Tendown, December 27, 2015

Tendown 205 is here.  This is Tendown 206.



1. There's no Saving South Florida.

2. Why Do We Still Have Abstinence Only?

3. CBS Had a Muslim Focus Group.

4. A fetus Looks Less Like a Baby Than Newsweek Wants you to Think.  Always Read Pollitt on Abortion

5. Something the trash people successfully did was limit your ability to sue; note how they do it - they actively harm you while telling you they're helping "lets limit frivolous lawsuits, they're the real enemy".  Like the strategy to kill unions.  Actively harms you, tells you they're helping you.

Check this out about arbitration clauses.

6. Trump's Tax Plan

7.

8. Every Week Until he Stops, Vote for Bernie Sanders

9.

10. Grantland's Gone - But Rembert's Brackets Live.

And one more



That's all this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal, Jim

30 Games in - 2016 NBA All Star Selections

We/re 30 games into the 2016 NBA season.  Here are my picks for the All Star teams.  I'll do this again at 40 games.  Advanced metrics, y'all.  Don't tell Howard Bryant.


East

Starters

Center
A.Drummond Det 

Forwards
L.James Cle  
P.Millsap Atl   

Guards
K.Lowry Tor  
J.Butler Chi  

Reserves
P.George Ind
I.Thomas Bos
C.Bosh Mia
R.Jackson Det
K.Love Cle
D.DeRozan Tor
G. Monroe Mil

Alternates
H.Whiteside Mia
P.Gasol Chi
A.Horford Atl
C.Anthony NY
J.Wall Wash

West

Starters

Center
D.Jordan LAC   

Forwards
K.Leonard SA  MVP 3rd
K.Durant OKC  

Guards
S.Curry GSW  MVP 1st
R.Westbrook OKC   MVP 2nd

Reserves
J.Harden Hou
B.Griffin LAC
D.Green GSW
E.Bledsoe Pho
A.Davis NO
D.Lillard Por
C.Paul LAC

Alternates
M.Gasol Mem  
D.Favors Utah
D.Nowitzki Dal

The 50 Best Wrestlers of 2015

I watch a lot of wrestling.

Here are the 50 best wrestlers of 2015.  Just based on 2015 performance.  Again, I watch a lot of wrestling.

1. Kota Ibushi
2. Ricochet/Prince Puma
3. AJ Styles
4. Matt Sydal
5. Kazuchika Okada
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi
7. Tomohiro Ishii
8. Shinsuke Nakamura
9. Roderick Strong
10. Chris Hero

11. Yujiro Kushida
12. Kyle O'Reilly
13. Takashi Suigura
14. Tomoaki Honma
15. Matt Jackson
16. Nick Jackson
17. Naomichi Marufuji
18. Zach Sabre Jr.
19. Daisuke Sekimoto
20. Tetsuya Naito

21. Brock Lesnar
22. Seth Rollins
23. Kevin Owens
24. Trevor Lee
25. John Cena
26. Katsuyori Shibata
27. Sami Zayn
28. Neville
29. Shingo Takagi
30. Atsushi Kotoge

31. Masato Yoshino
32. BxB Hulk
33. Harashima
34. Daisuke Harada
35. Akira Tozawa
36. Speedball Mike Bailey
37. Hiroki Goto
38. Yuji Okabayashi
39. Alex Shelley
40. Masato Tanaka

41. Yamato
42. Togi Makabe
43. Naruke Doi
44. T-Hawk
45. Timothy Thatcher
46. Andrew Everett
47. Jay Lethal
48. Bobby Fish
49. Minoru Suzuki
50. Roman Reigns

2015 NFL Supercontest Week 16

Week 15 is here.  I'm 40-35

Cleveland +12 KC  win
Baltimore +10 Pitt  win
NYG +4.5 Minn loss
StL +13.5 Sea win
NO +2.5 Jax win

4-1
44-36

2016 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

Here's my MLB Hall of Fame ballot for 2016.  Maximum of 10.

1. Barry Bonds
2. Roger Clemens
3. Ken Griffey
4. Mike Piazza
5. Jeff Bagwell
6. Curt Schilling
7. Mike Mussina
8. Tim Raines
9. Jim Edmonds
10. Edgar Martinez

Given the ability, I'd also vote for...

-Larry Walker
-Gary Sheffield
-Mark McGwire
-Alan Trammell
-Jeff Kent
-Billy Wagner
-Trevor Hoffman

Tendown. December 20, 2015

Tendown 204 is here. This is 205.

1. There are areas where, I don't think I've found myself moving to the right, as much as that identity politics has moved left without me.  On the requirement of always "believing the victim" - I'm in this camp.

