The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

For as much as I'd like to do so, it's incredibly difficult to come up with any kind of rational argument that Michael Jordan wasn't the greatest player in the history of the NBA. The player which generates the most comparisons is LeBron James. Where James comes up short in the minds of most analysts is his Finals record. While Jordan was a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals, James is only 3-6. If we stand back and look at the bigger picture, however, what does James's Finals record truly say about him and is there a legitimate argument to be made that he is Jordan's equal or even superior to the former Chicago Bulls legend? While I don't like playing the what-ifs hypothetical card, I do think it's important to look at the full context of situations. In Michael Jordan's six trips to the NBA Finals, his teams were favored to win each and every one. So, in the eyes of oddsmakers, his teams equaled their expectations. In LeBron James's nine trips to the Fi...

Is it just me or does Jon Stewart not seem to be the best at marketing his own movie? Over the past several nights, when actors have appeared on his show, he's said things such as: "I really wish I hadn't watched your movie. I watched it, was marveled, and then thought, 'Wow, what's mine going to look like compared to that?'" or "Yeah, my movie is just as good as yours (sarcasm). It'll likely play in very select cities." Stewart took three months off during the summer to direct the film Rosewater , which tells the story of BBC journalist Maziar Bahari being arrested by the Iranian government while covering an election protest in 2009 - which The Daily Show  played a central part in, unfortunately. I can understand him fearing "failure," disappointment, or criticism - especially with this being the first time he's directed a film. However, he should still show a little more confidence on the matter. The story itself is a very...

I'm two for two thus far in my debate predictions. Due to the success the Romney team had at lowering expectations for the first debate, along with the fact that history has repeatedly told us that the challenger typically "wins" the first debate over the incumbent president, I felt that in the public's eyes, Romney would be seen as the ultimate victor at the debate two Wednesday's ago. With polls showcasing that Romney running mate Paul Ryan was favored to get the better of Joe Biden in the Vice Presidential debate and that he was likely asked not to spoil the momentum by being overly aggressive and potentially saying something that could backfire - likely being told to play things rather conservatively, I gave the edge to Biden in last Thursday night's Vice Presidential debate. While I personally feel the first presidential debate was a draw, polls show that the public largely feels Romney won said debate and that Biden was the victor last week. That bring...

Preceding the first presidential debate, which was held last Wednesday night, a Times/Zogby poll showed that 49% of voters felt President Obama would win the debate, while 26% felt that Mitt Romney would win - a +23% for the president. This is one of multiple reasons as to why I think both the news-media and the voters felt that Romney won the debate. While one individual may fare better than another, if he/she was expected to perform far better, his/her opponent may be seen as the victor. In college football, if top-ranked Alabama squared off against a team like Bowling Green and was a 35-point favorite over the Falcons in this game, and Bowling Green lost by only 10 points, many people would see that as a moral victory for them, even though in actuality they would have lost the game. Keeping all this in mind, like with Obama in the first presidential debate, Mitt Romney's running mate - Paul Ryan - is expected to triumph over Vice President Joe Biden in tomorrow's debate. I...

I can understand politicians playing the expectation game, so they can in turn attempt to spin things to their advantage following a particular event. With the first presidential debate only three days away, Republican Vice Presidential candidate - Paul Ryan - did just this recently and to a ridiculous extent, in my opinion. When talking to Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday  about the debate, Ryan said, "I don't think one event is going to make or break this campaign." Okay, that wasn't so bad, but he then continued by adding the following: "Look, President Obama is a very gifted speaker. The man has been on the national stage for many years.  He's an experienced debater, he's done these kinds of debates before. This is Mitt's first time on this kind of a stage." Mr. Ryan makes it sound as if Obama is running for an 8th presidential term. He also makes it sound as if Mitt Romney is just coming out of college and outside of an after-school pr...