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: