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12/17/2020

According to Andrew- The "Best" of 2020

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According to Andrew: The Best of 2020 (lol)

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Let's be honest. Nothing about 2020 was "Best".

We deserve a do-over. We should act as if this year never even happened. We should tell this year to go to hell.

I hope everyone is doing okay during these trying times. As it's now December, we've been in this pandemic (at least, here in America- I envy anyone outside this country) since March.

Thankfully, there's a vaccine on the way- we hope.

In the meantime, we're getting closer to the end of the year, and we can still discuss things we did to pass the time!

I started hosting trivia weekly on Zoom, and it's grown into a commission-based endeavor. I'm making money off of doing something I genuinely enjoy, which is something I haven't been able to say many times in my life.

I also consumed a lot of media despite not being able to leave my apartment. Services like Netflix have been a big help. Fantasy football is also still a thing, after months of speculation of whether or not we were going to have a season at all. And, of course, these blog lists. The whole reason I started this thing. I guess, for a little bit, it hasn't been all bad.

I hope I can distract you from the world for a little while with some light reading. 
And so, I present to you, my "Best of 2020" spread.

It's minimal this year- there weren't a lot of sports, so the lists will likely be either eliminated completely this year, or just shortened. Regardless, I'll do my best to give my thoughts on everything I had a plan to do. Maybe I'll even throw in some extracurricular lists for good measure.

I hope you enjoy.

Top 25 Pop Songs of 2020 (Coming Soon!)

The Best of Film from 2020 (Coming Soon!)

10 Best TV Series of 2020 


With hopefully more to come.

I hope you're all staying safe and healthy out there.


- A

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5/4/2020

Every Star Wars Film, Ranked

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Because no one hates Star Wars quite like Star Wars fans.

Well, folks, here we are. It’s Star Wars day. May the Fourth be with you.

And because The Rise of Skywalker is now streaming on Disney+, I would like to take this opportunity to give my personal rankings for every film in the Star Wars franchise, and, in turn, shit all over the movie in question.

Now, Star Wars is a lot like family to me. I love Star Wars a lot. But, much like I get an abundance of family during quarantine, my last few intimate experiences with the franchise have left me scarred and deformed. I feel my trust has been breached after having been lovingly nurtured in the galaxy far, far away for a long, long time. 

And so, I present to you: every Star Wars film, personally ranked by me, a cynic. 

This is a personal choice and not a general consensus list, although my opinions are always right when it comes to Star Wars, so you may as well not look anywhere else. Also, I’m still mad at them for how they finished the Skywalker saga, so while my opinions may be polarizing, they are what they are. 

Be warned though, I spoil just about every Star Wars movie on this list. So back out now if you dare.

Lock S-Foils in attack positions. Let’s begin.
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11. ​Solo

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There is no reason why Solo should have been made. I mean, they took one quote from A New Hope and basically spun it off into two and a half hours of backstory for Han Solo- a character whose backstory certainly could have been left alone. On top of that, nothing about Solo sticks out to me- or maybe only its failed plays on nostalgia did. From a bland, blatant rip off of K2-SO from Rogue One, to inexplicably re-introducing Darth Maul to the series (telling everyone to go watch the animated TV shows? Please. You made a mistake by killing him off. Admit you made a mistake and move on from it- stop trying to atone for George Lucas’ shitty screenwriting), and even, in my opinion, a failed attempt at recreating Lando Calrissian with a caricaturist performance (at best) by Donald Glover. Now, I did like Alden Ehrenreich, and I was able to buy into the fact that he was Han Solo, and not some actor hired to do an impersonation of Han Solo. But tying back to my main gripe with the film- the writing- we get enough Han character work throughout the original trilogy. We don’t need more bizarre character work from a character that doesn’t require it (an Imperial Infantryman?? Really?). We see Han grow over the course of the film, but that’s the problem. At no point do we see him truly morph into the cynic we get in his first scene in A New Hope. I left this film feeling disheartened and disappointed about the direction of Star Wars, and my feeling might be the only thing I truly remember about this movie. Maybe over-saturation of the product was, in fact, the problem. And another film on this list, for me, solidified that thought.
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10. ​The Rise of Skywalker

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In the words of our dear old Emperor Palpatine: "I have waited a long time for this moment."

Remember how over-saturation of the product makes it stale? Right. God, do I never hope to watch this movie again. I can’t even watch the CinemaSins “Everything Wrong With…” video on it because I know that EVERYTHING is wrong with this movie. It is now to the point where the more I think about The Rise of Skywalker, the angrier I get that we had to end with THIS. I understand how difficult it is to end a series, especially one that’s been building up for years and years and years, and has reached definitive conclusions once, maybe even twice. And Rise of Skywalker got caught up in movie franchise sin number one- pandering to the fans. Because again, no one hates Star Wars quite like Star Wars fans, the (undeserved) backlash from The Last Jedi was unheralded. And so, J.J. Abrams returned to direct the final film of the Skywalker saga in order to give the haters a nostalgia high and… failed miserably. From the opening lines of crawling text we are told that something amazing happened offscreen and that we’ll never get to see it. Who the HELL watched the first two movies of the sequel trilogy and thought “ya know, Emperor Palpatine would figure into this quite nicely and logically”? I could go ON, but there are many more flaws with Rise of Skywalker that I have yet to get to- the shoving of Rose back into the very minor character category, the obvious bait shots of a “Darth Rey” and a “Darth C-3PO” in the trailer that only lasted for mere seconds in the movie, and THE KISS. Jesus Christ the kiss. Kylo and Rey aren’t even related and this felt like a more incestuous kiss than Luke and Leia. There were LAUGHS in the movie theatre because it IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. I hope you’re happy that you ruined a good thing, Star Wars fans. I feel like Rise of Skywalker was an amalgamation of fanfics that J.J. Abrams rolled up into one train wreck of a film. Man, did this film also fall victim to the wake of Avengers: Endgame. Where did all those ships come from? The two most recent Star Wars films have failed me. The saga has eight films in it as far as I’m concerned.

Guys, thank you for bearing with me on all my ranting. I promise the next 9 films are (slightly) more positive.

9. ​Attack of the Clones

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There is one good thing about Attack of the Clones, and it’s the introduction of the Clone Army, right from about the start of the Battle of Geonosis (skipping the lightsaber duel), all the way to the end (right before Anakin and Padme’s secret wedding). Oh, that and the love theme from the film. Now, leave it to George Lucas to write some truly cringe dialogue (see: Anakin’s thoughts on sand), but John Williams is a gift to man from the gods of music and can do no wrong. In Attack of the Clones two major storylines present themselves- Obi-Wan’s discovery of the clone army, and and Anakin’s love affair with Padmé (because puberty and movie magic suddenly make it okay that a small boy from The Phantom Menace would eventually fuck the clearly adult-and-not-14 year old woman he meets on his home planet). On Obi-Wan’s side we get Boba Fett- as a KID! And on Anakin and Padmé’s side we get some of the worst flirting we’ve ever seen on film. Although, I won’t lie- an overarching theme we get to see is the Jedi Council’s views on the values of being a Jedi. They constantly make Anakin feel like shit for missing his mom and repressing his feelings. Although I didn’t understand it when I was a 9 year old kid seeing this movie for the first time, as an adult it’s more clear that the Jedi Council members are huge dicks- and maybe we begin to see that maybe the eradication of the Sith maybe ISN’T the way to bring balance to the Force? Just some food for thought.
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8. The Phantom Menace​

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Now I know what you’re thinking- The Phantom Menace is the worst of all Star Wars films! But I offer you this- there is enough cool shit in this movie that can stand up on its own to put it over the three train wrecks of films I just described. For a long, long time The Phantom Menace was my favorite film in the franchise- I was 6 years old when I saw it in a movie theater, the bright colors and battle sequences blew my mind. Of course now that I’m older my view has changed and I realize that not even these could save this film from a boring premise to humanizing one of cinema’s greatest villains in the form of the least believable acting I have ever seen outside The Room (props to George Lucas though, he successfully confined the worst acting in the prequel trilogy to one character, despite that character being played by two different actors). But man, if you’re going to sit here and tell me that the Pod race sequence is bad, or that the triple battle at the climax of the film (yes, even the Gungan portion- “meesa no have a booma” is iconic dialogue from Jar-Jar Binks) is bad, or that Duel of the Fates is wasted on this movie, or that they did Darth Maul a disservice by killing him off, you’d be semi-right on the last two, but on the whole, you’re wrong. The Pod racing scene is bad ass. You best believe I had every single one of those in Lego form when I was small. Darth Maul is an incredible boss battle at the end. Duel of the Fates is one of most recognizable themes in the franchise. The triple battle at the end of the film rocks (even if flying a ship is most certainly NOT pod racing, Anakin). The Phantom Menace is ripe with faults- believe me, the majority of it is garbage, but there’s enough good in it to edge Attack of the Clones by just a hair.
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7. Revenge of the Sith

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Finally, a film in the prequel trilogy actually got something right. Aside from the comical “NOOOOO” given by Darth Vader, I’d say the final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan and Anakin’s subsequent transformation into Darth Vader is a satisfying ending to the prequel trilogy. Star Wars’ first PG-13 movie delivers as best it can, especially considering everyone knows what happens at the end. We get some cool world building (Utapau and Mustafar especially), the heartbreaking execution of Order 66, Anakin’s haunting (and badass) march on the Jedi Temple, as well as some moments that have become meme-worthy (which no other Star Wars film can say)- such as Obi-Wan’s iconic “Hello there!” Revenge of the Sith has its fair share of Lucas-isms, like some bullshit minor villain who gets killed off halfway through the film with no consequences for the heroes whatsoever (cough cough Grievous cough cough), but with a simple approach and a definitive ending, Revenge of the Sith did its job correctly. We get the downfall of the Republic, the rise of the empire, and a complete backstory on one of film’s most infamous baddies. Would I do it differently if I were making them? Of course. But I'm not, so Revenge of the Sith gets a passing grade from me.
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6. The Force Awakens

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I was lucky enough to see The Force Awakens in an empty movie theatre two weeks after it came out, thanks to a snowstorm in Hartford on a late Sunday night. This first film in the sequel franchise is a solid entry, and as such, ranks right in the middle of this list. My biggest takeaway from Force Awakens are the new storytelling angles, from a defecting stormtrooper to an orphaned hero (and it’s a girl this time), all while interweaving plenty of nostalgia from the original trilogy into the new one. It’s truly Star Wars for the 21st century. I personally loved the killing off of Han Solo (it's a point about this idea of "the past" that I will make in another entry on this list). It’s just kind of a shame that no one could agree on where to go with the new trilogy for any longer than one film, and by the end we were left with a spiraling mess. But, for someone who hadn’t seen anything related to Star Wars in ten years, MAN was it good to have Star Wars back in our lives. It’s a feel good film if ever I’ve seen one, full of just as much wonder as its original trilogy counterparts. It came at a time when we needed Star Wars, and that's what matters.
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5. Rogue One

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Rogue One is classified as a standalone film, but it’s also kind of not? If that makes sense? It chronologically fits between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope (in fact it literally leads right into the latter), but we’re introduced to new main characters whose every move we are hanging on within two hours of screen time. I once had someone tell me they hated Rogue One because there was no character development. I argue that there is more character development in Rogue One than some characters in any of the three trilogies have over three movies. Take Jyn Erso, for example. She struggles with being constantly abandoned and having to fight for herself, then has to come to terms with her father working for the Empire, only to have her outlook turned on its head when her father discloses that he is alive and left a flaw in the Death Star. Felicity Jones plays the part perfectly, flanked by the equally talented Diego Luna, as well as Alan Tudyk (god bless this national treasure of a man), who plays the sardonic K2-SO (the correct way to play a snarky droid). For once, Star Wars showed us something that happened off screen that was only talked about in another movie (“many Bothans died to get this information to us” from A New Hope), which is played out to great effect. It’s a war movie, first and foremost, and the stakes are high for pretty much the entire movie. And, of course, we get the EXCELLENT moment with Darth Vader laying waste to Rebel soldiers at the end of the film. It’s the only time I’ve ever been truly scared while watching Star Wars. Rogue One is amazing and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply incorrect. Much like another film I will mention a bit later, we have a 21st century filmmaker (Gareth Edwards) who you can tell truly cares about Star Wars and telling a compelling story for the audience. Just because it’s not vintage doesn’t mean it’s not good.
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4. ​A New Hope

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Everyone remembers their first. I was, I think, 5 or 6, shortly before Phantom Menace came out. My uncle had a VHS set of the original trilogy, which I ate up. A New Hope is up first, and, though it’s ranked lowest in terms of the original trilogy, it is by no means a bad movie. Every piece of lore we have in Star Wars comes from A New Hope. We have Luke Skywalker, the plucky (albeit whiny- Luke is a very whiny boy) hero who discovers that he is a very real player in something much bigger than his own life; Obi-Wan Kenobi, the old sage and watchful protector- who doesn’t really do the best job of describing Darth Vader and his relationship to Luke in all this (there’s that “too many cooks in the kitchen not being able to decide what kind of soup they want” thing again); Darth Vader, who only has EIGHT MINUTES AND SIX SECONDS OF SCREEN TIME in the film. Talk about maximizing screen time because it feels like he’s in the film for a lot longer; Princess Leia, Han Solo, C-3PO, R2-D2; the list simply goes on. A New Hope simply sets the tone. That shot of Luke Looking out over the double setting sun on Tattooine to the tune of the best piece of music ever composed for Star Wars? The assault on the Death Star? The fucking Cantina Band? Iconic. Yeah, sure, the lightsaber fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader is terrible, but it was 1977, so I’m willing to give it a pass. No matter your opinion, you have to respect the fact that A New Hope redefined the space opera. For the first time, we experienced the dream of a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
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3. Return of the Jedi

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Return of the Jedi might be my favorite, just because of the pure catharsis that occurs that end. That, and green’s my favorite color, so the color of Luke’s lightsaber just resonates with me for some reason. Return of the Jedi has it all. Jabba’s Palace and Luke’s fight with the Rancor (we’ll skip "Jedi Rocks"), the fight on the skiffs above the Sarlaac Pit, the death of Yoda and Luke finalizing his Jedi training, the Ewoks and speeder bikes on the Forest Moon of Endor, a critical confrontation between Luke and Emperor Palpatine, and a multi-layered final battle like no other (“it’s a trap!”). Perhaps most importantly, though, Luke finally does what many others before him have strived to do: bring balance to the Force. Look at the black clothing he wears for the entire film. Look at him whacking away at Darth Vader during their final lightsaber battle. We finally realize that a balance of the Force does not mean eradicating one side- dark or light- it means containing the facets of both harmoniously within oneself. Return of the Jedi also features some of the best music in the series. When that “Attack on the Death Star” music hits? I get chills. Return of the Jedi is the best.
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2. ​The Last Jedi

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Now that all the REAL Star Wars fans are here and we’ve weeded out the fake ones who saw this ranking for Last Jedi and LEFT the chat:

I stand by the opinion that The Last Jedi is most important Star Wars movie ever made. Not the best (it’s close), but the most important. How do you follow up The Force Awakens without making it derivative of one of the original trilogy films? Rian Johnson approaches this film with such a creative and unique perspective, paying homage not only to the films of old (like Rashomon) but also cinema as a whole, with certain shots reminiscent of films like Wings in the Canto Bight sequence. We see narratives between Finn and Rose bloom into one of the more interesting relationships in the sequel trilogy, the brilliant turn of face from Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo, which results in one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the film (although let’s be serious, I don’t think my mouth closed during the last half hour of this masterpiece of filmmaking). Also, Snoke’s killing was justified (until I saw Rise of Skywalker) and complimented by one of the most incredible lightsaber fights I’ve ever seen. We see the Force in a whole different light in The Last Jedi. We see the things we never thought it could do- and who really knows what the Force can do, anyways? We examine the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren (not THAT kind of relationship, fucking sickos), their fears, their pasts, and face their futures, as the mirror is held up to nature brilliantly. I hope you see yourselves, Star Wars fans: the generation that is too afraid to let the past go, and clings desperately to the old without wanting to experience anything new. More things to love about The Last Jedi- Luke’s final chapter. Forty years before this movie was made, we saw a whiny little farm boy standing on the edge of the world, looking out at two suns setting in the distance, unaware of where his life would take him. Now, Luke, a Jedi master, having finally made a difference in the world (and become one with the Force), watches the two suns set one last time. It’s a brilliant, heartbreaking circular narrative that deserves your respect. The biggest takeaway from this movie, especially in regards to the Force- your alignment does not have any bearing on what color your blade is. While opinions are polarized on this one, The Last Jedi is an incredible piece of filmmaking, taking risk after risk and succeeding in almost every single one of them. I will defend this film until I die. You cannot stop me.
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1. The Empire Strikes Back

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When crafting a sequel, it is important to prioritize your character development, lest you fall into the trap of putting the heroes through the same crisis as in the first movie. The Empire Strikes Back is one of those sequels that is better than its original, improving on it in almost every way. From the icy landscape of Hoth and that out of this world battle, as the Rebels attempt to take down the monstrous (and totally bad ass) Imperial Walkers, to the murky jungle of Degobah, where Luke’s various teachings from Yoda shape the Jedi we know and love today, to the BRILLIANT twist at the end of the film, Empire has it all. It takes you from the highest highs of A New Hope, as you wonder where the series will take you next, and makes you feel as worn down as Han, Leia and the gang running from the Empire through the asteroid field. And then, just when you think you’ve made it out, it completely pulls the rug out from under you as Darth Vader reveals his and Luke’s true relationship. And by the end, the heroes are nearly in over their heads in trouble, as Han Solo’s freezing in carbonite leaves his future seriously in doubt. The film has so many twists and turns that you're not sure which way is up. When I was a kid, I thought this movie was boring AF. It was only when I got older that I realized that the movie slowly creeps toward its climax, showing that drama and suspense can be built without the use of flashy lightsaber fights. That way, when we DO finally get the duel between Luke and Vader at the end, the first REAL lightsaber duel, it has so much more weight to it than we realize. We know Luke isn't ready to face Vader yet, but his love for his friends is strong and drags him away from that. We know that Darth Vader is holding all the cards, but we can't help but cheer Luke on in these climactic moments. And then the slap in the face: "No, I am your father." UGH. I can only imagine being in a movie theater in 1980 hearing everyone react to this for the first time. It's just awesome when movies get real and also make you feel, isn't it? What else about this masterwork... Empire is also the first film in which we hear John Williams’ legendary Imperial March, which is one of the most recognizable pieces of film score ever written. When the chips are down, The Empire Strikes Back is the best movie in the Star Wars franchise. I know it, and you I know it.


Am I wrong about any of these? Leave a comment down below. I wish everyone a very safe and healthy Star Wars day.

As always, may the Force be with you.

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3/29/2020

I Put Together a Virtual Trivia Night and You Can, Too

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If you’re like me, you’re struggling to fight boredom during this time of quarantining, isolating, and social distancing. It’s really not easy trying to keep yourself occupied if all you want to do is get out of the house. 

But, if you’re like me, you love game nights with your friends. And much like many people have discovered, there are ways to host game nights remotely, using services like Zoom to share screens and participate even from homes apart. 

Jackbox games are lot of fun. My friends and I play it often. We love a good game night, and the remote session we held was a big hit. But every so often I need something to keep my brain exercised while I self-isolate. And that’s when I had the idea to host a remote trivia night.

When I floated the idea to my group of friends, the interest was high. When it was all said and done, they immediately asked me when the next one would be (and yes, I’ve already come up with part 2). To be honest, while trivia certainly was easy to coordinate, setting it up was a lot more work than I had anticipated- but then again, I have a lot of time on my hands. Mercifully for you, I have some step by step instructions I can share with you so you too can put together your own trivia night, reader. 


Basics of Moderating

First thing’s first- you’ll need someone to run the whole thing- and honestly, if you’re reading this, it could very well be you. You’ll need to choose all the questions in advance, determine how the game is run, determine how long the game will play for, etc. I will not lie- there’s a good amount of work that goes into it. But while I personally love answering trivia questions, I like coming up with them just as much. 


