So if you're a Chicago Bulls fan like me, you watch as many of their games as you can. Of course, it's a given that you watch for their swarming defense, the awesome dunks, and the team spirit that this team exudes. There is one thing that amplifies all of their positives- or should I say, one person. Stacey King.

The King, as I refer to him, wore the Bulls uniform from 1989-1994, so he was part of that first three-peat. After being traded away to the Timberwolves, he became a journeyman, playing everywhere from Turkey to Italy to Argentina. But that's beyond the point- the King has come home, and I couldn't be happier.

Many commentary duos or trios have the problem of not showing much emotion during play- Hockey Night in Canada suffers pretty badly from this, but that's another story for another day. Every color commentator needs a live wire, and lead man Neil Funk surely has one. The King gets incredibly animated during his play-by-play, and just searching for it on Youtube will bring up hilarious results. But the Bulls decided to take it a step further and wrap all of the King's little nuggets into one convenient soundboard.

My only lament is that because he's a Comcast SportsNet commentator, he won't be able to call the action should the Bulls make it to the NBA Finals. Either way, he's the best thing to happen to basketball commentary since Gus Johnson.

Keep bringing the hot sauce, King. Here's to hoping you call Bulls games for the rest of your life.

You can follow Stacey King on Twitter at @Sky21King.

You Can't Sit At The Cool Table

So today I posted this status on my Facebook wall:

"Just to put it out there...I don't think I've ever seen a broke Republican. Just saying.

After seeing some comments questioning if I had ever been to Texas or Kentucky, my old friend Will Luse posted this:

"I've seen broke Republican 'supporters' but not broke Republicans."

This made a whole lot of sense. Republican voters in these poor southern states vote for the VALUES over the policies. They're pro life, anti gay marriage, and pro death penalty- just like the majority of these southerners. But the difference is that these Republican figureheads have money- and lots of it. Mike Huckabee, Rush Limbaugh, John McCain, Mitt Romney...the list goes on. Many southern voters are poorer people who visualize having these lifestyles- a well kept Christian family with wholesome values.

I already know I'm going to catch a little flak for what I'm about to say- those voters were wrong.

Many members of the Republican Party are affluent- as a matter of fact, most of the wealthy people in this country are Republicans. But many Republican supporters live in the poorest parts of the country. Republican candidates merely have to spout some buzzwords about "pro life" and "NRA" and these people go crazy. What they don't realize is that they're being kept from prosperity by those very people who earn their votes. It's like when the high school jock asks the losers to vote for him, but the losers will never get a spot at the cool lunch table in return for their votes.

Every voter has a right to their opinion, and far be it from me to blame someone for voting for a candidate who seems to protect what the voter holds near and dear to their heart. We are democracy for a reason. However, both parties have wholesome candidates and a few errant screws, and it seems like a pretty uninformed decision to vote for a guy just because you like the cut of his family. As the 2012 election looms nearer with each passing day, I'd like to invite every one of my readers to be informed during the election. Read your newspapers, scour the internet, and do your research. If you're the CEO of a trillion dollar company and need to hire a general manager, you would do your research on those candidates- why not the ones who are in line to run our country for the next four years?

I like Barack Obama, but I'm not going to go out and vote for him because he has a great family.

I'm voting for him because he's black. Duh.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 10- Springfield, IL to St. Louis, MO

Our Austin Spring Break trip is officially over. The only reason we left so early was because I had to head to St. Louis for Provost Committee Interviews. I absolutely fell in love with Austin, and I want to go back next year. However, if I do, there are some things I would change.

1. I might fly. I liked road tripping, and I've wanted to do it even before I had a car. But it takes its toll on you. Granted, we each only paid $100 in gas vs. $350 each for a plane ticket, but we would have a had a couple extra days in exchange.
2. I would definitely get a hotel room downtown. When you have to rely on a public transportation system on vacation, you are at the mercy of its running times. This meant that we could only party until 11:30- the last bus leaves at midnight. We would have had to wait until 5 the next morning to get a bus, and seeing how hard the partying continued into the night, that may not have been so hard.
3. I would invite more friends to come. Sam is my boy, but had we had a couple of our other roommates there with us, that would have just made everything so much better.
4. Seeing all of the awesome panels and movie screenings we missed out on, I might consider buying a badge next time.

All in all, it's a great trip that any college student (or anybody, for that matter) should consider taking!

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 8- Austin, TX to Tulsa, OK

So Sam and I are sad to have left Austin. It's a great place to be right now, especially if you're still in your 20s. There are a lot of opportunities here. Anyhoo, I just wanted to say that my roommate Keith and I have been telling Sam all semester how good In N Out Burger is. We stopped at one. I was ecstatic.

