Pass the Relish

The latest game sweeping nerd nation... DESTINY. Why PS4s are selling like hotcakes. The latest 49er and Raiders losses, Kaepernick, and trying to figure out why wide receivers are so much damn taller than cornerbacks! Any theories of your own? Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish/ Tumblr: passtherelish.tumblr.com/ Twitter: @RelishBlog Evan: @positronprime Mando: @IrredeemablyNBA

Folks! On this week's episode the Pass the Relish crew dishes on a very disappointing summer hollywood movie season. Targeting women as a demographic "group", X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Expendables 3, Maleficent, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and why small-scale action films work better than large-scale ones. What worked, what didn't, and trying to explain why. Also, we lament over why people talking about celebrity deaths so damn much -- Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, Lauren Bacall etc... Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish/ Tumblr: passtherelish.tumblr.com/ Twitter: @RelishBlog Evan Ranting: @positronprime Mando on the NBA: @IrredeemablyNBA

Folks! When do GM's deserve credit for team building? This week we get into Lebron James, Kevin Love, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Also, take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers' and Chicago Bulls' rosters. At the 28 min mark we delve into Colin Kaepernick's contract and how the San Francisco 49ers are shaping up. Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish/info Tumblr: passtherelish.tumblr.com/ Twitter: @RelishBlog Evan Ranting: @positronprime Mando on the NBA: @IrredeemablyNBA

Folks! In this week's episode Mando and Evan are back to ponder the question of why governments do what they do. Is there a role for technocrats and thinking through public problems? We get into the devastating California drought and the escalating ISIS situation in Iraq. Let us know what you guys think - Do you know of any examples of policy-makers thinking through problems? Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ 
 Twitter: @relishblog Mando’s twitter: @irredeemablynba 
Evan’s twitter: @evanistics

Folks! Ep. 40 of the PTR podcast! Previewing the NBA finals and recent litigation around discriminatory subprime mortgage lending. Evan and Mando assess the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs' chances. Who is going to win the front court match ups? What are we most excited about seeing in this rematch? We also spend a good chunk of time parcelling out if aggregate data on discrimination qualifies in court and who is actually culpable in large organizations. Till next week folks! -- PTR Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ 
 Twitter: @relishblog Mando’s twitter: @irredeemablynba 
Evan’s twitter: @evanistics

Folks! It's that time a year again. A great finale for a great season. Evan and Mando catch up on this season of CBS's Survivor, discuss each player's game and how they changed our thinking about Survivor, and, of course, life in general! ALL HAIL SURVIVOR. Till next week! -- PTR Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ 
 Twitter: @relishblog Mando’s twitter: @irredeemablynba 
Evan’s twitter: @evanistics

Folks! On this week’s episode of the Pass the Relish podcast, Evan and Mando discuss the public indictment of Donald Sterling. We also get into some recent sociology of “conservatives”, including the Tea Party and Minutemen (those guys who patrolled the border with Mexico). Here is the book mentioned in the podcast: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Jos%C3%A9-Minutemens-Pursuit-America/dp/0691152152 And the Atlantic Article about ex-soldiers: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/a-soldier-criticizes-his-army-comrades-tea-party-ideology/280788 Till Next week folks! Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ 
 Twitter: @relishblog Mando’s twitter: @irredeemablynba 
Evan’s twitter: @evanistics

What’s up folks? This is episode 37 of the Pass the Relish podcast. On this week’s episode Evan and Mando catch up after watching Captain America: the Winter Soldier and wonder if Hollywood is drinking the Ed Snowden Kool-aid, Evan gets caught up on Game of Thrones and is here to tell us why it's so good, and, of course, PTR favorite… SURVIVOR. 1 min: Captain America, the NSA, and is Hollywood in some kind of Post-Ed Snowden Era? Meh, Probably not. 21 min: What makes Game of Thrones special? Trope busting of course! 33 min: Survivor, Survivor, SURVIVOR! Absolutely spoilers for all Captain America, GOT, and Survivor. Follow us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ and Twitter! @relishblog Mando’s twitter: @irredeemablynba Evan’s twitter: @evanistics

Folks! On this week's episode of Pass the Relish, Mando is joined by special guest Brian Sargent to talk and get exasperated about the Pacers, Rockets, Clippers, Bulls, and Warriors. Despite some of their good numbers, these teams could be running even better plays. Also, JOAKIM NOAH! At the 55 min mark, Evan joins Mando and gets hyped for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which, oddly enough, is getting rave reviews. Till Next week folks! PTR Follow us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ and Twitter! @relishblog Mando’s twitter: @irredeemablynba Evan’s twitter: @evanistics

