but to take on the world at all angles requires a strength i can't use.

--After a week or so of lackluster home stretch, the NBA Playoffs are finally here (beginning tomorrow night, I believe).  There are some really great series coming up, especially in the West.  Literally every one of the West's matchups has a compelling subplot:

• LA vs. Oklahoma City has Kobe vs. Durant, the past versus the future; the Lakers have been on a real slide, and the Thunder always play up against them;
• Denver vs. Utah has a great point guard matchup in Chauncey and Deron, and potentially great coaching; 
• Phoenix vs. Portland would've been better with Brandon Roy healthy, but Nate McMillan is the legitimate Coach of the Year because of how he's handled injuries, so I wouldn't count the Blazers out;
• and Dallas vs. San Antonio has two of the most veteran squads in the NBA, each of whom finished strong, and who are in position to make one last run at the Finals.

The East is, as you might expect, way less intriguing, but Boston v. Miami, Atlanta v. Milwaukee (even sans Bogut, which was a really tragic injury), and Orlando v. Charlotte should all have some throwback ugliness in their defense, just nasty.  If Orlando were to run a gauntlet of Charlotte, Boston, and Cleveland, they'd have nothing to fear from the West's defenses.  Finally, SBNation had a series of reasons to adopt each team, some of which (especially for the Lakers, Spurs, and Mavs) were very compelling, at least to non-fans.  I, for one, will be pulling for the Thunder, because I like Durant, because they'll be playing the Lakers, and because they're just so damned fun to watch.

--Treme was very good, as anticipated.  Like The Wire, it featured some really great acting and direction, as well as a typically realistic approach (a number of the actors were just local band members playing themselves, including the Rebirth Brass Band, whom Matt Labash profiled glowingly in a great Weekly Standard article).  In typical David Simon style, it threw the viewer headfirst into the situation, and a lot of the feedback I've seen for the show has reflected the resultant confusion; as someone who pronounces it "Nawlins" in a raspy voice, this obviously didn't faze me.  Unfortunately the show also, like The Wire, featured an obnoxious fuckup as a central character in Steve Zahn's mouthy DJ (flashes of McNulty without the pathos, never a good thing).  Regardless, I'm extremely excited for the next episode, especially considering that HBO's already renewed the show for a second season.

--This is pretty wild, to say the least.

--By the way, if you ever wanted a reason to hate on Pitchfork, check out the I See a Darkness entry on this page (or really, any William Bowers entry in the feature).  Or this pretty ridiculous review of an N.W.A. reissue.  The infuriating part is that if you look farther down on that first link, you'll find some of the best commentary on In the Aeroplane Over the Sea that I've ever seen; such a frustrating mix of pretension and talent.

--This is my only Youtube link, but I guarantee that it's the creepiest thing you'll ever see.

--This twitter account is hilarious.  Read it.

--I didn't know about this site, but it looks extremely promising (just like this mansome breakdown of Cal's defense).  I'll file it away with Smart Football, Football Outsiders, and the rest of my schematic analysis sites for the future.

--EDSBS's latest Digital Viking (essential reading, as with everyting Spencer Hall touches) has a detailed rundown of Ol' Dirty Bastard, which is as impressive as you'd expect from someone known professionally as "Ol' Dirty Bastard."  On that EDSBS tip, you should check out Spence's curriculum for football fans; a very good rubric for laymen trying to break into the clergy, as it were.

--Now that the baseball season's back, two of my favorite blogs (conveniently, for my two favorite teams) are back in force:  Viva El Birdos has some great insights and a thriving community (meaning a few great nicknames), and DRaysBay, in spite of a terrible name, has some beautiful statistical and strategic breakdowns for Rays fans.