NBA: Where Shoving happens

- BKN-BOS shoving match. As someone who remembers the '90's Knicks, I need to see something more before I get excited by a basketball fight. This is a nonstory, generally speaking.

- Poppovich benches star players. I'm against benching healthy players. The NBA is about entertainment, and maximizing that entertainment value. San Antonio already has the tag of being "boring" as a team. They have grayscale uniforms. It would be nice to actually be able to watch the starters play against the Heat.

- Westbrook nearly gets a quadruple double. 23 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists and seven steals against the Jazz. Whatever your opinion of Westbrook is, it can't be that he doesn't play hard. He's been amazing for the Thunder and plays the role of second-banana well.

- The Warriors are good. As of 12/3/2012, they have the 4th best record in the West and are tied for the best record in their division. Most importantly, they don't even have Bogut back yet.

- Milwaukee is a team that might also be good. They have solid guard play and their island of misfit toys front court has been strong for them. I picked up Larry Sanders on my fantasy team, just so I could have an excuse to watch the Bucks.

- Congrats to the Wizards for actually winning a game.

Tuesday

OKC @ BKN 5:30EST NBA TV

Should be a pretty nice matchup between one of the best teams in the East and one of the best teams in the West.

LAL @ HOU 6PM League Pass

When the Chris Paul Trade got vetoed last year, Pau was supposed to go to the Rockets. Oh, how things change. Both of these teams were heavily hyped as the season began, and both of these teams were amazing.

Wednesday

Nationally Televised - ESPN

DEN @ ATL

Should be a fun matchup, but they are both middling teams in their conferences.

DAL @ LAC

This certainly looked better for ESPN on paper when the season started. Dallas is sitting, waiting for Dirk.

League Pass

Rough night for NBA League Pass owners, with no compelling matchups. If you like watching young players TOR@SAC might be for you. But if I had to watch a game, it would be Chicago @ Cleveland. Varejao and Noah tangling in the paint might be must watch television. Both teams are missing their star point guards in Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving, respectively.

Thursday

NYK @ MIA (6PM TNT) is the only game to watch. Ignore the Dal @ PHX travesty.

Friday

LAL @ OKC (7:30PM ESPN)

Western Conference Matchup of the Week

This is a great game on paper. Unfortunately, the Lakers haven't really been clicking and they are a middling team in the Western Conference. What will be interesting is how the Lakers big men match up with the Oklahoma City big men. The other interesting matchup will be the running saga of "Who guards Westbrook". Westbrook has made an argument for best guard in the NBA over November and he has historically destroyed the Lakers, especially during the playoffs last year.

The Atlanta Braves Memorial for geographically misplaced teams

 

Sports are a business. Sometimes teams have to move from division to division for competitive reasons. Usually, they move in order to go to markets that will help make more money. However, division lines set up by professional teams lead to illogical results.

When I was younger, playing the video game “ESPN Baseball Tonight” for the Sega CD, I had trouble looking for the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta is in Georgia, a state that borders the Atlantic Ocean and is clearly on the East Coast. When I tried to pick the team, I checked the American League East and the National League East for the team. To my surprise, I couldn’t find the team. What I found out later was that the Atlanta Braves were in the National League West.

In 1994, Major League Baseball re-aligned its divisions and amongst other things, fixed this problem by putting the Braves in the NL East, where they geographically belong. Currently, the MLB has a reasonably accurate (according to geography) division alignment. However the divisions and conferences still have laughable entries in the other major professional leagues.

 

NBA (Basketball)

The winner in the NBA is the Memphis Grizzlies squad of the Southwest Division. However, honorable mention goes to the New Orleans Hornets, also of the Southwest division and the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the Northwest Division.

 

NFL (Football)

There is no clear winner here but the Dallas Cowboys (NFC East) St. Louis Rams (NFC West) or Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West) are equally ridiculous.

 

NHL (Hockey)

The most ridiculous example and the overall winner of the Atlanta Braves Memorial Award can only belong to one lost team. The Winnipeg  Jets of the Southeast division is the most ridiculous of them all. First, Winnipeg is in Canada. The Jets are further north than all but 3 teams. Also, Winnipeg is in the middle of Canada. It would easily be further west than any other team in the Eastern Conference. With all due respect to the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets win the Atlanta Braves Memorial Award by a landslide.

 

**I realized that explaining the occurrences might be helpful. Some of the division mistakes happened because of a team moving from one city to another. I alluded to it in the 1st paragraph, but I figured that it might be a good idea to mention the specific situations that apply to the teams here. 

OKC Thunder – Formerly the Seattle Supersonics
Memphis Grizzlies – Formerly the Vancouver  Grizzlies

STL Rams- Formerly the Los Angeles Rams

Winnipeg Jets- Formerly the Atlanta Thrashers

NBA: Where Double Overtime Happens

The best thing about having NBA League Pass is the ability to watch bad, unpopular teams. There are a couple of teams that won't receive a lot of media coverage, but they are playing extremely well. Over the weekend I got to watch Charlotte play against Washington, which went into Overtime and was a really compelling game between teams that won't be on TV much, and won't be receiving a ton of media coverage. It was also my game to watch for Saturday from my last blog post.

The first Overtime ended with Chris Singleton needing to hit free throws to potentially win the game and lead the Wizards to their first win of the season. They were down 2 and he was fouled while taking a 3 point shot, so 3 free throws meant a win, 2 free throws meant double overtime and 5 more minutes of basketball, and hitting 1 or less meant that the Wizards would lose for the 11th time in a row. He hits the first one, followed by cheering from the crowd. He misses the second shot which deflates the entire building. Then he hits the third giving the Wizards, another opportunity at their first win. It isn't often that free throws have me at the edge of my seat, but it ended up being great theatre.

Now off to the games of the week.

Monday

New York Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets TNT (Nationally Televised)

I don't need to describe how big this game is. The two teams are geographic rivals and it has been a while since both teams were good at the same time. Now that the Nets have moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. They also have added better ownership and players. They appear to be primed to take the crown as the best team in New York. If the playoffs started today the Knicks would be the second seed and the Nets would be 3rd. This is a huge game and the first in a series of strong, meaningful games for both franchises.

Tuesday

Toronto @ Houston (League Pass)

The return of Kyle Lowry to Houston, and a good excuse to watch the two franchises.

Wednesday

Houston @ OKC (NBA TV)

Do I even have to explain why the return of James Harden is a big game. For the uninitiated, James Harden was drafted by the Thunder and played in Oklahoma for the first few years of his contract. This year he was up for a new contract and negotiated for it. Harden wanted a maximum deal (4 years/60 million) and the Thunder didn't want to pay him that much, instead offering him 4 years/52 million. The reasoning was that Harden, while a good player was still the 3rd best player on the team and giving him a max contract would reduce financial flexibility for the other positions on the teams. When Harden rejected the low offer, the assumption was that the thunder would keep him and try to negotiate a better deal over the course of the season. Instead, the Thunder traded him to Houston where he received the max contract he sought. Now he's back, going against Oklahoma City, and likely seeking revenge on his former team.

Thursday

San Antonio @ Miami TNT

San Antonio against Miami was the match up that many predicted would be the NBA Finals last year when the playoffs started. San Antonio was widely viewed as the worst matchup for Miami, and that Oklahoma City beating San Antonio made the path to a ring easier for the Heat. This should be an interesting matchup.

Denver @ GS TNT

The other TNT game is going to be interesting. The upstart Warriors are going to be tested against the Nuggets. I'm interested in how both teams perform.

Friday

Denver @ LAL (ESPN)

Remember when the Lakers were dead in the water after losing their first couple of games and not winning at all during the preseason. Well, after a coaching change the Lakers are exactly who we thought they were. Theyy should perform well against Denver.

NBA: Where Holidays Off Happen

 

Tuesday

BKN @ LAL (NBA TV) 10:30 EST

Nationally Televised. This might be the first game where the great Mike D'Antoni appears

NY @ NO (MSG/LP) 8 PM EST

If there's a God in heaven, there will be a portion of this game where I see Marcus Camby, a 38 year old veteran who was the basketball player I idolized as a kid. Guarding him will be Anthony Davis, the rookie who, due to a similar skill set, high draft position and late high school growth spurt has been endlessly compared to Camby. When I watch Davis, I'm reminded of the Marcus Camby who was an important part of the last elite Knicks teams, and the one who appeared on the last Knicks finals appearance. Davis is impossible to miss on the court. Even though the Knicks are a better team with a better record, this is a passing the torch moment like many others in the NBA, but with very special significance to me

Wednesday

LAC @ OKC (ESPN) 7:30 EST

Every OKC game against great competition will be scrutinized, especially when it's on ESPN.

DEN @ MIN (LP) 8 EST

Despite injury after injury, Minnesota continues to be amazing. I'm excited about both teams this year.

Thursday

No NBA games… There's 3 NFL games that I wouldn't want to miss.

Friday

OKC @ BOS (NBA TV)7:30

The trade that connects these two franchise was Jeff Green and Nenad Krystic for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson 2 seasons ago. At the time, there were arguments to be made that Green was better. Now, Perk for all of his faults is a starter for OKC and Jeff Green missed all of last season and has generally struggled this season.

Saturday

CHA @ WAS (LP) 7PM EST

I like Charlotte. I'm a huge Michael Kidd-Gilchrist fan. I still believe in Bismack Biyombo. Even Thunder castaway Byron Mullens is on the team and playing well. If the playoffs started today, CHA would be the sixth seed. Washington is none of these things. They (as of 11/19/21) have no wins.

CLE @ MIA (LP) 7:30 EST

For the lulz. I always find myself feeling bad for Cleveland as a sport city. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, Indians products, going against each other in the World Series. The Ravens' success, much of it as a result of playing the new Browns. And now this game, where LeBron James, sporting a shiny new championship ring will, play against the Cavaliers, his old team, now without their best player for the next month.

