When the sequel to two Game Of The Year winners starts releasing details, you pay attention. Batman: Arkham Origins doesn’t hit the market for another few months, but it’s certainly worth taking a look at what we know so far about a game which looks to be another serious contender.

A great place to start would be with the 5 minute trailer which was released this week, which looks so amazing that they should really consider using this technology and production for feature films.

So the key things we saw from the trailer include:

Black Mask, Roman Sionis – his name is literally all over the first two games, but aside from a cameo, this is the first appearance for him in these games. He mentions that the night is young, and from what I’ve heard, this game takes place around Christmas time (hence the snow) and all in the course of one night. According to various sources, Black Mask has put a hit out on Batman, which brings the assassins out of the woodwork.

Deathstroke – not only does the sword-weilding assassin have an epic-looking fight with The Dark Knight in the trailer, but at the very end of the footage, we learn that if you place a pre-order for the game, you’ll get content which allows you to play as him.

Deadshot – near the end of the battle between Deathstroke, we see a sniper looking to drop Batman with a bullet, and his identity is later revealed when Batman tracks down the signature bullet casing.

Other details about the game have been circling the ‘net. According to details coming from those who were lucky enough to play a demo at E3 this month, The Joker is also a part of the game, but he’s said to be treated as more of a minor villain who’s still earning his stripes… though taking over a hotel and rigging it with bombs? Sounds like he’s still given his due.

For those of us who enjoyed getting a self-guided tour through an albeit ravaged Gotham City environment in the open-world concept of Arkham City, we’re getting an opportunity with Arkham Origins to see the city prior to floods and explosions tore apart most of its splendor.

Did I mention yet that the game is going to include the Batwing?

The details I’m hearing indicate that it won’t be user-controlled… but it’s a step in the right direction.

Batman: Arkham Origins hits stores October 25th, 2013.

Mr. Incredible: How did you get in cosplay?

ChibiTifa: My first convention was Otakon 2002 and I was quite surprised at the amount of people that were dressed up as their favorite characters. Ever since then, I’ve wanted do to the same and finally at Otakon 2004, I wore my first costume which was Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena. The rest is history from there!

Mr. Incredible: Do you ever feel limited to who you can dress up as due to your looks?

ChibiTifa: To be honest, I did at first, which was why my first costume was Anthy who happened to be a dark skinned character. I didn’t want to ridiculed and I wanted to look exactly like who I was cosplaying. As I grew older, I tended to want to cosplay whomever I wanted because I liked the character, regardless of skin tone. Right now, I do just that. I cosplay whoever I want because of tha love of the character. If haters wanna hate, let them, but it’s all just water off my back.

Mr. Incredible: The reason why I wanted to interview you is beacause you don’t normally see cosplayers of African decent. Why is that?

ChibiTifa: I really think it’s because many people of color tend to feel that they shouldn’t cosplay due to the fear of being made fun of or called horrible things. We all know people on sites like 4chan and Reddit love to do this. They feel much more comfortable hiding behind a computer screen mocking cosplayers and throwing hideous insults. It’s something a lot of people of color don’t want to deal with, so they don’t bother with the hobby.

Another reason could be the lack of darker skinned characters in media such as anime and games. I have found that a lot of people of color tend to want to stick with their own skin tone for the aforementioned reason, and since anime and video games don’t have too many of those characters to choose from, they tend to only do those characters or just shy away from cosplaying anything at all.

One thing I’ve noticed though is that that the amount of cosplayers of color are increasing dramatically. This makes me happy and it shows that they are starting to care less and less about the critisim they’ll get.

Mr. Incredible: Who are some of the people you like dressing up as?

ChibiTifa: Anthy Himemiya was my first costume and I have always adored cosplaying her ever since. I plan on making several of her costumes throughout my time as a cosplayer. I also loved cosplaying Litchi Faye-Ling (Blazeblue) and Misty Knight (Marvel’s Heroes for Hire) as I had so much fun in both of those costumes as well!

Mr. Incredible: What has been your most difficult cosplay to do?

