In the spring cleaning sequel, the King of Arguments discusses LeBron James, the controversy surrounding the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight, and unveils a brand new list - this one of the musical variety.
Reading is FUNdamental boys and girls, so prepare to enjoy the hell out of this column.
Chapter Four: Music Mondays
Before I ranked my favorite athletes, my all-time favorite movies, and before I even thought about ranking my favorite black tv characters, I ranked my favorite songs. It started in 1998. I was 13 and in 7th grade.
I'm not entirely sure what prompted the decision, or what sparked the initial interest, but before I knew it I was pumping out a weekly top-ten song list. My classmates asked me all week about it. They wanted to see it as soon as it was done. They critiqued selections. They gave feedback. They suggested other songs for me to listen to. They absolutely loved it. And I guess you could say that's when I fell in love w/ the power of list-making.
The top-ten song list lasted for about one year, and had two constants. The #1 song on EVERY list was All-4-One's "I Swear." At the time I was in the middle of a relationship and that was "our" song, so I did my due diligence and topped off every list with it. The second constant was Eagle Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight." It also made an appearance on every single version. That's probably why it's arguably my all-time favorite song. But I digress.
The point here is that I'm bringing back that list. Every Monday from here on out I will post my top-ten song list (as you can clearly tell, I need a better name for it, and suggestions are more than welcome). These will be my favorite songs OF THE WEEK. The songs I'm listening to the most. The songs I can't get out of my head. The songs that when they come on the radio I make an effort to turn up the volume and sing along.
The hope here is that it will generate the same reaction the original version provoked 14 years ago. Maybe someone will suggest a song/band to listen to (fingers crossed). Maybe someone will comment on how stupid my music selection is (more likely). Only time will tell on both.
THE KING OF ARGUMENTS TOP TEN MUSIC: June 11th, 2012
1) "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967." - John Mayer
2) "Age of Worry" - John Mayer
3) "Born and Raised" - John Mayer
4) "Sweeter" - Gavin Degraw
5) "40 Day Dream" - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
6) "Starships" - Nicki Minaj
7) "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen
8) "Born and Raised (Reprise)" - John Mayer
9) "The Motto" - Drake ft. Lil' Wayne
10) "PYT" - Michael Jackson
Obviously the list is going to be slightly skewed towards John Mayer since the release of his new album is still fresh in my mind. As the weeks roll on and constant readers send in their suggestions, this list will become more and more diverse. In other words, you only have yourself to blame if you're reading this and are appalled. Tell me what I should be listening to. You can do so in the following ways:
1) Find me on twitter (@kingofarguments).
2) Shoot me an e-mail (kingofarguments@gmail.com).
3) Leave a comment either here or on facebook.
Thanks for listening.
Chapter Five: Pacquiao vs. Bradley
I've never been the biggest fan of boxing/MMA, but I have loved watching certain fighters. Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, and Kimbo Slice to name a few. I tune in when "my guy" is fighting. And Manny Pacquiao is my guy, so you better believe I was watching this Saturday night when he fought against Timothy Bradley.
By now you know what happened. Pacquiao dominated throughout, landed more power punches, and was well on his way to another victory. But then something surreal happened: they read the three judges' scorecards. Two of them had Bradley winning, which gave the challenger the split-decision victory. I literally sat there in silence when I heard the decision. It was like I had gone from reality to some weird dream-state. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, so my mind told me I was dreaming. It was - and I mean this in every sense of the word - unreal.
It's been nearly 48 hours since the end and it still upsets me. What bothers me the most isn't the fact that Pacquiao was robbed, or that a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight may not happen now. What bothers me the most is how much the decision bothered me in the first place.
Still with me?
I shouldn't care about boxing. As Teddy Atlas said, "it's a corrupt sport." It's a sport where old guys with big wallets control everything. It's a sport where multiple guys can have multiple belts in the same weight class. It's a sport where guys cheat on a constant basis, whether it's doing something discreetly like taking steroids, or something obvious like putting plaster of paris in their boxing gloves. It's a sport where 80+ year old judges determine winners.
