jones).

Sweet 16 Thursday Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

The tourney is back tonight, and so are we, well at least I am. Milli is off gallivanting on vacation (blame the lack of editing on him).

Without further ado here are the Sweet 16 Games to Watch for Thursday:

Time Slot 1: Notre Dame vs Wichita St         

Notre Dame played two extremely exciting games last weekend and I expect that trend to continue. It is hard to see a scenario where either team is able to run away with this one.  I’m a bit surprised that Wichita State is favored actually - Notre Dame has been red hot (7 game winning streak), has the best player on the floor (Grant) and a clutch sidekick (Connaughton).  Meanwhile Wichita St went down “early” in the tourney last year, and played in a lesser conference.  I expect Notre Dame to keep their magical streak alive and win another nail biter.

Follow us on Twitter

So, Wiz and I have been writing pretty long posts to date. While it makes for a great read, we know you don't always have the time to read a whole article. You can get the same sass and wit in small doses by following us on Twitter. I let you know when we have new articles out, and if you're lucky I'll just be berating someone more famous than me on Twitter.

We kept it easy. Our handle is just @MilliAndWiz.

Sunday Tourney Spectacular

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

Early Afternoon Window: Virginia vs Michigan St

Other Games: Duke vs San Diego St (2:40 CBS)

Last year many considered this matchup to be one of the games of the tournament and there is no reason to think that history won't repeat itself. The committee did Virginia no favors by setting this rematch up and Michigan St has been playing well recently while Virginia has been struggling. The one thing Virginia has going for it is the return of Justin Anderson.  He looked significantly better on Friday than in the ACC tourney and if Virginia is going to pull this one out they will need 20-25 quality minutes from Anderson.  Look for a tight back and forth game here.  

Saturday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

What a crazy - but actually not that crazy first couple of days. Now almost every game will be competitive (unless Kentucky is playing).

Afternoon Window: Kentucky vs Cincinnati

Other Games: UCLA vs UAB (12:10 CBS)

Yes - I know you can watch both these games, but if you could only watch one I would pick Cincy and Kentucky. The other game may be entertaining, but the fact is neither of these teams will advance past the Sweet 16.  I am much more interested to see how Kentucky will deal with their stiffest test since pre-conference play.  I expect UK will win, and eventually pull away, but I would not be surprised if Cincinatti keeps it close for a half.

The Challenge FINAL is Here

Milli and Wiz recap this week's episode and look ahead to who we think will win next week:

The episode opened with everyone flying to Norway (Nany didn't know that Norway was in Europe). But it wasn't long before Nia and Bananas started yelling and screaming at Sarah/Jordan for putting Banany in the elimination (though that doesn't explain why Nia was complaining; she lost the last challenge fair and square). This resulted in Sarah having a meltdown, Nia sexually assulting Jordan, and Bananas looking genuinely upset for once in his life.

Wizlon: I'll go ahead and fire this off. What were your expectations for the episode - did you think the shaming and hatred on Sarah would be as absurd as it was?

Milli: It was absurd. She played the game as it is meant to be played, deceptively. I think the Sarah shaming was an attempt by Bananas to get in her head going into the final.

Friday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today:

Noon Time Window: Georgia vs Michigan State

Other Games: Kansas vs New Mexico St (12:15 CBS)

I was tempted to pick the Kansas/New Mexico St game solely because of how poorly the B12 played yesterday.  After watching today's games, I really have no idea how this one will play out.  I could see a Spartan blowout, or a Dawg fight that UGA comes out on top of.  I know MSU had a great B10 tourney, but tourney success didn't pay off for Iowa State, and ND looked sluggish Thursday as well. 

Thursday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today:

Noon Window: Notre Dame vs Northeastern

 

Other Games: Iowa State vs UAB (12:40 TruTV)

Both of these games should be snoozers but will let us see whether the ACC and B12 tourney champs can stay on a roll. I think Notheastern is slightly better than UAB, and I think Notre Dame could be the victim of a slow start and/or bad shooting, which would make this game interesting.

This Week on The Challenge

Another very solid episode of The Challenge. Those 60 minutes absolutely flew by. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw "To Be Continued..." rear its ugly head (Really MTV, you're gonna do me like that? Two weeks in a row?). Although in retrospect, that's the least surprising thing ever. Next week will be the final elimination/the start of the finale, followed up by a final, dramatic episode.

First Things First: Hurricane Nia Wraps Up

Yes, I used this picture last week, but it's too awesome to pass up.  I don't want to break down Nia's tirade again, but long story short - she yelled a lot.  And then she went person to person in the house and apologized. Preposterous. But let's get to the real action.

What Happened on the Bubble?

68 teams will be dancing in March. The remainder of the 351 NCAA Division I basketball teams will not. Some of those teams have legitimate reasons to believe they should have a shot at the title, but they won't get it. Here's how the bubble shook out on Sunday.

Miami:

Record: 21-12 (10-8 ACC)

RPI: 63

BPI: 43

KenPom: 52
Best Win: RPI #5 Duke (away) 90-74
Worst Loss: RPI #157 Eastern Kentucky (home) 44-72

Miami crushed Duke AT CAMERON! How could they possibly be out? Oh, they got killed at home against EASTERN KENTUCKY? And they lost against ACC bottom dwellers Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State. Okay, maybe they don't deserve to be dancing.

