Down Incognito

DOWN INCOGNITO

The Cast

By The Fillerbuster

03/01/2024

The Fillerbuster 11

Before my special Oscars blog next week and then my March Madness breakdown a week after that, let’s go Down Incognito for a bit with a few thoughts.

1. COURT STORMING:  Everyone wants to ban court storming after the Duke incident.  It really is a shame that happened.  I thought the video was bad, and I sympathize with Kyle and Duke…especially right before the tourney.  But, let’s not do the Jay Bilas resolution and give everyone a citation nor totally stop a rite of passage for small, underdog schools over the years.  Let’s not just in the deep end just quite yet.  Here is the thing.  When you have a top ranked team in the building, have faith in your team, spend a little extra money, and hire some extra off-duty police officers or security patrol.  Have a plan.  Sure, you can’t stop all 18,000 people, but you can have an idea of what you would do should you pull off the improbable.  Most importantly, get the opposing team off the court in the first 20 seconds.  Have an exit plan, and make it a new standard to tell both teams before every single game in every conference every single time.  I have stormed the court when UVA beat North Carolina, and I have helped carry a goal post back to my fraternity after we won in football against a certain team.  Both were short moments of my life that will echo in my memory forever (and at the house across from our fraternity house).  It is bad enough that we in society can’t go to a public event without worrying about a shooting.  Once AT that public event, I say we still allow the flexibility of an underdog showing their emotion physically with harmless intentions overall.  We just need the security force to not be so Down Incognito.
2. NBA ASG:  I am 51 years old.  Anyone within the 40-55 range remembers a different brand of professional hoops when we were kids.  We are proud of that, and wear the fact that we WATCHED it like a badge.  Magic, Bird, Jordan, Isiah, Charles, Karl, etc.  They treated the midseason “break” like a church service.  Sure, it would start as fun dunks and crazy three pointers, but it would evolve into A) the best playing players on that night on the floor and B) two teams who both desperately wanted to win in the end game.  AND, the MVP was another title to put on the shelf just below MVP, All-NBA, etc.  It was treasured.  Anthony Edwards was the captain of the dismissive team (google anthony Edwards left handed), but he is not alone.  It is the voting, the system, the setup, the media, the players, etc.  The NFL Pro Bowl is a joke, the MLB game doesn’t mean anything anymore, the hockey game is more about the skills than anything else, and the NBA needs to save us.  Pride is the thing that is Down Incognito in this case.
3. NBA HOOPS GREATNESS:  Wemby just had a 5×5 game and is hitting expectations for greatness Down Incognito.  That is amazing.  Hitting those lofty expectations?  Yes.  Like LeBron did.  The reason you don’t hear about him more?  He is on a losing team.  If the Spurs get a good first round pick, and add a veteran, they will make a HUGE leap next year.  I think even Pop is in a jovial mood knowing this.  Watch ANY game highlights of this lad.  What he is doing will break the NBA.  His new rival and ROY competitor, Chet Holmgren, just had his shot blocked late game last night.  Chet is just another seven footer.  Ho-hum.  Wemby might break the average blocked shots per game record next year.  Next.  LeBron is about to join the 40k point club.  Side note.  There is no one else in that club.  On NBA Today, Brian Windhorst was proud to say that he has been covering the NBA for 21 years.  And his first year was covering LeBron…in high school.  And if you missed what LeBron did in the FINAL home/away game against the Clippers the other night, then Google it.  Amazing, and pretty awesome when you outscore the other team on your own, and create your biggest 4^th comeback ever in your 21 years.  Finally, Luka.  As you know, I am the biggest fan of this guy (since Day 1 mind you).  How did he celebrate his 25^th birthday?  Just a casual 30 pt triple double.  Ho hum.
4. COLLEGE HOOPS: When Rick Pitino was under fire by the media (deservedly), he promptly responded on the court by having his squad destroy a very good Creighton team.  BYU came back at Allen Field House to beat Kansas.  Folks, this March will be crazier than ever.  Purdue, Houston, and UConn have separated themselves, but ALL good teams have big flaws.  When doing your bracket, I would check one stat harder than others.  Free throw percentage and turnovers per game.  Oh.  And alert.  THIS guy.  Down Incognito.  I admit to not seeing Dalton Knecht play a full game this year.  Holy crap.  That dude is incredible.  Scouts were literally drooling.  Auburn is one of the best defenses in the land, and every adjustment they made was useless.  Watch Mr. Barnes’s team in March.  My Final Four revised right now?  I am still on Purdue, UCONN, Arizona, and UNC.
5. NBA STANDINGS:  Have you checked out the West PLAY IN games right now?  They would involve a ridiculous amount of HOF’ers for play in games.  Kings, Mavs, Warriors, Lakers.  Wow.  NBA Prediction for The Finals?  I don’t see anything interrupting a Nuggets-Celtics Final except for if the Nugs don’t get the #1 seed in the West.  And you want Down Incognito?  Well, are the MVP voters TRYING to find someone else to vote for?  Jokic is a shoo-in, although I am fine if the Celtics are more than 5 games clear of all teams at the end of the season.  So, I laid in it on the line.  Celtics #1 overall seed and clear by 5 games of everyone?  Tatum is fine in my eyes.  Best player on the best team.  Otherwise, I will laugh at you if the voters don’t go Jokic.  Half of his triple doubles are by the end of the THIRD quarter.  He is literally toying with everyone on the court.  Deep thoughts by Jack Handy.  What if Allen Iverson played now?  AI during AI.  Weird.
6. STEELERS:  Let me be crystal clear.  I WANT Russell Wilson on the Steelers.  I will gladly accept Justin Fields on the Steelers.  I would also welcome Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield, although both are very improbable to leave their towns.  For those who say you give a college QB 3 years to adjust in the NFL, I say that Kenny Pickett was in school longer, so I am only giving him two.  Give me someone else.  Now.  This is not Down Incognito.  This Steelers news is LOUD.
7. NFL & HARDMAN COMMENTS:  Listen, if a guy was at a winning franchise, went to a losing franchise, and then came back to a winning franchise and made the winning catch in the Super Bowl, I will listen to him.  I have no problem with his comments.  He said it was very obvious that the Jets were not a winning culture.  Side note #1.  The Pats released a player today and have $100 million in cap space.  Mayo is going to have some FUN.  Side note #2.  With all of this RB discounting in salary, someone tell me HOW McCaffrey won’t get paid when it is his time?  I get the shift, but he is a unicorn.  This item apparently has no witty way of referencing Down Incognito.
8. COLLEGE FOOTBALL:  They are already discussing a 14 team playoff…before we have even played out the 12 team plan.  Whoa, Bessie (a line I had to say in a school play when I was 8).  Whoa, Nellie, if we are doing Mr. Jackson.  Anyway, I am a firm believer in a 6 team playoff.  I would take 8 at MAX.  12 is too much, but let’s test it out.  14????  So, let’s back it up for a second.  In the words of George Costanza, Beep, beep beep.  What is the beauty of college football?  Well, one is the importance of every single game.  14 teams would ruin it.  You would then have load management before conference title games, since some teams would already be in.  Load management.  You would have meaningless conference title games.  It would just be silly.  Let’s let this 12 team excitement play out, and talk to me about 14 teams about the same time you talk to me about LeBron and Steph teaming up…never.  I would like 14 team college football playoff to permanently go Down Incognito.
9. NFL COMBINE/ MOCK DRAFT:  People want to phase out the combine, or at least the superfluous events.  I personally love the whole event, but get the argument.  Let’s streamline it, but not kill it.  Some players DO move up during the process.  I get some of the athletes not wanting to do it, and I get many top flight players relying more on Pro Day, but let’s not nix the combine just yet.  It has its purpose, and the purpose is more for rounds 3-7.  Embrace it.  Shit, I actually want to go to one someday.  I don’t have much to say about the mock draft except that we wouldn’t have all of these smoke and mirrors with the mock draft if we didn’t have the combine.  Penix is mad he is dropping but healthy.  Maye is curious why he is now a questionable #2.  JJ is somehow wooing teams into thinking about drafting him in the top ten (insane).  It is fun.  Leave it alone.  All trades, picks, and loved players at the combine are…Down Incognito.
10. MLB: Ohtani got married as quietly as he visited teams during free agency.  Down Incognito.  Also, the Rockies pitching staff is wrecking people, and that tracks…as this town just waits for them to fall to the ground once the first 20 games are done.  Glad I stayed a Phillies fan except for that one magical run in 2007 when I faked it.
11. THE MATCH: The first The Match was incredible, but with obvious coverage flaws.  Then, it went downhill.  The Brady/Manning thing was fun for a minute, and then the last one just occurred and I wouldn’t’ have known about it if it wasn’t for Twitter/X.  It was definitely Down Incognito.  Now, they are talking about Tiger and Adam Sandler against Phil and Shoot McGavin.  Count me IN.  Boom goes the dynamite.

