As I’m sure you’ve heard, there’s new Gorillaz. Pitchfork loved it, be it their quirky infatuation with gangsta rappers doing non-gangsta stuff, or that the record is actually quite excellent. First listeners probably won’t recognize it as Gorillaz, which is great, because the good music acts always switch it up. Nobody wants Demon Days 2 - or at least nobody of much substance wants Demon Days 2 - and that’s exactly what this isn’t.

What lies within the grooves is instead nearly an hour of synthetic shore-inspired music, living up to its title like no other record has lived up to its title since Big Bear did thangs. In this respect, Plastic Beach hammers in its concept a little heavy-handed; after the thirtieth mentioning of the word “plastic”, or the last marimba or other stereotypically “oceanic” instrument, or the final realization that synthesizers are “synthesized”, you might get a little queasy. Fortunately, not only are plastic beaches (and everything associated with them) incredibly fucking cool visually, conceptually, and romantically, but there’s still so much more on the record.

Here’s the deal. Albarn has millions of dollars, yet he decides to make a record that sounds like it was made in a basement in 1980. That’s some vision. Tracks like “Stylo” and “Glitter Freeze” are trudging, rolling 80’s vamps with almost zero place in today’s pop music scene of post-grunge stop-start dynamics, relying far more on the evolution of sound than hooks or gimmicky rhymes.

But to expect from Gorillaz, there’s a fresh mix of hip hop that middle-fingers today’s rap cliches in a way that’s absolutely delightful. Snoop’s on the first proper track, and he’s saying absolutely nothing about 24’s. And you know, it’s not like I believe that the only “good” rap is the rap that eschews bling and cash for vague, crackered out intellectual concepts, it’s that I love to see an artist not doing his thing, and that’s exactly what Snoop’s doing: showcasing that same sly voice we’ve come to love without all the unnecessary hooplah over some incredibly fresh production.

The poppier tracks like “On Melancholy Hill” definitely show that Albarn (ex-member of Blur, for the uninformed) is in charge here. Sauntering on like a recent Muse track, the song is everything Albarn has been going for since before Demon Days: that washed out, radio-vocals sound, that dismal feeling, that somewhat paradoxical upliftingness.

If someone told me a month ago that there’d be a pop record featuring vintage synthesizers, all the hottest rappers, Bobby Fucking Womack, Mos Def, ridiculously 80’s production, and completely brilliant, poetic lyrics, I would have assumed, but never believed, Gorillaz. Well, it’s true. It’s pop, for sure, and though Plastic may be a little hard to digest, its perfect focus and style are something I hope are imitated.

The Men’s SEC Tournament is just underway with South Carolina playing Auburn. LSU will begin right at 2:15 against a very tough Tennessee team that will be headed to the big dance regardless of how they fair in the conference tourney. LSU is about as far from the an NCAA bid as a team can get and would need an absolute miracle this weekend to play into March Madness.

Of the teams playing today only Florida stands a chance at gaining an NCAA bid without necessarily winning the tournament. A win today and 1 more likely will buy Florida’s ticket to the NCAA’s. As for every other team playing today in the SEC, the lucky number is 4, a feat that a last place Georgia team pulled off just two seasons ago.

This is a different SEC than it was two years ago.

There’s a guy named John Calipari you can thank for that.

But, don’t be surprised if Kentucky is not the team that cuts the nets in Nashville come Sunday. Calipari has already said that the goal for Kentucky is not an SEC Tourney win, but instead a #1 seed in the NCAA Tourney and the best chance for the Wildcats to win the National Championship. With that being said, his team won’t be nearly as hungry as some other SEC teams that need this tourney win just to be invited to the big dance.

LSU has a decent chance of pulling off an upset today against Tennessee, a team that narrowly beat them nearly a month ago.  Tennessee could be a team like Kentucky that might possess that same hunger that a team like LSU will likely have with their win or go home mindset. Tasmin Mitchell would love nothing more than to prolong his LSU career as long as possible.

