Jack Valley borrows the Binge SportsCast moniker to join PJ the Intern in their thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LI. The guys dish on the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots and all the stats you can shake a babadiiick at. Find out their thoughts on the game, score predictions and why the least likely of positions may get the edge during the big game this Sunday. Download the podcast and enjoy the game!
Yep, I put that picture there just to piss off Batch.
Welcome to an all-new wrestling edition of the Binge SportsCast. But let’s be honest here. There really aren’t any other Binge SportsCasts that aren’t wrestling these days, is there? In any event, I’ve got the full crew with me this week as I’m joined by Batch and Super Marcey to review a little Wrestle Kingdom, the UK Championship Tournament, NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, the Royal Rumble and the fallout from all of that. So there’s a lot to get to and we ran a little longer than usual but you’re not complaining. But there certainly is a little complaining on this episode as Batch expectedly runs down John Cena’s 16th world title win and I probably upset a few people by knocking Daniel Bryan and Bayley, which is allegedly something you just don’t do. But we still had fun as we always do and I’m sure you will as well. Enjoy.
You didn’t think you were getting off without me, did you? Wait, what? Okay, let me try that again. Welcome to another edition of Highlights of 2016: The Luke Norris Edition. That doesn’t go against my third-person count, does it?
In any event, I figured that since I used to write the weekend column at this here site, I’d wait until today to get my list of things for 2016 out there. I’ll get to some movies and TV here in a bit, but seeing as I’m the sports guy I’ll go ahead and start there. It just so happens that my favorite thing of 2016 came from the sports world anyway and I don’t think anybody will be surprised by it.
The Cubs Win The World Series
Moreno said it earlier in the week and he was absolutely right. Just saying that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series is still a very strange thing to say and probably will be for a while but that doesn’t mean that I won’t keep doing it. For those that know me, you know how much the Cubs mean to me and to say that watching them win that epic Game 7 was a very special moment for me. I’m trying to keep these short today so I won’t go into as much detail as I did in my “What The Cubs Winning The World Series Means To Me” piece I wrote over at The Luke Norris Experience (shameless plug and I don’t feel bad about it) but it was something that I will never forget and was easily one of the biggest and best stories of the year in any form of entertainment.
The End Of An Era In The NBA
There’s a lot of people out there that simply don’t like the NBA anymore, or just don’t like the NBA at all, but it’s always been something that I’ve followed closely and 2016 marked the true end of an era as three of the all-time greats in Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett all retired, making this current season the first since Bill Clinton’s first term not to have at least one of these three in the league. While Kobe Bryant embarked on a farewell tour, including his 60-point closing game, Tim Duncan stayed true to form and just quietly walked away. I think KG really wanted to play another season but after 21 years of intensity, his body just couldn’t take anymore and he joined his fellow future Hall of Famers as spectators. In the end, these three played a combined 40 seasons, scored 86,210 points, won four MVP awards (how that total isn’t higher is beyond me), played in 48 All-Star Games and won 11 titles. Incredible.
The Dallas Cowboys
Outside of the Los Angeles Lakers, my sports teams have had a pretty good 2016. The Cubs did what they did. Michigan football, while losing their last two games, put themselves in title contention and look to be headed back towards what they used to be and the Dallas Cowboys have surpassed every expectation coming into this NFL season and no matter what happens tomorrow against the Eagles will go into the playoffs with the best record in the NFC. And while I knew that Ezekiel Elliott would do well, especially behind that amazing offensive line, Dak Prescott has shocked everyone with his poise and control as the field leader of this offense. When Tony Romo went down in the preseason, I don’t think anybody could have expected what’s happened since. Obviously, I’ll have to wait until 2017 to see how all of this plays out but the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl could be an early contender for one of my favorite moments of the new year.
The Passing Of Icons
We all know that 2016 has seen a lot of celebrity deaths and the sports world wasn’t immune as a few of the biggest icons in sports history were lost this year. One of the best hockey players in history, Gordie Howe, died on June 10 and it really didn’t get the coverage that it deserved, but that was mainly due to the fact that Muhammad Ali passed only seven days before. And trust me, I could sit here and write for hours on Ali’s legacy but there’s plenty of documentaries and films out there if you’re not as familiar as you’d like to be about him. And yes, they’re all worth watching. And I know I don’t have a big audience for it here, but the death of Arnold Palmer in late September was a big deal to those of us that follow golf and a true loss for the sports world.
