NBA Takes: 1st off Kobe Bryant is the most selfish person in the NBA and it isn't even close. He demands a trade because the Lakers aren't winning titles? He put himself in this situation when #1 he resigned there, and #2 basically ran Shaq out of town. Then the guy has the wherewithal to mention that he "needs to be somewhere where he can win a title." Um, least I checked this arrogant SOB has 3 already!! I like this guy less and less everyday, and mostly because of his off court stuff he does. I hope he doesn't get traded and stays miserable in LA. What a horrible situation he is in there...does that guy have any sense of reality? Probably not. They aren't going to get Garnet, and even if they did I would sort of rather have Odom anyway for that team.
The draft was no real surprise. I like that the Celtics went and got Ray Allen although it will kill them down the road, who cares at this point..you see Paul Pierce doesn't have any titles, yet doesn't cry like a baby like some people. The China guy the Bucks picked seems like a wasted pick. The Chinese government most likely won't let him play in Milwaukee..I guess most of them have never been there I am sure.
Grant Hill signed with the Suns, effectively ending his career. (See Jalen Rose) I suspect he will be doing insider stuff for ESPN News by 2009. At least that will get rid of Dee Brown though.
Other News: The 4th of July was uneventful. A cookout at my parents was decent, but nothing to get super excited about. The rain made it a bust for the fireworks.
Hannah is a good girl. She is very mellow compared to Avery, and is starting to get herself straightened out with the days and nights. I however, am still adjusting.
Random Thoughts: I got Chinese food on Friday night from Jumbo near Westgate. My fortune cookie read: "Don't let yourself get to consumed by life to not enjoy the little important things." Nice advice..but where is the fortune?? We opened 4 of them and they all had advice on them. I would like them to officially change these to be called "Advice Cookies". The next time I go, I am in fact going to ask them if I can have actual fortune cookies. What BS...I mean they don't even taste that good, you just want the stupid fortune!!
Barry Bonds is close..yay!! Just a few more Barry!! And I don't fault the guy at all for not doing the homerun derby. He's already won that thing..what's the point now? Kobe anyone?? I respect Bonds for simply not giving a damn what people think about him, that's admirable.
I can't think of a worse time for television shows then this summer...they are pretty much all pathetic, and it got even worse tonight when I watched the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament on ESPN 2. 50,000 grand prize?!?
I'm glad the Chinese dude lost the hot dog eating contest. The dude vomited, sorry you should lose automatically. And the fact that he tried to then eat the vomit should have cost him more then just 3 hot dogs..nasty.
I hope Federer get's rocked again my Nadal tomorrow.
Venus Williams won Wimbledon. What a drag, I thought we were finally done with these sisters. What happened to Sharapova?? Venus is 10 times more annoying then Serena, which makes it worse.
Is Aerosmith the greatest band of all time? Can you really disprove that statement? I think they have to be considered the best. Maybe the Beatles, but I don't know...I mean it isn't their fault that a lot of them were killed, but Aerosmith has more staying power. I say this because someone at work tried to tell me that the Doors were the greatest band of all time and Led Zeppelin was second. Stop it, please.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Avery Lizzie (Mcguire) Meets Hannah (Montana)
Well, yesterday we had our second child, Hannah Grace. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 9 oz, and measures 19.5 inches. After a long day at the hospital on Monday, today, Tuesday, I brought Avery in to meet her baby sister. It went pretty much as expected..she was excited to see her, but after a few minutes was on to something else. Pretty much what you would expect from a 2 year old. Hannah so far has been an excellent baby. Very content, and likes to be held. The complete opposite of Avery when she was born. Avery was brought down to us the 1st morning after we had her because she was waking up all the babies in the nursery..Hannah slept 5 hours straight her 1st night! A great start for our palindrome daughter. It has been tough this time because I can't spend all my time at the hospital with Laura and the baby since we have Avery at home. Laura is doing well after the surgery though, and we hope to have her come home on Thursday.
What a strange feeling to have 2 children now. You sometimes think (At least I did) it is impossible to love anyone as much as your 1st child...but amazingly you do! The following weeks and months should be interesting once everyone is together to coincide. Nonetheless our family is complete, and what a wonderful, blessed feeling it is to be able to have 2 healthy children.
Here are some pics from the past few days:
What a strange feeling to have 2 children now. You sometimes think (At least I did) it is impossible to love anyone as much as your 1st child...but amazingly you do! The following weeks and months should be interesting once everyone is together to coincide. Nonetheless our family is complete, and what a wonderful, blessed feeling it is to be able to have 2 healthy children.
Here are some pics from the past few days:
Monday, June 11, 2007
Rocky Balboa, Interleague, and the Finals
Well, I finally saw Rocky 6. If you are a fan of the Rocky films,( and really how can't you be?) then you will enjoy the final chapter of the story. It is surely better then Rocky5, although there are not nearly the quality of quotes in 6 vs 5. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and feel like there is closure to the story. One more chance to relive the Balboa music, training montages, and watching the eye of the tiger one more time was really great. A must see for Balboa fans.
When interleague started, I loved it, and couldn't think of any reason why people would be against it. Now a few years into it, I don't like it anymore. It doesn't make any sense..trying to stir up rivalries from previous world series? Sure the occasional Subway series is entertaining..but every year? It just takes away from it all if you ask me.
Quickly on the Finals...BORING. What a shocker with another Spurs Finals. Not even LeBron can spice this one up. Is anyone enjoying these 1st 2 games?
When interleague started, I loved it, and couldn't think of any reason why people would be against it. Now a few years into it, I don't like it anymore. It doesn't make any sense..trying to stir up rivalries from previous world series? Sure the occasional Subway series is entertaining..but every year? It just takes away from it all if you ask me.
Quickly on the Finals...BORING. What a shocker with another Spurs Finals. Not even LeBron can spice this one up. Is anyone enjoying these 1st 2 games?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Getting Old...it sucks
Today was a perfect example of the deterioration of the human body as we get older. At work today a squirrel got into the electric transformer thus shutting down all power at Gerhardt USA. The squirrel can rest peacefully knowing that he provided the employees 3 hours of pure recreation as the plant was pretty much useless without power. This should have been a good thing right? 3 hours of doing nothing but getting paid for it? Well, not so much. After the 1st hour the novelty was gone, and I realized that this was going to be more of a hassle for me then anything when they did turn the power back on..but that's not the real news. The real news is what happened during the down time. I went out front to take another look at the fried squirrel (It really was impressive), and saw a couple guys throwing the football around outside. I know 2 of them, so I figured this would be a good chance to get to know some other people from the shop. Without really warming up that much (myself that is) We were throwing deep, and it started to get to the point where it was let's see who can throw this thing the furthest. On a side note there was a guy there his name is Brad, and he was saying how he was hating the fact that he was turning 30 in a few weeks, and that he couldn't believe how much trouble he was having catching and throwing the ball since he hadn't done it in a while. I mentioned to him that I just turned 30 this past year, and it does suck, and that "you can get hurt doing the stupidest little things now." What foreshadowing. I went for the long toss, really reared back to try and unload, and what happened? I heard a pop in my lower back, and realized I pulled one of those muscles back there or something. What an idiot. I didn't let on that I hurt myself, but I was, and am in a bit of pain right now. Lucky for me when they turned the power on in a bit I was swamped with work, including several heavy dies, and 3 truck shipments I had to unload. "Real Nice." I can't wait to play in this golf tournament Saturday with this ailment..should be a blast. Could there possibly be a worse injury for golf then this? Bottom line? Getting Old Sucks.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Random thoughts while alone for 8 hours...
- Wow, I'm glad Jordin won. She will be a great idol representative. Besides, Blake already got to sing with Sir Mix A Lot! What's better then beat boxing with Swap Meet Louie himself?
- So much talk about the gas prices which are soon to eclipse the 3.00 a gallon mark. Yet no talk of the president being a billionaire Oil Tycoon? Things that make you go hmmm.
- Someone needs to bring back the player manager, better yet, someone needs to un retire after they have been elected into the hall of fame.
- The Nationals are 10-4 in their last 14 games. Wow
- The Portland Trailblazers get the 1st pick and will select Odom from OSU. Suddenly they will have a dominant inside presence with Lamarcus Aldridge already developing.
- I really, really don't want a Spurs/Pistons series.
- Brett Myers is hurt...good.
- How is it possible I haven't seen Rocky Balboa yet?
Saturday, May 19, 2007
1 Week In
Well, the 1st week is over for me at the new job. And the verdict is...it's a change. What a week. Monday was slammed busy and while Thursday was pleasantly light, Friday was back to being busy again. This lifestyle change, and that is certainly what it is, is going pretty well, and I think I am getting adjusted. I put in over 47 hours this week after totaling about 35 a week before, and it's more demanding, but I'm up for the challenge.
The Cavs beat the Nets tonight to set themselves up to be annihilated by the Pistons this week and what will set up another boring NBA finals matchup of Spurs vs Pistons. More Big Shot Bob, and more Timmy, to go along with the same cast of Pistons characters. Can this series please end with a Chris Webber technical? How great would that be if he called another illegitimate time out?
How about American Idol? Finally 2 people I like made the final! I don't even care who wins, but I am pulling for Jordin Sparks who i thought all along would have a great shot at winning. I predicted it would be Richardson and Sparks, but Blake stepped up and took it from CR (And rightfully so). My prediction is Sparks as the AI and the Pistons as NBA champs. (Yawn)
The Cavs beat the Nets tonight to set themselves up to be annihilated by the Pistons this week and what will set up another boring NBA finals matchup of Spurs vs Pistons. More Big Shot Bob, and more Timmy, to go along with the same cast of Pistons characters. Can this series please end with a Chris Webber technical? How great would that be if he called another illegitimate time out?
How about American Idol? Finally 2 people I like made the final! I don't even care who wins, but I am pulling for Jordin Sparks who i thought all along would have a great shot at winning. I predicted it would be Richardson and Sparks, but Blake stepped up and took it from CR (And rightfully so). My prediction is Sparks as the AI and the Pistons as NBA champs. (Yawn)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Derby Day, and My Thoughts on Bonds, and Steroids
Well, my horse didn't win the derby, again. In fact I like to bet with a few different options, rather than placing all my hopes on one thoroughbred. Well, we showed up at the OTW with exactly 30 seconds to bet once we walked through the door. (I thought it was a 6:30 start vs 6:15) So with no time to make any other bets or do any research, we placed two 15 dollar bets to show. Neither horse came in. A little discouraged because of how rushed everything was, we decided to stay and bet on a few other races. This was much more successful, as we ended up picking winners in the next 2 races, winning a little over $60. It feels so much better leaving a winner then a loser let me tell you. I'd like to thank the Lancaster OTW for my dinner Saturday night at Longhorn Steakhouse.
