Ok, admittedly, I didn't watch as much Winter Olympics as I would have liked. However, today I did watch the gold medal men's hockey game between the United States and Canada. It was a dandy. The game was great. I have nothing but rave reviews for it, and I'm not really a hockey fan, at all. Since I'm not really a hockey fan, I can't really get into the technicalities of the game, I wouldn't know them, I don't follow the sport well enough. What I do know though is that this was one heck of a game. I know sports, and this was a good exhibition of sport if I've ever seen one. The heart and effort in this game, which was played not for the money, but for the pride of country (this is after all, the Olympics, even if played with professional players), was absolutely incredible. The honor exhibited on that rink, was spectacular. Players were dashing to the puck, selling out and diving to block shots, and all-around just leaving it all on the rink. The US fought hard to stay in the game. I feel like the US was a little outplayed and out talented in regulation, even if they did win the first meeting between the 2 teams. But the US hustled and scrapped and hit hard and scored a game tying goal with less than a minute left in regulation. US goalie Ryan Miller was absolutely astonishing in his effort. He stopped so many shots and pulled out so many saves in scenarios that gave the look that doom was eminent. In fact, Miller got a standing ovation as he received MVP honors for the tournament. It was a standing ovation that came from a Canadian crowd that had been hostile toward Team USA for the vast majority of the tournament, booing their successes. Miller earned their respect though, and he certainly earned mine as well.
In the end though, it wasn't enough. Canada was a talented team, probably the most talented in the world, maybe the most talented ever. Sidney Crosby, arguably the best player in the world, scored the winning goal in sudden death overtime. In an overtime that left one on the edge of his or her seat at every glide of the puck. In the end, the Canadians deserve this gold medal. Its their sport, and they certainly earned it in a hard fought win. My hat goes off to them.
However, my hat doesn't go off to all the people I've seen, mainly on facebook, bitter about the Canadian victory. People are being rude about who the Canadians are or how they live, or just stupid things because their great America didn't win. Now I'm very patriotic, I love America, but that doesn't mean I put down others or deny good work when I see it. I appreciate good work when I see it, whoever it comes from. The Canadians did great work. And to see people being bitter during a series of games meant to promote the good will and mutual respect between countries, makes me a little disappointed in my countrymen. I'm probably taking this too seriously, but that's how I feel. Its just a little ignorant if you ask me.
But regardless, congratulations Team Canada. They deserve the gold.
February 28, 2010
More Scary Weather
http://hype26.blogspot.com/2010/01/2012-global-warming.html
Adding more fuel to the fire of one of my previous posts is the weather of late around the world. This earthquake in Chile today has really got me questioning things. I mean, another major earthquake not that far off in location or time from the Haitian earthquakes is an awfully strange coincidence. Not to mention the ensuing tsunamis that could wreak havoc upon Hawaii, Japan and the like, this is all a dangerous and awe-inspiring situation, and another humbling experience for the human race at the hands of mother nature. Its not the only odd idiosyncrasy in the weather of late though. Case in point, it rained in Las Vegas today, which isn't all that odd, even if it is a desert, but still, its not very likely. Also, we're talking about a time when the Winter Olympics have been held in conditions that have basically been anything but snowy. There in Vancouver, Canada for crying out loud, you would think they'd get snow. Its been too warm though, its rained instead for precipitation for the most part. At the same time Mobile, Alabama has gotten snow, in fact, more snow during the duration of the Olympics than Vancouver has.
It all just makes me question more and more. What's really going on here? Is this just a bunch of strange coincidences? Is it a global warming/climate change deal? Is it god's reaction to not being happy with us as a people? Is it a combination of things? I don't really know, but I do know this is clearly not normal. I don't recall ever having all these odd weather situations occur in my lifetime before, even if I haven't really lived that long, it should still come off as bizarre. But to conclude, it just leaves me scratching my head a little. But more urgently, I wish all the best to anyone involved in today's earthquake and ensuing tsunamis. May god bless.
Adding more fuel to the fire of one of my previous posts is the weather of late around the world. This earthquake in Chile today has really got me questioning things. I mean, another major earthquake not that far off in location or time from the Haitian earthquakes is an awfully strange coincidence. Not to mention the ensuing tsunamis that could wreak havoc upon Hawaii, Japan and the like, this is all a dangerous and awe-inspiring situation, and another humbling experience for the human race at the hands of mother nature. Its not the only odd idiosyncrasy in the weather of late though. Case in point, it rained in Las Vegas today, which isn't all that odd, even if it is a desert, but still, its not very likely. Also, we're talking about a time when the Winter Olympics have been held in conditions that have basically been anything but snowy. There in Vancouver, Canada for crying out loud, you would think they'd get snow. Its been too warm though, its rained instead for precipitation for the most part. At the same time Mobile, Alabama has gotten snow, in fact, more snow during the duration of the Olympics than Vancouver has.
It all just makes me question more and more. What's really going on here? Is this just a bunch of strange coincidences? Is it a global warming/climate change deal? Is it god's reaction to not being happy with us as a people? Is it a combination of things? I don't really know, but I do know this is clearly not normal. I don't recall ever having all these odd weather situations occur in my lifetime before, even if I haven't really lived that long, it should still come off as bizarre. But to conclude, it just leaves me scratching my head a little. But more urgently, I wish all the best to anyone involved in today's earthquake and ensuing tsunamis. May god bless.
February 27, 2010
Cleveland... Worst Weather City?
A lot is being made in the city of Cleveland about how Forbes magazine has been wailing on us lately. Among the negative headlines the city has received from the magazine are things such as the city with the "most miserable people", and the "worst winter weather". There are others too, but those are the first 2 that come to mind, and I got to say, I don't know what Forbes's problem is. Its really not as bad here as people make it out to be. And well, I'm here tonight to debunk one of these ratings that Cleveland's been given. That is, the dishonor of being called the "worst winter weather city".
First of all, the basis for the ratings is just plain foolish. Forbes took 3 things into account when making their list of the top 10 worst weather cities. They are: average annual temperature, average precipitation, and average snowfall. All 3 of these have their problems. First, average annual temperature is misleading. The study is supposed to be about WINTER weather. Why are they using temperature values from all year around? Why didn't Forbes take average temperatures from say... December-March? Wouldn't that make more sense. Not to mention, averages tend to be misleading anyway due to outliers that could spike averages. A city with really hot summers yet still cold winters would have an unfair and irrelevant advantage over other cities. Average precipitation and snowfall confuse me in this study as well. Snowfall IS precipitation. However, many cities, Cleveland included, are marked as having MORE snowfall than precipitation. It makes no sense. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, and hail. How can one have more inches of just snow, than snow, rain, sleet, and hail combined? So did Forbes mean rain specifically as precipitation? It would be nice if they explained. And if they did mean rain, how is that relevant to winter? If anything I would take rain in the winter, but most winter weather cities have SNOW, not rain. That's the beef I have with those statistics.
Furthermore, it looks like Forbes just kinda put a bunch of cities in random order to come up with their final list. I mean, nothing in Cleveland's numbers, except the highest snowfall total (which I really doubt compared to Minneapolis) were that bad, and Boston which was # 2, in my opinion had much better numbers than New York at # 3. It just didn't make much sense to me.
Upon a little further review I found that Forbes really did allow other parts of the year, outside of winter, to account for its list. That's why Minneapolis isn't in the top 5, because they have a dry, warm summer. So even though they have the coldest average winter and 3rd most snow (supposedly), they aren't in the top 5 for worst WINTER weather, because of their summer weather. That makes a lot of sense (sarcasm).
I have one last beef with the list. Where the heck is Buffalo, New York? Maybe its not one of the 50 biggest cities that Forbes studied, but if it is, there is no reason it wouldn't be in the top 3 easily. They get more lake effect snow than Cleveland does (its got to do with the wind patterns and stuff), and have it just as cold. They're constantly buried in snow. Their absence is incredibly conspicuous, and perhaps hard to explain.
So take it or leave it, whether it be my gripes or the actual list. I've said all I can. I wouldn't take that much stake into these lists Forbes makes anymore. I'm finding their ways quite unreliable, and I mean, how many people actually read Forbes magazine nowadays anyway? I couldn't tell you.