Choosing Your Tools for Gameplay

A key component of this is picking what platform you’re going to use to host your trivia night. The key- for me, anyway- was to make the feel of trivia night as close to “Thursday night bar trivia at the pub” as we could, which means that teams will need to not only hear the Game Master addressing the room with questions and answers, but also communicate and deliberate privately with their respective teams. 

We selected Google Hangouts as our main video chat site, but there are other tools like Zoom or Slack that could just as well. The only thing was just to make sure that each team’s microphone was muted on the main chat- or, at least, make sure that each team will keep quiet. As Game Master, you can share your screen with other people if you have some kind of PowerPoint to share with them, or you can simply read the questions allowed while the other teams look at your face.

In addition to a primary video chat, teams will need a way to deliberate amongst themselves before submitting answers. We were fortunate enough to have a number of pairs who were already roommates, meaning they could just talk out their potential answers in person, but one of our teams had all its members in separate spaces, meaning they had to communicate by other means. On top of that, every team will need a way to submit an answer to the GM. Google Hangouts also offers a chat service that teams can utilize to communicate before deciding on an answer. It’s not the same as talking to one another, but the team that was separated from each other ended up winning our event, if that helps. For other teams, a personal text to the GM works for submitting answers, or a private team chat that also includes the GM may also suffice.

If you’re the moderator, you’ll just need to make sure you’re sharing only one window of your screen so people can’t see other teams’ answers- or worse, the answers to the quiz.


Choosing Your Questions

My trivia rounds are combination of trivia I have experienced as well as trivia I found online. I use a combination of traditional question and answer as well as game-based trivia. The questions all range from easy to hard, from themed to general knowledge. 

They were just… extensive. I go hard. Sorry.

Personally, we had 2 halves of 5 rounds of trivia, and each round had around 10 questions. So we’re looking at around 100 questions. We played for about 2 and a half hours. But when you have nothing to do, we figured, why not? I’m not saying you have to do that many, but, for scale, that’s what we did.

Most importantly, I had a presentation with rules, game setups, and one question per slide on it so people wouldn’t need me to repeat questions more than once. I also had the answers printed out next to me, that way I wouldn’t show the answers to any of the teams while I was screen sharing.

And if you think that sounds like a lot of work- it was. 

So I’ve made it easy for you. Here’s the slide presentation I used, as well as the cheat sheet with all of the answers. The presentation is available for download, so if you need to edit out any of the questions (I had a current events section, for example), feel free to do so.

For the picture section, I have included the images themselves on the presentation. During the game, I sent each team the files via direct message instead.

The same is true for the audio portion. I have included the audio link on the cheat sheet with the answers on it.



During the Game

1. Break Your Players up into teams. For our trivia night, we had the luxury of telling players to pick their teams beforehand, and that went very well. It is helpful to select a single representative for each team to submit final answers to the moderator.

2. Set up each team’s private communication method We used Google Hangouts’ chat feature because it was there and it was the easiest to use and it was divisible into private chats. It is also possible to use another video chat service while also having your microphone muted on the main call.

3. Set Your Ground Rules You can choose your own, but here’s the general outline of what we went with:
  • No using Google (or spouses or children) to get answers. There’s no prize, so you’re only cheating yourself of the fun anyways.
  • Only one answer per team.
  • For most rounds, each team has 30 seconds to discuss answers and send in their answer to the moderator. For other rounds, it required all answers to be sent in together. I suggest that if a team does not have an answer, that it send in a question mark or a “no answer” anyway.
  • Teams that accidentally broadcast answers to the main video call will be deducted five points.
 
4. Play!  It’s the best part anyways.

5. Tally the scores and announce the winner I had a final wager question that was a little harder than the rest of the questions to finish the game. It added both drama and gave me a little bit of time to tally if so I could quickly announce a winner.


Overall, this was one of the most fun quarantine activities I’ve ever been a part of. I got some great feedback from my players, so much so that I’ve already started working on round two.


Feel free to leave a comment or send a message to the site if you have any questions for me. Happy Trivia!
​

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1/7/2020

2019 Soderbergh Media Diary

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Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" was my most-listened to song of 2019. Because of course it was.
A friend of mine did this last year, and so it inspired me to do it this year.

Each day, he would keep track of each piece of media he took in, from music albums to books, to tv shows, to video games, etc. He kept track of it each day for the entirety of 2019. 

And I thought "this sounds fun! Let's try it!" And so I did.

The idea comes from film director Steven Soderbergh's idea to keep a diary of all the media he took in over the course of a year. The intent is not just to keep track of all the media itself, but to see just how much we take in. Each day and the kind of media consumed could mean different things, like: How was I feeling this day? Was this a travel day? Was this a stay at home and do nothing day? Was this a busy day (which might be signified by nothing being consumed on a certain day)?

And, after 365 days of keeping track of each piece of media I took in for a full year, I am finally ready to post it.

This was also exhausting and I will never do it again.


Here's how this works:

“”- TV show
Italics- Movie
Bold- Book
ALL CAPS- music album
** **- podcast
Underlined- video game
[] Live theatre
::- Concert
^ unfinished


Disclaimers:
- I have not included single individual songs or news stories for my own sanity. 
- Any albums, tv shows or movies that I watched/listened to over 50% of (or just a good portion for me to take in) I have included as a full entry.
- However, for albums, if only a portion of an album has been released, and I listened to only the released part, I have included that particular entry as an album with an unfinished "^" next to it.
- I work at a theatre, so I watch "David Byrne's American Utopia" 6 times per week. The first time I see a piece of theatre, and only the first time, I will include it.


So here we go. Peruse at your own risk.

January

1/1
“NHL Winter Classic: Boston Bruins vs Chicago Blackhawks”
“Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Washington”

1/2
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E1- The Slippery Slope, Part 1”
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E2- The Slippery Slope, Part 2”
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E3- The Grim Grotto, Part 1”
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E4- The Grim Grotto, Part 2”

1/3
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E5- The Penultimate Peril, Part 1”
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E6- The Penultimate Peril, Part 2”
“A Series of Unfortunate Events: S3 E7- The End”

1/4
HIGH FIDELITY- Original Broadway Cast Recording

1/5
DELTA- Mumford and Sons
“NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans”
“NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys”

1/6
“NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens”
“NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears”

1/7
SIGH NO MORE- Mumford and Sons
CONTINUUM- John Mayer
BABEL- Mumford and Sons
BATTLE STUDIES- John Mayer
WILDER MIND- Mumford and Sons
BORN AND RAISED- John Mayer
DELTA- Mumford and Sons
THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING- John Mayer
“CFP National Championship: Alabama vs Clemson”

1/8
“College Basketball: Duke vs. Wake Forest”
“Jeopardy”
“NHL Hockey: Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild”

1/9

1/10
The Founder- written by Robert Siegel, directed by John Lee Hancock

1/11
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch- written by Charlie Brooker, directed by David Slade
[My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy!] by Steven Solomon- Herberger Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

1/12
“NFL Divisional Playoff: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts”
“NFL Divisional Playoff: Los Angeles Rams vs Dallas Cowboys”

1/13
“NFL Divisional Playoff: New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers”
“NFL Divisional Playoff: New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles”

1/14
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim
“The Nineties: E1- The One About TV, Part 1”
“The Nineties: E2- The One About TV, Part 2”
“The Nineties: E3- Isn’t It Ironic?”
“The Nineties: E4- The Comeback Kid”
“The Nineties: E5- New World Order”
TAKE GOOD CARE- The Revivalists
MEN AMONGST MOUNTAINS- The Revivalists

1/15
“The Nineties: E6- The Information Age”
“The Nineties: E7- Terrorism Hits Home”
TAKE GOOD CARE- The Revivalists
[True West] by Sam Shepard- American Airlines Theatre, New York, NY
QUEEN: THE PLATINUM COLLECTION- Queen

1/16
“The Nineties: E8- Can We All Get Along?”
“The 2000s: E1- The Platinum Age of Television, Part 1”
“The 2000s: E2- The Platinum Age if Television, Part 2”
LEGALLY BLONDE- ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST
YOUNG THE GIANT- Young the Giant

1/17

1/18
TAKE GOOD CARE- The Revivalists

1/19
**Stuff You Should Know- The July 20th Plot to Assassinate Hitler**
**Stuff You Should Know- How Lobotomies Work**
“The 2000s- E3: Mission Accomplished”

1/20
“NFC Championship: New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams”
“AFC Championship: New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs”
Mario Kart Wii
Jeopardy!

1/21
“High Noon”
“Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable”
“Around the Horn”
“The 2000s: E4- Quagmire: Bush’s Second Term”

1/22
“91st Academy Award Nominations”

1/23
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- New York City Center Encores Cast Recording
**Sports? with Katie Nolan- Oh Baby, Baby**
“Jeopardy! C1 E11-Season 31: TOC Quarterfinals Game 1”
“Jeopardy! C1 E12- Season 31: TOC Quarterfinals Game 2”

1/24

1/25
“Jeopardy! C1 E13- Season 31: TOC Quarterfinals Game 3”
“Jeopardy! C1 E14- Season 31: TOC Quarterfinals Game 4”
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- New York City Center Encores Cast Recording
“Jeopardy! C1 E15- Season 31: TOC Quarterfinals Game 5”
“Jeopardy! C1 E16- Season 31: TOC Semifinals Game 1”
“Sex Education- S1 E1: Episode 1”

1/26
“Sex Education- S1 E2: Episode 2”

1/27
IN TRANSIT- Original Broadway Cast Recording
“Jeopardy! C1 E17- Season 31: TOC Semifinals Game 2”
“Jeopardy! C1 E18- Season 31: TOC Semifinals Game 3”
[Network] by Lee Hall, Belsaco Theatre, New York, NY
“Sex Education- S1 E3: Episode 3”
“Sex Education- S1 E4: Episode 4”
“Sex Education- S1 E5: Episode 5”

1/28

1/29
NEW IN TOWN- John Mulaney

1/30
A STAR IS BORN- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

1/31

February

2/1
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- New York City Center Encores Recording
“Sex Education- S1 E6: Episode 6”
GEOGRAPHY- Tom Misch

2/2
PRESS START!- The 8-Bit Big Band
The House That Jack Built- written and directed by Lars Von Trier

2/3
THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING- John Mayer
“Super Bowl LIII- New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams”
“The World’s Best- Episode #1.1”
Unedited Footage of a Bear- written by Alan Resnick, Dina Kelberman, and Robby Rackleff, directed by Ben O’Brien and Alan Resnick

2/4

2/5

2/6
BABEL- Mumford & Sons

2/7
OKLAHOMA!- 1998 Royal National Theatre Cast Recording
**Under Further Review: S1 E23- Kata’s Nightmare, Round 2**
“NBA Basketball- Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers”
THE THRILL OF IT ALL- Sam Smith

2/8
SIMULATION THEORY- Muse
THANK U, NEXT- Ariana Grande
GRAND HOTEL- Original Broadway Cast Recording
“Jeopardy! C1 E19- TOC Finals Game 1”
“Jeopardy! C1 E20- TOC Finals Game 2”
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs- Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

2/9
HADESTOWN- Original Cast Recording
“Jeopardy! C2 E1- 80s Week, Game 1”
“Sex Education- S1 E7: Chapter 7”
“Sex Education- S1 E8: Chapter 8”
“Big Mouth- S3 E1: My Furry Valentine”

2/10
TREASURE PLANET- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

2/11
TAKE GOOD CARE- The Revivalists
“2019 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show”* (Seen live at Madison Square Garden)

2/12
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
“2019 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show”* (Seen live at Madison Square Garden)

2/13
[Merrily We Roll Along]- book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre, New York, NY

2/14
**The Lone Star Podcast: LSP 23: Not ‘Robo Cop’**

2/15
TRY!- John Mayer Trio
THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING- John Mayer
“Jeopardy! C2 E2- 80s Week, Game 2”
“Jeopardy! C2 E3- 80s Week, Game 3”

2/16
“NHL Hockey- New York Islanders vs. Edmonton Oilers” (Seen live at Barclays Center)

2/17
“Jeopardy! C2 E4- 80s Week, Game 4”
GALACTIC EMPIRE- Galactic Empire

2/18
GALACTIC EMPIRE- Galactic Empire

2/19
“Jeopardy! C2 E5- 80s Week, Game 5”

2/20
THE BLACK PARADE- My Chemical Romance

2/21
GEORGICA POND- Johnnyswim
Madre- Written and directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Fauve- Written and directed by Jeremy Comte
Marguerite- Written and directed by Marianne Farley
Detainment- Written by Vincent Lambe, directed by Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon
Skin- Written by Guy Nattiv and Sharon Maymon, directed by Guy Nattiv
A Night at the Garden- directed by Marshall Curry

2/22
Black Sheep- directed by Ed Perkins
End Game- directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Period. End of Sentence.- directed by Rayka Zehtabchi
Lifeboat- directed by Skye Fitzgerald
Bao- Written and directed by Domee Shi
Late Afternoon- Written and directed by Louise Bagnall
Animal Behaviour- Written and directed by Alison Snowden and David Fine
Weekends- Written and directed by Trevor Jimenez
One Small Step- Written by Andrew Chesworth and Shaofu Zhang, directed by Bobby Pontillas and Andrew Chesworth
Wishing Box- Written by Wenli Zhang, Directed by Wenli Zhang and Nan Li
Tweet-Tweet- Written and directed by Zhanna Bekmambatov
GEOGRAPHY- Tom Misch

2/23
HADESTOWN- Original Cast Recording
Green Book- Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly, directed by Peter Farrelly
Roma- Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón 

2/24
“Parks and Recreation- S4 E8: The Trial of Leslie Knope”
“Parks and Recreation- S4 E9: Citizen Knope”
“91st Academy Awards”

2/25
BABEL- Mumford & Sons

2/26
BABEL- Mumford & Sons
WILDER MIND- Mumford & Sons

2/27
SOUVENIR- Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
**The Lone Star Podcast- LSP 26: Yuge Comeback**^
**Under Further Review- UFR S1 E26: Bobs, Bills and Blockbusters**

2/28
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
**The Lone Star Podcast- LSP 26: Yuge Comeback**
[Alice by Heart]- Book by Jessie Nelson and Steven Sater, music by Duncan Shiek, lyrics by Steven Sater- The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, New York, NY
​

March

3/1

3/2

3/3
LIVE AT ROME OLYMPIC STADIUM- Muse
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
“The 2000s- E5: The iDecade”

3/4
“The 2000s- E6: The Financial Crisis”
“The 2000s- E7: Yes We Can”
“The 2000s- E8: I Want My MP3”

3/5
“Losers- The Miscast Champion”
“The Seventies- E1: Television Gets Real”
“The Seventies- E2: The United States vs. Richard Nixon”
SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND- The Beatles
“The Seventies- E3: Peace with Honor

3/6
“The Seventies- E4: Crimes and Cults”
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
“The Seventies- E5: ‘The State of the Union is Not Good’”
“The Seventies- E6: Battle of the Sexes”
[Kiss Me, Kate!]- Book by Sam and Bella Spewack, Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter, Studio 54, New York, NY
“NBA Basketball- Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers”

3/7
WILDER MIND- Mumford & Sons

3/8
“The Seventies- E7: Terrorism at Home and Abroad”
NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812- Original Broadway Cast Recording
“The Seventies- E8: What’s Goin’ On?”
TAPESTRY- Carole King
LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR- James Taylor & Carole King

3/9
“The Eighties- E1: Raised on Television, Part 1”
“The Eighties- E2: Raised on Television, Part 2”
“NCAA Basketball- America East Quarterfinal: UMass Lowell vs. Hartford”
“NHL Hockey- Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators”

3/10
“The Eighties- E3: Reagan Revolution”
“The Eighties- E4: The Fight Against AIDS”
**Sports? With Katie Nolan- Third Month Crazy Time**
“The Eighties- E5: Tear Down This Wall”

3/11
“The Eighties- E6: Technology Gets Personal”

3/12
“NHL Hockey: Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets”
“NCAA Basketball- America East Semifinal: Hartford vs. UMBC”
“NCAA Basketball- WCC Championship: Saint Mary’s vs. Gonzaga”

3/13
“The Eighties- E7: Video Killed The Radio Star”
JERSEY BOYS- Original Broadway Cast recording
THE VERY BEST OF FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS- Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

3/14
**The Lone Star Podcast- LSP 27: I Am The One Who Barks**^
**Under Further Review S1 E28- The Last One**
[Burn This] by Lanford Wilson, Hudson Theatre, New York, NY

3/15

3/16
“The Eighties- E8: Greed is Good”

3/17
“NCAA Basketball- Ivy League Championship: Harvard vs. Yale”
“NCAA Basketball- Big 10 Championship: Michigan vs. Michigan St”
“NCAA March Madness Selection Show”

3/18
“[Jersey Boys]”- Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Music by Bob Gaudio, Lyrics by Bob Crewe (Youtube Bootleg)

3/19
JERSEY BOYS- Original Broadway Cast Recording

3/20

3/21
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Minnesota vs. Louisville”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Yale vs. LSU”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: New Mexico State vs. Auburn”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Vermont vs. Florida State”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Bradley vs. Michigan State”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Belmont vs. Maryland”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Northeastern vs. Kansas”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Murray State vs. Marquette”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Florida vs. Nevada”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Seton Hall vs. Wofford”

3/22
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Iowa vs. Cincinnati”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Oklahoma vs. Mississippi”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Northern Kentucky vs. Texas Tech”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: UC Irvine vs. Kansas State”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Gardner-Webb vs. Virginia”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Oregon vs. Wisconsin”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Washington vs. Utah State”
“NCAA Tournament- First Round: Liberty vs. Mississippi State”
HOW WE REACT AND HOW WE RECOVER- Jason Robert Brown

3/23
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Maryland vs. LSU”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Wofford vs. Kentucky”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Florida vs. Michigan”
“NCAA Tournament- Sound Round: Murray State vs. Florida State”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Minnesota vs. Michigan State”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Villanova vs. Purdue”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Auburn vs. Kansas”

3/24
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Iowa vs. Tennessee”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Washington vs. North Carolina”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: UCF vs. Duke”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Liberty vs. Florida State”
“NCAA Tournament- Second Round: Ohio State vs. Houston”
“NCAA Tournament- UC Irvine vs. Oregon”

3/25

3/26
BABEL- Mumford & Sons
THE 2ND LAW- Muse

3/27
NEXT TO NORMAL- Original Broadway Cast Recording

3/28
“NCAA Tournament- South Regional Semifinal: Purdue vs. Tennessee”
“NCAA Tournament- South Regional Semifinal: Oregon vs. Virginia”

3/29
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim
“NCAA Tournament- East Regional Semifinal: LSU vs. Michigan State”
“NCAA Tournament- Midwest Regional Semifinal: Auburn vs. North Carolina”
THE 2ND LAW- Muse

3/30
“NCAA Tournament- West Regional Final: Texas Tech vs. Gonzaga”
THE 2ND LAW- Muse
“NCAA Tournament: South Regional Final: Purdue vs. Virginia”

3/31
“Patriot Act: S1 E2- Indian Elections”
“NCAA Tournament- Midwest Regional Final: Auburn vs. Kentucky”
“NCAA Tournament- East Regional Final: Michigan State vs. Duke”
​

April

4/1
“Sex Education- S1 E1: Chapter 1”
“Sex Education- S1 E2: Chapter 2”
[Beetlejuice]- book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, Winter Garden Theatre, New York, NY

4/2
**The Lone Star Podcast- LSP 28: There’s an App for That**
“Delhi Crime- S1 E1: Episode 1”

4/3
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK ROCKS!- Various Artists

4/4
“MLB Baseball- Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics”
“NHL Hockey- Boston Bruins vs. Minnesota Wild”
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend- S1 E4: I’m Going On a Date With Josh’s Friend!”

