You might say, "Whatever. Breaking Bad is artsier and features white people," or "Look, Christina Hendricks gets me tuned into AMC on a weekly basis," and that's fine. But you're wrong; neither of those shows are better than The Wire. Neither is The Sopranos, LOST, Dexter, or even Family Matters. You lose; just accept it.
This genius idea by Grantland is already coming under a bit of fire. The bracket, which is well thought-out in some areas, is severely lacking in others.
First off, the notable omissions of two of my favorites, Lt. Carver and Slim Charles. Slim Charles by namesake alone should be at least a 5-seed. Same with Stinkum. I've read one article that suggests the Barksdale/Bell lawyer Maurice Levy be replaced by Kenard, the (SPOILER) kid who shot Omar, but no way...sheisty lawyers always merit a spot in the brackets. Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad would be at minimum a #2 seed in a similar BB bracket, so I give respect to the sheisty lawyer character.
The first round of the West Baltimore and Ports Regions have already been announced, and I agree with all of the choices except Cutty. What a bitch. Chris, Marlo's #2 man, definitely did not deserve the #4 seeding, but certainly would have advanced past Cutty in my bracket. Omar should cruise to an easy Elite 8, along with Snoop, who should definitely not lose to Michael. I'm calling an Omar vs. Prop Joe show-down to come out of these two brackets, with Omar obviously emerging as the victor.
And possibly my favorite Omar scene from the entire series:
In the Hamsterdam Region, I see Bunk Moreland easily defeating the oft-hated Brother Mouzone (hey, I always liked his lines and his bowties), Wallace should slay Levy but then go down to Moreland in Round 2. Bubbles draws the unfortunate 7 seed against Clay Davis, who will certainly advance past either Jimmy McNulty or the forgettable Cedric Daniels.
The East Baltimore Region gets a little stickier, with some serious mis-seeding and subsequent mismatches. Stringer's first opponent, Herc, shouldn't have even been in the brackets, but I guess it won't be sad to see him go so early. Is Stringer Bell deserving of a #1 seeding? I would vote no, with a nod to either Marlo or the #5 seed of this region, Lester Freamon. I like the Bodie vs. Rawls match-up, but ultimately Bodie will be no match for Marlo in Round 2. How the hell does Wee-Bey get a 4-seed and my boy Lester Freamon draw a 5? Shoddy bracketing there, for sure. I'll take Freamon in an upset over Stringer and then over Marlo to take on Clay Davis from the Hamsterdam Region.
That makes my Final Four Omar, Prop Joe, Clay Davis, and Lester Freamon. Four unbeatable characters who, just because of seeding and pairings, happen to edge out other favorites of mine like Bunk Moreland, Bubbles, Marlo, and of course, Snoop. I've got to like Omar over Prop Joe, and Clay Davis in a heartbreaker over Lester Freamon.
Final Champ? "Omar's comin'." That's some Spider-man shit right there.
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ReplyDeleteStringer is most definitely a #1 seed. He's like the Duke of this tourney; he's slick and you root against him but that doesn't change the fact that he's a baller.
ReplyDeleteCarver is a notable absence, although I don't miss him. Herc and Carver should have battled it out in a play-in game. Maybe throw Kenard in that "First Four" round with Slim Charles.
I was glad to see McNulty as low as a 3, was bummed to see Chris go in the first round, and think both Bubbles and Kima should be 5's.
Keep the devil down in the hole, and he shall flee from you.
-JHC
JHC, thanks for your invaluable wisdom. A 4-character play-in would have been a great idea. However, I disagree with his holiness about stringer Bell as a 1-seed. He's just a classic 2-seed, just like his status under avon. He never flourished as top dog while Avon was in the can, and demonstrated that he was softer than what the game requires a person to be.
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