First of all, the basis for the ratings is just plain foolish. Forbes took 3 things into account when making their list of the top 10 worst weather cities. They are: average annual temperature, average precipitation, and average snowfall. All 3 of these have their problems. First, average annual temperature is misleading. The study is supposed to be about WINTER weather. Why are they using temperature values from all year around? Why didn't Forbes take average temperatures from say... December-March? Wouldn't that make more sense. Not to mention, averages tend to be misleading anyway due to outliers that could spike averages. A city with really hot summers yet still cold winters would have an unfair and irrelevant advantage over other cities. Average precipitation and snowfall confuse me in this study as well. Snowfall IS precipitation. However, many cities, Cleveland included, are marked as having MORE snowfall than precipitation. It makes no sense. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, and hail. How can one have more inches of just snow, than snow, rain, sleet, and hail combined? So did Forbes mean rain specifically as precipitation? It would be nice if they explained. And if they did mean rain, how is that relevant to winter? If anything I would take rain in the winter, but most winter weather cities have SNOW, not rain. That's the beef I have with those statistics.
Furthermore, it looks like Forbes just kinda put a bunch of cities in random order to come up with their final list. I mean, nothing in Cleveland's numbers, except the highest snowfall total (which I really doubt compared to Minneapolis) were that bad, and Boston which was # 2, in my opinion had much better numbers than New York at # 3. It just didn't make much sense to me.
Upon a little further review I found that Forbes really did allow other parts of the year, outside of winter, to account for its list. That's why Minneapolis isn't in the top 5, because they have a dry, warm summer. So even though they have the coldest average winter and 3rd most snow (supposedly), they aren't in the top 5 for worst WINTER weather, because of their summer weather. That makes a lot of sense (sarcasm).
I have one last beef with the list. Where the heck is Buffalo, New York? Maybe its not one of the 50 biggest cities that Forbes studied, but if it is, there is no reason it wouldn't be in the top 3 easily. They get more lake effect snow than Cleveland does (its got to do with the wind patterns and stuff), and have it just as cold. They're constantly buried in snow. Their absence is incredibly conspicuous, and perhaps hard to explain.
So take it or leave it, whether it be my gripes or the actual list. I've said all I can. I wouldn't take that much stake into these lists Forbes makes anymore. I'm finding their ways quite unreliable, and I mean, how many people actually read Forbes magazine nowadays anyway? I couldn't tell you.
February 25, 2010
The Best Song I've Heard Since "Yah!"
"Blah Blah Blah" by Kesha
Easily. And of course I'm joking when I say I think either this song or "Yah" by Soulja Boy is actually good. They're both actually embarrassingly bad, I can't believe people actually consider this stuff music.
"Stop ta-ta-talking that
Blah blah blah
Think you'll be getting this?
Nah nah nah
Not in the back of my
Ca-a-ar
If you keep talking that
Blah blah blah blah blah"
The scary thing is though... people like this. It just leads me to a moment that makes me wonder, what the heck is the matter with people? I mean seriously. I can't believe people consider this girl, Kesha to be talented or have any redeeming quality to her music whatsoever. She's just any annoying party girl that is pretending to sing into a microphone. Problem is, she can't even really sing. The autotune is so ridiculously apparent that it is disgusting. And this song isn't her lone monstrocity. Somehow, this girl had an album reach number 1, with songs like "Blah Blah Blah" and her big hit "Tik Tok". I mean, I can completely understand why they're such big songs. She's talking about things no one's ever talked about before, like getting drunk and behaving incredibly immaturely, and acting like a complete and total slut (there, I said it). Oh wait, I think we've heard this all before, haven't we? Yeah, I have to say, this crap got old when Britney Spears tried to do it years ago. News flash, it was cool when Madonna tried to be risque 25 years ago because no one else had really done it like her before. This is all old and played out now, and its just gotten more immature and classless. This isn't art at all. At least someone like Lady Gaga, who is clearly risque and takes liberties in being a polarizing figure in music, actually has some talent, she has musical knowledge and a capability to sing. Kesha... not so much. It just frustrates me so, because for every Kesha out there, there's multiple qualified and talented people that unlike Kesha, have the spine, the talent, and the not-trashy look, that gets them looked over and unchosen. Its sad really. But the unfortunate fact remains, as long as there are immature girls and woman in this world that find this music cool, or the beats awesome to dance their butts off too, and there's equally immature guys out there willing to exploit this fact and play along as if they enjoy the music, then there will always been a nitch for this kind of crap in the music industry. Makes me wanna throw up.
- Hype
Easily. And of course I'm joking when I say I think either this song or "Yah" by Soulja Boy is actually good. They're both actually embarrassingly bad, I can't believe people actually consider this stuff music.
"Stop ta-ta-talking that
Blah blah blah
Think you'll be getting this?
Nah nah nah
Not in the back of my
Ca-a-ar
If you keep talking that
Blah blah blah blah blah"
The scary thing is though... people like this. It just leads me to a moment that makes me wonder, what the heck is the matter with people? I mean seriously. I can't believe people consider this girl, Kesha to be talented or have any redeeming quality to her music whatsoever. She's just any annoying party girl that is pretending to sing into a microphone. Problem is, she can't even really sing. The autotune is so ridiculously apparent that it is disgusting. And this song isn't her lone monstrocity. Somehow, this girl had an album reach number 1, with songs like "Blah Blah Blah" and her big hit "Tik Tok". I mean, I can completely understand why they're such big songs. She's talking about things no one's ever talked about before, like getting drunk and behaving incredibly immaturely, and acting like a complete and total slut (there, I said it). Oh wait, I think we've heard this all before, haven't we? Yeah, I have to say, this crap got old when Britney Spears tried to do it years ago. News flash, it was cool when Madonna tried to be risque 25 years ago because no one else had really done it like her before. This is all old and played out now, and its just gotten more immature and classless. This isn't art at all. At least someone like Lady Gaga, who is clearly risque and takes liberties in being a polarizing figure in music, actually has some talent, she has musical knowledge and a capability to sing. Kesha... not so much. It just frustrates me so, because for every Kesha out there, there's multiple qualified and talented people that unlike Kesha, have the spine, the talent, and the not-trashy look, that gets them looked over and unchosen. Its sad really. But the unfortunate fact remains, as long as there are immature girls and woman in this world that find this music cool, or the beats awesome to dance their butts off too, and there's equally immature guys out there willing to exploit this fact and play along as if they enjoy the music, then there will always been a nitch for this kind of crap in the music industry. Makes me wanna throw up.
- Hype
February 24, 2010
About: Absense and Return
I want to take this time to formally say that I'm returning to the blogosphere. This is my little re-introductory post back to this domain. I apologize for being gone so long, but I really had some pressing matters to tend to, and a lot of school work. I'm now finally feeling willing to start posting again, after having a serious situation in morning my grandmother's death. She was very important to me, she used to watch me when I was little instead of a babysitter. She only lived like 15 minutes away. We were both literally and figuratively close. She'll be greatly missed, and I hope you all take a short moment to recognize her. I thank you in advance.
The other related thing going on in all of this is that since my grandmother is the first person close to me that I've lost, the whole situation has lended itself to me going through quite a bit of soul searching. I've been dealing and thinking about a lot, and its left me a little overwhelmed and more clear on myself at the same time. Maybe some of that stuff will get touched on with this blog, but a lot of it is too personal for me to want to share so openly here. I know y'all will understand.
But, with my return certain now, and me feeling comfortable coming back and writing you can expect a lot more new and different features from me. New posts should be coming just about every day, all on similar topics to what I've done so far. I aim to please and hope I can do so. With all this in mind, its good to be back. I hope others are glad to see me return, and I hope to put out an actual opinion or statement type post that I usually make tomorrow. Thanks all.
-Hype
The other related thing going on in all of this is that since my grandmother is the first person close to me that I've lost, the whole situation has lended itself to me going through quite a bit of soul searching. I've been dealing and thinking about a lot, and its left me a little overwhelmed and more clear on myself at the same time. Maybe some of that stuff will get touched on with this blog, but a lot of it is too personal for me to want to share so openly here. I know y'all will understand.
But, with my return certain now, and me feeling comfortable coming back and writing you can expect a lot more new and different features from me. New posts should be coming just about every day, all on similar topics to what I've done so far. I aim to please and hope I can do so. With all this in mind, its good to be back. I hope others are glad to see me return, and I hope to put out an actual opinion or statement type post that I usually make tomorrow. Thanks all.
-Hype
February 21, 2010
Just a Check In
I'm just checking in to say I haven't forgotten about posting here. I know I planned to return on Friday, but have been using time lately to recuperate. I'm sure y'all understand, I did lose a family member. I would like to post tomorrow. We shall see. That is all for now.
