Eurovision isn't terrible!

One recent trend I have noticed with comedies is that they have leaned heavily on Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell, either through their appearance or their benefactory, and almost universally, they are lazy, crass or feature Nick Swardson (both). I expected Eurovision Song Contest, the Story of Fire Saga to be more of the same. 

It featured all of the things that augured potential bad news. It had Will Ferrell. It had Will Ferrell in spandex. It had many different people from different countries with different accents. And you know what? It didn't really lean hard into any of those potentially lazy, homophobic, xenophobic crutches. The closest we got to homophobia was a meta joke about how homophobic the Russian government was. 

The movie doesn't lean on Ferrell and his physical comedy. It doesn't lean on his Icelandic character's homeland as a punchline. It doesn't even lean on any of the competing nations or stereotypes about those countries to get many cheap jokes.

There is a very good reason for this, actually. Will Ferrell's wife is Swedish, and she introduced him to the real Eurovision contest, which he likes. This movie was meant to be about the main characters, Lars and Sigrit, underdogs trying to compete in this grand event, rather than a parody of the event itself.

Since this was a character study, rather than a nonsensical farce, care was taken in fleshing out the cast. Rachel McAdams and Pierce Brosnan brought character to their Icelandic roles, rather than caricature. Dan Stevens made his Russian antagonist more than his superficial stereotype as he appeared at the beginning of the movie, and made him almost sympathetic by the end of the movie. 

One of the surest signs that the movie was an homage and not a satire was the wide range of cameos of previous contestants and winners of Eurovision. Because it was an homage, and rightly featured the tapestry of humanity that has appeared in the contest, the only goofy people could be Ferrell (and to a lesser degree McAdams') characters. 

Since a measure of respect was given by Ferrell and company, the movie needed to concentrate on being clever, if a little weird at times, and didn't need to devolve into the tired tropes that Netflix comedies have been emitting. Maybe it's not the best movie that Ferrell has ever made, but it sure is a heck of a lot better than it threatened to be. 

It's Friday, please enjoy these adorable Rhinos

Well, this week sure has been a year.
This past week has seen the entire country go completely off the rails Before we get to the adorable animals, I want to pass on a couple of messages.
1) It's ok to be upset. We're all affected by the shutdown created by the spread of novel coronavirus. Sure, some of us are inconvenienced, working at home, perhaps with little ones adding to our local stress, while others are completely out of work with everyone locked in their homes. This is nominally a sports blog, and there are no sports. There really isn't much for diversion anywhere. So no matter what level of pain this is causing you, whether you are annoyed by the 58th consecutive episode of Daniel Tiger, or you have a loved one in the hospital, it's ok to feel pain. Everyone's life is different now than it was before, and we all need to adjust, even if the changes are relatively minor, and forced changes stink.
2) It will be ok. This is not the first pandemic in that's ever occurred, and it will likely not be as deadly as many of the worst through history. The world bounced back every time, and this time, we have the advantage of forewarning and advanced medicine. Despite many failings of leadership, most of these suspensions of society are the results of local action, based on good communication from medical professionals. This networking will only be a benefit going forward. More lessons will be learned, and society will emerge better from the lessons learned. It won't be the last pandemic, probably, but we will withstand the next one even better thanks to the lessons we will learn from Covid-19.
For most of us, we will be able to bounce back quickly, and we need to be ready to do so, because we will have a lot of work to do.
Now, the rhinos.

