Kevin Love talks style, FIFA 15 on Men In Blazers
September 22, 2014Who want’s to buy LeBron’s BMW?
September 23, 2014Happy Tuesday WFNY!
Today is my 35th birthday, and I couldn’t be happier spending it with you fine folks! 35 is a strange number to me. I am officially just as close to 50 years old as I am 20 years old. That blows my mind in a serious way.
35 also seems like a big number in terms of Cleveland sports. 35 seasons of Browns (well, minus those three years we don’t talk about anymore), Cavaliers, and Indians (well, minus that whole strike thing) without a championship to celebrate. I realize it’s actually been a lot longer than just 35 years (50 years, but who’s counting?) since Cleveland has celebrated, but it’s mind boggling to just think about even 35 years going by and a city having no success in sports.
Is this about to change? Can the Cavaliers finally undo the burdens of misery that have tormented and plagued us fans for so long? We’re about to find out. The Cavaliers hosted their charity golf event this week, and for me, that is always the ultimate sign that Cavalier basketball is around the corner, like the proverbial groundhog not seeing his shadow.
Media Day is officially this Friday, with Training Camp kicking off on Saturday, and the Wine and Gold Scrimmage tipping off on Wednesday. That’s right, you guys…the most anticipated season in Cavaliers history is right on our doorstep! We’re going to have some good stuff for you guys this season in our Cavs coverage. Scott Sargent will be attending Media Day and will be bringing you guys the same great coverage he always does. I really cannot be more excited to see what happens when LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving step on the floor together.
There’s going to be a learning curve. We’re going to have our share of low points and frustration. Maybe even some drama here and there. But by the end of the season, we have to hope everything is coming together and forming the foundation of what can be one of, if not the best eras of Cleveland sports history. My sports hibernation is almost over, and I couldn’t be more excited.
*****
Forgiveness is a dime a dozen these days.
“F*** James Blair!”
That was the reaction of one of my Cavs fan friends when I told him that the Cavaliers had decided to lift James Blair’s ban from The Q.
For those who may not know or remember, Blair was the idiot “fan” who ran onto the court with the “2014 Come Back” shirt. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why should we be mad at James Blair? After all, we all love LeBron again now, so he should be thought of as the true trend-setter. Right?
If only it were that simple. First of all, while I had always maintained that I would welcome LeBron back with open arms should he ever want to return to the Cavaliers, it’s something completely different to beg for him to come back while he is still a member of the Miami Heat, playing against the Cavaliers.
But even independent of all that, it’s still just a dumb and childish thing for anyone to run onto the court or field of a sporting event. It’s not funny, it’s not charming, it’s not creative. It’s just dumb. But the worst thing of all is that James Blair the attention whore is getting exactly what he wants. His name is everywhere. ESPN has done multiple articles on him, which I’m not going to link to here.
Now the Cavaliers have decided to welcome Blair back into The Q as well. Great. This bothers me on several levels. I’m not crazy about the perception of LeBron pandering this creates. Of course, forget perception. For all the talk of how the Cavaliers had learned from the last time LeBron was here, the truth is, LeBron gets what he wants. And if you recall, he didn’t have a problem at all with Blair. And now that Blair is back at The Q whenever he wants, it sort of feels……wrong.
I hate it when people get rewarded for bad behavior. James Blair now has the attention he so desperately and pathetically craves, and now he gets to attend Cavalier games as well. I’m not crazy about this.
But why is there such a strong, visceral reaction to Blair? I suspect a lot of it is because at the time, Blair was seen as a traitor to the Cavaliers. Someone who put another player on another team above the hometown team. And it stings a bit to see him being rewarded for it.
If I’m being 100% honest with you, I don’t really care either way. I don’t like seeing Blair getting what he wants for acting dumb, but I also don’t know as that what he did warrants a lifetime ban. Had the decision been up to me, I probably would have gone with a middle road. I would have kept the ban in place for this first season of LeBron’s return, and then removed it after that. Beyond that, I don’t think we need to really think about this story anymore.
*****
What new shows are you looking forward to?
I’ll be honest with you guys, I am totally out of the loop when it comes to sports right now. One of my best friends got married this last weekend, and between rehearsal dinner and the festivities and everything else, I didn’t watch or read a lick of sports. I mean, I guess I saw a play or two here and there on random TVs and whatnot. And Sunday I was home in time to watch the Browns and Ravens’ last possessions……Ugh.
But I don’t have a lot of fresh links or sports topics for you guys this week. However, this week is the return of network television primetime programming, so I’m curious to know what new shows you guys are interested in.