NBA: Where Westbrook happens

From a fantasy perspective, I love Russell Westbrook. He's a top 10 scorer with the ability to be a top 5 scorer. He's a proficient rebounder for his position and he technically plays point guard (although it can be argued that he doesn't have the point guard skills that "real point guards" have. He's quite the guard.

From a real life perspective, his speed and recklessness can often be the downfall of the Thunder. Last night's game was the most obvious example. Russell started the game being a shaky shooter and taking cringe worthy shots. He had 4 assists throughout the game as a starting point guard. His final quarter involved him hitting all 4 of his shots and scoring 14 of his 33 points. He had a double-double by hustling for rebounds and getting a clutch offensive rebound to seal the game. The Thunder were up by 3 and Kevin Durant missed a shot from the top of the key. Everyone else on the thunder began to drop back to play a final possession of defense. Westbrook hustled for an offensive rebound, keeping the ball in Thunder possession. It forced the Pistons to foul him, and he hit his foul shots to turn the contest into a two possession game For all of the grief that he gets for his passing, it's weird how high his basketball IQ is in other areas. It's one of the things that made Jason Kidd a valuable player long after his athleticism was over.

Of course the conversation over the course of the year is going to be "Is Westbrook preventing the thunder from being great?" The answer is no, but that too easy and not nearly as interesting the debate. I'm just going to enjoy watching Westbrook and watching the energy he brings to the game.

P.S. If you think of Westbrook as a player that cannot carry a team, watch the 3OT special against the grizzlies. Everyone else on the team looked drained, but he looked just as interested in playing and winning in the 1st quarter as he did in the 3rd Overtime.

Nationally Televised games

Tuesday

SAS @LAL NBA TV 8:30PM

Are the Lakers suddenly better now in this free flowing offense? How will the Spurs and Lakers play without their star point guards.

Wednesday

MEM @ OKC ESPN 6PM

The playoff series between the Griz and the Thunder seems as if it were so long ago. But all the key players (other than the 6th men in Mayo and Harden) are still here, and the series should still be incredible.

MIA @ LAC ESPN 8:30

The Heat versus the Clippers. Might be a good opportunity to check out CP3 and company.

Thursday

Bos @ BKN TNT 6pm

Good news. Gerald Wallace should be here for this battle of second tier Eastern Conference squads. Bad news. Keith Bogans hasn't been cut yet.

MIA @ DEN TNT 8:30pm

The Heat at my local team. Should be a great matchup.

Friday

UTA @ PHI ESPN 5pm

The Jazz playing the Bynum less 76ers. We'll be calling them that for a while. Either way, this game may be absolutely worthwhile.

NYK @ MEM ESPN 7:30

Zach Randolph is playing well. He's back to his double-double form.

Sunday

CLE @ PHI NBATV 4pm

The Cavs are playing the Bynum less 76ers (see what I did there). The Cavs are fully healthy. The Sixers are not. Luckily, rather than watching this meaningless game, there will be football on.

I need a weapon: Halo 4

When I was in 7th grade, I received Halo. It was my first FPS (first person shooter). Going through the story for the first time was frustrating. I wasn’t as skilled and it took me forever to get through the game. I beat the campaign a month before Halo 2 came out. Halo 2 had a disappointing story but the multiplayer options were amazing. I remember that it came out on a day off from school in sophomore year of high school.

When Halo 3 came out in my freshman year of college (September 2007), I spent a summer saving money for it. I bought Halo themed controllers, an Xbox Live subscription, a wireless receiver, and the Legendary edition of the game. I blew a lot of time and money on the game, so even with the nearly 400 dollar cost of all of the things I bought, it was worth it. By the time Halo 3 came out, Halo had online competitive multiplayer and co-operative multiplayer. Playing with up to 4 your friends and against up to 15 of your friends creates lots of options for how to play. Also, thanks to Bungie, the original creator of the game, you can see your character’s stats online with a large amount of detail. How many kills do you have? How many deaths? What’s the ratio of kills to to deaths? How many time were you killed with a shotgun on a particular map? Where on the map do you die the most? It created a feedback loop which makes the game better. Also, when the developer created updates and other fixes to maps, weapons and characters, all either low cost or free, it also helps.

Now, it’s 2012, so right before the world ends, another edition of Halo has been released. There’s a new enemy type now, along with the Covenant, the enemy type from the first 3 major editions of the game. But mostly it’s more of the same. You still play as the same character, and you’re still shooting enemies until they’re down. However, the sameness is comforting. I haven’t bought a new IP in a long time, mostly because I don’t have the time to learn a new game. I already know how to play Halo as soon as I unwrap the game. That reduces the time it takes to get into the game and enjoy it. The difficulty will come in the way of the way the enemies interact with you and how you respond to them, rather than trying to figure out what button does what action.  I’ll be busy tonight with it, though.

P.S. Sgt. Johnson, Intergalactic Repairman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPb70_B7iP4

Blindsided by the return of the NBA

Last year’s NBA lockout was great for fall sports. There was no basketball, so the World Series had the entire time to itself other than Game 4 which was on a Sunday. My fantasy football and picks were the only side projects I had to work on. And I even had the opportunity to watch a bit of hockey. It was a great time for sport. Then when the NBA came back in December, baseball was over, fantasy football (as well as the Cowboys season) was mostly  over, and the only sport to compete for my attention was hockey. It was a grand time indeed to be a sports junkie.

This year the NBA snuck up on me. I haven’t had time to prepare. I did my picks this year and submitted them late. I didn’t include the Portland Trailblazers because I forgot that Batum hadn’t actually gone to the T’wolves. I forgot that Iman Shumpert was hurt. I called Anthony Davis and Gustavo Ayon an  impressive front court, forgetting that Ayon no longer plays for the Hornets, and plays for the Orlando Magic. With only 24 hours a day, I can’t put in the time that I would like to understand the intricacies of the season as I would like. The other problem is the fact that I didn’t buy NBA 2k13 this year, which acts as the best refresher course for these sorts of changes. I play the game, I see things like “Michael Beasley is on the Suns” and I don’t go into fantasy drafts completely blind as I did this year. 

The bigger problem standing between me and knowledge of all things basketball is law school. Thanks to the second year of law school being much busier and time consuming than my first year, I’m in a position where i don’t have the hours in the day. There is too much knowledge to consume and not enough time. That and comparatively speaking law school and the related events are much more important. Whether I know the starting line-up on the Nuggets won’t matter in 10 years. Whether I do well enough in law school to attain a job in the legal market does. More importantly the impact I have on my clients means a lot more to me than basketball.

Therefore, things had to be cut down. Football was more or less done for me. I haven’t listened to the podcasts, I did little more than set my line-ups for fantasy, and I blindly picked all the favorites for my fantasy pick’em. I’m doing my law school reading in large chunks rather than the slow and steady pace I’ve been maintaining. I’ve also minimized my gaming hours. If you’ve noticed, this is just a description of my “optional hours”. When you add that to the time I spend at my internship and law school and doing all the things that I have to do it doesn’t leave me with a lot of time for the things I want to do.

However,there is hope. I will be working on doing more NBA related posts as stories begin to manifest themselves. Oh, and the NBA schedule should be pretty forgiving this year.

Stop and Frisk, back at home in NYC.

"Unless you was me, 
how could you judge me?
I was brought up in pain, 
y'all can't touch me
Police pursued me, 
Chased, cuffed, and subdued me
Talked to me rudely; 
cause I'm young rich and I'm black" - Jay-Z (Momma Loves Me)

What's interesting about learning criminal law and procedure is the academic confirmation of things that I already knew. I know that police officers often behave in ways that they ought not to. I grew up in Southeast Queens, New York. Unquestionably there is crime in my neighborhood of Springfield Gardens. Now that I know where to look, I can see what that means. Now that i live elsewhere I can see it from an outside perspective. I always looked at my neighborhood as bad, but I knew that it wasn't even the worse neighborhood in New York. The major problem I had was the feeling that police that police were stopping the wrong people. Somehow they were taking the easy way out by stopping and frisking people like me who weren't doing anything wrong. 
Today, I found a report from the NYCLU that put stats behind that feeling. Where I lived in NY encompassed the 113th police precinct. Lets ignore the racial aspects of the report for a second. In the area that the 113th police precinct covers, there is crime undoubtedly. People carry guns, you can smell marijuana often. Needles and other remnants of recent drug use litter the floors of local parks. It also has all the signs of urban blight with graffiti on the walls, specifically gang graffiti marking territory. Knowing nothing else, you would expect that there would be lots of police stops because of all of the crime. This is a target neighborhood for stop and frisk.

However, looking at police stops, there isn't the police effectiveness you would expect. In the neighborhood, there were 12,359 stops. This amounts to about 10.3% of the population of the precinct. 6,362 stops resulted in frisks. In 2,622 cases, force would be used. Out of those stops, 11,031 resulted in no summons issued. Meaning that after an intrusive stop, and sometimes an even more intrusive frisk, 89.3% of people were innocent of any crime. This is in the "high crime area" that the stop and frisks are supposed to be the most effective in. Maybe this neighborhood is being targeted (Ranked 20th out of 76 precincts in NY) But it's also has the 29th highest rate of innocent stops and it's ranked 20th amongst total innocent stops.

It's a study that hurts. It's depressing as someone who lived there. Getting stopped is invasive. Getting stopped and frisked is even more invasive. Stopping and frisking innocent people at this number is shameful. It's especially bad, because it means that the police that are supposed to be stopping people, and that are supposed to be protecting the innocent folk from the violence that plagues the neighborhood are victimizing them, despite having done nothing wrong.

Now, lets talk about race for a second. I won't talk about my local police precinct, because the neighborhood is 92% black/Latino, so the 94.8% of stops is about what you would expect. Instead, lets look a little bit more broadly. In NY, approximately 685,000 people were stopped in 2011. Of those, about 605,000 were innocent of any crime. 350,000 were black and 223,000 were Latino. 202,000 frisks were of blacks. But a weapon was only found on 1.8% of blacks and Latinos who were frisked. Meaning that only 1 out of 50 people who received the intrusive frisk were guilty of carrying a weapon. More importantly, is the fact that 310,000 people who were stopped in 2011 were black and innocent of any crime. This is about 53% of all innocent people and this means that 88.5% of blacks stopped were innocent of any crime. If this large disproportionate percent of people are being stopped, it's troubling that this many are innocent of any crime.