ChibiTifa: So far, it has to be Kat from Gravity Rush. That costume required a lot of altering patterns and boning in order to make it fit somewhat well. The cording on the front of the costume was difficult to work with as well, but after hours of fighting with it, I came out victorious!

Mr. Incredible: Now I imagine being a female geek you must get some strange requests and comments….

ChibiTifa: I do get the occassional lewd comments on my costumes from people who have no respect whatsoever. I just delete them and move on with my life. As far as requests, I don’t get too many of those. I can’t think of any that come to mind.

Mr. Incredible: Now, a lot of the costumes you do require that you do modding or create from stratch. Were these skills you have always had or learned along the way?

ChibiTifa: I very rarely modify anything. If I do, then it’s for a costume that I don’t really have to sew and that I can just get the clothing for. For example, I recently cosplayed Aoi Asahina from Dangan Ronpa and that character wears a white tank top, a red track jacket and track short. So, I just went to Target and got all that. I make most of my costumes from stratch because I tend to pick somewhat difficult costumes. I am mostly self-taught but I used to get help from my grandmother earlier in the hobby. Some skills I have acquired while working on particular costumes that needed use of them.

Mr. Incredible: Do you feel as a female that you have to sometimes defend your geekiness?

ChibiTifa: Oh yeah, all the time. Like so many other female geeks, I get my “geek/nerd cred” questioned. “Do you REALLY read comic books?” “Have you even played that game?” “Are you just saying you like that stuff to get a nerdy guy to like you?” Those are the questions I get a lot. Even when I walk into certain game stores, I get stares and asked if I’m getting something for my brother or boyfriend rather than myself. I handle myself very well and many guys are shocked when I prove that I do like the same stuff they do.

Mr. Incredible: What are some of your other geeky pleasures besides cosplaying?

ChibiTifa: I’m an avid gamer and comic book reader. I do watch the anime occassionally sometimes as well. My PS3 and my 3DS are some of my best friends on a weekend when I’m not working on cosplay!

Mr. Incredible: Who are some of the other cosplayers you think people should check out?

ChibiTifa: Knightess Rouge, Kamikaze Miko, Blikku, Sonified, Cupcake Cosplay, Tess Rufflebutt, Mostflogged just to name a few. I’m very good friends with a lot of these talented cosplayers. They all have Facebook pages so be sure to check the out!

Mr. Incredible: Thank you for taking the time out to answer some questions. Is there anything extra you want to tell fans reading this?

ChibiTifa: Thank you for interviewing me! I will say this: Don’t let anything hold you back from doing what you love. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE can cosplay whomever they want. This hobby is about having fun and everyone deserves to experience just how fun it can be. If you want to see more of my costumes and follow my progress on other ones, be sure to like my page on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ChibiTifa.Cos

Resident Evil 6

The story is set in between the 4th and 5th games in the series, following Jill Valentine and her new partner Parker Luciani as they search for Chris aboard an abandoned luxury cruise ship, the Queen Zenobia. The pacing is broken into small TV style episodes that also flash back to the previous year and the destruction of the fictional city of Terragrigia which provides much of the backstory for the game . A terrorist group called Veltro is also involved and threatens to unleash the T-Abyss virus on the world. It’s yet another new virus and alot of political conspiracy that might seem more then a little absurd, but the series’ story hasn’t really been know for making much sense.

The overblown storyline is alright thanks to some excellent gameplay. The cruise ship, which might be the best setting since the original mansion, provides for a return to the cramped hallways and dimly lit rooms of the earlier games. The ship creaks and moves as you slowly make your way and wonder where exactly the next enemy will pop out from. You won’t be fighting standard zombies or Ganados/Majini, but the debuting Ooze who are created by the T-Abyss virus and come in several different kinds, as well as . It’s not as if you can blast them all as ammo is scarce and there’s even one part where Jill is all by herself with no weapons and you must guide her past monsters. They have a penchant for appearing out of nowhere and just because you passed down that hallway with nothing happening doesn’t mean an Ooze will pop out of a vent behind you. There are also several parts the require swimming underwater and precious few ways to defend yourself from enemies. It’s sequences like these that will keep players on their toes, though the game mixes in its share of big firefight sequences. Those can be considered their own type of tension as trying to deal with enemies coming from multiple directions can be just as unnerving. No need to worry as there are plenty of weapon types and custom parts you can find to upgrade them to fit your style.

