Quick Hits - 7/14/08

Now, I know it seems a bit redundant to have the same exact title and theme for two consecutive posts, but consistency clearly isn't something I'm great at, so consider this a small, first step.

Random things I've been thinking lately:

- I've seen a lot of division in the online hip-hop community over Nas' new album and whether it's a masterpiece.

People, let's face it: when was the last time you heard a legitimately good, intelligent, mainstream rap album? It's not an issue of people having a different opinion of this album, it's an issue of people nitpicking and taking a different stance for the sake of being different.

Support this album to support hip-hop -- the community needs something like this to start the discussion about race that the nation at-large NEEDS to have.

Getting off my soapbox now.

(Album in stores tomorrow!)

- We're that much closer to The Dark Knight this weekend. Gives me goosebumps.

- NCAA Football 09 comes out tomorrow, and it certainly looks to be just the thing I need to tide me over until Madden NFL 09.

...oh wait, that's what Metal Gear Solid 4 was for. And Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. And Need For Speed: Carbon. Need I go on?

- I honestly can't picture Brett Favre in a different NFL uniform, let alone playing this upcoming season, period. Although Favre will forever remain one of my favorite players of all time (barring a Lawrence Phillips/Pacman Jones/Michael Vick-like crime wave), I still wish he would just stay in retirement.

How often can a professional athlete say they've had a legendary career and were able to go out on top?

(No, Tiki Barber doesn't count -- he didn't care enough about football, and his career was far from legendary...)

- I'm starting to love what I'm seeing on WWE lately. The storylines have become more complex than the spoon-fed crap of the past few years, and I'm loving the fact that younger talent like Cryme Tyme, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Jr., and CM Punk are getting a push into the second tier (and main event, in Punk's case).

Though I admittedly haven't been following SmackDown/ECW as much as RAW, I like the idea of Triple H facing off against Edge, and both Matt & Jeff Hardy are receiving the pushes that they deserve.

All is good in professional wrestling. Except TNA.

WWE RAW Preview (4/21/08)

TONIGHT on WWE Monday Night RAW:

Yup...WWE actually managed to get Hilary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama to appear on RAW tonight. Granted, they'll only be appearing in special, pre-recorded messages instead of LIVE, but at least the candidates are showing that they have a sense of humor. This'll probably get more of the 18-24 crowd to the polls since WWE is second to only the NFL in that particular demographic. Interesting to see how the crowd reacts to the taped messages...

Meanwhile, the King of the Ring tournament is back, but for one night only. I'm shocked that WWE has managed to keep the participants a secret for this long, as the Internet Wrestling Community normally blows the lid off of any "major" angles, days in advance. Frankly, the tournament is a toss-up, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Mr. Kennedy makes his return (*hint hint*) and wins it all. It's pretty obvious that WWE wants to push Kennedy to the main event level, but have no idea how to get him off the mid-card level. If Kennedy DOES prove me right, I foresee a feud with CM Punk with their respective title shots on the line. Eventually, there'll be a non-finish to the angle, and it'll be CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, and the winner of the Royal Rumble, all facing their respective champions in their respective main events at WrestleMania. Jeff Hardy as the "underdog" to win the Rumble, perhaps?

Anyway, RAW's just started, so off to watch me some wrasslin'...