"Raising my hand" or "Race and Criminal Procedure"

Wanted to write about something that was really bothering me this week and I wasn’t sure which angle to attack it from. But since this is my blog, and I set the rules, I’m going with both.

There are two things that people know know about about my academic career. 1) I raise my hand a lot, usually from the front row of class and  2) Criminal Law means a lot to me. As far as the first one, I really put a lot of thought into what I say when I raise my hand. When people speak in class, especially when its an opinion/policy based question it should add to the discussion. I try not to raise my hand just to hear myself talk, and I try not to be “that guy”. Whether it’s been successful or not is up for debate, but I did get an award for “contributing to the classroom learning experience” so there’s a 51 percent chance I haven’t upset more people than not.

The other part is Criminal Law. I tell people often that when it comes to class, if there aren’t any murders I get bored. My degree is in Criminal Justice. I’ve interned in criminal justice fields a decent portion of the last few years. I’m very passionate about the way police officers interact with people, the way laws are set up, and how judges decide cases. Criminal Law and its history is also tied closely with discrimination, especially racial discrimination.

The problem with my passion for criminal law and being prone towards raising my hand a lot, is that sometimes I feel like I go too far. While some people in my criminal law class last year cared about legal realism and the disconnect between what laws say and how they are carried  out, a lot of my classmates just wanted to do well on the final. Not a problem, because that’s the way I felt in Property and other classes. But it also means that when I’m going on about some story about my connections to criminal justice and hypothetical questions that are “loosely related” to things that I’ve seen in  my neighborhood, I’m not doing anything to “contribute to the classroom learning experience”. Rather, I’m detracting from it. 

This years Criminal Procedure class has been absolutely atrocious for me. There was a case we read that essentially detailed a racial profiling stop.

**Parentheses in the following paragraph are not the facts given by the Supreme Court, but my opinion of what actually happened, legal realism**

In Whren, a set of police officers conduct a search based on a stop due to a traffic violation. The details of the stop were painful for me to read as someone who grew up in New York City and especially during my college years had to listen to a lot of BS rationales for stops that essentially boiled down to “they were Black/Hispanic and I figured they might be a criminal.” The officers were part of a drug unit. They were in a high drug neighborhood (read: poor/minority I’ve never heard “The Hill” described as a high drug neighborhood although I’m certain there pretty easy access to drugs, but I digress) and they began to follow the suspect because he was stopped at a stop sign for too long (while being black).

Now to some people the ends justify the means in criminal law cases. Was the person guilty of a crime or not? If that is your view of things, then there is no discussion to be had. When the police officers caught up to Whren, he had two bags of vials of crack cocaine in his hands. But this is a criminal procedure class, so the question “did the police make a proper stop/search” is the only important one. The court decided that even though the police officers were a drug unit, and that the stop was a traffic violation bearing no relationship to carrying drugs, the stop was acceptable.  This is a classic racial profiling stop, one that bothers me deeply and one that happens all over America. I’ve never understood when my classmates get upset about the absence or presence of a dissent in a case, but when I realized there was no dissent in the textbook, and then looked it up online to realize that it was a 9-0 decision, I felt a blood vessel pop in my forehead.

When the case came up in class, I made the conscious decision to say nothing and just listen to my classmates. Unfortunately, in the middle of discussing the case, the professor gave a hypo which I thought was borderline insulting. Essentially, she gave a hypo about another racial profiling case, and made it clear that the cops were essentially racially profiling. Fine. Then, she asked how Whren changed things. The problem is the assumption that Whren actually did change anything. De facto, Whren made racial profiling an acceptable practice as long as you don’t admit you’re racially profiling, even when it’s painfully obvious that you are. But police were doing that long before Whren, and police do it to this day. Rather than a well thought out response to the hypo, my answer was… “Is the case in Texas? Are the suspects black? Then why are we pretending the law matters?” Upon realizing I was absolutely being “that guy” and fighting the hypo (and being borderline rude) I gave a quick, mumbled version of the answer i figured she wanted (Before Whren you could make the argument that the stop was improper, but now you can’t).

There’s also another problem with that answer. Because race is a sensitive topic, it stifles the conversation about the case. When one person describes the police, judges and DA’s as racist (or perpetuating racism) in one fell swoop, it creates unease if you agree with the stop, even if it’s a perfectly reasonable argument (Something along the lines of  “The people were violating a traffic law, so the police ought to be able to stop them and at least perform a cursory check if they’re breaking other laws, regardless of race”). The next day’s class discussed a situation where a police officer fatally shot a person who was evading arrest for stealing $10. The case has a meaningful racial aspect to it, but since the text book didn’t mention the suspect’s race (Take a wild guess), and it’s not like 1974 Memphis (where the incident took place) had a recent history of racism, I didn’t want to be that guy and mention it.  Especially since every other case has racial overtones, and there’s only so much righteous indignation to go around.

I have a feeling that Crim Pro is going to be tough sledding. Property was rough because I didn’t care at all about the subject. Crim Pro is going to be difficult because I care deeply, but not in a way that will be fruitful when the final comes around. It also doesn’t help when I’m listening to 911 tapes at work and hear the operator ask “Was [the suspect] Black, Hispanic or Asian”  in a county where 90 percent of people are none of the above. I’ll try to save my righteous indignation for another outlet.

NFL Picks

WEEK 2

Thursday, September 13

Chicago at Green Bay, 8:20

I can’t do the Saturday previews anymore because the Thursday games are already completed. I picked the Packers, because of Lambeau, and because I thought the Bears were overrated, but yeah, you know.

Sunday, September 16

Tampa Bay at NY Giants, 1:00

I know the Panthers are a suspect squad but are the Bucs actually good? They seem like a team that has the fire power to tear up the secondary just like the Cowboys did. Also, the major story is that the Giants don’t win at home as they should. My feeling all year is that the Giants were going to let some people down this year and that the NFC East would be a 3 team race. Tampa.

New Orleans at Carolina, 1:00

The Saints got embarrassed last week. It won’t happen again. New Orleans

Arizona at New England, 1:00

West coast team going East for a 1 o’clock game. And one team is vastly superior in every way. New England

Minnesota at Indianapolis, 1:00

I think the Colts are a bad team for certain. They’ve been terrible against the run and the other team has AP. As much as I would like Luck to win this game at home… Minnesota

Baltimore at Philadelphia, 1:00

I do think that Vick will be better. I also think that the Ravens will be a monster this week.  Maybe this Philly team is better than the one that was manhandled by the Browns. Baltimore.

Kansas City at Buffalo, 1:00

I can’t get rid of the fact that they gave 48 points to the Jets.  Kansas City

Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1:00

I’m not betting on the browns to win anything anytime soon.  Cincinatti.

Houston at Jacksonville, 1:00

Houston. Division rival.

Dallas at Seattle, 4:05

This game has been keeping me up at night. On one hand, the Cowboys are a better team on paper. Russell Wilson couldn’t put up 200 pass yards against the Cards, why would they be relevant against the Cowboys and DWARE. On the other hand. Seattle, and Century Link field. They don’t lose there. And for the 50 millionth time, Romo in Seattle. Jittery QB + Insane Crowd noise. Dallas

Washington at St. Louis, 4:05

Another potential letdown game for a division rival. Yes, the Rams are bad. But this is the type of game the Redskins lose, right? St. Louis.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh, 4:15

The Jets are supremely overhyped and they aren’t that good on offense. On the other hand. Big Ben continues to get sacked often and the Jets only have blitzes. Sounds like a week of “Should Tebow be the starting QB” nonsense.  Pittsburgh.

Tennessee at San Diego, 4:15

I hate the NFL for this game. Who are the Titans anyway? A run-first team with no decent running backs. How are things this bad for Chris Johnson. Why is he on my fantasy team (come on, you know you care)? San Diego.

Oakland at Miami, 4:15

Because Miami is bad. And all of the Oakland players learned the snap counts from Hard Knocks. Oakland.

Detroit at San Francisco, 8:20

After the shellacking of Green Bay, I’m assuming that the 49ers are the best team in the NFL until absolutely proven otherwise. 49ers

Monday, September 17

Denver at Atlanta, 8:30

Part Two of AFC West vs. Atlanta. Same result. Atlanta. 

2L... you can call me Cool J

It seems like only yesterday that I went to the 7th Avenue stop for the first time on my way to college. It was 5 years ago. When I entered college, I went there a bit sour about the choices I had made that led me to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and with the feeling that I should have gone elsewhere. But the 4 years of schooling at John Jay and especially the 2 years spent with the Ronald H. Brown program strengthened me and made me who I am today.

In junior year, my professor called me and asked me if law school was important enough that I would be willing to go to Nebraska for it. I replied yes, but I never thought that I would ever need to make that decision, and I thought that I would never leave New York. Now, years later, I'm in year two of law school in Colorado, a school that I chose, not because it was the only school available or because it was the easiest decision (like John Jay), but because it was where I wanted to go.

1L year was a struggle. Living in my apartment without a bed for the first month or furniture for almost a year was hard. Trying to salvage a rocky relationship from 2 thousand miles away and having it end from 2 thousand miles away was worse. Now when I enter CU, I enter knowing that the fact that I'm back means that I made it. I've found great support in the classmates that I've competed with, danced with, complained with, and took turns needing a shoulder to lean on and being a shoulder to cry on. It's because of them that I made and because of them that I can't wait for the second year to begin.


