Guest Judge #1 Comments

 Top 5 Sporting Venues a Sports Fan Should See

"Pocket Henleys"
Guest Commentary

#1- List D

I personally think Augusta National would be my number one place to visit, so that made list D a huge favorite.
 

#2- List B
Soldier Field would also be high on my own list too. Also, Notre Dame Stadium would be once in a lifetime places to visit with all the history that has happened there. List B is a very solid list overall.  
 

#3- List C
Tough choice between B and C but the MLB Hall of Fame threw me off with it not being a true place where major sports games a played.
 

#4- List A
List A to me, only had one place that I would have put on my own list, that is way it came in last for me

Top 5 Mythical Creatures

 "Way Better Than J-Wow's"
Guest Commentary

Good evening gentlemen,

For this weeks Top 5 Tuesday I established a relatively simple judging system:

The topic this week was Top Five mythological creatures...however, since there was no specific criterion for the parameters that made a respective creature "top" (i.e. it can save you in a dangerous situation, it has really awesomely cool powers, you want to sleep with it, it scares the shit out of you, etc.) I had to create my own rating system...

Hence, your lists were assessed based upon the following rating process:

     1.  Does the mythical creature have any sweet powers? 
     2.  Could this mythical creature save you in a situation or kick someone's ass if necessary?
     3.  Does this mythical creature appear in any movies or songs?  (points may be taken away however if the movie or song is particularly bad)
     4.  Would I want to hang around this mythical creature?

So with that, lets take a look at the lists...

List A:

5.  Eros
     Well, as the god of sexual love, Eros has some pretty sweet powers, especially since he often hangs out with Dionysis, the god of wine and partying.
     In most classical and renaissance art Eros is traditionally pictured as cupid, the simpering rolly-polly baby...so I'm not sure how helpful he'd be in saving me.  I suppose he could shoot someone with an arrow, but if I had my druthers I'd prefer Posiedon or Apollo. 
     That I know of, not in any really cool movies or songs.  He shows up a lot in boxes of chocolate on Valentines Day.
     If he wasn't in his baby form...and he brought Dionysis, I'd definitely want to hang out with Eros.
4.  The Sandman
     He puts sand in your eyes and puts you to sleep...not that cool of a power in my opinion.
     In some mythology, not particularly badass, but in other stories he's apparently kind of a scary guy.  Not sure he "saves" anyone though, unless you have insomnia.
     I'm torn here, because on the one hand he has Metallica representing him, but on the other hand he also has been represented by the 1950s girl group, the Chordettes, which while a catchy song, isn't exactly badass.
     I like sleep, so I'd hang with the Sandman.
3.  Tooth Fairy
     First of all...REALLY?  I know its your number 3 choice...but the tooth fairy??  That said...
     I guess he kind of has cool powers, taking your teeth and giving you money, but the most I usually made off my teeth was $1, so he could definitely up the ante.
     No saving or ass-kicking powers.
     I think he was in some cartoons for really little kids....
     I don't really miss my baby teeth, so I don't see any need to hang with the Tooth Fairy.
2.  Leprechaun
     I'm not sure if you meant the generic mischievous creature...or if you meant the henchman in the series of shitty horror movies, so I'm choosing to go with the mischievous creature of Irish folklore.
     The leprechaun enjoys practical jokes, and in some iterations can grant wishes and disappear and reappear on command, so I'd say his powers are pretty sweet.
     While small and impish, the abovementioned powers could make him helpful in certain situations.
     Not any music I know of, but besides the crappy horror movies my favorite rendition of him is in Darby O'Gill and the Little People  that also has a young and sexy Sean Connery in it, so that wins some points there.
     I enjoy mischief, and my ancestors were Irish, so I dig the Leprechaun.
1.  Santa Claus
     Santa's special power is pretty amazing!  He fits down chimneys, he can visit every child in the world in one night, he lives at the North Pole, he has the ability to tell who's being naughty and nice all the time, and he brings presents every year!!!
     I don't know that Santa necessarily kicks-ass physically, but he intimidates millions of children each year into trying to be good so they can be on the "nice" list, so that is a form of kicking-ass I guess.
     A multitude of songs and movies, that range from awesome  (Elf) to really crappy (The Santa Clause).
     I'd definitely hang out with Santa.

List B

*This list is kind of a cop out by picking categories (besides Pegasus) instead of specific characters.