Ok, so Schilling is in the news for blasting Bonds. In fact, it's trendy to blast Bonds these days isn't it? He's an easy target...not very likeable, most likely took steroids that helped him aid in breaking the homerun record, and soon pass Hank Aaron as well. I like Curt Schilling, I do, and his comments don't bother me. If that's the way he feels, then he should stand behind that and not backtrack on what he said. It's a pretty stupid thing to say as a public figure, but these people just don't get it, and I doubt they ever do. My feeling is this..Bonds is the greatest hitter in my generation (ok A-Rod is close) and to me is sort of Babe Ruthian. Here's the thing, not many people alive right now remember Babe Ruth playing. He could have been the biggest creep in the world. Now I don't think that he was, but it's possible..because we don't know. In every sport there are people cheating in their own ways. McGwire with the Creoteen, which wasn't illegal when he was taking it, but now is..how is that different? What about the fact that the Ruths' and so forth played against tired arms most of their career. If you honestly think that the game was the same then as it is now, then your oblivious. My point? The point is that athletes today are better then they were ages ago. The more and more it becomes a business, the better and better they will continue to get. If you think that steroids is cheating, then how do you feel about other performance enhancing drugs? I.E. Createen or the stuff you buy at GNC? They didn't have that in the 1920's. What about Gatorade? Or other sports drinks? Think a more hydrated ball player would be a better ball player? I can go on and on..each era had their own stuggles, and it's own advantages to it. People are up in arms about Bonds passing Henry Aaron. Why? Bonds is a better player then Aaron. He was since he came into the league. Not taking anything away from Hammerin Hank, but I highly doubt anyone honestly thinks that he was better then Ba Bo. So what's the deal? Henry Aaron had to deal with racism etc etc in the 70's. I'm sure that was tough as he approached Ruth's record, and it's terrible anyone has to go through that. What about Barry? He deals with enough too. And that's not even bringing up the point that the dude is walked 3 times a game. Is Bonds a good person? I don't know him, but from what I "hear" no, he's not. Do I care? Nope. Why should I? How is my life going to change when Bonds hits 756? It's not. No one's like will change, not even Aaron's. People aren't defined by records they hold, they are defined by Hall of Fame careers. Does anyone now think that Ruth is a bum? Nope. He's still gargantuan in stature, Paul Bunyanesque. Another question? Does anyone ever want a record broken? In recent memory, people were excited when McGwire passed Maris for the single season home run mark. When Bonds passed that 2 years later, no one wanted him to do it. This makes no sense. Bonds is daylights better then McGwire as a baseball player, so why wouldn't you want the games best player, holding it's most prestigious record? Bottom line is Barry Bonds is the greatest player of my generation, and I am going to enjoy this run to 755. I think you should too.
Ok, so Schilling is in the news for blasting Bonds. In fact, it's trendy to blast Bonds these days isn't it? He's an easy target...not very likeable, most likely took steroids that helped him aid in breaking the homerun record, and soon pass Hank Aaron as well. I like Curt Schilling, I do, and his comments don't bother me. If that's the way he feels, then he should stand behind that and not backtrack on what he said. It's a pretty stupid thing to say as a public figure, but these people just don't get it, and I doubt they ever do. My feeling is this..Bonds is the greatest hitter in my generation (ok A-Rod is close) and to me is sort of Babe Ruthian. Here's the thing, not many people alive right now remember Babe Ruth playing. He could have been the biggest creep in the world. Now I don't think that he was, but it's possible..because we don't know. In every sport there are people cheating in their own ways. McGwire with the Creoteen, which wasn't illegal when he was taking it, but now is..how is that different? What about the fact that the Ruths' and so forth played against tired arms most of their career. If you honestly think that the game was the same then as it is now, then your oblivious. My point? The point is that athletes today are better then they were ages ago. The more and more it becomes a business, the better and better they will continue to get. If you think that steroids is cheating, then how do you feel about other performance enhancing drugs? I.E. Createen or the stuff you buy at GNC? They didn't have that in the 1920's. What about Gatorade? Or other sports drinks? Think a more hydrated ball player would be a better ball player? I can go on and on..each era had their own stuggles, and it's own advantages to it. People are up in arms about Bonds passing Henry Aaron. Why? Bonds is a better player then Aaron. He was since he came into the league. Not taking anything away from Hammerin Hank, but I highly doubt anyone honestly thinks that he was better then Ba Bo. So what's the deal? Henry Aaron had to deal with racism etc etc in the 70's. I'm sure that was tough as he approached Ruth's record, and it's terrible anyone has to go through that. What about Barry? He deals with enough too. And that's not even bringing up the point that the dude is walked 3 times a game. Is Bonds a good person? I don't know him, but from what I "hear" no, he's not. Do I care? Nope. Why should I? How is my life going to change when Bonds hits 756? It's not. No one's like will change, not even Aaron's. People aren't defined by records they hold, they are defined by Hall of Fame careers. Does anyone now think that Ruth is a bum? Nope. He's still gargantuan in stature, Paul Bunyanesque. Another question? Does anyone ever want a record broken? In recent memory, people were excited when McGwire passed Maris for the single season home run mark. When Bonds passed that 2 years later, no one wanted him to do it. This makes no sense. Bonds is daylights better then McGwire as a baseball player, so why wouldn't you want the games best player, holding it's most prestigious record? Bottom line is Barry Bonds is the greatest player of my generation, and I am going to enjoy this run to 755. I think you should too.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Going Down in a Blaze of Glory
What a final performance by Phil Stacey last night. Singing "Blaze of Glory" by JBJ I couldn't think of a better way to go out. It would of been nice to see PS or Chris Richardson one more week at the expense of Lakisha Jones, but hey, they made it pretty far. Let's go Blake and Jordin!!
In what was a relatively strange draft for the Eagles this past weekend, I was pretty happy to see them get a QB, and what could turn out to be a pretty nice fullback in Tony Hunt from PSU. He has the size and makeup to be pretty effective in the Birds offense. Other then that pick, nothing to get too overly excited about as far as I'm concerned. The QB pick I liked because as much as I like Donovan, it's really tough to think that he will ever be the same as he was prior to this injury. To have a guy waiting in the wings for 3 years down the road and be ready to step in there was a smart choice in my opinion. Especially when you factor that Donovan has been hurt 3 of the last 4 years as it is.
This Saturday is the run for the roses, and my money will be on Any Given Saturday to show. This horse looks good! I mean you want to see a good looking thoroughbred, there you have him. Let's hope this man does well because I haven't won any big money since Fusaichi Pegasus took 1st place in 2000. Heck I even missed Smarty Jones and he was from Philly.
Here's to Any Given Saturday and his start of his run to the Triple Crown!
In what was a relatively strange draft for the Eagles this past weekend, I was pretty happy to see them get a QB, and what could turn out to be a pretty nice fullback in Tony Hunt from PSU. He has the size and makeup to be pretty effective in the Birds offense. Other then that pick, nothing to get too overly excited about as far as I'm concerned. The QB pick I liked because as much as I like Donovan, it's really tough to think that he will ever be the same as he was prior to this injury. To have a guy waiting in the wings for 3 years down the road and be ready to step in there was a smart choice in my opinion. Especially when you factor that Donovan has been hurt 3 of the last 4 years as it is.
This Saturday is the run for the roses, and my money will be on Any Given Saturday to show. This horse looks good! I mean you want to see a good looking thoroughbred, there you have him. Let's hope this man does well because I haven't won any big money since Fusaichi Pegasus took 1st place in 2000. Heck I even missed Smarty Jones and he was from Philly.
Here's to Any Given Saturday and his start of his run to the Triple Crown!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Bye Bye Birdie, Driving Looks, and Stop Signs
Well a lot has happened since my last entry. I've been slacking as it has been over a week! Anyway the biggest news is that I accepted the position at Gerhardt this morning. Which means that in 2 weeks I will be starting my new endeavor and hopefully what will turn out as a great opportunity for me. A 54% raise is hard to pass up even though it may come at the expense of my fantasy sports teams, and I will truly miss the extra time I had to spend with my little girl. I hope Avery Lizzy still likes me as much when I don't see her as often. :(
My next segment I want to talk about something that has been on my mind lately and came to a head again this morning and that is the looks you get when you are driving. Everyone is a frickin tough guy when they are behind the metal enclosure that is their automobile. Again this morning as I pull out of the development when I get to the stop sign off of Aslan Dr turning on to Greenbriar Road you have to pull out pretty far to see oncoming traffic. It isn't a choice, you have to do it. Anyway, so almost every day when I do this I get people staring me down as if I am going to hit them..RELAX, I am just trying to see so I DON'T hit you. So today this guy actually has the balls to slow down and really stare me down. I had enough..I pulled out and followed this guy to the oncoming traffic light and instead of making a left, I went straight into the Weis so I could pull beside this guy. When I do..he will not look at me. I really wanted to tell this guy off, it is something that has been bugging me for months and this guy just took it too far. Needless to say the spineless jerk didn't give me the time of day and I ended up having to go a less direct way to work. Bastard.
Lastly, what is up with the stop signs in West York? When you travel down these side roads in WY there is no rhyme or reason why they put them where they do. Traveling the same direction, i went through 3 intersections with no stop signs, then all of a sudden you have one and the side street has none. It isn't even a 4 way job, they just have the right away. This happens throughout the streets. Talk about dangerous, almost every time you drive down there you run the risk of getting plowed by someone not paying attention. Why can't things make sense anymore?
My next segment I want to talk about something that has been on my mind lately and came to a head again this morning and that is the looks you get when you are driving. Everyone is a frickin tough guy when they are behind the metal enclosure that is their automobile. Again this morning as I pull out of the development when I get to the stop sign off of Aslan Dr turning on to Greenbriar Road you have to pull out pretty far to see oncoming traffic. It isn't a choice, you have to do it. Anyway, so almost every day when I do this I get people staring me down as if I am going to hit them..RELAX, I am just trying to see so I DON'T hit you. So today this guy actually has the balls to slow down and really stare me down. I had enough..I pulled out and followed this guy to the oncoming traffic light and instead of making a left, I went straight into the Weis so I could pull beside this guy. When I do..he will not look at me. I really wanted to tell this guy off, it is something that has been bugging me for months and this guy just took it too far. Needless to say the spineless jerk didn't give me the time of day and I ended up having to go a less direct way to work. Bastard.Lastly, what is up with the stop signs in West York? When you travel down these side roads in WY there is no rhyme or reason why they put them where they do. Traveling the same direction, i went through 3 intersections with no stop signs, then all of a sudden you have one and the side street has none. It isn't even a 4 way job, they just have the right away. This happens throughout the streets. Talk about dangerous, almost every time you drive down there you run the risk of getting plowed by someone not paying attention. Why can't things make sense anymore?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Trade, Charlie Manuel, The Revs
Well, the Iceman will be gone from my team Monday, but he had a big night last night adding a triple, a double, and a HR to his totals. Thanks for the memories Jason. I'd like to welcome Brian McCann, Pat the Bat Burrell, and David Wright back to my team. It's nice to have Wright back, he's a guy I was happy to had landed, and hopefully Burrell can be competent enough for me in LF, since I had to give up pretty much all of my depth to get Billy Wagner, and my latest maneuver. (Thank you Maracas and KK)
Before I leave baseball, Charlie Manuel needs to be fired. No, I am not one of those people who think because a team gets off to a bad start they should just fire the manager, but he is clearly not doing a great job in Philly. The latest last night on the botched pitching swap allowing Restovich to go in to the game later when he was supposed to have been already used was just a game managing mistake you can not make. Also the move of Myers to the pen, while brazen, is in my opinion, not a good idea. Why would you put your best starter in the bullpen when there is nothing wrong with his arm? Yeah Yeah I know they have Leiber there now, but it just doesn't make any sense why you would put a guy like Myers in the bullpen.
I'm glad to see Sanjaya go home last night. He had worn out his welcome, and it's good to know that I won't have to hear him anymore, and also that it gives Phil Stacey another week in the competition, he did well this week.
Rajon Rondo from the Celtics is the man. He and J Rich managed to help the Courts hang on for the win in my basketball roto league. I hope the Warriors do well in the playoffs!
The York Revolution well you just knew they would figure out a way to screw this up. Opening day at Sovereign Bank Stadium was scheduled for May 12th, and of course, the stadium will not be ready then. They have pushed it back now until June 15th..we'll see. Now I have driven by the stadium several times in the past 3 months and was wondering how in the world they were going to finish this in time, but they have to right? You can't miss opening day in your inaugural season, especially when people are skeptical about this anyway..they managed to do it. I'm excited about having a baseball team, but I certainly hope this isn't a sign for what is to come. You go from finding out Tike Redman is going to be center fielder, to finding out they have managed to drop the ball in a big way. R-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N!