February 17, 2010
Short Post
This is just a short post because I'm going to be busy the next 2 days due to funeral ceremonies. I plan to be back Friday. Y'all be good.
-Hype
-Hype
February 16, 2010
Closure
This is the long awaited end to my journey through the past weekend of sports viewing, and it ended very nicely. Unfortunately, some serious family problems slowed the appearance of this post but couldn't prevent it, and though I'm late, I'd like to share some thoughts.
First, Daytona... it would have been an awesome race if not for the stupid delays for potholes. How the heck does that happen? I realize the drivers like the track surface a lot and don't want to see it repaved, but its clearly necessary now. It was kind of ridiculous to have 2 delays of the race to have to fix the track, but I find it strange the track lasted so long in the 2 weeks of basically constant use and finally crumbled for the 500. I wonder why then. The race itself was great though. I was wrong in predicting Mark Martin would win, he finished in the top 15. Jaime McMurray was johnny on the spot as he fought his way to the win in the ultimate green-white-checkered scenario of the night. He's deserving, although I don't know if I like the whole unlimited green-white-checkered rule that's been instituted this year. I like the trying to get a green flag finish in general. However, its too early to tell, but it could get mad annoying and subjective. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came out of nowhere to finish 2nd. He covered 8 spots in 2 laps to finish there. It was a definitely an impressive performance for someone who's been criticised so much in the past year for his performances, but he always runs well at Daytona. We'll have to see if he can sustain it now. It was a really entertaining race though, even if the delays meant I didn't have a chance to view any Olympics.
The All-Star Game for the NBA capped off the weekend, and it was clearly the best event of the entire All-Star weekend. The East won, as predicted here, 141-139. LeBron didn't win the MVP, Dwayne Wade did, but he was truly deserving, with 28 points and 11 assists. LeBron impressed though, in fact, to be honest, him and Wade put on the best show together throughout the night. LeBron had 25, and they both had a wide array of dunks, many of the alley oop variety to each other, some would say they were the best dunks of the weekend, including the contest the day before. I probably would too. It was a fun game to watch though, even if all the extra entertainment was too long and delayed the game too much, the game itself was great, and the best part of the weekend. Kudos to the city of Dallas for putting on a good show, even if Jerry Jones was one of the people in charge.
Just to conclude, I had fun viewing all the stuff this weekend, and completely ignoring the fact Sunday was Valentine's Day (y'all thought I forgot I bet). I can afford to do that kind of thing right now if you know what I mean, but it was a great weekend if you're a sports fan, and that's my point. They don't make them like that all that often, so it was good while it lasted.
-Hype
First, Daytona... it would have been an awesome race if not for the stupid delays for potholes. How the heck does that happen? I realize the drivers like the track surface a lot and don't want to see it repaved, but its clearly necessary now. It was kind of ridiculous to have 2 delays of the race to have to fix the track, but I find it strange the track lasted so long in the 2 weeks of basically constant use and finally crumbled for the 500. I wonder why then. The race itself was great though. I was wrong in predicting Mark Martin would win, he finished in the top 15. Jaime McMurray was johnny on the spot as he fought his way to the win in the ultimate green-white-checkered scenario of the night. He's deserving, although I don't know if I like the whole unlimited green-white-checkered rule that's been instituted this year. I like the trying to get a green flag finish in general. However, its too early to tell, but it could get mad annoying and subjective. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came out of nowhere to finish 2nd. He covered 8 spots in 2 laps to finish there. It was a definitely an impressive performance for someone who's been criticised so much in the past year for his performances, but he always runs well at Daytona. We'll have to see if he can sustain it now. It was a really entertaining race though, even if the delays meant I didn't have a chance to view any Olympics.
The All-Star Game for the NBA capped off the weekend, and it was clearly the best event of the entire All-Star weekend. The East won, as predicted here, 141-139. LeBron didn't win the MVP, Dwayne Wade did, but he was truly deserving, with 28 points and 11 assists. LeBron impressed though, in fact, to be honest, him and Wade put on the best show together throughout the night. LeBron had 25, and they both had a wide array of dunks, many of the alley oop variety to each other, some would say they were the best dunks of the weekend, including the contest the day before. I probably would too. It was a fun game to watch though, even if all the extra entertainment was too long and delayed the game too much, the game itself was great, and the best part of the weekend. Kudos to the city of Dallas for putting on a good show, even if Jerry Jones was one of the people in charge.
Just to conclude, I had fun viewing all the stuff this weekend, and completely ignoring the fact Sunday was Valentine's Day (y'all thought I forgot I bet). I can afford to do that kind of thing right now if you know what I mean, but it was a great weekend if you're a sports fan, and that's my point. They don't make them like that all that often, so it was good while it lasted.
-Hype
February 14, 2010
Sunday Morning Update
So I was able to sequester some clips of the happenings of last nights NBA All-Star contests. I must say, I feel like DeMar DeRozan (of the Toronto Raptors) got a little robbed in the dunk contest. I feel like his first dunk of the 2nd round was the dunk of the night, and more was made of Robinson's dunks than should have been. Granted, Nate Robinson is only 5 foot 9, which makes his dunks an even greater feat, but still DeRozan brought it. My only fear is that people knowing Nate Robinson's name better than DeRozan's factored into the final vote. For some reason, the NBA thought it was a good idea to give the fans a text vote to decide the winner of the final round, rather than use the judges. Why switch methods of judgment midway through the contest? I don't know, but its not that big of a deal. I'd still call it a close call between DeRozan and Robinson, it could really go either way. Both put on a really decent show though, even if the creativity WAS a little lacking this year.
Paul Pierce's win in the 3 point shootout was pretty cut and dry, he came out and shot the basketball well in both rounds. I thought Stephen Curry might catch him in the finals, but couldn't quite do it. It was a pretty impressive winning performance, but truly not anything seriously mind-blowing. Chauncey Billups was the other finalist with Curry and Pierce. Channing Frye probably shouldn't have been in the contest, and left the big man shooting to Dirk Nowitzki (should've participated). Congrats to Pierce though.
The other clips I got to watch were the skills competition. Steve Nash won the contest pretty handily. The final round between him and Deron Williams was a landslide, mostly because Nash ran the obstacle course flawlessly and Williams screwed up on one of the passing drills. Granted, I feel like there's a little chance to their obstacle course, sometimes how the ball bounces into a circle on a pass is just as important as the skills the guy throwing the pass has. With that said, its all in good fun, and Steve Nash is clearly a skilled enough player to win something like this. My only other gripe is that I'd love to see a big man try this competition. I realize they wouldn't win because they are slower, but why not anyway? It sounds right up Hedo Turkolgu's alley, he's pretty skilled with the ball. Anyway, Nash had a lot of fun in reaching the trophy and subsequently hoisting it up, so its all good.
Since I have this chance I'd like to make a couple predictions for today. As I have mentioned, today is the Daytona 500, and the NBA All-Star Game is tonight. I'd like to touch on these, and who I got to win. In Daytona, I finally feel like its Mark Martin's year. He's been racing effectively in NASCAR since before I was born, but has never won a Daytona 500. He came a very close 2nd in 2007. In the mid 2000s, he contemplated retirement. He wasn't being as successful as in the past, but he took part of a year off, came back with a new racing team, and rejuvenated his career. He's once again very competitive, finishing with a chance in the playoff system last year. This is his chance to win the Great American Race; he starts in the 2nd position. As for the All-Star Game, I like the East. I'm going to be a bit of a homer with this pick, but hey, its an All-Star Game, it doesn't mean much more. The West has been hit by the injury bug before the game even started. 3 of their chosen players aren't playing, including Kobe Bryant. The East is only going to miss Allen Iverson, who only would be playing anyway because the fans voted him in. I like the East's athleticism to defeat the West's size. The All-Star game is a lot of running and athletic manuvering, and the Eastern team is built for it. LeBron will become the 3-time All-Star Game MVP, showing off his variety of skills with a cast around him he could only dream of.
We'll just have to see how right I am.
Paul Pierce's win in the 3 point shootout was pretty cut and dry, he came out and shot the basketball well in both rounds. I thought Stephen Curry might catch him in the finals, but couldn't quite do it. It was a pretty impressive winning performance, but truly not anything seriously mind-blowing. Chauncey Billups was the other finalist with Curry and Pierce. Channing Frye probably shouldn't have been in the contest, and left the big man shooting to Dirk Nowitzki (should've participated). Congrats to Pierce though.
