Daily Update: July 11, 2016

“All that stuff about heavy metal and hard rock, I don’t subscribe to any of that. It’s all just music. I mean, the heavy metal from the Seventies sounds nothing like the stuff from the Eighties, and that sounds nothing like the stuff from the Nineties. Who’s to say what is and isn’t a certain type of music?” -Ozzy Osbourne, Musician

I wanted to put a scene from the show, Psych, into today’s post. It is the best television show ever. In fact, I don’t just encourage you to watch it, I BEG you to watch it. You’ll thank me later, if you haven’t already seen it. That said, I never pass up an opportunity to talk about music. Osbourne is totally right. It’s not just a question of what falls into which genre of music, it’s a question of what even constitutes music at all. Music is a form of expression, just like art. All art forms come in many different forms. Think about the evolution of music: It all started with singing (which was really only for worship purposes, originally), and now we have a countless number of instruments. Literally ANYTHING can be considered an instrument. You can bang on ANYTHING to make it a percussion instrument. If that is the case, couldn’t something as ordinary as a car blinker be considered music? I believe so. A blinker is actually very similar to a metronome in that it keeps a steady beat. In fact, I often find myself singing in time with my blinker. So, if ordinary items like a car blinker can be considered music, and music is an art form, and an art form is a way to express one’s self, doesn’t that mean there are endless possibilities for expressing ourselves? YES! That is probably my favorite thing about life. Literally EVERYTHING we do is an expression of ourselves; Whether it be a literal art form like music, or having a conversation with someone. Everything we do defines who we are. Successes and Failures, Communication and Silence, Action and Laziness. So, who’s to say who we are and aren’t other than ourselves? Nobody. Yeah, I just turned a quote about music into a discussion on individuality. That’s part of who I am. I see music as a link between us and everything around us. Star Wars is also part of who I am (I have been practicing my Kylo Ren walk with my new Kylo Ren lightsaber because, frankly, it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen. As much as I love the character of Kylo Ren and I believe Adam Driver does an AMAZING job of acting it, especially with the conflicted and immature temper tantrums, I really don’t understand why his walk is so ridiculous. It’s like they tried to replicate the menacing gait of David Prowse, who was the physical actor of Darth Vader, and they failed miserably.), so, in theory, my view of music is that it is ‘The Force’. There is no limit to who we can be because our only limit is our imagination. Express yourself in whatever way you deem fit, because at the end of the day, no matter what anyone else says, only YOU can say who you are, and who you aren’t. The daily quote is one way that I express myself, and the daily news is the other:

1. San Antonio Spurs C/F Tim Duncan is retiring. The news comes after 19 seasons in the league. As a reference, Duncan used to play with David Robinson in San Antonio, and the two were known as the “Twin Towers”. Duncan has five NBA Championships, two MVPs, and 15 All-Star appearances. He will be in the Hall of Fame.
2. I owe you all a HUGE apology. I forgot to congratulate Portugal on their Euro league Championship that they won over the weekend. Very impressive for them winning the final game over France with Christiano Ronaldo out for most of the game, too. Well done, well deserved!
3. Buffalo Bills QB Tyrod Taylor is beginning to be talked about a lot for his current contract situation. Taylor is set to make just $3 million next season. That’s a lot for most of us, but for a starting QB in the NFL, it’s practically nothing. Talks about an expensive extension for Taylor haven’t gone particularly well this offseason, as his resume is really only last season long. Although he was impressive last season, his injuries are apparently concerning Bills management. My advice: Just pay the man. Do you REALLY have a better idea at QB? Maybe you could bring QB Ryan Fitzpatrick back. 🙂 Look out New York Jets fans, I might have just given Bills coach Rex Ryan a wonderful idea for terrorizing you.
4. Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley addressed the media again today. This time, it was regarding fantasy football. According to Gurley, there are only three options for the number one overall pick in your fantasy draft: him, Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown, and Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton. While he and Brown are worthy of a pick at least close to number one, PLEASE don’t draft a QB with the number one overall pick. EVER. That is a TERRIBLE idea. There are always fantastic fantasy free agent QBs available every week. Some of my favorites last season were Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota, Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles, and the aforementioned Buffalo Bills QB Tyrod Taylor. All three had weeks where they outperformed Newton. You just need to do the research to figure out which weeks those will be this season. That said, still draft a QB at some point. I’m definitely not condoning a lack of QB pickups via fantasy drafts.
5. The San Diego Chargers. Will San Diego stay in front of the Chargers name? San Diego voters will determine the answer to that question when they vote in November on the raising of hotel taxes to build the Chargers a new downtown stadium. Personally, I believe the Chargers will be staying put. Especially if the coming season goes as well for them as I think it will.
6. The Dallas Cowboys defense is in desperation mode with some key suspensions to start the season; So much so, that they have engaged in discussions with LB Justin Durant about bringing him back to Dallas. Durant is currently a free agent after being released by the Atlanta Falcons after just one season in Atlanta. Durant was with the Cowboys prior to that. I actually believe this is a great move for the Cowboys. Durant is a capable starter. Not top-notch, but capable, for sure.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has been spreading the word that the Jags will win in 2016. Agreed. If you’ve seen my win projections, you know that I think as highly of the Jags as Khan does. Although they lack the experience to make a Super Bowl run, this team definitely has the talent to make a playoff run.
8. New York Giants P Brad Wing has received a contract extension. The deal is three-years in length, and is worth $6.45 million. Last season was his first in New York, and his 33 punts inside the 20-yard line tied the Giants single-season record set by P Brad Maynard twice. Thank goodness. As a Giants fan, I know that the team needs to have a good punter. He will have plenty of work to do.
9. Ex-San Francisco 49ers RB Jarryd Hayne left San Francisco to pursue his Olympic dream of playing for Fiji’s rugby unit. That dream fell short. Now, Hayne looks to return to the National Rugby League. If the 49ers are smart, however, they will resign Hayne. He showed promise as a kick returner last season. Plus, when your team is as bad as the 49ers currently are, why not?

That’s all for TheHaysWay today, make sure to leave a comment on the daily quote and/or the daily news and/or whatever is on your mind, along with a much-appreciated like. Have a pleasant tomorrow.