What's good folks? On this week's episode Mando and Evan ask what makes TV shows great? We get into FX's The Americans, Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, The Wire and a few others. No spoilers as far as we can tell. They also talk about when race and gender tropes on TV become so annoying it ruins otherwise amazing shows. Of course, we finish with 10 minutes of Survivor talk. #allhailsurvivor! 'Till next week! PTR Crew

PTR episode 34 Folks! On this week's episode, Evan and Mando catch up on the latest Survivor episode, getting into J'Tia's hilarious incompetence and our annual Fantasy Survivor Bet. We also delve into the recent Steve Nash documentary and his very personal revelations about trying to stick in the NBA. Finally, Mando recounts a recent visit to a very depressing NBA D-League game - you could smell the desperation in the air! Survivor: 2:24 min mark. Steve Nash and the False Hope of Athletes: 20:45 min mark. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PasstheRelish Tumblr: http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/ and Twitter! @relishblog Mando's twitter: @irredeemablynba Evan's twitter: @evanistics

Fruitvale Station's snub at the Oscars, Ambivalence on Venezuela, and CBS's Survivor is BACK! What’s up folks! This week Evan and Mando get into the long delayed discussion of Fruitvale Station (the movie) and Michael B Jordan’s performance in it. We also dish on recent events in Venezuela and our ambivalence about it. Finally, at the 34:15 min mark, we get into the first two episodes of CBS’s Survivor! We get into our yearlong Survivor Fantasy league, J’Tia’s competence, LJ’s roids, our belief in Brice coming back, and more! — PTR

Whats up Folks!? This week Evan and Mando debate the psychology of a man who shot and killed a teenager for playing his rap music too loud and an NSA lawyer who thinks we all need to just shut up and trust the NSA. Great stuff! Let us know where you guys stand! -- Pass the Relish Crew

Folks! In this episode the Pass the Relish podcast gives the Walking Dead TV show one last chance. We've been watching for awhile now and its time to pass judgment. Relatedly, Evan and Mando discuss the anatomy of good tv. Also, we spend 7 minutes at the end discussing some new Colin Kaepernick since last weeks NFL episode. OK see you next week folks! -- PTR

Folks! PTR is back! Sorry for the long delay. But this time around we are back on the horse -- we promise. Next week we will get into some Walking Dead. But in this episode Evan and Mando get into all things NFL: What did we see in that Super Bowl? Is Kaepernick somehow flawed? And playing devils advocate in the Richard Sherman debate! PTR LIVES! -- Mando

Mando and Evan discuss all things Survivor in a mid-season review of the epic Blood vs. Water season.

What's up everybody? This is episode 28 of the PTR podcast. On this week's episode the Mando, Evan, Zack, and TRAVIS discuss the past season of Survivor and what we are looking for on Sunday's season finale. We also discuss those pesky GS DUBS! What a team eh? Till next week folks! -- PTR

What's up everybody? This is episode 27 of the Pass the Relish podcast! In this episode Zack, Mando, and Evan discuss • Evan's trip to Japan and visiting atrocity memorials... • Does Jason Collins represent a sea-change in the gay rights issue? Also, what this has to do with climate change! WOW • Finally, we get some quick thoughts in on the NBA playoffs. Tune in next week and we will have a full Survivor season finale and some round 1 wrap up! -- PTR

What's up everybody! Welcome to episode 26 of the Pass the Relish Podcast. On today's episode Zack and Mando go through each round 1 series of the 2013 NBA playoffs. This is not to be missed. Also, bold predictions and WILL NICK COLLISON GET SOME PLAYING TIME? Till next time folks! -- PTR

What's up everbody! Welcome to episode 25 of the PTR podcast! Today Mando and Zack tackles a few wide ranging topics: The gun control debate and what it says about democracy and the economy. Margaret thatcher's complicated legacy. Tiger Woods and the Masters! Till next time folks! -- PTR

What's up everybody! On today's episode, Evan and Mando offer some thoughts on Obama's budget proposal, some ambivalence about N. Korea, and get really really angry about the WALKING DEAD. Walking dead talk starts at 20:00. Full spoilers people. Till next time folks! PTR

