20 replies to this topic

[Earwolf Admin]

Matt Walsh, Jon Gabrus, and Lauren Lapkus are apart of a Tim Tebow edition of Case Closed on today’s bonus cut of improv4humans. They get into a discussion about ass kissing on Twitter, talk with a Tebow fan about Besser’s tweet toward Tebow, and Besser resolves to not be mean to Tebow anymore. Enjoy!

[Gym Sockerman]

I can see everyone's points, but I guess I always just saw those "comedian to comedian congrats" tweets as like humblepromotes. Just a public way of congratulating your friend as well as introducing your followers to someone that you respect and think they should pay attention to.

Just started listening to the call...this guy sounds like he's like 16. Already cringing. This should be good.

[Basil Marlowe]

Case closed is fantastic. I always enjoy hearing Besser's fair yet passionate debating style.
He earnestly cares about making solid arguments. I respect that a lot.
It is great how the flaws in logic become the starting points of scenes.
Case closed is my favorite feature.

[Cabbagehead]

Thanks Matt for the b-b-bonus-s-s-s episode!

[Hot - Slunch]

Did anyone else notice that the guests all were wearing plaid shirts in their earwolf pictures? Just a little odd.

---

Also, Matt I think that the 2008-09 and 2009-10 Cavaliers were definitely the best teams in the NBA in those respective years. LeBron just choked. They should've beaten the Magic in 2009. The Magic had no business even getting to the Eastern Conference Finals, I mean the Celtics took them to 7 games without Kevin Garnett. The Cavs should've smoked the Magic and at least gotten to the finals. They had Mo Williams, Delonte West, Pavlovic, Varejao, Ben Wallace, Ilgauskas, JJ Hickson and LeBron in 2009. That's a really solid 8 man rotation.

In 2010, the Celtics had no business beating the Cavs, other than Rondo playing otherworldly basketball. They won on veteran savvy and Rondo, while the Cavs sucked ass. They had Shaq, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Varejao, Ilgauskas, Hickson, Antawn Jamison, Telfair, LeBron, and Anthony Parker. That's an even better team than '09. They should've beaten the Celtics and definitely would've crushed the Lakers in the finals (2-0 in regular season).

Those were solid teams, with the best record in the regular season, with the back to back MVP in LeBron. LeBron just choked when the playoffs came around. He needed Wade and Bosh to hold his hand.

For the record, I hate LeBron and Kobe.

[klem_johansen]

Please go back to trashing Tebow. I'm not really a sports guy, so this podcast is pretty much the only NFL exposure I get. The episode after Tebow went to the Jets, Besser's Jets-loving cognitive dissonance was amazingly entertaining. That was my second favorite episode behind the one with St. Claire & Parnham.

[Ben K]

Enjoyed this bonus clip. Even handed debate, and I liked when the improv turned to really superficial questions at the sports star.

One note about congratulations: I'm not so sure it's always bragging. For example, I got promoted recently and my parents sent me a congratulations to my facebook wall. Neither of them have that many friends on facebook, so I doubt they cared if anyone saw it. I think it's just the easiest way to talk to someone. So if anything they should be chastised for being lazy.

[Kickpuncher]

"The only thing I know about Tebow is that Crystal the monkey can do the Tebow thing."

[Jacob C]

Amazing episode.
This is the reason why I hate identifying myself as a Christian. Those twitter comments...ugh. Tim Tebow...double ugh. It's pretty amazing that Jesus specifically spoke out against gaudy, public displays of worship (like praying in front of television cameras in a stadium full of people) and yet these people claim to worship him. Just the idea of a football player using twitter as a forum to tweet scriptures makes me want to throw up. It's so wildly disingenuous and showy, the opposite of having a humble attitude, which Christians are supposed to have.

All of this is just to say, you don't have to be a non-Christian to be irritated by Tebow or his legion of weirdos. I think that sort of extremist attitude is irritating in all faiths. It's like Gervais sneaking in comments about non-atheists being idiots in every interview he does. It's the same to me as Tebow thanking Jesus in every interview he does ("I literally have no idea how to answer this question without talking about the end of the world!") Is it really your personal duty to convert the world to your belief system through twitter and interviews? Just do your thing and don't be a self-glorifying jerk about it.

[Sean G]

Always glad to see another Case Closed, and good for the caller to make an appearance. I think Matt was pretty restrained in not going on about the hypocrisy in being a fan of Tebow and Kobe.

Lauren's straightfaced repetition of her previous ridiculous question was the best. "I think that's what everyone wants to know." So good.

[VampiresVampiresVampires]

I actually had to stop this one at around 9 minutes. I will listen to the rest later, but so far, I am quite dismayed.

I've congratulated friends and strangers on the most trivial of things; non ironically. For instance, an acquaintance just had her neck brace removed. Trivial for sure, but heartening to see, nonetheless.

Are people so jaded that a hastily communicated positive response to a positive occurrence makes a person an asshole? "Congrats on [this positive thing]." "Nope, I need more validation."

