30 For 30

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:52 pm

I just watched the first half of "Survive and Advance" with my kids. Man, it's great. I had forgotten just how many games that team fell behind and won in the final seconds. It's staggering. And the characters - Valvano especially - are so compelling that it makes for great storytelling. It's real-life Hoosiers. I can't wait to watch the second half, even if I know they're coming up to the game against UVA that broke my 12-year-old heart.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:43 am

Shirley wrote:I just watched the first half of "Survive and Advance" with my kids. Man, it's great. I had forgotten just how many games that team fell behind and won in the final seconds. It's staggering. And the characters - Valvano especially - are so compelling that it makes for great storytelling. It's real-life Hoosiers. I can't wait to watch the second half, even if I know they're coming up to the game against UVA that broke my 12-year-old heart.

I thought it was great as well. Valvano should have been a stand-up comedian. The way he could work a room was incredible.

And I think I've told this before....but I was at that UVa-NCState game. Regional Finals. In Ogden, Utah. It was my freshman year at Univ. of Utah, and by some miracle, a very mediocre Utah team won the WAC tourney, got the automatic bid, then upset Illinois and UCLA in the first weekend, and went to the Sweet 16 in Odgen. It was Spring Break, and I stayed on campus to ski, and just walked over to the Athletic Department with a friend of mine and bought tickets. Turns out we had killer seats...right above where the TV cameras were, at center court.

Utah got the brief mention....Whittenburg said "Finally, we got an easy game". Yep, that was against Utah, in the Regional Semi's.

And the tip-in that Sampson made just a second after the buzzer was freaking amazing. If it had counted, it would be played every year in the highlight reels.

Post by **brian** » Tue May 07, 2013 2:24 pm

ESPN planning a 30 for 30 for next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last Cleveland pro sports title.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue May 07, 2013 4:33 pm

brian wrote:ESPN planning a 30 for 30 for next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last Cleveland pro sports title.

Cleveland - "The City of Almost"

Post by **brian** » Tue May 07, 2013 4:36 pm

I'm not sure it's better or worse for the filmmakers if by some miracle the Indians or Browns actually win a title this year.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed May 08, 2013 7:56 am

brian wrote:I'm not sure it's better or worse for the filmmakers if by some miracle the Indians or Browns actually win a title this year.

I'm ok with the latter.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 11:19 pm

I just watched the Brian Bosworth one and it was fascinating. For one, the clips of him at Oklahoma are incredible. He looks like a video game. I remember him being great, but he might have been better than I remembered.

His change in attitude now is pretty stark as well. He seemed honestly contrite and ashamed of the things he did. He broke down in front of this kid (his MUCH smaller son) several times. It sounds like his dad was a real piece of work - your classic psycho football, Great Santini dad.

That said, there appeared to be quite a bit of humble bragging in there as well.

Bensell · Post by **Bensell** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 5:31 pm

As much as I liked the Boz 30 for 30,the Randy Moss one "Rand U" was better. Interested to see the sequel to The U sometime this weekend.

Post by **brian** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:36 pm

Yeah, the Rand University one was awesome. To this day, Randy Moss is the best college football player I've ever seen in person. And I've seen some pretty damn good players over the years. (Anthony Carter is probably #2. I'm going solely by their play/accomplishments/awesomeness in college.)

ETA:

Also think about that Heisman Trophy Final Four that year. Three absolute dead-nuts first ballot NFL Hall of Famers (Moss, Manning, Woodson). And Ryan Leaf.

EdRomero · Post by **EdRomero** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:21 pm

brian wrote: Also think about that Heisman Trophy Final Four that year. Three absolute dead-nuts first ballot NFL Hall of Famers (Moss, Manning, Woodson). And Ryan Leaf.

Yes, and right away I was thinking there must be some type of coot trivia question based on those 4. Wonder if any other Heisman final four comes close.

As for Randy Moss, beside being the most amazing athletic freak I've seen, he's also one of the most compelling. Once you get past the Joe Buck/Fatty McButterpants scolding, you see a very interesting guy. And the documentaryjust added to it.

EdRomero · Post by **EdRomero** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:59 pm

Bensell wrote:Interested to see the sequel to The U sometime this weekend.