To be honest, not a lot of these shows look all that promising to me. I’m going to check out Gotham for sure, which actually debuted last night, but I haven’t watched yet. I also will give Scorpion a shot. I like some semi-serialized episodic crime dramas like CSI and Person of Interest. I’m hoping Scorpion can capture some of that spirit.
But beyond that, I’m open to suggestions. So let me know, is there anything you guys are looking forward to?
Oh, and one side note about the wedding: The ceremony and the reception took place at The Horseshoe here in Columbus, and I have to say, it was a great venue for a non-traditional wedding.
It was a lot of fun being able to be down on the field, getting tours of the press box (an area WFNY has been able to get into yet in an official capacity), and just sort of feeling like the stadium was our castle to play in. If you are an Ohio State alum/fan and you want an outdoor wedding, you can do a lot worse than the Shoe. It was a great weekend.
*****
This performance is amazing
As I said last week, while I’m no longer going to do my new music of the week selections, music is still an important part of my life and it’s going to be discussed here still.
Last week, the Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara were on Conan’s late night show and they played “I Was a Fool”, my favorite song from their 2013 album “Heartthrob”. But this wasn’t any regular performance. They brought with them members of the choir from Los Angeles’ Grand Arts High School as backup singers, and these kids absolutely nailed it. Their harmonies added an extra “airiness” to this song and made it feel even more anthemic and soaring.
I hope you guys enjoy this performance as much as I do.
*****
Well, that’s all I have this week. Next week in my While We’re Waiting, we will already be in the middle of Cavs training camp. Can’t wait to see you all again next time, have a great rest of your week!
46 Comments
It’s your birthday?? It’s my birthday as well. Enjoy yours, and may we one day have a battle to the death for the exclusive rights to the 266th day of the Gregorian calendar.
Hey, Happy Birthday Andrew.
I’m not much for network television. I have a couple shows that I end up paying for on iTunes because I cut the cable cord a little over a year ago. Walking Dead and The Americans are two shows I enjoy that I pay for, and I poached a Showtime Anytime (on AppleTV now!) password from a family member and have really gotten into Ray Donovan. If you have access, I highly recommend it.
Holy cow, two WFNYers with the same birthday! Happy Birthday, Will!
And you can have the Gregorian. I’m sticking with the Chinese calendar.
I love The Americans so much. Hands down the most underrated show on TV right now. It has everything you want in a show….drama, suspense, action, incredible acting, wide ranging emotions. Plus, I love the conflicting emotions of watching a show in which I root for the Russians in the Cold War. It’s bizarre.
Person of Interest is one of my 2 or 3 favorite shows on television right now. Criminally underrated because it’s on network television and I think a lot of people write it off. I absolutely love it.
finally some fans of The Americans! we should start a 3 person support group.
“I realize it’s actually been a lot SHORTER than just 35 years (15 years, but who’s counting?) since Cleveland has celebrated, but it’s mind boggling to just think about even 15 years going by and a city having GREAT success in sports.”
TFTFY!!
Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., along with Person of Interest is what I’m planning on watching tonight. Tomorrow, I’m going see if How To Get Away With Murder is a worthwhile show to watch. If your into house renovations shows, then I would suggest watching the new season of Rehab Addict next week on HGTV. Other than that, I’m out of suggestions.
Back to drinking.
Almost forgot. Happy Birthday, Andrew. 🙂
http://www.vpfunworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/funny-happy-birthday-cat-memes-4.jpg
I’m in. The Americans is far and away my favorite current show. The writing, the acting, the set direction and understated period touches.. everything is so, so great.
Happy Birthday Will & Andrew
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Oh thanks for reminding me that SHIELD is back tonight. I took it off my DVR series list midway through the first season, but kept reading the recaps and am intrigued to see where it goes.
Gotham, American Horror Story, Walking Dead…NBA Season!
With you almost completely on Blair. Except for “but I also don’t know as that what he did warrants a lifetime ban.”
This is the number one with a bullet rule of attending a game, like players gambling on baseball. Fans are not allowed on the court. No one is there to see you, and regardless of your intentions, you present a danger to the product. And the rule is not left in any uncertain terms, nor is it remotely difficult to comprehend and follow. If you can’t follow the most basic of protocols, you lose your privileges, and that’s what attending a game is, a privilege.
Regardless of how much the Cavs organization and fans should want to disassociate from the likes of Blair, even a hint of tolerance toward this type of behavior is a bad precedent.
They had it tie in well with the Captain America sequel. I agree it got tiresome midway through the 1st season, but it ended up being worth sticking through. There are a couple story arcs I wish they would just end though.
It’s a 50/50 chance once you get 23 people together. Probability is weird.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_problem
Also, Happy Birthday to both of you!