The other clips I got to watch were the skills competition. Steve Nash won the contest pretty handily. The final round between him and Deron Williams was a landslide, mostly because Nash ran the obstacle course flawlessly and Williams screwed up on one of the passing drills. Granted, I feel like there's a little chance to their obstacle course, sometimes how the ball bounces into a circle on a pass is just as important as the skills the guy throwing the pass has. With that said, its all in good fun, and Steve Nash is clearly a skilled enough player to win something like this. My only other gripe is that I'd love to see a big man try this competition. I realize they wouldn't win because they are slower, but why not anyway? It sounds right up Hedo Turkolgu's alley, he's pretty skilled with the ball. Anyway, Nash had a lot of fun in reaching the trophy and subsequently hoisting it up, so its all good.
Since I have this chance I'd like to make a couple predictions for today. As I have mentioned, today is the Daytona 500, and the NBA All-Star Game is tonight. I'd like to touch on these, and who I got to win. In Daytona, I finally feel like its Mark Martin's year. He's been racing effectively in NASCAR since before I was born, but has never won a Daytona 500. He came a very close 2nd in 2007. In the mid 2000s, he contemplated retirement. He wasn't being as successful as in the past, but he took part of a year off, came back with a new racing team, and rejuvenated his career. He's once again very competitive, finishing with a chance in the playoff system last year. This is his chance to win the Great American Race; he starts in the 2nd position. As for the All-Star Game, I like the East. I'm going to be a bit of a homer with this pick, but hey, its an All-Star Game, it doesn't mean much more. The West has been hit by the injury bug before the game even started. 3 of their chosen players aren't playing, including Kobe Bryant. The East is only going to miss Allen Iverson, who only would be playing anyway because the fans voted him in. I like the East's athleticism to defeat the West's size. The All-Star game is a lot of running and athletic manuvering, and the Eastern team is built for it. LeBron will become the 3-time All-Star Game MVP, showing off his variety of skills with a cast around him he could only dream of.
We'll just have to see how right I am.
Big 'Ol Weekend O' Sports: Saturday night update
It was another nice day to take in some of the athletic competitions going on throughout the weekend. The cold and snow outside made it easier to stay in and watch some things. Unfortunately, distractions kept me from some of the things I wanted to watch. I can't really report on those right now because of this, but hope to find clips online in the coming days and will be able to share more.
I did get to see the Nationwide Series debut of Danica Patrick. I have to say, it somewhat disappointed. I believe she finished 35th (of 43) and wrecked in the process. The crash wasn't her fault, she was caught up in a cloud of cars at the wrong time, but its still a little discouraging. Just as discouraging was the seeming lack of comfort she had in the car. Stock cars are quite a bit different than the open wheel machines she's used to. There's a lot more physical proximity of cars in NASCAR, and its definitely something she'll have to get used to. So is the handle of the different car. She did improve as the race progressed, and I think part of that is because the car got worked on and improved in pit stops as well. After all, a better car means a better performance. As for the race itself, it was quite entertaining. Tony Stewart won in a close finish that almost saw a youngster in Justin Allgaier come through late and win. He was in 2nd as late as the final lap, and really on Stewart's tail. He took a gamble to win going wide on Stewart, and ended up paying the price. He finished 4th. Carl Edwards was 2nd. Overall, the race didn't disappoint. I usually watch for the late action and it was really good with the surprise of Allgaier knocking on the door of victory. There were a few cautions that kinda messed with the tempo of the race, but nothing too ridiculous, considering there were 2 big wrecks with 10+ cars.
Unfortunately, I missed tonight's part of NBA All-Star weekend. I need to go back and see it, and hopefully nba.com or youtube will put all the dunks up, or at least the really good ones. I'd also like to see the 3 point competition, but that's probably too much to ask. From what I understand, Nate Robinson became a 3rd time champion of the dunks (should be LeBron), and Paul Pierce won the 3 point shootout. Steve Nash came off his fantastic night last night lighting the Olympic torch in Vancouver to win the skills competition in Dallas tonight. Kevin Durant remains the only HORSE champion in NBA history, as well as a 2 time winner. I'd like to provide more info as I see more clips. At the least, I'm most definitely watching the game tomorrow.
I also saw a LITTLE Olympics today. I saw some speed skating, which is cool to me. I guess it was preliminaries for the later competition, so beating the clock was all that counts. I didn't see enough to talk much about it, other than that the one French guy I saw just dominated.
Hopefully I can be a little more concrete tomorrow.
I did get to see the Nationwide Series debut of Danica Patrick. I have to say, it somewhat disappointed. I believe she finished 35th (of 43) and wrecked in the process. The crash wasn't her fault, she was caught up in a cloud of cars at the wrong time, but its still a little discouraging. Just as discouraging was the seeming lack of comfort she had in the car. Stock cars are quite a bit different than the open wheel machines she's used to. There's a lot more physical proximity of cars in NASCAR, and its definitely something she'll have to get used to. So is the handle of the different car. She did improve as the race progressed, and I think part of that is because the car got worked on and improved in pit stops as well. After all, a better car means a better performance. As for the race itself, it was quite entertaining. Tony Stewart won in a close finish that almost saw a youngster in Justin Allgaier come through late and win. He was in 2nd as late as the final lap, and really on Stewart's tail. He took a gamble to win going wide on Stewart, and ended up paying the price. He finished 4th. Carl Edwards was 2nd. Overall, the race didn't disappoint. I usually watch for the late action and it was really good with the surprise of Allgaier knocking on the door of victory. There were a few cautions that kinda messed with the tempo of the race, but nothing too ridiculous, considering there were 2 big wrecks with 10+ cars.
Unfortunately, I missed tonight's part of NBA All-Star weekend. I need to go back and see it, and hopefully nba.com or youtube will put all the dunks up, or at least the really good ones. I'd also like to see the 3 point competition, but that's probably too much to ask. From what I understand, Nate Robinson became a 3rd time champion of the dunks (should be LeBron), and Paul Pierce won the 3 point shootout. Steve Nash came off his fantastic night last night lighting the Olympic torch in Vancouver to win the skills competition in Dallas tonight. Kevin Durant remains the only HORSE champion in NBA history, as well as a 2 time winner. I'd like to provide more info as I see more clips. At the least, I'm most definitely watching the game tomorrow.
I also saw a LITTLE Olympics today. I saw some speed skating, which is cool to me. I guess it was preliminaries for the later competition, so beating the clock was all that counts. I didn't see enough to talk much about it, other than that the one French guy I saw just dominated.
Hopefully I can be a little more concrete tomorrow.
February 13, 2010
Big 'Ol Weekend O' Sports: Friday night recap
So, in relation to the post I made earlier today, I'd like to talk a little about the things that transpired tonight. The night's 2 major happenings were the beginning of NBA All-Star weekend, and the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Personally, I watched some of both. I watched all of the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, a little of the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge and then part of the opening ceremonies.
The Celebrity All-Star Game was fun as usual. The entertainment factor alone in watching people that shouldn't play basketball actually play the game is amazing. It makes me feel better about how I play the game. I mean, who DOESN'T want to see Mark Cuban try to back down Chris Tucker, or Dr. Oz of Oprah fame try to shoot a wide-open 15 foot jump shot. I mean this was a game where at halftime 1 team was shooting 20% from the field, and the other had 15 turnovers. At the same time, you find out a few of these guys have some game actually. Rapper/actor Common impressed me a little, he can really handle the ball well. He had like 8 points. Actor Joel Moore, best known for being in Avatar and Dodgeball, also impressed, which is funny because he looks like a dorky guy, but he had a nose for the ball and some good moves to the basket. I only have a couple complaints from the event. The use of Harlem Globetrotters as players is stupid. They're actual basketball players, they shouldn't be allowed in. I realize they're there to keep the game interesting and make sure at least a few points are consistently scored, but still. Also, Michael Rappaport didn't deserve the MVP award, he had 4 points, and supposedly "shut down Terrell Owens". TO just didn't try in the 2nd half. It probably should've gone to Special K from the Globetrotters, he had like 17, but they refused to give it to anyone but a celebrity. Its a fun little event they do though, and I enjoyed it. Oh, and the West (Special K, Cuban, Common, & co.) defeated the East 41-37.
I only watched a little of the Rookie-Sophomore game, so I can't speak much to that. I know the Rookies actually beat the Sophomores for once, and were led by Tyreke Evans of the Kings. Russell Westbrook of the Thunder dropped 40 points. The Rookies won 140-128. The only other thing that stood out to me was that Rookie DeJuan Blair had 23 REBOUNDS (he was a steal for the Spurs). It may not have been close, but I'm sure the high scoring lent itself to a lot of action.