And yet, I was devastated by the result last Saturday night. My first thought was that it was fixed by Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum who is poised to make a huge payday on the inevitable rematch. Finally my good sense prevailed and I determined that it was just dumb luck that Pacquiao lost. It was the wrong combination of judges at the wrong time. You put 100 judges on that fight and 97 of them have Pac-Man winning. It just so happened that two of those three dissenters actually had their score count.
Where will I go from here?? Well, I'll still watch Pacquiao fight because I thoroughly enjoy him. But I'll forever be changed by Saturday night. I don't think I'll be more cynical. I don't think I'll expect the worst in everything. But I will be better prepared.
Chapter Six: The LeBron James Dilemma
Let me preface everything I'm about to write by stating, unequivocally, that I hate LeBron James. Have hated him for quite some time. Hated him before he was in the NBA. Before he started playing for the Cavs. Before he gave himself the nickname, "The King." Before he mocked Michael Jordan's hand-powder routine. Before he called himself "a winner." Before he wore a New York Yankees hat in Cleveland during a Yankees-Indians playoff game. Before he played catch with Dallas Cowboy Terrell Owens during warmups of a Cowboys-Browns game. Before he ended his free-agency with a one-hour ESPN special. Before he decided to jump on Dwayne Wade's ship in order to have an easier time winning championships. Before he threw a massive celebration where he stated how many championships he was going to win. Before he made fun of Dirk Nowitzki's sickness. Before all of that, I've hated LeBron.
Got it? Good, now we can move on with the story.
Everyone hated LeBron last year. It was ridiculously easy to. The way he slapped the city of Cleveland in the face was disgraceful. His infamous, "not one, not two, not three, etc." quote provided an easy soundbite whenever he's failed the last two years. But if you've been paying attention the last couple of months you will notice a strong push towards humanizing LeBron James. Even though he's brought ALL of this on himself, there's a growing number of people who are granting him sympathy for everything he's gone through.
And you know what's scary ... and I mean really really scary??
I'm one of them.
Last season he hated being the villain. He was stunned to be in that role, couldn't handle it, and gave in on the pressures that came with it.
He's changed this year. You can see it. He's saying the right things (for the most part). He's acting the right way both on and off the court. He's focused not on the destination, but the journey.
And that last reason is why he's going to win the NBA Championship this year. And that's also why I won't really mind. In fact, in some weird way, I hope he gets it.
Excuse me while I try to find the real Luke Florence.
I was a kid when Michael Jordan was doing his thing. He's my all-time favorite athlete. He's my boyhood idol, and everything I believe is right in sports. I hold him in the utmost respect and reverence.
Since he retired I've been bombarded with the question, "Who is going to be the next Michael Jordan?" I was fully entrenched in the "no one will EVER be Michael" camp. I came out with guns blazing whenever the topic came up, which was often.
Grant Hill was shot down early, but then came Kobe Bryant, and with it came an unrelenting hatred. I thought he was selfish and didn't utilize his teammates. I thought the only reason he won rings was because of Shaq. But then something funny happened. Kobe matured, and his game did the same. And then something really funny happened. I started to appreciate Kobe. And then, I started rooting for him.
I can say that because the "no one will EVER be Michael" camp stopped becoming a "camp" and became "reality." No one will ever be Michael Jordan. I was finally able to holster my guns and appreciate elite basketball again without feeling attacked.
Speaking of which, LeBron's Game Six performance against the Celtics was about as perfect of a performance as you can get. He's been the best player in the league for about four years now, but he was always missing something.
That something was maturity.
LeBron has matured this year. There's no question about it. He's not celebrating the wins as much, and he's not pouting over the losses as much either. He's more centered, and as a result, my hate towards him has diminished. This is a realization I came to AS I WAS TYPING THIS. The power of the written word.
Sure, LeBron could win the championship, go nuts, and revert back to his old self. But I don't think that'll happen. He finally understands - as I do now - that he's not going to be better than Michael. That's not what he's in it for. He's in it because he's an outstanding basketball player, and that's it.
And you know what, I'm thankful for it. Because deep down, I've always had an undying respect for great basketball players, and LeBron James is currently the best.
If LeBron wins the championship on a game winning buzzer-beater, I won't be upset at all. Nope, instead, I'll have a huge smile on my face.
Heat in Seven.
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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