Tag: Ballers

What Song Does the HBO Intro Remind You of First?

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I saw this question posed on Twitter somewhere, but can’t find the original tweet so here we are. Now I have a feeling the answers are going to skew wildly here. Everyone has an HBO show that they watched religiously before the fracturing of content with social media and streaming. These days I watch so many shows on so many platforms I don’t really associate them with any one channel. Back in the day though you’d have to wait all week for your next fix and come Sunday night when that HBO static noise drops its like the first drip of morphine.

Disclaimer: This is not a list of the *best* HBO shows, this is a list of what hits your brain first when you hear the opening static. The Sopranos is an all-time show, but I was 10 when it started so I only watched episodes here and there with my dad in later seasons. I didn’t even properly binge Sopranos until last year, so go ahead and shame me if you want, but Tony’s fate in my rankings is not as ambiguous as that finale was.

With so many all-time shows and cult classic series, what song does the HBO Intro remind you of first?

3.) True Detective

The first season of True Detective is one of the few instances of TV in the past decade that was appointment viewing. The HBO Opening followed by that creepy Bayoux theme song was a one two punch that had me glued to my seat no matter what. There could have been a fire in my kitchen and I would have let my shitty Allston apartment burn just so I could try and figure out who the Yellow King was.

2.) Game of Thrones

Pound for pound my favorite TV show of all time and one that changed the game forever, despite some minor (massive) missteps over the final season or two. This was a show you couldn’t afford to miss the opening seconds so the dog was walked, the snacks were set up, and the lights were dimmed at 8:58 pm leaving nothing but silence in my house as that sweet, sweet HBO Opening hit followed by one of the greatest opening sequences in TV history. I literally went to a Ramin Djawadi concert just to hear this played by a live orchestra and it was some of the best money I ever spent.

1.) Entourage

For me the hands down No. 1 in the Power Rankings is Entourage. I readily admit a lot of this has to do with the age I was when Entourage was starting off and hitting its stride, but when I hear that HBO static the first thing I think of is Vinny and the boys. This show was just straight up fun to watch with your buds so it’s probably just a dopamine connection in my brain. Did the show become formulaic in its later seasons? Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that my brain is hardwired to play Jane’s Addiction in my head as soon as I hear the HBO Intro.

So who ya got?

PS – The honorable mention that didn’t make this list is Ballers. I don’t even really associate Ballers with the HBO Opening (hence not making the list), but tell me you can’t think of The Rock just crushing deals every time you hear Lil Wayne and Drake’s “Right Above It.”

LiAngelo Ball Signs with Los Angeles…in the League LaVar Ball Started

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Yahoo – After working out with a number of NBA teams ahead of the 2018 NBA draft, LiAngelo Ball has found a home — in the Junior Ball Association. Per a release sent Monday, LiAngelo Ball will indeed play in the league started by his dad, LaVar Ball. He will also play on the Los Angeles Ballers team with his brother, LaMelo.

I would be doing a disservice to our fans if I didn’t chime in on the latest Ball family news. To be honest, I’ve fallen off on my viewership of Ball in the Family, which ain’t terrible. The show does a good job of painting LaVar as a guy that just wants the best for his family at all costs more so than the overbearing asshole we see popping off in the media piggybacking off his son’s fame. Thats probablyyy the exact intent of the show though so I won’t be putting LaVar into the parenting hall of fame or anything, but its worth checking out. Plus it is produced by Bunim and Murray so if you’ve watched just about any reality TV show in the past 20 years then you’ll feel oddly at home watching this on Facebook of all places.

Now with all the niceties out of the way, lets get to the latest Ball family news. Remember when LaVar Ball screamed from the rooftop that there should be a league where young guys can play and develop their game while also getting paid, without having to go to places like, oh ya know, motherfucking Lithuania?? Well he actually went and made that league; the Junior Ball Association. We actually blogged about this a while back and as we said, its not the worst idea.

“The modern day Vince McMahon just continues to roll along with his idea du jour; an alternative basketball league to compete with the NCAA. It’s geared at top players who don’t want to go to college, or ya know shit holes like Lithuania. Ya think LaMelo and LiAngelo might prefer playing in this league rather than taking trains and ferrys to Baltic League games in Kiev?

I gotta admit, this guy is COCKY, and it is contagious. Because on its face, its not a bad idea. If the NBA is so stuck on its “One and Done” rule (which it may actually get rid of sooner than later) then whats the point of a guy going to Duke for 8 months and showing up to a handful of classes posing as a college student like he’s in Never Been Kissed?”

With that being said LiAngelo Ball signing with and getting paid to play in the JBA, after failing to get drafted in the NBA or latch on with a summer league team, is downright laughable.

“At age 19, Ball was not selected in the 2018 NBA draft, nor did he sign on with an NBA Summer League team. Weeks ago, in an interview with NiceKicks.com, Ball said he was not going to play in the JBA. “I feel like that’s taking a step back for me,” he said June 27 to Nice Kicks. “If I have to play in the G-League then that’s what it’s going to be. I’m not running away from the work.”

Whoops.

This was to be expected as Woj said he had “no shot” of getting drafted and literally quoted GMs as laughing about the thought. Ouch.

So now we turn to the league that dad started. For anyone buried in student loans who has friends or coworkers that are buying houses and leasing out condos they’ve bought because they came from a well off family — this shit has to drive you insane.

LiAngelo seems like a nice enough dude besides the whole nearly starting World War III between the US and China because he needed to shoplift some fresh shades. Still to this day, avoiding an international incident after all that is DT45’s greatest accomplishment.

But I just cannot see this news without laughing at how soft it comes off. Just think about every rich kid you know, its hard to truly respect someone that has had it that easy.
Imagine you couldn’t get a job at the company you wanted to work for so your dad just up and makes a company for you to work at and get paid? That sounds like something out of a sitcom.

Like Ray Romano’s kid doesn’t make the baseball team so Ray and Robert start their own team and put all their own money into it. Sure, Debra would probably bitch and moan about it for the whole 22 minutes, but Ray doesn’t give a shit about Debra, hasn’t for years. Hilarity ensues.

But hey, play the hand your dealt I guess. Lonzo was a legit NCAA stud and top NBA draft pick. LiAngelo probably only got recruited to play at UCLA because of his brother. Meanwhile, the youngest of the three, LaMelo, has some potential to make the NBA. So if you’re the middle brother who’s stuck in no mans land, might as well take dad’s money, play ball in Los Angeles, all while still getting to put “Professional Athlete” on your LinkedIn page.