2. Ted Cruz Wants to Raise Sales Tax 19%

3. Every Week Until He Stops - Vote for Bernie Sanders

4. What We Lock People Up For.

5. Self Abortion on a 6 Month Fetus - First Degree Murder.

6. No One hates Us for Our Freedoms.

7.  Trump's right.  Would Clinton say the same?

8. More About Bernie

9. Dave Speaks.

10. Maddow on Michigan

And one more...

.@BernieSanders has arrived pic.twitter.com/pync0JRzyb

— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) December 20, 2015

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim

2015 Bowl Predictions

I make picks.

Celebration: Alcorn over NC A&T     loss
New Mexico: Arizona over New Mexico   win
Las Vegas: Utah over  BYU                       win
Carmellia: App St. over Ohio                     win
Cure:   SJ St over G St.                               win
New Orleans:  LA Tech over Ark St.         win
Miami Beach: WKU over SFlorida            win
Idaho Potato: Utah St.over Akron               loss
Boca Raton: Tol over Tem                          win
Poinsettia: Boise over N Ill                         win
Go Daddy: BG over  GSo                           loss
Bahamas: WMich over Mid Ten                win

Hawaii: SD St  over Cin                             win

St Petersburg: Marsh  over Conn               win

Sun:  Wash St. over Mia                            win

Heart of Dallas: Wash  over SMiss            win

Pinstripe: Ind over Duke                            loss

Independence:  VT over Tul                       win

Foster Farms: UCLA over Neb                  loss

Military Bowl: Navy over Pitt                   win

Quick Lane:  Min  over CMich                  win

Armed Forces: Cal  over AF                     win
Russell Athletic: Baylo over UNC             win

Arizona: Col St  over Nev                          loss  

Texas: LSU  over TTech                            win

Birmingham:  Mem over Aub                    loss

Belk:  Miss ST   over NC St                       win

Music City: T AM  over Louis                   loss
Holiday: USC  over Wisc                           loss

Peach: Fl St over Hou                                 loss

Orange OKla over  Clem                            loss

Cotton Ala  over  MSt                                 win

Outback Tenn  over Northw                       win              

Citrus Mich over Florida                            win

Fiesta OSt over ND                                    win

Rose Stan over Iowa                                  win

Sugar: Miss  over Ok St                             win

Taxslayer Geo  over Penn St                      win
Liberty Ark   over KSt                                 win
Alamo Ore over TCU                                 loss

Cactus: WVA  over Ari St.                        win

National Title: Alabama over Clem

Some spread picks, not much confidence attached.

BYU +2.5 Utah
Toledo +1.5 Temple
TTech +7 LSU
Florida +4.5 Mich
UConn +4.5 Mar
Mia +2.5 Wash St
S Miss +8.5 Wash
Duke +2 Ind
Neb +6.5 UCLA
Minn -6 Central Mich
Cal -7 AF
Nev +3 Colo St.
Mem +2.5 Aub
NC St. +5.5 Miss St.
A&M +4 Louis
Wisc +3 USC
Ok St +7 Miss
ND +6.5 OhSt.
WVA over Ari St.

2015 NFL Supercontest Week 15

Week 14 is here. I'm 38-32

Chicago +5.5 Min loss
Den +6.5 Pit loss
Dall +3.5 NYJ win
Atl +3 Jax win
Balt +7.5 KC loss

2-3
40-35

I also like NYG +4.5 and Tenn +14

2015 Athlete of the Year

December, and every athlete of the month for 2015 is here.

Serena Williams.  Runners-up: Stephen Curry, American Pharoah.

Williams won the SI award which drew some fire from the horse people which drew some fire from the identity politics people. This was a really tight race and defensible arguments could be made about any of the three.  Williams won 3 grand slams (one more than Jordan Spieth, if he draws your vote). It's a career year in a career filled with similar domination.  This isn't a career acknowledgement, but it's hard not to have some type of context for her 2015.

The Warriors (who happen to be my club) were one of the great teams of all time in the first half of the year, and then got off to the greatest ever start in the back half of the year.  Curry was arguably not basketball's best player in early 2015 (Harden got my MVP vote and while Curry was the best player in the playoffs, he wasn't the best in the title series) but there's no argument about what he's done so far this season.  If Williams wins the grand slam its easy, if the Warriors are only good in the current NBA season with Curry just being among the NBA's best, then it probably takes him out of this conversation - but neither of those things happened and so its a photo finish.

Which leads us to Pharoah - a Triple Crown+Breeders Cup is the most impressive accomplishment of the year; a horse isn't a person but a horse isn't a car either; I'd have no problem at all with a vote for Pharoah as athlete of the year; for me, he gets nosed out here.

I've been doing this my whole life really, maybe starting as long ago as '79; I have the full records since 1990 (someplace in the blog I posted each athlete of the month+runners-up for the years prior to publication).  Here is each winner of my Athlete of the Year Award since 1990.