4/5
“NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament- National Semifinal: UConn vs. Notre Dame”
“Parks and Recreation- S5 E20: Jerry’s Retirement”

4/6
“NHL Hockey- Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins”
“NCAA Tournament- National Semifinal: Virginia vs. Auburn”
“NCAA Tournament- National Semifinal: Michigan State vs. Texas Tech”

4/7
BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS- Muse
THE 2ND LAW- Muse
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
GEORGICA POND- Johnnyswim
“NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship- Baylor vs. Notre Dame”

4/8
AMIDST THE CHAOS- Sara Bareilles
“Around the Horn”
“Pardon the Interruption”
:Muse:Simulation Theory World Tour: -Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
“NCAA Tournament- National Championship: Texas Tech vs. Virginia”

4/9
“MLB Baseball- Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox”
“Parks and Recreation- S5 E21: Swing Vote”

4/10
“Parks and Recreation- S5 E22: Are You Better Off?”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 1: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 1: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders”
“World of Dance- S3 E4: The Duels 4”
AMIDST THE CHAOS- Sara Bareilles

4/11
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 1: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs”
The Dirt- Written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Jeff Tremaine

4/12
“Friends From College- S1 E1: Welcome to New York”
“Friends From College- S1 E2: Connecticut  House”
“Friends From College- S1 E3: All-Nighter”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 2: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning”

4/13
“The Masters Tournament- Third Round”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals”
“MLB Baseball- Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 2: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins”

4/14
“The Masters Tournament- Final Round”
[All My Sons] by Arthur Miller- American Airlines Theatre, New York, NY
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 3: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 3: St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 3: San Jose Sharks vs. Vegas Golden Knights”
Mario Kart Wii!
Jeopardy!

4/15
“Friends From College- S1 E4: Mission Impossible”
“Friends From College- S1 E5: Party Bus”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 3: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs”
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 2: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors”

4/16
SIMULATION THEORY- Muse
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 4: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning”

4/17
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 4: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 4: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars”

4/18

4/19
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 5: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins”
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 3: Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 5: Colorado Avalanche vs. Calgary Flames”
Mario Kart Wii!
Jeopardy
!

4/20
**Under Further Review- Wasted Interviews 1: Chelsea Cavagnaro, or The Ballad of Linda from Quincy**

4/21
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 4: Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 6: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs”


4/22
[Pym]- Book, music, and lyrics by Sarah Fiete- Dixon Place, New York, NY
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 6: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars”

4/23
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 7: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference First Round, Game 7: Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks”

4/24
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference First Round, Game 7: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals”
DELTA- Mumford and Sons

4/25
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 1: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins”
“NFL Draft, First Round”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference Second Round, Game 1: Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues”

4/26
THE LAST 5 YEARS- Original Cast Recording
“NFL Draft, Second and Third Rounds”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders”

4/27
“NFL Draft: Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Rounds”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 2: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins”
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference Quarterfinals, Game 7: San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets”

4/28
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 1: Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks”
Thor: Ragnarok- written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, directed by Taika Waititi
Ant-Man and the Wasp- Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, directed by Peyton Reed

4/29
Avengers: Infinity War- Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Captain Marvel- Written by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

4/30
“Parks and Recreation- S6 E1: London, Part 1”
“Parks and Recreation- S6 E2: London, Part 2”
GEOGRAPHY- Tom Misch
Avengers: Endgame- Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
​

May

5/1
AVENGERS: ENGDGAME- ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK- Alan Silvestri
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 3: New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference Second Round, Game 4: St. Louis Blues vs. Dallas Stars”
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference Semifinals, Game 2: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets”

5/2
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 4: Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference Second Round, Game 4: San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche”
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Semifinals: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors”

5/3

5/4
“145th Kentucky Derby”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 5: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins”

5/5
Red Joan- Written by Lindsay Shapero, directed by Trevor Nunn

5/6
“Tuca and Bertie- S1 E1: The Sugar Bowl”
“MLB Baseball- Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox”
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 4: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 6: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins”
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference Semifinals, Game 4: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets”

5/7
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference Second Round, Game 7: Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues”
“MLB Baseball- Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees”
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 5: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors”
“Monster Jam”

5/8
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 5: Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Western Conference Second Round, Game 7: Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks”
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference Semifinals, Game 5: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets”

5/9
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 6: Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers”
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Final, Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins”
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference Semifinals, Game 6: Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers”

5/10
“NBA Playoffs- Western Conference Semifinals, Game 6: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets”
SIMULATION THEORY- Muse

5/11
DELTA- Mumford & Sons

5/12
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Final, Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi- Written and directed by Rian Johnson

5/13
“Mario Kart: Wii”
“Jeopardy!”

5/14
[Hadestown]- Book, music and lyrics by Anaïs Mitchell, Walter Kerr Theater, New York, NY
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Final, Game 3: Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes”

5/15

5/16
AMERICAN UTOPIA- David Byrne
“Stanley Cup Playoffs- Eastern Conference Final, Game 4: Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes”

5/17

5/18
AMIDST THE CHAOS- Sara Bareilles
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim
Bridesmaids- Written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, directed by Paul Feig

5/19
LOVE THIS GIANT- St. Vincent & David Byrne
HADESTOWN- Original Cast Recording
“Black Mirror- S1 E3: The Entire History of You”
“Black Mirror- S2 E1: Be Right Back”

5/20
DIAMONDS- Johnnyswim
GEORGICA POND- Johnnyswim
[The Decoys] by Greg Pierce, American Airlines Theatre, New York, NY
“Black Mirror- S4 E1: USS Callister”

5/21
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim
::Johnnyswim- The Moonlight Tour:: Webster Hall, New York, NY

5/22
“Black Mirror- S3 E4: San Junipero”
CHURCH OF SCARS- Bishop Briggs
“Black Mirror- S4 E5: Metalhead”
“Black Mirror- S3 E1: Nosedive”
“Black Mirror- S4 E3: Crocodile”

5/23
“Black Mirror- S2 E2: The Waldo Moment”
GOODBYE ROAD- Johnnyswim with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

5/24

5/25
“NBA Playoffs- Eastern Conference Finals, Game 6: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors”

5/26
[The Prom]- Book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, Music by Matthew Sklar, Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, Longacre Theatre, New York, NY

5/27
“English League Championship Final, Aston Villa vs. Derby County” 
“Stanley Cup Final, Game 1- St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins”

5/28
This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan- by Steve “Dangle” Glynn^
“Black Mirror- S3 E2: Playtest”
“Black Mirror- S3 E5: Men Against Fire”^

5/29
This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan- by Steve “Dangle” Glynn^
“Stanley Cup Final, Game 2- St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins”
“MLB Baseball: Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros”

5/30
“Black Mirror- S1 E1: The National Anthem”
“Black Mirror- S1 E2: Fifteen Million Merits”
“Black Mirror- S1 E3: The Entire History of You”
“Black Mirror- S2 E1: Be Right Back”
This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan- by Steve “Dangle” Glynn^
“Black Mirror- S3 E5: Men Against Fire”
“Black Mirror- S3 E3: Shut Up and Dance”

5/31
“Black Mirror- S4 E2: Arkangel”
YOUNG & DANGEROUS- The Struts
“MLB Baseball- New York Mets vs. Arizona Diamondbacks”
​

June

6/1
“Stanley Cup Final, Game 3- Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues

6/2
“US Women’s Open, Final Round”
“MLB Baseball- Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees”
“NBA Finals, Game 2- Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors”

6/3
Booksmart- Written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman, directed by Olivia Wilde
“Stanley Cup Final, Game 4- Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues”

6/4
YOUNG & DANGEROUS- The Struts
This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan- by Steve “Dangle” Glynn^

6/5
Deion’s Double Play- Directed by Ken Rodgers and Eric Powers
“Black Mirror- S5 E1: Striking Vipers”

6/6
This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan- by Steve “Dangle” Glynn
“Black Mirror- S5 E2: Smithereens”
“Black Mirror- S5 E3: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”
RUMOURS- Fleetwood Mac
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording^
“Stanley Cup Final, Game 5- St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins”

6/7
THE PROM- Original Broadway Cast Recording
“NBA Finals, Game 4- Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors”

6/8
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording^
THE BLACK PARADE- My Chemical Romance

6/9
THE PROM- Original Broadway Cast Recording
“73rd Annual Tony Awards”

6/10
“Parks and Recreation- S6 E2: The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip-Off Classic”
“Parks and Recreation- S6 E3: Doppelgängers”
“Parks and Recreation- S5 E13: Emergency Response”
“Parks and Recreation- S5 E14: Leslie and Ben”
“Parks and Recreation- S4 E12: Campaign Ad”
“Parks and Recreation- S4 E13: Bowling for Votes”
“NBA Finals, Game 5- Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors”

6/11
HAMILTON- Original Broadway Cast Recording^

6/12
WEEZER (TEAL ALBUM)- Weezer
“Stanley Cup Final, Game 7- St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins”
In Bruges- Written and directed by Martin McDonaugh

6/13
HAMILTON- Original Broadway Cast Recording
Sincerity Forever by Mac Willard
“NBA Finals, Game 6- Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors”

6/14
WEEZER (TEAL ALBUM)- Weeze
THE FOOL- Ryn Weaver
“MLB Baseball- Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers”

6/15
WEEZER (TEAL ALBUM)- Weezer

6/16
NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812- Original Broadway Cast Recording
“US Open, Final Round”

6/17
“[Spamalot]” Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle (Youtube bootleg)

6/18
Rocketman- Written by Lee Hall, directed by Dexter Fletcher
GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD- Elton John
Die, Vol: 1, Fantasy Heartbreaker- Written by Kieron Gilles, Art by Stephanie Hans, Lettering by Clayton Cowles^
LOVE YOURSELF/WITH MY WHOLE HEART- Sufjan Stevens

6/19
World Beaters- directed by Jonathan Hock

6/20
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- New York City Center Encores Cast Recording
35MM- Original Cast Recording

6/21
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- New York City Center Encores Cast Recording
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN- Original Broadway Cast Recording

6/22
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM- 1996 Broadway Revival Cast Recording 

6/23
“That 70s Show: S4 E11- The Third Wheel”

6/24
SUCKER PUNCH- Sigrid
HOW TO BE A HUMAN BEING- Glass Animals
TETRA- C2C

6/25
Inside Llewyn Davis- Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

6/26

6/27
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
50/50- Written by Will Reiser, directed by Jonathan Levine^

6/28
OKLAHOMA!- 2019 Broadway Cast Recording
PARADE- 2007 Donmar Warehouse Cast Recording

6/29
ASSASSINS- Original Cast Recording
“MLB Baseball- New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox”

6/30
SONGS FROM THE LION- Benjamin Scheuer
​

July

7/1
YOUNG THE GIANT- Young the Giant

7/2
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
TOURIST HISTORY- Two Door Cinema Club

7/3
TOURIST HISTORY- Two Door Cinema Club
BEACON- Two Door Cinema Club
THE PROM- Original Broadway Cast Recording 

7/4
“2019 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest”* (Seen live from Coney Island)

7/5
FALSE ALARM- Two Door Cinema Club
TOURIST HISTORY- Two Door Cinema Club

7/6
DEAD & BORN & GROWN- The Staves
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording^

7/7
“FIFA Women’s World Cup Final- United States vs. Netherlands”
THE LIFE AQUATIC- STUDIO SESSIONS- Seu Jorge
“Overwatch League- New York Excelsior vs. Toronto Defiant”

7/8
“Stranger Things: S3 E1- Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?”
“Documentary Now!: S3 E2- Co-op: Original Cast Recording”

7/9
“Documentary Now!: S1 E1- Sandy Passage”
“Documentary Now!: S1 E2- DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon”
“Documentary Now!: S3 E7- Any Given Saturday Afternoon”
“2019 MLB All-Star Game”
50/50- Written by Will Reiser, directed by Jonathan Levine

7/10
“Stranger Things: S3 E2- Chapter Two: The Mall Rats”
BOYGENIUS-EP- boygenius

7/11
BOYGENIUS- EP- boygenius

7/12
“MLB Baseball- Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels”

7/13

7/14
THE ARMED MAN- Karl Jenkins
“MLB Baseball- Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers”

7/15
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording^
“The Movies- S1 E1: The Eighties”
HAMILTON- Original Broadway Cast Recording^

7/16

7/17
HAMILTON- Original Broadway Cast Recording^
Anima- Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson 

7/18

7/19
“The Open Championship, Second Round”
Yesterday- Written by Richard Curtis, directed by Danny Boyle

7/20
LOVE- The Beatles
BORN & DEAD & GROWN- The Staves
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
“The Open Championship, Third Round”

7/21
“The Open Championship, Final Round”
DEAD & BORN & GROWN- The Staves
ABBEY ROAD- The Beatles
YESTERDAY- Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
35MM- Original Cast Recording

7/22

7/23
7- Lil Nas X
OKLAHOMA- 2019 Revival Cast Recording
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, directed by Gareth Edwards
“MLB Baseball- Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays”

7/24

7/25
Lean On Me- Written by Michael Schiffer, directed by John G. Avildsen
“MLB Baseball- New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox”
“Holey Moley: S1 E5- An Outbreak of Ginger Fever”
“Top 100 NFL Players of 2019: E4- 70-61”

7/26
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording
Enough Said- Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener
Ocean’s Thirteen- Written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, directed by Steven Soderbergh
THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING- John Mayer

7/27
CONTINUUM- John Mayer
BATTLE STUDIES- John Mayer

7/28
BORN AND RAISED- John Mayer
PARADISE VALLEY- John Mayer
THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING- John Mayer
Toy Story 4- Written by Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton, directed by Josh Cooley

7/29
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood- Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

7/30

7/31
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording
[Sea Wall/A Life] by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne- Hudson Theatre, New York, NY
​

August

8/1

8/2
SIX: THE MUSICAL- Original Studio Cast Recording

8/3

8/4
[The Prom] - Book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, Music by Matthew Sklar, Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, Longacre Theatre, New York, NY

8/5

8/6
SIX: THE MUSICAL- Original Studio Cast Recording

8/7
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story- Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

8/8
THE FUTURIST- Robert Downey, Jr.

8/9
“GLOW- S3 E1: Up, Up, Up”

8/10
“GLOW- S3 E2: Hot Tub Club”
SIX: THE MUSICAL- Original Studio Cast Recording
“NFL Preseason- San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys”

8/11

8/12
“GLOW- S3 E3: Desert Pollen”
“GLOW- S3 E4: “Say Yes”

8/13
“GLOW- S3 E5: Freaky Tuesday”
“GLOW- S3 E6: Outward Bound”

8/14
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- Written by Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright, directed by Edgar Wright

8/15
“GLOW- S3 E7: Hollywood Homecoming”
“GLOW- S3 E8: Keep Ridin’”
“GLOW- S3 E9: The Libertines”
“GLOW- S3 E10: A Very GLOW Christmas”

8/16

8/17

8/18

8/19
DANCING AT THE BLUE LAGOON- Cayucas
“NFL Preseason- Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers”
“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson- S1 E1: Has This Ever Happened to You?”
“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson- S1 E2: Thanks For Thinking They are Cool”

8/20
GOODBYE ROAD- Johnnyswim and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors

8/21
MOONLIGHT- Johnnyswim

8/22

8/23
HADESTOWN- Original Broadway Cast Recording

8/24
SIX: THE MUSICAL- Original Studio Cast Recording

8/25
BORN AND RAISED- John Mayer
SIMULATION THEORY- Muse
“The TOUR Championship, Final Round”
“2019 Little League World Series Championship- Curaçao vs. Louisiana”

8/26
“The Movies- S1 E3: The 2000s to Today”

8/27
[Hamilton] Book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Richard Rodgers Theater, New York, NY

8/28
HAMILTON- Original Broadway Cast Recording

8/29
TOURIST HISTORY- Two Door Cinema Club
DEAD & BORN & GROWN- The Staves

8/30

8/31
“Top Rank Boxing: Campbell vs. Lomachenko”

September

9/1

9/2
“NCAA College Football: Notre Dame vs. Louisville”

9/3
SIGH NO MORE- Mumford & Sons
“US Open Quarterfinal- Federer v. Dimitrov”

9/4

9/5
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
“NFL Football- Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears”

9/6
“SportsCenter with SVP”

9/7
“SportsCenter”
“NCAA Football- Ohio State vs. Cincinnati”
“NCAA Football- Army vs. Michigan”
“NCAA Football- Texas A&M vs. Clemson”
“NCAA Football- Texas vs. LSU”

9/8
“NFL Football- Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets”
“NFL Football- Baltimore Ravens vs. Miami Dolphins”
“NFL Football- Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles”
“NFL Football- Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants”
“Football Night in America”
“Sunday Night Football- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots”

9/9
“Monday Night Football- Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints”
“Monday Night Football- Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders”

9/10
AMIDST THE CHAOS- Sara Bareilles
LOVER- Taylor Swift
“The Movies- S1 E2: The Nineties”

9/11

9/12
NFL Football- Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9/13
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD- 2018 New York City Center Encores! Cast Recording

9/14
“NCAA Football- New Mexico vs. Norte Dame”
“NCAA Football- Kentucky vs. Florida”

9/15
“NFL Football- New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins”
“NFL Football- New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams”
“NFL Football- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons”
Runaway Bride- Written and directed by Garry Marshall
“NFL Primetime- Week 2”

9/16
“Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable”
“Around the Horn”
“Monday Night Football- Cleveland  Browns vs. New York Jets”

9/17

9/18
“MLB Baseball- Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees”

9/19
“Thursday Night Football- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans”

9/20

9/21
“NCAA Football- Notre Dame vs. Georgia”

9/22
“NFL Football- New York Jets vs. New England Patriots”
“NFL Football- New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks”
“NFL Football- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants”
[The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical]- Book by Joe Tracz, music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, Longacre Theatre, New York, NY
“Sunday Night Football- Los Angeles Rams vs. Cleveland Browns”

923
WHAT’S NOT INSIDE: THE LOST SONGS FROM WAITRESS- Sara Bareilles
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers- Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Peter Jackson, directed by Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King- Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Peter Jackson, directed by Peter Jackson
“Monday Night Football- Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins”

9/24
“NFL Primetime- Week 3”

9/25
**Under Further Review- S2 E4: Fitness Pizza in my Mouth**
CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER- The 8 Bit Big Band

9/26
“Thursday Night Football- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers”

9/27

9/28
“NCAA Football- Clemson vs. North Carolina”

9/29
“NFL Football- New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills”
“NFL Football- Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens”
“NFL Football- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions”
“NFL Football- Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears”
“Sunday Night Football- Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints”
​
9/30
AMIDST THE CHAOS- Sara Bareilles
**The Anthropocene Reviewed- Hot Dog Eating Contest and Chemotherapy**


October


10/1
“National League Wild Card Game- Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals”


10/2
“American League Wild Card Game- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics”

10/3
“NHL Hockey- Boston Bruins vs. Dallas Stars”

10/4
**Under Further Review- S2 E4: Andrew 2.0**
LOVER- Taylor Swift
[David Byrne’s American Utopia]- music and lyrics by David Byrne, Hudson Theatre, New York, NY

10/5
Joker- written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, directed by Todd Phillips
“Big Mouth- S3 E1- Girls are Angry Too”
“Big Mouth- S3 E2- Cellsea”

10/6
BABEL- Mumford & Sons
WILDER MIND- Mumford & Sons
Little Miss Sunshine- Written by Michael Arendt, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
“NFL Football- Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers”
“NFL Football- Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants”
“NFL Football- Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys”
“NFL Football- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos”
“Sunday Night Football- Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs”
“Big Mouth- S3 E3: Obsessed”
“Big Mouth- S3 E4: Florida”

10/7
“Big Mouth- S3 E5: How to Have an Orgasm”
“Monday Night Football- Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers”
“Big Mouth- S3 E6: Duke”
“Big Mouth- S3 E7: Rankings”

10/8
“Big Mouth- S3 E8: The ASSes”
“Big Mouth- S3 E9: Disclosure the Movie: The Musical!”
“Big Mouth- S3 E10: Super Mouth”
“Rick and Morty- S1 E1: Pilot”
“Rick and Morty- S1 E2: Lawnmower Dog”
“Rick and Morty- Anatomy Park”
“Rick and Morty- M. Night Shaym-Aliens!”