Before I leave baseball, Charlie Manuel needs to be fired. No, I am not one of those people who think because a team gets off to a bad start they should just fire the manager, but he is clearly not doing a great job in Philly. The latest last night on the botched pitching swap allowing Restovich to go in to the game later when he was supposed to have been already used was just a game managing mistake you can not make. Also the move of Myers to the pen, while brazen, is in my opinion, not a good idea. Why would you put your best starter in the bullpen when there is nothing wrong with his arm? Yeah Yeah I know they have Leiber there now, but it just doesn't make any sense why you would put a guy like Myers in the bullpen.
I'm glad to see Sanjaya go home last night. He had worn out his welcome, and it's good to know that I won't have to hear him anymore, and also that it gives Phil Stacey another week in the competition, he did well this week.
Rajon Rondo from the Celtics is the man. He and J Rich managed to help the Courts hang on for the win in my basketball roto league. I hope the Warriors do well in the playoffs!
The York Revolution well you just knew they would figure out a way to screw this up. Opening day at Sovereign Bank Stadium was scheduled for May 12th, and of course, the stadium will not be ready then. They have pushed it back now until June 15th..we'll see. Now I have driven by the stadium several times in the past 3 months and was wondering how in the world they were going to finish this in time, but they have to right? You can't miss opening day in your inaugural season, especially when people are skeptical about this anyway..they managed to do it. I'm excited about having a baseball team, but I certainly hope this isn't a sign for what is to come. You go from finding out Tike Redman is going to be center fielder, to finding out they have managed to drop the ball in a big way. R-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Ice Man, Freaking Scams!!, Idol Fodder
Hello everyone I'd like you to meet the Ice Man. No, I am not talking about Mr. Finger Roll himself George Gervin, I am talking about Jason Bay. You may know Bay as the Pirates only All Star last year. Perhaps that he is a Left Fielder, or that he is from Canada. I simply like to refer to him as the Ice Man. Why is this? Because the guy has been eternally cold this season so far. You just keep waiting for him to do something, and then finally he will go 1 for 4 with a solo homerun.
Come on JB, this is not the All Star I thought I was getting! I am looking for some big things from you this year, let's get your head on straight here and start hitting would ya? Here I am tracking a Pirates day game again and wouldn't you know it, Bay is 0-2 with 2 walks. Twice walking with a guy on 3rd. Swing the bat big man! Don't just do it for me, (although that would be pretty cool) do it for all of your friends up north. You have a whole country counting on you..Larry Walker doesn't play anymore!
On to the scam thing..I just received an email that I can get a week free from Jillian Michaels work out and diet plan, what the heck, I'll take a look at it..we all could use some direction. The email title reads:
Join today and get this special
1-Week Free Trial!
You've got nothing to lose!
So I clicked on it to see what was up..and in the disclaimer it says:
*Your credit card will not be charged during your free trial period. However, valid credit card information is required.
If you're not 100% satisfied, simply call customer service to cancel your subscription before your free trial ends -- no charge. If you choose to remain a member, your service will continue uninterrupted and you will be enrolled under our standard membership agreement.
Jillian Michael's online program is just $4 a week, billed quarterly (every 13 weeks), with a five-week minimum commitment. Your credit card will be charged $52 at the beginning of each quarter. You may cancel at any time and receive a refund for the unused portion of your subscription, other than the five-week minimum commitment of $20, which is non-refundable.
Actually I stand to lose at least $20.00, so that is not a free week, and is not "nothing to lose". Scam as to be expected. At least we can still get music for free!!
Tonight on Idol is a tough one..I am picking Lakisha Jones and Phil Stacey in the bottom 2. Lakisha is a long shot, but I think Haley might have done enough to prevent her from being down there this week. I suspect if they pull 3 down it will be Jones, Scarnato, and Stacey. I say that Phil goes home tonight, but he has had surprising staying power, and he was wise to leave the hat on last night.
Come on JB, this is not the All Star I thought I was getting! I am looking for some big things from you this year, let's get your head on straight here and start hitting would ya? Here I am tracking a Pirates day game again and wouldn't you know it, Bay is 0-2 with 2 walks. Twice walking with a guy on 3rd. Swing the bat big man! Don't just do it for me, (although that would be pretty cool) do it for all of your friends up north. You have a whole country counting on you..Larry Walker doesn't play anymore!
On to the scam thing..I just received an email that I can get a week free from Jillian Michaels work out and diet plan, what the heck, I'll take a look at it..we all could use some direction. The email title reads:
Join today and get this special
1-Week Free Trial!
You've got nothing to lose!
So I clicked on it to see what was up..and in the disclaimer it says:
*Your credit card will not be charged during your free trial period. However, valid credit card information is required.
If you're not 100% satisfied, simply call customer service to cancel your subscription before your free trial ends -- no charge. If you choose to remain a member, your service will continue uninterrupted and you will be enrolled under our standard membership agreement.
Jillian Michael's online program is just $4 a week, billed quarterly (every 13 weeks), with a five-week minimum commitment. Your credit card will be charged $52 at the beginning of each quarter. You may cancel at any time and receive a refund for the unused portion of your subscription, other than the five-week minimum commitment of $20, which is non-refundable.
Actually I stand to lose at least $20.00, so that is not a free week, and is not "nothing to lose". Scam as to be expected. At least we can still get music for free!!
Tonight on Idol is a tough one..I am picking Lakisha Jones and Phil Stacey in the bottom 2. Lakisha is a long shot, but I think Haley might have done enough to prevent her from being down there this week. I suspect if they pull 3 down it will be Jones, Scarnato, and Stacey. I say that Phil goes home tonight, but he has had surprising staying power, and he was wise to leave the hat on last night.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Movie Review Monday: Flight Plan
Flight Plan is a movie starring Jodie Foster, and it takes place primarily on an airplane. Foster is flying with her 6 year old daughter to New York to bury her husband and her daughters dad from his fall from a building a few days prior. Understandably, they are both shaken up before they even board the plane, so what is about to follow for Kyle Pratt (Foster) is believable.
Her daughter is kidnapped on the plane, and she spends most of her time attempting to find her. She works as an airplane designer, so she knows the ins and outs of the plane. I won't go into much more detail so as to not ruin the film for those who may want to see it. 3 out of 5 stars for a bit of a far fetched storyline, but the post 911 paranoia makes for an interesting story, and there is some good action in the film.
Her daughter is kidnapped on the plane, and she spends most of her time attempting to find her. She works as an airplane designer, so she knows the ins and outs of the plane. I won't go into much more detail so as to not ruin the film for those who may want to see it. 3 out of 5 stars for a bit of a far fetched storyline, but the post 911 paranoia makes for an interesting story, and there is some good action in the film.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Diary of Opening Day from a Fantasy Perspective
The best part of baseball is that there are day games, and on opening day, there are lot's of them! Starting up the day was the Nationals vs Marlins tilt at 1:30. The anticipation begins..who will get my 1st hit of the year? Well, it's the 4th inning, and Hanley Ramirez whom I am playing against has 2 hits, a double, and 2 stolen bases while I am still searching for anything.
It's 3:00 and still nothing from anyone in the 2 games that are one, why was I excited about opening day again?
3:10 Johnny Estrada singles for the Van Buren Boys and finally I am off the snide. It's always tough to get that 1st one out of the way. (Unless you are Hanley Ramirez)
3:20 Rafael Soriano enters the 8th inning for the Braves with the score tied, here is a chance for him to shut down the Phillies, and hopefully get a win.
3:25 Soriano gets through the inning with ease. Now we need a run.
3:30 Braves go in order. No win for Raffy.
3:45 Madson enters, and Edgar takes him out. Game Over. No win for Madson but he is nice enough to pick up a hefty ERA for his brief appearance.
4:30 Rockies/Diamondbacks start, Aaron Cook makes my 1st Starting Pitching performance of the year. I leave for the day, thus ending my tracking. He ends up allowing 5 Runs in 6 Innings. Ouch.
So before I left Estrada, and D Lee had notched some singles for me. Madson and Soriano pitched a few relief innings with nothing but an inflated ERA to show for it. Not a good start for the Van Buren Boys.
Opening Day Sucks.
It's 3:00 and still nothing from anyone in the 2 games that are one, why was I excited about opening day again?
3:10 Johnny Estrada singles for the Van Buren Boys and finally I am off the snide. It's always tough to get that 1st one out of the way. (Unless you are Hanley Ramirez)
3:20 Rafael Soriano enters the 8th inning for the Braves with the score tied, here is a chance for him to shut down the Phillies, and hopefully get a win.
3:25 Soriano gets through the inning with ease. Now we need a run.
3:30 Braves go in order. No win for Raffy.
3:45 Madson enters, and Edgar takes him out. Game Over. No win for Madson but he is nice enough to pick up a hefty ERA for his brief appearance.
4:30 Rockies/Diamondbacks start, Aaron Cook makes my 1st Starting Pitching performance of the year. I leave for the day, thus ending my tracking. He ends up allowing 5 Runs in 6 Innings. Ouch.
So before I left Estrada, and D Lee had notched some singles for me. Madson and Soriano pitched a few relief innings with nothing but an inflated ERA to show for it. Not a good start for the Van Buren Boys.
Opening Day Sucks.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
A Night With The Blonde Bomber
Last night I went to the Strand with my brother to see Terry Bradshaw speak. His speech "Why not your best?" was a hit.
Though he admittedly said that he simply chose the title because he thought it "Sounded Good" and didn't speak about anything to do with it, he was very entertaining and his football stories were both funny, and interesting. Our seats were amazing as we were 3rd row from TB. I got some really good photos and the best part was we were a little off to the right so we didn't get spit on by Bradshaw. (Yes the people front and center did.)
Bradshaw's thing is humor, and simplicity, and he portrayed himself the same way last night as he does on TV, so consistency is a good thing. I believe TB to be genuine, and it was an impressive set up last night for the most part.
Following the speech there was to be a meet and greet with TB that Laura so nicely decided to add to the tickets (Thank you baby.) This is where the night got weird....
There was no mention of a meet and greet or anything. No announcement, nothing. As we were waiting around not sure what to do, I noticed to my right 2 guys and a boy waiting as well. He was sporting his vintage Steelers Bradshaw jersey, a Steelers hat, and Zubaz pants. Yes, this guy for sure was going to the meet and greet, and he knew what was going on. So I asked him, and sure enough he knew it was going to be on the second floor, and all the details. We headed to the second level and found about 150 people up there with a bar, snack tables with cookies, veggie trays, cheeses, your basic party munchies. Unsure of the set up we thought there would be a table set up for him to sit, a line to walk up and get your pictures, handshake, and a little banter with him. After all this was a Meet and Greet right? Not so. There would be no table, or any kind of structured set up. You can probably see where this is going to lead. We walked around for a bit, got some things to eat and a couple beers from the stand (it was actually free?!?) and waited for the man to enter. We decided to try and figure out where he may enter from and not long after we got our drinks, he came walking through the door about 10 feet from us. This was cool because we were the closest people to him, we would be able to get to see him right away! Wrong. There was suddenly a mob surrounding us. I had my camera case over my shoulder, my camera in one hand, and my drink in the other with no place to put it. Well, I finally found a place to sit the drink and we tried to get in to get our picture and what not. We were within about 2 feet from him as people pushed there way in to see him. A lot of people were pushing their kids, and wives to get in there, along with a very ballsey guy with a broken arm who basically shoved his way through the crowd as if we owed it to him to let him through because he had a broken arm. Whatever dude, this was supposed to be a upscale event at the Strand and these people were just smothering him. After about 10 minutes of waiting in this mob, ever so close we came to the conclusion that we weren't getting in there, and even if we did there was no way we were going to get a good picture with him. No one was able to get good pictures in that environment, there was just no way. We decided to retreat and regather. We went to the end of the pack of people and decided once he got through there, we could possibly get a better chance to meet him. It was working perfectly, he was making his way toward us and we were even going to get this other guy to take a picture of us with him. He needed AA batteries, I had them, he owed me..whatever. So here he came, we were all set..and then suddenly...his bodyguards grabbed him, and they took him out of there! Just like that. Unsure of what just happened we approached one of the event people and Scott asked "Are the pictures with Mr Bradshaw finished?" "OH ABSOLUTELY" She said. This answer was unacceptable, after all you paid for a meet and greet. But, there was nothing more we could do. TB was gone, and we decided that we were gone too. We weren't going to hang around any longer.