Sam was not impressed. This is why we can't have nice things. I'll have some final thoughts on the trip after I get back.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 7- One Last Hurrah

So SXSW ends this coming weekend. Unfortunately, we'll be long gone by then. Here are some new observations, followed by more pics:

1. The weird part of Austin (or this festival) comes out at night.
2. Cheap beer continues throughout the night. Score.
3. Sam and I hit on a pair of 40-somethings at a Mexican restaurant. I don't remember why, but we did. They were surprisingly receptive.
4. I have yet to see an automobile taxi out here. I say that because I've seen around 100 bike taxis. They really do love their environment around here.
5. Within 10 blocks, Springfield's Capitol Building has roughly five bars and a few places to get horseshoes. Austin's Capitol Building has at least three times as many bars and food trucks within five blocks. Yep. Austin wins again.
6. If you haven't figured it out yet, I want to move here.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 6- We Need to Buy a Smoker

So my sister had the day off today, and since she and her family haven't been out in Austin long, we all went to find some really good barbecue. The first place we stopped at was Franklin's Barbecue, and the barbecue smelled delicious. However, they were closed by the time we got there, and what we were smelling was the meat they were preparing for tomorrow's lunch crowd. I actually like that they're sticking to quantity over quality.

Another place my sister and her husband had heard about was called Stiles Switch BBQ. We couldn't smell the meat when we went into the restaurant, but they had heard good things about it.

What I thought was a refrigerator behind the counter was actually a smoker- and the second they opened that thing, I knew I was in the right place. I got a mild sausage link, some brisket, and the macaroni and cheese. The macaroni was underwhelming; it was a little dry and bland. But the meat more than made up for it. It was some of the best meat I have had in my life. The barbecue sauce that comes on the side (remember, Texans revere their meat...they don't slather it in sauce) was quite good, too!

If you happen to be in Austin, check this place out- you get more than your money's worth.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 5- Why Have I Never Been Here Before?

Okay. I may or may not add more to this post. Let me make a few statements, and then scroll below for pictures.

1. Getting to the festival was a bit of a drag- mainly because Austin's train system is so new and they haven't worked out all of the kinks yet. They had a station nearby that would take Sam and I downtown, but there was nowhere to park- not even a paid parking lot. Even worse, many nearby places threatened to tow if they saw unauthorized parking in their lots. We took the bus, which wasn't too bad.
2. Austin is AWESOME. They close down like 8 square blocks for SXSW, so there's no worrying about traffic. You just walk around downtown.
3. I want to eventually experience SXSW in its entirety (meaning I'll one day buy a badge), but at $500, I can't afford that. Anyways, you can have just as much fun without a badge. Bands are playing in every dive bar and on every street corner.
4. Speaking of bars, every bar has drink specials. They actually give out a guide as to which indie bands are playing in each bar.
5. Food trucks are EVERYWHERE. Any kind of food you would want is being sold here- tacos, burgers, barbecue, chicken, sandwiches, and every sort of food fusion in between. I had a batch of cheesesteak fries that were out of this world.
6. I didn't realize that the University of texas is less than couple miles away from downtown Austin...so this was basically a giant music festival/frat party/spring break. Can't argue with that.
7. I don't have personal issues with hipsters, but I have never seen so many guys wearing short jean shorts, tank tops, and fedoras before in my life. If all the hipsters dress alike, doesn't that make them mainstream? Mind blown.

I've said my piece. Take a look below.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 4- Damn It Feels Good To Be A Heckler.

From here on in, if days are missing on this trip blog, Uncle Jeremy is handing out tutorials in how to beat Super Mario Brothers on the Wii.

This afternoon I took a break from preparing my lecture on World 5 when I saw that the Texas Stars were playing tonight. They are the farm team for the NHL'S Dallas Stars, and since the stadium was 5 minutes away from my sister's home, I thought it would be a good idea if Sam and I went. After all, we hadn't seen each other since I dropped him off at his grandparents place.

Sam and his uncle came and picked me up, and it turns out that the Stars had a really nice stadium- too bad there weren't more people there.

One thing I thought was pretty awesome that the NHL teams don't have is cheerleaders. Now I've never seen cheerleaders at a hockey game, but now I'd like to see more.

HEB, a Texas area supermarket chain that was sponsoring tonight's game, had fans come down and play musical chairs with a giant bag of groceries.....a guy dressed up AS a giant bag of groceries- forgive me. The sight of that alone was funny, but then the grocery bag started cheating. He wasn't just moving chairs, he nearly body checked a person or two. I almost expected him to break out a hockey stick and start cutting people off at the knee. Well, when in Rome...

The Stars lost, but they got into a couple fights, and the game was all but decided by the time the third period started. So what did the three of us do? We heckled. We weren't even heckling the other team- we were equal opportunity hecklers. It got to the point that the families around us were staring at us and laughing- we were putting on a much better show than what was happening down on the ice.

I'm full of beer and jokes I never got out of my system- good night, everybody!

