Take a good look folks. This is the last time you’ll be seeing an article on Binge Media that begins with this iconic image. Okay, maybe it’s only iconic in my brain, but I digress. And before you start sending messages, yes, I know that it’s Monday and not the weekend, but if you had the weekend that I did, you wouldn’t have had the energy to write anything yesterday either. Plus, I know a ton of you are already on the site to download the newest BingeCast, so I figured I’d wait for you. See how smart I am. With all of that being said, I am coming to you today to announce that this indeed will be the final installment of Working the Weekend with Luke.
I would like to go on record and say that this was not a decision that came down from Moreno and/or Law, but a decision that I’ve come to over the last month or so. There’s a reason that you haven’t seen this column in a while. It’s not that I haven’t watched anything new or listened to anything new, but honestly, the BingeCast covers so much that it would be somewhat redundant to put out some of the same thoughts on the same site. And with the fast-paced world we live in, who the hell has the time for that? Tack on the addition of Garrett’s amazing movie reviews, and you’re getting even more great content from so many talented people. That’s not me kissing anybody’s ass. That’s the actual truth. The fact is that although it’s nice to write about things outside the world of Binge Sports, this site really doesn’t need me to do that. I refuse to put out content just to put out content. Your time is valuable and I will not waste it.
To my loyal readers of Binge Sports and my loyal listeners of the Binge SportsCast, fear not. Those two things aren’t going anywhere. The numbers continue to grow on the show, and I’m having an absolute blast with it. I’ve had so many different people come on the show to talk about a lot of different things, and it’s only going to get better. There will be an all-new episode coming your way later this week, so stay tuned for that. I’m also kicking around a few ideas for the upcoming NFL season that I’m very excited about, so make sure to keep checking back for all of the info on that as well. So now you can take a deep breath. I’m not going anywhere. I just want to stay focused on the reason that I was hired by Binge Media in the first place. I’ve also got a few ideas about doing some commentaries on some classic sports movies, so I won’t be completely getting away from talking about movies altogether. And I’ll still be doing the Better Call Saul commentary with Supka and Episode IV when that rolls back around in a few months. Garrett and I also have a special show planned for the fall, Moreno and I have discussed a follow-up show to the Up Close and Personal w/ Luke Norris episode of Monday Morning Moreno that we recorded a couple of months ago, so believe me when I tell you that you’ll be seeing and hearing plenty from me at bingemedia.net.
But if you do get the itch to read something from me that’s not Binge Media related, I encourage you to visit my personal blog, The Luke Norris Experience, or visit LukeNorris.net, which houses all of my writing, including links to every single thing I’ve ever written for Binge Media. You can also receive updates by liking the LukeNorris.net Facebook page. There is going to be a ton of upcoming content from me in the future, so if you’ve liked what you’ve read from me on this site for the past eighteen months, I encourage you to continue to come along this continuing journey with me.
I want to thank Law and Moreno for giving me this outlet and I especially want to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read even one word of Working the Weekend with Luke. You can do anything with your time, and you choose to spend some of it with me, so I thank you for your continued support. And speaking of support, let’s get back to Binge Media business. Go to the top of this page to check out the brand new Binge Media merchandise store and do yourself a favor and sign up for the Binge Media Newsletter for exclusive content. This week’s movie homework is fantastic. And as I said earlier, a brand new Binge SportsCast comes your way later this week as I talk the passing of Rowdy Roddy Piper and much more with Batch and possibly a first time special guest as well. Maybe even some of those NFL plans will be revealed. I guess you’ll have to tune in to find out. Don’t forget to follow @BingeSports on Twitter as well for all the latest. Until then, let me know what your favorite Working the Weekend with Luke column was. You can leave comments below or follow me on Twitter @THElukenorris. I hope you’ve enjoyed this column as much as I have. Thanks.
Welcome back to Binge Sports and our continuing coverage of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. August has arrived and the temperature isn’t the only thing heating up. The trade deadline has passed and the playoff races are packed with possible contenders. There’s a few runaways going on, but with the wild card and especially the second wild card spot, there are so many teams that are still in contention for a playoff berth. As my guest co-host Jim Poljak discussed at length in our MLB version of the Binge SportsCast a few weeks ago, things are only going to get better as the weeks progress down the stretch. So before ESPN kills you with football coverage and every single injury to a pinkie toe, let’s get into some baseball with Binge Sports.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
W L PCT. GB WCGB
New York 60 45 .571 —- ——–
Toronto 56 52 .519 5.5 ——–
Baltimore 54 52 .509 6.6 1.0
Tampa Bay 54 54 .500 7.5 2.0
Boston 47 60 .439 14.0 8.5
A month ago, this division was separated by only five games from top to bottom, but the Yankees have created a little breathing room for themselves. However, they certainly haven’t run away with this division, especially with the surprising moves made by the Toronto Bluejays. It’s certainly too soon to see how those will play out as the season winds down, but they certainly were more aggressive than what I thought they would be. Baltimore continues to play solid baseball as well. The Rays would have to jump three teams to get to the top, which can be difficult this late in the year, but they’re right in the middle of the wild card race. I don’t know if the Red Sox have enough time to make the move they would need to make to play in October, but I suppose stranger things have happened.