Okay, I’ll stop with the sports stuff for a minute and get to some TV. I’ve mentioned before on a few podcasts that I’m a very impatient person when it comes to television and I miss out on a lot of conversations because of it. It’s why I don’t watch a lot of new TV, even with all of the amazing shows that are out there right now. I’ll often wait until a series is completely over until I even start an episode because I don’t like waiting nine or ten months before it returns. But I did make a few exceptions this year, and will likely make a few more in the upcoming year, and I’ll start with another obvious entry.
Better Call Saul
It’s no secret that I’m a big Breaking Bad guy and I could write and talk for hours upon hours about that show. And yes, I’ll go ahead and take the blame for falling behind on those podcasts that we were doing. We had some scheduling conflicts and I had some computer issues and we just got away from it. Sorry. But I love everything about that universe and although I was scared in the beginning that Better Call Saul wouldn’t be able to live up to the hype, I’m okay with being wrong on this one. While the first season was very solid, the second was exceptional and I can’t even imagine what the third has in store for us. Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks have both been brilliant and the supporting players are carrying their own weight and then some. There isn’t a scene that I don’t look forward to and while we may question them in real time, every one ends up having a purpose in the overall story. And then you add Gus Fring to the mix coming up. Damn.
The Path
And since we’re on Breaking Bad a little bit, I have to mention how much I enjoyed The Path. I’ve made no secret of the fact that Jesse Pinkman was my favorite character on the show and I hoped that Aaron Paul wouldn’t fall off the map after the show ended. After a role like that, it’s easy for an actor to only be looked at as that one character and I’m extremely happy that both Paul and Bryan Cranston have found success beyond Breaking Bad. Paul’s role as a husband and father on this show is obviously very different than what he did before and he’s doing it well. I won’t get into the plot points or anything here for those who haven’t seen it, but I highly recommend watching the first season before the second gets going here in a few weeks. Very nice surprise.
Stranger Things
Honestly, I really had no plans to watch Stranger Things right away. But after everyone and their mother started talking and posting about how much they enjoyed it, Shawshank and I sat down one night and started it, figuring we’d watch an episode to get the feel of it and go from there. Nope. I think we stayed up until about 2 or 3 in the morning watching five or six episodes that night and I’m pretty sure we finished it the next day. That kind of show normally isn’t my thing but throw in all of the 80s goodness, Winona Ryder, Matthew Modine and I’m in. Another fun surprise.
O.J.: Made in America
I don’t know if they’re classifying this as TV or a movie but I really don’t care. O.J.: Made in America was absolutely phenomenal. I watched these events unfold in the mid-90s as a teenager and I was captivated by it then. As a sports fan (and a Naked Gun fan as well), I knew who O.J. Simpson was but as his football career was before my time, I really didn’t know a ton about him except that he was one of the all-time greats. I knew he was an actor and a celebrity and that everyone seemed to like him, which is obviously what made those murders the big deal that they became. And this documentary captured all of it. From his time in college to his pro career to his acting days and his personal relationships, every single aspect of this man’s life was covered. Mix all of that with the controversial history of the LAPD and the trial coverage and you’ve got one of the best documentaries of the year. It took me back to my high school days when I couldn’t get enough of the coverage and I learned so much more. Outstanding.
Yeah, I know once I get rolling that these things get a little long but I just want to mention a few flicks and I’ll let you out of here. Now, there’s a couple of the awards season contenders that I haven’t gotten to yet and while I will mention a couple of those below, I first want to quickly talk about a couple of movies that will obviously not be a part of that conversation.
I’m always looking for fun, stupid movies. Movies that you can hit up on a Sunday afternoon when you’re hungover and don’t want to have to think about anything. And I found a couple of those year.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
I love the Lonely Island and their brilliance is on full display here. Following all of their albums and music videos and such, it was only a matter of time before they tried it out on the big screen and I’m so happy that they did. Outside of the guys themselves, this flick is full of outstanding cameos (I think Seal might be my favorite…”Fucking wolves”) and crazy awesome tracks that I’ve got no problem admitting I listened to repeatedly just so I could get all of the lyrics down. Don’t judge me.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
I really had no idea what to expect from this one but I sat down and gave it a chance one day and I’m glad that I did. Again, there’s not much substance here but I’m okay with that. You’ve got Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick playing crazy chicks who like to drink (I’m sold right there) and a very funny dude in Adam DeVine. And then you’ve got Zac Efron. Now, I don’t know who exactly it was that decided he was going to start being in all of these comedies, but I want to shake that person’s hand. He’s the only thing that’s good about the Neighbors movies and he upped his game even more in this one. And you’ve got Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick playing crazy chicks who like to drink. Wait, did I say that already?