"So here I go it's my shot. Feet fail me not, this may be the only opportunity that I got" -Eminem (Lose Yourself)

The Man, The Legend, Big Punisher (6th in a series)

"Time to expand, New York to Chicago, Colorado
You know my motto, clock G's and rock keys like Drago"

"Sometimes rhymin' I blow my own mind like Nirvana
Comma, and go the whole nine like Madonna"

I'm not exactly sure how we got here. I had a list of rappers and moments that I wanted to talk about. Big Pun wasn't on that list. But then a couple of things happened. When my brother came to Colorado, Twinz (Deep Cover '98) plays from my iPad and we both rap Big Pun's part of the 1st verse. Then a week or so later, I have a discussion about rap music with a classmate and Big Pun's name comes up. I was surprised because Big Pun doesn't have that many huge singles and he died a decade ago. Then over the weekend Pun's name comes up again. So here I am writing about him rather than some other story.
With Big Pun I have a stark visual of what rap music is to me, and some of my harshest criticisms about the themes involved. Big Pun, despite having a devastatingly short career was a person who I grew up hearing stories about every so often. I would hear something and assume it was made up. No way that this guy could be all of the things that he purported to be. Besides, rappers make up things all the time (Example: Rick Ross, purported drug dealer, actual corrections officer). But even as I got older, Big Pun's stories remain surreal but a lot of major ones are very true. 1) Big Pun was a violent dude. As a kid, he was reckless and would take out anger on the walls. As an adult, he was emotionally abusive and volatile towards the people close to him including his wife. 2) Even measured against other entertainers, his sex romps were the stuff of legend. Most of the stories I didn’t hear about until long after his death. I'd hear stories about him running through a record label chasing rappers around with 100 Latin Kings carrying Uzi's. Then I'd hear about some other "street business" he handled with his bare hands. Then I'd hear that Pun was just picking women up by the dozens, even after he was married with kids. While interesting, none of these activities are things I approve of. With that caveat, Big pun is one of the best lyricists rap has ever produced and he's the stereo typical "your favorite rapper's favorite rapper"

"I'm the first Latin rapper to baffle your skull
Master the flow, niggas be swearin' I'm blacker than coal(Cole)
Like Nat King, I be rapping in tongues
Packing the ones, magnums, cannons and Gatling guns"

With that comes his music. Much like Biggie, Big Pun's Capital Punishment is the only album released during his life time. Its considered to be a classic. It starts with a kid talking about how "The Punisher" is a better hero than any other ones. He's realer than any other heroes and therefore, is a better hero than any other one. Then the it goes into "Beware", a Mobb Deep produced masterpiece of a beat. The chorus begins "I gave you fair warning, beware." Most rappers have empty boasts about how good they are, big Pun says and then proves it, immediately.

"Flawless victory you niggas can't do shit to me
Physically, lyrically, hypothetically, realistically "

There is no question whether he's a great rapper. He just crushes the beats on the album. Dream Shatterer is a perfect example for how to open a song, because the 1st verse is unbelievable. How amazing is it? In a crew of some of the best up and coming rappers of the time, its clear that Big Pun has the respect of everyone else in the room. Just for reference, other people involved include Canibus, DMX, and Mos Def. Check DMX's absolute deference to Pun and the respect he gives him. How many people does DMX respect? Seriously. At around the 5 minute mark, Pun presents the verses that would become "Dream Shatterer" as a freestyle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEB7E1nCV6w&feature=player_detailpage#t=296s
The problem with writing about Capital Punishment as an album, and the reason why this isn't a pure review of the album is that I'm compelled to just write quotes. That and the album has a lot of holes in it. It has a couple too many skits and there are a lot of songs that are repetitive. Really the song could have been limited to the best songs and there would have been nothing lost. He includes "I'm not a player" and "Still Not a Player". He includes Super lyrical, and Dream Shatterer, two pieces which aren't really songs as much as they are canvases for free style. When freestyling, he's a amazing, but creating cohesive songs is a struggle. He's not the only rapper to have this issue. Slaughterhouse, as a group, now has been criticized for precisely the same thing almost a decade and a half later. While I think that the album would be better if he just chose one song with the same message rather than trying to fit all of his work in one album. Capital Punishment comes across as more of an anthology than as a novel . It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes writing about the album track by track difficult. That being said, there are a lot of really nice songs other than the ones mentioned like Tres Leches and the Pakinamac skits
When his next album came out the 1st single features the line "I just lost a 100 pounds I'm try'na live. I ain't goin nowhere" as an adlibbed line during the chorus. Between the single's release and the album's release Big Pun, the larger than life figure, died of a heart attack. While he never struggled with crime, money and women, he struggled his entire life with his weight. BIG pun was around 700 pounds at the time of his death.
One of the things that makes Pun's work amazing is that it is an honest portrayal of himself. It separates him from the Rick Ross's of the world, or even Tupac who made up personas on the mic that they didn't live in real life. Pun speaks as if he's larger than life because he is. When he talks about random encounters with women, there's no question that they either happened or could happen. When he talks about making threats and then carrying them out, there's no doubt that he's speaking from lots of experience. Each song is a story that adds to the legend. Perhaps his debut album sounds a certain way to me, because his life (and my encounters with it) was also a scattered set of "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but here's what happened" stories. Realness is often a silly theme in rap, but Big Pun was honest to his situation and saw life through the lens of a rapper from the Bronx, New York. When he rapped about things the familiarity came out in the form of great witty lyricism that won’t be forgotten.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLiZyr7m8K4&feature=youtu.be

A little exposed, a little naked, but very appreciative

 

“Thanks for comin' out tonight/
You coulda been anywhere in the world,/
but you're here with me/
I appreciate that” – Jay-Z (Izzo)

 

My blog has been up for a while. I originally changed the name to the 5 year plan knowing that I wanted a set of huge changes in my life. I appreciate the people who, over the years have read my posts. Whether it's a discussion of the use of slurs, or my personal choice not to drink, you all have been extremely supportive and positively critical. I try not to advertise my posts too obnoxiously. I don't make ad money, and it doesn't further my career to post, so the only thing I get out of writing is knowing people read it and feel one way or another about what I wrote. Over the summer, my recent posts about my non-drinking and insomnia and my series on rap music have created a spike in interest and page views. Honestly, I started blogging because I never felt comfortable about my ability to write, and I started up again after my first year of law school killed whatever confidence I had left. It also feels weird writing about myself, because while I have no problem talking about other people’s accomplishments and things I’ve seen over my life, discussing my own shortcomings hasn’t come easy. Thank you so much for reading.

The Best Rap Album of all Time (5th in a series)

There is always going to be discussion about what the best album is of all time. There's lots of great contenders. Illmatic by Nas, The Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z, Doggystyle and The Chronic by Dr Dre and Snoop, and Paid in full by Eric B and Rakim are all common contenders. However, while all these albums are good, the album that is closest to perfect is the Notorious B.I.G.'s debut Ready to Die.
Ready to Die, for an album consistently considered to be a classic staple of any NY's fan, is overlooked. The biggest reason is that it came out in '93 and unlike all of the practitioners mentioned above, Biggie can't perform songs from the 1st album because he died 15 years ago. The second problem is that not only is Ready to Die not considered the best album period, it also is arguably not Biggie's best album, since Life After Death is also a classic. I'm of the belief that as far as rap music goes this is as good as it gets. It's not a perfect album, but it's as close as it gets. Any upcoming rapper needs to listen to "Ready to Die".
The benefit of a rapper's first album is that they've had their entire life to work on it. The experiences from 5- 25 can all be used. In Ready to Die, Biggie tells a story, that begins literally from birth. In the intro, you hear biggie being born (hilarious skit voiced by Diddy). The second song, in stark contrast is titled things done changed. It serves as a thesis statement for the rest of the album. Biggie is going to tell the story of his life in this changed world. He talks about how is he affected by it and how does he effect change upon it.
The 3rd person narrative switches immediately to 1st person in "Gimme Da Loot". "My man brought a tec and a nine to the crib, turn himself in he had to do a bid, a one to 3 he'll be home the end of 93, it's time to get this paper g, you wit me?" And we are with him, carried through Machine Gun Funk and the dark brooding "Warning".

"Hold on I hear somebody coming"

Warning is a turning point in the album all of a sudden, the success he has turns on him. To be fair the song which begins with hearing that people are out to kill Biggie ends with a skit where you hear Biggie off his attackers. Then the title track plays followed by the great song One More Chance
Then for the first (and only time) you hear a guest on the album with the appearance of Method Man in "The What". While meth is a skilled rapper in his own right, he's not on the level of Mr. Smalls. This is followed by everyone's favorite song Juicy. Juicy is a retrospective song discussing Biggie's childhood. Where things done change talks about his neighborhood in the 3rd person, Juicy is all about Biggie's life and current success
However, in Everyday struggle, it becomes immediately apparent that everything isn't rosy for him. The success has create BIG problems from fellow dealers, rappers, and even the mayor of NY. His concerns about his new daughter have also become huge. Then in the song "Me & My Bitch", the person that he loves, trusts and sticks by gets killed by people looking for him . Then in big poppa, he has a song that sounds different in the context of the song Me and My Bitch coming before him.

"You got a gun up in your waist/Please don't shoot up the place/'Cuz I see some ladies tonight that could be having my baby, baby"

Out of context, it seems random and even a throwaway statement. In context of the previous song, he's deadly serious. He's thinking about the future with his present lifestyle getting in the way.
Respect and Friend of Mine get into similar themes of looking back and distance from relationships. Then unbelievable plays, and it it's the last positive highlight of the album.

"When I die, fuck it I wanna go to hell, cuz I'm a piece of shit it ain't hard to fuckin tell"

The last song is dark. The song Suicidal Thoughts is morbid in its consideration of past acts and present lifestyle decisions. He says he wishes his mom had aborted him. He talks about the way he mistreated her an other people. Then the song ends with the bang of a self-inflicted gunshot.
The album tells the story of a man. A rise, a peak, a fall. The songs are all meaningful in their order and they all feel like they matter, in telling a part of the story. The songs are also excellent and hold up on their own. This is the mark of a great album.

