The Wrong Picture in My Head

Rob Manfred became the Commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2015. I don't follow baseball that much, so I never really see the guy. But occasionally his name will pop up in with new rule changes or labor disputes. When it does, here's who I picture is Rob Manfred:

To me, that's Rob Manfred. He looks like a baseball commissioner. Unfortunately, that's Rob Ford the Toronto mayor who passed away in 2016. 

The real Rob Manfred is a lot more underwhelming:

Talk about a dull person. No thanks.

- - -

Another example. The Creighton basketball coach is Greg McDermott. I had a picture in my head who that is. But when I saw what he actually looks like, I was shook.

The picture is my head was a wimpy, snively man with glasses and slicked back black hair. This guy looks he could play linebacker. So I became slightly obsessed. If the basketball coach that I was thinking of wasn't this guy, who was it.

Not as easy as searching wimpy basketball coach or college basketball coach with glasses.

Maybe the guy I'm thinking of had coached at Creighton before. Or Marquette or Butler or Gonzaga. But nope. 

So then I thought, maybe he's in the Big Ten because I see those coaches more.

Fran McCaffrey at Iowa seemed like it might be him.

He's got the glasses and the punchable face but not the black hair. I started questioned my memories. Was this the guy I was thinking of? After staring at 100s of white college basketball coaches on google images they all start to look the same. 

Then I found Notre Dame's Mike Brey. 

Slicked back black hair. Check. Punchable face. Check. But no glasses.

Now I'm really feeling like an unreliable witness. Is this the guy?

I forgot about it moved on. Five days later, I bumped into a Creighton fan in the office. 

I was reminded of the whole Greg McDermott debacle. I thought about making a sketch and asking him for any insight, but didn't think my drawing abilities would make that a possibility. 

I went back to google images and for the first time searched mid major basketball coaches. And look who I found:

That's the guy! This who I thought Greg McDermott, coach of Creighton was in my head.

But it's not. It's Gregg Marshall, coach of Wichita State. 

Very interesting that for me, the name similarities play a big role on this whole wrong image thing. 

Rob Manfred/Rob Ford.

Greg McDermott/Gregg Marshall. 

Now I know. Would have been easier to find if I had just searched basketball coaches named Greg.

Bracket Analysis

We started with 14 bracket entries. I think here are the 8 that have a chance of winning. Here's all the possible points for everyone. 

Grant

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Duke, Arizona, Villanova, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas
NC: Gonzaga over Kansas

Leela/Sid

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Villanova, UCLA, Purdue, Providence
Final 4: Gonzaga, Purdue, Providence
NC: ------ over Gonzaga

Brit

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Arizona, Villanova, Purdue, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, Villanova
NC: Gonzaga over Villanova

Dave

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Arizona, UCLA, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, Arizona
NC: Gonzaga over Arizona

Savan

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas
NC: Gonzaga over Arizona

Niraj

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Duke, Arizona, Villanova, UCLA, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, Arizona
NC: Gonzaga over Arizona

Kirat

Elite 8: Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Arizona, UCLA, Purdue, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, UCLA, Arizona
NC: Arizona over UCLA

Bridget

Elite 8: Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas
Final 4: Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas
NC: Kansas over UCLA

My path to victory is pretty narrow. I need Kansas not to get to the Final Four. I basically need everything to fall my way. 

Kirat and Bridget have simpler paths to focus on: just get your champion correct.
Brit needs Gonzaga over Villanova. Grant needs Gonzaga over Kansas. 

There are 15 games left. A few that really matter.

Calcutta Post-Auction

I've been known to make more than one bracket.

My primary bracket this year has an Elite 8 of:

Gonzaga/Texas Tech

Arizona/Tennessee

UCLA/Kentucky

Kansas/Auburn

My big brain bracket that is a little bolder, taking inspiration from some analytics, swaps out Arizona for Houston. 

So I was pretty surprised that I was able to get Texas Tech, Houston, Tennessee, UCLA, and Kentucky, 5 of my bold Elite 8 teams covering the West, South and East. Then I also got a team in the Midwest that I've got making the Sweet 16. 

- - -

I think Gonzaga is going to win it all. I came in willing to spend $13 on the Zags. When I wasn't willing to bid 13.75, I pivoted. I tried to get Arizona, but was happy to get Kentucky for under $8. Coming in I thought I would be lucky to get 4 of my elite 8 contenders. 