10/9
“NLDS, Game 5- Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers”
**Under Further Review- S2 E6: Human Pyramid**

10/10
“The Movies- S1 E4: The Seventies”
“Thursday Night Football- New York Giants vs. New England Patriots”

10/11
ANYTHING GOES- 2011 Broadway Cast Recording
“NLCS Game 1- Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals”
“The Politician- S1 E1: Pilot”
“The Politician- S1 E2: The Harrington Commode”

10/12
“NCAA Football- South Carolina vs. Georgia”
“NCAA Football- USC vs. Notre Dame”
“NCAA Football- LSU vs. Florida”

10/13
“NFL Football- Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers”
LOVE THIS GIANT- David Byrne & St. Vincent
“NFL Football- Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals”
“NFL Football- Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons”
“NFL Football- Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets”
“Sunday Night Football- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Chargers”
AMERICAN UTOPIA- David Byrne

10/14
The Way Way Back- Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
“Monday Night Football- Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers”

10/15
21 CHUMP STREET: THE MUSICAL- Original Cast Recording
BOYGENIUS: EP- Boygenius
DEAD & BORN & GROWN- The Staves
LOVER- Taylor Swift
“ALCS, Game 3- Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees”
“NLCS, Game 4- St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals”
The Reluctant Fundamentalist- by Mohsin Hamid^
“The Politician- S1 E3: October Surprise”

10/16
The Reluctant Fundamentalist- by Mohsin Hamid^
HARRY STYLES- Harry Styles

10/17
The Reluctant Fundamentalist- by Mohsin Hamid
“Thursday Night Football- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos”
“ALCS, Game 4- Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees”

10/18
THE ESSENTIAL PAUL SIMON- Paul Simon
THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING- John Mayer
BABEL- Mumford & Sons
PLASTIC BEACH- Gorillaz

10/19
“NHL Hockey- Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs”
“NCAA Football- Tennessee vs. Alabama”
“ALCS, Game 6- New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros

10/20
“The Politician- S1 E4: Gone Girl”
“NFL Football- Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans”
“NFL Football- Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints”

10/21
“Monday Night Football- New England Patriots vs. New York Jets”* (Seen live at MetLife Stadium)

10/22
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA- Live Cast Recording
Arrival- Written by Eric Heisserer, directed by Denis Villeneuve
“World Series, Game 1- Washington Nationals vs. Houston Astros”

10/23
DELTA- Mumford & Sons
Tower of Babylon- by Ted Chiang
“World Series, Game 2- Washington Nationals vs. Houston Astros”

10/24
Understand- by Ted Chiang^
SIGH NO MORE- Mumford & Sons
“Thursday Night Football- Washington Redskins vs. Minnesota Vikings” 

10/25
Understand- by Ted Chiang
HARRY POTTER & THE CURSED CHILD
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E1: A Horse Walks Into a Rehab”
“World Series, Game 3- Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals”

10/26
“The Politician- S1 E5: The Voter”
“The Politician- S1 E6: The Assassination of Payton Hobart”
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E2: The New Client”
Division by Zero- by Ted Chiang
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E3: Feel-Good Story”
“NCAA Football- LSU vs. Auburn”
“NHL Hockey- St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins”
“World Series, Game 4- Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals”
“The Politician- S1 E7: The Assassination of Payton Hobart: Part 2”

10/27
“The Politician- S1 E8: Vienna”
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E4: Surprise!”
Story of Your Life- by Ted Chiang^
“NFL Football- Cleveland Browns vs. New England Patriots” 
“ZOZO Championship- Final Round”
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E5: A Little Uneven, is All”
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E6: The Kidney Stays in the Picture”

10/28
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E7: The Face of Depression”
“Bojack Horseman- S6 E8: A Quick One, While He’s Away”
“Monday Night Football- Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E1: From the Ashes of Tragedy”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E2: The Run of His Life”

10/29
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E3: The Dream Team”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E4: 100% Not Guilty”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E5: The Race Card”
“Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions III- C1 E1: Quarterfinal Game 1”
“Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions III- C1 E2: Quarterfinal Game 2”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E6: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”
Her- written and directed by Spike Jonze

10/30
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E7: Conspiracy Theories”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E8: Jury in Jail”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E9: Manna from Heaven”
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story- E10: The Verdict”
JESUS IS KING- Kanye West
**Under Further Review- S2 E9: Raindrops on Roses**
“World Series, Game 7- Washington Nationals vs. Houston Astros”
“NBA Basketball- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics”

10/31
Story of Your Life- by Ted Chiang^
THE STRANGER- Billy Joel
“Thursday Night Football- Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers”

November

11/1
THE STRANGER- Billy Joel

11/2
“NCAA Football- Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech”

11/3
“NFL Football- Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles”
“NFL Football- Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans”
“NFL Football- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Green Bay Packers”
“Sunday Night Football- Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots”

11/4
DONT SMILE AT ME- Billie Eilish
“Monday Night Football- Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants”
“Billy on the Street- S2 E1: Name Three White People, with Rashida Jones”
“Billy on the Street- S2 E2: Scream for an American Girl Doll, With Will Ferrell”
“Billy on the Street- S2 E3: Billy Meets Mr. Singh”
“Billy on the Street- S2 E4: The Lesbian Lightning Round, with Andy Cohen”
“Billy on the Street- S2 E5: The Julia Robstacle Course, with Rachel Dratch”

11/5
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?- Billie Eilish

11/6
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA- Original Cast Recording

11/7
“Thursday Night Football- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders”
CONTINUUM- John Mayer

11/8
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story- E1: The Man Who Would Be Vogue”
AMIDST THE CHAOS- Sara Bareilles

11/9
“NCAA Football- LSU vs. Alabama”
“Fosse/Verdon- E1: Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum”

11/10
“NFL Football- New York Giants vs. New York Jets”
“NFL Football- Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints”
“NFL Football- Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts”
“NFL Football- Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers”
“NFL Football- Los Angeles Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers”
“NFL Primetime- Week 10”
“Sunday Night Football- Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys”

11/11
::The Armed Man::- Karl Jenkins- The Actor’s Chapel, New York, NY
“Monday Night Football- San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks”

11/12
“The Mandalorian- S1 E1: Chapter 1”
“Billy on the Street- S2 E11: The Humpty Hump! with Hank Azaria”
“Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby”

11/13
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA- Original Cast Recording

11/14
Star Wars- Episode II: Attack of the Clones- Written and directed by George Lucas
Jojo Rabbit- Written and directed by Taika Waititi
“Thursday Night Football- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns”

11/15
“NBA Basketball- Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors”

11/16
Parasite- Written by Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-wan, directed by Bong Joon-ho
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars- S1 E3: Shadow of Malevolence”
“Jeopardy!- C11 E4: Tournament of Chanpions: Quarterfinal Game 4”
“Jeopardy!- C11 E5: Tournament of Champions: Quarterfinal Game 5”
“The Mandalorian- S1 E2: Chapter 2: The Child”
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars- S1 E4: Destroy Malevolence”

11/17
BABEL- Mumford & Sons
“NFL Football- New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles”
“Sunday Night Football- Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams”

11/18
“Monday Night Football- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers”

11/19
“Star Wars: The Cline Wars- S1 E9: Cloak of Darkness”
“Jeopardy!- C11 E6: Tournament of Champions, Semifinal Game 1”
“NHL Hockey- Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils”*

11/20

11/21
**Under Further Review- S2 E12: Fertile Phil**
“HarmonQuest- S1 E1: The Quest Begins!”
“Jeopardy!- C11 E7: Tournament of Champions, Semifinal Game 2”
“Jeopardy!- C11 E8: Tournament of Champions, Semifinal Game 3”

11/22
Ford v Ferrari- Written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller, directed by James Mangold
Frozen II- Written by Jennifer Lee, directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

11/23
“The Mandalorian- S1 E3: The Sin”

11/24
“NFL Football- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons”
“NFL Football- Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots”
“HarmonQuest- S1 E2: The Stonesaw Mines”
Treasure Planet- written by Ron Clements, John Musker and Rob Edwards, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker

11/25
DAVID BYRNES AMERICAN UTOPIA- Original Cast Recording

11/26
“Jeopardy! C12 E1- Buzzy Cohen Game 1”
“Jeopardy! C12 E2- Buzzy Cohen Game 2”
“Jeopardy! C12 E3- Buzzy Cohen Game 3”

11/27
“Peyton’s Places- S1 E2: The Greatest Catch”

11/28
“NFL Football- Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Tigers”
“NFL Football- Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys”
HOW WE REACT AND HOW WE RECOVER- Jason Robert Brown
Noelle- Written and directed by Marc Lawrence

11/29
Dark Waters- Written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan, directed by Todd Haynes
“NHL Hockey- Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers”
“The 90s: The Last Great Decade?”
“NCAA Football- Memphis vs. Cincinnati”
“NCAA Football- Missouri vs. Arkansas”
The Internship- Written by Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern, directed by Shawn Levy
[Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations] book by Dominique Morisseau, Imperial Theatre, New York, NY

11/30
“The Mandalorian- S1 E4: Sanctuary”
“NCAA Football- Auburn vs. Alabama”
“NCAA Football- Notre Dame vs. Stanford”
“NCAA Football- LSU vs. Texas A&M”
​

December

12/1
“NFL Football- Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers”
“NFL Football- Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants”
“NFL Football- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders”
“NFL Football- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos”
“Sunday Night Football- New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans”

12/2
“High Noon- December 2nd”

12/3
Knives Out- written and directed by Rian Johnson

12/4

12/5
“Thursday Night Football- Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears”

12/6
“Jeopardy!- C12 E4: Buzzy Cohen Game 4”
“Jeopardy!- C12 E5: Buzzy Cohen Game 5“
“Jeopardy!- C12 E6: Buzzy Cohen Game 6”
“Jeopardy!- C12 E7: Buzzy Cohen Game 7”
DRONES- Muse

12/7
“Jeopardy!- C12 E8: Buzzy Cohen Game 8”
“SEC Championship- LSU vs. Georgia”
“The Mandalorian- S1 E5: The Gunslinger”

12/8
“NFL Football- Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots”

12/9
THE HIGHWOMEN- The Highwomen
“Jeopardy! C12 E9: Buzzy Cohen Game 9”
“Jeopardy! C12 E10: Buzzy Cohen Game 10”
“Jeopardy! C13 E1: Teachers Tournament Semifinal 1”
“Jeopardy! C13 E2: Teachers Tournament Semifinal 2”
“Jeopardy! C13 E3: Teachers Tournament Semifinal 3”
“Jeopardy! C13 E4: Teachers Tournament Final Game 1”
“Jeopardy! C13 E4: Teachers Tournament Final Game 2”
“Monday Night Football- New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles”

12/10
**Under Further Review- S2 E15: Potato Sack Boys**

12/11

12/12
“Thursday Night Football- New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens”

12/13
FINE LINE- Harry Styles
“Bowlero Elite Series”

12/14

12/15
“NFL Football- New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals”
“NFL Football- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Minnesota Vikings”
“NFL Football- Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers”
“Sunday Night Football- Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers”

12/16
“NHL Hockey- Nashville Predators vs. New York Rangers”

12/17
[The Sound Inside] by Adam Rapp- Studio 54, New York, NY

12/18
**Under Further Review- UFR S2 E16- 29 out of 30**

12/19

12/20
Star Wars: The Force Awakens- Written by Lawrence Kasdan, JJ Abrams and Michael Arndt, directed by JJ Abrams

12/21
Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi- Written by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, directed by Richard Marquand
“NFL Football- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans”
“NFL Football- Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi- Written and directed by Rian Johnson

12/22
“NFL Football- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys”
“NFL Football- Oakland Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers”
“NFL Football- Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker- Written by Chris Terrio and JJ Abrams, directed by JJ Abrams

12/23

12/24
Deion’s Double Play- Directed by Ken Rodgers and Eric Powers
The 85 Bears- Directed by Jason Hehir
“Jeopardy!- C15 E1: College Championship, Semifinal 1”
“The National Dog Show”
“The Movies- E1: The Nineties”
A Christmas Story- Written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, directed by Bob Clark
The Two Bills- Directed by Ken Rodgers
Madden NFL 16

12/25
Spotlight- Written by Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, directed by Tom McCarthy
Madden 20
“NBA Basketball- Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors”
“NBA Basketball- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers”
John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch-  Written by John Mulaney and Marika Sawyer, directed by Rhys Thomas
The Two Popes- Written by Anthony McCarten, directed by Fernando Meirelles

12/26
**Under Further Review- S2 E17: The Trivia Episode**
FINE LINE- Harry Styles

12/27
GEORGICA POND- Johnnyswim
THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE- Foo Fighters
IN YOUR HONOR- Foo Fighters
Marriage Story- Written and directed by Noah Baumbach

12/28
“Camping World Bowl- Notre Dame vs. Iowa State”
“College Football Playoff at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl- LSU vs. Oklahoma”
“College Football Playoff at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl- Ohio State vs. Clemson”

12/29
“NFL Football- Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots”
1917- Written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, directed by Sam Mendes
“Sunday Night Football- San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks””

12/30
1917: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK- Thomas Newman

12/31
​


If you've made it this far, hot damn. I congratulate you for sticking through this long, highly unnecessary list.

Hope you all have a great 2020!

If you want to read more, I just dropped my "Best of 2019" spread, which you can find by clicking HERE. 

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1/7/2020

According to Andrew: The Best of 2019

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Sorry for the lateness, folks.

The end of the year is always really difficult to churn out a massive number of lists and upload them all before the end of December. 

And because of other things going on in my life (I recently quit a job and started a new one), my release of a few lists came after the new year. But that's okay! It comforts me to know that most of you read them.

Anyway, here are the three lists done so far for my Best of 2019 spread. If I decide to publish more, they'll be uploaded to this page.

Click each link below to go to that list:
Top 25 Pop Songs of 2019
​Top 10 Films of 2019
The Best Sports Plays of 2019
 



I hope everyone is having a happy 2020 so far. Thank you for keeping up with my musings thus far.

Best,
Andrew

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9/4/2019

2019 NFL Season Preview

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It's been a minute, guys!

Sorry for the delay. This summer has been a whirlwind. But it's September, which means that football season is here! 

And since football season is here, that means it's time for another "bold predictions" list. 

Click here to read my Bold Predictions for the 2019 NFL Season article.

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2/3/2019

Update: A new Wrap Sheet, Super Bowls, and more!

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Update! A new Wrap Sheet, a Super Bowl list, and more!

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Happy February, everyone!

There are two new articles to check out on the blog.

The first is 2019's first Wrap Sheet, where I cover everything that happened in the month of January! I'll give my thoughts on Gillette, the NFC Championship, the Polar Vortex, and more!

Click here to read The Wrap Sheet for January 2019


The other is a new countdown list. In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I'm counting down my picks for the top 10 Super Bowls of all time. 

Click here to read the Top 10 Super Bowls of All Time.

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12/26/2018

According to Andrew: The Best of 2018

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According to Andrew: The Best of 2018

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2018 was a LONG year, man.

Know how long this year was? We had an Olympics and a World Cup this year. 

But if the year was long, that means it was jam packed of things to talk about. I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season and is looking forward to the new year.

Welcome to According to Andrew's Best of 2018 spread.

I started this blog at the end of 2015 after taking a full year compiling lists of what I thought were the best songs, movies, sports moments, etc., of that year. Four years later, it's bloomed into a full-out pop culture blog. 

I introduced the Wrap Sheet in June of this year, something to keep me honest with posting reviews of things. The Wrap Sheet will continue in 2019, thanks to your positive feedback.

I reached out to you for suggestions of countdown lists to get back to my roots and you delivered. I'll keep asking as long as you have suggestions for countdown lists.

And, of course, the staple of this blog: the Best of the Year lists. That is always an ongoing thing, and I can only hope that my writing is engaging enough for you to read and debate with either me or your friends.

Thank you all again for reading. I hope I can count on your support in the future. 

On to the spread! Feel free to click on any of the links below to check out my year in review.

Music:
Top 25 Pop Songs of 2018

Movies:
Top 10 Films of 2018 (coming soon!)
Top 10 Most Disappointing Films of 2018

Theatre:
Top 10 Plays and Musicals of 2018

Sports:
Top 18 Sports Moments of 2018
Top 10 Sports Games of 2018

Top 15 "Oh No!" Sports Moments of 2018
Top 100 Sports Plays of 2018: Part 1    Part 2     Part 3    Part 4

Again, this would not be possible without your support. I am so grateful to be surrounded by people who appreciate my writing, and I hope I haven't let you down in any way.

Thanks so much to everyone.

Have a happy New Year!

​Andrew

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10/31/2018

The Wrap Sheet, October 2018

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The Wrap Sheet, October 2018
A monthly airing of thoughts and grievances

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Ah, The Lost Boys. A wonderfully terrible movie. Look at Kiefer Sutherland. Look how he broooooods.
Happy Halloween to all my spooky, scary skeletons out there!

The weather’s getting colder, the leaves are (hopefully, I think, they haven’t started here in New York) starting to change, and the holiday season is breathing slowly down our necks. Fall is HERE.

And as the weather gets colder, so too does the news.

There’s lots to talk about. But what else is new.

Buckle up, buttercups.

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A woman pays respects to those lost in the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue earlier this month.
First, I want to give my thoughts to those affected by the horrific shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. I know there isn’t much I can do behind a computer screen, writing this, except for giving my thoughts and prayers to those hurt by this senseless act.

These people were murdered while at a worship service. Because of their faith.

It makes me sick to my stomach.

Makes me want to go out and change some things.

You’re registered and getting ready to vote, right?

DO IT.

(I’m probably going to ramble for a bit, so bear with me)

I don’t know what to say other than we need stricter gun control laws. I hate this narrative of “if there were someone with a gun there fewer lives have been lost.”

How about, if the shooter didn’t have a gun, there wouldn’t have been a shooting at all.

I feel like people who are in support of possessing firearms are caught in this endless contradiction. Like they’re all for spreading guns to everyone, mandated by the government; the same government that they’re saying is out to take their guns.

I don’t understand the appeal.

You probably don’t need a military-grade assault rifle for self-protection. I’m not sure if you feel like you need to compensate for something or whatever, but it’s unnecessary.

And yes, trucks and cars are plowed through crowds of people. But we don’t need “restrictions on trucks and cars” because their purpose is to transport people and goods to different places. They are simply abused by people who intend on hurting people. That’s the case with most everything. You can hurt someone with a stapler or a pool cue. It’s just up to you not to be stupid and use that stapler or pool cue to hurt someone with it.

A gun’s sole purpose is to kill. Literally, that’s all it’s used for. Tell me one other purpose for it and I’ll shut my fucking mouth. But I will not sit idly by while innocent people are being murdered in a place that should be a safe place.

Jesus Christ, I feel like something’s really close to snapping with this country.

I’m sorry I get like this when I rant and write at the same time.

Know how we can stop this? VOTE.

Vote. Vote. Vote.

November 6th is election day. I’m going to be very upset if you don’t vote on November 6th.

Now, let’s move on.

​

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This is stupid.
I wanted to mention the Presidential Alert System that went off on everyone’s iPhones at the start of the month.

This is utterly stupid.

Like, why is this a thing?

It’s a strange Big Brother-type thing.

Now I get that it’s not just for this particular administration, it’s for all future presidents to use as well.

But, we have the news for things like this. We don’t need everyone’s alarms going off at the same time, especially for this facacta “test” that happened.

In fairness, I do give props to all the patrons who come to visit the theatre I work at who actually turned off their phones when told to do so on that day, as the alert came right in the middle of the matinee. Good on you guys.

But really, it’s not necessary. Yes, things like Amber alerts are helpful and useful. But I get push notifications from news outlets, tweets, and texts from friends if anything dire is happening right this minute.