Then there was the opening ceremonies. I missed most of the introductions due to other distractions, but watched quite a bit of the presentation. From what I understand the Americans were received quite well by the crowd. It was a solemn but good moment to acknowledge the Georgian luger that lost his life earlier today in competition, as well. It was very classy to give him the attention that they did, and it was great to hear the crowd gave a lot of respect to the other Georgians. The presentation was incredible. The use of the projectors upon the stage floor was beyond impressive. The images and grace of the performance were fantastic. It was thoroughly enjoyable, even if the ensuing speeches by the Vancouver Event President and IOC President were a little bit dull. Still, the performance was an incredible depiction of the different areas of Canada and their natural essence. The homage to the land and the natives as well as normal society was very cool. Then the last action of the night was the lighting of the torch, which had a little hitch in it. It was meant to be joint lit by 4 people, but only 3 torches rose from the stage, which obviously causes a problem. They took it in stride though. Excellent choices were made for the lighting of the torches. Wayne Gretzky is a no-brainer, as was Rick Hansen, a Canadian paralympian. It was cool to see the Canadians pay respect to Steve Nash, I never really though of him as someone who linked himself to his Canadian roots. Overall, it was an very splendid ceremony. I'm ecstatic now for the games to begin.
More to come as things develop in the next couple days.
-Hype
The Celebrity All-Star Game was fun as usual. The entertainment factor alone in watching people that shouldn't play basketball actually play the game is amazing. It makes me feel better about how I play the game. I mean, who DOESN'T want to see Mark Cuban try to back down Chris Tucker, or Dr. Oz of Oprah fame try to shoot a wide-open 15 foot jump shot. I mean this was a game where at halftime 1 team was shooting 20% from the field, and the other had 15 turnovers. At the same time, you find out a few of these guys have some game actually. Rapper/actor Common impressed me a little, he can really handle the ball well. He had like 8 points. Actor Joel Moore, best known for being in Avatar and Dodgeball, also impressed, which is funny because he looks like a dorky guy, but he had a nose for the ball and some good moves to the basket. I only have a couple complaints from the event. The use of Harlem Globetrotters as players is stupid. They're actual basketball players, they shouldn't be allowed in. I realize they're there to keep the game interesting and make sure at least a few points are consistently scored, but still. Also, Michael Rappaport didn't deserve the MVP award, he had 4 points, and supposedly "shut down Terrell Owens". TO just didn't try in the 2nd half. It probably should've gone to Special K from the Globetrotters, he had like 17, but they refused to give it to anyone but a celebrity. Its a fun little event they do though, and I enjoyed it. Oh, and the West (Special K, Cuban, Common, & co.) defeated the East 41-37.
I only watched a little of the Rookie-Sophomore game, so I can't speak much to that. I know the Rookies actually beat the Sophomores for once, and were led by Tyreke Evans of the Kings. Russell Westbrook of the Thunder dropped 40 points. The Rookies won 140-128. The only other thing that stood out to me was that Rookie DeJuan Blair had 23 REBOUNDS (he was a steal for the Spurs). It may not have been close, but I'm sure the high scoring lent itself to a lot of action.
Then there was the opening ceremonies. I missed most of the introductions due to other distractions, but watched quite a bit of the presentation. From what I understand the Americans were received quite well by the crowd. It was a solemn but good moment to acknowledge the Georgian luger that lost his life earlier today in competition, as well. It was very classy to give him the attention that they did, and it was great to hear the crowd gave a lot of respect to the other Georgians. The presentation was incredible. The use of the projectors upon the stage floor was beyond impressive. The images and grace of the performance were fantastic. It was thoroughly enjoyable, even if the ensuing speeches by the Vancouver Event President and IOC President were a little bit dull. Still, the performance was an incredible depiction of the different areas of Canada and their natural essence. The homage to the land and the natives as well as normal society was very cool. Then the last action of the night was the lighting of the torch, which had a little hitch in it. It was meant to be joint lit by 4 people, but only 3 torches rose from the stage, which obviously causes a problem. They took it in stride though. Excellent choices were made for the lighting of the torches. Wayne Gretzky is a no-brainer, as was Rick Hansen, a Canadian paralympian. It was cool to see the Canadians pay respect to Steve Nash, I never really though of him as someone who linked himself to his Canadian roots. Overall, it was an very splendid ceremony. I'm ecstatic now for the games to begin.
More to come as things develop in the next couple days.
-Hype
February 12, 2010
Weekend Full of Big Time Sports
Anyone who has grown tired of my posts about sports being so prevalent recently, I'm sorry, but its not going to change this weekend. I'm looking at the goings on for the weekend and I've noticed, there's quite a few athletic events to take notice of. Needless to say, I think I know what I'm doing this weekend, and I'm afraid its not going to be anything productive. At the same time though, the weather's nasty, its warm inside, and at least I won't be stuck in a winter funk of boredom. As for specifics on what's going on...
It all started last night actually. Cavaliers vs Magic at Quicken Loans Arena in The Land. In fact, that's part of "the reason I didn't post last night". Cavs won 115-106, LeBron James was marvelous, as was JJ Hickson, who's game has stepped up ever since I called him out here on this blog (coincidence? I think not). Its the Cavaliers 13th straight win as they cruised to the All-Star break, more on that in a moment.
Tonight is the beginning of two things. One is the winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. I'm very much looking forward more to the actual events starting than the opening ceremonies, those really don't do much for me, but regardless, I'll probably tune in at some point. I'm definitely looking forward to the diversity and intrigue that comes with the winter Olympics though, with all the different events. Some of the favorites I have are hockey, bobsled, curling, skiing of all sorts, snowboard, and figure skating. Last time the winter Olympics came, I got really into the curling. Admittedly, it looks really lame, guys throwing a stone down a sheet of ice and sweeping with brooms, but its actually cool. There's a lot of strategy involved, and accuracy within the competition, so I find it interesting. I wonder if something else will jump up on me this year that I didn't know about.
The other event tonight is the beginning of All-Star weekend for the NBA. Tonight is the dunk-off to see who the final player in tomorrow's dunk competition will be. The real treat of the night though is the Celebrity All-Star game. For whatever reason I also find it interesting. I don't know if its because its a glorified pick up game or because you get to see television people do something that makes them seem more human or what, but its cool to me. I'll probably tune in to that. There's a lot of humor involved along the way too.
Saturday is Danica Patrick's first NASCAR Series (like the AAA minor leagues of NASCAR) race at Daytona. I'm pulling for her in that. I've grown somewhat disillusioned with NASCAR over the last few years. I used to love it but some of the rule changes have left me frustrated. Danica's appearance is definitely bringing me back a little though. I want to see what she has to offer on such a large stage.
Also Saturday is all the All-Star weekend competitions. That includes the skills competition, 3 point shootout and dunk competition. I'll get more in depth on those later but the dunk competition is always a favorite to me, even if LeBron's never been in it like he should. People say the competition's fallen off in recent years but I tend to disagree. The originality and fun that goes into some of the dunkers performances is still great. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some cool stuff on Saturday night there.
Then, Sunday is the Daytona 500. I may be a little ticked at NASCAR, but I never miss the Great American Race. Its a classic and an exciting race, steeped in tradition, and I'm all for tradition. I'll be watching this one closely as the NASCAR Cup Series gets kicked off with this event. I can't wait for the roar of the engines and the scrambling of the cars.
Finally, Sunday night brings the NBA All-Star game. Another fun event, and a great way for the leagues best to show off and put on a great show for the fans. Its probably the best of the major sport's All-Star games in my opinion. I love how no one tries until the final 6 minutes of the game, then its all about competition again, and that's the way it should be in an exhibition like this. Its more for show, but still competitive. It'll be a very solid end to a very sports packed weekend, and I can't wait to see LeBron, and company do their thing.
In a nutshell, that's this weekend. The weekend of posts I put up will probably be devoted to more specific things about all these events. I'll probably be giving picks and things to watch out for throughout the weekend. I at least know for certain though, I will enjoy myself. Hope you do too.
It all started last night actually. Cavaliers vs Magic at Quicken Loans Arena in The Land. In fact, that's part of "the reason I didn't post last night". Cavs won 115-106, LeBron James was marvelous, as was JJ Hickson, who's game has stepped up ever since I called him out here on this blog (coincidence? I think not). Its the Cavaliers 13th straight win as they cruised to the All-Star break, more on that in a moment.