There were teams that I didn't want to spend money on: Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Villanova, Arkansas, Wisconsin. 

In addition to Gonzaga and Arizona and the teams I ended up getting, I also wanted Purdue, Iowa, 11 seeds and 13 seeds but you can't have them all. 

- - -

Of course, it's all a crap shoot. You can have feelings about all kinds of teams that don't come true. 

For example, this is a very likely Elite 8:

Gonzaga/Duke

Arizona/Villanova

Baylor/Purdue

Kansas/Auburn

If that happens, I've got zero teams alive. So who knows. 

Ranking the 2022 Quarterbacks

In ranking the best quarterbacks in the game, you have to weigh a lot of things. You have to look at regular season success and postseason history. You have to look at the most recent season of performance but also a proven track record. You have to factor in is a player improving or declining. You have to look at stats but also the eye test. You have to look at passing numbers but also consider rushing stats.

TOP TIER

1a Mahomes

1b Rodgers

1c Allen

Mahomes has it all. The stats, the eye test, the playoffs, rushing. Only negative for him was that 2021 wasn't his best year and it ended on a sour note. But came out of the Bills game on top. 

Rodgers is the two-time defending MVP but hasn't shined in the playoffs. 

Allen went toe-to-toe with Mahomes and was 13 seconds away from advancing. Not his fault his defense couldn't make one stop. But still, the playoff track record isn't there yet.

SECOND TIER

2a Herbert

2b Stafford

2c Burrow

Herbert sizzles on the eye test and has the numbers. Just needs some playoff success to crack the top tier. 

Stafford just won a ring by coming through in the clutch. His numbers are great but tends to make more mistakes then you want for a top-3 guy.

Burrow shows that one playoff run can vault you pretty far up the rankings.

THIRD TIER

3a Wilson

3b Prescott

3c Jackson

Feels like quite the drop off to this level. Wilson has been that guy before but his 2021 season gives doubt to whether he'll be that guy again in Denver. 

Dak impresses on the eye test and numbers but it hasn't translated into playoff wins.

Lamar has one league MVP to his credit but not the playoff success. There's a debate about whether he deserves that franchise QB contract.

FOURTH TIER

4a Murray

4b Cousins

4c Carr

Oof. Kyler can be the most electric player in the league for the first half of the season. He needs to prove he can do it when it matters most.

Cousins has the numbers but not the eye test. Not a guy that people are excited to build around. 

Carr's numbers are better than I thought. He's 12th but still a better option than a lot of teams have.

- - -

What did I get wrong? Let me know in the comments.

Edit: March 13, looks like Brady and Watson will be on the field in 2022. I'd put Brady as 1d and Watson as 2d.

State of Sports

It's been a minute since I've done one of these. 

CHIEFS

Since the last one of these, the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes, he won MVP, they've hosted four straight AFC Championship games, appeared in two Super Bowls, and raised the Lombardi. The road ahead is only getting tougher with a stacked AFC: Wilson, Herbert, Burrow, Allen and Jackson are all competing with Mahomes for one Super Bowl spot every year. Still though.

ILLINI BASKETBALL

Last year, Illinois went 16-4 in the Big Ten while Michigan went 14-3. Michigan got the regular season title but Illinois went out and won the tournament championship. They earned an NCAA 1-seed but flamed out in the second round. Ayo left but Kofi stayed and this year Illinois went out and won the Big Ten regular season title. They're the 1-seed in the Big Ten Tournament and won't play until Friday in Indianapolis. It remains to be seen where they get placed in the NCAA bracket, but a Chicago regional is a possibility. 

AVALANCHE

Speaking of flaming out in the 2nd round, that's what the Avs have done in 2019, 2020 and 2021. They're currently the best team in the NHL. Will that still be the case in June?

ILLINI FOOTBALL

Last year they finished 4-5 in the Big Ten but only 1-2 in their nonconference games, so they didn't get a bowl game. But 4-5 in the Big Ten for Illinois is about as good as you can hope for. 

BULLS

Speaking of Ayo, just a few weeks ago it was a storybook season for Ayo and the Bulls. They were the best team in the East and Ayo was putting up big performances as a rookie. At the moment, Chicago is on a 5-game losing streak and can't seem to beat any good team. Still a chance to go on a playoff run if they get healthy but likely need some more pieces in play to be a serious contender. 

