20Fine: Part V (10-6)

Now the real fun begins...

20Fine: Part IV (15-11)

Getting well into it now...

20Fine: Part III (20-16)

Continuing on...

20Fine: Part II (25-21)

Let's get right to business...

20Fine: Part I (Introduction)

After seeing People and Maxim’s terrible attempts at appreciating aesthetic talent, I decided to try a little exercise of my own. Now, there’s going to be a decent amount of introduction before I get to the actual rankings. I’ll try to keep it as short as possible. Actually, I’ll go with one-liners (or close).

Popularity, Crabs, and Condescension

Can we talk about something for a minute? Seriously, I need to get this off my chest.

Black people are forever saying that racism is an American institution. “It’s as American as apple pie and ‘red, white, & blue’ and all that”…sure it is. No argument there. However, we have our own problem that is equally damaging.

Thanks for Playing

Next summer Pat Riley faces one of the more difficult decisions of his tenure as team president. It will be almost impossible for him to keep the Big 3. If he wants to keep the Heat winning, he’s got to make an almost-impossible decision.

He’s got to let one of them go…

Being the Good Bad Guy...or Bad Good Guy

Alright, so I’ve got a situation.

I may have shared this, but one of my best friends is engaged. His fiancé has a friend…and by now y’all know where this is going.

Prospective Commencement Speakers

Commencement is on the horizon for many an undergraduate in the coming weeks (Mine was twelve years ago today), and one of the more interesting subjects that comes up around this time is the list of speakers. Some people have had the Obamas. Dick Cheney spoke at FSU once. Bill Clinton and Soledad O’Brien spoke at different FAMU ceremonies the same spring. I heard Dr. Humphries (in his final semester as president) and a state Supreme Court justice at two of my three graduations (didn’t go to the third). I heard Judge Hatchett at my cousin’s graduation…she was really good.

Anyway: if I were graduating in a couple weeks, who would I want to hear? No, I won’t count anyone I’ve heard already.

Rappers For 30

So, tickets for Yo Gotti (if you don’t know who he is, it’s not important – just know he’s a rapper) a few Saturdays ago were $30. Don’t even ask me if I went.

It made me think, though: what rappers (there’s a decent list of other musicians) would I pay $30 to see? Now, when I say “pay $30 to see”; I mean pay $30 without question under solely my own volition. Therefore, going with a group of friends wouldn’t count. I’m pretty sure it’s a small list: if it weren’t, I’d be writing about the living wage and the middle class or about sisters being nerds. Yes, those are coming down the pike.

So, who would get 30 of my hard-earned dollars?

NBA Playoff Predictions

Shoot, why not...

42 - Part II

I actually ended up talking about the movie a lot longer than I expected, so I decided to just make an additional entry regarding my thoughts that don't directly relate to the movie.

The main take-away from the movie - and from Robinson's life - is that quiet dignity always wins in the end: that keeping your head held high, turning the other cheek, and completing other actions that have been turned into catch phrases that canonize good will always produce positive results.

However, that's not all there is to it.

42 - Part I

Saw *42 this morning. I'm going to give a quick review here, so skip until the break if you plan on seeing it. It was a good movie, not great. The actors with the major roles were good (Nicole Beharie was an excellent casting choice), but minor characters had the best acting jobs. Guy who played Leo Durocher was great. Guy who played Ben Chapman was really good too. The script held things back from the film, though. I thought the movie was a bit soft, and most sportswriters whose reviews I read shared that sentiment.
 

NBA/WWE Comparisons

With WrestleMania in the rearview and “NBA Playoffs” at the ‘Next Exit’ sign, I thought it’d be fun to draw up some comparisons (dang: didn’t realize this one was this long…yes, I wrote the body before the intro and close). No, I'm not saying the NBA is scripted.

Quick Thoughts on The Greinke/Quentin Brawl

I usually don’t post on Fridays, but I’m making an exception today (by the way, I have a decent amount of stuff lined up for the next week or two). Someone needs to set the record straight about this Zack Greinke/Carlos Quentin business.

WrestleMania XXIX Predictions

After the baseball post fiasco – which, to be honest, I’m still quite bummed about – I finally decided to pick it back up and get on to WrestleMania.

This WrestleMania won’t be as much fun as last year’s for two reasons: 1) the card and buildup have both been terrible, and 2) I’m not going like I was last year and will be next year. However, it is the year’s biggest wrestling event so here I go.

Equality and Objectivity

There are many things that I find asinine about people’s opposition to gay marriage. Most of them are quite obvious: namely, what it has to do with their own lives and the religious connotation. I admit, I can almost get to a point of understanding the latter…until I get to that whole thing against judging (speaking of Christianity: not sure how other religions deal with that).

The thing I don’t get, though? “If you support gay marriage, you must be gay.”

FAMU Frustrations

I know what I’m going to say is going to test the bounds of political correctness, but I’ve reached the tipping point on this here subject so it’s time to let rip.

My school has gotten on my absolute nerves with its handling of the Robert Champion situation. I’ve seen so many wrong turns it’s not hard to imagine how the decision-makers could be so lost (figurative sense, of course). I don’t think they’ve gotten one thing right – and only two have been understandable – in this entire sordid affair. Now, I’m just saying all this as an outsider looking in…but since my name’s at the top of this, I’m going to say what I want.

Commencement, Homecoming, Celebrations, and Customs

A while back, the good brother at HBCU Digest asked on Twitter whether homecoming or commencement should be the bigger deal at our schools. Without any hesitation, I stated that homecoming should be the bigger celebration.

The reason has very little to do with the fact that I have attended the best homecoming in America (I don’t care what you DC people say: spending outrageous cash to listen to up-north music is not my idea of a great HC) for seventeen consecutive years. It’s purely based on the other side.

Crying About Onions

I usually don’t do disclaimers, but this isn’t a usual situation.

Nothing I say in this post should be taken in any way to be an endorsement of the event in question. I am in total accord with most of you that the act was despicable – yes, Mr. NABJ president, there’s an ‘e’ in it – and that it should never happen again.

Now it’s time to veer off the path.