Tonight is the beginning of two things. One is the winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. I'm very much looking forward more to the actual events starting than the opening ceremonies, those really don't do much for me, but regardless, I'll probably tune in at some point. I'm definitely looking forward to the diversity and intrigue that comes with the winter Olympics though, with all the different events. Some of the favorites I have are hockey, bobsled, curling, skiing of all sorts, snowboard, and figure skating. Last time the winter Olympics came, I got really into the curling. Admittedly, it looks really lame, guys throwing a stone down a sheet of ice and sweeping with brooms, but its actually cool. There's a lot of strategy involved, and accuracy within the competition, so I find it interesting. I wonder if something else will jump up on me this year that I didn't know about.
The other event tonight is the beginning of All-Star weekend for the NBA. Tonight is the dunk-off to see who the final player in tomorrow's dunk competition will be. The real treat of the night though is the Celebrity All-Star game. For whatever reason I also find it interesting. I don't know if its because its a glorified pick up game or because you get to see television people do something that makes them seem more human or what, but its cool to me. I'll probably tune in to that. There's a lot of humor involved along the way too.
Saturday is Danica Patrick's first NASCAR Series (like the AAA minor leagues of NASCAR) race at Daytona. I'm pulling for her in that. I've grown somewhat disillusioned with NASCAR over the last few years. I used to love it but some of the rule changes have left me frustrated. Danica's appearance is definitely bringing me back a little though. I want to see what she has to offer on such a large stage.
Also Saturday is all the All-Star weekend competitions. That includes the skills competition, 3 point shootout and dunk competition. I'll get more in depth on those later but the dunk competition is always a favorite to me, even if LeBron's never been in it like he should. People say the competition's fallen off in recent years but I tend to disagree. The originality and fun that goes into some of the dunkers performances is still great. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some cool stuff on Saturday night there.
Then, Sunday is the Daytona 500. I may be a little ticked at NASCAR, but I never miss the Great American Race. Its a classic and an exciting race, steeped in tradition, and I'm all for tradition. I'll be watching this one closely as the NASCAR Cup Series gets kicked off with this event. I can't wait for the roar of the engines and the scrambling of the cars.
Finally, Sunday night brings the NBA All-Star game. Another fun event, and a great way for the leagues best to show off and put on a great show for the fans. Its probably the best of the major sport's All-Star games in my opinion. I love how no one tries until the final 6 minutes of the game, then its all about competition again, and that's the way it should be in an exhibition like this. Its more for show, but still competitive. It'll be a very solid end to a very sports packed weekend, and I can't wait to see LeBron, and company do their thing.
In a nutshell, that's this weekend. The weekend of posts I put up will probably be devoted to more specific things about all these events. I'll probably be giving picks and things to watch out for throughout the weekend. I at least know for certain though, I will enjoy myself. Hope you do too.
February 10, 2010
Fantasy Sports
They're like crack to a sport management major with General Manager aspirations, and that would pretty much describe me. Its become apparent to me, I'm hooked. For those don't know, fantasy sports are an online game where you take all the players in a given team sport, usually baseball, football, or basketball and place them in a draft. Team owners (people like me) then choose which players they want, and make additions and deletions throughout the season to create their team. The players accumulate real life stats, like home runs in baseball, or rebounds in basketball, among others, and those are considered the scoring in order to depict the success or failure of one's team. Its fun as a major sports fan and someone that wants to have a sports related career to try to manage and put together the team that will win your league's championship when pitted against your peers. It allows for many strategic decisions of what stats your team may need along the way, and what players are available, through adding or trading to give you the boost you need. It also allows for a lot of trash talk, something I really tend to enjoy. My friends and I get into it, and that's what makes it fun. We're all at least fairly knowledgeable, so its competitive and a fun way to apply our sports fandom. Being in tune with your players and what you're doing helps give a greater appreciation of players and teams that may not be around you as well. For instance, I may live in Cleveland, but since I have Gerald Wallace, I have a major interest in him, and in turn, the Charlotte Bobcats. So there are some goofy bonuses to this practice of fantasy sports, but they're bonuses nonetheless. So this is just basically my ode to fantasy sports. I play the 3 major sports including a souped up version of baseball that I just got in to, which is kind of the inspiration for this post. Perhaps a more specific post about that league will come some other time, but for now, I just wanted to introduce the wide world of fantasy sports, and why I, and many other fans have grown to love them. I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the merits right now, but that's all that's coming to mind right now. Feel free to add anything you can think of out there.
-Hype
-Hype
February 9, 2010
Super Bowl Part 2: The Entertainment Side
I realize I'm a couple days late, but I'm going to do this anyway. I'm the kind of guy that watches the Super Bowl for the actual game usually, but I would like to highlight a few of the commercials I found particularly amusing, and a couple I just found to be stupid. Videos to the specific commercials will be provided, and superbowlads.fanhouse.com has all of the commercials from Sunday's game on demand at their site.
Betty White takes time to poke fun of herself and her old age. Funny premise, well executed by Snickers. I've liked them ever since their "Patrick Chewing" schtick.
Leno, Letterman, and Oprah make fun of the recent ridiculousness of the late night drama. Its funny to see them together, and just an odd pairing with Oprah there, but its all good. I guess Conah was contacted to partake, but declined. Letterman mocking Leno is funny.
It probably has something to do with my odd obsession with Brett Favre, but this might have been my favorite. A reoccurring theme of the ones I've listed is the famous people in them making fun of themselves, and Favre does it great here. The funniest thing is though, I really wouldn't be surprised if he really wins the NFL MVP in 2020 at 50 years old. He's crazy enough to do it. That's why it works.
This is just funny, and almost all guys get the motivation for it. I literally laughed out loud when I heard the dude say "How about lavender?". Jim Nantz delivers it all well too. Funny stuff.
Charles Barkley does his best Dr. Suess impression, and I love it. I find most things Barkley does funny, so this isn't a stretch. The guy with dreadlocks is funny too.
Now, as for some of the ads, I didn't like... I won't post them, because that would defeat the purpose of not liking them. I mean, I'm not gonna show you the commercials I don't like. That's dumb.
I think its ridiculous how Danica Patrick decides to dumb herself down for those godaddy commercials. I understand she is a pretty lady, but she doesn't need to sell it so hard. She should do more respectful commercials for herself, she's talented enough at what she does that it should be enough.
The Budweiser body bridge commercial was dumb. Having all those people create a human bridge for the Budweiser truck... really? How desperate can you get? I didn't really find it funny.
And then there's Megan Fox. The commercial (for Motorola) would work if Megan Fox was actually that attractive, and if the commercial didn't get vulgar with the mother beating on the door (I figured out where that was going). Overrated Megan Fox and overrated Motorola make for a deadly combination, and its one that I'm not particularly fond of.
I also wanted to talk about the halftime show, since its entertainment related. I'll be completely honest. I didn't watch the halftime show. I know who The Who are, and know a few of their songs but would hardly consider myself a fan. I have a small problem with the NFL using them as the halftime show, most of it lying in the fact no one under the age of 30 really finds The Who very relevant, and that they're a British band, playing at the largest American sporting event there is. I don't mean to disrespect them, but do they really understand the weight of the Super Bowl, here in America? I kind of doubt it. It would be nice for the NFL to pick a halftime show made for someone under the age of 40 some time in the near future, but I doubt its gonna happen. Timberlake and Janet Jackson screwed us over on that one. Until then, I'll probably just continue to ignore the halftime show, its not really where any of the true action lies anyway. My favorite take on the whole scenario comes from Jim Rome and his radio show though, yesterday he said people under the age of 25 were all saying "Who are these 60 year old guys with guitars? And why are they playing the CSI song?" I found that humorous.
Any thoughts on anything touched on are welcome. For now, I'm out.
-Hype
Betty White takes time to poke fun of herself and her old age. Funny premise, well executed by Snickers. I've liked them ever since their "Patrick Chewing" schtick.
Leno, Letterman, and Oprah make fun of the recent ridiculousness of the late night drama. Its funny to see them together, and just an odd pairing with Oprah there, but its all good. I guess Conah was contacted to partake, but declined. Letterman mocking Leno is funny.
It probably has something to do with my odd obsession with Brett Favre, but this might have been my favorite. A reoccurring theme of the ones I've listed is the famous people in them making fun of themselves, and Favre does it great here. The funniest thing is though, I really wouldn't be surprised if he really wins the NFL MVP in 2020 at 50 years old. He's crazy enough to do it. That's why it works.