I was once told that the highest form of selfishness is not accepting a compliment. Why in the world would you not believe in other's genuine good will for you? Why would you ever want to disdain it as false? No matter if it is friend or stranger.

(I'm about to get killed for this.)

[Gym Sockerman]

VampiresVampiresVampires, on 16 January 2013 - 12:54 AM, said:

I actually had to stop this one at around 9 minutes. I will listen to the rest later, but so far, I am quite dismayed.

I've congratulated friends and strangers on the most trivial of things; non ironically. For instance, an acquaintance just had her neck brace removed. Trivial for sure, but heartening to see, nonetheless.

Are people so jaded that a hastily communicated positive response to a positive occurrence makes a person an asshole? "Congrats on [this positive thing]." "Nope, I need more validation."

I was once told that the highest form of selfishness is not accepting a compliment. Why in the world would you not believe in other's genuine good will for you? Why would you ever want to disdain it as false? No matter if it is friend or stranger.

(I'm about to get killed for this.)

I wonder if this isn't just some LA thing. If I lived in California I imagine that I'd be directing my anger at inconsequential shit too because I wouldn't have to deal with any of the other bullshit that comes with living in a flyover state.

[pokey]

I don't know what the original poster said about Matt using improv4humans as a "bully pulpit," but I think it's worth mentioning that the phrase "bully pulpit" has nothing to do with "bullying." The "bully," there, is the outdated definition, meaning something good ("Bully for you!"). The phrase means that a person uses his/her position in the public eye to promote his/her beliefs or agenda. There's nothing wrong with that, and I'd even argue that comedians should do it! Comedy is often more enlightening and persuasive than serious arguments could be.

[Matt Besser]

VampiresVampiresVampires, on 16 January 2013 - 12:54 AM, said:

I actually had to stop this one at around 9 minutes. I will listen to the rest later, but so far, I am quite dismayed.

I've congratulated friends and strangers on the most trivial of things; non ironically. For instance, an acquaintance just had her neck brace removed. Trivial for sure, but heartening to see, nonetheless.

Are people so jaded that a hastily communicated positive response to a positive occurrence makes a person an asshole? "Congrats on [this positive thing]." "Nope, I need more validation."

I was once told that the highest form of selfishness is not accepting a compliment. Why in the world would you not believe in other's genuine good will for you? Why would you ever want to disdain it as false? No matter if it is friend or stranger.

(I'm about to get killed for this.)

It is more of a Hollywood thing I think. I think people can tell the difference between asskissing/brown-nosing and giving someone a true compliment.

[Colin Fraser]

Ben K, on 15 January 2013 - 12:12 PM, said:

Enjoyed this bonus clip. Even handed debate, and I liked when the improv turned to really superficial questions at the sports star.

One note about congratulations: I'm not so sure it's always bragging. For example, I got promoted recently and my parents sent me a congratulations to my facebook wall. Neither of them have that many friends on facebook, so I doubt they cared if anyone saw it. I think it's just the easiest way to talk to someone. So if anything they should be chastised for being lazy.

I think there is a difference between congratulating through a personal facebook account and twitter. Because its not that a compliment or offer of congratulations needs to be a secret, but the particular tebow tweet in question likely had no intention of ever reaching this particular coach Strong. And when that lack of intention comes through to your average reader; the way he frames the tweet as a message for the coach comes off as disingenuous.

So I think it's a balance of what Matt says is a Hollywood thing, the shouting to the world nature of twitter, and the specific wording of the tweet.

[Julia Hays]

The thought of Besser gleefully waking up to check his Twitter feed the morning after tweeting some divisive comments delights me to no end.

[Matt Besser]

Colin Fraser, on 16 January 2013 - 09:56 AM, said:

I think there is a difference between congratulating through a personal facebook account and twitter. Because its not that a compliment or offer of congratulations needs to be a secret, but the particular tebow tweet in question likely had no intention of ever reaching this particular coach Strong. And when that lack of intention comes through to your average reader; the way he frames the tweet as a message for the coach comes off as disingenuous.

So I think it's a balance of what Matt says is a Hollywood thing, the shouting to the world nature of twitter, and the specific wording of the tweet.

Well put.

[Kickpuncher]

This was my take on the Tebow/Strong thing as I listened to Matt describe it (I know a lot about sports in general but very little about current college football and doesn't feel strongly about Tebow either way): Regardless of what you think of him as a person or an NFL player, Tebow is one of Florida's best players ever, and is extremely popular among their fans and alumni. So a public endorsement of their coach could actually have real meaning if the coach's job is at all in jeopardy (or even if it isn't). Maybe that wasn't his purpose, but that seems like a legitimate reason to congratulate someone publicly rather than privately.

[VampiresVampiresVampires]

Thanks for the answer Matt.

Between what was said on the CBB, Pam Murphy forum and what people are saying here, it must be hell to be a female comedian in LA.

[RIP Spirit Bear]

Matt must be happy that the Jets have jumped on the "Leave Tebow Alone" bandwagon.

http://espn.go.com/n...s-cut-tim-tebow