It was awesome. What a team they had right after Butch Davis left (and he shockingly said he regrets that he left to go to the Browns). Then I got to get pissed off all over again when Ohio State got that very, very late pass interference call. And they got screwed over when the BCS picked FSU over them for an earlier championship game. And of course, like any 30 for 30 episode featuring college athletes, the NCAA makes a great appearance playing the buffoon. And Nevin Shapiro seems to be such a pretty cool guy.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:59 am

EdRomero wrote:
Bensell wrote:Interested to see the sequel to The U sometime this weekend.
It was awesome. What a team they had right after Butch Davis left (and he shockingly said he regrets that he left to go to the Browns). Then I got to get pissed off all over again when Ohio State got that very, very late pass interference call. And they got screwed over when the BCS picked FSU over them for an earlier championship game. And of course, like any 30 for 30 episode featuring college athletes, the NCAA makes a great appearance playing the buffoon. And Nevin Shapiro seems to be such a pretty cool guy.

Like most sequels, I thought the original was much, much better.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:57 am

Totally agree except the 2nd one had G-Reg Olsen rapping

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:19 am

Ryan wrote:Totally agree except the 2nd one had G-Reg Olsen rapping

And dropping a rhyme about his third leg. HOT FIRE!!!!!

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:38 am

brian wrote:Yeah, the Rand University one was awesome. To this day, Randy Moss is the best college football player I've ever seen in person. And I've seen some pretty damn good players over the years. (Anthony Carter is probably #2. I'm going solely by their play/accomplishments/awesomeness in college.)

ETA:

Also think about that Heisman Trophy Final Four that year. Three absolute dead-nuts first ballot NFL Hall of Famers (Moss, Manning, Woodson). And Ryan Leaf.

Watching Anthony Carter live was special. Kind of like watching The Rocket or Denard... The speed at which they change(d) direction was video game/CGI level.

Post by **brian** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 1:11 pm

Sean, Jerloma, et al will not be surprised that Antonio Brown is in my top 5 and really not by personal bias. If you watch his highlights from college, it's obvious (especially in retrospect) that he was on a different level than the competition. To this day I have no earthly idea how he wasn't picked until the late rounds of the draft.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 1:57 pm

brian wrote:Sean, Jerloma, et al will not be surprised that Antonio Brown is in my top 5 and really not by personal bias. If you watch his highlights from college, it's obvious (especially in retrospect) that he was on a different level than the competition. To this day I have no earthly idea how he wasn't picked until the late rounds of the draft.

Hell, he looks like that sometimes now.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:04 pm

He wasn't blazing fast at the combine...4.56 40, which is a red flag for an undersized receiver, no.

He is an absolute stud, now of course. He's like Wes Welker but with AJ Green's vertical receiving game. He catches everything, goes over the middle, but can also beat you deep.

Post by **brian** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:03 pm

Coming out of college at least I felt his most underrated ability was his elusiveness. A LOT of his college yards were all YAC. That CMU offense ran a lot of WR screens, etc and he would turn what should have been a 5 yard gain into a 70 yard TD. So in his case especially I felt his 40 time was a little overrated. What's interesting is how well the rest of his game has developed, especially his route running.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:06 pm

brian wrote:Coming out of college at least I felt his most underrated ability was his elusiveness. A LOT of his college yards were all YAC. That CMU offense ran a lot of WR screens, etc and he would turn what should have been a 5 yard gain into a 70 yard TD. So in his case especially I felt his 40 time was a little overrated. What's interesting is how well the rest of his game has developed, especially his route running.

You're assuming that the scouts would take the time to watch enough film to gather that, sadly, on a guy from the MAC. And also to realize that it would translate to a game where the linebackers/defensive backs are way faster than they were in college.

Of course, if they are really doing their job, that's exactly what they should have been doing.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:55 pm

The 30 for 30 about the Miracle on Ice ("Of Miracles and Men") was solid. My son (who is not a big spots fan) was riveted. Helped that we went to Lake Placid this past summer. Now my question is do I need to see Red Army (http://sonyclassics.com/redarmy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Seems like they are using some of the same photos, clips, and interviews.

