I beg your pardon?

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Two of A Kind: John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski

John Calipari stands for what’s wrong in college basketball, while Mike Krzyzewski represents what’s pure about the game. These seem to be the respective narratives that follow the two best college basketball coaches. They present themselves differently, to be sure, but are they all that different?

“Calipari is the salesman who laughs past the pretense that his players are ostensibly students first; alternatively, he is the false consciousness-lifting truth-teller who plays within bad rules (after years of reportedly flouting them) and thereby exposes the sport’s unfair reality. Krzyzewski is the traditionalist who still believes in developing players; or he is the hypocrite who pretends that player development is his priority, rather than winning.”

Here’s the thing, Duke exploits the absurd NBA rule requiring players to be one year removed from high school before entering the draft just as much as Kentucky. Talent trumps experience in big-time college hoops. Calipari accepts it, Krzyzewski grumbles over it, but they both know it’s true and run their teams accordingly. -PAL

Source: “Kentucky and Duke Are Looking More Alike All the Time”, Marc Tracy, The New York Times (11/17/18)

TOB: I’ll take it a bit further than Phil is willing to: Calipari and Coach K are the same, but Cal is honest and Coach K is full of it. Here’s the thing about “one-and-done” college basketball players: It’s such a farce. To remain eligible, they need only pass classes the Fall semester, then they can focus on basketball in the Spring. Anyone who pays attention understands this, and really it’s fine. But here’s why I can’t stand Coach K: There was a time when Coach K tried to hold himself and his program up as a model for all other college basketball programs to follow. And he resisted the move toward “one-and-done” recruits because, by golly, he had principles. But, Coach K had those principles until Duke stopped winning. Then those principles went right out the window. Now, Coach K freely recruits players he knows will leave after one year – for example, last season he won the national title on the backs of three freshman who did not return to Duke this year: Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, and Tyus Jones. In my view, Coach K is the guy who looks at the system and pretends to be above the fray, and Coach Cal is a guy who embraces the hand he was dealt.

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Fashionable + “Technology” = Nike Air

I’ve been buying the same model of running shoes for a couple years now. Before that, I bought the same running shoe for 5 years. Over the course of 7 years, 14 pairs of running shoes. I find shoes that feel good, and I stick with them, but I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t care what they looked like (the current pair are a god-awful black and green combo). Let’s be honest here, there is a certain level of fashion in our fitness purchases. If we’re going to put in the work, we’re at least going to get the cool gear, right? Damn right. Want to read a great story on marketing? I highly recommend this history of Nike Air. Teaser below. – PAL

“Nike’s mercurial take on technology is a lot like the fashion industry’s relationship to certain recurring trends, like fur or metal. They come and go, without much rhyme or reason. There’s very little science involved in Nike’s constantly-evolving ideas about shoes. Yet for fans, the bullshit seems to be half the fun.”

Source: “The Absurd History of Nike Air Technology”, Adam Clark Estes, Gizmodo (11/19/15)

TOB: That last line is perfect.

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Video of the Week:

May-may!

Bonus Video of the Week

White Chocolate. Nuff said.

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PAL Song of the Week: Charley Pride – “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone”

Here’s the full playlist of all our picks. Get fat on turkey, stuffing, and good tunes.

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“You know that Julie chick? Loves you. You want her? Gotta play it cool, you know. You can’t let her know how much you like her, cause if she knows, she’ll dump you like that. Believe me. Like, if she asks you if you want a ride, you say, ‘No, I’ve got my own ride, but maybe I’ll see you later.’ Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? It works.”

-Dawson