Episode 23! The Stock Market Soars, 10 year anniversary of the Iraq War, the NCAA vs. the NBA, and FX's "The Americans" Hey what's up everybody! Pass the Relish episode 23! Three segments. Three different perspectives. Politics, Sports, and Entertainment! On this weeks episode the gang discusses: 8:20 Record profits in the stock market and the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War 15:30 NCAA vs. the NBA 30:00 The FX show "The Americans," Women on T.V., and Rape Culture Till next time folks! -- PTR

Episode 22! Hugo Chavez and the POPE! The NBA Western Conference playoff race! And the Greatest T.V. Meltdown of all time! Hey what's up everybody! Pass the Relish debuts its new podcast format! Three segments. Three different perspectives. Politics, Sports, and Entertainment! Let us know what you think and be sure to join us here NEXT friday for another episode of the PTR podcast 1:15 PTR's political endorsements! The media's coverage of Hugo Chave'z Death, The Minimum Wage, and THE POPE. 18:55 The Western Conference NBA playoff race and TAYSHAUN PRINCE! 38:30 Survivor and the greatest T.V. breakdown of all time. Till next time!

Hey Hey! The gang is back (Again)! PTR reacts to a special interview between Grantland's Chuck Klosterman and Survivor host Jeff Probst. Their original interview can be found here: http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/68796/hollywood-prospectus-podcast-chuck-klosterman-with-jeff-probst In a special episode PTR tackles it's most pressing question: is the game of Survivor a reflection of society or an ideal version of it! WOAH. That was deep. Till next time folks and let us know what you think in the comments below! -- PTR

Hey Everyone! Pass the Relish has been off the grid for awhile now! But hold onto your hats because we have a few episodes coming your way... First up? Brian joins Mando for a recap of the first third of the NBA season! We got Knicks, Melo, Nets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Lakers, Kobe's bad defense, Thunder, James Harden, and all the rest! let us know what you think! peace, -- PTR

Hey Everybody! Here is 90 min of a totally objective debate on the 5 best sitcoms of all-time. I am joking about that. It is not objective at all. Join Julio, Zack, and Mando for lots of Seinfeld gushing, Friends bashing, and mug-slinging fun! It gets ugly. 3:20 min. Seinfeld vs. Curb Your Enthusiasm vs. The Simpsons! (Also, a special mention for Louie and Friends, of course, gets shit on) 33:20 min. Arrested Development vs. South park vs. The Office, (Mentions of 30 Rock, Modern Family, Community, Parks/Rec, and we shit on Two and Half Men) 1:15:10 min We Make Our Final Top Five Picks! (Also, a Malcolm in the Middle and Roseanne Honorable Mentions!) What are your picks? Did we miss anything?

Hey what's up everybody!?  Episode 18!!! Mando and Brian return for 40 min of NBA Finals talk and some great music! (Recorded just after the Game 4 Heat win) WTF is wrong with James Harden? Mario and the totally random rise of the Heat as a "team" It's Derrick Fisher Time! Did Lebron kill "Clutchness" as a concept? Also, you can follow Mando on twitter @IrredeemablyNBA Till next time folks! -- PTR

Hey what's up everybody!? Are you feigning for a new PTR podcast with great music? Well here's episode 17 where special guest Brian joining Mando for 45 minutes of NBA playoff madness. Here are the 4 topics we get into... 1:00 -- What exactly are the Spurs doing to the Thunder? 17:30 -- The Celtics still have a chance, here's why 26:30 -- Where do the Lakers go from here? 35:00 -- How a subtle rule change has drastically changed the NBA Here's the musicians in case you are wondering... Black Uhuru -- Dub You Haffe Dub Common -- Break My Heart Mayer Hawthorne -- A Long Time johnny cash -- Folsom Prison Blues Tesla Boy -- Spirit of the Night Till next time folks! -- PTR

Hey folks!  Episode 16 of the Shenanigans podcast! It's been a long time, but this is probably one of our best yet... We hit you with 20 min of NBA Playoffs, 20 min of Survivor, and 20 min of Avengers!  We also added some sweet tunes in the background, some come check it out.... 1:00 mark: Would You Give OKC's Harden 15 million dollars and How Kobe Needs to Be Tim Duncan. 20:00 mark: Did Kim Create a New Final Game Strategy? Also, Post-Racial America and Colton, lol. 37:20 mark: The Business Model of Superhero Movies and Why We Give Avengers a B+  'TIll next time folks! -- Pass the Relish

