Kanye, Kanye, Kanye

Hey guys! You’re never going to believe this but Kanye West made a gigantic spectacle of himself at The Grammy awards last night. I know right? No way? He’s usually such a humble guy.

Yeezus (subtle right?) took to the stage as Beck was trying to accept his Grammy for Artist of the year. And what was Kanye’s message?That Beyonce should have won and Beck is a joke. Basically that’s what Kanye inferred in yet another rant based around the Brooklyn diva, who’s album was one of the most anticipated releases in 2015. In what some would consider a shocking upset, Beck won, Beyonce lost, and Kanye saw his opportunity to be the center of attention at another artists expense. You see, that’s Kanye’s thing, just ask Taylor Swift.

Kanye’s rants seem clear. If you’re a white artist that is up for the same award as Beyonce you are undeserving and Kanye will tell the world on you. You better watch out or he’ll take his toys and go home. A threat that none of us actually believe. Can you imagine Mr. West voluntarily leaving the limelight? Yeah, me either. So the next big awards show that rolls around how about we just open it up with Kanye ranting? Let’s just get it over with. Why delay the inevitable? Let him do his rant thing then maybe some other artists can get the recognition they deserve.

Congratulations Beck, the only Loser here is Kanye.

 

Robin Williams, depression, and Stephen Fry

Beautiful piece. Excellent writing

Why Evolution Is True

Until I read the comments on my brief obituary of Robin Williams, I had no idea that there was such a universal love of the man and his work.  And, it seemed, a lot of the affection was connected to the characters he played, both the unreservedly humorous ones (Patch Adams, Mrs. Doubtfire), but, especially, the damaged ones who were all the more empathic for their trials (Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting and Parry in The Fisher King, both of whom lost their wives in tragic circumstances). And although I knew Williams had substance abuse problems, I didn’t really pay attention to reports that he suffered from mental illness, something that, remembering those roles, somehow makes sense.

(By the way, although everyone seemed to agree here that Williams suffered from bipolar disorder, I can’t confirm that. A piece at yesterday’s PuffHo reports that, “Comedian Robin Williams once told…

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Great games highlight week one in College Football.

The opening of the college football season is just a few weeks away and with that comes looking ahead at the first week of games to find the most intriguing match ups. I’ve taken a look at the schedule to help you find the best games on tap for week one.

Clemson vs Georgia (Aug 30th)

Last years game was incredible with Clemson winning 38-35 and this years match up will take place in Athens with an always vocal Georgia crowd. Gone are Tajh Boyd and Aaron Murray but this WILL be one of the best games of the opening weekend. 

LSU vs Wisconsin (Aug 30)

Wisconsin will find out early just how good they are with this neutral site game in Houston Texas. LSU lost a lot of talent to the NFL in the last few years but have replaced it with outstanding annual recruiting classes. Highlighted by Leonard Fournette, the nations top freshman RB.

Texas A&M at South Carolina (Thurs. Aug 28th)

Johnny Manziel and Jadaveon Clowney are off to the NFL but this matchup should be interesting none the less. South Carolina has their sites set on a berth in Atlanta and the SEC championship and this might be Steve Spurriers best team in his time at South Carolina. Kevin Sumlin will look to find his QB and improve on the defensive struggles from a year ago. Kevin Sumlins offense is the same and will score in bunches all year. Can they stop anyone?

Penn State vs UCF (Aug 30th)

Set your alarm because this one kicks off early, an estimated 9 a.m. start time due to the game being played in Dublin Ireland. Penn State will try to usher in the James Franklin era with a win and a national audience being the only game on at this time. UCF has a little drama going into the game as it has been rumored that George O’Leary will resign as UCF coach after this game.

Arkansas at Auburn (Aug 30th)

A quality SEC match up with interesting story lines on both sides. Auburn QB Nick Marshall will sit out the opening quarter of the game due to a suspension after an arrest for possession of marijuana earlier this summer. At Arkansas it is year two of the Brett Bielema era and Arkansas fans are ready for improvement after a winless year in the SEC last season. 

