We Recommend: Hopping on the Wayback Machine - to 1998

May 9th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

Ah yes, it was a more innocent time. The internet had boomed and busted, and available fonts numbered in the hundreds, not the thousands. Simpler days, indeed.

Yes, the year was 1998, Bill Clinton was mired in scandal, and most news Web sites were starting to figure out what pornographers had known for years - the internet is a cash cow.

Thanks to the Wayback Machine, you can visit some of your favorite sites circa 1998 and beyond. Want to see Google Beta? No, not Gmail Beta - the actual Google. You know, the multi-billion dollar software conglomerate that blows our minds all the time? It was ugly back then! (Also, it had an exclamation point then. Apparently today’s engine is far less enthusiastic.)

This is too much fun. Be sure to check out some old ESPN pages too. Gross.

We Recommend: “Learning to Fly” - The Chicago Bulls 1991 Championship Video

April 4th, 2006 | Posted by Matt

Though it is only available on VHS and is 15 years old now, “Learning to Fly”: The Chicago Bulls 1991 Championship video is simply a 30-minute compilation of sports heaven.

As a 7-year-old boy living in a suburb of Chicago, this video was a mainstay in my everyday routine - Wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, come home and watch my Bulls video. Of course, this had to be done while adorning my MJ jersey and shoes (yeah, I was just that nerdy).

I’ll be honest, not much has changed since then. The video still gives me chills; it makes me want to get out onto the court, drive the lane against Sam Perkins and the rest of the Laker defense, make a bold leap to the basket and change hands mid-air for the layup.

Phil Jackson’s mustache, John Paxson’s short shorts and M.J.’s tongue in full effect; it’s all here.

So if you can, dig around in your closets or video cabinets or get out to the nearest video store and get your hands on one of the most incredible sports videos of our time.

I’ll leave you with some of the lyrics from the video’s theme song, performed by the one and only Tom Petty:

Well the good ol’ days, may not return.
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn.I’m learnin’ to fly, but I ain’t got wings.
Comin’ down, is the hardest thing.

We Recommend: Spike TV’s “Pros vs. Joes”

March 27th, 2006 | Posted by Matt

It’s football, it’s basketball, it’s baseball, it’s … ridiculous. But that’s why we love it here at the postmen.

In its first season on Spike TV, the new television series “Pros vs. Joes” gives three wannabe athletes a chance to compete against former professional athletes, with a new cast of characters debuting every week. So far, the show has featured the likes of Dennis “The Worm” Rodman, Jim “The Punky QB” McMahon and Bo “Knows Every Sport” Jackson. And who could forget Jerry “I used to be the greatest receiver in NFL history, but now i’m a reality TV junkie” Rice.

While it may look absolutely absurd, the show is actually very entertaining. First of all, it’s amazing to see how much some of the athletes have changed in the short amount of time they have been out of the game. The best aspect of the show though is how most of the contestants come in thinking that they can actually put up a fight against most of the has-been athletes. However, they quickly discover that there was a reason these guys made it to the pros.

The show ultimately serves two purposes - to entertain sports addicts such as myself and to feed the egos of former professional athletes and make them think they can still hack it. So every Monday night at 10pm, check out “Pros vs. Joes” and see Bill Romanowski take advantage of smaller, non-steroid users - I guess not much has changed after all.