1990: Joe Montana
1991: Michael Jordan
1992: Mario Lemieux
1993: Michael Jordan
1994: George Foreman
1995: Hakeem Olajuwon
1996: Michael Jordan
1997: Tiger Woods
1998: Mark McGwire
1999: Tiger Woods
2000: Tiger Woods
2001: Barry Bonds
2002: Barry Bonds
2003: Lance Armstrong
2004: Peyton Manning
2005: Reggie Bush
2006: Roger Federer
2007: Tom Brady
2008: Usain Bolt
2009: Manny Pacquiao
2010: Maya Moore
2011: Aaron Rodgers
2012: LeBron James
2013: LeBron James
2014: Madison Bumgarner
2015: Serena Williams

December, 2015 Athlete of the Month

November is here.

Cam Newton.  Runners-up: Ben Simmons, Christian McCaffery, Khalil Mack

That's it.  Here's the final list.

January - Marshawn Lynch
February - Malcolm Butler
March - Breanna Stewart
April - Steph Curry
May - Floyd Mayweather
June - American Pharoah
July - Serena Williams
August- Ronda Rousey
September - Jake Arrieta
October - Daniel Murphy
November - Salvador Perez
December - Cam Newton

The 2015 Athlete of the Year is named tomorrow.  

The Top 20 Television Shows of 2015

I do a top ten for each quarter of the year.  Here are the lists.

January-March
April-June
July-September
October-December

And now here are the twenty best television shows for 2015.

1. Mad Men (AMC)
2. Fargo (FX)
3. Veep (HBO)
4. Louie (FX)
5. Better Call Saul (AMC)
6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
7. Please Like Me (Pivot)
8. Broad City (Comedy Central)
9. The Jinx (HBO)
10. The Americans (FX)

11. Casual (Hulu)
12. Master of None (Netflix)
13. Review (Comedy Central)
14. Wet Hot American Summer (Netflix)
15. Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
16. The Great British Bake Off (PBS)
17. Catastrophe (Amazon)
18. Last Week Tonight (HBO)
19. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)
20. Billy on the Street (Tru)

As mentioned within the quarterly ranking, the two shows I've yet to see are Mr. Robot and Transparent; I'm unlikely to redo the rankings upon watching, but consider that a contributing factor to their exclusion.  This happened in 2014 with Broad City, I edited in my affection for that show after the final rankings.

Edit - I watched both in the first quarter of 2016, Mr. Robot definitely makes the list, Togetherness would be either just in or just out.  Making a Murderer would also be worth consideration.

Mad Men wins; it's a cut above and has been for the duration of its run.  For my money it retires as the greatest television series ever.  I was mildly pessimistic on season one of Fargo, a Coen Brothers show without the Coen Brothers-how good could it be?  It was very good and season two has been better.

I've had a lineal sitcom championship piece unnished on my desk for over a year; Veep is the current beltholder, the best all around 30 minutes on TV.  Louie is the most provocative, and if you scroll down just a tick, the funniest sitcom, it will not surprise, is Kimmy Schmidt.

I was continually surprised by how good Saul was; it's a thoroughly worthy heir to Breaking Bad; Please Like me is the best of the shows you've never watched or heard of; Amy Schumer got all the publicity (and before that, Key&Peele) but Broad City is Comedy Central's best show.  The Jinx had TV's best moment (spoiler alert- of course he did it) and The Americans, while maybe taking a step back this season, is must see viewing.

Tendown, December 13, 2015

203 is here. This is Tendown 204.

1. End Those Muslims

Somehow, he thinks "no, I didn't mean all Muslims, just those Muslims" is a useful response.  Could I say, "end that Christian" in response to the Planned Parenthood shooting?  What if I were the head of whatever the Middle Eastern equivalent of Liberty is and was discussing a US bombing and said "end those Christians?"  Wouldn't the American press call me a terrorist?

2. Every Week Until He Stops - Vote For Bernie Sanders

3. 73 Wins.  Steph. From 3.

4. One Person, One Vote

5. Uh, Mr. Justice?

“There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-­Americans to to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-­advanced school, a less — a slower­-track school where they do well,”
6.

7. Trump Isn't an Outlier. He's a Republican.

8.

9. Ted Cruz is the World's Worst Human

10.

And one more...

10 Best Television Shows of 2015 (October-December)

July-September is here.

1. Fargo (FX)
2. Please Like Me (Pivot)
3. Casual (Hulu)
4. Master of None (Netflix)
5. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)
6. Billy on the Street (Tru)
7. You're the Worst (FXX)
8. Survivor (CBS)
9. Project Greenlight (HBO)
10. The Soup (E!)