Boise State vs Ole Miss (Aug 30th)

The Chris Peterson era is over in Boise, in steps Brian Harsin, long time assistant to Peterson. And in true Boise State fashion they open the year with a tough opponent in Ole Miss. Ole Miss returns several young players off of a team that made alot of noise last year. Everything is up in Ole Miss land, including fan expectations. If the Rebels aren’t careful their season could be over before it even starts. 

Cal at Northwestern (Aug 30th)

This is my guilty pleasure game. If you love offense this game shouldn’t disappoint. Cal plays and uptempo spread style that always puts up points. Northwestern runs a spread without as much tempo but can put up points in bunches. This actually, from a viewing perspective might be the most entertaining game of the weekend.

Devonte Fields transfer to Stephen F Austin raises question of integrity.

Devonte Fields announced Wednesday via Twitter that he was leaving TCU and transferring to Stephen F Austin. The school made it official Thursday.

Fields, the preseason defensive player of the year was separated from TCU after an allegation that he attacked his girlfriend on July 20th and he turned himself in four days later after a misdemeanor assault warrant.

After a hearing with school officials it was determined that Fields had broken the schools code of conduct and he would be separated from the school. After the hearing Fields choose not to appeal the ruling and transfer to FCS Stephen F Austin where he will be eligible to play immediately.

The former Big 12 freshman defensive player of the year in 2012 was previously suspended for two games in 2013 for a violation of team rules.

The transfer to the FCS school raises a red flag. What school with any integrity admits a student that is currently up on assault charges? Granted, the charge is a misdemeanor, but none the less an assault charge on a female doesn’t look very good does it?

Why did officials at Stephen F Austin admit Fields? Simple, if they didn’t a rival team would have. Yes the AD or the President could have put a stop to the transfer but no FCS AD or President is going to stop his school from getting the chance to have one of the best defensive players in the country play for their school just weeks before the season kicks off.

Devonte Fields will put butts in seats and help the team win, ultimately helping with what school presidents and AD’s covet most: money, exposure, and increasing the bottom line.

Coming clean as a college football junkie.

My name is Derek and I’m a college football junkie. I’m not really proud of that fact or really ashamed of it either. How did I come to the conclusion that I have a problem? It’s not really hard to find the evidence, I watch preseason press conferences intently. It’s the equivalent of appointment television for me. Not only do I watch them but I live tweet them. Yeah, that’s right, I live tweet press conferences from four weeks before the season even starts. I go back and re-watch them, sometimes twice, to go over any information In which I might have missed. As if that isn’t enough, I read every story I can find about the press conference I just watched. But that’s not even the tip of the iceberg folks. As I’m writing this Missouri vs South Carolina from 2013 is airing on ESPNU and you can rest assured that my TV is tuned to it. And after that Paul Finebaum, then CFB live, then a bit of a break for dinner before making sure I DVR the Ohio State Michigan game for later watching. I follow recruiting with a zeal that is truly unhealthy, letting my mood be temporarily ruined or elated at the whim of seventeen year old kids. I scan through message boards, fan tweets,podcasts  looking for any bit of information I can find. 

Then the season starts…

I will be anxious all day on the first Thursday of the College Football season. I said Thursday, not Saturday folks. I will spend all day anticipating getting back home, ordering a pizza and living in bliss for the next few hours. But that’s nothing compared to Saturday, Since adulthood the Friday before the first full Saturday of College football has become my Christmas Eve. I’m excited, talkative, and yes I have difficulty sleeping which works in my advantage because  I try to sleep until College Gameday and from that moment on for about the next 15 hours I am consumed. In the hours before my beloved Fighting Irish take the field I’m restless and I can’t eat or stay still for very long. My family and my gf probably think that I’m crazy and for that I don’t blame them. But it’s not like I’m going to stop. College football is an all consuming passion and there is nothing quite like it in the world, it can bring out my best and worst all in the same Saturday, all in the same hour, all in the same series. College football is my drug of choice and I wouldn’t have it any other way.