We leave the Strand, and started walking to the car. We ended up parking across from the White Rose Bar and Grille, this was key because mostly everyone parked in the garage, and they missed it. They totally missed it. As we passed by the alley I noticed something. A running black town car, and a body guard standing beside it. What else did I see? The Zubaz guy again! YAHTZEE! It was the bomber's car! We decided that we would wait to see if we might be able to catch him on his way out the door. I was talking to Zubaz and he really wanted a picture of him and his boy and his buddy with TB, and Scott and I wanted our picture together, so we switched cameras with this guy and had it all set up..all we needed was an appearance from the bald man. After about 10 minutes, the trunk is popped on the car, and another bodyguard appears..here we go, it was time. TB follows and his response when he sees 5 people waiting for him in a dark alley? "You guy's are out here like a bunch of hooligans" I'm not sure he was real thrilled that we were out there, but once he saw we had the cameras switched, and Zubaz started talking to him, he was quick to oblige in a handshake, some light banter, and what you see below. By the way I asked him, so I know the story with Franco and the Immaculate Reception. I can't tell you if he caught it or not though.. :)
Needless to say..we got our Meet and Greet. I hope the event lady reads this and knows that only Zubaz and us got the real deal. "ABSOLUTELY"
Though he admittedly said that he simply chose the title because he thought it "Sounded Good" and didn't speak about anything to do with it, he was very entertaining and his football stories were both funny, and interesting. Our seats were amazing as we were 3rd row from TB. I got some really good photos and the best part was we were a little off to the right so we didn't get spit on by Bradshaw. (Yes the people front and center did.)
Bradshaw's thing is humor, and simplicity, and he portrayed himself the same way last night as he does on TV, so consistency is a good thing. I believe TB to be genuine, and it was an impressive set up last night for the most part.
Following the speech there was to be a meet and greet with TB that Laura so nicely decided to add to the tickets (Thank you baby.) This is where the night got weird....
There was no mention of a meet and greet or anything. No announcement, nothing. As we were waiting around not sure what to do, I noticed to my right 2 guys and a boy waiting as well. He was sporting his vintage Steelers Bradshaw jersey, a Steelers hat, and Zubaz pants. Yes, this guy for sure was going to the meet and greet, and he knew what was going on. So I asked him, and sure enough he knew it was going to be on the second floor, and all the details. We headed to the second level and found about 150 people up there with a bar, snack tables with cookies, veggie trays, cheeses, your basic party munchies. Unsure of the set up we thought there would be a table set up for him to sit, a line to walk up and get your pictures, handshake, and a little banter with him. After all this was a Meet and Greet right? Not so. There would be no table, or any kind of structured set up. You can probably see where this is going to lead. We walked around for a bit, got some things to eat and a couple beers from the stand (it was actually free?!?) and waited for the man to enter. We decided to try and figure out where he may enter from and not long after we got our drinks, he came walking through the door about 10 feet from us. This was cool because we were the closest people to him, we would be able to get to see him right away! Wrong. There was suddenly a mob surrounding us. I had my camera case over my shoulder, my camera in one hand, and my drink in the other with no place to put it. Well, I finally found a place to sit the drink and we tried to get in to get our picture and what not. We were within about 2 feet from him as people pushed there way in to see him. A lot of people were pushing their kids, and wives to get in there, along with a very ballsey guy with a broken arm who basically shoved his way through the crowd as if we owed it to him to let him through because he had a broken arm. Whatever dude, this was supposed to be a upscale event at the Strand and these people were just smothering him. After about 10 minutes of waiting in this mob, ever so close we came to the conclusion that we weren't getting in there, and even if we did there was no way we were going to get a good picture with him. No one was able to get good pictures in that environment, there was just no way. We decided to retreat and regather. We went to the end of the pack of people and decided once he got through there, we could possibly get a better chance to meet him. It was working perfectly, he was making his way toward us and we were even going to get this other guy to take a picture of us with him. He needed AA batteries, I had them, he owed me..whatever. So here he came, we were all set..and then suddenly...his bodyguards grabbed him, and they took him out of there! Just like that. Unsure of what just happened we approached one of the event people and Scott asked "Are the pictures with Mr Bradshaw finished?" "OH ABSOLUTELY" She said. This answer was unacceptable, after all you paid for a meet and greet. But, there was nothing more we could do. TB was gone, and we decided that we were gone too. We weren't going to hang around any longer.
We leave the Strand, and started walking to the car. We ended up parking across from the White Rose Bar and Grille, this was key because mostly everyone parked in the garage, and they missed it. They totally missed it. As we passed by the alley I noticed something. A running black town car, and a body guard standing beside it. What else did I see? The Zubaz guy again! YAHTZEE! It was the bomber's car! We decided that we would wait to see if we might be able to catch him on his way out the door. I was talking to Zubaz and he really wanted a picture of him and his boy and his buddy with TB, and Scott and I wanted our picture together, so we switched cameras with this guy and had it all set up..all we needed was an appearance from the bald man. After about 10 minutes, the trunk is popped on the car, and another bodyguard appears..here we go, it was time. TB follows and his response when he sees 5 people waiting for him in a dark alley? "You guy's are out here like a bunch of hooligans" I'm not sure he was real thrilled that we were out there, but once he saw we had the cameras switched, and Zubaz started talking to him, he was quick to oblige in a handshake, some light banter, and what you see below. By the way I asked him, so I know the story with Franco and the Immaculate Reception. I can't tell you if he caught it or not though.. :)
Needless to say..we got our Meet and Greet. I hope the event lady reads this and knows that only Zubaz and us got the real deal. "ABSOLUTELY"
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Bird Seed
I know the baseball season is starting, and the NBA is wrapping up, but I have to mention some off season NFL action. In what has been one of the craziest off season's in recent memory, the Eagles finally made some noise with the additions of Kevin Curtis, and most recently Takeo Spikes. I absolutely love the Spikes pickup! This guy was an anchor for the Bengals and for the year he was healthy the Bills had one of the best defenses in the league. Once TKO went down, so did Buffalo's defense. This guy is a game changer on defense, and coupling him with Trotter, our stellar D Line, and secondary and this defense could be a top 3 defense in the league talent wise. The knock on him will be that he is older (31) and injury prone, which I can't deny, but if he can stay healthy along with the Freak and Co watch out! Trotter, Jones, and Spikes at the linebacker position will give us 2 legitimate run stoppers, and some big hitting as well. This could be one of those moves that could win 1 or 2 more games for us this year.
With my bracket busted, it's time to focus on baseball, next Monday we finally get to see what these Phillies and Nationals teams can do. I predict one wins 70 games, and one wins 87. Which one do you think is which?
Monday, March 26, 2007
MRM: Say Anything
Say Anything is an 80's movie starring John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and John Mahoney (The father on Frasier.) Cusack is the man, he especially was in the 80's and this movie was nothing more then a reminder of that. Amazingly, this was the 1st time I saw this movie despite having seen the shot of Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) holding that boom box over his head outside Diane Court's house.
The gist of the story is a high school setting, and Lloyd Dobler asks valedictorian and untouchable Diane Court out on a date and mysteriously she says yes. Come to find out they are a perfect match even though Dobler's only real desire in life is to kickbox, and hang out with Diane. The odd couple really hit it off, and as you would think they end up together. The great thing about this movie is it's unpredictable, yet happy ending. It has a good story line, and good acting in it. If you like the brat pack movies, such as Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, or Sixteen Candles, give this movie a look and I think you will find it surpasses them all. 4 of 5 stars.
The gist of the story is a high school setting, and Lloyd Dobler asks valedictorian and untouchable Diane Court out on a date and mysteriously she says yes. Come to find out they are a perfect match even though Dobler's only real desire in life is to kickbox, and hang out with Diane. The odd couple really hit it off, and as you would think they end up together. The great thing about this movie is it's unpredictable, yet happy ending. It has a good story line, and good acting in it. If you like the brat pack movies, such as Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, or Sixteen Candles, give this movie a look and I think you will find it surpasses them all. 4 of 5 stars.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
AI 6 and Spring Fever
What a joke. As exciting as it is to follow AI it is equally frustrating as well. Stephanie Edwards was booted last night, while Sanjaya Malawful, Chris Sigh, who is apparently bringing "Chubby Back", and Phil Stacey (Ok, he's not that bad, but the bald head look does not work for this dude..see Chemo patient) outlast her. I think there is a simple solution to solving this problem, and that is limit the amount of times you can vote from a phone line. If you don't, then this is what you get. For crying out loud our current American Idol is Taylor Hicks!! If you think about it, that Peter Noone guy, (who i never heard of b4 this week's show) said it perfectly, it's NOT a singing competition. I can live with that, but at least give us some watchable TV, please. Yes, there are some good candidates left for the Idol...Blake, Sparks, Richardson, and Jones would all make good idols. I stand by my final 3 of Blake, Sparks, and Richardson, but at this point who knows what will happen. If Sligh, Doolittle, or god forbid, Malakar win, the show has officially became a joke. Don't get me wrong, Melinda is an excellent singer, but you can't have someone that unconfident become an IDOL, it just doesn't work that way. MJ brought that up a few weeks ago, and after thinking about it, she's right on, it's called American Idol, and you have to exude that to hold that title. This season can still be a success, but I am actually kind of hoping that show is fixed, and we are given the best talent at the end. It's time to get rid of the ridiculous Malakar please! This is getting to be worse the Covais now. Kids literally crying in the audience?? For this guy? Seriously? I mean if that shot of him doing the limbo or whatever with the Hawaiian music didn't crush whatever popularity he had what will? Ok..I'm going there..does the gay community have that many votes?? If my daughter was voting for or liked this kid, we'd have to have a serious talk.
On a positive note, it's awesome outside today! I'm on the bandwagon for Spring Fever, and with our baseball teams drafted and ready for action..let's get the season started. Spring Fever..catch it!
On a positive note, it's awesome outside today! I'm on the bandwagon for Spring Fever, and with our baseball teams drafted and ready for action..let's get the season started. Spring Fever..catch it!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Play Ball!
Fantasy Baseball is upon us as Fantasy Basketball comes to a close. On Sunday we held the Keystone Ball and Stick League annual draft. It is a 12 team NL only league, so you have to get creative with your team. Here's how things panned out for me:
C- Johnny Estrada- (wanted to get McCann but couldn't pull the trigger early enough) I actually had the Indian ranked #3 on my catcher list, so I won't complain about this pick in rd 12.
1B- Derek Lee- I'm excited about this pick, as Lee should be a top 1B option with some speed. My 2nd rd pick would have been Carlos Lee had he been available, but the horse was gone. I'm happy with "settling" for Lee and for once have a solid option at 1st.