Blackburn better than they've been

Back in 2011, the Blackburn Rovers were bad enough that they were relegated to the Championship, the second tier of English soccer. I'm a Rovers fan, as you probably know by now, and upon their demotion, other fans assured me that they would be be promoted soon enough.
It took until 2017, but they were indeed promoted. Unfortunately, they had been relegated to League One the year before, and were only back in the Championship. Sometimes, this momentum can lead to a quick rise to the Premier League, but it was not in 2018.
Now, though, the Rovers are only a few points out of the playoffs. For a refresher, the Championship sends the top two teams into the Premier League, and the next 4 teams participate in a single elimination playoff for the final spot. this season, they sit in 8th place, only 4 points out of the final playoff spot, which is closer than they've been since they dropped.
They've had some good players on the squad in that time, such as Phil Jones, who has been a stalwart for Manchester United for some time now, former striker Jordan Rhodes, and most recently midfielder Bradley Dack, who has anchored the team since 2017.
Well, he's anchored the team until this year, but has missed substantial time of late, leaving the squad without a proven superstar. Adam Armstrong, the leading scorer and TransferMarkt's suggested most valuable player on the roster, is still there, but he isn't necessarily a player that one would latch on to as the great hope for the future.
But here they are, in contention. One problem the team has had since the dawning of the 2010s was a quick trigger ownership group, who cycled through managers like dirty socks, even after spending too much time with Steve Kean, the first manager they hired after sacking Sam Allardyce. Now, Tony Mowbray has been in charge since 2017, and has shaped the team, tactically and with personal, in the image he wants. the team is in the position because of their stability.
I've always lamented the impatience of sports. Too many teams try to completely overhaul things without giving them a chance, unless there is immediate success. Give a quarterback a couple of years, let a prospect play in the major leagues for a while before you deliver the assessment. And let your coach lead the team for more than a minute. Blackburn is the latest team to learn this lesson.

The 2019-20 College basketball Belt

A few years ago, my friend and I kicked around an idea. What if there was a championship belt, like in boxing or wrestling, for college basketball? You maintain the belt until you were defeated. Ultimately, because of conference tournaments, the belt would always go to the winner of the Big Dance anyway, but it would be interesting to see who held it along the way. This year, so far, it is definitely taking some interesting journeys.
It started with last year's champions, the Virginia Cavaliers. UVA started strong, going undefeated until the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. They drew the team they defeated to reach the Final Four last year, the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue won the game and the belt, the first time I can remember them having it.
You might think that's why I am resurrecting this bit. Alas, it is not. In fact, in embarrassing fashion, the Boilermakers lost the Belt very soon thereafter, losing their first conference road game to Nebraska, and successfully defending the Belt one time, against Northwestern.
As if it wasn't strange enough that the Belt was in Lincoln, Nebraska, it was just as strange that the Big Ten set their schedule the way they did. There were a pair of conference games before Christmas, followed by the resumption of non-conference play, so the Belt didn't stay in the Big Ten. No, Nebraska isn't very good this year, and they lost their next game... to North Dakota.
Yes, the Belt went from Virginia to North Dakota. As you might imagine, UND wasn't done with their non-con schedule either, and they didn't successfully defend their title for even one game, giving it up to Oregon State the very next game. Also not a place anyone would expect the Belt to go, but it's already reached the nadir.
The Beavers didn't keep the Belt in their first defense, either, but they did ensure that it would stay in the Pac 12 for the rest of the regular season. Utah holds the belt now, and it looks like it is on it's way back to a more deserving team. The next game to defend the Belt will be against #4 Oregon. 

A theory about the University of Iowa

I have a theory about the University of Iowa and their athletic program. I know it is a tough thing to hear for most Minnesotans, but the Hawkeyes, pretty much from football to basketball have a much better program than the University of Minnesota. I think I know why.
Maybe not "know" of course, but I have a theory. My theory is that Minneapolis is just too awesome. Really! Iowa City is a fine town, but it's only that: A town. It functions almost exclusively to support the University of Iowa, or to provide commuters to Cedar Rapids up the road. Neither are large cities, both smaller than the two Twin Cities that house the University of Minnesota.
That means that the University of Iowa is the only show in town. Players in the big sports, like football and basketball, are local celebrities. If you are an 18 year old, why wouldn't you want to be a celebrity? You can talk about how much fun Minneapolis is, and that's a great selling point for the average student, but you have a tough time convincing someone they will be beloved like they would be in Hawkeye black and gold.
It's hard to deny that the allure of regional programs hasn't drawn even Minnesota athletes. Wisconsin routinely pillages Minnesota high schools, but Madison is a notoriously fun town. I don't think Iowa City has that same reputation, but Iowa football is always better than Minnesota, the Iowa men's team has been as good, if not better than the Gophers, and the women's team has surpassed Minnesota, thanks in large part to Minnesota products. The Iowa hoops teams even have in state competition in the forms of Iowa State, Drake and Northern Iowa for recruits and local talent.
Now that I think about it, Iowa State is universally better than the Gophers in the major sports too, and Northern Iowa is regularly better than Minnesota on the court, too. Ames and Cedar Falls are tremendously uninteresting, aside from their campuses as well.
Which brings us back to the original point. Iowa City only has the University of Iowa. That makes the school all the more appealing to people who will be the big men or women on campus. It's just a theory, but if its accurate, and the U is really interested in bolstering their athletic program, maybe they should move the school to Litchfield.