I think some of the early voting is still showing through as Boston still leads the AL East poll at 26.7%, with New York, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore tied for second at 20%. Toronto rounds it out at 13.3%, but we’ll see if that number rises with the new lineup.
[yop_poll id=”205″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
W L PCT. GB WCGB
Kansas City 63 42 .600 —- ——–
Minnesota 54 52 .509 9.5 1.0
Detroit 51 55 .481 12.5 4.0
Chicago 50 55 .476 13.0 4.5
Cleveland 49 57 .462 14.5 6.0
The Kansas City Royals are dominating this division. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if they could live up to the hype after that World Series run last year, but they’ve shown that they’re one of the best teams in baseball. The Twins have continued to play consistent baseball just above .500 and have put themselves in position to make a run at the postseason in a wild card capacity. The Tigers haven’t been able to put together a decent run to make up any ground in the division, but are still right there in the wild card race as well. The team that’s made the most noise this past month has been the Chicago White Sox, who have actually put themselves in the wildcard conversation with some very good baseball. And then there’s the Indians, who came into the season with very high hopes, but would need a lot of help to climb back into this thing.
There was a ton of Cleveland votes at the beginning of the season with those high hopes as they still hold 20% of this vote, but Kansas City easily leads the division poll at 46.7%, which is a very good bet right now. Can anybody catch the Royals? Vote now.
[yop_poll id=”206″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
W L PCT. GB WCGB
Houston 60 48 .556 —- ——–
Los Angeles 56 50 .528 3.0 +1.0
Texas 53 53 .500 6.0 2.0
Seattle 50 58 .463 10.0 6.0
Oakland 48 60 .444 12.0 8.0
We’ve got a two team race in the West. For those waiting for the ball to drop in Houston, I don’t think it’s coming. The Astros continue to play amazing baseball, but the Angels are still right there only a few games behind. If the Rangers were to go on a crazy winning streak, they could possible put themselves in the division race, but a run at a wild card spot seems more likely. As for the Mariners and A’s, better luck next year.
As for the poll, the Binge Sports fans still think that the Angels will indeed catch the Astros as they lead the way with 50% of the vote with the Astros coming in at 27.8%. These two teams will play each other six times in September. Vote wisely.
[yop_poll id=”207″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
During the MLB podcast, I revealed a new poll (I know, another one?) asking you which five teams you thought would make the playoffs, obviously the three division winners and the two wildcard spots. Here’s the results as they stand right now.
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-100%
2. Kansas City Royals-75%
3. Toronto Bluejays, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins-50%
4. Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers-25%
This voting actually makes a lot of sense right now. With eight teams within 4 games of each other for the final wild card spot, there’s so much up in the air right now. Here’s another chance for you to vote. Remember you must vote for five teams. Beneath the poll, you’ll see exactly what we’re looking at if the playoffs started today.
[yop_poll id=”246″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
W L PCT. GB WCGB
New York 57 50 .533 —- ——-
Washington 55 50 .524 1.0 3.0
Atlanta 48 59 .449 9.0 11.0
Miami 43 64 .402 14.0 16.0
Philadelphia 42 65 .393 15.0 17.0
Okay, the Mets aren’t going away. A month ago, I said that the Mets would slowly drop off with the injury problems they were having, but I’ve been proven wrong. Here they sit, right atop the National League East. The Nationals are still right there, but this is certainly a surprise, and a good one for Mets fans. I still think that Washington is the better overall team, but this race is going to be extremely entertaining down the stretch. These two teams have a three game set the first week in September, but that’s it. The rest of the games are against other teams, so we’ll have to wait and see how each team responds to the pressure.
As of right now, the Binge Sports poll shows that you believe that the Nationals will win this division. Every month, their numbers have gone up. It started at 50, rose to 67, then 75 last month, but Washington now has more than 83% of the fan vote. With this Mets resurgence, will the numbers change?
[yop_poll id=”208″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
W L PCT. GB WCGB
St. Louis 67 39 .632 —- ——–
Pittsburgh 61 44 .581 5.5 +3.0
Chicago 58 47 .552 8.5 ——–
Cincinnati 48 56 .462 18.0 9.5
Milwaukee 45 63 .417 23.0 14.5
I still firmly believe that this is the strongest division in baseball, at least in the top three spots. Think about this. The third place Chicago Cubs have the seventh best record in baseball. St. Louis continues to hold the top spot by playing typical Cardinals baseball, but the Pittsburgh Pirates have continued to stay in the running and currently hold the first wild card position by a few games. I don’t think that the Cubs can win this division, but they’ll be looking to slide into the playoffs in one of those wild card spots, but that will certainly be a challenge as well.