How iTunes and "ringtone rap" changed the game. (4th in a series)

 

How buying music 99cents at a time changed music's focus

It's really not the fault of MIMS. When MIMS's first single came out, he sold a million ringtones 99 cents at a time. "This is why I'm hot" played in subways, offices, schools and street corners throughout the country. He took advantage of a great way to earn a ton of money. His album on the other hand was terrible. Deservedly or undeservedly he has been the posterboy of the era of rap music in the mid '00s derisively described as "ringtone rap".

The story starts, not with MIMS, but with Steve Jobs. As a response to rampant illegal downloading, Apple, under Jobs, chose to take advantage of digital downloading and helped create a system, iTunes, for buying music online in a quick and easy way. Apple wasn't the first or last to sell music online, but they did so in the most effective way, and they had the most popular (legal) service by far. It changed the way people legally consumed music. Rather than buying a 15 dollar album and enjoying a song or two, consumers were able to obtain music a la carte. It allowed them to sift through the rubbish and just get what they wanted

In response to this, artists focused more on singles, since that would be all that consumers would buy. This was especially true if you were a new artist. People would be unlikely to buy their entire album, but if they focused on a catchy single or two they could sell a lot of singles and make more money. This was made to be even more true when ringtones began to be sold later in the '00s. A 30 second clip of the song, usually the chorus, was the focus, rather than a 50 minute album

When people say, "hip hop is dead", this era is why. The '90s had a ton of classic albums, as opposed to the '00s with very few. This wasn't because of a lack of talent, but rather a lack of necessity. In the 90's you had to make your album as good as possible to make money. In the '00s there was a different way to obtain that reward. The pendulum has swung back in the direction of attempting to create classic albums now. This is because people generally don't buy ringtones anymore. This is also due to societal pressure within the hip hop community to create better albums. Still, the artists of the mid ‘00s who took advantage of the era made a ton of money doing it, and created some memorable singles because of it.

Get Rich or Die Tryin (3rd in a series)

Some albums hold up really well, some albums were overhyped. Get Rich or Die Tryin' the 2003 official debut of 50 cent does not hold up well at all.

History lesson. In 2003, so called “gangsta rap” wasn't dead, but it wasn't what it was in the early 90's. After Biggie and Tupac died, the rappers that gained popularity were less violent. Perhaps that's a good thing, but it also left room for someone, anyone to fill the role. Curtis Jackson had all the credibility to fill that role. He's from Southside Jamaica Queens, a historically violent neighborhood. He has a rap sheet with felony drug charges, and faced a 3-9 year sentence. Also, as he proceeded to mention many times, he was shot 9 times at close range. Also, unlike rappers like Jay-Z and others, he didn't distance himself from that former life at all.

Then there's the rap aspect. He had a ton of "street singles" and mixtapes. Songs like Ghetto Quran and How to Rob got him a lot of attention. By 2003, he was signed to Shady Records and had the benefit of beats from Dr. Dre and Eminem, something that new rappers would kill for.
When the album began, and the sounds of 2 quarters dropping happens, there's no doubt of his rap skills and his angle

"They say I walk around like I got an S on my chest, no that's a semi-auto and a vest on my chest"

Then Patiently Waiting featuring Eminem plays followed by Many men. The album has a lot of music that holds up, or music that reminds me of my teens when I listened to it for the first time.

On the other hand, when the album is bad, it's terrible. High all the time, P.I.M.P., poor lil rich. Blood hound are all songs that didn't need to be there. I'm also not a fan of 21 questions. 50 cent is good at rapping about getting shot and how tough he is in comparison to everyone else. But he has absolutely no range. Immediately it becomes obvious that the album isn't a classic. It's important. It’s a peek into the early 2000's. However, in comparison to other solid debuts, it's decidedly not a classic.

Nas v. Jay-Z. (2nd in a series)

In 2001, I didn’t know I was getting ready to be exposed to a huge moment in rap when my dad called me into the basement where his Djing equipment was to listen to a new Jay-Z song. The song Takeover was a song of unfettered braggadocio. The 1st verse was nothing unusual, Jay-z was bragging about how he is the best rapper alive and will crush the competition. Nothing new. The second verse was a shot against Prodigy from Mobb Deep. Lines like "I got money stacks bigger than you" and "Back in 88, you were a ballerina" were great lines, but not meaningful. No one would argue that Jay-Z wasn't better than Mobb Deep. But at the end of the second verse, Jay-Z exclaims "Ask Nas he don't want it with Hov, nooooooo". As the chorus broke, I was thinking to myself, he's not going to say something about Nas, right? Nas is a legend. He can't take a shot at another rapper from Queens. He did.

"You went from, Nasty Nas, to "Esco's trash" had a spark when you started but now you're just garbage. Went from top 10 to not mentioned at all till your body guard's Oochie Wallie verse was better than yours".

This wasn't just the normal bragging, I'm better, you're not very good. This was 100 percent true, and a damning commentary on Nas's career to that point. Nas, despite having an amazing debut album, had a career on a downward spiral. Nas's verse on "Oochie Wallie" was godawful. Then, in what might be the best lines of the song. He describes Nas as having a "One hot album every 10 year average". Followed by the grade school taunt "You know who, did you know what, with you know who, let's keep that between me and you" The 4th verse really good, but in my eyes the damage was done. What would happen next? How would Nas come back?

“Fuck Jay-Z”

“Fuck Jay-Z”

“Fuck Jay-Z”

And so began a song that created a new term in rap music "getting Ethered", using a Tupac sample no less. Was it a technically better song? I hold the minority opinion that it wasn't. Was it bolder? Absolutely. “Ether” by Nas was a focused effort that ripped the doors off of Jay-Z's effort. From small shots, like calling Jay-Z a camel to larger themes like Jay-Z copying older, more established artists especially the Notorious B.I.G. He even dismissed Jay-Z’s claim to best rapper by using Jay-Z’s line from “Where I’m from”. Jay-Z said people argue every day about “who’s the best emcee Biggie, Jay-Z, or Nas.” In Ether, Nas asks and answers the question, “Who’s the best, Pac, Nas, or Big? Ain’t no best.” I thought that was the strongest line that Nas had.

The popular opinion is that Ether was a better track than Takeover. I’ve already shown my hand. Takeover was a better track for many reasons. First, it’s less dependent on direct gay jokes for punchlines. To be fair, this practice was more accepted 10 years ago, but still it comes across as unfunny looking back on it. Second, Takeover wasn’t just a Nas diss, it was also took out Mobb Deep and essentially ended their status as Class B stars. Third, Takeover featuring a then barely known producer named Kanye West had a much better beat than Ether (although the Tupac sample from Ether is much better than the David Bowie interpolation from Jay-Z’s song). Fourth and more importantly, the focused effort from Takeover is a more meaningful set of shots against Nas at that point of his career than the shots against Jay-Z at that point of Jay’s career.

This battle rejuvenated Nas's career. Ether reminded people that Nas is a great emcee. Jay-Z's career and image took a tiny hit. Afterward, lots of rappers from Joe Budden to Lil’ Wayne took shots at Jay-Z, mostly getting destroyed because they lack Nas’s talent. Despite the public beating Jay took because of this and getting outrapped against Eminem on the same album, he came back on the Black Album and continued to enjoy the success he previously had. Most importantly they later settled their public issues and created “Black Republicans” and “Success”, 2 great song collaborations. Most important, it presented a great set of moments for rap that didn’t end in gunfire and me losing any of my favorite artists.

Hip Hop (1st in a series)

"Hip hop is my fate, since cassette tapes" - Obie Trice ("Cry Now")

It's hard to get to know me for more than a short period of time without knowing that I'm a huge rap fan. I listen to it constantly. I post lyrics on my Facebook page and occasionally at the top of my blog posts (See above). It's also an art that has gotten me through a lot of hard times.

I always liked rap music. I grew up in New York City, so it's almost genetic. I grew up hearing music out of the windows of people's cars. Also, my dad DJ'd part time so I would constantly listen to rap music from the 1980's hearing Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Run-DMC. As a result it's hard to pin down when I "fell in love" with rap because it was, and still is omnipresent in Springfield Gardens, Queens. It didn't begin in one place for me; it was always there.

I do remember listening to a freestyle with my brother in my dad's car that was a turning point for me. In the 90's, Hot 97 (WQHT) was THE station for rap music in New York. It had great, legendary DJ's and hosts in Ed Lover, Funk Master Flex, Mister Cee, Angie Martinez and many others. My favorite things to listen to were the freestyle sessions. Rappers would come to the station and give their best lines. The best thing was that there were no restraints. No choruses, no concerns about making a "club single". It was just rap in its purest forum. My dad taped a session with Canibus, Noreaga, and DMX, 3 rappers who, at the time (about ‘98) were up and coming.

"My style is every color in the spectrum, your style is plain like trains without vandalism" -Canibus

It’s a lot more interesting than saying "When it comes to rapping I'm interesting, you're boring". It also adds more to the idea and gives a better sensory touch. It also contains slant rhyme. There was about 15 minutes of this from Canibus, DMX and Noriega. Getting away from the technical aspects of the session, I was hooked. My brother and I listened to the tape enough times that I memorized most of it. (Except Noreaga, I was never a huge Noreaga fan.)

Looking back, it had a huge impact on the type of music I listen to and the way I listen to music. I still prefer the rappers with witty punchlines who put time into their craft. It also added to my appreciation for language. 

Throughout the last month or so, I’ve had a ton of discussions about rap music with my classmates. People from all over the country have different interactions with it. Over the next month I’m planning to go in depth discussing facets of my interactions with the genre, through influential albums, songs, artists and storylines. I’ve been working on this project off and on for about a year now and can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Sober thoughts from the Boulder Cafe

“I work them long nights, long nights to get a pay day” – Big Sean (Mercy)

 

When I tell people that I don’t drink, they often give me a look of horror that’s usually reserved for 12 car pile ups. Occasionally people accept it and move on. Most of the time they ask a simple question. Why?  The answer isn’t particularly easy. I don’t have a religious reason for it, no moral opposition, no allergies to alcohol. I realize I sort of answered it in a previous post but merely using “responsibility” as THE reason I don’t drink isn’t completely intellectually honest. It’s a little more complicated than that.