A great way that the game keeps then tension spread out is through the sound. It might seem a small part of the experience, but it adds to the overall product in a big way.From the creaking of the ship to how the music picks up when an enemy is near, it’s expertly used to accentuate the mood of the moment. Even if you hear music indicating an enemy is near, you still might panic a bit because you don’t know where they’re coming from and you’re running low on ammo. The soundtrack also seems to have a wider range then previous entries. In particular the grand hall of the ship, which is graphically awesome, has a synthesized organ reminiscent of something from Castlevania. The game was already visually impressive on the 3DS, but gets an HD upgrade when ported onto consoles. It looks much better then other HD versions if the series with detailed characters, though there are a handful of loading glitches. However, the graphics really shine in the setting. The cruise ship is appropriately creepy and the attention to detail on small things such as cabin rooms and dilapidated hallways contributes to the overall tension.

The added features on the console versions are few and the game does have it flaws, such as an at times absurd conspiracy storyline, but Revelations is a thrilling experience that brings players back to the series’ survival horror roots. If you’re a fan of the games and missed it on 3DS, which is likely alot of you, then it is definitely worth picking up on home consoles. Plus at 10 or so hours in length, you’ll be enjoying it much longer then previous entries.

Trish Stratus was undeniably hot from DAY ONE… and this wet tshirt pictorial was just a part of that!

While some might consider that to be somewhat trashy, Trish also had quite a few photoshoots where she was all decked out in glamorous attire!

Not only that, but she was a great champion once she really took to making herself more than an eyepiece. As a competitor, she had some great performances, and I don’t think anyone could complain when Trish Stratus was holding the Women’s Championship.

Just like I would want to happen if I were on a date with her, Trish Stratus ended her career on top… as champion.

If there’s a hotter woman in the history of the WWE who was a better in-ring performer, my mind’s drawing a blank, because to me, Trish Stratus is the ultimate WWE Diva!

For more lovely ladies from past weeks, check out the Hump Day Hotties archive!

We also have a Trish Stratus archive if you want more of her Stratusfaction!

This is the Bucket Beats List.

Photo courtesy The Guardian

Rundgren represents the first artist on this list that is not immediately recognized in the mainstream of pop culture, a little detail that seems all too fitting for this album.

After spurring a public feud with John Lennon, Rundgren in a lot of ways became the anti-Beatles, the representation of quality music laid out by a talented singer/songwriter without the hordes of adoring fans. In that aspect, he was (and is) a hipster’s wet dream.

You can see how we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot already.

Some will call Rundgren’s ‘A Wizard, A True Star’ a beautiful work of music. So deep, you don’t actually know how deep it goes. Don’t listen to them. It’s as vague and meaningless as its title.

Don’t get me wrong, there is salvageable material. The track ‘Zen Archer’ is terrific. ‘When The Shit Hits The Fan’? Pretty good. And ‘Just One Victory’? Yeah, it’s alright.

But these ear-savers are spread throughout a 19-track incoherent LSD trip. Some “songs” are just over a minute while others are four or five. Some tracks transition flawlessly while others might as well have a brick wall between them.

Quite frankly, I’ve heard compilation discs that span multiple genres that go together then Rundgren’s 1973 album.

It all makes short, convulsing, musical vomit, filled with only enough talent to save it from being compared to other orifices in the body.

Again, the audiophiles out there will tell you that such analysis is overly simplistic, that ‘A Wizard, A True Star’ is living, breathing art that can change interpretations every time you listen to it. That explanation makes even less sense than the track ‘Dogfight Giggle’, and if you’ve heard it you know what I’m talking about.