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 2- Tulsa, OK to Austin, TX

So we're scheduled to get to Austin today. There was a little rain in the first part of the drive, but outside of that, we had a pretty smooth morning. Then we hit Texas.

We decided that once we hit Dallas, we would grab lunch. Well, we hit Dallas...and passed it by. So we decided to get off at the next exit and get whatever local grub we could find.

Driving in Texas is both nice and terrible. The highways are a Chicagoan's wet dream- they're new, there's ample lanes, and it was just far too pleasant for it to not be a tollway. Then we hit the streets. On the main roads, there seems to be a hierarchy in Texas as far as allowing drivers to do whatever the hell they want. The larger your carbon footprint (SUVs, pickup trucks), the more leeway you get. If you drive a smart car or a hybrid, you're screwed. luckily, my car came out unscathed.

One of the really cool features of Windows Phone is the Local Scout- it basically brings up a list of restaurants closest to you, and you can whittle that list down based on what you have a taste for. Sam looked at the list and chose a random place- Smokey Joe's BBQ.  What we didn't know is that we'd have to pass through an pretty desolate area to get there- but then again, what dive isn't in a sketchy place?

Like expected, the place was a shack- crack may have been developed in this place, but no matter...the barbecue was delicious.

Sam didn't grow up around pork, but the Itis is about to hit.

THE ITIS STRIKES AGAIN!

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We both ended up getting a brisket and rib tip sandwich. The sandwich was wrapped in the obligatory cheap white bread that any self respecting barbecue joint uses. The bones were still in the rib tips, which would have made for an unpleasant sandwich if it was eaten that way. There was very little sauce because Texans pride themselves on the how the meat is grilled and prepared. The sauce, more often than not, is just a secondary thing.




A couple hours after the crack house, Sam's GPS took us off on an exit....and to this thing:

Starship Pegasus, as it was named, looks to have been a restaurant at one point, and looks like something that was pulled from Star Trek (and after research later, we found it was). Sam tried to climb it, but it was too slippery and he only got halfway up. I got about four feet off the ground before I gave up.

We hit Austin late tonight, and I dropped Sam off at his grandparents place- I met them last year when they came down for graduation, and they are the stereotypical grandparents you see in all the movies- these sweet old people who could make a story about homicide sound charming.

I got to my sister's place a half hour later and all bedlam broke loose. I was bombarded by three small children who are on Spring Break- meaning they have no bedtime while I'm here. I think I need to rest up.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 1- Springfield, IL to Tulsa, OK

Well, the first day went off without a hitch. Sam got out of class, packed an questionably light bag, and we were off.

Before we took off, we decided to split the trip into two days to make it easier. We were going along fine for a few hours, and had gone through about half of Missouri when I needed to get out of the car and stretch. We had made it to Rolla, MO- a town about halfway between Springfield MO and St. Louis. I got off the highway, turned into a gas station, and while Sam went in to get some jerky, I saw a fried chicken joint behind us. It beckoned me to come and try its offerings. I checked the place out on Foursquare, and someone wrote "Best $1.07 BBQ Chicken Sandwich ever!"

BBQ Chicken Sandwich? A buck-oh-seven? Count me in.

The place, Lee's Famous Recipe, is a Missouri thing. The server, Josh, took my order, and the poster on Foursquare was right- $1.07 to the penny. The sandwich reminded me of a Sloppy Joe, only thicker, and it was just enough to satisfy my hunger. Oh, and by the way? It was DELICIOUS. The sauce was perfect, there was more chicken than mash in the mixture, and for a buck and change, you can't beat that. Of course I could have just been hungry and delirious, but if that's the case, it was delicious anyway.

Sam and I were the only ones in the restaurant, so Josh decided to try and make friends and brought us water. We told him we were on out way down to Austin, and his eyes lit up? "You guys are going to South By Southwest? Awesome! You should so go see this band called Bad Brains. They're a punk reggae group and they are the best band ever!"

All I heard in that whole statement was "punk reggae"....I know the slogan for the City of Austin is Keep Austin Weird, but that's bordering somewhere on weird and insane.

Anyway, Josh talked to us about Bad Brains for a few more minutes before Sam and I decided it was best we go- Josh sounded high as a kite, and anyone who listens to punk reggae probably has lit up once or twice in his lifetime.

Tomorrow we hit Texas. Then we get the barbecue. Then we get the women.

Austin Bound!

Hey everybody! I'll be leaving tomorrow for my first ever road trip!

The last time I've been on the road for this long was when my mom drove me down to Alcorn State- a very long 12 hours, I might add. But I'm driving with my roommate and right-hand-man, Sam. We're headed down to Austin for a week of family time and debauchery- and the two shan't ever meet. The trip is 16 hours and neither of us has done this before, so this is no small feat.

Anyways, I'll be posting day to day recaps of notable happenings, so stay tuned here.

Yeehaw!