The main reason I don’t drink is because I didn’t really do it before. I didn’t drink when I was in New York. Generally, no one asked me until I was old enough that I wasn’t interested by it. It also helped that I commuted to and from college and my high school friends weren’t going to force me to drink, because they already knew I didn’t. 
The other main reason is my hearing. I’m hearing impaired, and can’t hear out of my right ear. With that comes some balance issues and directional hearing issues. I live with it and deal with it. I also suffer from migraines. I never thought that drinking would be a good thing to add with those things.

Even though I don’t drink, I still go to bars and clubs, sober. Last week, I ended up going out a couple of nights in a row due to a school obligation, a work obligation, and Saturday for my own benefit. Had a lot of fun all three nights. Great conversations even if some of the content was a direct result of “liquid courage”.

My favorite part of the weekend was Saturday night. Saturday was pretty rough for me so I was ready for the night to bring any positivity. And that it did. A couple of months ago one of my classmates  described me as “in my element” when dancing to certain music. I forgot over the years that I really enjoy dancing. When I was younger I used to dance to every thing (badly). Then as I got older and was concerned about not embarrassing myself I mostly stopped doing it. Then I got back into it in late high school and college due to friends and relationships. Now that I’m in Colorado, and a bit more mature, I don’t care. If I’m motivated, I’ll dance. I don’t think I’m a particularly good dancer, but I’m also not concerned that I might be a bad one.  As long as the music is right, I’m up for the challenge.

Of course I had the problem of the “right” music being followed by music outside of my comfort zone.  But at the end of the night had a really great set of songs ending with “Mercy” and all feelings of ill will towards the DJ ended. I loosened up, left all inhibition at the door and that was that, which I’m sure was entertaining. All without a drink.

The Fickleness of my Sports fandom

“You love the Red Sox, but have they ever loved you back?” – Fever Pitch

 

I never believed in being loyal to a sports franchise, just because it is a local team. My belief is that you should be loyal to a franchise as far as it is loyal to its fans. I’ve been a Yankee fan for as long as I’ve understood sports. Yes, they’re the Yankees, of the 200 million dollar payroll. Yes, I grew in Queens, New York, where the Mets play. But the Yankees always ensure that they have a good product on the field. They utilize the uncapped nature of the baseball financial system and make sure that the team is worth rooting for. The Dallas Cowboys, despite an erratic history of success since I’ve been alive are another team I root for solidly. They continue to try to win every year.  They also do a great job of catering to the fans.

 

The Knicks are on the other side of the equation. On my 13th birthday they traded my favorite player on the team, Marcus Camby to the Denver Nuggets. That was the beginning of the end of rooting for the Knicks. It wasn’t a crazy trade at the time. They brought back Antonio McDyess, who at the time was a star player who put up better numbers than Camby. Camby was also injured, and spent a large portion of the first Nuggets season hurt. Of course, Camby went on to lead the league in blocks for years and won a Defensive Player of the Year award, and McDyess went on to be terrible for the Knicks and better for other teams. The Knicks also have a terrible owner in Dolan, and have had all types of off the court issues. Why should I ever be loyal to that organization?

 

Sports loyalty can be like dating or like marriage. As long as your honest about what your loyalty level is, I’m not going to judge. My basketball rooting interests have nothing to do with loyalty, and more to do with interesting storylines (See ‘08-‘09 Rockets). Will T-Mac get to play in the second round? Will Ron Artest ever recieve redemption? Will Shane Battier get the respect he deserves? Those are the types of things that make sports great. It also means that when teams make boneheaded decisions, I can leave at will with no hard feelings. When the other option is remaining loyal to a poorly run organization, its much better than simply rooting for the laundry.

I still stay awake at night

 

I don’t sleep. When the normal people are going to bed, turning their lights off, preparing their bodies for the next day, I’m awake. I started writing the post at 2 AM MST. I figured moving west would help. It hasn’t.

Moving to Colorado has been a blessing in many ways. Moving 2 time zones west means that my friends can’t enable me anymore. Some of them are night owls too, but they aren’t usually awake at 5 AM NY time when I’m up at 3 AM Denver time. If they are, they aren’t on Xbox live giving me an excuse to stay awake. It also gives me some peace and solace. I’m physically far away from the financial troubles, the losses and the racism that soured my last few years in New York.

Most of the reason why I moved was to get away. I’m a huge fan of the Count of Monte Cristo. In the book, a guy who has it all, a wonderful girlfriend, a great job and limitless potential has it all taken away by people who betray him. He ends up in jail, viewed as a traitor. Then he, through his own skill and will to survive and quite a bit of luck, goes to Monte Cristo and finds a huge fortune. He returns to his home and seeks revenge upon those who betrayed him and to win back the girlfriend he lost.

In more than one obvious way I viewed Colorado, and Colorado Law School as my own Monte Cristo. Obviously, Colorado has mountains, and part of going to law school is for the opportunity to make money. But also, I viewed Colorado as a safe haven. In New York, I couldn’t help myself or anyone else. When I leave Colorado, I’ll have a j.d. and with it, the ability to change lives. I could graduate with my degree and stick it to people who felt I wasn’t worthy of respect because of economic class and race. (A certain set of parents comes to mind) But between then and now, I want to be in a position where I’m not suffering.

Living in my house in NY, with all of the problems it had and no way to fix it was depressing. I knew I couldn’t spend 3 years of law school there. If I’m lucky, I’ll never move back. The experience of studying while the sound of gunshots fills the air (followed by yelling, followed by sirens) is one that strengthened me, but something I’d prefer not to deal with if I could. I used to stay awake at night wishing I could change it, hoping I could fix the issues in my home that I couldn’t do anything about. I was always so stressed. My heatless room, without electricity, the bills that always seemed to increase, the broken stairs and the feeling of being useless kept me up at night.

Even though I’m almost 2,000 miles away, I still stay up at night. Sure, I’m in Colorado and things are good for me. I just finished my first year of law school. My apartment in Boulder is wonderful. I’ve met some great people, and my internship at the Boulder Public Defenders office is fulfilling. But in leaving, I can’t help but to feel that I’ve made other people’s lives worse in the process. My mom and sister are still in that home, in that neighborhood, dealing with the same issues (although neither of them has my old room, thank god). The kids at the library who saw me as a role model and a steadying influence no longer see me around or have me there after school. I’ve done what I always criticized other people for doing. I found success and I left the neighborhood behind. People never bring back their success; they move and never come back. I feel guilty and it keeps me awake once I stop studying and biking and working and gaming.

Perhaps I’m too hard on myself. My ex-girlfriend’s mom described me as like Atlas once, saying that she could tell from my eyes that I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. This is more true than not. I take on responsibility, being the person who does the right thing and tries to lead by example. I don’t engage in a lot of activity because of it. I know I don’t have to be responsible all the time but I can’t help but feel responsible for ensuring the wellbeing of those who surround me. It’s why I don’t drink (gotta make responsible decisions). It’s why I don’t curse on my Facebook wall (gotta ensure that I don’t offend anyone, or at the very least not offend anyone unnecessarily). It’s also why I can’t sleep.

One day I’ll have a restful sleep. Either I’ll find a way to properly balance my need to help people with occasionally behaving selfishly, or I’ll stop caring as much. People have been, are and will be fine without me. Maybe I’ll drown out the voice that says “you have to make sure they get home safely”, when they’ll be fine. Or perhaps, like I have before, I’ll continue to behave as I do and just accept that I’ll be awake thinking about all the things I could be doing.

 

** COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO SPOILERS**
The protagonist doesn’t find solace in revenge. He certainly gets a lot of revenge, but it isn’t what brings him happiness.  Yes I added a spoiler tag for a book that is over a hundred years old, just in case someone wanted to read it and didn’t want the end spoiled (Superego strikes again).

23 songs from my 23rd year.

Thank you to everyone who made my last year special. My last year was tumultuous. I left New York City, New York and moved to Boulder, Colorado for law school. The only thing that stayed consistent other than my friends and family was my music and love for it. Over the last year music helped me get through tough spots in my life.

*As opposed to my usual method of lyrics posting, I’m not censoring a word. When the artists said the lyrics, they didn’t say f*%^ they said fuck. And it’s not on my Facebook page so you have the option of not reading the rest if 4 letter words are problematic for you. That being said, there aren’t a ton of curse words here.

.

 

Trouble on my Mind - Tyler the Creator ft. Pusha T

"This is for the critics, who doubted the chemistry
Two different words, same symmetry
And this black art, see the wizardry
When you at the top of your game, you make enemies
You’ll never finish me " – Pusha T

In the song the 2 different worlds are Pusha T, a former drug dealer and veteran rapper as opposed to Tyler the Creator, a rookie and hipster. My different worlds are, my personal life, dating gaming and rap music versus my professional life, studying and working.

Oldies -Odd Future

"And me? I just spent a year Ferrisin'
And lost a little sanity to show you what hysterics is"

"Then I made a mil and them psychics was liars
Now, how many fucking crystal balls can I buy and own
Humble old me had to flex for the folks"

“To have some type of knowledge that is one perception
But knowin' you own your opponent is a defeatin' bonus”

Oldies is a 10 minutes song. I play the song for timing in the morning. If I need to do something for 10 minutes then leave I use the song. I know one Tyler’s part comes on it’s time to get out of the apt.