As they lead the division, the Cardinals still lead the way in the fan vote as well with 53.8% of the vote. 30.8% of you still believe the Cubs can catch up, and Pittsburgh supporters have finally chimed in and have the remaining 15.4%. Which way are you leaning?
[yop_poll id=”209″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
W L PCT. GB WCGB
Los Angeles 60 46 .566 —- ——–
San Francisco 58 48 .547 2.0 0.5
San Diego 52 55 .486 8.5 7.0
Arizona 51 54 .486 8.5 7.0
Colorado 44 61 .419 15.5 14.0
As was the case last month, this is still a two team race in the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants continue their great rivalry in 2015 as they battle for this division title. Both teams have an excellent chance to make the playoffs, but winning the division keeps you out of that anything can happen wild card game, so there’s certainly an advantage to the team that can make it out of this on top. The two teams play three in LA starting August 31st and close out the season with a three game set in San Francisco. This could very well go down to the last day.
The Dodgers currently hold the lead in the fan poll at 52.9%, but the Giants are close with 41.2%. You’re running out of time to change your mind. Get your vote in today.
[yop_poll id=”210″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
Now that you’ve got the division voting out of the way, let’s take a look at how the Binge Sports audience has been voting for the playoffs.
1. St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates-100%
2. Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants-50%
And that’s it. Thus far, you’ve only voted for six teams in the National League. It seems as if you firmly believe that those four teams listed at number one will be in and the Cubs and Giants will battle for that second wild-card spot. The Mets might have something to say about that, but you’re pretty close to what’s actually happening. But with fifty-five to sixty games left, you never know what could happen. Keep voting.
[yop_poll id=”247″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
There you have it. There’s a ton of great baseball coming your way as the regular season winds down and I’m certain that I’ll have Jim Poljak back on the show as the postseason gets started in October. Until then, stay tuned for an all-new Binge SportsCast coming your way very soon. We’ve got SummerSlam on the horizon, so Batch and I will be bringing a new wrestling version your way in a little over two weeks as well. If you missed the last show where Garrett joined us to talk the Hulk Hogan fiasco, click HERE to check it out. And yes, the NFL season is upon us as well. Camps are in full swing, so coverage of the upcoming season will be coming your way very soon. I’m currently thinking about different options to handle the season, so if you have any suggestions on that or anything else, please leave them below or follow me on Twitter @BingeSports and @THElukenorris. And as always, check back to the site every single day for new podcasts, daily posts, and make sure to sign up for the Binge Media Newsletter for exclusive content and also make a visit to the new Binge Media merchandise store by clicking the “Shop” link at the top of this page. Binge Media is stronger than ever so I wouldn’t want you to get left behind. Enjoy.
The great PJ, intern extraordinaire, has made some key updates to the Fall releases as we gear up for the end of Summer. He also updated the Emmy nominations. Best intern ever. Lots of points to be tallied for these last two weeks so check out if your ladies have moved up or down the list. As always, you can click the link below and see the entire spreadsheet which features who’s got who and when they’re doing what they do. Plus all the magazine cover points and all that crazy shit. Way too much typing. Bye.
Movie Freak and Garrett step in for Ammon and Moreno and don’t miss a beat as we cover everything from Lego to Val Kilmer’s filmography in this week’s BingeCast.
Things start with TV Round-Up and a solid summary of what’s going wrong and right with True Detective. We also lose our shit over Wet Hot American Summer: The First Day of Camp and discuss a little more Mr. Robot.
Literally Literary covers The Walking Dead, Broken Monsters, and Modern Romance before we break down exactly why we won’t be watching Fear the Walking Dead (or will we?).
What Did you Watch is packed more than ever with a revisit of WAYNE’S WORLD, and reviews of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION, TRAINWRECK, DARK PLACES, THE WOLFPACK, LOST SOUL, and A LEGO BRICKUMENTARY.
There’s been a lot of positives for the site in the last few weeks and we’re finally ready to unveil our latest project. The Binge Media merchandise store is now open for business. We got hats, beer coozies, shirts, flasks, magnets, and will be adding to the list pretty regularly as time goes on. We’d be nowhere without our listeners so hopefully they can sport a couple of these bad boys and wear them proud. Every time we get drunk together (every time we get together) we think of new ideas for the store and have plans for shirts with quotes on them, shirts with some of our go-to catchphrases (BABADIIICK!) and of course the whole “Ammon as a roadie for Korn” line that should be fantastic. Click the pic below and buy some shit. I know I am.