Hey Hey Everybody! This is Episode 15 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by Pass the Relish blog... This week the gang discusses why the Super Bowl sucked so much, QB legacies (Peyton vs Eli and Tom Brady) and why we care so much about quarter backs at all. Also, the NBA. How do we feel about the All-Star voting... Zack and Mando have a bit of a disagreement over Kevin Love vs. Lamarcus Aldridge... and, the most important topic of all, does Carmelo Anthony the most unique player of all time? We mean that in a bad way, lol. -- till next time guys! Mando

Hey Hey this episode 14 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by Passtherelish.tumblr! This week the Zack and Mando are joined by Julio, a new regular to the blog, and we prep you for the 2nd half of the Walking Dead season two, which is premiering this Sunday, after the Super Bowl. This is pretty much what we say: it's not as good as it could be and here is how it could become great. Till next time folks! Mando

Hey Hey folks welcome to episode 13 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by passtherelish.tumblr.com! This week the gang discusses all things GOP. We get into the nitty-gritty of what is feeding those big ol’ elephants… of course, we also get to Obama! Haha. Here are the topics pretty much in sequential order we touch on… • Does the GOP actually believe the stuff they say? • What three assumptions about the world do you need to believe the GOP perspective? Do not miss this! • What is the really behind Newt Gingrich's Comeback? • Mando defends the Tea Party. LOL. Seriously, he does. • Why Ron Paul is basically the most authentic politician in D.C. Zack points out a key feature of liberalism: it doesn’t work. • Mando doesn't like how sex has become the deciding factor the in the GOP primary. • Why its so damn surprising to hear Newt Gingrich sound like he was camped out at Zuccatti park for 2 months. • Why on earth can't the Republican Party find a decent candidate? There are 350 million people living in this country. • How do we see primary playing out? Predictions! • Mando lays out why he thinks none of this really matters, Romney vs Obama is inevitable, and how that’s really sad, and frankly, could spell doom for us all. • Relatedly, we discuss the limits of Obama and have a little disagreement. Do not miss this! • Finally, the NDAA, SOPA, and the state of American democracy, with a bold prediction for the upcoming NATO/G8 conference in Chicago. Thanks for tuning in guys, and let us know what you think! Till next time! -- Mando

Hey Hey Everyone! We are back! After a month long holiday hiatus the gang discusses the NFL playoffs. Yes we know it already started... but that didn't stop us from discussing the random comeback of the Giants, the 49ers, whether or not its still a quarterbacks league, and why the hell NFL teams keep hiring old coaches who haven't changed in 30 years when there's a ton of fresh talent in the college ranks! Relatedly... this is how institutions in general stay the same year after year. Also, super bowl predictions! till next time folks! -- Mando

Hey Hey Folks! This is Episode 11 of the Shenanigans Podcast hosted by Passtherelish.tumblr.com This week Mando is joined by a special guest known only as "The Friend." Though, in real life his name is Brian. We get together in what we hope is the first of many NBA related podcasts to discuss the upcoming NBA season. Put your feat up cause we take you through a massive preview of most of the contending teams, plus we discuss what being "unguardable" really means and how precarious "potential" is in the NBA. We hit on the following topics: • We cover the Bulls and their Boozer-tied potential • Did the Stern veto actually work out for the better? Sorry Laker fans. And, relatedly, the CP3 trade proves why Donald Sterling is a hack. • The Mavs and why the loss of J.J. Barea Matters more than the loss of Tyson Chandler • The Thunder and their problems. • Are the Lakers in their "old-news" phase? • The Blazers and what young and promising really means. • A bold prediction for the Knicks, followed by three qualifiers. • Kevin Durant and the Mid-Post • Lebron and perseverance • What does being “unguardable” really mean? Hope you guys enjoy! Sorry about the technical difficulties we are still figuring out how to do remote podcast! -- Mando

Hey Hey Everyone! Here is you Shenanigans episode 10 podcast hosted by Pass the Relish. This week the gang previews the upcoming Survivor season finale! In case you haven't been following along... Each week for the entire run of the show we have been updating the blog with a 10-person bet for the winner of survivor. The rules were such that you could change your pick every week, but each week it would get more expensive to do so. In any case. Here is your much anticipated Survivor season finale primer! -- Mando

