Nov01

The Fake World of Real Sports: An Introduction

by Josh on November 1, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Posted In: Fake World of Real Sports

What is the Fake World of Real Sports?

It’s a blog inspired by the suspension of disbelief in sports movies where we (myself and Matt Hinnenkamp) analyse events in the films and apply them to real life scenarios.  We use period-specific rules that would have been in place at the time of the event – since rules are constantly changing – and we determine what would happen if those things had actually taken place during a real sporting event.  Primarily the focus is on family films and comedies, things that tend to push the envelope in terms of the suspension of disbelief.  For example:

  • In the film Major League, there is a scene where Willy Mays Hays (Wesley Snipes) runs up to a fielder and yells “I got it! I got it!” which causes him to drop the ball.  Is that legal?
  • In The Replacements, there is a play called “Kick Ass” wherein the team simply attacks the opposing team with a multitude of personal fouls.  What are the real world repercussions?
  • Can a werewolf really play high school or college basketball (Teen Wolf and Teen Wolf Too respectively)?  Can a zebra race in the Kentucky Derby (Racing Stripes)?  Could intangible beings participating be grounds for cheating (Angels in the Outfield)?

Follow along as we take the suspension of disbelief far too literally and turn the Fake World of Real Sports upside-down and inside-out.  Enjoy!

Sep05

The Real Life Adventures of Josh: An Introduction

by Josh on September 5, 2012 at 12:20 am
Posted In: The Real Life Adventures of Josh

Evening, all.

A friend of mine once told me that I should write a book of all the stuff I’ve gone through.  He told me that I had a singular knack for taking annoying, inconvenient, weird or downright awful things that have happened to me and telling them with a comedic twist.  Then more friends started to follow suit as I would recount various things that I’ve experienced.  After many years of pestering, I have finally given in.

What follows is a memoir of sorts, a chronicling of the strange things that have happened to me over the course of my 33 years and counting.  Here are some things to note:

  • Everything you read in here is true as best as I remember it happening.
  • They are in no particular order though some of them relate to one another.
  • While I hold no real animosity toward most of the people you’ll read about, I’ve changed pretty much everyone’s names.

That’s pretty much it.  Sit back, relax, and follow along as I recount some of the bizarre and real-life adventures that I have had.

I’m Josh Shoberg, and these are my stories.