USMNT

The US won the 2021 Gold Cup and should qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Also, Kansas City is in the running to be a host city in the 2026 World Cup. 

Pretty wild that there's either success or optimism for all my teams, a stark contrast to some previous state of sports entries. 

bowling

rolled on shabbos, got 147 and 126

Daily Favorites: Buffalo Pulled Pork

A simple formula to creating new delicious healthy meals: combine two established healthy ingredients into a new dish. In this case, the Trader Joe's carnitas which I've used to make traditional barbecue pulled pork before, with my zero-calorie buffalo sauce (Frank's Red Hot Wings.)

I measured out 100 grams of carnitas (235 cals) microwaved and shredded. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and some garlic+. Then covered with the buffalo sauce. 

Meanwhile I've got a bun (150 cals) toasting on my electric griddle. 

I tried two different creamy sauces to finish the sandwich. The first was a quick combination of greek yogurt, onion and herb seasoning and ranch powder. Delicious for sure. But the winner was the Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese dressing. It's also yogurt-based so its only 35 calories per serving. 

So we're looking at 400 calories for an entire filling sandwich that would fit on any bar menu. 

I was a little afraid that the buffalo sauce that's so good on chicken somehow wouldn't mesh with the pulled pork. But it worked great. 

When I how consider how delicious the buffalo sauce is and that it's zero calories, it makes it easy to look for new meals to create with it.

Alternate Super Bowl LIV Logos

You may or may not know this, but the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV. It's true. 

Here's the logo from that Super Bowl:

It's not awful, but it's pretty bland.

As it happens, people across the internet have created alternate logos with more pizzazz:

My favorite is the top alternate design. I don't love the sun that almost reads like a period in LI.V but I like the GTA Vice City vibes it's giving off.

Local Specialties

Whenever I go to a city, I like to eat the food that they're famous for. So I built a list of some local specialties that appeal to me. I'm sure I've missed more and there's plenty of ones that I didn't include because I'm not interested in them. 

Here's the link so I can keep this as a living document in the future.

Daily Favorites: Mashed Potatoes

My favorite way to cook potatoes is my Twice Baked Potato Casserole (recipe in my cookbook.) It's got milk, cream cheese, butter and cheese in it. It's like more dairy than potatoes. A holiday winner every time. But clearly not a daily favorite. 

Last year, I made a healthy version of the twice-baked potato with a jalapeño popper flavor profile. The jalapeño turned bitter and the cream cheese got lost, but the rest of the technique is a winner. 

Since then I've made the dish again with a classic flavor profile, sometimes without the extra step in the oven. So when I was making it tonight, I figured I might as well post it. 

Tonight I peeled two potatoes, cut into chunks and boiled for 14 minutes. Then I mashed with about 60g of light sour cream and a drizzle of unsweetened almond milk. Seasoned with a combination of salt, pepper, ranch, onion powder and montreal chicken seasoning (which I call garlic+). 

I topped with a little cheese and sour cream but that was mainly for the photo. 

- - -

I did notice a few chunks/lumps of undercooked potato so I should probably just cook it for a few minutes more. It mashed easily but apparently wasn't 100% cooked through. Still tasty and hard to beat a tasty food that has more grams than calories. (100g of potato is 77 cals). 

Also, very filling. One potato is enough for me. We're talking roughly 350 cals, depending on size of the potato for a very filling dish. A little chicken on the side and that's a healthy dinner. 

It probably is a little better to go the extra step and do this recipe but put it in the oven, but still good if you don't. 

Work Trip to NYC

Work sent me to New York for one day. I tried to make the most of it. 

First stop was knocking something off a food bucket list of mine. I had always seen pictures of these giant corned beef or pastrami sandwiches from Carnegie Deli or Katz's Deli and wanted one. Last year, in preparation for a family NYC trip, I saw a video that recommended Sarge's Deli to avoid the touristy lines at Katz's. (Carnegie Deli opened in 1937 but closed in 2016 because the owner was tired of the grueling hours.) Sarge's was a great tip as I was able to walk in at 11 and get a table without waiting in line. 

I got the combination corned beef and pastrami on rye. It was everything I wanted it to be. Though it is too much meat and not enough Russian dressing. If I lived in New York, this would be a great thing to get to go and spread it out across several sandwiches. 

