2011 Black History Month: #28 Black Actor Performance

By: Luke Florence

The weatherman is predicting a nasty storm of freezing rain with the possibility of turning into snow. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the beginning of February!!

Couldn't say it any better. So, while you are enjoying your day off of school or just staying inside to warm up, I give you the #28 Black Actor Performance as we kick off our tribute to the 2011 Black History Month.

2011 Black History Month: #28 Black Actor Performance

Wesley Snipes as "Sidney Deane" in "White Men Can't Jump."

This list is made by a white guy for a black guy, so it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of the black-white dynamic. When I made my TV list two years ago I had Turk from Scrubs at #2 because of his best-friend relationship with JD. This list is no different, and we start with Wesley Snipes as Sidney Deane.

Yes, I could crack some jokes about how it's tax time, but let's not. Basketball movies are hard to make because it will be judged on how real the game appears on-screen. Well, after watching White Men Can't Jump, I was convinced that Wesley could ball.

Wesley plays the part of basketball hustler extremely well. He has a sharp mouth, a witty sense of humor, and he's pretty damn good at basketball. As with most of the performances on this list, as you watch, you forget that it's Wesley Snipes, and you lose yourself in the actual character, or in this case, Sidney Deane.

Sidney meets up with Billy Hoyle (the white guy) and their chemistry together is unmistakable. One of my favorite movie-clips of all-time is when Billy and Sidney face-off in a shoot-out early on in their relationship.

It's been a while since I've seen this movie, and to be honest, I've only watched it on TV. That's a shame because I have a feeling it would be a much funnier movie if the cable restrictions were lifted ... kind of like Major League.

Wesley has gone on to star in movies like Blade and Major League, but it's his portrayal of Sidney Deane that gets the nod here and has us off and running into February.

Memorable Quotes

"A black man would rather miss than look bad." - Billy Hoyle

"Look man, you can listen to Jimi but you can't hear him. There's a difference man. Just because you're listening to him doesn't mean you're hearing him." - Sidney Deane

"I'll tell you what. Why don't we take all these bricks and build a shelter for the homeless, so maybe your mother will have a place to stay." - Billy Hoyle

"Billy, listen to me. White men can't jump." - Sidney Deane

"You see Billy it's like this, you either smoke or you get smoked. And you got smoked." - Sidney Deane

Hint for #27: Dramatic movie, early 1990s, director was nominated for best director at the age of 24, youngest ever ... this actor is probably best known for his use of sunglasses.

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."

2011 Black History Month: An Introduction

By: Luke Florence
February was always my least favorite month of the year. Think about it. For a guy who loves being outside, February in the Midwest is a disaster. Coldness, snowness, and miserableness all clumped together to make February just an awful 28 days.

But, as a wise man once said, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Enter Matt Barnes.

Enter Black History Month.

And enter another King of Arguments list.

In 2005 it started simply enough as I sent Barnes a different song each day with the word "black" in the title. No list, no order, just random "black" songs.

We got ourselves a little more organized four years later as I compiled a list of my favorite black television characters. Then in 2010 I attempted to put together a list of my favorite black sporting moments. The list was created, but never finalized on the blog.

Now we our back at it again, as Matt Barnes asked me to compile a list of my favorite black actor performances in film. He gave me no criteria, although he practically begged that I include a female on the list (I've never had a female on any of my BHM lists ... go ahead call me a sexist). So, I was left to my own devices to formulate an appropriate criteria.

#1 - I had to actually watch the movie. This seriously hurt the chances of Sidney Poitier making the list because although he is considered one of the best African-American actors of all-time, I've never watched a single movie he was in.
#2 - Actors and actresses are allowed on the list multiple times. Usual suspects apply here. Technically I could have put one actor or actress on my list 28 times and called it a day. However, I have more respect for the list-making process and Black History Month in general to allow that.

#3 - I leaned heavily on movies I enjoyed. There are no performances on this list that come from movies I disliked. In fact, the top five performances all come from movies that are probably safe in my top twenty all-time favorite movies.

#4 - Reputation helps. If you are a great African-American actor or actress and I haven't seen a lot of your movies, I tried to include a notable performance that I had seen and placed that in the list. This really only applies to the bottom-half of my list, but it needed to be noted.

Now that you know my criteria, also know that as with almost every list I make, I try to do three things: make you think, make you laugh, and make you debate. I love putting lists together, and each one presents it's own set of challenges. I had an extremely tough time with the top ten, and even though I've written them down, they could still be changed.

We will post one performance a day, starting on Wednesday, and we will attempt to do one-a-day for the entire month. Hopefully Barnes will do a better job of putting up a response post than he did the year prior. Not gonna lie, the fact he only put up three posts took away from my BHM experience in 2010.