Pass.
​

In pop culture news, a work of art by Banksy was shredded after it sold for an absurd amount of money at auction earlier this month.

The display was rigged to shred itself via some kind of remote control, and when a final sale of $1.4 million was reached, the painting started shredding itself. Take a look at everyone’s confused reactions.

But really, what did you expect? You thought you had beaten Banksy?

Banksy always wins.

Also, this event has inspired a number of fantastic Halloween costumes:

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This is ingenuity, right here.

Great job, you guys.


Oh, can I talk about customer service for a minute?

I don’t mean to do a Yelp review here on my blog or cut anybody down, but I just wanted to discuss something that happened to me recently.

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God dammit, now my mouth is watering.
The Panera Bread that is closest to my theatre is the one on 39th and 5th Avenue. It’s conveniently close to Bryant Park as well, where a number of my colleagues and I hang out between shows and eat our lunch.

A month or so ago, I opened up my bacon turkey bravo sandwich to discover something odd: there was no turkey on the sandwich.

Weird, I thought.

I thought that maybe they were busy. An honest mistake was made and it was fine. No sweat.

It just kind of bothered me that there was no protein on my sandwich, especially when that meat is in the name of the sandwich.

I didn’t think much of it, as it was the first time something like that had ever happened to me at a Panera.

And then it happened again earlier this month.

I’m glad I checked my sandwich, because the bag felt light enough for me to be suspicious about it.

I unwrapped the sandwich before leaving, and sure enough.

No fucking turkey.

I did say something this time. I went back to the young lady who was at the counter and told her (albeit a little rudely, which is what I wanted to discuss quickly) that it would be helpful to put the turkey on the sandwich.

I was pissed. And they loaded up my sandwich with turkey and apologized.

I told them I didn’t mean to be a dick about it, but I would be less upset about it if it were the first time.

“Really?” said another voice behind the counter. This one was far more patronizing.

I told the young man it was the second time this has happened.

“Well!” He said, about as patronizing as before “it won’t happen again!”

He smirked and went back to work.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me, I guess.

I knew they’d probably talk shit about me for the rest of the day. Hell, I’d do the same thing if I were in their position and some asshole came in and spoke to me like that.

My thought process is this:

The people who work at Panera are in their twenties. Pretty much anyone who works in fast food is doing this for the money.

It’s a stepping stone job. No one wants to be there forever. Anyone who thinks entry-level fast food is a full-time career is delusional. No one WANTS to flip burgers or make sandwiches for the rest of their life. There are bigger things ahead.

I was once one of them. I get that. Of course people are going to get apathetic about it once they’ve been there for a while and do the same thing every day, hours and hours on end. Even at higher level jobs, people get complacent when they’re bored and their job is monotonous. It’s human nature.

I get it.

But at the same time, the bacon turkey bravo is a staple Panera item. It has 7 ingredients. If you’ve been doing it for a while, you should be able to make it in your sleep. It’s not that hard.

I used to work at Panera and have MADE the sandwich before. It’s not that hard.

You can be complacent and still be competent at your job.

I get it, you don’t want to be there, but you’re still being paid to be there.

And when you screw up, to have the audacity to make me feel bad for saying something (yes, albeit coldly) because you screwed up?

That’s not right.

And it sucks. I really like that Panera too.

​

Movies!

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Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in "First Man."
I saw First Man this month.

I’m still trying to find a time to see A Star is Born. Eventually, I will get there.

But MoviePass is dumb, and so here we are.

I was excited for this one, given I really like  Damien Chazelle as a director, and I thought a Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy were great choices for Neil Armstrong and Janet Shearon.

I was disappointed.

The movie is done well, and it’s acted well, but for a story that is so well documented, as well as one everyone knows the ending to, I wished the payoff was better.

Also, it dragged for the first hour and fifteen minutes.

Chazelle didn’t write this one, which is obvious in the direction of the film.

With Whiplash and La La Land, I felt like he was more invested in the subject matter because he wrote the film.

With First Man, it was like he was invested in how the movie looked- and it’s clear because the film is visually stunning; the shots from the surface of the moon are shot in IMAX and are gorgeous- and nothing else.

I didn’t get what Armstrong’s arc was, or why this story was being told. Yes, he has a strained relationship with his wife. Yes, the road to the moon is tough, but Armstrong is the Everyman we all want to root for.

And, obviously, he comes through in the end.

One thing toward the end of the movie made me really question Chazelle’s choices as director, though.

Armstrong sheds a tear on the surface of the moon, while dropping an artifact that belonged to his daughter who died of cancer as a young girl.

I get the emotional manipulation. But if Neil Armstrong gave anyone reason to think he would cry on the moon, he wouldn’t have been the first man on the moon. He would have been the last.

Those are just my thoughts from a first viewing.

I saw the film had a poor box office showing, which I think comes from just lack of interest. The film got lost behind A Star is Born and the start of a crowded Oscar season.

And it has nothing to do with the fact that they don’t do a red, white and blue circle jerk and go on for an hour about planting the American flag on the moon.

The flag is still shown in the movie. The landing on the moon was a worldwide event that just happened to be performed by two Americans. The planting of the flag was symbolic of the Space Race, which isn’t really played upon all that much in the film.

I argue that whining over the flag planting not being in the film is a bigger “political agenda” than the event not being included.

First Man will still do very well this Oscar season. It just wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever seen.

​

Sports!

The most important thing that happened this month came from sports (obviously).

The Boston Red Sox won the World Series, by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

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Mood forever.
I’m still shook.

I didn’t believe this team would make it past the New York Yankees. I didn’t believe this team stood a chance against the Houston Astros. I was nervous when the Dodgers took game three, the longest postseason game of all time.

Still, here we are, with a parade happening as I write this article.

Why are we surprised that a team that won a franchise-record 108 games won the World Series?

At the end of the road, and looking back on the journey, it shouldn’t have been all that surprising.

This team’s bullpen, which had question marks all throughout September and certainly heading into October, shut the haters up and shut opposing lineups down.

And even after an extra innings loss in the World Series, I still think the Red Sox won this series five games to none.

Who would have thought that Joe Kelly would pitch ten scoreless innings in the postseason? Not me.

David Price, who won three key games for the Red Sox, including the clinchers against both Houston and Los Angeles, holds all the cards now, as he put it. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t win a game in the postseason. Turns out, David Price is good.

And still, he’s like the number 5 hero of this entire team.

Nathan Eovaldi. Nate the Great. Jesus Christ.

I have never seen a pitching performance like the one he gave during game three. Seven innings of relief, starting in the 12th inning. 96 pitches. And even though he gave up the home run to Max Muncy, I think seeing him lose sparked his teammates to bounce back and win the next two.

The guy is coming back from two Tommy John surgeries. And pitched straight up gems in the three games he pitched in in this World Series. Dude was unhittable. He kept us in every game he pitched in, and without him, I don’t think we would have a title to show for it.

@Red Sox, please throw trillions and trillions of dollars as Nathan Eovaldi next season.

And then there’s journeyman Steve Pearce, who was this year’s MVP. Three key home runs, including two in game five to ice the win.

He was traded in-season. To the Red Sox. And now he’s a World Series MVP at the ripe age of 35. I knew this guy was special when he had a three-homer game in his first month with the team. And it’s his performance in the World Series that gave him a well-deserved MVP honor.

Tons of players on this team stepped up from out of nowhere.

Jackie Bradley, Jr., who had a grand slam and another home run against Houston- ALCS MVP.

Ryan Brasier, who told Gary Sanchez to get his fat ass in the batter’s box and struck him out on three pitches.

Eduardo Nunez, who basically broke his entire body to help give us the lead in game three of the World Series.

Brock Holt, who hit for the cycle in a playoff game against the Yankees (Give me one reason why Brock Holt shouldn’t be considered as a heavy part-time, or perhaps even full time second baseman next year).

Chris Sale, who perhaps not out of nowhere, sealed the deal in game five. Our ace finished it. Wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

This team needs a wheelbarrow to carry around its massive balls.

And above all was manager Alex Cora, who was able to get his players to want to run through a wall for him. I never felt out of it, and I always felt that Cora would be able to right the ship if something ever went wrong.

This team made this pessimist really believe again. Believe in the Red Sox again. Believe in Boston sports again.

And yes, though Boston measures its championship droughts in days, it always feels good to win. 11 championships in 17 years. Not bad.

Congratulations, champions of baseball.

@Patriots, you’re next.

​

The Best Thing I Saw This Month!

And finally, the best thing I saw this month.
This is the 8-Bit Big Band, a group I stumbled upon while browsing Instagram and eventually Youtube.

They take classic video game music and orchestrate it for a full big band to play.

They recently an album called “Press Start!” which you can find on Apple Music, Spotify, and Bandcamp.

And in this video, you’ll hear the classic themes from Super Mario Bros. played by a full pops orchestra, and it’s the greatest thing.

This video also features George Salazar of the musical Be More Chill, who plays the video game live to the music. It’s excellent.

Give these guys a follow on Youtube and on Instagram. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

​

That’s it for this month’s Wrap Sheet, guys.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween. 

Also, GO VOTE. If you don’t vote, I’ll be mad at you.


- Andrew



ALSO!

While you're here, go ahead and check out my Vodcast, Under Further Review, that I do with my good friend Kata Stevens. We enjoy drinking and talking about sports.

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using the handle @UFRVodcast.
We're also on Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts!

​
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10/12/2018

Niche List: The "Head Over Heels" Cast Recording

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Niche List: 10 Incredible (but also HIGHLY Specific) Parts of the "Head Over Heels" Cast Recording

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I have the beat. All of it now exists in the music section of my phone.

The cast recording of the show I work at, Head Over Heels, was released digitally today. Everything's coming up Go-Go’s.

Truthfully I never get tired of listening to this show live, and I was even more excited to listen to the recording after hearing a couple of tracks released early in anticipation of the whole thing.

I have my thoughts about the album as a whole, but there are some really great things happening here- even though the cast is in my ears in studio form, I can’t help but smile as I listened to it on the train for the first time.

I also felt the need to pull a Seth Rudetsky and break the recording down into ten of my favorite things about it.

And I’m talking incredibly specific favorite parts.

I’m taking this time to introduce a new segment of the blog I’m calling “Niche Lists.” These lists are what they purport to be- they will be about things that are super specific and probably only appeal to a small group of people. But they’ll be fun, and maybe you’ll learn something or get a kick out of it.

And so, here we are: These are, in no particular order, ten incredible (but also V specific) moments from the Head Over Heels cast recording.

Caution: I would advising listening to the album before reading, and probably seeing the show as well.

1. Bonnie Milligan’s riff and the final “day by day” in the last chorus of “Beautiful.”

This is a favorite moment of mine in the show itself. Being her Broadway debut, this is the riff that opens everyone’s eyes and makes them go “ohhhhh OHkay Bonnie Milligan!”- the riff that launched her Tony campaign six minutes into the show.

All the musical tension in the bridge comes to a head at the riff (found at 2:52 for anyone counting seconds) and then explodes into the final chorus which is moved up a WHOLE step. And then you’ve got the wonderful “day by day” sung by the entire ensemble- a rainbow of full-out ensemble singing at its finest.

UGH.

​2. The added second verse of “Vision of Nowness.”

To know the world complex and wide;
To be temperamentally tranquilized;
I’ll put you on, but envy none
Break you with care to stay free of want.


I was surprised as to how much I liked Peppermint’s songs on the album, both “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Vision of Nowness.”

This is obviously the full second verse of the Go-Go’s recording from God Bless the Go-Go’s, but it’s punctuated by background vocals from the cast which make it extra spooky, before meeting up with Peppermint in unison for her “I am a gloriosity,” which is more familiar to those who have seen the show.

It’s also just fun to hear a little something new, pleasant and unexpected every once in a while. Like the umlauts over Chloë Sevigny’s name: Unexpected but so glad it’s here.


3. Andrew Durand’s ad-libbing at the end of “Mad About You.”

During the show, “Mad About You” has its own pre-prise, where Durand’s Musidorus tries pitifully to convey his love for Philoclea in front of her entire family, to no avail, before following it up with a fantastic real version of the song.

He’s super pop-singer in the recording, which I’m kind of iffy on until he’s actually singing the high notes during the chorus at the end, at which point I appreciate how almost Belinda Carlisle-y it is.

But then the end. THE END.

UGH.

Instead of just fading out like normally, Durand follows up his “I’m coming, Philoclea!” with “Oh man, we’re still…?” and continues singing.

“Sorry, I tripped over a sheep!” was probably the last thing I could catch before the track actually faded out.


4. The tight and complex harmonies during “Good Girl.”

I tend to tune out “Good Girl.”

But in taking a good listen, I never really realized how tough those harmonies and moving vocal parts during the song. What great work by Tom Kitt, who orchestrated and arranged the show.

And it’s all PERFECTLY IN TUNE. Like WHAT. (I know, the magic of the studio). It all adds up to reveal notes and words that I have never heard before.

And truthfully, this version of the song is listenable for me.

​
5. Taylor Iman Jones rocking out during the end of “Automatic Rainy Day.”
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Shut your lips and listen to Mopsa sing.
“Automatic Rainy Day” drops my favorite line about taking “a pleasure cruise to Lesbos,” but the track is so good I’m willing to let it slide.

Taylor Iman Jones’ Mopsa lets her emotions out with Bonnie Milligan’s Pamela, and gives us a really great “automatic rrrrrainy day” where she growls before it and lands on the word “day” like she’s straight out of a rock band from the 80s.

Hm.

Regardless, it’s awesome. Rock on.


​6. The sneaky key change in “Our Lips are Sealed.”

The producers did a great job of not giving a way too much plot in the songs on the album (perhaps, almost to a fault? Idk, I have my thoughts), while still making the songs work well without them.

One such instance is “Our Lips are Sealed,” which is a high point of drama for the show involving Pythio’s prophecy. After the bridge with Mopsa and Pamela, the song makes us think we’re going to hear from Peppermint, but slyly gives us a quick four-chord modulation on the guitar before launching into the chorus.

(Also, the key change when the whole ensemble comes in at the end of the song is my favorite moment in the entire show. It’s chilling.)


7. The rhythm guitar in every verse of “Head Over Heels.”

This is one of my favorite parts, musically, of the live show, and I think the engineers did a great job mixing this one. I truly never would have expected the guitars to sound the best on the act two opener. 

It’s especially true in the first two verses of the song, where we have everything going full force- The rhythm guitar keeping steady to the beat of the song, while the lead guitar part moves downward, almost harmonizing with it. Pair that with the unique strumming pattern, the piano riff, and Andrew Durand’s vocals, and you get the wonderfully tasty musical soup that is “Head Over Heels.”


8. Rachel York’s growl before BELTING a high C at the end of “This Old Feeling.”

A friend once said that 98% of the human body is made up of Rachel York’s hearty belt. I think this proves his point.

Rachel York and Jeremy Kushnier trade riffs at the end of “This Old Feeling,” and they two go to places vocally that I’ve never been in the position to pick apart before.

Right before the final chord, York growls at the bottom of her range and then immediately BELTS A HIGH C. Like, a "Seasons of Love" from Rent high C.

I cannot with her. Rachel York is a national treasure and we must protect her at all costs.


9. All of “Here You Are.”

There are parts of me there are happy that we have ballads in the show. Just about every song is a banger, but it’s nice to slow it down every once in a while.

This version of “Here You Are” has some parts edited (the tempo, for example) to lean more toward the Go-Go’s 2001 studio version of the song, but all the heart is still there by the end, especially when you’ve got all the women singing in the final chorus of the song.


10. Tom Alan Robbins’ “pre-prise” of “Turn to You” is EVERYTHING.

YAY TOM ALAN ROBBINS.

I’m so glad he got a track on this album to himself. This was originally in the San Francisco version, where Robbins’ Demetas addresses his daughter Mopsa.

Robbins is found only fiercely belting in the New York show, so it’s nice to hear how sweet and tender his voice is on this one.

The “it has a lot to do” right at the beginning is so beautiful (and also, so impressive). YAY TOM!


11. (Bonus Track!) The real bonus track.

I don’t know how many cast members I begged to have them tell a producer, or an engineer, or anybody, to include this on the album.

And they DID.

THEY DID.

The finale is 120 seconds long. Listen to every single one of them.

There’s a surprise at the end. ;)



What are your favorite parts of the album? What did you think of the recording overall? Leave a comment down below.

The Head Over Heels cast recording is available now on Apple Music and Spotify, with a physical release coming on November 9th.

​

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10/2/2018

Fall can only mean one thing... PLAYOFFS.

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2018 MLB Playoff Predictions

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It's October, which means that baseball is about to get a whole lot more exciting. 

Can the Red Sox cap on their historic season with a World Series crown? Or do the Yankees, Astros, Indians and A's have other plans?

And who exactly is the team to beat in the National League?

The answers may surprise you.

Have a look at my MLB Playoff Predictions HERE!

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9/29/2018

The Wrap Sheet, September 2018

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The Wrap Sheet, September 2018

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Do you remember the 21st night of September?

How about all of September?

This month (as most months are) was a whirlwind, and (as always) there's lots to talk about.

This month's Wrap Sheet can be found HERE. I went with more of a stream-of-consciousness post this time around, but join me as I express my musings on Brett Kavanaugh, Husband Calling, and the NHL's greatest mascot of all time.

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8/2/2018

The Wrap Sheet, July 2018

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The Wrap Sheet- July 2018 Edition

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July 2018's edition of The Wrap Sheet is up! 

Join me as a I talk about twitter, LeBron James, Head Over Heels, and my newest obsession, being a master of ceremonies for a hot dog eating contest.

Read the whole article HERE!

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4/25/2018

It's Tony Season!

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It's Tony Season! 2018 Tony Awards Predictions and Lists

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The Tony Awards are just around the corner, and with it come another slew of predictions from yours truly.

This year's got some heavy hitters, from Spongebob Squarepants, to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, to Angels in America, to Frozen, to Mean Girls, and beyond. Which shows will take home the top prize?

My predictions will be in two parts: first is for the nominations themselves, and the second will be shortly before the ceremony, as I predict the winners. 

Click here to see the full article.

I also put together another list of the Top 10 Best Tony Award Performances, found here!

Be sure to watch the Tony Awards on CBS on Sunday, June 10th!

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12/31/2017

According to Andrew: The Best of 2017

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According to Andrew: The Best of 2017

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Hooray for generics!
A very happy New Year to all my wonderful blog readers. 

I've been doing this for what will be my third year now, and I'm so pleased to know many of you have been responding positively to what I've been writing, and that you've been visiting the site in general. 

My New Year's resolution is to write more: to set deadlines for myself. Truth be told, I didn't do a very good job of that this year, and especially at the end of the year, when it's most important. I ended up churning out about six articles in three days. Writing, editing, formatting, and finding all these damn pictures takes a long time. And now that I live in New York, rushing around and waiting until the last minute has become a staple of my routine.

But I will get better, and I will make sure that 2018 will be the best year ever for this blog.

So, for the third year in a row, I am proud to display my "Best of the Year" spread: version 2017.

Feel free to have a look, leave comments, and all that jazz.

Music
Top 25 Pop Songs of 2017
Top 10 Most Annoying Songs of 2017

Film
Top 10 Films of 2017
Top 10 Most Disappointing Films of 2017 (Coming soon!)

Sports
Top 10 Sports Moments of 2017
Top 15 "Oh No!" Sports Moments of 2017
Top 15 Games of 2017
And as a special treat...
Top 100 Sports Plays of 2017: Part 1  Part 2

Looking forward to 2018. Thank you for reading. I appreciate you so much.

- Andrew

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12/28/2017

Top 15 "Oh No!" Sports Moments of 2017

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Top 15 "Oh No!" Sports Moments of 2017

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If you listen hard enough, you can hear all of Green Bay shattering along with Aaron Rodgers' collarbone.
For a great year in sports, there was a lot to shake your head at. 

