Inspired by the new WordPress interface (which I kind of love), I set out to do a little reworking of my own. As you’ll notice (all three proud readers of this blog), this new design for matthewcompton.org is the result.
Let me know what you think.
Posted by: Matt Compton | April 7, 2008
Pulitzer gets it right (again)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction today.
Last year, the prize was awarded to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Each of these books was easily my favorite for their respective years.
Suffice to say that whoever does the judging over there has some good taste in fiction.
Posted in Books | Tags: junot diaz, oscar wao, pulitzer
Posted by: Matt Compton | April 7, 2008
This is huge
NCAA president Myles Brand and NBA commissioner David Stern have apparently reached a deal that will require most players to stay in school through the end of their sophomore years. If the rumor is true, college basketball players now must be 20-years-old before they will be eligible to declare for the NBA draft. The age limit currently stands at 19-years-old. No word yet on whether or not the players’ union supports this change.
This will have a dramatic impact on the college game. On the balance, teams that stand to benefit the most are those that are currently strong. Mid-major programs which have achieved a level of parity (both through the diffusion of talent and by the cultivation of that talent over the course of four years, rather than one or two) will now face a new challenge.
The details of this deal will be interesting. Particularly, when the new age-limit takes effect. As those on the basketball boards will tell you, the recruitment of Derrick Favors might have just taken on a whole new dynamic.
Posted in Sports | Tags: age limits, college basketball, NBA, recruiting, UNC
Posted by: Matt Compton | April 2, 2008
Beautiful coinage
The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom has revealed the new design for its currency, and I’m kind of in love with it. The design was chosen from more than 4,000 entries and the creator is just 26 years old. (via kottke)
Posted in Design
Posted by: Matt Compton | March 31, 2008
The review: a procedural
I’ve been waiting to post a link to this review until I was done with Richard Price’s new book, Lush Life. As someone who reads a lot of reviews and writes them occasionally, I can say that it is genuinely hard produce something that stands on its own merit.
Sam Anderson goes beyond just good, however — his riff on Lush Life is almost as good as the book itself. Almost.
Posted by: Matt Compton | March 30, 2008
Final Four
Thanks to the extraordinary play of Tyler Hansbrough, Carolina advances to the Final Four. I’ll be cheering hard for Davidson tomorrow.
(Photo Credit: Zeke Smith)
Posted in Sports
Posted by: Matt Compton | March 26, 2008
Handicapping the home state
I’ve got a really, really long piece up on The Strategist right now, where I attempt to breakdown the North Carolina primary.
I’d be really curious to read reaction to it.
Posted by: Matt Compton | March 25, 2008
The genre prize trifecta
Michael Chabon’s wonderful book The Yiddish Policemen’s Union has become the first novel ever to be nominated for a Hugo, Nebula and Edgar.
Posted in Books | Tags: michael chabon
Posted by: Matt Compton | March 25, 2008
My quick smells like french toast
I don’t think I’m alone in my theory that Nike does the most incredible commercials on televison:
Posted in Sports, Television
Posted by: Matt Compton | March 20, 2008
A thing of destiny?
At this point, I think we know that Barack Obama takes his basketball seriously. He plays a pickup game before every primary. His brother-in-law is the head coach of the Princeton Tigers. His body man is Reggie Love — former dook wingman. And last year, he won the Senate NCAA pool.
This year, Obama has the Heels winnning it all.
From his mouth to God’s ears.
Matt Compton 