LSU won’t win the SEC Tournament this year.

Look for a team like Mississippi State to win the tournament. They’re my dark horse to pull off the upset, with some help of course. The way things shape up, the Bulldogs wouldn’t have to pay Kentucky until the Championship game. If a team like Tennessee or Ole Miss could some how upset Kentucky and State only has to go through Florida and Vandy, I like their chances.

The favorite has to be Vanderbilt, but I’d be willing to bet Miss St has a better chance than people think to win the tourney.

It would be awesome though if LSU pulled off the impossible and ran the table.

Geaux Tigers!

Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010)

I’d like to pay special tribute today and say rest in peace to “Lucas” and “Lost Boys” star Cory Haim. I won’t lie, I always thought Feldman was tragic one.

On March 10, 2010 it was reported that former child star Corey Haim was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California and pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m. (PST).

The LAPD said his death appeared to be an accidental drug overdose, and an investigation is underway. The coroner’s office said an autopsy will determine the cause of death.

Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said.

“He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs. Who knows?” Mann said. “He has had a drug problem in the past.”

No word from Feldman yet, but if he’s taking this anywhere near as hard as he took it when Michael Jackson died, he’s in a bad way.

Rest in Peace.

Did you know that since 2001 (including this upcoming season) Alex Rodriguez has made over $253 million dollars in salary alone? This doesn’t count endorsements or bonus for playoff appearances or World Series games, nope just regualar season baseball games. Now he has been perhaps the most consistent player in all of baseball (aside from Albert Pujols) during that stretch and has won 3 MVP awards, a World Series title and numerous other awards but come on. Are athletes really deserving of making that kind of money?

We have all accepted the fact that athletes are millionaires. Some more so than others. But at what point does the money reach a ceiling? Who are paying these athletes? Why do ticket prices go up every season regardless of if your team is any good or not?

Playing sports for a living should be enough of a perk without getting paid ungodly amounts of money. What is it all for?

If you are a professional team how much money are you willing to spend to win a championship? MLB teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are not the norm and usually pay double and triple the average money that smaller market teams pay unlike the teams in the NFL and NBA that are confined to pay a no more than what their respective salary caps allow. But when thinking about championships (in light of the Saints’ recent Super Bowl) I thought ‘why do teams pay so much money when only one team can win each year?’

Why do they?

Most people are filled with excitement for only a week or two after their championship anyway so why does it even matter? It’s just a game, isn’t it?

So my question is what is a championship worth to you? (Why do Yankee fans get excited about a World Series when they can pay for everything they want and need and some? Doesn’t it take away from the fun of the game?)

Being a Saints fan, I was stoked following the win over Indianapolis. But now just a month removed from the game everyone is already focused on next season. So if one single season is worth so little but a couple weeks of celebration for the one lucky team out of a league of 30, why pay so much for a player to do something that is fun to do in the first place?

I’m not, by no means, saying athletes shouldn’t be paid a lot of money, but guys like A Rod and guys like Julius Peppers are paid so much money for something that they will be lucky to win one or two of, but once achieved is part the past just as fast as it happened.

There are too many different professional sports and athletes that play them to warrant such high salaries. Sure they are fun to watch and are very much entertaining but seasons come and go and there can only be a select few that win.

This sounds like a ramble and I’m not even completely sure what my whole point was supposed to be but it just eats me up seeing a guy like A Rod make $253 million + and only have 1 championship to show for it that wasn’t really all because of him to start with.

What do you think? Are championships overvalued? Should athletes make less?

Let me here from you.

E-mail me at  joshssports@gmail.com

It was great seeing Tasmin Mitchell win his final game at the PMAC this past Saturday. Mitchell (1979) is currently third all time on the LSU scoring list behind Rudy Maclin and Pistol Pete. Mitchell’s 20 points against Georgia in his final game brought him to within 21 of being the third Tiger to reach the 2,000 point plateau.