The show mising here is Transparent, which I haven't gotten to yet, as it came out in the middle of December.  That's going to mean it's missing from the year end list.

Fargo is an easy first place for the quarter; its second season was even better than its first.  Please Like Me is an Australian sitcom; the Adele episode is maybe the best single sitcom episode of the season.  Casual picked up a surprising, but deserved Golden Globe nom. Master of None is part of that group, you could order 2-4 really in any way.  The combination of the musical element and the show being sneaky super dark makes Crazy Ex-Girlfriend a solid 5. No show makes me laugh harder than Billy on the Street.  You're the Worst made a bold choice to take out some jokes in the second season; for me, it didn't achieve that serious/not serious balance as well as does Please Like Me, for example.   Survivor's the best reality competition show ever and remains so today; the current season is in its all time top 10.  The identity politics surrounding Greenlight was as insteresting as the show, those who would otherwise not be so disposed found themselves on the side of the suit looking to constrain the creative type. E! put a bullet in The Soup after 11 years in this incarnation and over 20 since Kinnear's version began.

That's it.  40 shows.  Year end rankings to come.

2015 NFL Supercontest Week 14

Week 13 is here.

In a hard slump. Down to 35-30

Ari -8.5 Min loss
Oakland +7 Den win
Atlanta +7.5 Carol loss
Cleveland -1.5 SF win
SD +10 KC win

3-2
38-32

3/4 of the 2015 NFL Season Down - Who Should be All Pro?

Here are my All-Pro selections in the 2015 NFL season 12 games in.

1st Team
QB Carson Palmer Ari - Offensive Player of the Year
RB Doug Martin TB
RB DeVonte Freeman Atl
WR Antonio Brown Pit
WR Julio Jones Atl
TE Rob Gronkowski NE
C Travis Frederick Dall
G Marshal Yanda Balt
G Richie Incognito Buf
T Andrew Whitworth Cin
T Tyron Smith Dal

DE Khalil Mack Oak
DE Cameron Jordan NO
DT JJ Watt Hou
DT Aaron Donald StL
OLB Justin Houston KC
OLB Von Miller Den
ILB Luke Kuechly Carol - Defensive Player of the Year
CB Josh Norman Carol
CB Patrick Peterson Ari
S Tyron Mathieu Ari
S Eric Berry KC

2nd Team
QB Tom Brady NE
RB Jonathan Stewart Carol
RB TJ Yeldon Jax
WR Larry Fitzgerald Ari
WR Calvin Johnson Det
TE Delanie Walker Ten
C Ryan Kalil Carol
G Josh Sitton GB
G Evan Mathis Den
T Joe Thomas Cle
T Terron Armstead NO

DE Cliff Avril Sea
DE Michael Bennett Sea
DT Geno Atkins Cin
DT Ndamukong Suh Mia
OLB Tamba Hali KC
OLB KJ Wright Sea
ILB Derrick Johnson KC
CB Chris Harris Den
CB Darius Slay Det
S Harrison Smith Min
S Malcolm Jenkins Phi

Tendown, December 6, 2015

202 is here. This is Tendown 203.

1. The Greatest Basketball Ever Played.

2. Tiger at 40.

3. Maddow on PP.

4. The White Working Class

5. Inequality kills.

6.  Steph Curry. Basketball's Best Player.

7. Radical Christian Terrorism

8. Always Read Katha Pollitt on Abortion

9. 

10. Every Week Until He Stops - Vote for Bernie Sanders

And one more..

That's all this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal,

 Jim

At The Quarter Pole - 2016 NBA All Star Selections

We're 20 games into the 2015-16 season.  Time for the first look at the top players this season.  I'll do it again at 30 and then at 40 games.

East
C A.Drummond Det
   H.Whiteside Mia
   A.Horford Atl
 
F  L.James Cle
    P.George Ind
    P.Millsap Atl
    K.Love Cle
   
G K.Lowry Tor
    J.Butler Chi
    R.Jackson Det
    I.Thomas Bos
    D.DeRozan Tor

  Alternates
   G.Monroe Mil
   C.Bosh Mia
   K.Walker Charl
 


West
C D.Jordan LAC
   T.Duncan SA
 
F   K.Leonard SA
     B.Griffin LAC
     K.Durant OKC
     A.Davis NO
     D.Favors Utah
 
G S.Curry GSW     MVP
    R.Westbrook OKC
    J.Harden Hou
    D.Lillard Por
    E.Bledsoe Pho
 
 Alternate
 E.Kanter OKC
 D.Green GSW
 B.Knight Pho




 

2015 NFL Supercontest Week 13

Week 12 is here.

I'm 34-26

Detroit +3 GB loss
SD +4 Den loss
Cle +9.5 Cin loss
StL +5.5 Ari loss
Phil +9.5 NE win

1-4
35-30