Not only do you not need to listen to this album before you die, it might save you some time. Look for the real songs, the honest-to-goodness hard work that is spread throughout the album. They’ll be easy to find because they tend to be the longer tracks.

All in all, there are about four or five of them that are worth listening to. Go ahead and listen to those if you’d like, but skip everything else as I’m pretty sure it might be hidden government propaganda that Rundgren agreed to put out following the Oil Crisis.

How’s that for an interpretation, hipsters?

Favorite Tracks?
3. When The Shit Hits The Fan/Sunset Blvd.
2. Is It My Name?
1. Zen Archer

Least Favorite Tracks?
3. Never Never Land
2. Medley: I’m So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/La La Means I Love You/I Saw The Light
1. Dogfight Giggle

Do you really need to listen to this album before you die?
Nope.

Last night the WWE went gone EXTREME at the titular PPV, well at least within the confines of PG programming. Now they can get back to kid friendly programming with Cena still as the WWE Champion and the sponsors will be happy. So what happens now? Will Ryback get another title shot after coming up short yet again on the big stage? What happens to Jericho and Fandango now that they’re tied at 1-1? Was anyone even paying attention to their match with Summer Rae at ringside? When will Del Rio face Ziggler for the WHC? Can Dolph steal the show when he’s not even there? Are there any people left out there who don’t believe in The Shield? More importantly how can a PPV that’s built on carnage and extreme happen with the Spanish announce table making it to the end intact???

Best
The Shield: There never was really that much doubt, but it was a clean sweep for the Hounds of Justice as Ambrose is the new US champ and Double R (Rollins and Reigns) are the Tag Champs. Now things get interesting. The Shield has always been a kind of outlaw group that doesn’t play by anyone’s rules and does things that are against the norm, i.e. coming through the crowd instead of down the ramp and being a group without a clear leader. If they want to keep the belts, they have to defend them on others’ terms be it Vickie, Teddy, etc. They have to play by rules other then their own. This might seem contrary to their ideals, but it does give the group a chance to evolve, which is very important if they want to keep their momentum going.  They certainly did with their actions tonight.

Believing: Yes I did just talk about The Shield, but so much is going for them that it has to be broken into two parts. This RAW was probably one of the better ones for the group in a long time. They cut a terrific in ring promo about their path of destruction including making Ryback feel so betrayed he finally snapped. It’s not just what they said, but their delivery from Ambrose’s measured tone to Rollins’ passion. They back up their words with a 20+ minute 6 man tag against Hell No and Kofi. That’s about 30 minutes of time, or 1/6 of RAW’s total time that was dedicated to The Shield. If it wasn’t clear before, the WWE is firmly behind them and hasn’t dropped the ball like they did with Nexus.

Paul Heyman Guy: Well that was certainly an unexpected turn of events. Heyman announcing his newest client as Curtis Axel, formerly known as Michael McGillicutty of The New Nexus. His welcome back present? A main event match with Triple H! So did he rise to the occasion? Of course not! He’s facing off against H who is known for burying young talent. The match had no official end as the doctors forced Hunter to stop competing he acted disoriented and had trouble staying on his feet. Axel seems like an interesting choice and some people are probably extremely skeptical of him, but remember this is Heyman we’re talking about. He deserves the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Worst
Ryback: Think he should steer away from insulting the fans? If his show opening promo was any indication it’s something Creative should axe out of any future promos for him. Ryback was showing decent mic skills since his heel turn but this one was just painful. Calling the fans ‘weak’ and ‘pathetic’ gets cheap heat and has been done effectively by others, but those guys were at least somewhat eloquent. For that matter, they also won a PPV match once in awhile.

Lawler: The commentating has been quite good, given that Jerry has kept the lame jokes to the minimum. However, since Summer Rae came onto the scene, he’s fallen back into his creepy old man routine. It’s not enough for him to say she’s gorgeous, he has to work in such jokes as being at the library and ‘checking’ her out and her dress being so hot it contributes to global warming. It took away from the Miz-Jericho vs Barrett-Fandango tag match that was going on and not one mention was made of Jericho being Barrett’s Pro on NXT or Miz ‘trying’ to be the next Y2J.