From there I went over to Edge, a newish observation deck that overhangs the building on the 100th floor.

This is the Vessel, next door to Edge.

Before the trip, I brainstormed a list of things to see, do and eat. One thing I wanted to do but knew I wouldn't have time was walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I planned a full itinerary that included a trip to MoMA. Unfortunately, the work portion of the work trip took longer than anticipated and I wasn't able to go to the museum. I also didn't have time to go to Bar Piselino for Italian hot chocolate or Levain Bakery for big cookies. (In hindsight, since it turned out to be 7 hours between eating opportunities, I'm glad I picked the giant sandwich for lunch.)

In preparation for this trip, I watched this video on NYC pizza and had my heart captured by the opening frame:

So I went to Village Square Pizza to try it for myself. Here's a slice of pepperoni with hot honey:

Predictably, this was excellent. Especially when paired with a Lagunitas IPA. Also, you can tell I was full from Sarge's sandwich because I only ordered one slice. (Though this wasn't as good as the incredible Square Pie Guys pizza I had with Niraj in October. When I said that was one of the best of my life, I meant it with no exaggeration.)

With less than an hour before I had to get to Comedy Cellar, I stopped in to Blind Pig and got a quality beer. 

When I found out I was going to New York, the thing I was most excited about was visiting Comedy Cellar for the first time. 

I went looking to reserve tickets and found one line-up featuring Dave Attell. I went to book it and it was sold out already. I found a different lineup with Todd Barry. Also sold out. The best show that I could get tickets for had Colin Quinn as the recognizable name. Not a huge fan, but I was going for the overall experience, not a specific comic. 

Also, the location that I booked was the Village Underground location, around the corner from the MacDougal Street location. It's still the Comedy Cellar, it just doesn't have the cool sign. In my head, seeing the lit up sign was a key attraction, so I made sure to get a picture of it anyways. 

We walk in and they give us good seats. It's $14 with a two-item minimum. 

Mike Yard was the host and had the first set. Funny stuff and a good way to get started.

Gregg Rogell was out first after that and he was okay. The second comic was a guy from Texas and he was funnier but I didn't catch his name and he wasn't on the lineup. Then Colin Quinn came and was the worst of the bunch. He was trying out some jokes about Ukraine and just didn't seem like he had the right energy. 

Each of those comics did about 10 minutes each. I had heard there's the possibility of a famous comic dropping by, but I also was expecting someone on the B-list. Before the show they showed pictures of Amy Shumer and Pete Davidson, so I was thinking someone along that level of famousness. I thought Mulaney would be a big get but seemed unlikely. Also, I knew the lineup had 6 comics on it, so I figured we'd see 2 more sets and then maybe a surprise guest. 

So I was not ready at all for what happened next. 

Mike Yard takes the mic and says, "When you choose Comedy Cellar, you're making a good choice. Please welcome to the stage, Chris Rock."

There's like 5 seconds where we're all wondering, did he just say what I think he said. Is that a joke?

And sure enough, Chris Rock walks up on stage, less than 20 feet in front of me. 

We weren't allowed to take photos, but he did the whole set in a winter jacket, kind of like this:

He was incredible. Not only was he absolutely hilarious, but he did an entire hour. 

Because none of us bought tickets to a Chris Rock show, it didn't feel like paying to see someone famous in concert. It felt like bumping into a celebrity and getting to hang out with them for an hour. 

Absolutely surreal. Something I'll never forget.

How NFL Legacies Are Written

I've made this point before, but it's worth making again. 

We as sports fans collectively, judge players (and especially quarterbacks) with these sweeping attitudes, as if they're legacies are carved in stone. The reality is that these legacies are built by moments as fragile as a tower built out of lego pieces. 

If the Bengals defense gets one more stop, if they triple team Kupp on that final drive, then Joe Burrow is a Champion and probably a Super Bowl MVP. 

I went back and watched the highlights from Rodgers' only Super Bowl. Up 3 late, the Packers had 1st and goal. They ended up settling for a field goal to make it a 6-point lead with over two minutes to go. Think about how many times we've seen Brady or Mahomes or Rodgers come down and get a TD. Heck, we saw it two years prior with Big Ben in Super Bowl 43 vs the Cardinals. If Big Ben does it in Super Bowl 45 vs the Packers, Rodgers is 0-1 in the Super Bowl. 