(Almost…Tyreek Hill, Charlie Woods, EA Sports $600)

The theme?  Winger is one of my all-time favorite bands.  Every single Glam Rock band of the 80’s had last gasps at staying popular after their initial huge record somewhere between 1985 and 1988.  Some were successful, some weren’t.  Kip Winger even went to Arizona after the record this song was on to sing opera.  But, he is back, and I just saw him a month or two ago.  This was one of the last songs of the Glam Rock era. They still make new music actually.  The point of the theme?  Well, let’s just say that, The Pivot wasn’t totally successful, so The Fillerbuster is going Down Incognito (except for the next two public posts) for a bit within my friend group and socially.  The Pivot wasn’t totally unsuccessful, and let’s just say it was two steps forward and one step back.  Tired of that. My life in March will literally be work, hoops, piano, and working out (two a days have begun).  And, yes, going dry off the sauce too.  Going to get ripped. Mid-month break for my wife’s birthday.  Targets mentally, physically (195lbs, 10% body fat), and spiritually.  All is good overall.  Just, as everyone else wants, going to make it better.

But, shoot! Almost forgot. Here is the damn song. It is awesome. Winger – Down Incognito (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)

My Oscar post next week is going to be epic.  The workshopped version already has me laughing.  As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, I am going to get the flock out of here.