Who knows... the moment we've been dreading (or that we haven't)

Hi y'all -

In case you haven't noticed, it's been about a week since I've posted anything.

Mostly, that's because I've been traveling all across the country - I had an interview with the University of Washington, and then it was spring break.

Partly, though, it's endemic of something that I've been picking up on for a little while: I've started thinking of this blog as a duty, rather than a break from the real world.

I didn't start 90% Mental for it to feel like a chore, and I'm not going to continue it while it does. I want to watch basketball again without thinking about whether I should write a blog post, to read ESPN or SportsIllustrated without trying to find grammatical errors.

For the foreseeable future, then, I'm putting the blog on hiatus. It's been a good run, y'all, and, who knows, it might be again someday. We've done some good, we've had some laughs, and, really, who could ask for more than that?

I'd say "Good night and good luck," but, hey, that's not really my style.

Have a great evening.

Kellen Winslow to the Bucs: thoughts

According to ESPN.com, the Bucs have traded for Browns TE Kellen Winslow.

I'm not a big Winslow fan.

Don't get me wrong - Winslow is a big, fast, athletic tight end. He's a vertical threat in a way that no Bucs tight end has been before. But he'll draw a lot of media attention - a lot of unpleasant media attention - that, to me, will outweigh the benefits of his on-field contributions.

Also, he's from the University of Miami. While a couple of University of Miami players have made contributions to the Bucs in the recent past - see Warren Sapp (okay, so not that recent), UM athletics really rubs me the wrong way.

The final verdict will come, I think, when I find out exactly what the Bucs gave up for him; if it's a similar price to what the Saints gave up for Jeremy Shockey (a 2nd and a 5th round draft pick), I'd say that Winslow came too expensive. A 3rd and a 5th, say, and I'd be okay with the deal. We'll see.

Off to Seattle now! Have a great day, all.

Two Link Tuesday: Oscar the Grouch

The Oscars were Sunday! And they were awesome!

How do I know this, you ask? Two options: Either (1) I sat on my couch for several hours, fully invested in the riveting dialogue, intellectual banter, and jaw-dropping athleticism of the event, or (2) I ignored the Oscars completely and am just being snarky. I'll leave the choice of which to believe up to you. Videos!

Video 1: Will Smith pulls a boom goes the dynamite


Video 2: Fashion model falls down

Two Link Tuesday: The Good Old Days

Ah, nostalgia. It gets to the best of us.

Video 1: Alley-Oop!
You know how I know this movie is from the good old days?
It features "Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway".
Bonus old-school awesomeness: go to 3:10 in the video for a moment of random asian male celebration.




Video 2: Ronnie Lott
You know how I know this video is from the good old days?
The 49ers don't suck.
Bonus old-school awesomeness: go to 4:39 in the video and revel in the splendor of the now-throwback Rams jerseys.



Smell ya later, homes. I'ma go jazzercise.

[editor's note: No, I wasn't actually alive during the first half of Lott's career, and barely remember actually watching him play. My nostalgia for him has been inherited. I'm not sure from whence I've received that inheritance, but, hey. I have. So sue me.]

Why is this not a bigger story?

In case you haven't heard - which you almost certainly haven't, given that there's no link to the story on the front page of either ESPN.com or SportsIllustrated.com, and it's getting very little airtime on TV - Dubai has refused to allow Shahar Peer, the 48th-ranked women's tennis player in the world, into the country. They're refusing to do this, they've flat-out admitted, because she's Israeli.

Now, I'm not one to call racism or anti-Semitism, and I'm not going to do it here... but, one question: would there be a bigger reaction if, say, Israel refused to allow an Egyptian player into the country for a tournament in Tel Aviv? Just something to think about.

Getting an early start

The 2009 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest was last night. I missed it. But - never fear! We're already getting geared up for next year's edition!

Wait... what?

That's right - SportsIllustrated's Arash Markazi, by 3:23 AM the night of the contest, had already posted an article looking forward to the 2010 contest.

Premature much?

I could go on a rant here about how the internet's 24-hour news cycle leads to completely unnecessary and idiotic articles like Markazi's, about how we as a society have gotten to the point that - but I won't.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Two Link Tuesday: Go Down Moses (and visit The Hollow Men)

Two completely random videos today. Why? IDK, my bff jill?
Two completely awesome videos today. Why? That's Just How I Roll.
No explanatory text today. Why? I'm feeling lazy. Have a great evening!

Video 1: Fresh Prince in Jail


Video 2: Marlon Brando reads The Hollow Men