This week the gang presents a 2-part NBA free agency extravaganza! In case you haven't been following along... this past week has seen some of the wildest NBA free agency/trade developments that we've ever seen. Chris Paul! Dwight Howard! David Stern, Big Markets! Small Markets! The Lakers, Clippers, Nets, and much much more! The podcast is broken up into two parts with Evan and Mando in the first and Zack joining in on the second! In part 1 we discuss: • David Stern's veto powers and what that says about the league. • Is there really a disparity between big market and small market teams? The answer may surprise you. • Could Kobe and Chris Paul even have co-existed? In part 2 we discuss: • We fill you in on what the Lakers are prolly thinking in trading away Lamar Odom. • If the Nets can get Dwight Howard would they be better than the Heat? • Mando makes the case as to why the clippers should do whatever it takes to get Chris Paul, even if it means trading Eric Gordon. That and much much more! -- Mando

Hey Hey everybody.. this is episode 8 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by Passtherelish.tumblr! This week the gang offers counter-arguments to sportswriter Bill Simmons' pro-owner arguments after NBA lockout was finally concluded last week! Woo Hoo! The gang feels really bad. :( We are all huge Bill Simmons fans, with Mando even listening to every one of his NBA related podcasts 6 times over, but enough is enough.... we decided to get together and do something about the pro-NBA owner ranting that's drilling holes into our heads. Yikes! Here's a summary of all the points we address in sequential order in case you want to follow along: • Should athletes just accept whatever owners tell them they are worth? • We are talking about precentage of B.R.I. not totals!!!!! aaahhh! • Are the NBA players way overpaid and is the league actually losing allot of money? • The three pro-NBA player points that no one is talking about (including the union): Flipping franchises, Real-Estate Ponzi Schemes, and Player Prestige. DO NOT MISS THIS! • Why is the mid-level exception so damn important to players? We tell you. lol. • What the hell do public sector workers, banks, and personal responsibility have to do with any of this? haha. We also tell you this. Hope you guys enjoy! - Mando p.s. here is a link to the Simmon's article we reference and quote from: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7307298/the-first-day-nba-christmas

Hey Hey! This is episode 7 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by the Pass the Relish blog! (passtherelish.tumblr). If you ever wondered why targeting Wall St. is sound economic policy... then this is your podcast! We basically took the three most pragmatic progressive ideas out there and tried to fit them into a catchy three digit number... you know kind of like how Herman Cain fit his plan to destroy America into the 9-9-9 plan, haha! Of course, we know we left allot of great ideas off of the plan. We talk about some of those things in the second half of the podcast. That discussion starts at the 30:42 mark! One more thing, you may have missed it on the blog so here is the link to the original 4-1-1 post in case you want to follow along.... but its aint that hard.. since its all small and to the point! http://passtherelish.tumblr.com/post/12329453051/a-4-1-1-plan-for-the-99 Let us know what you think folks! -- Mando

Hey Hey! This is episode 6 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by the Pass the Relish blog! (passtherelish.tumblr). This week the gang reacts to a recent rule change by the NCAA to allow a $2,000 dollar yearly stipend for student-athletes. The decision is monumental because, for years, college players have been working for free in what is a multi-billion dollar industry. We talk about, amongst many others: What led up to this decision? Why is this happening now? What is the significance of this decision? Why should college athletes be paid at all? What has been the legal underpinnings of previous rulings on the issue? What is the role of race in all this? What do we see happening moving forward? and much much more! Till Next time! -- mando p.s. Also here is the now widely read Atlantic article that we reference a number of times in the podcast: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/#

Hey Hey Everyone! Welcome to Shenanigans ep 5 hosted by the Pass the Relish blog! This week the gang tackles the NBA lockout and discusses the top 10 players going into the season. visit our main blog site at: passtherelish.tumblr for all your politics, sports, and movie needs! As usual the gang tries to use the progressive perspective to reframe a debate. We also get a little testy about who are the top 10 players, with Mando making a case for CP3 and Dirk over some of the other stars. Zack, inexplicably, became a LeWitness. The Top 10 discussion starts at the 25:22 mark. Peace! -- Mando

Hey hey! This is episode 4 of the Shenanigans podcast hosted by Pass the Relish Blog! In this episode Evan and Mando react to the season two premiere of the Walking Dead... Also, we compare it to another survivalist themed show that had allot of promise: Fox's Terra Nova. We also talk a little bit about the movie Drive and how the economy has played a little role in this season's fall tv lineup. thanks everyone! don't forget to leave comments! -- mando