Quiz time: Of my 28 black actor/actress performances, five got on the list more than once. Can you name them all?

I'll see you back here on Wednesday when I unveil my #28 favorite black performance in a movie.

Hint for #28: Sports movie, early 1990s, nominated for two MTV movie awards, including best on-screen duo. "It ain't easy being this good."

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."

Previewing the 2011 NFL Divisional Round

By: Luke Florence

Even though the 2010 NFL ATS Pick 'Em league disappeared from the King of Arguments, the league continued thanks to CBS Sportsline. It was competitive as always, coming down to the final game of the regular season. Yours truly walked away bloodied and bruised, but victorious nonetheless. The Bess Club fought the good fight, but finished one game back in second. Jake Young defeated Kevin Hunt on the 3rd game of the playoffs to take the bronze, while Ryan Polito ended up in 5th.

Although the playoffs don't count for anything, it has always been a long-term goal of mine to go undefeated picking not only winners and losers in the NFL's post-season, but also a perfect 11-0 against the spread. It hasn't happened yet, and only one time in the past five years have I made it past Wild Card Weekend flawless.

Last weekend I was sitting 3-0 both ATS and SU as the Green Bay-Philly was about to start. Right before kick-off that sinking feeling began to flood me. It's the same feeling that a college student has right before a test she is unprepared for. Or, the same feeling a boyfriend has right before his girlfriend ends things. It's a hopeless notion, and I had it right as the final game of the weekend started. I wasn't surprised when David Akers missed those field-goals, or when Mike Vick threw that game-ending interception. I was meant to lose that game ... and I did just that.

Goals can change and as soon as Green Bay knocked off Philadelphia, mine did as well. Short-term is to go a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS in the Divisional Round, while the long term is to rack up double-digit wins in at least one of the two categories. One wrong choice can derail both goals in a single instant. Let's see how long I survive. Giddy up.

BALTIMORE @ PITTSBURGH (-3.5)

My Pick: BAL (+3.5)

Final Score: BAL 20-17

As a Cleveland Browns fan I'd like to think the Browns-Steelers rivalry is one of the league's best, but it's hard to follow through on that notion when one team has been the other's doormat for the past decade. (I'm looking at all you Michigan fans now) Truth be told, this Baltimore-Pittsburgh feud has risen to the top. They are built in similar fashions on both sides of the ball, their coaches have similar philosophies and their weaknesses are hard to find.

The past three times these teams have suited up, they have been separated by exactly three points. That's the main reason for my ATS pick, but the reason for my SU pick is simply because I believe Baltimore's ceiling is a bit higher than Pittsburgh's. Besides, karma says Big Ben gets smoked out of the playoffs ... and I believe in karma.

GREEN BAY @ ATLANTA (-2.5)

My Pick: ATL (-2.5)

Final Score: ATL 34-17

I still don't know what to call it, but I've always relished when the local team lost. I have always disliked Ohio State, so whenever they lost, I rejoiced. When I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, I suddenly took pride in my Ohio license plate and rooted hard for the Buckeyes to knock off the Badgers. Last year when Kurt Warner defeated the Packers in the playoffs, I silently smiled. Maybe it's because most of my favorite sport teams lose so frequently that I appreciate the company. Maybe I just like it when the neighborhood is quiet.

That being said, Atlanta is the best team in the NFC, no question about it. I would go as far as saying they have the best QB as well. At the very least, they have the best QB at home, and since Matt Ryan will only be playing playoffs games at home until the Super Bowl, they become the odds-on favorite. Besides, I refuse to believe a team can win consistently in the playoffs when they can't run the ball, and I trust James Starks to put back-to-back solid games together as much as I trust the Cleveland Indians to make the playoffs before the Pope dies.

SEATTLE @ CHICAGO (-10.5)

My Pick: CHI (-10.5)

Final Score: CHI 33-10

Yes, I called the Seattle Seahawks win over the New Orleans Saints last week. Did I think it was a huge upset? Not really. The Saints did not impress me at all in 2010. Drew Brees did not improve from last year, and the Saints lost their ability to run the ball. Add in a home game for Seattle and the whole "Nobody believes in us" factor, and you have a perfect recipe for an "upset."

Yes, this is a perfect match-up for Seattle. They are facing a Chicago Bears team that is backed by Jay Cutler. A Cutler who has never been in a playoff game, a Cutler who has a sub .500 record for his career, and a Cutler who hasn't played well at all since mid-season. Having said that, this is also a perfect match-up for Chicago. Their defense can man-handle Seattle, and Cutler shouldn't be forced to press at all. Seattle was a nice story this year, and I certainly can't hate since their win over St. Louis won me the 2010 NFL ATS Pick 'Em, but their run ends here.