Result: Out

The Committee....

It seems like every year there are awesome, inspiring, capitvating story lines in the tournament.  This guy is facing the team he used to coach, this team is playing the team it got upset by the year before, these two schools are only 60 miles apart, etc.  The NCAA would like you to believe these are coincidences.  They are not.  The committee clearly rigs the system to force these matchups, and it is especially egregious this year.  We'll have more in depth breakdown of regions, teams, and predictions as the week goes along, but here's a starting point.

Wichita State is a 7 seed and Kansas is a 2 seed.  

This is absurd.

Just How Good is Big Blue

All season long Kentucky has been lauded as destiny's child.  A team that is guaranteed to win the title.  A team that is going to go undefeated.

I think every non-Kentucky fan instantly dismissed this as overhype, the media trying to drum up story lines, and something to be quickly dismissed.  After all Kentucky did not win the championship last year, Kentucky was beaten 3 times by Florida last year.

Soccer Gets a Bad Rap and for Good Reason

So, I was browsing the internet today, and came across this clip:

This is obviously the problem with soccer for a lot of Americans. Don't get me wrong. I love soccer. If you think it's boring, you just lack an appreciation for the many intricacies in sports. Myron Medcalf probable hates soccer. The problem with soccer is that no self-respecting athlete should be able to do what the keeper does in the clip above. Sure, there's plenty of flopping in basketball, but you don't regularly see NBA players faking injuries. Have some respect for yourself, for the ref, and for the sport. Here are some other clips that make it hard for me to watch soccer, starting with a master of simulation (and generally being a dick), Sergio Busquets:

What's New on TV: Man Seeking Woman

FXX has added a new original show to its schedule. Following It's Always Sunny on Wednesday, at 10:30 pm, Man Seeking Woman stars Jay Baruchel as down-on-his-love-life Josh. You may recognize Baruchel; he's part of Judd Apatow's crew. Apatow cast Baruchel as the lead in his short lived sitcom, Undeclared, as a socially awkward college freshman. Since then, he's mostly been a bit part actor in Apatow films. In Knocked Up, he plays a goofy stoner, and in This Is The End , where he plays a socially awkward pothead (You may remember him as Seth Rogen's friend who really hated Jonah Hill, even though Jonah was nothing but nice to him).

ACC Tourney Preview

The ACC tournament swung into gear yesterday, with the bottom dwellers slugging it out in order to earn the right to play on Wednesday. Let's break down the ACC teams, and their chances in the conference tournament.

Trade + Free Agent Update/Recap

Going to try to "quickly" blast through some of the major moves from yesterday with a quick take on each.

Haloti Ngata to Detroit

Starting with the one closest to my heart.  I think this is a great move by the Lions.  I think this means they are out on Nick Fairley, but Ngata is a great replacement, and he's only got one year left on his deal.  I know Baltimore couldn't afford to keep Ngata on the payroll at 16 million but its hard for me to believe the sides couldn't come to some sort of agreement. Ngata has been the anchor to the interior of that line and was perfect for Suggs and Dumervil to play off.  I expect this to really hurt Baltimore next year.

The Bachelor Finale Live Chat

Unable to watch the Bachelor together, we live chatted throughout the finale - see below for our thoughts and a brief glimpse into what might be for next season (Spoilers):

Wiz: Are we both in agreement that Whitney is a given. Do you think it ends in engagement?

Milli: I think that he goes with Becca, because he's worried Whitney will say no. She's been the dark horse the whole way, and I think he likes her more than is portrayed on the show.

Milli: Also, Am I the only one who thinks Chris has a Lego head? 

The Real World's Bruno AKA The Hulk

So, we haven't had the blog up long enough to cover this season of Real World: Skeletons properly, but it's been an entertaining season. Last year, with Real World: Ex-plosion, MTV changed the formula for the series. No longer was Real World just about 7-8 strangers living in a house and raging face for weeks on end (the show is struggling, so a change is not surprising). The MTV producers decide that wasn't quite real enough, and that digging up people from the cast's past (their exes and their assorted skeletons, obviously) in order to stir up extra drama. And it has worked to perfection. This season, there's been the usually shenanigans (being drunk all the damned time, hooking up with roommates, etc.). But there have also been estranged siblings, ex-lovers, mortal enemies, no-show fathers and more. All of this is terrifyingly real material. But the most terrifying thing on the entire show is Bruno's rage. Bruno had not spoken to his estranged brother in over two years over an argument...about...I'll just let Bruno explain:

The Definitive Ranking of Football Jerseys

1.  The Throwback

 

Always a safe pick. Your sweet purple and gold Cris Carter jersey will never go out of style.

Best Challenge Episode.... Ever?

Not to toot my own horn, but last week (Monday), I said it was time to tune in to the Challenge, and boy, did it deliver.

Perhaps the most action packed, back stabbing, shit talking episode ever (Spoiler Alert!).

"Fuck I'm going to cry like a little bitch" - Theresa