2B- Brandon Phillips- I had him for part of the year last year and Brandon was solid. One of the few 2nd sackers that can rack up steals, and RBI. I was looking at Ricky Weeks, but he was snared prior to my pick. I expect a nice year from Phillips.
3B- David Wright- My 1st rd pick #6 overall should be the top option at 3B this year and I liked him for his mixture of power and speed (20+ steals from a 3B is great). The fixture of my lineup should be better then ever in a stacked lineup and 2 years MLB experience under his belt.
SS- Rafael Furcal- I always end up with this guy. There are 5 big time base stealers from the SS position, and Furcie is one of them. I fell fortunate to have at least one of the 5 guys.
LF- Cliff Floyd?!?- I messed up. I thought Giles could play center, and he can't, so for the time being Floyd is my left fielder. Hopefully he is Cliff of 2005 and I would take those numbers. I will try and upgrade this spot since I have some depth at hitting in other spots.
CF- Eric Byrnes- I wanted a outfielder that could cover multiple spots, and steal me 20+ bases with some pop. The Crash Test Dummy is the answer and I am excited about his potential this year.
RF- Brian Giles/Shawn Green- Will play whoever is hotter, or whomever doesn't get traded to upgrade my LF spot. Giles is good for a cool 80, 80, 10. I'll take that.
UTIL- Scott Rolen- Love this pick. He may not stick on my team (see LF), but he is a big stick following Albert Pujols in the lineup. YAHTZEE!
BE- Mike Jacobs, Wilson Betemit, Kelly Johnson- A nice core of bench hitters, Wilson covers all of my middle infield spots, and Jacobs has big time power potential. I like my lineup for the most part.
Pitching-
SP- Tim Hudson- Didn't really want him, but hey 10th rd and no SP's yet..I'll take it.
SP- Brad Penny- Another solid starter taken late, Rd 11. A decent 1-2 punch considering how late I picked, but I wasn't able to land a front line pitcher, and it only gets worse..
SP- Matt Morris- No comment, this guy is awful.
SP- Aaron Cook- Hopefully, this guy pans out. He was pretty good in Colorado last year and has one heck of a sinker ball.
RP- Scott Linebrink and Rafael Soriano- Wanted to corner the market on holds, hopefully I did just that with these 2 guys. Should be good for 30+ holds a piece.
RP- Scott Eyre- 21st rd pick, and a solid holds guy to add to my 2 studs in that department.
RP- Solomon Torres- This guy is the man, and heck he is a closer. Not bad for a 13th rd pick, i could run him out if i was facing someone with no closers.
All in all I would say i get a B- for the draft because of the Floyd/Giles mess up. Things like that just can't happen when you have been doing this stuff for as long as I have.
I have another draft on Wednesday night, all player universe. Should be fun..of course drafting is always fun!
C- Johnny Estrada- (wanted to get McCann but couldn't pull the trigger early enough) I actually had the Indian ranked #3 on my catcher list, so I won't complain about this pick in rd 12.
1B- Derek Lee- I'm excited about this pick, as Lee should be a top 1B option with some speed. My 2nd rd pick would have been Carlos Lee had he been available, but the horse was gone. I'm happy with "settling" for Lee and for once have a solid option at 1st.
2B- Brandon Phillips- I had him for part of the year last year and Brandon was solid. One of the few 2nd sackers that can rack up steals, and RBI. I was looking at Ricky Weeks, but he was snared prior to my pick. I expect a nice year from Phillips.
3B- David Wright- My 1st rd pick #6 overall should be the top option at 3B this year and I liked him for his mixture of power and speed (20+ steals from a 3B is great). The fixture of my lineup should be better then ever in a stacked lineup and 2 years MLB experience under his belt.
SS- Rafael Furcal- I always end up with this guy. There are 5 big time base stealers from the SS position, and Furcie is one of them. I fell fortunate to have at least one of the 5 guys.
LF- Cliff Floyd?!?- I messed up. I thought Giles could play center, and he can't, so for the time being Floyd is my left fielder. Hopefully he is Cliff of 2005 and I would take those numbers. I will try and upgrade this spot since I have some depth at hitting in other spots.
CF- Eric Byrnes- I wanted a outfielder that could cover multiple spots, and steal me 20+ bases with some pop. The Crash Test Dummy is the answer and I am excited about his potential this year.
RF- Brian Giles/Shawn Green- Will play whoever is hotter, or whomever doesn't get traded to upgrade my LF spot. Giles is good for a cool 80, 80, 10. I'll take that.
UTIL- Scott Rolen- Love this pick. He may not stick on my team (see LF), but he is a big stick following Albert Pujols in the lineup. YAHTZEE!
BE- Mike Jacobs, Wilson Betemit, Kelly Johnson- A nice core of bench hitters, Wilson covers all of my middle infield spots, and Jacobs has big time power potential. I like my lineup for the most part.
Pitching-
SP- Tim Hudson- Didn't really want him, but hey 10th rd and no SP's yet..I'll take it.
SP- Brad Penny- Another solid starter taken late, Rd 11. A decent 1-2 punch considering how late I picked, but I wasn't able to land a front line pitcher, and it only gets worse..
SP- Matt Morris- No comment, this guy is awful.
SP- Aaron Cook- Hopefully, this guy pans out. He was pretty good in Colorado last year and has one heck of a sinker ball.
RP- Scott Linebrink and Rafael Soriano- Wanted to corner the market on holds, hopefully I did just that with these 2 guys. Should be good for 30+ holds a piece.
RP- Scott Eyre- 21st rd pick, and a solid holds guy to add to my 2 studs in that department.
RP- Solomon Torres- This guy is the man, and heck he is a closer. Not bad for a 13th rd pick, i could run him out if i was facing someone with no closers.
All in all I would say i get a B- for the draft because of the Floyd/Giles mess up. Things like that just can't happen when you have been doing this stuff for as long as I have.
I have another draft on Wednesday night, all player universe. Should be fun..of course drafting is always fun!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Everybody in the Pool!
March Madness is upon us!! It's that time of year where everyone fills out there bracket to find that we really don't know anything at all. Is there a better time of year for sports then the opening 2 rounds of this tournament? Upsets will be a plenty, and this tournament is exactly what is right about College Basketball, and wrong with College Football. 65 teams have an equal chance to win a championship, and as George Mason showed us last year that is truly the case as they advanced to the Final Four. The Madness begins Tonight with the play in game, and starts up for real Thursday night. The VU Wildcats have drawn a #9 seed, and a tough opening round opponent in Kentucky. If they manage to win the Cat fight they would have to contend with #1 seed and Big 12 Winner Kansas in the 2nd round. It will most likely be a short lived tournament this year for Nova, but hey, at least we have a shot! Turns out that Syracuse/Nova tilt in the regular season finale was bigger then most expected as the Cats claimed a bid and the 'Cuse is left to the NIT this year. I personally think they were jobbed, and am shocked that a 22-10 record in the Big East doesn't get you an invite, but whatever it is what it is. Here's my overall synopsis of the tourney:
Toughest Road for a 1 seed: North Carolina having to potentially face Marquette, Texas, and Georgetown just to make the Final Four!!
Easiest Path for a 1 seed: Ohio St having to play what I feel is the weakest #2 seed, Memphis, and earler matchups of Xavier, and then UVA seem to be favorable.
The Weakest #1 seed: Kansas they seem to always find a way to lose in the tournament lately.
Possible Sleepers (#10 and up) Illinois, Gonzaga, Creighton, Ga Tech, Geo Wash
My Final Four: UCLA, Wisconsin, UNC, Texas A&M
Final 2- North Carolina vs UCLA
Champion: UCLA
Toughest Road for a 1 seed: North Carolina having to potentially face Marquette, Texas, and Georgetown just to make the Final Four!!
Easiest Path for a 1 seed: Ohio St having to play what I feel is the weakest #2 seed, Memphis, and earler matchups of Xavier, and then UVA seem to be favorable.
The Weakest #1 seed: Kansas they seem to always find a way to lose in the tournament lately.
Possible Sleepers (#10 and up) Illinois, Gonzaga, Creighton, Ga Tech, Geo Wash
My Final Four: UCLA, Wisconsin, UNC, Texas A&M
Final 2- North Carolina vs UCLA
Champion: UCLA
Monday, March 12, 2007
MRM: Borat, Mission Impossible 2
Well, I finally got so see Borat on Friday night. It was as advertised, some very funny parts, and some extremely disturbing scenes. I will have to watch it again to fully get all the jokes I am sure. As a journalist from Kazakhstan he travels to the states to interview people from this country to help improve life in his home country. This "documentary" is nothing but comedy from the start to finish of the movie. No real plot, just Borat being an idiot the entire time. This is definitely a guy's movie for sure. It's worth checking out if you are looking for laugh out loud comedy, but be prepared if you don't like shows like Jackass, or Austin Powers type comedy, this probably isn't for you. 3 of 5 stars for it's comedic value, but you have read the fore warnings.
Mission Impossible 2- This movie was disappointing in a big way for me. I just don't buy Tom Cruise in this action role with him shooting people, and doing these stunts. The parts of the movie where he wasn't involved in crazy stunts or shootouts I liked, but the story I thought was stupid as well. I enjoyed the 1st MI, but will not watch MI3 after seeing this one. Thumbs down for me on Cruise and MI2. 1.5 of 5 stars.
Mission Impossible 2- This movie was disappointing in a big way for me. I just don't buy Tom Cruise in this action role with him shooting people, and doing these stunts. The parts of the movie where he wasn't involved in crazy stunts or shootouts I liked, but the story I thought was stupid as well. I enjoyed the 1st MI, but will not watch MI3 after seeing this one. Thumbs down for me on Cruise and MI2. 1.5 of 5 stars.
Friday, March 9, 2007
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Anytime you end games with 5, 3, and 4 strikes you would expect a very nice series to go along with that. Well, that is unless you can't convert ten pins, or you leave tough splits in each game. All in all a 596 series is good for me, but again I leave myself looking for more. Oh well, it happens, but that brings me to the segment:
The Good- After sitting in last place and 12 games out of the playoffs as of 3 weeks ago, our team has won 15 of 16, and has surged to within 5 games (before last night) of a playoff spot. Last night we took 3 of 4 from the 1st place team that had lost only 9 games the entire half.
The Bad- Blew a chance to win the last game. Despite a relatively strong 10th, weren't quite able to make up the ground we needed and lost by 32. The good in the bad, it wasn't my fault this time as I punched out with the final 4.
The Ugly- I don't get into brackets that often, in fact I had only gotten in once before this year (which I won), but felt like last night I was due for a good night so I signed up and paid my $5.00 I won my 1st round and was pitted against some dude with a 143 average. This gives him 57 pins handicap against my 9. I shot a decent game of 194 and with my 9 that gives me 203. This clown I am up against shoots a 148, and with his 57 pins beats me 205-203. Two words from a wise man sum this up: "Real Nice" Thank you Paul Mummert.
No real surprises in AI last night besides the loss of Sundance Head. I think his crying last week may have done him in. I guess it's hard to get the rocker vote when you are seen balling your eyes out everytime someone gets eliminated. It was also good to see Malakar in the bottom 3 this week, perhaps his departure is imminent?
Songs I downloaded today: Love you down- Houston
Watch You Dance- Ne Yo
I'm Gonna Be- Donnell Jones
Gone - Frankie J
Just to Feel that.. Taylor Hicks
The Good- After sitting in last place and 12 games out of the playoffs as of 3 weeks ago, our team has won 15 of 16, and has surged to within 5 games (before last night) of a playoff spot. Last night we took 3 of 4 from the 1st place team that had lost only 9 games the entire half.