This is just funny, and almost all guys get the motivation for it. I literally laughed out loud when I heard the dude say "How about lavender?". Jim Nantz delivers it all well too. Funny stuff.
Charles Barkley does his best Dr. Suess impression, and I love it. I find most things Barkley does funny, so this isn't a stretch. The guy with dreadlocks is funny too.
Now, as for some of the ads, I didn't like... I won't post them, because that would defeat the purpose of not liking them. I mean, I'm not gonna show you the commercials I don't like. That's dumb.
I think its ridiculous how Danica Patrick decides to dumb herself down for those godaddy commercials. I understand she is a pretty lady, but she doesn't need to sell it so hard. She should do more respectful commercials for herself, she's talented enough at what she does that it should be enough.
The Budweiser body bridge commercial was dumb. Having all those people create a human bridge for the Budweiser truck... really? How desperate can you get? I didn't really find it funny.
And then there's Megan Fox. The commercial (for Motorola) would work if Megan Fox was actually that attractive, and if the commercial didn't get vulgar with the mother beating on the door (I figured out where that was going). Overrated Megan Fox and overrated Motorola make for a deadly combination, and its one that I'm not particularly fond of.
I also wanted to talk about the halftime show, since its entertainment related. I'll be completely honest. I didn't watch the halftime show. I know who The Who are, and know a few of their songs but would hardly consider myself a fan. I have a small problem with the NFL using them as the halftime show, most of it lying in the fact no one under the age of 30 really finds The Who very relevant, and that they're a British band, playing at the largest American sporting event there is. I don't mean to disrespect them, but do they really understand the weight of the Super Bowl, here in America? I kind of doubt it. It would be nice for the NFL to pick a halftime show made for someone under the age of 40 some time in the near future, but I doubt its gonna happen. Timberlake and Janet Jackson screwed us over on that one. Until then, I'll probably just continue to ignore the halftime show, its not really where any of the true action lies anyway. My favorite take on the whole scenario comes from Jim Rome and his radio show though, yesterday he said people under the age of 25 were all saying "Who are these 60 year old guys with guitars? And why are they playing the CSI song?" I found that humorous.
Any thoughts on anything touched on are welcome. For now, I'm out.
-Hype
February 8, 2010
Congrats New Orleans Saints!
I wanted to provide my congratulations to the Saints for winning the Super Bowl last night, 31-17. As a doubter of them, I can say it was a well earned win in my eyes and a very entertaining game to watch as a fan. I must say, I'm happy the Saints won, its great for a city that has been down and out all too often. Not to mention, its the first Super Bowl victory ever for the city of New Orleans so its a major feat in that regard as well. As a citizen of the Cleveland area, I can certainly relate to that. It was really great to see how that team has rallied around the city, especially in the Sean Payton era, and for them to bring a trophy home is just awesome. With all this said, I'd like to take some time to play analyst and mentioned some of the things I found interesting throughout the game:
- Drew Brees was masterful. He had 32 completions (tied for a Super Bowl record), almost 300 yards, and played literally flawlessly. He spread the ball around so well and adjusted when noticing that the Colts came prepared to cover the deep pass. He took advantage with short and intermediate passes instead.
- Reggie Bush was conspicuously absent from most of the game. He had only 5 carries and 4 catches. He did have a pretty productive 63 offensive yards, but really didn't get as many touches as one would expect. He wasn't really heard from in the playoffs outside of the Divisional game against the Cardinals. Pierre Thomas played a pretty significant role instead with 9 catches, he really carried the load as far as RBs went for New Orleans.
- Passing was kind of the law of the land in this game. This shouldn't be much of a surprise really considering the teams and personnel involved, but still, usually defense and running the ball lead to championships. These 2 teams threw the ball a total of 84 times. They only ran it about 20. What makes this a little baffling is that Joseph Addai ran the ball pretty well in the first half for the Colts, but then they got away from him. I don't know if the Saints made adjustments to discourage the run or if Peyton Manning just decided to put the game on his own shoulders, but Addai seemed to disappear mostly in the second half. He did carry is 13 times for 77 yards, for a healthy average of almost 6 yards a carry.
- Peyton Manning returned to his old flaw. If Manning is challenged in the playoffs, he will falter. Think about it. All those years he never could get over the hump of facing the Patriots. The one year he gets to the Super Bowl in '06 he faced the clearly inferior Chicago Bears, hence the championship ring. Otherwise, he never gets it done in the playoffs because he can't handle the challenge. Peyton Manning is a great quarterback on most days, but when its all on the line, and he's facing a worthy opponent, I somewhat question him.
- Dwight Freeney played his heart out. The Colts defensive end played really well in the first half, and the Colts kind of went as he went yesterday. He wasn't the same player in the second half as the guy that one-arm body slammed Brees in the first. The Colts weren't the same team either. He admitted the extended halftime aided to the stiffening and discomfort in his ankle. I think that's a fair assessment, and definitely a shame if true. There's no reason a bunch of 60 year old guys with guitars should have an effect on the outcome of the Super Bowl. That's how the ball bounced though.
- Gregg Williams did it again. He came with a very well prepared plan for the Colts, it was brilliant really. He noticed how Peyton Manning figured out the Jets scheme by the middle of the 2nd quarter in the AFC Championship game, and figured he'd come with 3 different schemes. 1 for the first half, 1 for the 3rd quarter, and 1 for the 4th. He kept Manning on his toes and let his players execute. Plus, he let his players do what they do best, apply pressure and create turnovers, that's what sealed the game with Tracy Porter's pick 6.
- Tracy Porter for playoffs MVP. The last 2 games of the season he virtually sealed wins by picking off 2 future hall of famers.
- Sean Payton was excellent. A lot is being made of going for it in the 2nd quarter at the 1 yard line. I don't care so much about that, they got the 3 points after all. The onside kick to start the 2nd half was hella gutsy though. It was a great call and something they must've picked up on in the Colts special teams. It was a great move to keep the ball out of Peyton Manning's hands. That's what Payton executed best on all game, keeping it out of 18's hands.
So yeah, congrats to the Saints. I'm sure they'll celebrate this one down there. It was an excellent end to the NFL season.
February 6, 2010
These Tough Economic Times: Part 2
As promised, this is the second portion of my 2 part post about the economy. Last time, we looked at whether or not the "bailout" of several corporations performed by the US government was really the proper thing to do to try to help the economy. Today, we will look at what could have be an alternative method of solving the problem. Before I begin, I want to remind everybody that I can't take credit for this idea, its not mine, but I'd like to bring it to the light of day. Also, this plan is probably unusable now, since the government is so deep into the plan they're running, but there's nothing wrong with a little speculation and the bouncing of ideas. So what is this plan?
Its really quite simple. There are approximately 300 million American citizens in this country. Every single one of them should receive $300,000 from the government. Why? To inject an influx of cash into the economy. Now, unlike the bailouts, this money would have some requirements to it. $100,000 of it must be spent within 2 years. Another $100,000 needs to be invested in something within 2 years. The other $100,000 can go to either of those uses, or any other use imaginable. You see, the problem right now is that people aren't willing to buy stuff either because they don't have the money, or they don't have trust in the economy right now. With this plan, the government gives the people some money to blow. There's little risk involved for the citizens as they won't be any worse for the wear if whatever they spend the money on doesn't work out, it was money they didn't really earn anyway. The other rule on the invested money is that after those initial 2 years, $25,000 of it can be withdrawn every 5 years if the investor likes. By having people invest a third of the cash, it would create healthier banks that would then feel a lot more comfortable to start lending, helping the weak housing market and interest rates in the process. Its a good plan, people have money to spend, which jump starts the economy. People have nice things, and the standard of living gets better, along with the other positives already mentioned.
Now, people will say this wreaks of socialism, and that the government has no right to meddle in the economy like this. They'll say that the government has no right to tell you how to spend more or what to do with money at all. They'll say that its too expensive of a project. That this plan would ultimately fail.