Murder to Excellence - Kanye West and Jay-Z

"Is it genocide?
Cause I can still hear his mama cry
Know the family traumatized
Shots left holes in his face about piranha-sized
The old pastor closed the cold casket
And said the church ain’t got enough room for all the tombs
It’s a war going on outside we ain’t safe from
I feel the pain in my city wherever I go
314 soldiers died in Iraq, 509 died in Chicago" – Kanye West

"And they say by 21 I was supposed to die
So I’m out here celebrating my post-demise " – Jay-Z

Murder to Excellence is a dark song. It’s starts with the large amount of black on black violence and ends with the lack of successful black people. Of course it’s related. How many future stars were gunned down, or are in jail  because of decisions made in their youth. Also the 314/509 stat is from 2008 

Welcome to the Jungle

“My faith in God, every day is hard
Every night is worse, that’s why I pray so hard” - Jay Z

[Kanye West]

“Why I pray so hard, this is crazy God
Just when I thought I had everything, I lost it all”

“I’m losing myself, I’m stuck in the moment
I look in the mirror, my only opponent
Where the fuck is the press? Where the fuck is the Pres?
Either they know or don’t care, I’m fucking depressed
No crying in public, just lying to judges
Risking my life, I’m already dying, so fuck it well”

Great song, not much of a blurb, but it’s another watch the Throne masterpiece

Devil in a New Dress- Kanye West

"May the Lord forgive us, may the Gods be with us
In that magic hour I seen good Christians
Make rash decisions, oh she do it
What happened to religion? Oh, she lose it
She putting on her make up, she casually allure
Text message break ups, the casualty of tour
How she gon' wake up and not love me no more?
I thought I was the asshole, I guess it’s rubbing off
Hood phenomenon, the Lebron of rhyme
Hard to be humble when you stunting on a jumbotron
I’m looking at her like this what you really wanted, huh?
Why we argue anyway? Oh, I forgot, it's summertime "

This is a song I didn’t appreciate at first. This song grew on me, and sometimes in life the songs that are meaningful depend on the experiences you have

Funkmaster Flex Freestyle

-Pusha T and Kanye West

"Penitentiary chances, the devil dances
and eventually answers to the call of Autumn
all of them fallin' for the love of ballin'
got caught with 30 rocks, the cop look like Alec Baldwin" - West

"it's been a while since I watched the tube
cause like a crip set ,
I got way too many blues for any more bad news
I was looking at my resume feeling real fresh today
they rewrite history I don't believe in yesterday " -West

It starts off incredibly dark discussing the perils of the community

"I aint got it I'm comin after whoever who has it
I'm coming after whoever who has it
you blowing up, that's good, fantastic " -West

The sarcasm with which he congratulates others’ success is hilarious in the course of the song but also an insight to Mr. West’s frame of mind.

"Feels like I'm doomed to dealing with women whom
Relationships with their fathers won't allow us to bloom" – Pusha T

BET Cypher

"Is it me? Or is what I'm hearing just pitiful?
Airwaves the same, now the stereo's typical
My skin's thick, so the critics ignored
So unafraid to die, you'd think I did it before " - Joe Budden

"Hi Rihanna.. I don't need to know you better
You tell me you love my music again? We go together
Bye Rihanna.. now back to y'all fools
We rock out like the outside of a guitar school" - Royce da 5'9

"A B, let's C, you said you were gonna do X-Y-Z
'til you fuck around and get dropped like an E when you add an I-N-G
Don't put a K in front of that though, when I MC "- Eminem

3 of my favorite artists in the same cypher? Yes, yes and yes. And yes again.

Joe Budden discussing the problem with rap and where he fits in (not watching the throne but sabotaging it). Royce being irreverent and creating an instant trending topic. (Just as funny was when Rihanna tweeted "Hi Royce") Eminem being overly creative. The second line is about verb tenses.

Can I live – Jay Z

"At the time it never bothered me, at the bar
Getting my thug on properly, my squad and me
Lack of respect for authority, laughing hard
Happy to be escaping poverty, however brief
I know this game got valleys and peaks,
expectation
For dips, for precipitation we stack chips, hardly
The youth I used to be, soon to see a mill'in
No more Big Willie, my game has grown: prefer you call me William "

"Forgetting all I ever knew, convenient amnesia
'I suggest you call my lawyer, I know the procedure'
Lock my body, can't trap my mind
Easily, explain why we adapt to crime
I'd rather die enormous than live dormant, that's how we on it
Live at the main event, I bet a trip to Maui on it "

The first verse of Can I live is one of my favorite verses ever. It's a verse about maturation. It starts off with Jay-z talking about his issues now, then transitions to the things he did at a more immature point of his life and progresses to the more mature point he is currently. The line where he says he only wants to gamble at the craps tables where you have to gamble a thousand or more to prevent the people with less money (and more to lose because of it) from gambling with him is genius.

The irony is that the things that he's saying now are things that the younger people in his "profession" would want to know. The problem is that they probably wouldn’t listen to the advice that he gave anyway because they’re young

Dance (Remix)-Big Sean and Nicki Minaj

"Wobble-dy wobble-dy wa wobble wobble "

There is nothing particularly redeemable about the fact I like this song. I tried finding a particularly witty lyric, or something that would make this acceptable. With rap music, generally lyrics are the only thing that matter to me. Nope. What do I like about the song? It's not deep at all. I like the Nicki Minaj "Michael Kors" line. I like the fresh prince reference in the video. I like the fact that the video begins with the word ass in different languages. I like the fact that there's a censored sign every time he curses or says an inappropriate word. It also has a great beat that samples "Can't Touch This" by Mc Hammer.

But really, it’s a fun song that isn't like the other 90% of music on my iPod and puts me in a better mood by listening to it. I'm not a dancer, but it makes me Dance. And really that's the point right?

Mercy -Kanye West, Pusha T, Big Sean, 2 Chainz

"I work them long nights, long nights to get a pay day (Huh!)"

Another fun video. Secret. Watch at 0:29-0:36. One of the best dance sequences in a video period. Still being silly.

Help I'm alive-Metric

"Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer
Hard to be soft, tough to be tender"

Hey! You're not a rap song. What are you doing here Are you lost? I love the song, especially in its acoustic version. Love the beat love the lyrics. Also used heavily when I gave my oral argument.

Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots

“Breathing
is the hardest thing to do.
with all I've said and 
All that's dead for you, 
You lied - good bye”

I always assumed that the "all these things you said to me" were lies she told him. Then I read that the "all these things you said to me" was a summary of things she said to him. So was he lying. Was it intentionally able to go both ways. What do I get out of it? "You lied. Good bye."

Free Bird - Lynrd Skynyrd

"If I leave here tomorrow 
Would you still remember me? 
For I must be travelling on, now, 
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see. 
But, if I stayed here with you, girl, 
Things just couldn't be the same. 
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now, 
And this bird you can not change. 
Lord knows, I can't change. "

One of the highlights of guitar hero was the solo for this song. Also a song that I played in the mornings in spring semester.

About a girl - Nirvana

"I'll take advantage while
You hang me out to dry
But I can't see you every night
No I can't see you every night, free "

In the 1st semester of law school, the term law school widow was a running joke. By the second semester it was a reality for many of us. "I can't see you every night…."

Rigamortis

“And this is rigamortis and it's gorgeous when you die”

Sometimes the impact of a song isn’t within the lyrics but more the delivery of them, the flow. Kendrick keeps it quick but still pretty calm and mellow.

Shiny Suit Theory - Jay Electronica Jay-Z

“In this manila envelope the results of my insanity
Quack said I crossed the line between real life and fantasy
Can it be the same one on covers with Warren Buffet
Was ducking the undercovers, was warring with motherfuckers?Went from warring to Warren, undercovers to covers “ – Jay-Z

Another look at me then vs now line. Sounds familiar?

“I pack up all my sins and I wear them to the show
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go”    - Jay Electronica

The Announcement

"We choose to go to the moon
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things
Not because they are easy, but because they are hard
Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills " - JFK

Who starts a song with a JFK speech? Someone with massive confidence. Someone who has enough boldness to say "Get it? Forget It." Even if you don't understand we'll move on. The JFK speech also serves as a good reason I went to law school. Not because it's easy, but because it is hard and it serves to measure the best of my energy and skills.

Exhibit C - Jay Electronica

“I used to get dizzy spells, and hear a little ring
The voice of a angel telling me my name
Telling me that one day I'mma be a great mane
Transforming with the Megatron Don spittin out flames
Eatin' wack rappers alive, shittin' out chains “

I really like that last line. There's only but so many ways you can say that you're better than everyone else. Again, it's another song that discusses maturity. Jay begins by discussing what he used to be. Then he hears a voice telling him he'd be a great man (interesting that he describes himself as a great man, not as a great rapper). Then he proceeds to say why he was skeptical and then why he accepted the voice. Another more creative than it needed to be line was "So now I'm back spittin that "he could pass a polygraph" He could have said spitting the truth. But again sometimes its best to be creative.

Doomsday - Nero

No lyrics. It's a dubstep song. Still love it though. 1st heard it from the borderlands trailer.

So Appalled - Kanye West, Swizz Beats, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Cyhi the Prynce

“Paranoid mind, I'm still under the watchful
Eye of the law, aspire for more” - Pusha

Love this line. A drug dealer discussing being watched by the law. Or maybe not. Oh, the paranoia of illegal activity, worrying about getting caught and the consequences. Even while being aware that it makes his paranoid, he still aspires for more. The illegally gained money only will make him watched more.

"If God had a iPod, I'd be on his playlist"- Cyhi
Speaking of cocky, Cyhi doesn't lack for confidence in this line.

Mr. Nice Watch - J-Cole

"No more mr nice guy, hello mr nice watch"

Been there. Doing that

Black Lip Bastard - Ab-Soul

“I told niggas, caught, wrecked, and then I towed niggas
Fold niggas like clothes and drawers nigga
Homie chose to go toe-to-toe, I had to break his leg
Like a cliche to rock a show, is that over your head?
Niggas stretchin' the truth like they choose to do yoga instead
Either that or that or they depressed, eatin' yogurt in bed”

Sometimes songs are just creative. I really like the first lines of the song. Period.

Trayvon Martin.

 

Why do I care? Bad things happen to good people all of the time. Certainly it is tragic. Perhaps it is because, at least for many of the black males with the I AM TRAYVON MARTIN statuses, the fact that the events that occurred could have a happened to them. This a 17 year old who had potential for good and parents attempting to steer him in the right direction. The statistic that many black men don't make it to 25 is one that I joked around about at the National Black Law Students Association with my male colleagues. It was dark humor (no pun intended), but interesting nonetheless. The black boy gunned down motif is one that bothers me greatly, mostly because I often feared that it would be me. I worried about it in my own almost entirely black neighborhood growing up, and I was concerned about it when I went to other Queens neighborhoods where I was  the only black guy there. 