The fans came out and supported the basketball team despite the team’s lack of success all season and rightfully so. Even with finishing 11-18 on the season, there was never really a time in which this basketball team gave up. They continued to fight and still believe they have something to fight for heading into Thursday’s showdown with Tennessee in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

It remains to be seen if Coach Trent Johnson will penalize forward Dennis Harris for his part in an altercation early Sunday morning outside of Fred’s bar in Tiger Land with football star Terrance Tolliver. My gut tells me if Johnson finds out that Harris was at fault then there stands a good chance he may not play against Tennessee. This could really hurt LSU’s chances seeing as they are thin at the position. It’s instances like this that really make you appreciate athletes like a Tasmin Mitchell who has been nothing less than a model citizen in his five years at LSU. Mitchell has done everything that he has been asked to do for the Tigers and has played a huge role in their success.

Tasmin eluded to a Georgia team that a couple years ago were in last placing heading into the SEC Tourney and ran the table on their way to a NCAA Tourney bid. Now that SEC was a good bit weaker than it is right now but nothing is impossible. The only way I can see LSU standing the slightest chance is if someone else upsets both Kentucky and Vandy and the Tigers play a flawless game against a Tennessee team that they nearly beat February 4 when they lost at the end 59-54.

Tasmin deserves to go out a winner and will do whatever he can to prolong his LSU career. Good luck guys, Geaux Tigers!

While watching the Hornets game tonight against the Grizzlies I couldn’t help but wonder if all of the players one the Hornets were free agents right now, what would be a fair salary for them right now.

As it stands Peja Stojakovic is making about $13.4 million this season. Peja still has some to offer an NBA team, but we all know that his current pay rate is a bit steep. I’m willing to bet that there would be some contenders that would love to give him a shot to contribute in a limited role and could be a capable player off the bench for a team like the Celtics or Spurs. He could say goodbye to making 10 + million a season though. Peja, if signed TODAY would be lucky to get $2 million from any suitor in the league including the Hornets.

What a difference 4 years makes.

Mo Pete is another guy that would make considerably less had he been signed today. Right now Mo is making a $5.8 million this season.

Say goodbye to that Mo.

Mo would be lucky to get a job with the Nets as of now and even the Nets wouldn’t give him a cent more than the veterans minimum which would be something like $1.5 million.

Those are just two players that the Hornets are over paying. Lucky for them, they are actually underpaying several guys that have made up for the lack of production from the top dollar guys.

Chris Paul for one is making a tad under what the market would pay him. As it stands CP is making around the same amount as Peja, which is right at $13.5 million. His asking price, and rightfully so, would be about $18 million if he signed a new deal today. Luck for the Hornets they have him wrapped up for another two seasons.

Now prepare to be sick.

The top scorer for the Hornets over the last several weeks, to the tune of about 20 points per game, has been Marcus Thornton. And how much do you think he makes? Let’s just say Peja makes about $13 million more per season than Marcus.

Yes I know. It’s a crying shame.

Marcus, along with Darren Collison, has been everything for the Hornets since CP was injured a month ago. Thornton has nearly averaged a point per minute played. Peja and Mo combined don’t even add up to a forth of that. If Marcus was a free agent right now he could work his pay up to at least $5 million per even though he hasn’t even played a full year in the NBA. Marcus has a chance to be one of the more pure scorers in the NBA when he gets a chance.

Alongside Marcus is fellow rookie DC. Since taking over for the injured CP, he has done nothing but impress. In the games he has started DC has averaged near CP numbers to the tune of 20 points and 9 assists per game. His asking price could approach $10 million as a starter on probably 15 teams in the league. He’s that good.

So what do you think? Let’s have fun with this. Why don’t you play GM and let me know what you would pay for some of the guys on the Hornets. Some of these guys may actually even themselves out. The overpaid are made up by the underpaid.

Post comments or send me an e-mail at   joshssports@gmail.com

Sure its only been about 3/4’s of a season and sure his overall averages are only 12.3 points per game, but Marcus Thornton is a stud and should be looked at as one of the biggest steals in NBA draft history!

