The NBA Finals

I had a Padre's Day dinner at my Aunts house Sunday night and left unsettled. Not because the ribs were bad (they were delicious) or the corn was over cooked, but because I realized my sports crazed family had no love once so ever for NBA basketball. All afternoon I had about eight cousins surrounding the TV with me to watch the U.S. Open being played at Merion Country Club in Ardmore PA, which was pretty freaking baller because I live a grenade's throw away from the course and drive by it on a weekly to monthly basis. Either way, once the Open ended I'm all excited because it was like exactly game time! The Open ended at 7:40ish and the Finals game started at 8, perfect! Get to watch and talk basketball with my family, nothing better.

Until next thing I knew I found myself alone. My Uncle sat down near me and played on his laptop, paying no attention to the action on screen. Everyone had opted to sit in a circle and talk instead of watching one of the best NBA Final's Series ever (to bold?). It baffles me. I do not understand what people do not like about the NBA??? I asked my uncle. He claims college basketball is his favorite think to watch on TV over anything. He says he hates the NBA because it's too boring, to much one on one and not enough excitement and movement.

.............. (Long Pause to over emphasize the point).......

IS HE SERIOUS????? TOO BORING TO MUCH ONE ON ONE AND NOT ENOUGH BALL MOVEMENT???? I was in shock. SHOCK. This is the same argument every non-NBA fan makes! "Oh it's too much one on one it's too flashy not enough team basketball blah blah blah" BULLSHIT! If you like basketball and understand the game, you have to understand that the NBA is on a different level than college basketball. The rules are different for entertainment purposes and the crowds cannot be matched. But NBA basketball is better basketball. It's smarter basketball, more intelligent basketball. This has been exemplified by this Final's series. The Spurs and The Heat, full of future Hall of Fame players, have put on a team basketball clinic both offensively and defensively. These two teams are on another freakin level and it is so much fun to watch. Almost too much to watch. There is so much movement on both sides of the ball on every play that when I watch on my big screen TV I honestly don't know what to look at and look for anymore. Danny Green is running circles around the three point line. Tony Parker is dribbling half way to China at peddle to the metal speed. LeBron and Wade have found this incredible knack to drive, kick, and cut at all times of the possession. It's riveting! Awe inspiring if you will. All those people who have some sort of love for College Basketball because of the excitement and all the fans and buzzer beaters, I understand what your saying. But for the basketball junkie, guru, genie, pervert, mad scientists, craftsmen, whatever the hell you want to call us. This stuff that's going on in The Finals right now is absolutely incredible. Whoever's not watching is missing out.

Now just to blurb a little about some Final's things:

1. LeBron almost effed up. Almost effed up REAL BAD. Two possessions with under two minutes left went absolutely wrong. Two turnovers. That can't happen. But it did. And what's crazy? He got away with it. Rats.

2. What an overall performance by James. Incredible numbers. Fourth quarter brilliance. Willing his team to have a chance. And that's really all they needed.

3. Ray Allen. Ray Ray. Raaaaayyyyy Alllleeeennnn. Ugh he pisses me off. Like it's kind of funny because after watching him shoot for so long you can tell right off the release if his shot is going to go in or not. I was crying before the ball even hit the net. You just knew it was going in.

4. To clarify my tears above, I really really realllllly want Tim Duncan, Pop, Manu, and Tony to get one more. The love story between those three is something that you do not see ever in the NBA. Phil Jackson, Kobe and Shaq are a great example of people who could not stay civil while yearning the spot light. Somehow these four kept their heads on straight for 16 years. 16!!! And still today, have not even let Tim Duncan's recent divorce stand in their way of a championship. Incredible.

5. If the Spurs to get one more, Timmmmaaay, Pop, Manu and Parker, should all hang it up. It's only right. I do not want to see Tony playing with other guys. I do not want to see Pop coaching other players. I just don't. It's only right for these four to leave on top and most importantly, together.

6. If the Heat win, LeBron is staying in Miami forever. Especially if the win three in a row. No way he's leaving after a three peat.

7. If the Heat win, the NBA Final's MVP should go to LeBron. Obviously. If the Spurs win, give it to the whole freakin team. None of them care who gets it. Just give it to everyone. They all deserve it. And I'm not even kidding.

I CANNOT wait for Game 7 tomorrow. Going to be a doozy. Go Spurs!

The Greatest Show On Earth

Last night I popped my Kenny Chesney concert cherry. I'm not gonna lie, I walked out of the Lincoln Financial Field speechless, and I still have not gotten over how amazing the entire day was. So here are the 11, yup 11, things I want to tell you about the Kenny Chesney Concert last night within two different categories.

The Tailgate

1. To begin, I've never woken up earlier in my life for a concert than I did for yesterdays Kenny Chesney extravaganza. The concert began at 5 o'clock and we did not expect to get to our seats till 7. So, naturally my alarm went off at 8:15 am and my three buddies and I, who all slept at the same house so we could get going, all had no trouble getting up. As Matthew described it "I've had this date saved in my phone calendar as 'THE BEST DAY EVER.' That's why this morning was so easy to get up, it's like Christmas morning." We packed our coolers full of fruit punch and headed for the train.