There's a huge racial angle to the story and it has very little to do with whether or not Zimmerman actually is racist. "I think he's on drugs or something" "He looks suspicious". The feeling is that if it were a 17 year old white kid that it would have gone differently. Again, there's a lot of imprinting. In my case, I'm reminded of store owners following me throughout stores, including in one case a time where a store clerk followed me outside of the store yelling and cursing accusing me of stealing from him, AFTER I HAD PAID. He thought that I paid for something small and then stolen something larger. Was that racial? When police entered a McDonald's approaching me with their guns "at the ready" (holster unsnapped, hand on the handle), and then asked me if I was supposed to be in class, essentially truancy, was that racial? Here in Colorado a lady looked at me and said "there's so many thugs here." Was that racial? In all of those cases the answer is maybe. Are they unjust? Certainly. If Zimmerman is truly not a racist, and would have committed the acts in question regardless of the race of the kid, does that make it better that an unarmed kid was shot? No.

There's also hoodie angle. This goes something along the lines of "Trayvon was wearing a hoodie therefore he must have been doing something wrong" or "Trayvon was wearing a hoodie so it is reasonable that Zimmerman thought that something was wrong". I understand that angle to an extent. I don't have a major issue with Zimmerman calling the police. Our feelings about what constitutes "suspicious" are often different. Honestly, if that had been the only thing that happened, this wouldn't be a national story. For Zimmerman to accost Trayvon after calling the authorities is where the problem comes in. Zimmerman shouldn't have done that. (the 911 operator also should have said "don't do that" as opposed to "we don't need you to do that", but that's another story).  The details after are almost irrelevant.

There's also the angle I look at it it from. The angle of police misconduct. It appears that at many levels the police blew this one. To me, what the police did, or didn't do is much more egregious than what Zimmerman did. The reason why is because we don't know all of the facts of what Zimmerman did and there's a time period that remains blurry. What we know entirely is what the police knew, and that in knowing what they knew at the time, should have arrested Zimmerman. The police should have arrested him at many occasions between then and when he was arrested last week. Also the 911 tap releasing his phone number was not a smart move on the part of the police. Of course, my bias here comes from my background in Criminal Justice, so I know academically what's supposed to happen. I also understand that the academic understanding often conflicts with the pragmatic applications in many areas. However, there's no excuse for the lack of an arrest here. If this was really self defense, then arrest him and let the jury decide. If not, let him go home knowing that what he did was valid within the law.

Will any result make race relations or police handling of cases any better? Probably not. Will any result bring back Trayvon? No. However, the fact that we're talking about race relations openly is a good thing something that I find to be promising. More importantly, the fact that justice s being served is meaningful

He's back

2nd Half talk.

In order to be an MVP you have to be valuable. As far as I'm concerned the MVP race is a 4 person race in this order.

1. Lebron James. He's having a historically good season. On top of that he's reduced his bad shots and upped his fg% a ton.

2. Kevin Durant. Sure I could put him lower, but the Thunder are the best team in the conference. He's the best player on that team. The thunder would be a middling team without him.

3. Dwight Howard. If you wonder where the Heat/Thunder would be without Bron and KD, where would the Magic be without Dwight.

4. Chris Paul. Remember how the Clippers were last year. Add CP3 and people are discussing them for the title.

Other guys

Derrick Rose. He's missed 1/3 of the season. How can you be MVP if you're not there.
LaMarcus Aldridge. Because someone has to mention his contributions. Even if LA went to the Tim Duncan School of excitement.
Chris Bosh / Russell Westbrook / Luol Deng - Sure they've improved mightily this season, but the second best player on the team can't be MVP, right?
Steve Nash. Another where would the team be without him guy. Unfortunately, the team is pretty bad with him.
Josh Smith. Not as much anymore
Jeremy Lin. just kidding, for now

AFC Recap

 

Just in case you have forgotten, at the beginning of the NFL season, I pick all 256 games based purely on who I think will win the match up. I don't update them. After the season, I do a recap to show how close or far away I was. And to laugh at myself.

 

AFC North

BAL: Prediction: 15 wins

"The Ravens need to win this year. If they cannot win the division this year I wonder if they ever will. I think Ray Rice will have an outstanding season.  "

Actual: 12 wins

Told you they were still good. They weren't juggernauts on defense, but they did more than enough to get the job done. Thy would have won more had they not fallen asleep at the wheel against inferior opponents. And Rice was outstanding.

 

PIT: Prediction: 12 wins

"Rooting against the Steelers. Always. Betting against the Steelers? Not happening. "

Actual: 12 wins

Roethlisberger's name is really hard to spell. And their pass offense is equally hard to stop. 

 

CLE: Prediction 12 wins

"To quote a friend of mine, the Browns are "creeping on the come-up".  Colt McCoy is improving. The O line is high quality. Peyton Hillis will be good till the madden curse hits him.  I honestly think they'll be a first round exit team. "

Actual: 4

I should have known better than to trust Mccoy and Hillis. Never again. The defense wasn’t terrible, but they just could not score against anyone.

 

CIN:  Prediction 6 wins

“I have a bet going. I think the Bengals will be bad. However, the Bengals might be ok defensively. I think they are going to do just enough for a low draft pick.”

Actual : 10 wins

Everything I thought Cleveland would be. Cincinatti has take advantage of a weak schedule and taken a wild card spot. They beat up on inferior opponents all year. And of course, they were a first round exit team.

 

AFC East:

NYJ: Prediction: 10

“Listen to this. The team lost some of their best defenders, their second best wide receiver and didn’t improve any of the positions on the team. Their biggest signing was a wide receiver who hasn’t played in nearly 3 years.  “

Actual: 8

I was concerned about the fact that every transaction this year made them a worse team. They lost recievers, offensive linemen, Defensive players and still kept Sanchez. They may have deserved to be worse than they were.

 

NE: Prediction: 11

Why do I keep picking against the Pats to win the division. They’re the best team this year.

Actual: 13

They find ways to win. 31st pass defense? Who cares, I'm gonna throw TDs to my tight end like this is a game of Madden.

 

BUF:

Prediction: 6

The Bills are going to win some games. I like them. It’s a shame that they lost their best defender (Pozluzny) and Lee Evans. They won’t be able to "Suck for Luck" but they’re okay

Actual : 6 wins

Another team that lost more than it gained in free agency.

 

MIA: 

Prediction: 3

“Running Backs? Gone. The fans have no faith in their starting QB and were booing him in Practice. The ownership tried to get rid of their coach and extended his contract upon the realization that they couldn't. This is a potential train wreck. I stand by the phins being an awful squadron.”

 

Actual: 6

Played hard for the coach. Bush was surprisingly good. That was all

 

 

AFC West:

DEN:

Prediction 0

“Hmm. I don’t have any faith that this team will be better.”

He's a gamer, he's a baller, playmaker, shot caller. And terrible at the most important part of being a QB, throwing the ball. Mobility is important, but what made other mobile unconventional QBs good was their arm. See Young, Steve; Vick, Michael; Flutie, Doug; and the deceptively mobile Rodgers, Aaron. Oh and the defense was pretty good too. I like the future of Von Miller.

In response to my initial prediction, I couldn’t see them beating a lot of the teams that they handled. I didn’t like the Kyle Orton situation, because when the fans are actively rooting against their own QB bad things often happen. I figured that the tense relationship would last throughout the season, leading to a lot of L’s.

 

KC:

Prediction:9

”KC wont be as good as they were last year with the injuries that they have suffered. The schedule is harder.”

Actual: 7

That prediction was written before  KC lost their running back, their best Safety, their starting TE and their QB for much of the season. They still finished respectably.

 

SD:

Prediction: 9
”You want respect Phillip Rivers? Don’t get swept in the division by the Raiders. Don’t lose the first 4 games and expect to make the playoffs. Most importantly, don’t act as if you're going to kill your wide outs after every single incompletion. “

Actual: 8

Dear Chargers, I've given up. Like the gf/bf you keep hoping will change and never does.

 

OAK:

Prediction:  7

“You want respect, Oakland? Stop firing head coaches. Until then I'm not picking you to win more than 7 games ever.”

Actual: 8

Despite the loss of RUN-DMC they were quite respectable. My prediction for AFC west champ next year.

 

 

AFC South:

 

IND: 

Prediction: 8

“Too many wins. They don’t have the personnel to beat teams without manning. I've had to rewrite this because the manning story gets uglier and uglier. Out indefinitely? I should take some wins away from this squad.”

Actual: 2

My wins predictions were based on Manning coming back in 5 games. That’s what I was promised and I want to void everything I predicted about them.

 

HOU:

Prediction: 8
“The Texans remind me of the niners. Weak division. Quality players. They gotta win this year.”

Actual: 10

It was ugly, They looked like they didn't want it. But they are now the 3rd seed in the AFC. Could there be a QB controversy next year with Yates and Schaub. I swear I'm not crazy.

 

JAX:

Prediction: 1

“I'm done with the jags. You can’t get rid of your starting qb and expect to find success, especially when your team is not very good.”

Actual: 5

You still can't ship your QB away. You just can't. Although, if Garrard is so good, why is he still not on a team. Must be the money. On the other hand, MJD is better than I thought, and he stayed healthy the entire season.

 

TEN:

Prediction: 7 
“Boring. Just the way they like it.  CJ2k is back and their QB is lackluster. The defense is mediocre.”

Actual: 9

Boring. Oh and now he's CJ1k. If you want the 2 bck you're gonna have to earn it. Oh and now your my second favorite CJ. Behind Spiller, of course.

 

AFC Ratings:

Perfect: BUF, PIT

Close enough (1- 2 wins away): TEN, HOU, OAK, SD, KC, NYJ, NE,

Wrong: (3-5 wins away): JAX, MIA, BAL, CIN

Terrible (5 or more wins away): IND, DEN, CLE