These are the moments that made our jaws drop, bury our faces in our hands, made us die laughing, and generally made us audibly gasp and say with disbelief "oh.. no!"

This is your list of sports fails from 2017, ladies and gentlemen.


Dishonorable Mentions:

August 22nd- Josh Harrison says no-no to Rich Hill's no-no
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

To work so hard and come so close to a perfect game, only to have it dashed by the fact that a) your team can’t play defense and b) your team can’t score runs. Rich Hill was on pace to have the 24th perfect game in MLB history, only to have it broken up by an error at third base by Logan Forsythe. Again, it also doesn’t help that your team can’t score runs. After nine, the Dodgers and Pirates were tied at 0-0 heading into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Hill gave up this home run to Josh Harrison, losing the game and his no-hitter in the process.


November 24th- FIU recovers for touchdown after fake punt goes horribly wrong
Florida International Panthers vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

This might be the worst fake punt I’ve ever seen (okay, maybe not the worst). I’m not really sure what WKU punter Jake Collins was thinking here, but you can tell he’s doomed as soon as he takes a few steps forward and doesn’t punt the ball. He tries to get away from a defender, and begins to lose his balance. Devante Price for FIU scoops it up an scores. You can even hear the disbelief in the announcer’s voice as he drops the ball and FIU takes it in for a touchdown the other way.


September 2nd- Tim Zaleski whiffs on fake punt
Wyoming Cowboys vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Poor kid. Tim Zaleski is a true freshman, playing in his first ever college football game against Iowa, a team with a pretty stout defensive unit. Not to mention this game is being played in Iowa City, so it’s probably a hostile environment. In his attempt to transfer the ball out onto his dropping hand, Zaleski just plain ol’ misses it, and his attempt to take a whack at the ball in desperation is comical. Iowa would win the game 24-3, so it’s safe to assume that Zaleski had many more chances to punt that ball during the game. I don’t think any would be as traumatic as this one, though.


December 2nd- Stop dropping the ball before the line, guys.
Florida Atlantic Eagles vs. North Texas Mean Green

If I were Lane Kiffin, I would be upset, too. I’ve seen too many of these already (most of them from last year) to put another one of these in the top 15. Please take a watch and see what NOT to do as John Franklin III looks poised to score on a long touchdown pass, but drops the ball in celebration before the goal line.


May 26th- Trayce Thompson lets ball bounce off glove and over for a walk-off HR
Minor League Baseball: Oklahoma City Dodgers vs. Albuquerque Isotopes
Trayce Thompson is one of those guys who bounces around between the majors and minors. He’s played in some games for the Dodgers, and he’s even hit a few home runs before. The dude has professional experience. And maybe you can’t blame him for this one- maybe it’s that stupid hill in centerfield- but I certainly can. Open your glove, sir. Just because you’re in the minors doesn’t mean you can slack off! This one bounces in and out of his glove and over the fence for a walk off home run to win the game for the Isotopes.


October 23rd- Venice Marathoners led the wrong way by motorcycle
Venice Marathon
This is just cold. And despite all the other entries on this list, this really is one that makes you say “oh, no!” To be running a marathon and then to be led in the wrong direction? As if 26.2 miles in a straight line weren't easy enough. This is just adding insult to injury. I’m sure the guy didn’t mean to do it on purpose, but, like, have some signage out, folks.


The Top 15:

15. April 26th- You're not being the ball, Tampa.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles

Cue the circus music. The Rays for some reason have this tendency to throw the ball around way too much. This is apparent as both Alex Cobb and Kevin Kiermaier make throwing errors, allowing Ryan Flaherty and Seth Smith to score on this little league home run.


14. September 24th- Bears fumble after blocked kick return, get untimed down anyway
Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Every player should be forced to watch Super Bowl highlights of Leon Lett fumbling against the Buffalo Bills. If Marcus Cooper hadn’t slowed down before crossing the goal line, Pittsburgh would have been down by 14 heading into halftime, and this game probably wouldn’t have ended the way it did. But Cooper did slow down, allowing Vance McDonald to knock the ball out of the endzone. In theory, this should be a touchback or a safety. Instead, some kind of inexplicable illegal bat call against the Steelers (who, at the time of the runback, then became the defense, making the bat out of the endzone an illegal touch) gave the Bears an untimed down at the spot of Cooper’s fumble. Thankfully the Bears won this game in overtime, but it shouldn’t have come down to that. Don’t slow down before you cross the line. It’s that simple. (Also, the Bears kicked a field goal on that one untimed down, in case you were wondering).


13. May 28th- Alex Jones hits home run that caroms off two outfielders
Minor League Baseball: Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Knnapolis Intimidators
The announcer doesn’t do it justice, but the fact that this bounces off two outfielders (Joel Booker and Jamison Fisher) and over a fence that’s probably 9 feel high is ridiculous. I’m not even mad, I’m just impressed as to how Alex Jones managed to draw it up that way.


12. January 1st- "What are the Bills doing?"
New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills

Kickoffs are not punts. Kickoffs. Are not. Punts. And it’s especially true that kickoffs are not punts when they roll into the endzone. You have to down the ball on a kickoff. How these professional athletes don’t know this is beyond me. This is from Week 17 of last season, but it still deserves revisiting. Watch as Mike Gillislee acts as if he wants to go after the ball but pulls away once it reaches the end zone. Unfortunately, the ball is still live, and Doug Middleton falls on it for a Jets touchdown.


11. May 8th & 11th- Kevin Kiermaier causes inside the park homer for Royals... twice.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals

To have this happen once is unfortunate. To have this happen twice to the same player against the same team in a span of four days is absurd. Kevin Kiermaier is a two-time Gold Glove winner, but he had a rough go of it against the Royals earlier this May. On the 8th, Lorenzo Cain hit a ground ball into center, which skipped underneath the centerfielder’s glove; Cain would circle the bases as the ball rolled all the way to the wall. The Royals would win that game 7-3. ​
Three days later, Kiermaier would bite the bullet again, as Whit Merrifield hit what looked like a single into center, only for that ball to get by him as Merrifield also circled the bases. The Royals would win that game, 6-0. Tough break for Kiermaier, who is typically found robbing guys of home runs in centerfield.


10. April 1st- Oregon can't rebound, loses to North Carolina
NCAA Final Four, Oregon Ducks vs. North Carolina

Jordan Bell was Oregon’s best rebounder, and he is the one staring at the flight of the ball in the closing seconds of this Final Four game between Oregon and North Carolina. If only he had focused and boxed out, Oregon may have had a chance to win. With 5.5 seconds to go and the Tarheels up 77-76, UNC’s Kennedy Meeks stepped to the free throw line and missed both his free throws, his second one careening off the rim into the air. Instead of boxing out Theo Pinson, he didn’t really do anything, allowing Pinson to tip the ball out to a waiting Joel Berry, who was fouled with 4 seconds to go. Berry missed both of his free throws as well. This time it was Meeks who was able to nudge Bell into the lane and come up with a second rebound, dishing it out to Pinson, who ran out the clock for the Tarheels, advancing them to their second straight National Championship. UNC missed four straight free throws in the last five seconds, and Oregon couldn’t rebound. It’s a little pathetic.


9. May 17th- Alexander Egger puts one in his own net
IIHF World Championships

Italy was never going anywhere in this tournament, but own goals are the worst things ever. Late in the 3rd period of this pool play game between Denmark and Italy, both teams are pretty much playing for pride. Italy is pretty much on the road to relegation, but maybe a draw against Denmark will lift spirits for the troops. Down 1-0 with less than two minutes to play and the goaltender pulled, Italy’s Luca Frigo passes in his own zone to Alexander Egger, a 38-year old veteran. Egger lost his footing, shoveling the puck into his own empty net. Hopefully this isn’t the final stroke on Egger’s long career.


8. Luka Pibernik 
celebrates too early with one lap to go
Giro d'Italia
I feel like many of the entries on this list have a theme: don’t be a showboat, and don’t celebrate too early. If you’re wrong, it makes you look like a jackass. This is just the case for Luka Pibernik, who was in the lead of the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia. After riding for upwards of three hours, you’d probably be spent too. As such, the Slovenian spread his arms in victory after crossing the start finish line, with no other riders within a few bike lengths of him. The problem- there was one lap left. He had another 3.7 miles to ride and didn’t realize it, thinking that his previous lap was his last, and probably left all of his energy on the track during that last lap. The guy went from first place and a stage win and fell to 148th place. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that happen before, someone falling that far back after a showboat.


7. December 17th- "The receiver did not survive the ground," and the catch rule
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

So, here. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it was a catch or it wasn’t a catch. I’m only going to use this as another example of how the NFL needs to get its shit together. Sure, maybe Jesse James should have maintained possession of the ball more solidly. But this is far too many times now where some stupid rule has prevented players that make catches from making catches. I am of this mindset on the Jesse James matter: Even if the play was not ruled a catch, the Steelers still had more time to punch the ball in against the Patriots, maybe even kick a field goal and send it to overtime. But they didn’t. Still, though. Change the rule, NFL. Do something.


6. February 23rd- Ashley Deary gets tied up in tying her shoe
Northwestern Huskies vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 

I don’t really know what Ashley Deary was thinking here. This isn’t an NBA game where you can seemingly order takeout while trying to inbound the ball. If you want to take some time for yourself and tie your shoe, do it before the play starts or on the sidelines! If you’re going to do it on the floor, don’t try and dribble the ball while you tie your shoe, because an opposing player will steal it from you and score. I’m also not sure if that was an attempt to get her feet set to try and draw a charge, but I’m laughing.


5. 
October 24- Goalie celebrates early after ball hits crossbar, but spins back into net

Bangkok Sports Club vs. Satri Armstrong
Say it with me: “Don’t celebrate too early.” This is exactly what happened during this club soccer match in Thailand. With both clubs tied 19-19 and headed into a penalty shootout, one of the players for BSC took his shot and connected with the crossbar, the ball skying into the air. The goalkeeper for Satri Armstrong begins to run toward his bench to celebrate, arms extended in the air. But when the ball comes down, it still has an incredible amount of spin, and bounces backwards across the line and into the netting, counting as a good goal. This play has enough ridiculous things in it to be considered for both the best and worst of the year. Satri would miss its next penalty kick, sealing the victory for Bangkok Sports Club. To make matters worse, this was a semi-final game for the two clubs. I couldn’t find any names attached to this homemade clip, but I think it really exemplifies the thrill of victory combined with the agony and embarrassment of defeat.


4. April 21st-May 4th: The Red Sox-Orioles feud gets ugly
Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles

We’re about to get serious now, bear with me.

It all started with a slide, and it only got uglier from there. Manny Machado slid into second base, spikes up, catching Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia. While Boston manager John Farrell said the slide was late, Pedroia downplayed the incident. Machado even said the action was unintentional, and apologized to Pedroia after the game. After a close game the next day, Pedroia went in for an MRI, leaving his Red Sox teammates to exact some revenge, of sorts, the next day. With a comfortable six-run lead, Red Sox P Matt Barnes threw at Machado’s head. The ball hit the bat instead, and Barnes was immediately ejected from the game. While Pedroia tried to make amends with Machado that same day, his good intentions didn’t have much effect in the long run.

A few weeks later, the Red Sox and Orioles met again in the first week of May, this time at Fenway Park. Leading up to the series, former Red Sox pitcher and MLB analyst Pedro Martinez noted that he would have beaned Machado had he been on the mound. Pedroia also tried to cool the tensions between the two clubs. It didn’t matter. Things only got worse.
May 1st- The Orioles and Red Sox are in a dog fight, with Baltimore up 2-0. Machado has already hit a home run and played a good game defensively. But this feud is about more than just the two original players involved. Orioles started Dylan Bundy hit Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts with a pitch, triggering the boos in Boston. And then there was Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, who was subjected to racial slurs and having a bag of peanuts thrown at him from the Boston fans. There was, naturally, a negative reaction throughout the baseball world. ​
May 2nd- Manny Machado says the tension has “been over.” Adam Jones receives a standing ovation from the Fenway crowd before his first at bat. Chris Sale is on the mound for the Red Sox, their no-nonsense new ace pitcher. He strikes Jones out on three pitches. Up comes Machado, and Sale throws behind him, prompting a warning from the umpire to both benches. Machado gets his revenge on Sale later in the game with a home run- but was less than pleased with the Red Sox after the game.

And then came the ejections.
Before the game on May 3rd, commissioner Rob Manfred issued a stern warning to both managers, saying “enough is enough.” Didn’t help when you had players being ejected left and right. Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman plunked Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts with a pitch. He was ejected immediately, sparking outrage from the Orioles bench. Adam Jones was also ejected for arguing balls and strikes later in the game.
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Finally, on May 4th, all seemed to be back to normal. The Red Sox were pretty much silenced throughout the game, as Machado was back to his old offensive powerhouse self, hitting a homerun in an 8-3 Baltimore victory. I can’t help but think that there was a lot of stuff in this feud that really shouldn’t have happened. I’m not sure if players are trying to make mountains out of mole hills, or trying to fight battles they shouldn’t fight, or trying to stir up a rivalry that just isn’t there. But let’s hope that the parties involved have learned their lessons- on all fronts.


3. 
September 9th- 3rd & 93: Louisiana Tech loses 87 yards on 2nd and goal

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. MIssissippi State Bulldogs
I tried this in Madden once. To try to do something like 1st and goal from my own 1 yard line and see how far I could get. Of course, that was what you could do with “situation mode” in a video game. I never thought I’d see it actually happen for real. To watch a play slowly devolve into one team fumbling the ball back, and back, and back, until it stops at its own 7 is one thing. To have been at the opponent’s 6 the play before is quite another. Watch as Louisiana Tech does just that, and the you can feel the announcers hands covering their eyes. This thing has like seven fumbles in it. And it results in a 3rd and 93. THIRD AND NINETY-THREE. Cue the wacky music.

Speaking of which, here it is again, paired with some wacky music. Just because.
Bahahahahahahahahahaha.


2. October 10th- United States MNT fails to qualify for World Cup
United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago
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For the first time since 1986, the United States will not be participating in the FIFA World Cup. Think about how far the sports of soccer has come in just the last 25 years. Major League Soccer has evolved into a truly national game with huge television packages and an even larger following of fans, with teams even spreading to Canada and Mexico. People have come to actually recognize American players like Jozy Altidore, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman, and even newcomers like Christian Pulisic. And with a humiliating defeat against 99th-ranked Trinidad, the United States will really need to rethink its approach to soccer if the sport is ever going to deserve the investments it’s received in the last quarter century.

The loss to Trinidad is even more shocking due to the fact that the small island had no chance of making the trip to Russia in 2018. The US had an all-time record of 18-2-4 against Trinidad before the contest in October. Even with a loss, there was still some hope for the U.S.- draws/losses by Panama and Honduras to Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively.

It was not so. Honduras came from behind to beat Mexico 3-2, and Panama beat Costa Rica on a goal in the 88th minute by Ramon Torres.

Even after the departure of Jurgen Klinsmann and the re-arrival of Bruce Arena, there are many questions left to be answered for the Americans. How far back does this loss set soccer in the U.S.? Taylor Twellman had a really great rant on ESPN that I think sums it up best.



1. February 5th- 28-3
Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
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Golden State Warriors, you’re officially off the hook. The Atlanta Falcons have officially topped you. While it isn’t the biggest comeback in NFL history or in playoff history, it is certainly the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history- in the span of two halves of football, the fortunes of both the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots shifted like night and day.

A solid first few drives to get into the endzone on a run by Devonta Freeman. Another finishing with a 19-yard strike to Austin Hooper to go up 14-0. An interception of Tom Brady (the greatest quarterback to ever live) returned for a touchdown by Robert Alford to go up 21-0. It’s 21-3 at halftime. It’s 28-3 after your first possession of the third quarter. Twenty-eight. To three.

And then, inexplicably, it all changed.

The Patriots tagged you for 31 unanswered points. First came the sacks to push you out of field goal range. Then came the scores. Three touchdowns. Two two-point conversions. You even had Julio Jones bail you out with one of the most insane catches in Super Bowl history, seemingly to add to the history of crazy grabs to put the Patriots away.

Tyree. Manningham. Kearse. And now Jones.

Then you took a sack followed by a holding penalty. And they scored on you, and Julian Edelman made sure you felt the blow of a crazy catch to put you away.

And then the overtime. Not even a chance to touch the ball.

It was all over so soon.

Coming from a New England fan, once you brought your owner on the field in the 4th quarter, we knew it was over for you.

We could have talked about 28-3 about some mythical stat- the score that slayed the mighty Patriots. No more goat, no more prospering cheaters, no more winning. 28-3.

Now we’ll only see 28-3 and see that the 3 is missing a 4 next to it.

This was the greatest Super Bowl of all time. At least you can always live with the fact that being a part of it is part of your long legacy of failure.

Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT).

​
What other sports moments this year made you say "oh no!" Leave a comment down below.

Also, check out According to Andrew's Best of 2017 spread HERE.

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12/28/2017

Top 10 Sports Moments of 2017

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Top 10 Sports Moments of 2017

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2017 in the world of sports was an extraordinary one. From top to bottom, we hit just about every range of emotion across just about every playing field. From comebacks to homecomings, from moments that made us stand up and cheer to those that made us shed a tear, 2017 is a year we won't soon forget. 

Here are 2017's Top 10 moments in the world of sports.


Honorable Mentions:

February 5th- The Truth comes home
Paul Pierce ends final game in Boston with three pointer, gets standing ovation
Paul Pierce was a staple of the Boston Celtics for most of the 2000s. Even at their worst, the presence of “The Truth” always made the people happy, for some reason. He was the team’s leader during their classic series against the Eastern Conference Finals against the Nets in 2002. He was the leader when the first “Big Three” was assembled in 2008. He was a leader on the court, and in our hearts. When he left for Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, his absence was noticeable. This past year, when he returned for his final game in Boston, this time as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, the TD Garden fans let him know how much he was appreciated. As time ran out on what turned out to be a Celtics victory, Pierce pulled up from beyond the three point arc and drained a three before the final buzzer. Perfection. Postgame, the greatest Celtic to come along since Larry Bird kissed the Leprechaun embedded in center court, to a standing ovation from the crowd. A Boston icon receiving a truly legendary sendoff.


March 23rd- United States wins its first World Baseball Classic
Americans bring home crown with 8-0 rout of Puerto Rico

This championship win felt special. Maybe it was because there was no more arguing about player allegiances to countries, or clubs, or anything else. Maybe it was because the Americans had to survive through more than one elimination game. Maybe because it was its first title. But I think it was special mostly because it was a team that could anyone could get behind. You felt good rooting for these players. And when the team reached the finals against Puerto Rico, you felt something had to give. Pitcher Marcus Stroman was dazzling, throwing six no-hit innings in the championship. Stroman, who has never won a Cy Young Award, certainly pitched like it, as he all but silenced much of the Puerto Rican contingent at Dodger Stadium that night. As Stroman was pulled after giving up a double to Angel Pagan in the seventh inning, he was greeted with a standing ovation along with thunderous “U-S-A!” chants. You could tell there was something special about this team. And when the final out was recorded, and the players shared a group jump in front of the pitchers mound, it was clear that the WBC title was home where it belonged.


December 10th- Fitzgerald pads the resumé
Passes Randy Moss for 3rd on the all-time receiving list

Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most underrated players ever. He’s never won a Super Bowl, but he has continued to rack up yards and touchdowns of astronomical proportions. In his 13th season in the NFL, he has never won an MVP award. But he has been elected to the Pro Bowl 11 times, as well as led the league in receptions and touchdowns twice in each category. During a week 14 game against the Tennessee Titans, Fitzgerald had 44 yards of receiving through three quarters, but that was enough to put him past his long time friend and mentor Randy Moss for third on the all-time receiving yards list with 15,292. He now trails only Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice, but could very well pass Owens next season, as he currently sits less than 500 yards back of TO. A legendary accomplishment by a true veteran of the game.


