EL BRONX, EL BARRIO – One of the best parts of being moved up in the batting order is that I am sandwiched between two unique writers who draw a crowd. DJ Eberle is always guaranteed to say something that will make the veteran writers and long-time fans scoff, while Angry Ward is a legend, so it is an honor to open for a headliner. The other good thing is that I don’t have to wait until everyone has chewed the meat off of a story before I get a crack at it. Inspired by the weekend’s events, I have a fantastic new Song of the Week. After the SOTW, we will get to the sports coverage that makes MTM oh-so-special. Here’s the lineup: The Harder They Come, Alex Rodriguez, Rio Olympics So Far and Ryan Brothers.
Let’s begin with the music…
The Harder They Come: I wanted a song that my parents like and introduced me to and rhis one fits the bill. After hearing about A-Rod – and then Tom Jackson – courtesy of DJ’s piece yesterday, I went to one of the few Reggae songs and musicians my folks liked, Jimmy Cliff. His classic track just seemed to call out to me. It may not be the most apropos but who cares. Take a listen…
Now for the sports…
Alex Rodriguez: It was an ignamous end to an ignamous career. A-rod talent wise was probably more talented than any shortstop ever. He had the work ethic needed to become a superstar and one of the great players of his generation. But those are the tangibles and Alex always had those in spades. It was the intangibles of grit, dedication to the cause and selflessness that he came somewhere below dead last. So I rightfully chuckled and wanted to drink a fresh cup of his tears because you can’t feel sorry a guy who never seemed to feel sorry for his teammates.
The Rio Olympics so far: I haven’t watched much of the Olympics because I expect a hot dumpster fire and though it hasn’t been, there is not much to watch. Of course, I watch the rugby and women’s volleyball (indoor and outdoor). That is about it. The USA have/will dominate in Women’s Gymnastics, since the Russians have to play by the rules, and China is in a bad cycle. There are only so many different ways to swim but Michael Phelps still wins (I am waiting for the 100m crab race in track to try and make it fair). Team USA will win the gold in basketball for men and women so the only thing left is track and wrestling. I am not even sure when those come on because in their infinite wisdom NBC is showing the matches on a 1-hour delay. why would day when Rio is in the same time zone as NYC, you ask? Well because the suits have determined in their analysis that women watch the Olympics more than men. And it appears the female viewers care more about the backstory and biography of the contestants than the competition. So they will give viewers at home more storylines and figure won’t be bothered by the fact we live in an instant age and the results of a competition are on the net within minutes of completion. Only in America.
Ryan Brothers: I don’t mean to ride the Ryan Bros so hard. My only beef is with Rex. He is a loud mouth that moves the limelight. I worry that this love of attention is rubbing off the likeable Ryan brother, Rob. the laid back one has lately been doing stuff with Rex that smacks of it being Rex’s idea. The latest is this ESPN ad for Ben-Hur. Check out for yourself.
Check out @espn’s Tweet:
The Ryan brothers are going to settle things once and for all … @BenHurMovie style.https://t.co/69w6sXb7IO
— ESPN (@espn) August 5, 2016
That’s all I have… Please come back tomorrow for Marble Hill Legend, Angry Ward. And feel free to leave your thoughts below and follow us on Twitter – @JunoirBlaber & @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
