4 Hard Downs: Most Influential Players, Being A Dad In A Cold Plunge, More Marvin Harrison Jr
We have to go back to find an MHJ comp, Kegstands, And Let's get cold
Dudes and Dudettes, now that it is getting warm, every weekend just feels like an extension of the week. No down time. More party time. And not like adult party time, although I did witness my first kegstand since maybe 2009.
Key word is witness.
Kid practice. Kid parties. Kid hang outs.
School is a damn kids’ hang out that we do every weekday; so now I am going into the throes of preliminary travel ball parent because swim team starts soon. Granted it is at least local.
We will get into it because I am legitimately living a life where I look forward to Mondays, so lets SPOT THE BALL!!!
1st Down: 3 Days Of Being An Adult
Friday: Wake up at 6 and take your kid to school. Then wait around all day to be the MC at your kid’s bingo night where the school set a record for the event and helped fundraise a ton of money. A great night. Also a night where you’re dripping sweat and trying to make sure everyone has a good time.
Saturday: 4pm party for a 6 year old across the main drag. Great friends and fun. Also made dinner and let it simmer ready for when we got home close to 8 after kid goes down after an afternoon of bounce housing. Plus some of the aforementioned kegstands.
Sunday: Long run (more on that later) and kid went to egg hunt with wife and I got back and they were at the neighbors’ so I had to start dinner (burned my stomach on the roasting pan) and then get over there. Played board games.
The days of just chillin’ and maxin’ relaxin’ all cool are done. We got birthdays and hangs and summer with the pool is just around the corner. I gotta get my mind right for shooting some basketball outside of the school…and by shooting some basketball, I mean killing bees and digging up stumps because during my MC time I got asked about helping in the courtyard as spring is sprunging.
Shout out TP Pain. Spring is sprung, how’d you get me?!?!
2nd Down: Most Influential Athletes Players
Saw this video of LeBron on IG talking about who the most influential hoopers were of his era:
One, as someone who is one month older than Bron, I totally agree. Allen Iverson had me and my friends in the driveway practicing crossovers and walking up and down the street dribbling the ball between our legs or behind our backs. This man did a commercial for his shoe with Jadakiss and then the NBA created a dress code because of him.
Shit. NBA as a fashion beacon is from AI due to the dress code.
Steph Curry, who did bust threes in my little brother’s face here in Charlotte when we were kids, also changed the game. Three pointers were a specialty until the Splash Brothers. Like when your parents let you get dessert at a restaurant. Now they’re the main course.
I’d also throw Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitski into the mix, from an NBA standpoint.
However, the point here is always football.
Randy Moss, Michael Vick and I will go very early childhood to Lawrence Taylor as the football equivalents.
Randy Moss took middling small forwards and turned them into wide receivers. There is literally a term for what every receiver does on a contested catches and it ain’t “you got Rice’d.”
Mike Vick made the Panthers draft Julius Peppers because he was the only person with hopes of stopping him. Vick the GOAT Madden dude.
Lawrence Taylor (should have been a Deacon Jones thing but I never saw him play, I’m not that old) created the stat of the sack.
I think the “Fun’n’Gun” and the “Run’n’Shoot” and the “Air Raid” also fit into this category.
There is a difference between great, fantastic and amazingly talented players AND truly innovative, influential game changers. With the exception of Kobe Bryant, no one could ever be Jordan. Same goes for Bron, there aren’t many other 6’8” 260 guys just roaming the world dedicated to hoops.
Without Moss, there is no Megatron or Julio. Without Vick no one gives Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts a shot, they move them to WR or RB. LBs were the stars until LT showed folks that if you kill the QB, you don’t have to worry about the rest.
Sure we can talk about Deion Sanders or Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu but honestly no one can do what they did.
3rd Down: Marvin Harrison Jr as Michael Irvin or Larry Fitzgerald
The Laquon Treadwell comp is most recent. But if we want to go high ceiling Harrison Jr’s game is similar to all-time greats. He plays like Irvin in terms of boxing out and contested catches. He has the Fitzgerald quality of route running, finding space and growing up tightly knit to the game.
Not the fastest.
Just guys who understood the game and the art of playing WR and that is Harrison’s best trait. A shame it took me a weekend after watching him to realize, these are the good comps for him because he should be a great NFL guy.
4th Down: And On The 4th Day He Plunged
I already hit on what this weekend was and basically what every weekend will be, including a fish fry-day this week for my kid’s birthday. On Monday, I hit the cold plunge:
I am working to get my rear in gear for the Meck Mile and I needed to give my legs some quick recovery and just some TLC. I am finally figuring out a plan that works for me; 2 speed days and 3 long days and 2 combo days. 7 days of work but in different ways that help me stack. I have to be able to run farther longer but I also have to be able to run faster.
It isn’t a competition, I just like the feeling of being tired and sore and knowing I will wake up and ask for more tomorrow.
Cheers!!
I'm offended you didn't mention I was one of the moms who did a kegstand! Somebody, somewhere, has a video.