The Magnificent Seven
Was this remake necessary? Certainly not. But did I enjoy the hell out of it? Absolutely. I’ve always been a big Denzel fan and watching him in this role only proved that this guy can do it all. He’ll likely get an Oscar nomination for Fences, which will be well-deserved I’m sure, but he was cool as hell here. And I did mark out a little bit seeing him and Ethan Hawke back onscreen together as I’m a big fan of Training Day. Throw in Chris Pratt in the Steve McQueen role and you’ve got gold. Really fun flick. And watch Seven Samurai already, will ya?
The Birth of a Nation
Just getting this film made was a difficult task for writer/producer/director Nate Parker, but the end result was amazing, even if it became a disappointment at the box office. There were always going to be people out there that wouldn’t like it for a variety of reasons, including the controversy surrounding Parker himself, but strictly from the perspective of a moviegoer, I was captivated from start to finish. To me, it was everything that 12 Years A Slave wasn’t. And yes, I’m aware that the latter took home numerous Best Picture awards but I could never get into it. Although the source material was great, I was never connected to the characters and it always felt very flat to me. It was the complete opposite for me here. The story of the relationship between Parker’s Nat Turner and Samuel, played brilliantly by Armie Hammer, was told very well and the supporting players were excellent. I may be in the minority here but I really dug this flick.
Hell or High Water
As I mentioned earlier, there’s still a few movies from this year that I’ve yet to get around to but this is my favorite film of 2016. It’s got a very No Country for Old Men feeling to it without being No Country for Old Men. Jeff Bridges is always going to do his thing but underappreciated actors Ben Foster and Chris Pine absolutely slay it in this film. It’s unfortunate that so many people will only ever see Pine as Captain Kirk because he’s got so much more versatility than he’s given credit for. I dug him next to Denzel in the underrated Unstoppable and he showed he’s got some comedic chops as well in last year’s Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. I’m hoping the attention this movie’s going to get during awards season wakes people up a bit. And Ben Foster was phenomenal in this flick. I remember seeing him in a couple of episodes of Boston Public when he was a youngster years and years ago and he’s been killing it ever since. This is another one I could go on and on about…the direction, the acting, the cinematography…everything was superb here.
Okay, I think I’ve held you up long enough. Happy New Year to everyone in our little slice of paradise here at Binge Media.
At long last, the band is back together as Super Marcey is back with Luke and Batch for the final wrestling edition of the Binge SportsCast for 2016 and there was a lot happening on this show, some of which was just answering the question “What the hell happened at Roadblock: End of the Line?” And while they did discuss some of that, there’s also the random tangents that this crew goes off on and if you’re looking for an idea of where some of this goes, just know that the video below you is part of this podcast as Batch reminds Luke that this actually happened.
And if that’s not enough for you, end of the year awards are handed out for things such as Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, Surprise of the Year and so on and so forth. Heel turns are teased, laughs are had, jokes are made and attempts are made to come up with as many alternatives for “End of the Line” as possible. Enjoy.
Welcome to Week 13 of the Binge Sports Pick ‘Em Contest.
After toying with the idea of adding bonus to only those who played every week, I went ahead and gave bonus points to everyone instead based on the number of weeks that you’ve played. The majority of you have actually played all 12 weeks and I didn’t want to overly punish those who randomly missed a week. We’re all busy people so what I did was simply add five little points for every week that you’ve played. I think that’s fair enough to everyone without shifting the balance too much. There will be no more adjustments from here on out and I wish you the best of luck in these last five weeks.
Here’s how things shook out last week and the updated overall standings heading into the Week 13 matchups.
Week 12 Results
Anthony D.: 86
PJ: 84
Art: 76
Chad D.: 56
Poljak: 56
Ed M.: 48
Andy N.: 42
Luke: 28
Denny: 26
Overall Standings
PJ: 407
Chad D.: 298
Art: 269
Jerridee: 200
Jack: 200
Andy N.: 159
Denny Luis: 135
Ed M.: 131
Anthony D.: 101
Poljak: 95
Luke: 93
Jay: -16
Week 13 Matchups
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers
14. Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons
13. Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals
12. Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers
11. San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
10. Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets
9. Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders
8. New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
6. Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals
5. Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints
4. Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
3. Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
2. Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars
1. Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots
My picks for the week are: SD-ATL-PHI-GB-CHI-IND-OAK-NYG-MIA-WAS-DET-DAL-SEA-DEN-NE