The Padres have captured my imagination

Every year, there seems to be a non-Twins team that gains my interest before a season starts. In the Padres' case, they've done so before the off-season has even begun. Generally, the two things that make me take notice is either having a bumper crop of prospects ready to take their place at the big league level, or to break out in doing so, or they have made wholesale changes to the makeup of their team, and one doesn't know what to expect.
The Padres have all that, and they can very well shake up the offseason with some big trades or big free agency moves. They have a stable of young prospects thanks to some shrewd deals, and have proved willing to get involved in some big trades. They have Fernando Tatis Jr. thanks to trading James Shields to Chicago. They snagged Chris Paddack from the Marlins for Fernando Rodney. They also snared one of the top prospects in the game from the Indians in the Brad Hand trade in Francisco Mejia, and had another big addition in top prospect Taylor Trammel in a three team deal with both Ohio teams. On top of good drafting, those moves have given the Padres one of the top 3 farms in baseball, and they have depth enough to maintain that rank for a few more years.
And then, they have been surprisingly aggressive in free agency for a few years. They have extended Wil Myers, signed Eric Hosmer and last year signed Manny Machado, all too big time deals. They still have holes, to be sure, but this winter, they clearly have the assets to trade for players, and the ownership go ahead to add to the payroll. The Padres can be involved in discussions for anyone.
And so far, they have been. They're discussed as potential suitors for top free agent starters like Stephen Strasburg and Zach Wheeler. For a year now, they seemed sure to add one of the other Mets pitchers, particularly Noah Syndegaard. They also have interest in bolstering their outfield, at least in the short term. Eddie Rosario, in my opinion, won't be traded, but if he is, the Padres look like a pretty good fit.
The Padres will be young and different next year, and it's going to be a wild, fascinating ride to get there.

Lets just lean into Minnesota vs. Philadelphia

The last couple of years have seen an increase in animosity between the state of Minnesota's athletics and those of the city of Philadelphia. In general, Minnesota thinks that Philadelphians are mean, and Philadelphians know they are. To recap the last couple of indidents.
1) The Vikings played the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles beat the Vikings in what was a complete dud for the Vikings, who had been on cloud 9 after a thrilling win against the Saints, and had inroads on reaching the Super Bowl at home. Vikings fans were already hurt more than usual by another failure, and then some local Philadelphians made fun of Vikings fans or something. Nerves were already frayed, and Vikngs fans found Philadelphians to be insensitive. Philly fans rightfully thought it was hilarious, then they came to Minnesota and won the Super Bowl.
2) The first incident was mostly about the fans, but the second was on the court, and definitely made Philly vs. Minnesota a real thing. Without further ado:


 Who won the fight? It depends exclusively on which fan base you belong to. The 76ers and Philadelphia won the game, as is always the case.
3) Is Philly a Penn State town? I think Penn State is more popular in western Pennsylvania, but surely, there is some allegiance in Philadelphia. If that's the case, then this Saturday's battle of undefeated Minnesota and Penn State will certainly lead to a bit more spiciness to the burgeoning battle between the two cities. While Penn State will almost certainly win on Saturday, it's important to remember that they are villains who got away nearly scot free with covering for a child abuser because college football was more important than the innocence of children.
While I was sitting on the sideline, amused, for the first rounds of this battle, I am definitely siding with Minnesota now.
What's the next step? Since the Wild are flirting with complete irrelevance, spreading this rivalry falls on the Twins. They aren't scheduled to play the Phillies for another couple of years, so if we want things to be fresh, both teams will need to reach the World Series next October. Sure, that's possible. But how do we make sure things are volatile? The Twins need to acquire Hunter Strickland. It makes sense. The Twins need bullpen help, Strickland is a reliever. Also, he has faced Phillies star Bryce Harper before.

Unlike Minnesota's ongoing battle with New Orleans, I don't think anyone will think Minnesota is the bad guy in a war with Philly. Let's just embrace it and enjoy the ride.