A campaign bus for U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville burst into flames on the highway Wednesday in Dekalb County, Alabama. Since authorities reported no injuries to local news outlets, The Open Man can make light of the situation without it being in completely poor taste! Hmm, poor taste -- sort of like Tommy Tuberville ostensibly…
The Open Man may be painfully late with this: It's been a week since Bill Simmons hoisted himself on his petard in The New York Times, opening the sports-media kingmaker to outside criticism from Drew Magary, Henry Abbott and others. A 2020 week is equivalent to roughly two years in traditional human time, and in…
Among pro wrestling's staples of yesteryear that faded into obscurity was the sniveling heel manager. Texas Senator Ted Cruz seems intent on bringing it back, albeit repurposed for the political theater. Firstly though, dear reader, allow me to assuage any concern that the following is a political diatribe. The Open Man is sticking to sports…
Today's column was intended to be a Q&A — and it will come, eventually. However, delving into the Power Five-Group of Five schism possible amid COVID-19 and other such interesting yet ultimately frivolous topics on this day feels tone deaf. Perhaps I could stick to sports as some in our society lustily demand, but silence when one…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKxCg5hAxc&feature=youtu.be ESPN's The Last Dance was a ratings hit. Credit quarantine to an extent, but other examples support the idea of a large audience being under-served in its desire for thoughtful, in-depth media. For a supplementary viewpoint noted in the commentary, check out Quinton Reviews' analysis of documentary presentation.
In a time when athletic competition has reached a standstill, we seek out sport wherever it might be found. And one of the most beloved sports in the short-yet-fruitful history of the blogosphere has long been taking shots at Bill Simmons. The premise is admittedly tired, but offering up a take this scorching in the…
Foolish American "news" sources reporting Dear Leader Kim Jong Un has died spread false propaganda. Not only is Kim Jong Un still alive, but the following are the sporting endeavors of Dear Leader today, April 25, 2020: Kim Jong Un golfed 72 holes at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's finest course, Pyongyang Golf Course.…
I'm worried about Ja Rule. Seemingly poised to become one of the faces of East Coast hip-hop in the years falling Biggie Smalls' death, 50 Cent weakened Rule's rising star with the scathing diss track, "Wanksta." 50 later said the track wasn't about Ja Rule specifically, but the less famous and earlier 50 song "Life's…
The inherent competition, relationship dynamics, effort to overcome obstacles, and violence that go into football make the sport easily adapted to the big screen. Football's relationship with Hollywood dates back to the silent film era. While I can't point to one specific movie that launched the genre, former Illinois Fighting Illini star Red Grange's successful…
Acronyms not denoting sports organizations rarely appear in the lede of columns here at The Open Man, but I must make an exception after reading Sports Illustrated's Greatest YouTube Videos of All-Time: SMH. The 10 videos, nominated by SI readers on Twitter, show a lack of appreciation for the past greats who paved the way…
Working on a film project required me to revisit a few, college-themed movies of yesteryear. Among them is the 1986 blockbuster hit Back to School, starring Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton Melon. I first watched Back to School in my freshman year of college, as part of a binge into teen-comedy classics from before my time.…
FS1 launched 5 1/2 years ago, promising to be the FUN alternative to...well, ESPN's name wasn't said specifically, but anyone who consumed sports media knew exactly to what the new FOX flagship's ad campaign alluded. Various reboots and myriad staff changes later, FS1 is a barren wasteland. To borrow a phrase from Billy Crystal: It's…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdVWKM1ILs
No other film could occupy this place in The Open Man's spotlight on movies for Halloween, because no other horror movie -- or maybe any movie period -- uses the Red River Rivalry as a plot point. Twelve years after the iconic original, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 opens with two loud, drunk frat boys…
In the first installment of The Open Man's 31 Movies of Halloween, Your Humble Author posited that the most terrifying horror exploits relatable phobias. Unrealistic characters and scenarios become genuinely frightening when they manifest in very real situations. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remains, some 40 years after its controversial release, the benchmark for real-world terror…
