Category Archives: Commentary

The Sampler Platter

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Tom Garrett

One of the many benefits of my decision to disengage from the cumbersome world of prep sportswriting is that I now have a much greater ability to write for other outlets. It’s nice to present my work for different audiences … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Links, Politics, Sports, Television | Tagged Barack Obama, Commentary, Education, Links, NFL, Politics, Sports, Television, Total Divas, Washington Redskins, WWE | Leave a comment

The “W” vs. The “E” – SummerSlam 2013

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Tom Garrett

It’s impossible to convince Attitude Era die-hards that we’re living in the Golden Age of professional wrestling, but I think it’s true—from a writing standpoint. Take, for instance, the main event of this year’s SummerSlam. For two straight weeks, we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Sports, Television | Tagged Alberto Del Rio, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Commentary, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Pro Wrestling, Sports, SummerSlam, Television, Triple H, Vince McMahon, WWE | 2 Comments

The Ballad of “Old Cottonmouth”

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Mike Austin

One of my favorite pieces of Revolutionary War lore revolves around the Green Mountain Boys. This band of Vermont militiamen played an important role in the war, and their ranks once included Colonel Benedict Arnold. They also unsuccessfully attempted to … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, History | Tagged Commentary, Ethan Allen, History, Jabez Bleeker, Nicknames, Old Cottonmouth, Revolutionary War, Vermont | 2 Comments

Anti-Bullying Intent, Anti-Free-Speech Result?

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Tom Garrett

Last week, over at A New Voice, I tackled the inevitable collision of anti-bullying efforts and the free speech rights of students. An expanded version of that piece is below: A broad new social media policy recently implemented by California’s Lodi Unified … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News | Tagged Bullying, Commentary, Constitutional Law, Education, En Loco Parentis, Free Speech, Freedom of Speech, General Culture and News, Lodi Unified School District, Stockton, The First Amendment, Tinker v. Des Moines | 1 Comment

An Incomplete List of Things That Are Not Bullying

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Tom Garrett

A non-exhaustive recitation of items that aren’t bullying: – Your doctor telling you that you need to lose weight to avoid negative health consequences. – A baseball player who has agreed to abide by union and MLB rules being punished under those … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News | Tagged Bullying, Commentary, Feelings, General Culture and News, Weight Loss | 8 Comments

Box Office Belies Dying Industry

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Tom Garrett

It’s been a memorable summer at the box office, and not in a good way. The list of 2013 movie flops is a sad roll call of would-be blockbusters. In the last month alone, five films that cost more than $100 million to produce … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies | Tagged A New Voice, Avatar, Commentary, Elysium, Inflation, Movies, RIPD, The Lone Ranger | 1 Comment

15 Things I Learned from the “G. I. Joe: The Movie” Commentary Track

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Tom Garrett

Even at age 9, I didn’t know quite what to make of G. I. Joe: The Movie. It seemed at the time like I had been a G. I. Joe fan all my life, but the truth was that I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews, Television | Tagged Big Lob, Buzz Dixon, Cartoons, Cobra, Cobra Commander, Cobra-La, Commentary, G. I. Joe, G. I. Joe: The Movie, Golobulus, Hasbro, Marvel, Movies, Nerd Alert, Reviews, Sgt. Slaughter, Sunbow, Television, The 1980s, Transformers, Transformers: The Movie | 2 Comments

Would-Be Robot Overlords Suffer Setback

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Tom Garrett

I’ve recently become a contributor for a website called A New Voice. It’s a commentary site with its focus on pop culture and politics (especially the intersection of the two), with a right-of-center point of view and an additional goal of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Science | Tagged A New Voice, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Robots, Science, SkyNet | Leave a comment

NCAA Football without the “NCAA”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Tom Garrett

NCAA Football, long a staple of the EA Sports gaming line-up, will cease to exist after the current version—a least under that name. The NCAA announced yesterday that it would not renew its long-standing licensing deal with Electronic Arts. An agreement … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Gaming, Sports | Tagged Commentary, Copyright, EA Sports, Ed O'Bannon, Gaming, NCAA, NCAA Football, Sports, Trademark | 2 Comments

A Money in the Bank Preview? Why Not?

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Tom Garrett

In many respects, Money in the Bank is the most compelling pay-per-view the WWE has. Of course, no one questions that WrestleMania is the premier event. But whereas ‘Mania is largely a “state of the union”-type show that tells us where … Continue reading →