Thornton has played absolutely brilliant since getting a chance to play about seven games into the season. In the five games Thornton started earlier in the year he averaged right at 20 points per game and in his last 5 games off of the bench he has 26 points while grabbing over 5 rebounds. Those last five games, I might add, have been against competition the likes of Cleveland, Orlando, San Antonio and Dallas (oh and the Bucks).

Wanna know who are supposedly the top 10 best 2nd round picks since 1986 according some guy that writes for bullz-eye.com?

Sure you do.

From 10th to 1st his list is: Anthony Mason, Rashard Lewis, Jeff Hornacek, Toni Kukoc, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Manu Ginobili, Mark Price, Dennis Rodman and at #1 GILBERT ARENAS. haha

Granted this list was compiled in 2007, but for the most part this list includes a nice little group of 2nd rounders.

This is extremely premature but Marcus Thornton could be a better NBA player than any of the guys on this list. He may not win as may rings as Rodman or grab as many rebounds as Boozer, but when its all said and done Thornton will be a beast of a player in the NBA for many years to come.

Look for Thornton’s role coming off the bench to be short lived. Once Chris Paul finally comes back from injury Thornton should move back into the starting lineup, pushing Mo Pete to the end of the bench and allowing Darren Collison to provide the Hornets the same spark off the bench that Thornton has been doing lately.

Despite Collison being the 21st pick of the first round and then Thornton being the 13th pick of the 2nd round, the two could very well be best combination of rookies in the NBA this season and that included a Minnesota team that had 2 top six picks and ended up with a solid Jonny Flynn and a nonexistent Ricky Rubio. Collison wasn’t even the first point guard taken from his college team this season, no, that honor belongs to Jrue Holiday who has been less than superb with Philly.

Give them the rest of the season. Then give Thornton a couple more season. The guy is here to stay. He has a knack for scoring that just elevates him over the competition. He was overlooked coming out of high school before being a junior college transfer to LSU and then was overlooked coming out of college by being a late pick. He has proved doubters wrong his whole life. He is singlehandedly, with the help of Collison, kept the Hornets competitive against some very strong teams. He’s a born leader and greatly appreciated throughout the state of Louisiana.

According to ESPN, LSU has already secured nine commits for the 2011 football season, despite only being weeks removed from signing their 2010 recruiting class. Les Miles and co are cleaning house when it comes to instate recruiting , having already snagged at least five instate players who are listed on 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List.

With spring practice now under way and the Spring game several weeks away, things are starting to look up for LSU. The Tigers will have talent this year. They’ll have talent next year. The question concerning this team remains the same. Who’s going to step up at quarterback? Jordan Jefferson will likely be the starter again this year, but can he handle what comes with being the quarterback at LSU when the team takes on the top dogs in the SEC? He didn’t show up last year.

If you look at the list of 2011 commits you won’t find any quarterback on the list yet. Jefferson should be improved this season. But what LSU has to start planning for right now is to get a guy in the system that can learn and prepare and be ready to start for the Tigers in two years when he is preferably a junior. If you look at the successful seasons LSU has had of late, its been when we’ve had a junior quarterback. Jefferson will be a junior next season and has taken the hits necessary for him to learn and develop into an SEC quarterback. Let’s not have rebuilding type years again. The Tigers shouldn’t have to start a true freshman or redshirt freshman at QB again, unless of course he’s the shit.

I do like the steps this team is making. We should be well improved next season especially with the departures of Tebow at Florida and several key defensive guys from Alabama.

Geaux Tigers.

LSU (10-17 (1-12)) gained control of the game last night at the tip when Garrett Green won the toss and seconds later threw down crowd pleasing dunk.

Could we win? Will we win?

Something was different about this game. LSU came out with a sort of fearless swagger that led to 13-0 start off of steals, forced turnovers and gritty offensive rebounds. It was clear that LSU was on a mission.

