Did you know Kmart has a Nicki Minaj Collection?

I know what you're thinking: That can't really exist.  It's easy to fake a picture like this these days.  Photoshop technology can do amazing things.

But it's real.  I was there.  I saw it with my own eyes.  I took the pic myself.  And with the help of the magical google machine, I've discovered there's even a TV commercial:





All I'm going to say about this is that it's pretty ballsy of Kmart to use the word "collection."


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Patriots' Dynasty: 4 years or 14 years? Tom Brady best QB ever?

The Patriots have had the best record in the AFC East for 14 straight seasons.  During that time New England has averaged slightly more than 12 regular season wins per year.  Sunday will be the Pats' ninth AFC Championship Game in that stretch, giving them a 64 percent success rate at getting to the conference's title game in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.  And should they make the Super Bowl, it'll mean they've played in 43 percent of them since the turn of the century (6 of 14).

But a quick look at the history books makes it appear as if the Patriots had just a short run of dominance in the early 2000s--three titles in four years.  However, another Super Bowl victory this season puts everything that's happened since 2004 back in the spotlight.  The four-year run becomes a 14-year dynasty.

A win Sunday will make Brady the only quarterback to ever start six Super Bowls.  Another victory after that and he's tied with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only four-time champions.  Should that happen, it'll be hard to argue he's not the greatest QB of all time.

There's a lot on the table in the next two weeks.


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One of my favorite Christmas presents ever/Remember Dana Barros' 50-point game?

In 1990 my mother gave me a box of NBA Hoops basketball cards for Christmas.  Each pack contained 15 cards, and I believe there were 36 packs in the box.  For the 13-year-old version of me, 540 basketball cards was roughly 10,000 hours of entertainment.  It's crazy how we used to actually read and care about the stats printed on the back of them--now I get annoyed when I'm researching a piece and Basketball-Reference.com hasn't updated the numbers from today's games yet.

Speaking of that, here's what I wrote last night in my Stat Central feature for Hoops Habit: NBA's Most Unlikely 50-Point Scorers Of The Last 20 Years.  Included on the list is a former Boston College player who also spend some time with the Celtics...

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The FCC should ban Ray Lewis

This week on SiriusXM's The Stephen A. Smith Show, Ray Lewis said the following:

"Honest to God, the first time we created something called a tuck rule is the only reason we know, I'm just being honest, the only reason we know who Tom Brady is, because of a tuck rule."

Smith immediately threw Lewis a lifeline, saying "I've got to help you out here" and let your clarify because it sounds like you're implying Brady wouldn't be Brady without the tuck rule.  Lewis didn't back down from his comment in the least, replying:

"They don't go to that championship game.  They don't go to that championship game if that ball is [not] called a tuck."

The obvious proportionate response here is "We wouldn't know who Ray Lewis is if it wasn't for that double murder trial."  That's not where I'm going with this though.

Lewis' comments are irrelevant, what he says is meaningless in this case--but I'm sick of him getting the opportunity to speak.  How do other media members like Smith accept Lewis as a peer knowing he was involved in the death of two people?  I continue to be baffled by this.

It's embarrassing for ESPN that he is on their network.  There's a very good chance the majority of Lewis' NFL career never should have happened.  Just because he didn't go to jail doesn't mean it's reasonable for him to be a public figure on television.

It's time for a higher power to intervene here.  For lack of a better option I'm calling out the FCC to do one of two things:

A: Ban Lewis altogether.

B: In an effort to convince people like me that he's not a murderer, stipulate that Lewis must routinely answer questions regarding what happened on January 30, 2000.

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"12 Monkeys" is 20 years old, so it's time for a TV version

As evidenced by my Awesome Old Song of the Week, music, fashion, and general pop culture all tend to recycle themselves every 20 years or so.  And since the film 12 Monkeys came out in 1995, now that's it's 2015 it's obviously time for a new version:



The series debuts on SyFy this Friday at 9 pm, and to say that my expectations are high is an understandment.  12 Monkeys is one of my favorite 90s movies.  It really messes with your head and makes you think.  On top of that it's accompanied by this perfect eerily haunting music throughout:



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Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Wild Night" by John Mellencamp and Me'Shell Ndegeocello

I realize that Wild Night is really by Van Morrison in 1971.  But the John Mellencamp version is over 20 years old now as well, from 1994.  Plus, this gave me the opportunity to learn how to spell "Me'Shell Ndegeocello."

I was always a huge fan of the video too.  Riding around in that girl's cab looked like pretty much the greatest time ever.  I think at the time I though the actress was Billy Madison star Bridgette Wilson, but it's actually a model named Shana Zadrick.



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I hate pass interference in the NFL (as well as my highlights from the Patriots' win)

Luckily the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to come back from a 14-point deficit twice to win a playoff game, otherwise I'd be a lot more bothered by this today.  Before I go on my rant about pass interference, here are my two favorite things about Saturday's remarkable Pats' victory:

1. Somehow they won without ever handing the ball off to a running back in the second half.  Tom Brady had one quarterback sneak for a first down, New England's only rushing play after halftime.

2. The Patriots drafted Julian Edelman, a QB from Kent State, in the seventh round in 2009.  Then they waited six years for the perfect opportunity to let him throw a pass.  That's what I call patience.  His career passing numbers: 1-1, 51 yards, 1 touchdown.

Haven't looked at the stats, but I'd be willing to bet Julian Edelman is the greatest postseason quarterback of all time.
— Mark Vandeusen (@LucidSportsFan) January 11, 2015

I've written about how terrible pass interference in the NFL is many times before.  But when it looked like the Pats were going to lose yesterday, my abhorrence for the rule had reached the point that I was planning to title this blog "Why I hate the NFL."

With 32 seconds remaining in the first half and the game tied 14-14, the Ravens had the ball at the New England 44-yard line.  Joe Flacco lobbed a pass down the sideline to Steve Smith, who stuck his arm out into Darrelle Revis then took a dive out of bounds.  A bogus PI penalty was called on Revis, Baltimore was awarded 20 free yards, and three plays later the Ravens were up 21-14.

On New England's first drive of the second half the Pats had a third and six at their own 30-yard line.  Brady threw to Rob Gronkowski, who was unable to get anywhere near the ball because C.J. Mosley grabbed his arms from behind.  It was blatant pass interference that went uncalled, the Patriots punted, and Baltimore took a 28-14 lead on its next drive.

The combination of these two calls probably should have determined the outcome of the game.  I hate that.

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