Majerus, Prime and the Straw

For me to show up here, in the every-so-often way that I do. I, admittedly, am among the worst on this staff about posting regularly other than Danny who, due to Hebrew scriptural law isn't allowed to post more frequently without getting paid. Because Jews enjoy money.

You might wonder why I post so infrequently, and I assure you it's not for lack of brilliant ideas or knowledge worth dropping on you, the ig'nint masses. Also, it's not because I went into seclusion following the one of the football games on Sunday that supposedly ended in most exhilirating fashion.

Nope. For me, it's just good old fashioned American laziness. And with that, I'm going to make a pledge, nay - a sincere and empty promise - to post more frequently. As founder of this blog, I suppose I feel some sort of responsibility to at least contribute, if not always lead.

Unfortunately, when laziness and faux-motivation jump on the scale of lady justice, laziness usually wins. So, that means they'll mostly be shoddily cobbled-together collages of a bunch of random stuff, each item more random than the last.

So with that, readers (i.e., our mothers and people who got here via a Google search for actual yellow chairs), I present you with the first in a series of posts I'm calling...well, nothing, just a post. About stuff. Read on.

Rick Majerus' Politickin'

Among the more bizarre stories of the last couple of weeks has been the sudden and overwhelming presence of Rick Majerus in the national spotlight. It started earlier this month when his Billiken squad was beaten 49-20 by George Washington (the school, not the guy) in their A-10 conference opener. The pathetic offensive showing drew national attention in setting the record for fewest points scored in the NCAA since the shot clock was instituted in 1985.

The coverage then turned from oddball to downright bizarre with last week's Sports Illustrated feature on Majerus that detailed, among other things, Majerus' habit of berating his players in practice by calling them 'cunts' and - weirder still - his unsettling penchant for exposing himself to his players.

Though you'd think that after having heard detailed accounts of what this guy looks like naked would pretty much sate the American appetite for all things Rick Majerus, you'd be wrong. This week, Majerus drew heavy fire from St. Louis University officials for comments made to a reporter while attending a Hillary Clinton campaign event wherein the coach voiced his support for a woman's right to choose and furthering support of stem cell research.

Without turning this into another episode of Yellow Chair Politics, I will say this - I think I speak for most, if not all of the members of this staff in saying that I'm a huge Rick Majerus fan. The affable and accessible Majerus is one of the few truly likable characters in college coaching, a profession more often than not filled with dour and unseemly personalities created as a defense mechanism to an insanely stressful career. While it's true that I happen to agree with his position, I don't support what he did because I support his politics. I support what he did because it was awesome to see a guy in a position so frequently politicized and sterilized make a statement without fear of rattling a few cages. Compared with guys like Bill Belichick, it's a welcome change to see some personality in the world of sports.

Despite what you may think about Majerus personally or what he had to say, you've got to admit one thing - hearing a guy who once remarked live on the air during an ESPN telecast about renting hotel porn and masturbating to Ashley Judd candidly discuss religion, politics and bioethics is a collision of two worlds you never thought you'd see in your life. May be the most baffling "what the fuck?" moment of the last five years.

Random YouTube filler!

Also, these you've gotta see. Boredom and YouTube are dangerous bedfellows, my friends.



Music Video for "Must be the Money" by Deion Sanders. Amazing, simply amazing. Among the best parts: Deion makin' it rain, early-90s style and the fact that he's sportin' the "brightly colored suit, no shirt" style for most of the video.

Highlight: 2:38, with a surprise guest appearance by...Darryl Strawberry?!?!



Music video for "Shoot, Pass, Slam" by Shaquille O'Neal. Vintage music video from Shaq's early days as a rapper, featuring highlights from his time with the Magic.

Highlight: At 2:06, Shaq gets a sweet feed from a shorty shorts-clad Scott Skiles and, as the video implies, slams it!



1986 Anti-cocaine Public Service Announcement starring Mike Schmidt's mustache. Now, they say most people don't know how to define "irony," but I'd say that having a member of the late 80's-early 90's Phillies talk about the dangers of cocaine pretty much sums it up.

Highlight: "If you're into cocaine, get off it. You're living a lie."

That's all well and good, Mike, but where were you with that advice when Darryl was up living it up in Deion's crib? Huh? Where were you!?!?!