Let's look at Super Bowl 43 while we're here. Larry Fitzgerald was incredible that postseason. If the Cardinals get one more stop, if Santonio Holmes can't get both toes down in the corner, then Fitz gets a ring in his 5th season. Kurt Warner joins the ranks of Manning and Elway in the 2-ring club. 

The point I'm making is that we're used to judging players and their legacies by thinking about what more they could have done. For example, it's easy to look at the end of SB 56 and say if Burrow had gone down the field for a TD at the end then he would have gotten a ring. He didn't so he doesn't have one. All of that is true, but it's a very narrow way to look at things. Your legacies are also written by things outside of your control. 

The Browns and Lions are the only two teams from the start of the Super Bowl era who have never been to the Super Bowl.

The other two teams that haven't been to a Super Bowl are the Jaguars (est. 1995) and Texans (est. 2002.)

And yet, two key players from the Rams Super Bowl 56 win were on the Lions and Browns a year ago. 

2021-22 NFL Wrap Up

Trivia Time: How many active NFL QBs have won a Super Bowl? What's the record for most rings by an active QB? And what teams have a QB with a ring?

- - - 

You want to think about it?

- - -

Six. 

One. 

Rams. Chiefs. Bears. Jets. Seahawks. Packers. 

Not what you expected?

The Bears and Jets are a little surprising. They've got Foles and Flacco, respectively, on their rosters who did win a ring as a starter but are now backups. So if we remove them from consideration, here are the starting QBs in 2022 that have rings:

Mahomes. Stafford. Rodgers. Wilson. 

One each. 

And the active QBs with the most Super Bowl appearances? Mahomes and Wilson, two each. 

Tom Brady and Big Ben retiring really did end an era. 

Now we've got an AFC with Burrow, Allen, Lamar, Herbert and Mahomes poised to contend after an era dominated by Brady, Manning and Big Ben. 

- - -

Remember when I said one ring changes everything. Unfortunately for Bengals fans, they're on the other side of that ledger. Now it's entirely fair to wonder if Burrow will go the way of Marino. The Bengals overachieved this year. Next year they'll have the Super Bowl loss hangover effect plus a stacked AFC to deal with. If I could bet on Bengals not winning the Super Bowl in the next five years, I would take that bet today. 

- - -

McVay is 36, youngest coach to win a SB. If he wanted to, he could could for 30 years and own the records for most wins, etc. 

Stafford gets a ring in first year away from the Lions. Detroit got quite a haul of picks in the trade so it seems like it worked out for everyone. 

Aaron Donald has an insane resume with a ring too.

Beckham forced his way out of Cleveland and gets a ring.

Desean Jackson forced his way out of LA this year. He has a history of fumbling at the goal-line so this is on brand. 

And Cooper Kupp...he was only drafted in 2017. His resume is just getting started. It seems crazy to put him in the same tier as all-time elite receivers like Calvin Johnson, but if keeps putting up seasons like this, that's where he'll end up.

- - -

If the Rams were going to win the Super Bowl this year, I'm glad the Chiefs didn't lose back to back Super Bowls. 

Reliable Joy

So when you're in a funk, how do you get out of it?

It's tempting to shift all that Chiefs mental energy into the Avs (#1 team in the league) or Bulls (#1 team in the East) or Illini basketball (tied for 1st in the Big Ten)...but the thing about sports is that you can't control the outcomes. On a given night it's roughly a coin flip and given these teams history, I wouldn't bet on any of them bringing home any trophies in 2022. 

Compare watching a sports game to listening to music by one of your favorite artists...with the music, you're virtually guaranteed a good time and a positive mood. With the sports, you might go to one parade in your life and you might break a TV. 

Playing chess and video games are sometimes fun, but also can on occasion be frustrating. So a bit of caution there.

Here's a list of things that can reliably bring me joy:

Listening to music I like

Cooking delicious food

Eating barbecue

Reading Big Magic

Listening to podcasts

Visiting escape rooms

Playing family board games

Playing basketball

Play disc golf

Walking the dogs

Make videos

Making progress on a creative project

Making progress on bucket list life items

Writing on HC or Medium

Planning and taking vacations

Sound healing on headphones / Meditate

Playing foosball, darts, shuffleboard, etc.