I watched The Blacklist for the first time last night (Season 2 premier). James Spader is great.
Pretty sure you just said it’s your fault the Browns lost… Happy birthday! 🙂
I discovered this show late but have grown to like it. There are quite a few good shows on these days.
Both excellent choices but I’ll add Sons Of Anarchy! Thank God for DVR and TWC replay.
I love how they have it worked in with the Marvel movies.
A few more I’d add in although I must admit I never could get into American Horror Story.
Great show check out last seasons.
Yikes, so much of that is beyond my grasp!
But thank you for the birthday wish.
This is great! Thanks!
Thank you, kind sir!
NBA Season! Best show on TV?
This is a really great point. The act in and of itself may not feel like it warrants a lifetime ban to me, but that’s irrelevant. It has to be a lifetime ban in order to maintain a zero tolerance policy. Great point Steve!
It’s always my fault!
And thank you!
Oh, I had forgotten about How To Get Away With Murder. I’m mildly intrigued by that one and will certainly give it a shot.
Happy Birthday. Congratulations, you are now old enough to run for President of the United States of America.
Thank you! You’re right, I am! First item on my agenda, making it illegal to have to work on your birthday. I can think of no other issue that is of more importance to our way of life today.
New tv stuff: Gotham, Selfie (it may be as terrible as expected, but Karen Gillan, you guys. Seriously.), The Flash (Arrow is pretty good, so this is worth a shot), How to Get Away with Murder, Gracepoint
Returning tv stuff: Grey’s, Scandal, Once Upon a Time, SHIELD, Supernatural, Sleepy Hollow, Bob’s Burgers. Love American Horror Story, but a circus setting? No thank you. Clowns, man. Nope. Oh, and Archer, of course.
Haven’t really paid attention to the cable schedule yet, but Boardwalk Empire is in the final season, Game of Thrones is a must.
And happy birthday, Andrew and Will!
The Flash looks terrible. And I wish I had started watching Arrow from the start. I shoulda just let it fill my Smallville slot.
Looking forward to Supernatural, but very skeptical after last season. Did not like the season at all.
I dropped Archer after a few episodes last season. Willing to give it another try if I have time. Despite my better judgment I kept The League on DVR and the first couple episodes have paid off.
I’m interested to see how far they take it – the whole SHIELD dissolution storyline – because I’m sure they don’t want to steal anything that they could put in a movie.
I assume that this season will be the build-up for the Avengers-2 movie much like last season was the build-up for Captain-2.
Honestly, it’s a great idea and one that Star Wars did with their Clone Wars series except they did it after those movies instead of during.
You give the major Marvel fans a chance to see some underlying storylines and backstory for the bigger events that they present in the movies.
Hmm, I haven’t seen anything about Selfie. But I am all in on Karen Gillan, so yeah, I’ll give it a shot.
I remember thinking the same of Arrow when it debuted–just had a cheap feel to it–but it turned out to be quite good. So I’m willing to give The Flash a chance. Definitely has bust potential, though. Last season was not Supernatural’s best, but at least it wasn’t the Leviathans again. The idea of Dean as demon and the potential for debauchery of the highest order has me hopeful for this year, though. And I know quite a few folks who abandoned Archer: Vice early on, but it turned around well. The return of ISIS should do it some good (please note that is not a political commentary at all–fictional spy agency ISIS, not real-world baddies). Might pick the League back up, as I’ve drifted away.
I watch it.
Birthday boy is thirsty! ;=)
I hear ya re: Arrow. I don’t really have time for another show, but I’m going to give Gotham a try. And if The Flash makes me regret it like Arrow did, then I’ll put it on the list of shows to marathon watch when I hit the lotto and quit my job.
Also agreed all around re: Supernatural.
I’ll have to check and see if I removed the series record from Archer or just deleted the saved episodes without watching. I wouldn’t mind giving it another chance. It’s shows like that and The League that I watch in the mornings while eating breakfast while the wife is still sleeping.
The League is funnier than last season, but not like it was in its early seasons.
Correction: How to Get Away With Murder comes on Thursday, not tomorrow. I need a drink.
Happy 35th, Andrew. Celebrated my 35th in August. And by celebrated, I mean glazed over with a nice dinner and a shrug of the shoulders. I’m waiting for this OMG I’M GETTING OLD panic to set in, but I seem to be deflecting it well enough.
Shows I dig (or trying like hell to get into when I have the time): American Horror Story, Walking Dead (since I FINALLY caught up), OITNB, Gotham, and I gotta start Breaking Bad one of these days!
check, check, check….
At least this coming season!
I did too… thought I might be missing out. It was good, but a little creepier than I was expecting. Maybe that was just one episode though.