By CJ Tiernan There are few instances in this world where one sets out on a journey, bound for greatness, with receipt of an award as the goal (for the ‘gram? Maybe). It’s an honor just to be nominated, after all. That said, there are some pretty wonderful awards out there (I wonder if NFTs were around long enough to have an award). Below is a list of my Top 11 Awards, ranked by a combination of acclaim associated with the award and the design of the award itself. Please en

By CJ Tiernan It’s my estimation that when James P. Hat invented the first hat over two hundred years ago, he rested on a park bench, on a warm and sunny day, with his brow shaded, and said, “ahhh. That’s nice.” Now, I wasn’t there, I’m just guessing. Since then, the hat industry exploded. You can’t throw a stick of dynamite these days without hitting a haberdashery. Tall hats, short hats, soft hats, hard hats, there are so many hats you could put a hat on a hat (I mean, yo

By CJ Tiernan You know what I like about a Minor League Baseball game? It’s an event. You go to a game to do something. It doesn’t matter who is playing, if you know the players, what the record is, even which team wins. One simply gathers a cadre of friends and family and dips into the ballpark. The sinister pricing system of the professional sports teams (and theme parks and airports and …) hasn’t infected them nearly as seriously, so you can go and still come back with a

By CJ Tiernan In honor of Thanksgiving this week, I have decided to create a list of my favorite American foods. These are foods that were invented here in the United States, as opposed to imported or transplanted. Some of these are next door neighbors to foods from other countries, but that's what makes America great. We are one big melting pot for global cultures. Nevertheless, it is fun to think there are some traditions that are inherent to this land (America. It's beauti

By CJ Tiernan Why do we love game shows? We all do. Whether we have a certain one or two that we try to catch every week or we just throw on Game Show Network and let the fates decide, we've all sat down and watched a game show on TV. In fact, now that we've reached the zenith of on-demand entertainment, we can pick and choose which ones we watch and conjure them at the snap of a finger (commercial-free). I believe that we love them for two main reasons. First, we like to pla

By CJ Tiernan How fun is it to watch sports? Whether you're rooting for your favorite team or athlete, or you just love the sport and want to see a good game, sports are a great form of entertainment. I'm often tickled when the announcer calls out the name of an athlete with a delightful name. Sometimes, you hear something and it just catches you. You may have been half-listening, but now the cogs in your brain are churning. Wait, how did I not catch that? That person's name

By CJ Tiernan Before the ubiquity of the smartphone, Sportscenter was the one. It was THE way to get your sports highlights. Even the tiny little strip along the bottom line was essential to find scores and other important sports tidbits. When I was in High School, Sportscenter anchors were deified and revered. Sportscenter has lost a bit of its charm in the intervening decades, but going back and watching old "This is Sportscenter" commercials never gets old. They would plac

By CJ Tiernan TV shows are so much fun to watch and rewatch. You get an opportunity to really spend time with the characters and become immersed in the world. It can be pretty devastating when you come to find that your time in that world is cut short, or the peril your favorite characters were placed in never gets resolved. This is a list of my favorite TV shows that never made it to season 3. 1. Better Off Ted (2009-2010) Breaking the fourth wall is one of my favorite trope

By CJ Tiernan As a person who goes by CJ, I'm a fan of a nickname. I'm a really big proponent of having fun with what you call people (as long as said people are in on the fun). I'm also a sports fan. Athletes have long been called by a number of excellent nicknames, dating back to way before ESPN ever showed highlights or dropped a "Boo-Yah!" Below, I've created a list of my favorite nicknames in all of sports. 1. The Minister of Defense - Reggie White Position: NFL Defensiv