The Bad- Blew a chance to win the last game. Despite a relatively strong 10th, weren't quite able to make up the ground we needed and lost by 32. The good in the bad, it wasn't my fault this time as I punched out with the final 4.
The Ugly- I don't get into brackets that often, in fact I had only gotten in once before this year (which I won), but felt like last night I was due for a good night so I signed up and paid my $5.00 I won my 1st round and was pitted against some dude with a 143 average. This gives him 57 pins handicap against my 9. I shot a decent game of 194 and with my 9 that gives me 203. This clown I am up against shoots a 148, and with his 57 pins beats me 205-203. Two words from a wise man sum this up: "Real Nice" Thank you Paul Mummert.
No real surprises in AI last night besides the loss of Sundance Head. I think his crying last week may have done him in. I guess it's hard to get the rocker vote when you are seen balling your eyes out everytime someone gets eliminated. It was also good to see Malakar in the bottom 3 this week, perhaps his departure is imminent?
Songs I downloaded today: Love you down- Houston
Watch You Dance- Ne Yo
I'm Gonna Be- Donnell Jones
Gone - Frankie J
Just to Feel that.. Taylor Hicks
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Movie Review Monday: Forget Paris
I was going to do the Departed today, which I saw Friday night, but decided instead do to an older flick today I saw for the 2nd time last night. Forget Paris is a decent movie made in 1995 which stars the greatest Emcee of all time, Billy Crystal. The basis of the story is Mickey (Crystal) is a NBA referee who meets a woman in Paris while burying his father whom he wasn't close to at all. They end up dating and once Crystal goes back to the States for the start of the season, he isn't the same. In fact among the many NBAers guest starring in the film, he ejects Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Isiah Thomas from a game, along with Bill Laimbeer. It's a romantic comedy that is a good couple movie, which goes through the trials and tribulations of a long distance relationship, and then a marriage. It's entertaining enough to watch more then once, but fails to live up to When Harry Met Sally, Crystals best flick. The Highlight of the movie is when he makes a gutsy call during a Suns, Spurs playoff game when Barkley's game winning shot was called off. Overall the comedy is pretty good throughout the movie and the little man (BC) is as usual on queue with his humor, short and sarcastic. I like that. 3 of 5 stars, and I would watch it again.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Is American Idol Fixed?
I'm beginning to believe it truly is. Maybe not entirely, but I believe that some parts are definitely done by AI to increase water cooler fodder or results they do in fact want. The puzzling one is Hick's winning last year, but something tells me that McPhee's attitude toward AI and her petrified look every results show had something to do with it. If I remember correctly..there was something that happened towards the end of that show with McPhee. I'm researching that now as I write this. My thought is that they booted Daughtry early to add to the water cooler talk, with the intent on McPhee winning, and then she did something that caused them to have no choice but to let Taylor win. That's just a theory. At any rate there is no way that Kevin Covais should have been in the competition as long as he was. He was terrible, and it drove me crazy he continually got through. Meet 2007's version of Covais, Sanjaya Malakar. This kid is may be more annoying then Covais. While he has a little better of a voice (well no lisp) his look and goofy smile make his staying almost as bad as KC's last season. Did he even sing that song he tried to perform on Tuesday? Because I didn't hear it. That may have single handedly been the worst performance on Idol ever. Yet here he is amongst the top vote getters? Come on. Who seriously voted for this guy? He dressed up like Michael Jackson and then comes out and sings a 20's or 30's ballad? Ok..whatever. Heck he even looks extremely uncomfortable up there, he wasn't even looking into the camera most of the time. Yet he is connecting to the audience?? I hope that Idol is in fact, genuine, but anyone who saw the movie Quiz Show, or remembers the 2000 presidential election knows that this kind of thing can happen, and happens more then people think. No, I don't think Nick Pedro or AJ Tabaldo were going to win, but they deserved another week on the show over this clown.
Well, here's to hoping the show is truly a competition, I will now unveil my Idol picks:
Final 3 Guys: Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, Brandon Rogers
Final 3 Girls: Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle, Stephanie Edwards
Final 2: Jordin Sparks, Chris Richardson
Winner: Chris Richardson
Update: I was just made aware of this site: http://www.votefortheworst.com/node
Perhaps they are partly to blame as well?
Well, here's to hoping the show is truly a competition, I will now unveil my Idol picks:
Final 3 Guys: Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, Brandon Rogers
Final 3 Girls: Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle, Stephanie Edwards
Final 2: Jordin Sparks, Chris Richardson
Winner: Chris Richardson
Update: I was just made aware of this site: http://www.votefortheworst.com/node
Perhaps they are partly to blame as well?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Life On The Bubble
Last year was too great. Winning the Big East, being ranked in the top 10 all year, and eventually getting a #1 seed in the tournament. Albeit it was a tad disappointing to watch them lose in the round of 8 for the second straight year to the eventual champion, it was a fun year to be a fan. The reality is Randy Foye and Kyle Lowery are gone, and this year's version is no where close to what it was last year. But at 19-9, and their RPI sitting at 21, with some key wins over Notre Dame, Texas, Georgetown, and Louisville they have a shot at making the dance. They play Uconn tonight, and Syracuse Saturday to close out their schedule. Assuming they split these games and finish at 20-10, is this enough to make it in? You would think yes, but they sit currently in 9th place in the conference, this could be tough. It may take a strong showing in New York to insure they do in fact get into the field of 65.
By the looks of it, the conference has 5 definite teams making it, with Syracuse pretty much locked in now with their recent win over the Hoyas. That means that if West Virginia, who is currently 7th makes it in, they would have to send 7 teams from the conference. That seems like a high number even from a power conference. If a team like Syracuse last year wins the Big East Tourney, then that creates even more trouble for the Wildcats. Bottom Line? I think they need at least 22 wins to get in the Dance. >21 and I think they are NIT bound, regardless of their RPI.
By the looks of it, the conference has 5 definite teams making it, with Syracuse pretty much locked in now with their recent win over the Hoyas. That means that if West Virginia, who is currently 7th makes it in, they would have to send 7 teams from the conference. That seems like a high number even from a power conference. If a team like Syracuse last year wins the Big East Tourney, then that creates even more trouble for the Wildcats. Bottom Line? I think they need at least 22 wins to get in the Dance. >21 and I think they are NIT bound, regardless of their RPI.
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Old Spice Test, And a Wasted Weekend
A wasted weekend it was. 36 hours of being sick is not fun, but sometimes it's a reality. Friday night I started feeling ill, and sure enough Saturday morning I was stuck with the stomach bug. While it's a nice start to what was to be the forthcoming "Summer Weight", I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone. What was I able to do on Saturday besides sleep and being sick? Well, I watched 3 movies, and a basketball game in which I cared nothing about. Seems like a lot of "wasted time"? Hence the wasted weekend title. It was mostly about Marty McFly, as they played Back to the Future 1,2, and 3 in succession. I only watched the 1st 2 and then managed to fall asleep for awhile sparing me the disaster that was B2TFIII. There will be no movie review for today because everyone has seen B2TF and Movie Review Monday will hopefully resume next week. Other then that what was to be a trip to Philly for the Villanova vs Rutgers game and the pick up of our new Jeep Laredo on Saturday were both foiled.
Today I took the Old Spice experienced man quiz: http://www.experienceoldspice.com/
It's a combination of sports, history, trivia, cars, general guys stuff. I actually fared pretty well. Not quite an experienced man though. Maybe in a few more years...Here is my badge to prove it:
Today I took the Old Spice experienced man quiz: http://www.experienceoldspice.com/
It's a combination of sports, history, trivia, cars, general guys stuff. I actually fared pretty well. Not quite an experienced man though. Maybe in a few more years...Here is my badge to prove it:
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wade Get's Wheeled??, The Couch People
Ok, so this isn't really surprising news, but Dwayne Wade got hurt last night, as he seems to do just about every game. The difference this time was that he seperated his shoulder, and he could be out a while. It's a shame, I like Wade. The real story is the fact that he was taken off the court in a wheelchair. Yes, a wheelchair. No he did not injure his legs in any way, yet there was the former Golden Eagle being wheeled to the locker room. Are you kidding me? I'm not a doctor, and did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but I'm sorry that was ridiculous. Obviously, the trainer felt it necessary to take him out that way (At least I am hoping) but I don't get it. You want to keep the shoulder straight, I realize that. Perhaps it was uncomfortable to walk with it, but give me a break a wheelchair? I will say this, if the guy comes back and plays this week and they mention how tough he is..I would instead have the Hollywood agents sign him up because that was about as cinematic as you can get on a basketball court. It's not all Dwayne's fault, this is probably another fall out from the Jordan saga..always trying to be a hero. I do hope DW is alright, and I hope I am wrong about this, but it sure looked pathetic to me. I've never seen an athlete get wheeled off a field/court/or rink with an upper body injury...until now that is.
So the Ice is all but gone, and on my way to work this morning I passed several houses through the city with chairs out in front of their place to preserve their parking spot. It's pretty neat, you see a variety of different types of "spot blockers" along the road. My personal favorite of the season is on W Philadelphia Street. Someone put out an entire couch to protect what they had shoveled! That is impressive! I am wondering what the thought process is with that. Well, let's start by saying that I figure anything in the spot probably prevents people from parking there as they would have to get out and move it and a casual drive by person looking for a spot is probably not going to do that. (If it's your neighbor, then that's just ignorant right?) So I would think that you would want something there that is easy to move, and something that you could leave out over night and not have to worry about it. Why a couch? It's most likely heavy, it's definitely bulky, and where the heck do you store this when your car is there? It's just a sidewalk and then the houses..Don't get me wrong it's very impressive to see someone use a couch as a blocker, but I have to imagine that has got to be extremely inconvenient. I really hope one of these mornings before all the snow is gone that I see someone just hanging out there sitting on it. The Rabbit stop is not too far away, why not relax while you wait..put your feet up, read a good book and hop on when it comes by. Just a suggestion. But props to the couch people.
So the Ice is all but gone, and on my way to work this morning I passed several houses through the city with chairs out in front of their place to preserve their parking spot. It's pretty neat, you see a variety of different types of "spot blockers" along the road. My personal favorite of the season is on W Philadelphia Street. Someone put out an entire couch to protect what they had shoveled! That is impressive! I am wondering what the thought process is with that. Well, let's start by saying that I figure anything in the spot probably prevents people from parking there as they would have to get out and move it and a casual drive by person looking for a spot is probably not going to do that. (If it's your neighbor, then that's just ignorant right?) So I would think that you would want something there that is easy to move, and something that you could leave out over night and not have to worry about it. Why a couch? It's most likely heavy, it's definitely bulky, and where the heck do you store this when your car is there? It's just a sidewalk and then the houses..Don't get me wrong it's very impressive to see someone use a couch as a blocker, but I have to imagine that has got to be extremely inconvenient. I really hope one of these mornings before all the snow is gone that I see someone just hanging out there sitting on it. The Rabbit stop is not too far away, why not relax while you wait..put your feet up, read a good book and hop on when it comes by. Just a suggestion. But props to the couch people.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Movie Review Monday: National Treasure
It was a good night of TV Sunday with the opening night of the Amazing Race All Stars, The Apprentice, and then I watched in full, National Treasure courtesy of Starz. I had seen this movies previews a few years back and had wanted to see it. What better time then 10:00 PM on a Sunday night?