NEW YORK JETS @ NEW ENGLAND (-9.5)

My Pick: NYJ (+9.5)

Final Score: NE 26-21

If I'm 3-0 headed to this game I have zero doubts that the sinking feeling will return again. Mainly because this is the match-up that caused me the most problems. To be honest, I have no idea how this will play out. None. I love Tom Brady, and am rooting for him to win his 4th Super Bowl, but this is not the team the Patriots wanted to see here. Of all the teams left in the playoffs, I think the Jets have the best chance to upset New England ... I really do.

They can run the ball, they can get pressure on the QB, and their coach probably wants it more than the players do. It's easy to hate on Rex Ryan, and he certainly says idiotic things from time-to-time, but if I were a player, I'd love for him to be my coach.

At the end of the day this pick boils down to hoping for a close game with my preferred team winning it. This doesn't bode well for me, because as a wise man once said, "when you start betting on your hopes, that's when you know you are going to lose."

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."

This Side or the Other

By: Luke Florence

"I'll see you again ... on this side or the other." - Doug MacRay, The Town

Those that have been following this blog since its' inception know it is commonplace for me to take a leave of absence here and there. Things happen for one reason or another, and the King of Arguments goes on hiatus. What you may not know is how much it eats at me when that delay occurs. It's a constant thought on my mind, like an itch impossible to reach. The only way to satisfy that itch is to sit down and write.

The other night I sat down and instead of writing, I looked back at my previous posts that have accumulated here the past four years. Stories about sports, stories about girls, and some stories about life. It's as much of a public diary if there ever was one.

The most obvious question is "What's next?" Where do we go from here? I've reluctantly missed the majority of the 2010 NFL ATS season, which is as regrettable of an offense as I've made in the short history of the KOA. It wouldn't be fair to declare finalists, set-up an awards banquet, and hand out hardware. Consider it a strike-shortened season with regards to comments. That thought alone saddens my heart something awful.

But as I wrote back in July, sometimes you just have to move on ... as hard as that is. So here we are ... moving on. Moving away from the lackluster 2010 NFL ATS season and onto whatever is in store for 2011.

In school, we are taught that the first part of writing is the brainstorming process. Well this post is going to represent my brainstorming for the rest of 2011. Here is what I would like to accomplish on this blog in the upcoming 12 months.

1) Finish the 2009 F'd Up Tournament. We are down to Michael Jackson's Final Destiny, but we haven't finished it. Once we do, we can focus on 2011's version. What happened to 2010 you may ask? Well, the F'd Up Tournament is like the Olympics ... too big to take place every year.

2) Compile a list of my 100 favorite movies. Matt Barnes and I talked about doing this a while back but it never happened. This will be quite the task, but I feel it will be my second most important list I've ever created. Right behind my top 50 favorite sport-figures of all-time.

3) Speaking of Barnes, February is almost upon us and that will mean another Black History Month list. As of right now we don't have a topic for 2011, but that will change quite soon.

4) Allow others to post on the King of Arguments. We are stealing this idea from our friends over at the Court Street Cup, but it's okay to steal ideas as long as they are good ones. When the 2011 NFL ATS season gets underway expect a multitude of contributors.

5) A weekly column about anything and everything. The idea behind this is to post something on here once a week for the entire year. I've made this promise before, so place your bets on whether or not I'll follow through on it.

6) A LOST review. Enough time has passed that I can put together some sort of finale review. I'm thinking of posting my general thoughts on LOST, ranking all of the LOST episodes, and possibly starting a LOST re-watch.

7) Book reviews of each and every book I finish in 2011. My nine-year-old self is furious I'm going to voluntarily write book reviews. I'm currently reading three books, and my plan is to have them all finished by the end of February. A great way to better your writing skills is becoming a constant reader.

8) I love the idea of Music Mondays, and really want to incorporate that somehow, but don't think a weekly column will work. Instead, I'm aiming for either a bi-weekly or monthly wrap-up of the music I'm listening to.

9) Previews and picks of all major sporting events for the year. We will be starting with the NFL Divisional games this coming weekend.

10) A monthly mailbag of comments, questions and concerns by you the readers. Sure I would love them to be real comments (send to kingofarguments@gmail.com) but I will more than likely have to make them up. Such is life.

So that's it. That's what I'm hoping to accomplish in 2011 with the KOA.

As Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." So that's what I will be doing. Hope to see you again, on this side or the other.

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."