September 6th- Tim Alexander delivers game ball at UAB's first home game
Stands from wheelchair despite being paralyzed in car accident
The University of Alabama-Birmingham football team is a strange thing. The program was cut in December of 2014, only to be reinstated this past fall. In its first game, the Blazers handily defeated Alabama A&M 38-7, in front of a record crowd of 45,212. It was UAB’s first football game in over 1,000 days. But before all that, before all the emotion of the game itself, there was a moment that was truly reflective of the spirit of UAB football’s journey. Tim Alexander was in a car accident back in 2006 that left him paralyzed. While never technically a part of the football team, Alexander was as close to the team as any player might have been. He developed a close friendship with coach Garrick McGee, and McGee allowed him to participate in team workouts. When the team was shut down in 2014, Alexander vowed to do everything in his power to help bring it back. With a new coach in Bill Clark, Alexander moved to a new position with the team, teaching effort and resilience. His title: Character Education Coach. This past September before the game against Alabama A&M, Alexander reminded us of his vow never to give up when, with the help of three rehab specialists, he arose out of his wheelchair and walked ten yards with the game ball before handing it to the referee. None of the players knew about it until after the game, many of whom were emotional upon finding out- but paired with the return of the program and the heart of Tim Alexander, September 6th was a truly special day for UAB football.


The Top 10:

10. September 2nd- USC blind long snapper Jake Olson snaps extra point
USC vs. Western Michigan

It was a regular opening weekend of college football. USC, expected to win their game against Western Michigan, had scored a touchdown to go up by three scores and put the game away with three minutes or so left. Olson, blind since he was 12 years old, entered the game to be the long snapper on the extra point. He had never played in a live game before this Saturday. At the age of 10, Olson had developed retinoblastoma, a cancer of the retina. His sight was gone by the age of 12. Still, Olson, a lifelong USC fan, would accompany the team through the tunnel from time to time (all this during the Pete Carroll era). He got into the school and made the football team as a walk on. Now, in the first week of the 2017 season, Olson got his moment.  The snap was clean, the hold was good, and the kick was straight through the uprights. USC 49, Western Michigan 31. A very touching moment for an extraordinary young man.


9. June 11th- Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup Champions
Pittsburgh defeats Nashville 2-0 to win series in six games

First off, my heart goes out to the Nashville Predators for giving the defending champions all they could handle. They were a group that never should have been here in the first place, but gave us all an underdog to root for. They truly put Nashville on the pro hockey map. As for the current champions, 2017 saw a return to form for the Penguins, as they finished 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, but ultimately beat the rival Washington Capitals in seven games. They defeated the Ottawa Senators in another classic seven game series, finally winning on a double overtime goal by Chris Kunitz to go back to the Cup Final. In the Final against Nashville, the Penguins won the first two games at home, before going to Nashville and dropping the next two. However, goaltender Matt Murray did not allow a goal after game four, and Pittsburgh would win game five at home 6-0, and take the Cup-clinching game six, 2-0. In the sixth game, the game was scoreless until 1:32 left in the third, as former-Predator Patrick Hornquist scored to break the tie. Carl Hagelin would notch an empty-netter a few seconds later to seal the win for the Penguins. Captain Sidney Crosby would become the first player since Penguins owner Mario Lemieux to win back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies, and the Penguins would be the first team since the 1996-97 and 97-98 Detroit Red Wings.


8. August 14th- Chad Bettis' first game back after cancer battle
Tosses seven shutout innings vs. Braves

In November of 2016, Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In March of this year, he started undergoing chemotherapy after the disease had spread to his lymph nodes. Still, through all the treatments and all the waiting and the praying, Bettis took them one at a time. He worked his way back into the minors starting in the early summer, and finally made his way back to Denver and into the Rockies rotation. On August 14th, amidst a flurry of emotions from Bettis, his family, his team, the Atlanta Braves, and the fans around him and watching elsewhere, Bettis put on a performance for the ages. He pitched seven shutout innings in his first start, dominating the Braves from top to bottom. While he left with a no decision, the Rockies won the game, 3-0. But the only score that really mattered was this: Chad Bettis 1, Cancer 0.


7. September 10th- Sloane Stephens wins U.S. Open
Becomes first American woman not named Williams to win Grand Slam title in 15 years
We had someone other than a Williams sister win the U.S. Open this year. Sloane Stephens, the 24-year old from Coral Springs, Florida, defeated Madison Keys in straight sets this past September to claim the U.S. Open title. Stephens would win 6-3, 6-0, making her the first American Grand Slam champion other than Venus or Serena in 15 years. But the road did not come easy for Sloane, who had been sidelined with a foot injury 11 months prior. She made her return at Wimbledon, but was quickly defeated in the first round. A month before the U.S. open, she was ranked outside the top 900 in the world. And yet, all in the span of a few weeks, the young American was able to shock the world, upsetting Venus Williams to reach the final, and then defeating fellow American Keys in straight sets. There’s a great video floating around of Stephens discovering just how much money she had won ($3.7 million) for the tournament. Her reaction is priceless. She’s projected to rise to 17th in the world, and one can only wonder what the lies in store for her down the road.


6. November 1st- Houston Strong
Astros win first World Series title in franchise history
The Astros weren’t just playing to win a title- they were playing for their entire city. We’ve seen this happen before. Take the Yankees during the 2001 playoffs- helping the city of New York come together through a thrilling run to a World Series. In 2013 the same happened in Boston, as the Red Sox helped guide the city out of the despair of the Marathon bombings, to ultimately win the World Series that October. Houston was no different. After the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the Astros buckled down and showed just how strong their city was. They acquired Justin Verlander in a last minute trade. The offense exploded behind Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa. They defeated an overmatched Red Sox team and a surprising Yankee team. And in one of the greatest World Series showdowns of all time, highlighted by one of the greatest World Series games of all time, the Astros defeated the LA Dodgers to win it all. Sports have the power to do that sometimes. They can take your mind off of all the bad stuff in this world, and bring people together behind a common goal- to call your team the best. Houston Strong, indeed.


5. March 31st- Mississippi State ends UConn's winning streak
Morgan William hits buzzer-beater in overtime
111 games is a long time. I mean, it’s miniscule in terms of the fact that UConn has won over 400 games in the last 10 years to go along with six national titles. But 111 wins in a row is a long time. When the Huskies entered the Final Four against Mississippi State, no one really gave the Bulldogs a chance to win the game. The last time these two teams played, UConn won by 60. SIXTY. But, this was a different year, and the Bulldogs were poised to change their fortunes. With the score tied at 60 and time running down, Morgan William drove to the hole to try to bank home a game-winning, streak ending layup, only to be denied by UConn’s Gabby Williams, who in this game was outstanding: 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals and four blocks. As such, the game went to overtime tied at 60. In overtime, with the game tied at 64 apiece, Morgan William got the final shot for Mississippi State. The 5’5” junior pulled up on a jump shot from 15 feet and nailed it as the buzzer sounded. The team (and, let’s face it, everyone outside the state of Connecticut) exploded in celebration, as they had ended the streak at 111 games, and advanced to the National Championship against South Carolina. William was the shortest player on the floor. This game was played on the third anniversary of her father’s death. And this shot will be remembered for much longer than the next 111 games that UConn plays.


4. November 12th- Marquise Goodwin honors son after scoring touchdown
49ers vs. Giants

There are a lot of layers to this one. The San Francisco 49ers’ season has been abysmal to this point. Before the acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo, this team hadn’t won a game all season. And while the team has some good young talent, there hadn’t been anything to show for it. Marquise Goodwin is one of those talents. He’s got good speed and decent hands, but he hadn’t had a coming out party until this one. In a 10 matchup between the 49ers and the stagnant New York Giants, Goodwin finally staked his claim. Early in the 2nd quarter, 49ers QB C.J. Bethard connected with Goodwin on an 83-yard touchdown strike, putting the Niners up by 4 and igniting the crowd for the time being. Goodwin, after making the catch and getting into open field, pointed toward the sky, and upon scoring, fell to a knee and appeared to cross himself and say a prayer, eventually crumpling to the ground. His teammates were there to pick him up, but it was obvious that Goodwin was shaken. He was seen on the sidelines pointing to the sky more than a few times. It was not apparent to anyone in the moment, but postgame, Goodwin quickly left without addressing the media. He revealed on instagram a few hours later that he and his wife had lost their newborn son earlier that morning after complications during pregnancy. I can imagine this is an emotional release for Goodwin on many levels. A kind of coping, but also a sort of dedication. Either way, it’s heavy. Read up on the whole story. I can guarantee you someone will be magically cutting onions in the next room.


3. Patriots mount massive comeback, defeat Falcons in epic Super Bowl
Score 31 unanswered points, win 34-28 in overtime
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When Robert Alford picked off Tom Brady and returned the interception for a touchdown to put the Falcons up 21-0, all hope was lost.

No team had ever overcome a deficit of more than 10 in a Super Bowl before.

But this was Tom Brady. These were the New England Patriots. After all, they were the ones to come back from down 10 in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks. But this was an even greater deficit, and the Atlanta Falcons seemed unstoppable on offense.

With 2:06 left in the 3rd quarter, down 28-3, James White scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady, bringing the score to 28-9. Stephen Gostkowski would miss the extra point, but connect on a 33-yard field goal with 9:44 to play.

The defense forced a key turnover against Matt Ryan and the Falcons, forcing a fumble and recovering at the Atlanta 25-yard line. With 5:56 to go, Brady hit Danny Amendola for a 6-yard touchdown reception. James White added the extra point, and the Patriots were down by a score with under six minutes to play.

All they had to do was get the ball back from Atlanta. It didn’t come easy.

First was the 39-yard dump-and-run to Devonta Freeman. Then came Julio Jones, who made an incredible toe-tapping catch at the New England 22. All seemed lost.

But then, the football gods swung momentum back the other way.

Ryan took a sack on the two plays later to make it 3rd and 23 back at the New England 32. The next play was a 9-yard gain for Mohamed Sanu, but it was marred by an offensive holding penalty, pushing Atlanta out of field goal range at the New England 42. One incomplete pass later, and the Patriots got the ball back.

All it would take would be their longest drive of the season, 91 yards. After two incompletions, Brady connected with Chris Hogan on a 16-yard gain, and then hit rookie Malcolm Mitchell for 11-yards.

And then there was Julian Edelman, who made a spectacular catch to keep the drive alive after it was tipped up in the air by Robert Alford, who made the interception against Brady earlier in the game.

Three plays later, James White scored from one yard out to put New England within two. Danny Amendola added a two-point conversion on a pass from Brady, and the game was tied with under a minute to go.

We would go to overtime. I think you know the rest.

Brady drives New England down the field with mastery, picking apart the exhausted Atlanta defense. James White adds the touchdown to win New England a fifth Super Bowl title.

There were some of us that gave up. I think it’s safe to say that Tom Brady and the Patriots were not some of those people.

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2. October 10th- Love and hockey in Las Vegas
Golden Knights honor victims and first responders at inaugural home opener
The NHL got a new team this year, and the stakes could not have been higher for this Golden Knights. On October 1st, a gunman tragically took 58 lives when he opened fire on a crowd exiting a concert in Las Vegas. Like any city suffering a major tragedy, especially one as severe as a mass shooting, the people need to heal. Sometimes gathering together in a sports arena and cheering on a team representing your city is the best way to assuage some of the bereavement. The Golden Knights’ first two games took place on the road, both of them wins against the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes. Now, in their first game at their new home, the Golden Knights had a chance to become the first expansion team ever to win their first three games in their existence.

Pregame was stunning. The Coyotes were booed when they first appeared on the ice, but were cheered when they lined up behind the Golden Knights for an honoring of the first responders, as well as those lost in the tragedy.

There was a 58-second moment of silence to remember the victims.

After the emotional pregame ceremony of this inaugural home opener, it was time for hockey.

And boy, did Vegas show the world it meant business.

2:30 into the game, Tomas Nosek put one underneath the left pad of Antti Raanta to put Vegas up 1-0 and send T-Mobile Arena into a frenzy.

90 seconds later, it was Deryk Engelland. 2-0, Vegas.

At the 6:15 mark, James Neal made it 3-0. Four minutes later, he added a second on the power play.

Four goals in the first 10:42. A 5-2 statement victory for the Golden Knights.

A golden night for the Golden Knights, the sport of hockey, and especially the city of Las Vegas.

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1. September 25th- NFL players take a stand and kneel
Widespread national anthem protests after inflammatory presidential remarks

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“NFL must respect this!” tweeted the president.

“Nah,” said the athletes as they knelt together in solidarity.

This all begins with Colin Kaepernick, who chose to sit during the national anthem in the later weeks  of the 2015 season, drawing scrutiny from news analysts and political pundits for “disrespecting the flag.” He was followed by a minimal showing of support from his fellow players, but not as widespread as what we saw this past season.

With the election of Donald Trump, and this supposed revitalization of patriotism, the country seems to be out to get these athletes using their platform to draw attention to the injustices being shown by law enforcement officers against persons of color.

Late this past September, Trump’s tweet tirade finally reached the pro sports world, calling for NFL owners to fire any “son of a bitch” who knelt during the national anthem.

NFL players, coaches, and owners weren’t about that.

That week, more than a dozen NFL teams chose to show their support for the cause and for their fellow teammates, as they took a knee during the anthem.

Jerry Jones joined his Cowboys on the field as they knelt and locked arms.

Other teams like the Patriots, Texans and Chargers did the same. Even the Jaguars and Ravens, who played in London that week, knelt during the American national anthem.

Other teams like the Steelers chose to stay in the locker room, save for individuals like Alejandro Villanueva, a former army ranger, who stood just inside the locker room.

Many other teams delivered statements in disagreement with the president’s words.

In a league that expects much more from its players in terms of conformity, it is extraordinary how this movement has gone from one player to encompass almost the entire league. While some teams have tried to quell the movement, the idea of players serving their communities and helping to bring attention to something very real makes one of this year’s great stories.

​
2017 in the sports world was full of some great moments. What was your favorite? Let us know in the comments down below.

Check out the rest of According to Andrew's Best of 2017 spread HERE.

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12/28/2017

Top 15 Games of 2017

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Top 15 Games of 2017

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My, my, my, do we have a lot to look back on in sports in 2017? This year was insane. This year gave us shocking upsets, heartbreaking defeats, stunning comebacks, and memories that will last a long, long time. 

I gave you ten of the best sports game from 2016 last year. Because this is my blog and I can do whatever I want, I'm giving you the fifteen best games from 2017, because this year was just too packed with great contests to select only ten. 

These are the games that we remembered most from 2017.

Honorable Mentions:

May 21st- NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3
Boston Celtics 111, Cleveland Cavaliers 108
If you look up in the big sports dictionary the definition of the phrase “stealing a game,” you’ll find the Boston Celtics in the third game of the Eastern Conference Finals. With Cleveland up 2-0 after decimating the hopelessly overmatched Celtics in Boston (winning game two by an NBA playoff record 44 points), and the Celtics without their star Isaiah Thomas, lost to injury in the blowout, one would think the series would be over with the next three games in Cleveland. One would be wrong. The Celtics, down by as many as 21 in the game, would storm back to tie the game with 10 seconds to play. A perfectly drawn up play left Avery Bradley open to hit the game winning three with .1 seconds left to play. LeBron, Kyrie and the Cavs would beat the Celtics in five games, but this win certainly saved Boston some pride before their playoff exit.


October 29th- NCAA Football, Week 8
Ohio State Buckeyes 39, Penn State Nittany Lions 38
Yeah, I didn’t think Ohio State had a prayer as soon as Saquon Barkley returned the game’s opening kick off 97 yards for a Penn State touchdown, and especially not after they went down 21-3 at the start of the 2nd quarter. However, the Buckeyes were able to keep the game manageable against their Big Ten rivals, narrowing it to no more than a two score game for much of the second half. Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett was stellar, going 33 of 39 with 329 yards and 4 touchdown passes, the final one to Marcus Baugh with 1:19 left to play to put the Buckeyes up by one. With possible College Football Playoff implications for both teams, this game lived up to all the hype from pre-season, and saved Ohio State’s season.


March 24th- NCAA Tournament, East Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16)
Florida Gators 84, Wisconsin Badgers 83 (OT)

In the only NCAA Tournament game that had a bona fide buzzer-beater, you knew it had to go somewhere on this list. The back and forth contest Wisconsin wiping out an 8-point Florida lead with only 2:10 left to go in regulation. With two quick layups by Ethan Happ and Zac Showalter, and a three by Bronson Koenig, the Badgers found themselves down by three with only six seconds left to play. Out of a timeout, Showalter sank a three just before the buzzer to send it to OT. With under 30 seconds to go and Wisconsin up 81-79, Badgers forward Khalil Iverson headed toward the basket, only to find himself stuffed at the rim by Canyon Barry, who himself had made two free throws seconds ago, keeping Florida in the game. After both teams traded baskets, Florida’s Chris Chiozza turned into a March Madness legend by charging down the court with under five seconds left, and knocking down a three at the buzzer to win it for the Gators, sending them to the Elite 8. This game put the “Madness” in “March Madness.”


May 2nd- NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 7
Boston Celtics 129, Washington Wizards 119

Kelly Olynyk came out of nowhere for the Celtics in this game seven, scoring a career-playoff high 26 points, 14 of them in the fourth quarter, as Boston defeated Washington to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The game was fairly close through three quarters, with Washington leading by two at the half. But the Celtics bench outscored their counterparts 43-5, and shooting 8 of 13 from 3 point range in the second half. Isaiah Thomas, who, a day before game two of the series tragically lost his sister (and then proceeded to light up the scoreboard with 53 points in an overtime win) led the Celtics with 26 points.


The Top 15:

15. NFL, Week 3
Los Angeles Rams 41, San Francisco 49ers 39
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Before the Rams were the Rams we know right now, they were 1-1 through the first two games of the season. The 49ers were 0-2. And the two NFC West opponents met on a Thursday night, which is typically reserved as a game no one wants to watch. Raise your hand if you expected this to be the best game of the NFL season to this point. This one had it all. A show of two offenses firing on all cylinders, some special teams gaffes, a great comeback, and a recovered onside kick for good measure. The Rams held the lead early and often, as Todd Gurley rushed for three touchdowns in the first half. The 49ers had some help of their own thanks to a muffed punt, and some great catches by Pierre Garcon. In the 4th, with Los Angeles up 41-26, The Niners scored to make it a one possession game with roughly five minutes to play. The Rams would fumble the ensuing kickoff, leading to another San Francisco touchdown with 2:48 to go. A failed 2-point conversion kept the game at 41-39. Then came the onside kick- which the Niners would recover, giving the San Francisco faithful one last gasp of hope.
Unfortunately, Brian Hoyer would take a sack on 4th and 20, sealing the victory for Los Angeles. Seriously, check out the highlights the NFL won't let me embed on this website. Business picks up REAL quick.

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14. The Masters, Final Round
Sergio Garcia vs. Justin Rose

Sergio Garcia almost didn’t win another major and all was almost right with the world. After he carded back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11, leaving Justin Rose two strokes ahead, everyone thought “well, here comes the old Sergio, choking the moment away when it matters most.” But man, if there’s two things I love in golf, it’s a good grinder, and some solid back-and-forth action down the stretch. On 13, Sergio hit a shot that left him a bad lie, but managed to save par thanks to a spectacular up-and-down from 89 yards out. Then came a birdie on 14, leaving him only one back of Rose. Rose would birdie the par-5 15th, bringing him to 9-under par for the tournament. Garcia managed to eagle the hole to pull even, his first eagle in 452 holes at Augusta National. Rose would card another birdie on 16 but a bogey on 17, and the two traded pars at 18, setting the stage for a sudden-death playoff. Garcia actually had a chance to win, but missed a five-footer that would have given him his green jacket. After Rose had a bad drive on the playoff hole, Garcia took advantage, this time knocking down that five-footer to win the Masters for the first time.