5.  Dragons
     Dragons have pretty cool powers, flying (some, I think) and breathing fire, which is pretty rad.
     Definitely could save you, or kill you, in a fight, depending on what side you're on. 
     Besides being amazing in the Harry Potter series, the Dragon also has "Puff the Magic Dragon" sung about it, so definitely some points there. 
     As long as he promised not to kill me, I'd definitely hang out with a dragon.  Especially if it was Puff.     
4.  Pegasus
     A horse that flys...pretty cool.
     As a horse that can fly, could definitely save you in a sticky situation.  Not sure how much ass he could kick though.
     He was in Disney's Hercules, but other than that I don't know many other movies/songs where he has a feature role.
     I love horses, and I love flying, I'd hang out with Pegasus.
3.  Werewolves
     A human being who changes into a human-eating wolf/monster on the full moon...a pretty awesome power, but awesome in the sense that it scares the shit out of me, not awesome in that it would be cool to be around.  Particularly because once you're bitten you too can turn into a werewolf.
     You definitely get points for ass-kicking here, and, like the dragon, the werewolf would be a valuable asset in a fight...but only if he's on your side.  If not your fucked.
     I will not do you the indignity of thinking that you chose the werewolf because of Twilight...and instead I will presume you were swayed by the more nuanced portrayal of the troubled werewolf Mr. Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series.
     If the werewolf is Professor Lupin (not at the full moon) I'd hang out with him, but if not I'd keep my distance.
2.  Zombies
     They're dead people who walk the earth really slow...not sure how "cool" of a power that is.
     If they're the zombies in 28 Days later, they could definitely kick ass, but old school zombies move way too slow to be much of a threat.
     Loads of movies about them, varying from the really crappy to the ok.   
     I don't like scary movies, so no, I wouldn't want to hang out with them.  Besides, they probably smell horrible. 
1.  Genies
     The genie can grant wishes, so definitely one of the better powers on these lists.
     Since the genie can grant wishes, he probably could help you kick ass or save your ass, so he also wins major points for that.
     I know we're not supposed to reference Disney, but Alladin is one of my favorite Disneys, and it's in large part because of the genie with a sense of humor, so you also win points for this one.
     3 wishes!  Of course I'd hang out with a genie!

List C

5.  Mermaids
     No amazing special powers, other than that they can breathe underwater and that in some mythology they are similar to the Sirens, in that they can lure sailors and others to their deaths.  And I suppose being bare-chested and topless all the time is kind of a special power, although as girl I don't find it particularly exciting.
     Luring sailors to their deaths I guess makes them sort of kick-ass, but traditionally in the mythology they don't save people, they treacherously kill people, so they don't do well in this category.
     The Sirens in the Odyssey are sweet, the mermaids in Hook save Robin William's life, Ariel in the Little Mermaid is pretty hot for a ginger, and the mermaids in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are creepy as fuck, so mermaids do pretty well in the media category.
     If I could hang around in a seashell bra all day, I'd hang out with mermaids...except for the ones in Harry Potter.
4.  La Llorona
     I had never heard of this mythical creature until today...but after I did some research I was so offended that one of you four chose her I refuse to give you a rating for this particular choice.  I will say however, how horrified I am that you would choose a creature who (based on the research I did...perhaps there are other iterations other than wikipedia that I'm not privy to) in many situations is supposed to be a symbol and a warning of the DANGERS of feminine sexuality and a morality tale about the proscribed domestic, subservient "role" that women are supposed to never deviate from.  I'm not sure if you were trying to be funny with your choice, but with no context for why you chose her, you just came off as misogynistic and archaic.
3.  The Sandman
     I already rated this choice for list A, so see my ratings above.
2.  Bigfoot
     His special power seems to be the ability to often be sighted but always to disappear, which if you think about it, is a pretty cool super power in its simplicity.  He's kind of like the "Elvis" of the forests?
     Since he is supposedly an enormous man-ape, I presume he would be helpful in a fight, as long as you could communicate to him that he was on your side.
     I don't know any blockbuster movies with bigfoot....but the "messin' with sasquatch" commercials are pretty funny, so you get some points for that.
     Since his special power is to disappear, I'm not sure how much fun he'd be to hang out with.
1.  The Chupacabra
     Also one I didn't know...apparently it is a mythical creature that sucks the blood from goats?  I'm not sure how exciting of a power that is...of all creatures to suck blood from, it chose goats?
     If you were fighting a goat, this guy would be super helpful, but since I don't know how often I get myself into that particular fix, I'm not sure how badass of a creature he is.
     I've never seen any movies or heard any songs about him.
     Sucking the blood of goats doesn't make it onto my "list of things I'd like to do" so I don't think he and I will be hangout out much.

