snap culture: April 2006

  1. The Loser's Curse Anonymous, 4/22/2006 0 comments
  2. Impressive, young jedis William, 4/13/2006 0 comments
  3. A good use of free time ben, 4/12/2006 0 comments
  4. Fast-casual William, 4/11/2006 0 comments
  5. Lacrosse players, an archetype William, 4/10/2006 0 comments
  6. Slough's finest ben, 4/08/2006 0 comments
  7. More samizdat TV for your viewing pleasure William, 4/05/2006 4 comments
  8. Using your feet is for commies ben, 4/04/2006 0 comments
  9. Happy Belated April Fool's Day William, 4/04/2006 0 comments
  10. James White was robbed William, 4/03/2006 0 comments
  11. Juggling parody? How about one-upsmanship? William, 4/03/2006 0 comments
  12. Please just show me more soccer ben, 4/01/2006 0 comments

4/22/2006 Add a comment

5-year performance vs. compensation of NFL draftees by draft position

Top picks do perform better than lower-round choices, but performance falls much more slowly than compensation. The most value per dollar can be found in the second half of the first round and in the second round […] The payoff peaks at about the 43rd pick […], who brings in a five-year performance worth around $750,000 more than his price. Of those first forty-three selections, the No. 1 pick is actually the worst in cost-benefit terms, since that player eats up so much of the budget. […]

The good news for teams is that the whole draft is a good deal, as the rookie salary caps keep prices artificially low. […] "The Loser's Curse", after Massey & Thaler

Anonymous

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4/13/2006 Add a comment



Ok, so I'm not a big enough Star Wars dork to know if this is based on some fight in one of the movies, but these kids do a rather amazing job with the effects and camerawork. Be sure to watch through to the end. William

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4/12/2006 Add a comment

Sync up the play-by-play call of Vin Scully from the 1986 World Series to an RBI Baseball representation. Brilliant!



I got it from this guy, via Deadspin. ben

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4/11/2006 Add a comment

The rise of Potbelly, Corner Bakery, Panera and the like has led to a lunch revolution in Washington, DC. Now you can't walk out of a Starbucks in DC without running into a "fast-casual" restaurant. But beware... Potbelly's vegetarian sandwich with cheese has 555 calories, or about the same as a Big Mac.

I also love how the chains define themselves vis-a-vis each other. "We're known for delivering food to the table." "We prepare food in front of you." It's sort of like how 15 years ago when Applebee's, Chili's, and TGI Friday's all distinguished themselves by having different types of tchotchkes on the wall. William

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4/10/2006 Add a comment

This Slate article is worth it just for this graph:

Still, how could college lacrosse players be any more misogynous than your typical football-team steakhead? Perhaps it's because, unlike their football brethren, an unusually large proportion of college lacrosse players spend their high school years in sheltered, all-boys academies before heading off to liberal co-ed colleges. Most guys from single-sex schools are able to adjust. Others join the lacrosse team. The worst of this lot become creatures that are, in the words of a friend of mine, "half William Kennedy Smith, half Lawrence Phillips."
William

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4/08/2006 Add a comment

I'm guessing Gareth and Keith were also at the Spearmint Rhino in Slough, watching Prince Harry get a lapdance. I like that his spokesman had no comment. What's he going to say, anyways? This is far funnier if you've seen the British version of the Office, by the way. Slough is the butt of many jokes.

For some reason I think the British tabloids are going to stay in business the next 50 years, just keeping the world informed about Harry's antics. ben

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4/05/2006 Add a comment



This is the rejected Fox pilot for "Awesometown," by Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer (aka The Dudes, aka the Lonely Island, aka the guys who made SNL's Lazy Sunday music video). Turns out they are also going to make a movie this summer.

More of their videos, including "The 'Bu," an "OC" parody, are posted at You Tube. See some of their parody rap videos that predated Lazy Sunday. Know your recent comedy history! ("We're just two guys, having a good time, having a good time...") William

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  1. Blogger ben: recent history? emphasis on history. i watched these the day after lazy sunday came out. what took you so long to find them? i blame europe. 4/06/2006  
  2. Blogger William: Yes. It traveled by steamer across the ocean. Also, I've got a job. 4/07/2006  
  3. Blogger William: And by recent history, I mean recent relative to Milton Berle, et. al. 4/07/2006  
  4. Blogger ben: I heard that "take my wife...please!" still kills in Brussels. 4/11/2006  

4/04/2006 Add a comment

Never have truer words been said than those by Dave Eggers in a forthcoming book about soccer. It's true, rest of the world, don't worry about why we don't like soccer until we're a country again run by human beings who aren't pure evil. (Thanks for the link, Chan!) ben

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4/04/2006 Add a comment

The Museum of Hoaxes has a list of the 100 greatest April Fool's Day hoaxes of all time. Sidd Finch clocks in at No. 2.

And, in the interest of being fair and balanced, here is the list of the worst April Fool's Day hoaxes of all time. William

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4/03/2006 Add a comment



Is it me, or does this look like a better dunk contest than the NBA dunk contest? (With the exception of my man, Andre Iguodala, the pride of Springfield, Illinois, who was robbed this year when Nate Robinson had 30 or so attempts to nail a dunk.)

I have a theory here... a college dunk contest is better because the pool of eligible contestants is so vast that there are likely to be better dunkers, even among players who aren't nearly that good basketball players. The NBA dunk contest is hampered by the fact that the pool of players is smaller and they are generally more all-around basketball players. NBA players generally have to shoot well and/or defend, whereas the talent level in the collegiate ranks means that some people who are primarily athletic dunkers have a better shot at making rosters.

Anyway, if only James White had had another attempt or two. Also, the first dunk by the guy from Western Kentucky was just sick. William

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4/03/2006 Add a comment



A guy does his own version of the juggling exhibition I posted earlier. This version is more impressive, but was not done before a live audience and a number of cuts means that it might not have been done in one take, though the cuts and editing are very good. He also does hold the balls for a second or two in a few instances, but with my minimal knowledge of juggling, I admit that that might be necessary to do some of the tricks he does. William

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4/01/2006 Add a comment

Chappelle's show brilliantly spoofed the poker craze with a skit on the World Series of Dice. Now, apparently inspired by Dave, and hoping to lure more latino viewers, ESPN thinks there's going to be an audience for dominoes. Yes, watching people play dominoes on t.v. What's next, a show about Charles Oakley and MJ playing bid whist?

ESPN, why can't you give me a one-hour world soccer wrap-up show instead? All I'm asking for is some sports, please? ben

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