Well, there’s not too much I can write for this description of the all-new Binge SportsCast. Well, I could actually write for days and days about Hulk Hogan and this unfortunate situation (and I almost did), but I decided instead to invite my tag-team partner Batch and our sometimes six-man tag partner Garrett to the show to discuss the biggest story in pop culture from this past week. We get into the rant itself, how it affects the childhood of millions, what’s next for Hogan, racism in wrestling, and so much more. What’s your take on this whole fiasco? Comment below or let me know @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. You can find Batch @multiversefive and Garrett @GarrettCollin13. Enjoy…or cry. Either way, sign up for the Binge Media Newsletter before you listen…BROTHER!!!
We’ve all got one, possibly a handful, of artists whom we vigilantly follow and enjoy. Regardless of the level of quality, nothing can waver one’s devotion to a certain person or group no matter how far they fall down. Neil Young is one of my go-to artists. Granted, some complain he doesn’t have a good voice and if you don’t have the patience for some of his music I can understand, but never condone, that perspective. Uncle Neil is a world-class musician, with numerous hits from the popular Harvest to After the Gold Rush to On The Beach and so many others. Naturally, when I saw a Groupon pop up for tickets to see Uncle Neil at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, my friends and I jumped at the chance to see one of our idols once again. This would be my second time seeing him live, the first being on his tour for Le Noise at the Providence Performing Art Center back in 2011. Of course, as ESPN likes to remind us constantly, Father Time is undefeated, and some day we all succumb to his cold, icy grasp. This applies, in some ways, most brutally to musicians as voices and bones tend to deteriorate noticeably quick. You won’t find Ian Anderson belting out Aqualung quite the same way as he used to some-odd 30 years ago, but the nice thing about Uncle Neil is his music still sounds the same. When he goes off on a 7-minute solo in the middle of Cowgirl In The Sand it’s exactly the same as it was back when he played it with Crazy Horse, and if you close your eyes you wouldn’t know the difference. I can say with confidence that if Uncle Neil’s most recent album is any indication of where he’s at artistically I think we’re going to see at least a handful more albums from the guy before he’s done.
His most recent, the politically charged The Monsanto Years, is not a fun listen. Admittedly I could not get through the album in the week or so leading up to the concert. It’s not an easy listen because, like the similarly laid out Living With War, Neil’s political message overtakes his music, specifically his traditionally in your face lyrics. I mean come on, how many times can you say “I don’t want GMOs” on an album? The answer is once. Well, Neil never heard that criticism, so there’s no shortage of at least five (by my count) tunes that feature a similar line. Look, The Monsanto Years is an album with a message, which is exactly what this guy has lived for his entire life. Monsanto is protest music, and that has it’s place of course, but it just feels like it’s raging with futility. That’s not to say some of the songs aren’t catchy, but there’s nothing that would rival the masterpiece Ohio on here. While I knew this show would be infused with Monsanto tunes, I still knew Uncle Neil would bring the goods along with it, and boy did he.
Opening up with a fantastic solo rendition of After the Gold Rush, Neil set the tone early. Of the two times I’ve seen him, Uncle Neil carries a certain gravitas and deliberate meaning in the setlist, evident with his opener moreso than any other tune in the setlist (“Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 21st century…“). After a short but stunning set of acoustic tunes Neil brings out the Promise of the Real, his backing band comprised of some studio musicians most closely associated with Willie Nelson (including his son). Immediately they turn the tide of the show with a blistering electric version of the Harvest classic Out on the Weekend and from there on it was high-octane stuff. Granted, the setlist could have been enhanced by, you know, leaving out the Monsanto tunes, but if those were the price of admission for getting a 10-minute version of Love and Only Love I’d pay that again in a heartbeat. I’d give the show a solid 8 out of 10 soft-shelled tacos. Check out the setlist below, and as always, Binge On!
Let’s kick things off with another argument. This time it’s Ernie Cline’s new novel, Armada that had Supka and Law disagreeing. In the end we can all agree it’s Wil Weaton’s fault. Let’s move on.
Ammon joins the party and so does long time listener, Chad Diiiick! Chad throws a couple reviews, invents a new rating policy and taps out before we get too drunk and yell at him.
TV Round-Up features lots of talk about Mr Robot, Ballers, True Detective, Gossip Girl, and The Bachelorette (no idea why we talk about this).
Movie Homework is a treat as we get to revisit KING KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS and update the current Donkey Kong leaderboard and some of the legends of the movie.
Google Voice is stupid as usual as we get some homework assignments and a bunch of people yelling at Ammon.
What Did You Watch has a cameo by Law’s kids as they review PIXELS for the show and Moreno and Ammon watch NON-STOP and THE MAZE RUNNER.
I fixed a small mistake from a couple weeks ago, (thanks PJ) and have added all the new box office points for this week. What more do you want of me? Not much by way of magazine covers or nudity. Better luck next week, perverts. Click the link below for the entire spreadsheet.