Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
The Dodgers' Schedule will Win Them the World Series
If you've been a Dodgers fan since the last time the Dodgers won the World Series, you've been through a lot. You've seen Hershiser's career ruined by injuries, you've seen Jamie McCourt drive the team into financial ruin, and you've seen Manny Ramirez be, well, Manny. You've also had only three losing seasons in the past 25 years, so things haven't been all doom and gloom. But, in spite of eight postseason appearances since 1988, you've never seen the Dodgers win a pennant. And I can assure you, Dodgers fans — that long-promised World Series title is coming this year, too.*
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Conspiracy Theory: Phil Jackson Is Still Somehow Running (Ruining) The Knicks
The New York Knicks traded Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder for 30 cents on the dollar this summer, and ended up playing them in the first game of the season, ironically. Melo was looking to destroy the Knicks in the season opener, naturally, and ended up putting up a measly 22 points on a horrendous Knicks roster. Kristaps Porzingis, my large, beautiful dad, wowed everyone with an incredible 31 points and 12 rebounds. Michael Beasley injured his ankle a minute into the game, and my hopes and dreams of a Walking Bucket for this game were shattered. All around, it was basically everything I expected from the Knicks season opener, except I didn't think Phil Jackson was still running the Knicks.
By Stone Strankman8 years ago in Unbalanced
Justin Turner: Postseason Great
The Dodgers are going to the World Series for the first time since 1988. It's remarkable how potent their offense has been, or rather how good Justin Turner has been in the absence of Corey Seager in the NLCS. Yasiel Puig has frankly been just as good, and Kiké Hernandez put on a show for the ages, but Turner is continuing a stretch of postseason dominance that is rare.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Fader vs. Everybody
Click here to listen to the We're Working On It Podcast. Subscribe to the channel for weekly content. As a well respected music critic Anthony "Needle Drop" Fantano has built an online fan base with his outspoken opinion on various musicians over the years. To a base of over a million YouTube subscriptions, Fantano has become a sort of an enigma in the media circle. He has received praise for his in-depth look into the various sounds and styles artists may use to express their art. He is also criticized for his seemingly random grading system for their projects. Believing that School Boy Q's "Blank Face" should receive a comparable grade to something like Lil Pump's self-titled album.
By Justin Richards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Message Board: Gucci Mane
Any time a major album drops, fans and critics alike jump into Message Board to discuss the album. Zach Cronin and I break down the new Gucci Mane album, Mr. Davis, without the help of Stone Strankman, as he spends the next few weeks on the PUP list. Make sure to listen to Mr.Davis after the review, despite what you may read. This is the text thread of our conversation.
By Justin Richards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Best Fill-In QB for Aaron Rodgers
The world shook yesterday using Minnesota as its axis, but as we all know, there aren’t many earthquakes in the midwest. Some would say it was the earth-shattering hit put onto Aaron Rodgers by Minnesota Vikings LB Anthony Barr, a “dead fish” tackle as categorized by the crew on CBS’s postgame, one where the body makes contact and just goes “limp” as the tackler plows the person being tackled into the ground with their shoulder. Others would say it was the multitude of Packers fans and Wisconsinian’s alike, as their realities were not only altered, but torn away at the seams. No matter what caused the quake, the aftershock is this: Aaron Rodgers has a broken collarbone and is likely out for the rest of the regular season. He could never be "replaced," so we must be careful about our next words, but the next obvious question is, who is his fill-in?
By Kenneth Wilson8 years ago in Unbalanced
How The Boston Celtics Will Survive Without Gordon Hayward
Five minutes and 11 seconds. That's all it took to take the Celtics' dream season and set it ablaze. It takes longer to walk a block in New York City. It was a full 35 times shorter to watch Boston's season take a turn for the worse than it was to watch The Revenant once. No matter how you spin it, this dream season that has been three months in the making for Boston came crashing down in a matter of minutes after Gordon Hayward suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle in what was one of the most gruesome injuries you'll ever see.
By Dan O'Shea8 years ago in Unbalanced
NHL's Biggest Winners in Week One
I have a hard time stifling my excitement when it comes to hockey. If you're anything like me, the anticipation was almost too much to bear as the calendar finally reached October and hockey fans everywhere were treated to a superb opening week of NHL action. As we ramp up the action this season, let's take a look at the teams and players who are off to the best starts early on.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
Let's Revisit Eminem's Anti-Trump BET Cypher
Before the BET Hip Hop awards last week, Eminem or Slim Shady (no longer brain dead like Jim Brady) or Marshall Mathers or God or the second coming of Christ, or whatever you want to call him, delivered an anti-Trump cypher that shook the internet to its core.
By Zach Cronin8 years ago in Unbalanced
Pythagorean Yardage: A New Way to Evaluate CFB Teams
You’ve probably seen ESPN NY radio host Don La Greca’s rant against the use of the Pythagorean theorem in football. If you haven’t, you can watch it here. It’s highly amusing, especially considering that no one uses the Pythagorean theorem in football — most football players today learned it back in middle school (or at their senior year at UNC), and have never used it since. What La Greca might be trying to rant about is Pythagorean expectation: a formula used to predict a team’s win percentage based on point differentials. La Greca’s rant got me thinking — could we use Pythagorean expectation in football? And how can we apply it?
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