13. January 5th- NFC Divisional Playoff
Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 31
Originally, this game was not close, with Green Bay jumping out to a 21-3 lead, leaving many to wonder just how long Dallas’ run of luck with rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott would last. However, thanks to one muffed punt, and another forced three-and-out, Dallas was able to cut the score to 21-13 by halftime. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers downfield to a score quickly after halftime, and the Green Bay defense forced a quick three-and-out on Dallas’ next possession. However, thanks to an interception by Dallas safety Jeff Heath, Dak Prescott was able to lead the Cowboys 69 yards, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Jason Witten, making the score 28-20 with 11:39 to go. Dallas would score again, with Prescott making a two-point conversion to tie the game at 28. Mason Crosby’s 56-yard field goal put Green Bay up 31-28 with 1:38 left, but Dallas quickly drove down the field to the Green Bay 35-yard line, setting up Dan Bailey’s game-tying 51-yard field goal with 40 seconds remaining. Following a touchback, Rodgers completed a 17-yard pass to Ty Montgomery, but then took a 10-yard sack on the next play. On a 3rd and 20, with 12 seconds to play and only one timeout remaining, Rodgers threw a 35-yard strike to Jared Cook, who was able to keep both feet in bounds, putting the Packers at the Dallas 35 with 3 seconds remaining. Crosby nailed the 51-yard field goal, sending the Packers to the NFC Championship game.


12. June 5th- Women's College World Series, Game 1
Oklahoma Sooners 7, Florida Gators 5 (17 innings)

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17 innings is almost two full-length baseball games rolled into one. In softball, it’s more than two. The first game of this year’s Women’s College World Series only got more intense as the marathon contest progressed. With two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the 7th inning, and Oklahoma up 2-1, Florida’s Sophia Reynoso was able to bring in Alesia Ocasio from first on a bloop single, setting up extra innings. Florida would again extend the game while down to its last strike in the 12th inning, down 4-2, as Amanda Lorenz would knock in two more runs off the Sooners’ original starter Paige Lowray. Lowray would pitch 10.1 innings and throw 139 pitches in this game. Oklahoma loaded the bases in the 15th and 16th, but failed to score. In the top of the 17th, however, Oklahoma’s Shay Knighten hit a three-run shot to put the Sooners up for good, 7-4 the final. The five-and-a-half hour marathon saw all four pitches in the game throw over 100 pitches on the night. Oklahoma would take game two as well, knocking off the top-seeded Gators to win the Women’s College World Series.


11. October 25th- World Series, Game 2
Houston Astros 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 6 (11 innings)

Game one of the World Series lasted a mere two hours and 28 minutes. Game two would last four hours and 19 minutes, a record for an extra innings World Series game. The contest would feature eight home runs, another World Series record. And for the Astros, this game would make even more history, as the club won its first World Series game in its history. The game started off relatively tame, as the Dodgers jumped out to a 3-1 lead by the end of the 6th inning, poised to go up 2-0 headed back to Houston. In the top of the 8th, with Dodgers close Kenley Jansen on the mound, the Astros managed to pull within a run after Carlos Correa’s single to bring in Alex Bregman. In the 9th, Marwin Gonzales would homer off Jansen to tie the game, sending it to extras. Next, it would be the Dodgers’ turn to come from behind, as the Astros would add two more in the top of the 10th on back-to-back home runs from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. The Dodgers evened the score on a home run by Yasiel Puig, and then a single from Enrique Hernandez after a walk and a wild pitch from Ken Giles. Again, in the 11th, the Astros pulled ahead by two runs after a George Springer two-run shot to dead center. The Dodgers came up just short after Charlie Culberson’s home run to make it 7-6. Puig, who brought the Dodgers life in the previous frame, would strikeout to end the game. Series tied at one game apiece headed back to Houston. At the time, this game was considered to be the craziest World Series game ever. They hadn’t seen nothin’ yet.


10. July 10th- Wimbledon, Round of 16
Rafael Nadal vs. Gilles Müller

The Championships at Wimbledon are my favorite for some reason. Maybe it’s the traditional all-white attire from the players. Maybe it’s the prestige. Maybe it just takes place as a low-volume area of the sports calendar year. Regardless, it always somehow seems to create some great drama, none more compelling than this fourth round matchup between Rafael Nadal and Gilles Müller. Nadal, who missed the 2016 tournament and been eliminated early in 2015, was looking to make his way back to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011, when he lost in the finals to Novak Djokovic. Gilles Müller of Luxembourg had had a tremendous 2016, which landed him a draw of 16th in the tournament. In the match itself, Müller jumped out to a two-set lead, winning the first sets 6-3, 6-4, the first set highlighted by the ridiculous volley seen in the video. Nadal came back firing in the second two sets, also winning 6-3, 6-4. The decisive fifth set was nip-and-tuck, with Nadal and Müller pushing hard to gain an edge over the other. The set extended to 10-10, then 14-13 in favor of Müller. Müller finally put Nadal away with three quick points to win the final set 15-13 and advance to the quarterfinals.


9. NCAA Football, Week 5
Western Michigan Broncos 71, Buffalo Bulls 68
You read that correctly. Seven overtimes. SEVEN. A tied record for longest college football game by number of overtimes, and 139 total points put up between the two teams, with 77 of them coming during the overtime periods. One doesn’t normally consider Western Michigan or Buffalo to be the cream of the college football crop. However, based solely on the longevity of the game, this one makes the list. Buffalo came back from down 10 in the fourth quarter, and blocked a crucial field goal from Western Michigan that would have won the game for the Broncos as time expired on regulation. In overtime, it was like the two teams were trying to extend the game for as long as they could. In the 3rd overtime, Buffalo RB Theo Anderson coughed up the football at the 2-yard line, opening the door for Western Michigan. And just like that, Broncos kicker Josh Grant missed a 29-yarder, his second potential game winner of the afternoon. The teams again traded scores until the 7th overtime, when Buffalo went ahead on an Adam Mitcheson field goal to go up 68-65. Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin scored from 12 yards out to finally win the game for the Broncos. While neither team ended up in a bowl game this year, the 7-overtime contest between the two certainly makes its case for best college football game of 2017.


8. April 5th- Stanley Cup Playoffs, Western Conference Semifinals, Game 5
Anaheim Ducks 4, Edmonton Oilers 3 (2OT)

Four minutes. Three goals. Two overtimes. One winner. The Ducks, down 3-0 in the third period, made up the three-goal deficit in the last four minutes of regulation, and finally emerged victorious in double overtime. After a scoreless first period, the Oilers scored twice in the first three minutes of the second period, on a goal by Leon Draisaitl, and then by Oilers captain Conor McDavid on the power play. Edmonton would score again on a goal by Drake Caggiula. And while Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot stood on his head for the Oilers, marking up 64 saves in the contest, the Ducks’ resilience was too much during last minutes of the third period. After pulling goalie John Gibson for an extra attacker, Ryan Getzlaf finally got Anaheim on the board after a blast from the point. 3-1, Oilers with 3:16 to play. 35 seconds later, it was Cam Fowler from the slot. 3-2, Oilers. And finally, with 15 seconds to go, Rickard Rickell was able to squeak one underneath the left pad of Talbot to tie the game at 3 and send it to overtime. Three goals in 3:07. The game would remain scoreless until the double overtime period, when Corey Perry finally put one past Talbot to win game five for the Ducks. Even after losing game 6 in debilitating fashion, the Ducks were able to get the win in game 7, and move on to the Western Conference Finals, thanks to one of the greatest comebacks in Stanley Cup Playoff history.


7. October 7th- College Football, Week 1
UCLA Bruins 45, Texas A&M Aggies 44

I want you to imagine that you’re UCLA for a minute. You’re down 44-10 with 4:08 to go in the 3rd quarter. If you’re Josh Rosen, UCLA quarterback, you haven’t thrown a touchdown yet, and you’ve lost two fumbles. Texas A&M had as high as a 99.9% chance to win this game at one point. And yet, here we are. In another great comeback, Rosen led his Bruins back from down 34 points to win against Texas A&M. All four of Rosen’s touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter, the final one coming on a fake spike with 43 seconds remaining. In capping off the largest college football comeback since 2006, Rosen threw for 292 yards in the fourth quarter alone.


6. March 26th- NCAA Tournament, South Regional Final (Elite 8)
North Carolina Tarheels 75, Kentucky Wildcats 73

When the brackets were announced in mid-March, North Carolina and Kentucky were the two that everyone wanted to see. Many thought the Wildcats might be a no. 1 seed due to their SEC Tournament win and 35-6 regular season record (a better mark than their South Regional counterparts, who finished at 34-7 and did not win their conference championship). However, the two storied college basketball schools met for a chance to go to the Final Four. Earlier in the regular season, Kentucky beat North Carolina, 103-100. If you thought that game was close, this NCAA Tournament game would be a major treat. The Tarheels managed to keep Kentucky phenoms Malik Monk and D’Aaron Fox at bay, and led 37-33 at halftime. In the second half, Kentucky managed to get in front and stretched its lead to 64-59. North Carolina went on a run of its own, and made it 69-64 with two minutes to play. After Monk missed a three to force Kentucky to start fouling, the teams traded shots, and North Carolina’s lead stood at 73-70, with 10 seconds to play. Monk hit a three from the top of the arc to tie the game at 73, sending Kentucky fans into a state of delirium at the fact that they had a chance to win in a potential overtime. But on the ensuing fast break, North Carolina’s Luke Maye hit a long jumper with .2 seconds left to send the Tarheels to the Final Four.


5. January 2nd- Rose Bowl Game
USC Trojans 52, Penn State Nittany Lions 49

This game represented everything that was great about the Rose Bowl: two powerhouse franchises in an offensive dogfight that included a comeback, resulting in a crazy finish. This roller coaster contest saw over 1,000 yards of total offense from both teams. Penn State RB Saquon Barkley rushed for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns, while USC QB Sam Darnold threw for 453 yards and FIVE touchdowns. USC led 27-21 at halftime, but Penn State took over in the 2nd half, as the Nittany Lions jumped out to a two-score lead by the end of the 3rd, up 49-35. Darnold led USC on consecutive 80+ yard drives, both resulting in scores. The second drive only took 39 seconds, highlighted by two Penn State pass interference penalties to set up a 27-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Deontay Burnett. On Penn State’s ensuing drive, QB Trace McSorley threw a costly interception on his own 33 yard line. USC kicker Matt Boermeester hit a 46-yard field goal at the gun to win the Rose Bowl for the Trojans.


4. August 27th- "The Fight of the Century"
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor
Forget Mayweather and Pacquiao- this was the fight of the century that actually lived up to the hype. You’ve got Floyd Mayweather, who at this point is a semi-retired undefeated champion boxer, against Conor McGregor, a man who made his name by running his mouth and backing it up with his fists in UFC. When McGregor threw out the challenge to Mayweather, many thought the fight wouldn’t last more than three rounds (mostly because both men bragged they could knock the other out inside of a round, but that’s neither here nor there). Surprisingly, McGregor held his own against Mayweather, landing more punches than Pacquiao did in his fight. The Irishman came out swinging in the first few rounds and it showed; many judges had McGregor winning the first few rounds against the undefeated Mayweather. However, as the fight went on, McGregor’s uneasiness in the ring showed, and he began to tire as Mayweather began to take over and wear him down, winning the next four rounds. McGregor showed some late fight in the 8th round, but Mayweather finally put him away in the 10th, winning via TKO. On a personal note, I had never been a fan of Conor McGregor before this fight. Seeing him be able to take a punch as well as dish it to a full-time professional boxer earned him my respect. And for once, we actually had a fight that lived up to (and probably surpassed) all expectations.


3. January 9th- College Football Playoff National Championship
Clemson Tigers 35, Alabama Crimson Tide 31

This was a rematch of last year’s National Championship, where Alabama defeated Clemson in a 45-40 heartbreaker. Dare I say this game surpassed that one? Clemson was down by double-digits twice in this game, but managed to battle back to keep the game within reach. Alabama’s rushing attack, led by Bo Scarborough got the Tide on the board first, and put them up 14-0 with a second rushing touchdown from 35 yards out in the second quarter. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson scored on a rushing touchdown of his own, making the score 14-7 at haltime. After an Alabama field goal and a Clemson touchdown, Bama’s lead was cut to three with seven minutes left in the 3rd. A major theme of this game was the hyper-dramatic back-and-forth swing, in which one team would catch a break, only for the momentum to swing the other way immediately. Scarborough left the game with an injury in the 3rd, a clear break for the Tigers, who were more or less unable to stop the run for a good chunk of the game. All seemed to be going Clemson’s way before Alabama’s QB Jalen Hurts connected with reciever OJ Howard on a 68-yard touchdown pass. 24-14, Tide. Then came the fourth quarter. Oh, the fourth quarter of this game. Watson leads the Tigers down the field to score a touchdown. 24-21, Alabama with 14 minutes to play. Ten minutes later, it’s Clemson again, as Wayne Gallman scored on a 1-yard rush to put Clemson up 28-24 with just over four minutes left. With Alabama on the ropes, facing a 3rd & 16 at their own 32, Hurts was able to find WR ArDarius Stewart for 15 yards, and then convert on 4th and 1. Hurts would eventually find the end zone on a 31-yard rush to put Alabama up 31-28 with 2:01 to play. Clemson began the game’s final drive on their own 36, but found their way all the way down to the Alabama 9 yard line with 14 seconds to play. Two plays later, a pass interference call on Alabama set the Tigers up with 1st and goal from the 2 with six seconds to play. With one second left, Watson found WR Hunter Renfrow in the front corner of the endzone to win the game 35-31 for Clemson.


2. October 29th- World Series, Game 5
Houston Astros 13, Los Angeles Dodgers 12 (10 innings)
I said last year that the 2016 World Series surpassed all expectations, and that the game seven played between the Cubs and Indians might be the greatest World Series game of all time. After watching this one, I can say that I was dead wrong. This 5 hour and 17 minute marathon was an instant classic- five ties, five lead changes, seven home runs, a blown save- this one had it all, and it was the most pivotal of the series, particularly for the Astros, who would have needed two wins in Los Angeles to win the series had they lost this game. Astros ace Dallas Keuchel, who had pitched well in game one against the Dodgers, left the game after 2⅔ innings, giving up four runs on five hits. In the fourth, the Astros scored four times to tie it, three of them coming on a home run by Yuli Gurriel. The Dodgers added three more in the fifth on a three-run shot by Cody Bellinger, only to see Jose Altuve tie it in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run homer of his own. Multiple three run deficits? No problem for these Astros. Through five innings, both Keuchel and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw were chased from the game, and we’re tied at seven. Bellinger again drove in a run to put the Dodgers up 8-7 in the top of the 7th, only to have George Springer hit a towering shot to left on his first pitch in the bottom of the inning. The Astros took their first lead of the night after Carlos Correa also went deep.
The Dodgers chipped away with a run in the 8th, but Brian McCann homered in the bottom half as well, keeping Houston’s lead at 11-8 heading into the 9th inning. Yasiel Puig hit a two-run home run for Los Angeles in the top of the 9th, which was the 22nd home run in the series, breaking the record for most home runs in a World Series, cutting the lead to 11-10. Down to their last strike, the Dodgers evened tied the game on an RBI single from Chris Barnes (because it wouldn’t be October without high drama). The Astros had their chance to win in the bottom of the ninth, but stranded a man at second. In the bottom of the 10th, however, the Astros put two men on after McCann was hit by a pitch, and Springer was walked on five pitches. Alex Bregman, the next batter, drove in pinch runner Derek Fisher to walk it off and give the Astros a 3-2 series lead. Houston would eventually win the series in seven games to claim its first ever World Series title, highlighted by one of the greatest World Series games ever played.


1. February 5th- Super Bowl LI
New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (OT)

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Naturally.
​

Truth be told, this wasn’t much of a game until the end of the third quarter. The Patriots were down 28-3. Tom Brady had thrown a pick-six (something he had never done in a playoff game before). Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman looked incredible. It was all Atlanta, and it didn’t look like there was any letting up to be done.

And then, everything changed.

Sorta. I thought New England had a chance in this one when James White scored with 2:06 to play in the 3rd, and then I thought they didn’t when Stephen Gostkowski’s extra point attempt hit the upright. 28-9 with a full quarter left? I mean, I guess.

After another Gostkowski field goal to make it 28-12, I thought: “Down by 16. That’s two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Good luck with that.”

And then there was the strip sack by Dont’a Hightower and the recovery by Alan Branch on the Atlanta 25.

After Brady’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola, I saw a glimpse of the ghost of Patriots’ past on the two point conversion: The direct snap play, a la Kevin Faulk, all the damn time. When that was the play that put New England only down 28-20, that was when I really started to believe.
And then, everything changed.

Freeman had a catch and run for 39 yards.

And then, Julio Jones made one of the most ridiculous catches of all time.
Of all time. To put Atlanta at the New England 22, in fact. All they had to do was run the ball, kick a field goal to go up 31-20 with less than five minutes to go, and that would have been it.
And then, everything changed (again).

Inexplicably, the Falcons kept trying to be fancy and pass the ball. And Ryan took a sack at the New England 35. On 3rd and 23, the Falcons took a holding penalty to push them out of field goal range. New England would get the ball back with 3:30 to go for a chance to tie the game.

But of course, nothing comes easy for these Patriots. They would have to go from their own 9 yard line (making the ensuing drive the longest they would have to complete all season) to have a chance. Brady made it interesting, of course, with two incompletions to start the drive, but converted on 3rd down with a pass to Chris Hogan, and followed it up with another mid-range pass to Malcolm Mitchell.
​

And then, there was Julian Edelman.
Brady almost had another pass intercepted by Robert Alford. Thankfully, it was batted up in the air. Even more thankfully, Edelman somehow came down with it, keeping the drive alive with a 23-yard gain.
​

Here's another look:
​Remember the helmet catch? Well, this was New England’s version of the helmet catch. (Oh, and Atlanta lost their final timeout challenging the play, so that was nice.)
​

A pass to Amendola for 20 yards. Two more completions to James White for 20 more yards. First and goal at the Atlanta 1.
​

With 57 seconds left to play, it was James White who scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. 28-26, Atlanta.

Brady to Amendola for the two point conversion, and we are tied at 28. After a three and out from Atlanta, and a failed fake kneel/run play/something from the Patriots, and Super Bowl LI becomes the first Super Bowl to ever need overtime to decide a winner.

Once the Patriots won the coin toss in overtime, however, you knew it was over. Brady hit White, Amendola, and Hogan for gains of 6, 14, and 18 yards, respectively. He hit Edelman for a 15-yard gain, and moved the ball to the Atlanta 15 on a lateral play to White. After a pass interference call in the endzone against the Falcons, James White (who, if not for Tom Brady, should have been the MVP of this game) scored on a two yard run to complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, sealing a fifth Lombardi Trophy for the Patriots.

It was the largest comeback in Patriots franchise history, and it shattered the record for greatest comeback in a Super Bowl.

And it’s the best game of 2017.

Naturally.



What did we miss? Tell us about your favorite games from this past year in the comments down below.


Also, be sure to check out According to Andrew's full Best of 2017 spread HERE.

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4/27/2017

Tony Nomination Predictions!

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71st Annual Tony Awards Predictions

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Josh Groban (left) and Denée Benton in "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812."
The Tony Awards are right around the corner, and since I actually made it down to New York before nomination season, it's high time for another round of "predict the nominees!"

This year's Best Musical category sports some fantastic original pieces, from the adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Piece, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, to the supposed front runner, Dear Evan Hansen, to the dark horse sleeper hit about decency and acceptance in the face of terror, Come From Away. We may even see some great movie adaptations make the short list in musicals like Anastasia and Groundhog Day.

Wanna find out more? You can view my full list of nominee predictions HERE.

The Tony Award nominations will be announced Tuesday, May 3rd.
The 71st Annual Tony Award ceremony is Sunday, June 11th at 8:00pm on CBS.

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2/26/2017

89th Academy Awards- Final Predictions!

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89th Academy Awards Predictions

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Oscar Sunday is here!

It's La La Land against Moonlight. Which film will win Best Picture?

You can find the full list of According to Andrew's Academy Award predictions HERE. 

The 89th Academy Awards are Sunday, February 26th at 8:30 on ABC.

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