Arkansas (14-14 (7-6)) on the other hand played sloppy and took several long range three-point shots that sunk them quickly into a hole that they couldn’t climb out of. LSU just wanted that game more. I’m not sure they could’ve lost to anyone in the country last night the way they played from start to finish.

This was perhaps the most balancing scoring attach that the Tigers have displayed all season long with seven players having scored at least 6 points led by Tasmin Mitchell with 16 points to go along with a solid stat line that included 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Mitchell wanted that win, but more impressively he secured that win leading LSU with great team basketball.

Who knows what next year will bring. Sure there are some highly touted recruits coming in.

But this season still isn’t over yet.

These guys have fought together all year long. That wasn’t their lone conference win of the season.

No.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you see that same Tiger team the remainder of the season and they win 2 or 3 of their remaining four games and perhaps even some in the SEC Tournament.

All it takes is one game to jump start a team and I think that one game was last night. Seeing guys like Green have the game he had as well as a guy like Zach Kinsley closing out the game with a one handed slam, its got to make you feel good.

Those guys deserved that win!

After feeling that win, they know the last thing they want to do is lose again. So I see them playing strong team basketball the rest of the way against Auburn, Ole Miss and Georgia and letting the fans know that LSU Basketball should not be known as a losing program.

This all starts on Saturday when the team travels Auburn to face a squad that barely beat them back in January 84-80. Auburn is the closest team to LSU in the conference standings as they sit 4-9 in SEC play, 13-15 overall. Look for LSU to learn from their mistakes against Auburn last month, who took their first lead with a little over a minute left in the game. You may remember this was the game Mitchell scored 38 points for LSU but was held to just 1 point in the final 6 and a half minutes of the game. Tasmin doesn’t have to score 38 points this time for the Tigers to stay close as long as the guys play with that same confidence they gad against Arkansas.

Look for LSU to come out strong again and impose their will on an Auburn team that has lost 3 out of their last 4.

37 points.

23 points in the second quarter.

Wow. So much for all those haters who thought Marcus Thornton was too small to play in the NBA. Marcus Thornton is a baller!

As I said in my previous blog, the Hornets didn’t have to win their game against the Cavs, they just had to keep it close. With a very tough couple of weeks ahead, that game was all the Bees needed to keep their confidence up and keep them believing that they can compete with any team in the NBA.

Thornton and Collison combined for a staggering 59 points and 12 assists accounting for more than 80% of the teams points if you factor in the points provided by the assists.

That’s remarkable!

The best part was when LeBron James switched over to defend Thornton in the 3rd quarter. Now that’s some respect. The Bees ended up losing the game 105-95 despite hanging around 3 points for much of the latter stages of the contest.

Next up for the Hornets is the second best team in the East, as the Orlando Magic travel West to New Orleans for a Friday night game at the Hive. This game is vital if the Hornets want to keep themselves in contention as well as them letting the league know that they are legit, and their last game was no fluke.

Aside from Dwight Howard, the Hornets match up well with the Magic, hence their close 6 point loss to them back on February 8 when the Bees built a 17 point lead only to have Vince Carter explode in the second half with 34 points and finishing the game with 48. Peja, West and Collison each had 27 points or more giving the Hornets a balanced attach on offense. Thornton set out that game with injury so he should be ready to go out and prove that he was the missing piece in the loss.

Several people around town and fans of the Hornets are calling for Thornton to be put back in the starting lineup, a position when he excelled averaging 20 points per game in the five games he started last month. I was once one of those people but I think now that he is best where is. The Hornets need a spark of the bench and without having a player like him to come in a light it up in the second and third quarters the Bees could really struggle.

My plan is for him to continue to be the super sub that he has been until Chris Paul returns from injury. Once Paul is back, the Bees can bring back Thornton and, in turn, have Collison come off the bench and be that spark. Most teams can truly only have 1 spark off the bench at this way we can finally bench Mo Pete for good.

The Hornets are in great shape at 30-27. Keep believing in this team starting with going out and give them the loudest home crowd Friday night for the Magic game.