Shameless Advertising: The Domino’s ordering stunt from a few weeks ago was bad enough, but then they have to throw in an ad for Sonic milkshakes as the show returns from a commercial break. Was them showing ‘regular’ people in the stands ‘enjoying’ the shakes their way to make viewers connect with the product more? Is this the real reason RAW was expanded to 3 hours? Not to be outdone by outside products, WWE still manages to shove their app down everyone’s throats. They want you to think it’s cool to download the app, see exclusive content and vote for Jack Swagger’s opponent tonight. Having the commentators play up that 150,000+ votes were cast and then have Lawler say he voted 8 times sure makes that number seem legit.

Star Trek Into Darkness begins on the primitive planet of Nibiru, with the crew of the USS Enterprise on an undercover mission to monitor a volcano that is on the verge of erupting and wiping out the planet’s natives. The crew has been warned that they are not to reveal their presence natives, but after a dangerous attempt to stop the volcano from erupting, Captain James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) breaks orders to save Spock’s (played by Zachary Quinto) life. Back on earth, Kirk and Spock are reprimanded by Admiral Pike (played by Bruce Greenwood), who reassumes command of the Enterprise, relieves Kirk of his command, and reassigns Spock. Meanwhile, in London, a Starfleet archives is attacked and destroyed by a shadowy Starfleet agent named John Harrison (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). Kirk and Spock are called in to attend an emergency meeting at Starfleet headquarters to discuss how to respond to the attack. The meeting is interrupted by another attack that kills several high-ranking members of Starfleet including Admiral Pike. With Pike dead, the USS Enterprise is given back to Kirk and Spock, who quickly hatch a plan to go after Harrison, who has fled to the hostile Klingon planet Qo’noS.

Much like Abrams’ first Star Trek film, the second installment is loaded with nifty little plot twists that should not be spoiled by a review. Just know that if you are a major Star Trek fan, there a more than a few surprises that will almost make your head explode. With all of the characters fleshed out in the first film, Abrams can strictly focus on the nonstop action that practically blasts the audience into the neighboring theater. The film begins with an Indiana Jones-style chase between the terrified Kirk and “Bones” McCoy (played by Karl Urban) and a yelping tribe from Nibiru, who launch spears out of the screen in glorious 3D. In case there wasn’t enough to marvel at in this particular set piece, Abrams flips to the glowing action that is taking place within the swirling volcano. From there on out, there is a city-shaking attack on Starfleet, a wicked shootout between Klingons and a handful of crewmembers of the Enterprise, a nerve-frying space jump through a spinning field of spaceship debris, and a breathtaking fistfight on the streets of San Francisco. If that isn’t enough to hold your attention, you’ll certain find yourself unable to stop scanning the inside of the seriously amazing USS Enterprise or grinning over the wild crew members that operate it. Surprisingly, the film was converted into 3D in postproduction, but it is totally worth spending the extra cash to check it out in immersive 3D.

While the action will certainly have you drooling, Star Trek Into Darkness really comes to life through Pine and Qunito. It really is a treat to see these guys hilariously bickering it out every step of the way. They argue in a disciplinary meeting, during the opening chase, and even while they are trying to infiltrate Qo’noS. Pine continues to be reckless and cocky all while he flirts with one girl after another. The early scenes between Pine and Greenwood’s fatherly Admiral Pike were especially touching and shattering when Pike meets a nasty laser blast. Quinto continues to bring the laughs as the rigid and emotionless Spock, a stickler for the rules if there ever was one. Here, Spock’s emotional detachment is put to the test and it truly does strike a chord. Yet the real magic happens when Pine and Quinto are together, with their egos clashing and banging around the iPod walls of the Enterprise. Their friendship is really put to the test when the confront Cumberbatch’s Harrison. While it is best not to reveal much about John Harrison, just know that Cumberbatch nearly steals the entire movie away from Pine and Quinto. He is one hell of a commanding villain.

