It's All About The U

>> I first watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on Miami University, "It's All About the U", about three weeks ago now, but I figured since I've spent so much time in real life talking about it, I should probably pimp it a little bit here. (JonJon and I spent roughly nine hours of one Saturday raving about it, and we even delayed bar-hopping by about 10 minutes because our favorite part was coming up- even though it was loud in Whitey's, and there was no volume on the TV over the bar.) It's absolutely phenomenal. I don't want to talk about it too much, since I felt like over Christmas break we straddled the line between 'inspiring people to watch it' and 'annoying the shit out of people by constantly referencing something they hadn't seen yet.' Just a couple scattered thoughts:

- I love pinpointing the exact moment when I know a movie is gonna be awesome. In this instance, it was at about the 33 second mark of the opening credits. That's when I looked around my empty living room, nodded my head approvingly and said "This is gonna be fuckin' sick, bro." (When I talk to myself, I like to talk like a snowboarder.)

- Any of my long-term friends can tell you that I have problems standing still for longer than like 8 seconds at a time. I have a little nervous tic where I'll start practicing my golf swing, or throwing up karate moves like Mac on It's Always Sunny, or making robot noises and actions, etc. etc. But for the time being, all that has been replaced by late-1980's Miami University dance moves. The George Jefferson Motorhips; the pistols; the one where they all get in a circle, slightly lean back, and swing their arms in sync (yeah I can't describe that well, I'm no choreographer. It's the 47 second mark of the opening credits.) They're all deadly.

- So far pretty much all the 30 for 30s have been amazing. I've been really looking forward to the one about Reggie Miller vs. the Knicks and Spike Lee, as well as the one about Allen Iverson in high school. After I saw the one on Len Bias, I thought that was the one that wouldn't be topped....and then this one on Miami came along and rocked my socks. On my list of most unexpectedly awesome videos of 2009, this one ranks #2. Just behind King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and just ahead of this clip of an eagle throwing goats off a cliff (off a fucking cliff!!!)

OK that's all I'm gonna say. Watch it if you haven't.


>> On the flip side, I finally got around to watching The Many Deaths of Ian Stone, some horror movie I had DVR'ed a couple months ago. And I want to chew on this for a couple days, see how it tastes a little bit....but I might be ready to call it the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life (move dowwwwn the bench, Cabin Fever.) The movie ran long, so the last 3 or 4 minutes got cut off, and I almost gave the DVR a standing ovation for mercifully ending the crapfest that is this movie.


>> While I'm handing out reccos, I'll pass along a couple clips from Schneweis and Pacing the Cage, of comedian Nick Thune. I laughed hard at both of them, and I predict you will too.

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>> One last note: Brett, if you can possibly help it, next time you find yourself in a VIP suite drinking with Mark Buerhle and Zach Galifinakis**, hop in the DeLorean and go back in time about 4 1/2 hours, give me a call, and I'll drive to St. Louis and join you. What a ridiculous night that was, and I wasn't even there.

**If I hadn't received a picture text of Brett with Galifinakis, and if I hadn't been indirectly conversing with Buerhle through Brett, I don't think I'd believe the story. (I told Brett to tell Buerhle that DeWayne Wise saved his ass. Buerhle's response: "It was a decent catch. I've seen better." Funny guy, that Mark Buerhle.) I mean, Mark Buerhle and Zach Galifinakis? Can you come up with a more random baseball player/movie star combination to be drinking with? Scott Rolen & Shia LeBouf? Lance Berkman & Tracy Morgan? Francisco Cordero & James VanderBeek? John Olerud & the guy who played Bubba in Forrest Gump?

Do you think John Olerud would still wear his batting helmet in the club, or if he was in VIP would he be comfortable enough to take it off? OK now I've derailed.