List D

5.  The Phoenix
     I can't believe you put the Phoenix at number 5???  If this were my list the Phoenix would be at number 1 or 2.  It's a symbol of regeneration and renewal!   The Phoenix's special power is that it recreates itself from its own ashes....how amazing of a special power is that?  Also, according to J.K. Rowling, the tears of a Phoenix have impressive healing powers as well.
     If the J.K. Rowling mythology is valid, then yes, the Phoenix could definitely save your life.
     The only movie I can think of right now is Harry Potter...but that's a pretty quality franchise to have a role in.  It's also the only creature I think of all of the ones mentioned so far that has a major city named after it.
     I would hang out with a phoenix.
4.  Peyton Manning's Wife
     I appreciate your sense of humor here I guess, but just because one of the best quarterbacks in the game today isn't married to a Brazilian supermodel or a lady with a bad haircut (a la Kurt Warner's wife) I don't know how all of a sudden she becomes a "mythical creature."  I looked her up on google and found plenty of pictures of her...she's even on the cover of a magazine.  And since I applaud her taste in men, I'm assuming she's pretty cool too, so I would certainly want to hang out with her.
3.  The Mermaid
     I  already rated this choice for list C, so see my comments above.
2.  The Kraken
     I'm not sure why you picked this one.  Based upon the qualities of a giant squid, the kraken is a mythical sea-creature-beast that captures ships and takes them down to the watery depths.  I guess that's an impressive special power, but its pretty destructive.
     Due to his ability to singlehandedly take down an entire ship in one tentacally-gulp, the Kraken definitely scores high on the kick-ass-meter and it would be pretty cool to watch if you were on a ship a safe distance away.  I'm not sure though that he would necessarily save you.
     The only movie I've seen the Kraken in is Pirates of the Caribbean, so that also scores him some points, since that was a very lucrative and fun-to-watch franchise of films (although they definitely fell off in quality after the first one) with a great cast and bitchin' CGI.  In this film, Bill Nighy had the power to command the kraken when he needed him, which is pretty cool.
     As mentioned above, if I were on a ship a safe distance away, I'd be interested to watch him.  But one-to-one I certainly would not want to hang out with him.
1.  The Minotaur
     I would have chosen the Sphinx (who tells riddles)...but it's not my top 5, so, with that said, the minotaur is an interesting choice for number one, since it doesn't have any special powers other than the fact that it hangs out at the center of the labyrinth and has the head of a bull and the body of a man.  He also eats Athenian children and wasn't particularly smart since Theseus was able to defeat him using some string.
     Part man and part bull, I think the Minotaur has enough testosterone, stubbornness, and aggression in him to make him helpful in a fight.
     The minotaurs in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian" are pretty badass.  They definitely kick ass.
     Considering that he feeds on children, I don't think I'd want to hang out with minotaur.


So now, to the ultimate rankings. 

In order of worst (4) to best (1)

#4.  List C:  You'd probably be on the bottom anyway, since I disliked your choice of La Llorna so much, but even putting that aside, your number one choice is supposed to carry the most weight, and it didn't make any sense as all.  The "goat-sucker" as number 1?

#3.  List D:  If you had put Phoenix at number 1, you totally would have been #1!  But you put it as your number 5, and like list D, it was a bizarre choice for #1.  Unless the minotaur has some other power I'm not privy too, I don't get why he's such a cool mythical creature.

#2.  List A:  Your list overall had the most strength (sex, presents, mischief, sleep)...except for the tooth fairy...talk about an unexciting choice.  From the pantheon of mythical creatures you chose the tooth fairy?  Aside from that though, I really liked your list, I was torn deciding between you and list B. 

#1:  List B:  I know I said your list was a bit of a cop out, but despite the fact that you chose categories, as opposed to specific creatures, your list had great strength (aside from the zombies) and your choice of a genie secured your place, as I find it one of the most powerful mythical creatures, as it can fill a variety of needs for the person having wishes granted. 


Let me know if there are any concerns about my judging.

Have a great weekend!