If you were worried that the rest of the Enterprise crew had flew the coop, never fear, as they are all back where they belong. The sexy Zoe Saldana is back as Nyota Uhara, who has developed a relationship with Spock that goes far beyond the Enterprise. Karl Urban continues to bring the pessimism as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, who is constantly getting under Kirk’s skin with some of the worst metaphors you can think of. Simon Pegg continues to delight as the hilarious engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, who hams it up through an exaggerated Scottish accent. John Cho brings a quiet intensity to the role of Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Anton Yelchin is cartoonishly frantic as Ensign Pavel Chekov. We don’t get nearly as much of them as we did in the first film, which is a bit disappointing but understandable considering everything that is going on within the story. And we can’t forget the outstanding newcomers Peter Weller and Alice Eve, who are here as the ruthless Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus and the beautiful weapons expert Dr. Carol Marcus.

As far as summer movies are concerned, Star Trek Into Darkness is about as strong as they come. While there is an abundance of action and explosions to keep those with a severe case of ADHD hooked, there is still plenty of humanity to this story. We genuinely care about these characters and after a while they almost start feeling like close friends. They are especially irresistible when Abrams shakes the Enterprise and lets all these drastically different walks of life mix. Overall, Star Trek Into Darkness is a massive step up for the sleek and sexy franchise and at just over two hours, Abrams still leaves you wanting more of absolutely everything. Just like the first outing, it simultaneously pleases Trekkies and those just looking to be dazzled on a Friday night. You know what? Just stop reading this review right now and go see it. Just don’t be surprised if you want to see it again the second its all over.

Grade: A

Photo courtesy Twitter

To say Vince Young flamed out in the NFL is sort of an understatement. Okay, it’s a bona fide understatement.

After being selected in the first round by the Titans in 2006, Young achieved only very marginal success. He played well enough to grace the cover of Madden 08 and then rapidly declined from there. In 2011, the Eagles brought him on as a backup quarterback where his most notable achievement was coining the Eagles a ‘dream team’ right before they had a miserable season. Buffalo picked him up shortly thereafter but dropped him as quickly as he had been added.

Then it came out last year that Vince Young, who earned an estimated $26 million over the course of his stunted career, had filed for bankruptcy.

Effectively, he had hit rock bottom.

So what did he do? Did he shack up with JaMarcus Russell living out the rest of his days in a purple drank haze? Did he just disappear for good like he had temporarily in 2008? No, he went back to school.

In fact, yesterday morning Vince Young walked across a stage in Austin as a new graduate of the University of Texas, where he had played football.

See, if you recall, Young forewent his senior year to enter the NFL early, so he never got his degree the first time around. And with his football career seemingly over, he went back to take care of the one piece of unfinished business he left.

No scholarship. No Saturday game day glory. No BCS Title. Vince Young was just another one of Texas’ 52,000-plus students. A 6’5″ face in the crowd.

And while his new bachelor’s degree won’t earn him a Pepsi endorsement deal any time soon, in many ways, Young’s journey makes him a better role model for young boys (and girls, for that matter) than he ever could have been in the NFL.

Say for just a moment that Young lived up to the hype that once surrounded him as the third overall pick in an NFL Draft. Say he even SURPASSED expectations. Vince Young is the hero of the NFL and a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. All any of that would show future generations is how to make the most of an immense amount of god-given talent.

Young’s REAL story is far better. What do you do after you make mistakes? BIG mistakes? What do you do when you not only hit a bump in the road but you’re thrown down an embankment.

Vince Young’s saga doesn’t show adults-to-be how to take a hit and keep going, it shows them how to get off the mat once a series of haymakers have put you there.

When I have kids, they’re probably never going to have a Vince Young jersey. Hell, barring my fantasy of fantasies where they become diehard football fans, they’ll probably never know who he was. That is, until I tell them about him.

Because, as Young reminded us this week, you’re never too young or too old to learn a thing or two.

____________________________
NOTE: This story was originally published on SportsHead. To read this article and others click here.
When Bryan isn’t writing, he is on Twitter! Make sure to give him a follow @bclienesch for NFL updates and other shenanigans!