Nicholas Cage is the main star in the flick with Jon Voight also playing a prominent role in the film. It is an action/adventure film about a hidden treasure that among other clues, has a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. If you are a history lover, and like action films, this is definitely one to check out. The settings are mostly in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City. I really enjoyed the film, and would watch it again if it was on. It even has a sort of heist flare to it when Cage decides he must steal the Declaration from the National Archives Museum in D.C. After that they head to Philadelphia to the Liberty Bell and City Hall to continue to search for clues before ending up in NYC for the somewhat anti climatic ending to the film. I liked all but one part of the film, which i won't disclose so anyone who hasn't seen this and wants to doesn't have it ruined for them.
I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars, but my interest in history probably helped to give it the 4th star. If anyone out there has this movie, maybe I could borrow it some time?
Nicholas Cage is the main star in the flick with Jon Voight also playing a prominent role in the film. It is an action/adventure film about a hidden treasure that among other clues, has a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. If you are a history lover, and like action films, this is definitely one to check out. The settings are mostly in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City. I really enjoyed the film, and would watch it again if it was on. It even has a sort of heist flare to it when Cage decides he must steal the Declaration from the National Archives Museum in D.C. After that they head to Philadelphia to the Liberty Bell and City Hall to continue to search for clues before ending up in NYC for the somewhat anti climatic ending to the film. I liked all but one part of the film, which i won't disclose so anyone who hasn't seen this and wants to doesn't have it ruined for them.
I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars, but my interest in history probably helped to give it the 4th star. If anyone out there has this movie, maybe I could borrow it some time?
Friday, February 16, 2007
4 Coupons, 2 Surveys, 1 Contest, and No Straw
Well my return to Taco Bell today was pretty successful. Hit the drive thru today for lunch, and while I enjoyed my meal, I didn't enjoy my drink without a straw. I did however get coupons and a chance to win 1000 dollars by calling in this survey. Honestly, I would be happier to have just gotten the straw, but maybe I'll get lucky enough to win the cash. (As if they actually give out a prize.)
The snowice has really made it tough to park here at work. Only 3 spots are shoveled and those are already taken, so it's not that easy to find parking on the side city streets. I have a self made spot that I barreled through today, so I'm pretty fortunate at least for today..no one else can get their car in there. The Mariner gets in there no sweat.
The much anticipated All Star Break is upon us in the NBA. That means that all of us fantasy players will be getting our injured stars back in a few days. I anxiously await AI and Yao's return to my lineup. I told myself I wouldn't watch the Slam Dunk Contest again after last year's disgrace. Andre Igoudala has the dunk of the night, yet loses to the diminutive Nate Robinson because he dunked over the beloved Spudd Webb. Cool idea, but one thing about his flush over Mr Potato Head, it took him what 50 tries to do it? There has to be some sort of penalty for missing that many times, or a cap on how many times you can try it. Give me a break, none of us have that sort of attention span anymore, it's the internet age.
No plans for the weekend, it looks like it will be a play it by ear weekend, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
One last thing, why do people feel the need to say something polite when being a creep or doing something to you that obviously sucks. 2 Examples, 1 recent one. I got a letter from the Lancaster Tax Collection Bureau stating that I owe $58.00 in back taxes from 2002, and if they aren't paid by July, they are going to garnish my wages. Funny thing is the tax was already paid, and we went through the same thing last year, with the same tax. Whatever. But the most irritating thing about this is the letter comes in a envelope stamped with a snowman and the words "Season's Greetings" attached to it. Thanks a lot, have a good holiday..creep.
Example 2 is from a few years back, wow, I guess 7 years now. At the beach I parked my car in a tow away zone (which was marked no parking from 7 AM to 3 PM) Parked there after 8 that night, and when I got up the next morning to move it at 6:30...gone. They towed my car..nice. Well I went to get it out of the impound, which was a nice $130.00 bill and as I pay this fine the lady gives me a receipt with the message "Thank You Please Come Again" at the bottom, followed by the comment..."Have a Great Day." Come again..have a great day? Come on now. I'd rather them just say something rude, or just laugh. Maybe the statement "Sucks to be you" at the bottom, or "You're going to jail you tax evading jerk" on the envelope. Now that I could get behind.
The snowice has really made it tough to park here at work. Only 3 spots are shoveled and those are already taken, so it's not that easy to find parking on the side city streets. I have a self made spot that I barreled through today, so I'm pretty fortunate at least for today..no one else can get their car in there. The Mariner gets in there no sweat.
The much anticipated All Star Break is upon us in the NBA. That means that all of us fantasy players will be getting our injured stars back in a few days. I anxiously await AI and Yao's return to my lineup. I told myself I wouldn't watch the Slam Dunk Contest again after last year's disgrace. Andre Igoudala has the dunk of the night, yet loses to the diminutive Nate Robinson because he dunked over the beloved Spudd Webb. Cool idea, but one thing about his flush over Mr Potato Head, it took him what 50 tries to do it? There has to be some sort of penalty for missing that many times, or a cap on how many times you can try it. Give me a break, none of us have that sort of attention span anymore, it's the internet age.
No plans for the weekend, it looks like it will be a play it by ear weekend, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
One last thing, why do people feel the need to say something polite when being a creep or doing something to you that obviously sucks. 2 Examples, 1 recent one. I got a letter from the Lancaster Tax Collection Bureau stating that I owe $58.00 in back taxes from 2002, and if they aren't paid by July, they are going to garnish my wages. Funny thing is the tax was already paid, and we went through the same thing last year, with the same tax. Whatever. But the most irritating thing about this is the letter comes in a envelope stamped with a snowman and the words "Season's Greetings" attached to it. Thanks a lot, have a good holiday..creep.
Example 2 is from a few years back, wow, I guess 7 years now. At the beach I parked my car in a tow away zone (which was marked no parking from 7 AM to 3 PM) Parked there after 8 that night, and when I got up the next morning to move it at 6:30...gone. They towed my car..nice. Well I went to get it out of the impound, which was a nice $130.00 bill and as I pay this fine the lady gives me a receipt with the message "Thank You Please Come Again" at the bottom, followed by the comment..."Have a Great Day." Come again..have a great day? Come on now. I'd rather them just say something rude, or just laugh. Maybe the statement "Sucks to be you" at the bottom, or "You're going to jail you tax evading jerk" on the envelope. Now that I could get behind.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Blogging the Grammy's
I watched some of the Grammy's last night. Rarely can I make it through a whole awards show of any sort, but the Music ones are usually the best. I prefer the Billboard, or the World Music Awards, mostly because the music getting awards last night was out so long ago it seems like old hat. Anyway, let's take a look at some of the winners:
Album of the Year:
Winner- "Taking the Long Way", The Dixie Chicks
I was surprised by this choice. I was thinking that Justin Timberlake or Mary J Blige would win this award. One of the big reasons is that with the Chicks outside of the song of the year "Not Ready To Make Nice" none of the others on this compilation really stick out. I thought either JT or MJB was more deserving, but congrats to the DC for being able to win awards without being politically correct all the time. Heck I would think every artist would want to give the finger to country music people at some point.
Song of the Year:
Winner- "Not Ready To Make Nice", The Dixie Chicks
I don't have a problem with this selection. I'm just glad James Blunt didn't win, that song was way overplayed. Heck I think I only heard the Chicks song maybe 4 times this year.
Best New Artist:
Winner- Carrie Underwood
I'm an Underwood fan, although that tribute she sang last night was painful to watch, it really was. That being said, Chris Brown should have won this one. He got hosed at the Billboard awards too losing to Jamie Foxx..give me a break.
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Winner- John Mayer, Continuum
This was the most shocking one of them all for me. Mayer took out Timberlake and Aguilera and won out in this category. Please tell me this has nothing to do with him dating Jessica Simpson. I'm flat out shocked on this win by John. The only song on this album that I have, I don't even like.
Best R&B Album:
Winner- Mary J Blige, "The Breakthrough"
Agreed. Out of the other participants in this category MJB stood head and shoulders above them all. "Be Without You" is a great tune, and this one also won for Best R&B Song, and For R&B Vocal Performance. Well Done MJB and congrats on a great year.
Female Pop Vocal Performance of The Year:
Winner- Christina Aguilera, "Ain't No Other Man"
Not her best performance on her album, but she is deserved of the award. I also liked Natasha Bedingfield, and Sheryl Crows "Good is Good", but I have no problem with CA winning. Her performance last night was also phenomenal, well done.
Best Male Vocal Performance of the Year:
Winner: John Mayer, "Waiting on the World To Change"
I'm waiting for the results on this one to change! John Legend was hosed, and if someone can honestly tell you that Mayer's vocals are better then John Legend's in "Save Room" then they are lying to you, or smoking something. Wow, I must really dislike Mayer...but I really don't. Although I don't really like him that much either.
There you have it, a quick run down to the main awards given out last night. In the end the Grammy's weren't a big enough hit to keep me from tuning in to Trump last night at 9:20. Hey Mayer...YOU'RE FIRED!!
Album of the Year:
Winner- "Taking the Long Way", The Dixie Chicks
I was surprised by this choice. I was thinking that Justin Timberlake or Mary J Blige would win this award. One of the big reasons is that with the Chicks outside of the song of the year "Not Ready To Make Nice" none of the others on this compilation really stick out. I thought either JT or MJB was more deserving, but congrats to the DC for being able to win awards without being politically correct all the time. Heck I would think every artist would want to give the finger to country music people at some point.
Song of the Year:
Winner- "Not Ready To Make Nice", The Dixie Chicks
I don't have a problem with this selection. I'm just glad James Blunt didn't win, that song was way overplayed. Heck I think I only heard the Chicks song maybe 4 times this year.
Best New Artist:
Winner- Carrie Underwood
I'm an Underwood fan, although that tribute she sang last night was painful to watch, it really was. That being said, Chris Brown should have won this one. He got hosed at the Billboard awards too losing to Jamie Foxx..give me a break.
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Winner- John Mayer, Continuum
This was the most shocking one of them all for me. Mayer took out Timberlake and Aguilera and won out in this category. Please tell me this has nothing to do with him dating Jessica Simpson. I'm flat out shocked on this win by John. The only song on this album that I have, I don't even like.
Best R&B Album:
Winner- Mary J Blige, "The Breakthrough"
Agreed. Out of the other participants in this category MJB stood head and shoulders above them all. "Be Without You" is a great tune, and this one also won for Best R&B Song, and For R&B Vocal Performance. Well Done MJB and congrats on a great year.
Female Pop Vocal Performance of The Year:
Winner- Christina Aguilera, "Ain't No Other Man"
Not her best performance on her album, but she is deserved of the award. I also liked Natasha Bedingfield, and Sheryl Crows "Good is Good", but I have no problem with CA winning. Her performance last night was also phenomenal, well done.
Best Male Vocal Performance of the Year:
Winner: John Mayer, "Waiting on the World To Change"
I'm waiting for the results on this one to change! John Legend was hosed, and if someone can honestly tell you that Mayer's vocals are better then John Legend's in "Save Room" then they are lying to you, or smoking something. Wow, I must really dislike Mayer...but I really don't. Although I don't really like him that much either.
There you have it, a quick run down to the main awards given out last night. In the end the Grammy's weren't a big enough hit to keep me from tuning in to Trump last night at 9:20. Hey Mayer...YOU'RE FIRED!!
Friday, February 9, 2007
627 Yao
Last night's nice line at the alleys left a little something to be desired. I missed practice, and then proceeded to leave 4 splits in the first 5 frames. The good news? I made 3 of them (none of which were the baby variety), and then got it rolling by finishing with the final 6 to record a 211. Following a 224 game in which I again punched out in the 10th we were looking for a much needed 3 games from "Dem Franchize Boyz" Team. Fast forward to the last game, 9th frame. I strike in the set up frame, so a strike in the 10th and the double puts us up comfortably with Geesey to follow. The shot felt good, but it hung up in the oil a bit, leaving it a bit short and I was left with the 4,8. Worried about pushing past the 8 and getting only the 4 I put a little extra on it, and chopped the 8 off instead, leaving me at 192. We won the game, but lost total pins by 11..I feel like this one was on me. My average now will go back to 190, but we really needed those points. Hopefully we have a big run left in us.
