Author: Buster

2020 T10B MOCK NBA DRAFT

Thanks to the shutdown following the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 NBA delayed its annual draft from June to November. Despite the additional time to conduct research, I only started my analysis several days ago. Still, I feel confident in the accuracy of my 2020 T10B Mock NBA Draft. The shortened college season and limiting scouting may complicate matters, but not relative to my approach. 

2020 T10B MOCK NFL DRAFT

After a month-long shutdown of live sporting events due to COVID-19, the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft finally offers a “sporting event” worth watching live. This year’s draft coverage will either satiate our pent-up appetite for anything new or confirm that our lives remain on hold. The proverbial show must go on, so I offer my 2020 T10B Mock NFL Draft. As of now, the top 2 picks seem to be locks with LSU QB Joe Burrow going to the Cincinnati Bengals and OSU DE Chase Young going to the team based in our nation’s capital. After that, opinions differ depending on the perception of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailova’s health. At this point, I don’t care whether I’m right or wrong. I just want to return to some normalcy. 

2019 NFL Draft – T10B Projections

I had finished writing most of this article prior to the start of the 2019 NFL season, but never posted it. Based on my prediction that 2019 #1 overall pick Kyler Murray has/had the best chance of being a bust, I presume you’ll trust me that I didn’t change my initial assessments. Even after watching Murray’s strong start to his career, which resulted in him being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, I just don’t see him as another sub-6′ QB who can beat the odds.

2019 T10B MOCK NBA DRAFT

Regardless of which player from the 2019 NBA Draft has the best career, it will be remembered as the “One with Zion Williamson.” Williamson will live up to the hype or get overshadowed by another player. Either way, he will be in the center of the discussion as the certain #1 overall pick. The next two picks of Ja Morant and RJ Barrett seem almost as certain. After that, the draft should open up with five picks battling for the next five spots. I considered six players for the final two spots in my top 10.

NOT TOP10 BUST: HANK HANEY

Political correctness regarding the LPGA officially has jumped the shark. Earlier this week, Hank Haney mockingly predicted that a Korean with the last name of Lee would win the U.S. Women’s Open. To be honest, the only reason we know of Haney is because he served as the swing coach for six out of Tiger Woods’ fifteen majors. Largely based on this historical relationship, Haney has a show on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. Due to the negative reaction to his arguably racist and sexist remarks, the station suspended him and preempted his show. I argue that Haney’s comments were neither racist nor sexist, but rather stereotypically accurate.

2019 T10B MOCK NFL DRAFT

In the T10B 2018 Mock NFL Draft, I boldly predicted that four quarterbacks would go with the first four picks. I missed the mark with my prediction, but QBs still dominated the early part of the draft. Of note, teams selected four quarterbacks with top 10 picks for the first time in history. I believe that defensive players similarly will dominate the early part of the 2019 NFL Draft with at least five defensive linemen going in the top 10. At the same time, I predict that the draft will be remembered for a quarterback (i.e. Kyler Murray) who doesn’t live up to expectations. 

Top 10 Busted: The Match (Tiger vs. Phil)

Synopsis: In full disclosure, I didn’t watch “The Match” between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson over Thanksgiving Weekend 2018. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to though. After having difficulty ordering the made-for-TV event, I decided that getting a Christmas tree with my family would be a much better use of time. I certainly made the right call based on its scathing reviews. Still, I bet there will be a rematch based on the close competition that ended after Lefty sunk a 4′ birdie putt on the 22nd hole. The following post focuses more on my failed experiences with pay-per-view TV, but ends with the conclusion that “The Match” deserves Top 10 Bust status for various reasons.

Michael Jordan – Top 10 MLB Bust

Michael Jordan categorically is one of the top three players to ever play in the NBA. There’s even a very compelling argument that he’s the greatest NBA player of all-time. On the other hand, MJ doesn’t deserve consideration as an accomplished dual-sport athlete because he failed in his attempt to play professional baseball. I never imaged having to expose Jordan’s lack of baseball skills because I assumed it was incontrovertible. However, it appears that revisionist history may being confusing the matter. The truth is that Michael Jordan was a complete bust as an MLB prospect. 

Top 10 MLB Bust: Manager Dave Roberts

Despite the importance of coaching in team sports, the athletes on the field usually have the biggest impact on determining the outcome of any game. The 2018 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers proved why the previous sentence needs a qualifier. Of note, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had the most significant role in his team’s 4-1 series loss after continually making bad decisions. By micro-managing each and every game as if instructed by a computer, the skipper lost a feel for the game. In that regard, Roberts has earned Top10Bust recognition for his ill-advised managerial decisions. 

T10B Box Office Bust Nominee: Suburbicon

With a production budget of $25 million, Suburbicon (2017) proved to be a financial failure with less than $6 million in ticket sales at the box office. While underwhelming, those numbers ordinarily wouldn’t show up on the radar screen of Top10Busts. However, when a movie written by the Coen brothers, directed by George Clooney, and starring Matt Damon performs so poorly, I get intrigued. Given the reasonable budget, all of the major participants must have passed up their usual fees hoping to make a return on the back-end. If so, they took a bath on this box office bust. Instead of wasting your time with a story and acting reminiscent of an episode of Dateline, watch the Coens’ Oscar winning Fargo (1996) instead.