Figured someone had seen both
http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/30-30-mira ... men-214955" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:06 pm

The U Part2 was really strong as well. Boy did it make Miami President Donna Shalala look like an idiot.

And for some reason I'd forgotten about the hose job on the Hurricanes in the national championship game against the Buckeyes. One of the worst moments in officiating in any sport at any time.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:17 pm

How was the Russian version not titled Lake Flaccid?

Post by **brian** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 1:41 pm

Pruitt wrote:The U Part2 was really strong as well. Boy did it make Miami President Donna Shalala look like an idiot.

And for some reason I'd forgotten about the hose job on the Hurricanes in the national championship game against the Buckeyes. One of the worst moments in officiating in any sport at any time.

At least they didn't call the PI and then pick up the flag without any sort of explanation or anything.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:44 pm

I finally watched I Hate Christian Laettner tonight. Man, that was a good one. Really well done. It was incredible watching the clips and remembering just how good he was, particularly on the move. Not too many 6'11" guys have ever had skills like that. And boy was he really fucking easy to hate. Frankly, the show probably should have mentioned that Hurley was just about as unlikable as Laettner. The difference is that Hurley wasn't quite as good and he wasn't a dick in real life.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:03 am

Shirley wrote:I finally watched I Hate Christian Laettner tonight. Man, that was a good one. Really well done. It was incredible watching the clips and remembering just how good he was, particularly on the move. Not too many 6'11" guys have ever had skills like that. And boy was he really fucking easy to hate. Frankly, the show probably should have mentioned that Hurley was just about as unlikable as Laettner. The difference is that Hurley wasn't quite as good and he wasn't a dick in real life.

I thought it was terribly done. Content aside, I thought the structure was bad, forced even, and had no rthythm.

Post by **Shirley** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:35 am

AB_skin_test wrote:
Shirley wrote:I finally watched I Hate Christian Laettner tonight. Man, that was a good one. Really well done. It was incredible watching the clips and remembering just how good he was, particularly on the move. Not too many 6'11" guys have ever had skills like that. And boy was he really fucking easy to hate. Frankly, the show probably should have mentioned that Hurley was just about as unlikable as Laettner. The difference is that Hurley wasn't quite as good and he wasn't a dick in real life.
I thought it was terribly done. Content aside, I thought the structure was bad, forced even, and had no rthythm.

Interesting. I didn't like the way they kind of jumped back and forth with the storylines (e.g. mentioning the UNLV game and only way later the subsequent Kansas title game. Even later they finally mentioned the UConn win from the previous year.) But I thought it was well done.

I thought breaking the hate down to five parts was a good way to explain why Laettner, and to a large part, all Duke players, was so hated. Come to think of it, I may have written a blog post kind of like that several years ago.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:44 am

#TeamAB

I got more out of the 5 minutes during the Fab Five doc they spent talking about Duke than I did from this.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 8:24 am

With all the skill why couldnt he make it in the NBA?

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 8:39 am

degenerasian wrote:With all the skill why couldnt he make it in the NBA?

He averaged like 18 a game until he tore his achilles

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 8:41 am

degenerasian wrote:With all the skill why couldnt he make it in the NBA?

13 seasons is pretty damn good.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 9:06 am

but that was with the Hawks. The question was why couldn't he make it in the NBA?

Post by **brian** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:51 am

ESPN is working on a 5-hour 30 for 30 on OJ. Expected to drop in October.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 1:49 pm

So 4:45 focusing on how the league had nothing to do with it and 15 minutes of chase and trial coverage?

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 1:51 pm

you're forgetting that they gotta work in some time for Jalen Rose to talk about the Fab Five

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 2:49 pm

Odds Simmons appears in it are about 1-to-1,000,000,000 or so, right?

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 2:59 pm

The first hour is about O.J., then Simmons pops up to introduce his theory that the Bronco chase caused a butterfly's-wings sequence of events leading to the Red Sox winning the World Series a decade later, which then becomes the subject of the remaining four hours.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sun May 10, 2015 10:57 am

The Little Master

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 12:44 pm

This should be great

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 12:46 pm

Title referring to what I'm going to do to my remote's DVR button.