TUF 17 Ep. 9: Almost Time for Quarter Pounders

With just one fight remaining before the quarterfinal bouts, TUF 17 Ep. 9 delivered a impressive wild card matchup between Team Jones’ Bubba McDaniel and Team Sonnen’s Kevin Casey that set the stage for the next round of action. The Blow by Blow Determined in the previous episode, the wild card match pitted Bubba (20-6), a training partner of Jones in Albuquerque, N.M., against Kevin (5-1). Leading into the fight, Kevin admitted he did not perform in his last moment of pressure, but he also understands that the coaches believe in him.  Because...

Hetfield Says Yeah? Yeah

Give a ‘Yeah’ of approval for the track below. In an ode to the greatest metal band in history, a SoudCloud user has collected Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s entire catalogue of ‘Yeahs,’ the growly call the singer proudly owns.  (But he's also known for a few ‘Yos’ and ‘Heys’ in live shows along the way.) If you’re not a Metallica fan, you’ll probably make it through 30 seconds, laugh and move on.  If you’re a Metallica fan, enjoy more than 3:00 minutes of Hetfield in his zone. (And, for fans, you probably will find yourself...

TUF 17 Ep.8: One For The Bag Guys

TUF 17 Ep.8 featured the final bout first round bout between Team Jones’ Dylan Andrews and Team Sonnen’s Zak Cummings before the stage is set for the wild card contest. I don't think it counts for much, but Zak Cummings wins the fight for better hair -- and creepier gaze. The Blow by Blow Par for the course of late, we begin the episode with more discussion about the wild card fight and Bubba McDaniel wants the spot for Team Jones.  Adam Cella makes an argument for Bubba in a confession piece and described how the veteran fighter just...

#TheHobby Has Grown Up

*@SaidSimmons:  The following is an opinion piece written by a newbie baseball card collector (me) who was reintroduced to the hobby within the past year.   You can still find a pack of baseball cards for $2.00.  But you’d be lucky if you can find a pack of 2012 Panini National Treasures Baseball for less than $400. Holy crap!  Is that Ty Cobb AND 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson on the same card -- with pieces of their bats from 1911?! With that in mind, the baseball card industry seems to be robust and healthy after the collapse...

GSU: Yours Truly in the AJC

As was recently covered here -- after stealing the meat and potatoes from the AJC -- the Georgia State Panthers could end up with an in-state rival in the Sun Belt Conference. With the conference realignment rumor mill always in full swing, the mid-major focus has now fallen on Georgia Southern and Appalachian State potentially moving to the Sun Belt. Georgia State beat writer Doug Roberson of the AJC put out a Twitter request for State and Southern fans to express their opinions about the possible move.  And apparently I was the only...

TUF 17 Ep.7 Recap: Styles Decide Fights

Because you missed another episode of TUF and need to get a quick rundown before this afternoon’s water cooler talk, here’s an abbreviated synopsis of TUF 17 Ep.7 featuring Team Jones’ Clint Hester vs. Team Sonnen’s Jimmy Quinlan. (And, dang, you seem to be missing a lot of episodes lately.  What gives?) The Blow by Blow This week’s episode opened with more talk about the potential wild card spot, with Bubba McDaniel eyeing the opportunity.  And Uriah Hall’s continued assholery is discussed with Jon Jones. But enough with the...

This NIN Mashup is Contagiously Awful

Why am I sharing anything about Carly Rae Jepsen?  Because the catchy beat for her hit, "Call Me Maybe," makes a surprisingly good bed for the breathy growls of Trent Reznor. With the BPMs matched, somehow Reznor's cries and growls are almost amplified by the poppy beat and you will find yourself helpless to listen to the entire mashup. By itself, Jepsen's hit conjures up images of a sunny field, dandelions and happy children.  Mixed with Nine Inch Nails, you instead get a similar pleasant day where small children are being kicked...

Wait, There's a National Sports Journalism Center?

I feel somewhat embarrassed to start a post with this admission, but I was unaware there was a National Sports Journalism Center (NSJC). To find out there was one was both intriguing and encouraging.  I don’t recall how exactly I found a link to their site -- through social media or Google News -- but somehow I opened an interview they conducted with Deadspin on the Manti Te’o story. The interview was the exact opposite of what I expected.  The introduction to the interview quickly slanted the story an interesting direction: “…the...

#TheHobby in the Headlines

The most famous baseball card in the world recently returned to the limelight in a Grantland 30 for 30 documentary short series film. The short, entitled “Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner” by Prospect Productions, chronicles the history of the infamous copy of the American Tobacco Company baseball card featuring the likeness of Wagner that was once owned by Wayne Gretzky. The 14-minute film moves quickly and demands your attention as it weaves between the history of the card and the state of the sports card trading industry.  Included...