2. Before I dive into the Kenny tailgate, I first have to tell you of the travesty that was the Luke Bryan tailgate a week ago. Parking lots for said tailgate in Camden hadn't opened till 4 o'clock for a 7 o'clock concert. I got down there at 1 o'clock and spent an hour driving around with a good thousand other people who did not know where to go because the parking lots were not open. Luckily we found a secret spot to tailgate until the real lots open. You'd think that Camden would understand that the summer concerts are the only thing they got going for them so they should want to make the people happy? So now that we got that settled, by the time we were walking down Broad Street and towards The Linc parking lot, it was 10:15 in the morning. The lot was PACKED. Already!!!! I couldn't believe it but there were people everywhere and cops all over just patrolling the entire situation. We headed to a friend of ours' tailgate who's dad rents an RV every year for one day and uses it to tailgate the concert. They already had their beach chairs set up around their tailgate along with a flat screen TV that was playing Kenny Chesney's Philadelphia concert of last year. So legit.

3. As soon as we got into the parking lot, the first thing we all realized was all the different music we were hearing. As you walked through the parking lot you'd here one tailgate playing Kenny, the next playing Eric Church, maybe a little Luke Bryan. Once we even heard the same song being played by two different cars at the same damn time! By the time we had walked through two lots I had seen 45 different tailgate spots playing 45 different songs out of speakers or out of their respective cars. Pretty cool.

4. Trucks. Trucks everywhere. Big trucks small trucks red trucks big wheeled trucks. Trucks.

5. The girls. THE GIRLS!!!! Absolutely gorgeous women everywhere you went. It's the new style to rock the high waisted jorts at the country concert for women these days and I definitely don't not like it (you see that double negative usage there). Along with the cowgirls boots and belly revealing top, the girls at concerts are extremely drool-able.

6. I've never seen so many people in one place having such a good time without police interference or a fight breaking out. It really, really, really was just a free time with a no harm no foul sort of relationship between the authority and the general public. Something someone under 21 just absolutely adores. Lastly, I've never seen this anywhere else but supposedly at Kenny Chesney tailgates it is a common thing for people to bring pounds and pounds of sand to spread around their tailgate so they can pretend their on a beach? That's pretty freakin awesome.

The Concert

7. I noticed this at the tailgate as well, but in the concert it really stood out. The age range of people within the Kenny Chesney concert was, no lie, 2 years old to 90 years old. I literally saw an elderly couple walking to their seats holding hands trying to avoid the crowd, and I saw a little baby being held by his mother in the seats surrounding me. It's amazing how music can bring so many different people together.

8. Going into the concert I knew that I was in for something special. Two of the biggest names in country music these days were headlining the concert, Kenny Chesney, and Eric Church. Eric's big hits include Springsteen, Hell on The Heart, Like Jesus Does, Drink In My Hand, and others. He is new and hip and totally awesome. Kenny Chesney continues to poor out new hits to go along with his old hits. I knew it was going to be awesome and it was. It was so freaking awesome. Eric killed it. Rocked his guitar until I found myself playing air guitar in the crowd. When he sang Springsteen I've never had so many chills in my body before. It was music beauty. Kenny rocked the house so hard. I've never heard so many people singing the right, yes right, words at a concert before. Everyone knew every word to almost every song. When he played You and Tequila, the crowd took over for the final chorus and allowed Kenny to soak in the atmosphere. It was awesome. It was so freakin awesome. Woaah Woah Woaaah Wooooah

9. I understand why Kenny Chesney's tour is only playing in football stadiums around the country this year. This was my first concert in a football stadium and it really just doesn't compare to the concert venues else where. The stage was so big and the video board was big enough to see up close shots of the performers. The ability of the lights was phenomenal and perfectly timed. Also, I've never been able to hear the artists so clearly than I could last night and I attribute that to the football stadium. Truly a well done performance by the behind the scenes special features people.

10. When Kenny Chesney came out I really did not know what to expect. A lot of the previous country concerts I've been to have not met my expectations. I couldn't hear anything and plus the performer would sing covers of pop songs. I don't know why. I think that's really stupid for a country performer because the people at the concert want to hear your songs not you singing someone else's songs. Anyway. Kenny Chesney blew me out of the water. He sang, very very roughly, 20 songs back to back to back to back with NO break! He went for a solid 2 hours and sang every one of his famous songs. First off it's a testament to him that he has 20 famous songs that everyone loves. But also, I give him props for trusting in his music in concert. He started off with Whatever Makes You Feel Like A Rock Star and ended with She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. A true class act of a performance. As I mentioned earlier, the performance left me speechless and I still can't rap words around what he did during concert.

11. My favorite song. I Go Back. It almost makes me cry every time I hear it. Kenny killed it on stage.

If you have not gone to one of Kenny's concerts. Do it. Make it a tradition with your friends. I promise you, Kenny will not disappoint.

Good News Bad News

Someone please tell me why it is a thing to ask "hey man I got some good news and bad news which one do you want to hear first?" I really don't get it because usually in each case the good ends up out weighing the bad and the person who is being told both the good and the bad news is content. Either way I just want to hear the good news. The bad news is never bad enough to literally make me cry or something ridiculous like so save the suspense and just drop it on me. Don't ask questions before the answer cause that just pisses everyone off just tell us the answer straight up put a but at the end of it and watch as nobody cares which one you dropped first.

So I've been driving around a lot lately because I just have so much crap going on in my life. This means I listen to like A LOT of radio. Can you believe how compelled these radio people feel to play "mirrors" by Justin Timberlake (JT for short) every other song?? It's like these stations are competing against one another and the competition title is who can play mirrors the most in one day... GO! It's a good song I actually like it but they have to take it easy on how many times they play it before I punch my radio in the face. It's crazy. 

Lastly. Having so much to do in one day makes me wanna do more things with my day, not less. Isn't that weird? I thought doing more in a day would make you wanna just lay around when it's all done with. But I am experiencing the exact opposite! When my schedule is over for the day I just feel like I've missed out on life for the day and need to do something to fulfill the stuff that I missed. It makes no sense I know. 

-- Steve-O