I acquired Yao Ming in the fantasy league yesterday, along with the enigmatic Ron Artest who was absolutely awful for me earlier in the year. I sent the Mighty Dirk and Andris Biedrins in the deal. This is one of those deals that either makes or breaks your team. The good news is that my team has been broken all year long, so maybe this helps fix it. Yao Ming was traded with Chris Webber for Joe Johnson, and Ron Artest. Joe Johnson was traded with Ray Allen and Carlos Boozer for Billups, Marion, and Bibby. Finally Ming was acquired for Dirk in more then anything, a positional switch. According to Basketball Monster, I made a good deal..we shall see.
If by chance Allen Iverson reads this..please sit out at least until Monday and get your ankle healed. We'll need you down the stretch little big man.
I acquired Yao Ming in the fantasy league yesterday, along with the enigmatic Ron Artest who was absolutely awful for me earlier in the year. I sent the Mighty Dirk and Andris Biedrins in the deal. This is one of those deals that either makes or breaks your team. The good news is that my team has been broken all year long, so maybe this helps fix it. Yao Ming was traded with Chris Webber for Joe Johnson, and Ron Artest. Joe Johnson was traded with Ray Allen and Carlos Boozer for Billups, Marion, and Bibby. Finally Ming was acquired for Dirk in more then anything, a positional switch. According to Basketball Monster, I made a good deal..we shall see.
If by chance Allen Iverson reads this..please sit out at least until Monday and get your ankle healed. We'll need you down the stretch little big man.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Speechless, McFever, Larry Brown at Nova
I saw the movie Speechless many years ago when it came out. (Ah the days of the cheater box..) Well, I saw it again on Monday night on Encore. It's a pretty good flick starring Michael Keaton and Geena Davis. This was right around the time when Keaton was making all kinds of movies, so I actually kind of forgot about this one. The paper also released around this time was a really good movie, MK has got quite the resume on the Big Screen. Easily one of the top A List actors of all time..yes I am serious. Come on GUNG HO..need I say more. Keaton plays a campaign speech writer that ends up meeting the other candidates speech writer (Davis) and they hit it off. Neither of them realize that the other is working for the other party at 1st and when they find out at a school event..that's when the comedy starts. Superman, (Christopher Reeves) makes an appearance in this movie, I thought that was pretty cool as well. It's probably a 3 of 5 star movie, but you could do worse.
I listened to the Katharine McPhee CD yesterday. It is decent for the idol product. I swore if she sang that somewhere over the rainbow song on the record I wasn't listening to it, but she managed to leave that off. There were 2 songs on there that I could find myself listening to on a regular basis, and 1 other one that wasn't bad either. Over it, and Open Toes are catchy Pop hits. I haven't heard Hicks effort yet, but I am thinking that it will fall short of Daughtry and McPhee's releases. I would say it's worth checking those 2 songs out if you like music that is similar to a JoJo sound.
Last Night I went to the Villanova game to see them play St. Joe's. The Hawks managed to put up 39 points, failing to reach that elusive 40 point barrier. It was an ugly win for the Wildcats, but one that keeps their NCAA hopes alive, and with 4 more wins they should secure a birth with a pretty decent RPI. Their freshman Reynolds can play, but it will be up to Curtis Sumpter to take this team into the tournament if they are destined to do so. I'm still not sure why he didn't come back last year when he could have...the Cats could have possibly been victorious in that Elite 8 game last year. But the real story was the sighting of Larry Brown at the game. Apparently he comes to a bunch of games according to Scott who sees him there all the time. He was constantly writing stuff on different players, and really didn't talk to anyone. What do you think he was writing? Whatever it was, he was getting paid a ton of money to do it. (He loves New York ya know) I probably could have talked to LB because I walked right behind him at halftime and was tempted to pull a Dick Enberg on him, but thought better of it. LB was out shortly before the 5 minute left mark, I guess he wasn't concerned that St Joe's might in fact hit 40.
Honorable mention: Also at the game was Kerry Kittles..I was really hoping to see B West instead. Kittles probably looked better then Westbrook would have in that blue be ray however.
I listened to the Katharine McPhee CD yesterday. It is decent for the idol product. I swore if she sang that somewhere over the rainbow song on the record I wasn't listening to it, but she managed to leave that off. There were 2 songs on there that I could find myself listening to on a regular basis, and 1 other one that wasn't bad either. Over it, and Open Toes are catchy Pop hits. I haven't heard Hicks effort yet, but I am thinking that it will fall short of Daughtry and McPhee's releases. I would say it's worth checking those 2 songs out if you like music that is similar to a JoJo sound.
Last Night I went to the Villanova game to see them play St. Joe's. The Hawks managed to put up 39 points, failing to reach that elusive 40 point barrier. It was an ugly win for the Wildcats, but one that keeps their NCAA hopes alive, and with 4 more wins they should secure a birth with a pretty decent RPI. Their freshman Reynolds can play, but it will be up to Curtis Sumpter to take this team into the tournament if they are destined to do so. I'm still not sure why he didn't come back last year when he could have...the Cats could have possibly been victorious in that Elite 8 game last year. But the real story was the sighting of Larry Brown at the game. Apparently he comes to a bunch of games according to Scott who sees him there all the time. He was constantly writing stuff on different players, and really didn't talk to anyone. What do you think he was writing? Whatever it was, he was getting paid a ton of money to do it. (He loves New York ya know) I probably could have talked to LB because I walked right behind him at halftime and was tempted to pull a Dick Enberg on him, but thought better of it. LB was out shortly before the 5 minute left mark, I guess he wasn't concerned that St Joe's might in fact hit 40.
Honorable mention: Also at the game was Kerry Kittles..I was really hoping to see B West instead. Kittles probably looked better then Westbrook would have in that blue be ray however.
Monday, February 5, 2007
A Guy's Weekend (Superbowl 41 Recap)
This was definitely a guy's weekend for me. Saturday night there was the poker night for the bowling team, plus my brother in law showed up to take everyone's money, or something like that. What a miserable night of cards for me. After it was all said and done I walked out with a loss of 40 cents. All things considered I'll take that. It started off alright, but then I stuck around in 2 large pot hands only to have the 2nd best hand in both of them, once losing with 4 Queens and the other with 5 of a kind. The following hand I folded on a 50 cent bet, only to find after that call was made I would have won the hand with my full boat. It was one of those nights.
Following Sunday was of course the Super Bowl party and oh, yeah there was a game too. After suffering through the worst fantasy football season in memory, I suffered again as I lost out on 15 dollars at the end of the 3rd quarter when Robbie Gould kicked through the 17th point for the Bears...his appearance as my kicker would later cost me our SB fantasy picks. Should have known to never pick a Penn Stater. I ended up 0fer at those games as well, which makes for a no win weekend for me. Bummer. Silver Lining? I did end up 2nd in the Draft Lottery..I look forward to trading that pick away in a few months.
The game itself was actually pretty good. Despite the fact that the Bears never had the ball, they trailed by 5, 17-22 with 11 minutes to go in the 4th. Just enough time for Grossman to throw his 2nd TD of the game, although this one went to the Colts Kelvin Hayden, and that pretty much sealed the deal. What did we learn? Rex Grossman really did not play well. He looked out of his element on the games biggest stage and the Bears offense really let their defense down in this one. I'm not going to blast Wrecks Grossman because he gets enough heat, but it doesn't look like he has the mental game to play consistently well at that level. Maybe he will continue to improve, but he may not get that chance as a starter..we'll see. I think the Colts got pretty fortunate that the Bears self destructed with 4 turnovers because they had a real shot at the end of it to win the game, they just couldn't mask their QB this time and much like it happened with San Diego, it finally caught up with them.
Following Sunday was of course the Super Bowl party and oh, yeah there was a game too. After suffering through the worst fantasy football season in memory, I suffered again as I lost out on 15 dollars at the end of the 3rd quarter when Robbie Gould kicked through the 17th point for the Bears...his appearance as my kicker would later cost me our SB fantasy picks. Should have known to never pick a Penn Stater. I ended up 0fer at those games as well, which makes for a no win weekend for me. Bummer. Silver Lining? I did end up 2nd in the Draft Lottery..I look forward to trading that pick away in a few months.
The game itself was actually pretty good. Despite the fact that the Bears never had the ball, they trailed by 5, 17-22 with 11 minutes to go in the 4th. Just enough time for Grossman to throw his 2nd TD of the game, although this one went to the Colts Kelvin Hayden, and that pretty much sealed the deal. What did we learn? Rex Grossman really did not play well. He looked out of his element on the games biggest stage and the Bears offense really let their defense down in this one. I'm not going to blast Wrecks Grossman because he gets enough heat, but it doesn't look like he has the mental game to play consistently well at that level. Maybe he will continue to improve, but he may not get that chance as a starter..we'll see. I think the Colts got pretty fortunate that the Bears self destructed with 4 turnovers because they had a real shot at the end of it to win the game, they just couldn't mask their QB this time and much like it happened with San Diego, it finally caught up with them.
Friday, February 2, 2007
It's a Girl!
The 1st post and it is a major announcement! Laura and I are having our second baby girl due in June. We just found out today what we are having, so the suspense is finally over. I'm very excited, and now we can continue on with the preparation of her new room!
Avery update: Lizzy is fine, word from the doctor revisit is that it is healing wonderfully. She had burnt her hand on a curling iron yesterday but is back to her normal self and we don't have to wrap her hand anymore. What a relief!!
I should note that now that I have this blog you will find out information about the goings on, and also some completely incoherent thoughts and maybe just maybe you will learn something or think, hey I like the way this guy thinks.. We shall see.
So much for the snow...1-3" try nothing. I want a job as a meteorologist, never have to worry about being right and hey you get to be on TV. You don't even have to sign up to get a "Weatherwatcher" umbrella either, I assume you can just take as many as you want.
I do want to touch on the Superbowl. I am thinking that the Colts will have their way with the Bears and win pretty easily. Something along the lines of 41-20. On a side not about the game, why in the world is Tank Johnson allowed to play? The man is under house arrest, and shouldn't even be a free man much less playing in this game. If any non celeb person had those charges against us we would be locked up for 5-10 years. The best thing is this guy is out at the clubs in Miami living it up. You know for sure he is packing, if you are going to the game and happen to see him down there on South Beach, DO NOT confront him.
Avery update: Lizzy is fine, word from the doctor revisit is that it is healing wonderfully. She had burnt her hand on a curling iron yesterday but is back to her normal self and we don't have to wrap her hand anymore. What a relief!!
I should note that now that I have this blog you will find out information about the goings on, and also some completely incoherent thoughts and maybe just maybe you will learn something or think, hey I like the way this guy thinks.. We shall see.
So much for the snow...1-3" try nothing. I want a job as a meteorologist, never have to worry about being right and hey you get to be on TV. You don't even have to sign up to get a "Weatherwatcher" umbrella either, I assume you can just take as many as you want.
I do want to touch on the Superbowl. I am thinking that the Colts will have their way with the Bears and win pretty easily. Something along the lines of 41-20. On a side not about the game, why in the world is Tank Johnson allowed to play? The man is under house arrest, and shouldn't even be a free man much less playing in this game. If any non celeb person had those charges against us we would be locked up for 5-10 years. The best thing is this guy is out at the clubs in Miami living it up. You know for sure he is packing, if you are going to the game and happen to see him down there on South Beach, DO NOT confront him.
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