Photo courtesy Dave Martin/Associated Press

If nothing else, John Calipari is great for a sharp sound bite.

Whether it be hurling racial insults at journalists or making tongue cheek jokes about Louisville’s title run (who’d they take it from again? I don’t recall them making the tournament), Cap has always been the kind of guy to run his mouth first and think about the ramifications second.

So if you want to take Calipari’s rant on a Louisville radio station yesterday morning about the stagnant NCAA as a “call to arms” for major programs to rebel, go ahead. I, for one, pay it virtually no mind.

The reason I say Calipari, if nothing else, is great for a sound bite is because he’s not a great coach. You didn’t misread that sentence. John Calipari is not a great basketball coach.

What he is is a successful basketball recruiter. Go ahead and look. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s been able to find premier talent to come and play for him. How else do you explain the career of a guy whose coached 28 NBA players since 1995 but only got his first NCAA championship a little over a year ago?

Photo courtesy Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The fact is you can’t. And, speaking of that NCAA championship, how are you going to break away from the organization that hosts tournament like you encouraged fellow schools to do, John? How are you going to create a business model that rivals March Madness for you and everyone else who wants their budding superstars to stick around?

Yes, if you haven’t figured it out already, Calipari’s rant was about the infamous “one and done” rule, a rule that the NCAA had nothing to do with and is entirely the brainchild of the NBA and NBAPA. But as Stephen Colbert once said, the man did not let little things like facts get in the way of his argument.

“But the NCAA’s gotta do some stuff. And if they don’t do it, we need to separate from them,” said Calipari, “I’m not afraid to say it. Look, they’ve embarrassed me. I’ve done nothing, so they’re not going to come and show retribution to me and do stuff.”

Well, as impressed as I am in Calipari’s confidence that he’s running a tight ship, the repeated infractions of programs he’s presided over says otherwise. Remember the big joke when they won in 2012? About how the countdown to the vacated title was on? That didn’t come out of nowhere.

But we’re not talking about Marcus Camby or D-Rose. Really, we’re not even the ones talking. That much, once again, is reserved for the coach with slicked-back hair from UK.

“I seem to be the only coach saying anything. You know why? No one wants to see these kids two years here.”

Ah, that’s it, is it, John? Every other coach in charge of a Division I program is just jealous of what you’ve got at Kentucky, so they’re playing politics to keep the field even. First of all, if that were the case, then why would they even be speaking up in the first place? They can’t be against the rule but secretly be in favor for it because they dislike you’re program.

The amazing thing is that John Calipari has brought me to the defense of two things I often can’t stand: the NCAA and the “one-and-rule”. The rule needs to go and the NCAA has been decidedly overzealous in their pursuit of many basketball (and football programs, for that matter) when it comes to violations. But their motivations I at least can understand.

John Calipari didn’t fire the first shot at Fort Sumter with this little speech. No, rather, he was just another guy standing on a soapbox. If the average Joe had called into the radio station and offered such opinions as his own, any host with half a brain would dismiss them as fast as it takes to hang up on a caller.

So let’s take Calipari’s words Thursday morning for what they are: a recruiter recruiting, a lobbyist still lobbying. Once again, Calipari is just trying to give his program every advantage possible. And if that means coming on airwaves during everyone’s morning drive to give a fact-bereaved, illogical argument as to why teams need to separate from the NCAA, I say let him.

Why not let people keep doing what they’re so good at?

___________________________________________
NOTE: This story was originally published on SportsHead. To read this article and others click here.
When Bryan isn’t writing, he is on Twitter! Make sure to give him a follow @bclienesch for NCAA Basketball updates and other shenanigans!

Time to get ULTIMATE SNACK ONNNNNNN! Or at least taste Ruffles Ultimate Sweet & Smokin’ BBQ potato chips. More ridges, more flavor, ultimate nomming? Find out on this video! I even drop some vending sales info on these thangs.

Links:

http://www.fritolay.com

http://www.facebook.com/ruffles

http://www.bevnerd.com