But its not true, at least in my estimation. Its not socialism, in fact its inverse Reaganomics, a very common US capitalism school of thought. Reaganomics being the idea of giving tax breaks and extra monetary benefits to the richest of the country. They'll spend the money on frivolous things and somehow through there business doings and spending it will provide a stronger economy. Well this is the opposite kind of. We're providing money for everybody, literally everybody (which reminds me of another positive, no poverty, at least for citizens) which will relatively be significant to the less fortunate of the country rather than the rich in Reaganomics. By using the massive new spending power being provided to the middle and lower classes, they can really inject life into the economy, and do it in a way seemingly less frivolous (my guess is a lot of the money would be spent on cars, appliances, houses, and the like, not mansions, airplanes, and yachts). I'd also say its fair to say the government should give guidelines on the money. I mean, ultimately they are providing the money. Don't people get paid under the assumption that they do their jobs? Well then, in this case the people are getting paid under the assumption (and actual checking, documentation of the money spending could be provided in the income taxes people file every year) that they spend it under the rules. It makes sense and is doable. As for expenses in the project, it would cost a grand total of $90 million, at least in the money paid out into the citizens. I don't know what it would cost to coordinate this, and include it in the tax forms and whatnot, but I imagine it couldn't be nearly as much as the $80 billion + the government spent in singular years in Iraq alone in the past decade. I think its a fair assessment to say the plan would be relatively inexpensive.
The only true opportunity I see for failing in this plan is that people may blow a lot of their $300,000 and be financing things in the process, meaning it could cause a scenario where they've blown their money and can't make future payments. The forcibly invested money could end up being a saving grace in this scenario. Maybe people could get financing reprieves until that money frees up so they can withdraw their $25,000 when eligible, to pay off their debts. The point is, the issue is able to worked around, and its an issue most responsible Americans wouldn't fall in to in the first place.
This is the economic plan, and I think its a really cool idea. It will never truly see the light of day unfortunately, but I thought I'd at least present it. Any opinions, flaw, likes, dislikes and whatever else are welcome. I aim to please.
Its really quite simple. There are approximately 300 million American citizens in this country. Every single one of them should receive $300,000 from the government. Why? To inject an influx of cash into the economy. Now, unlike the bailouts, this money would have some requirements to it. $100,000 of it must be spent within 2 years. Another $100,000 needs to be invested in something within 2 years. The other $100,000 can go to either of those uses, or any other use imaginable. You see, the problem right now is that people aren't willing to buy stuff either because they don't have the money, or they don't have trust in the economy right now. With this plan, the government gives the people some money to blow. There's little risk involved for the citizens as they won't be any worse for the wear if whatever they spend the money on doesn't work out, it was money they didn't really earn anyway. The other rule on the invested money is that after those initial 2 years, $25,000 of it can be withdrawn every 5 years if the investor likes. By having people invest a third of the cash, it would create healthier banks that would then feel a lot more comfortable to start lending, helping the weak housing market and interest rates in the process. Its a good plan, people have money to spend, which jump starts the economy. People have nice things, and the standard of living gets better, along with the other positives already mentioned.
Now, people will say this wreaks of socialism, and that the government has no right to meddle in the economy like this. They'll say that the government has no right to tell you how to spend more or what to do with money at all. They'll say that its too expensive of a project. That this plan would ultimately fail.
But its not true, at least in my estimation. Its not socialism, in fact its inverse Reaganomics, a very common US capitalism school of thought. Reaganomics being the idea of giving tax breaks and extra monetary benefits to the richest of the country. They'll spend the money on frivolous things and somehow through there business doings and spending it will provide a stronger economy. Well this is the opposite kind of. We're providing money for everybody, literally everybody (which reminds me of another positive, no poverty, at least for citizens) which will relatively be significant to the less fortunate of the country rather than the rich in Reaganomics. By using the massive new spending power being provided to the middle and lower classes, they can really inject life into the economy, and do it in a way seemingly less frivolous (my guess is a lot of the money would be spent on cars, appliances, houses, and the like, not mansions, airplanes, and yachts). I'd also say its fair to say the government should give guidelines on the money. I mean, ultimately they are providing the money. Don't people get paid under the assumption that they do their jobs? Well then, in this case the people are getting paid under the assumption (and actual checking, documentation of the money spending could be provided in the income taxes people file every year) that they spend it under the rules. It makes sense and is doable. As for expenses in the project, it would cost a grand total of $90 million, at least in the money paid out into the citizens. I don't know what it would cost to coordinate this, and include it in the tax forms and whatnot, but I imagine it couldn't be nearly as much as the $80 billion + the government spent in singular years in Iraq alone in the past decade. I think its a fair assessment to say the plan would be relatively inexpensive.
The only true opportunity I see for failing in this plan is that people may blow a lot of their $300,000 and be financing things in the process, meaning it could cause a scenario where they've blown their money and can't make future payments. The forcibly invested money could end up being a saving grace in this scenario. Maybe people could get financing reprieves until that money frees up so they can withdraw their $25,000 when eligible, to pay off their debts. The point is, the issue is able to worked around, and its an issue most responsible Americans wouldn't fall in to in the first place.
This is the economic plan, and I think its a really cool idea. It will never truly see the light of day unfortunately, but I thought I'd at least present it. Any opinions, flaw, likes, dislikes and whatever else are welcome. I aim to please.
February 5, 2010
These Tough Economic Times: A 2 Part Series
The reason I didn't post last night wasn't because of anything too blog worthy, so we're just going to move on from that and speak instead about something that arose in my Economics class today. The plan was to begin a new chapter today based around the idea of the free market economy and how it exactly operates. However, it didn't take long for my professor to get way off base and start upon a tangent upon the current economic problems the United States faces and his own opinion about how the US Government is handling it. This, I have no problem with, especially with the knowledge and passion that he spoke with. The problem is, his view of the whole thing was greatly different than mine was, and because of that, I'd like to take this opportunity to examine both sides of the coin right now, mostly on the basis of what he talked about this morning. Then, later today or tomorrow, I will have another post giving what I found to be a very interesting solution to the scenario we face that came from a source which will remain anonymous (but it wasn't me).
So... to begin, I'll say my professor was directly talking about how the US government decided to bailout, or pay money to collapsing financial institutions that were about to go out of business last year. He mostly made AIG the posterboy for this scenario, but also strongly alluded to General Motors. He essentially called the bailouts the stupidest thing he has ever seen. Here's why:
It was by their own doing that AIG (and the like, I'm going to stick with that example for the sake of time) basically collapsed upon themselves. They grew too big as a corporation and hurt because of it. In their massive growth they diminished most of the significant competition around them, and therefore, killed themselves because competition is the essence of what keeps free enterprise growing and thriving. Without the competition, there was no growth, there was no prosperity and there was only the potential to sink to financial catastrophe. So, why should the US Government, save them? Why is that necessary? They are a company just like everyone else, and this is an unprecedented move in the history of free enterprise. By keeping AIG alive, you're not letting the market take its course. Bankruptcy is a cleansing of the market and by keeping AIG afloat the market isn't cleansed. Furthermore, you're rewarding the bad behavior of AIG's executives. And even furthermore, you're setting the precedent that it is okay for big corporations to get so huge that they will collapse upon themselves, because in the end the government will be there to bail them out. So the government is paying to keep these companies alive and then when they stay alive the executives use the money on big bonuses for themselves that they clearly don't deserve. And all of this comes within the spectrum of a situation where the US government is in trillions of dollars of debt, over a trillion alone last year in fact. All because the government deems that if they companies fail it will have too severe of repercussions on the rest of the economy. Lastly, free enterprise means having the right to succeed, but it also means having the right to fail. If something is failing then the market should be allowed to take its course, eventually things will grow and get better again.
Now this all makes sense doesn't it? It really does, and I entirely understand this point of view, but I feel there are a few issues.
AIG is an insurance conglomerate. They give insurance to anything and everything you can think of. The problems came in that they insure housing construction-type people who build houses and expect money when someone buys the house. AIG backs up the purchasers in cases where the purchaser doesn't pay their mortgage. So if someone doesn't pay their mortgage for the month, AIG has to pay for it. When people actually pay, AIG makes a killing because they gain the premiums from the housing people and luck out that the purchasers have paid their mortgages. The issue came in that people were buying houses they couldn't really afford in the mid 2000s, and eventually weren't able to make the payments. This happened a lot, and AIG went into a downward spiral. With this in mind, I think its fair to say keeping AIG alive was necessary. Without AIG and companies like it house builders wouldn't have any confidence in the market, and would stop building in a market that has already seen great decreases due to foreclosures. I haven't even mentioned how this scenario would make interest rates skyrocket as well. That just means so many more lost jobs and higher unemployment and more problems that spread throughout the economy. The same could be said of General Motors. If General Motors were to disappear from the midwest, the unemployment rate in these states would skyrocket, and no one would be able to afford... anything. Which just makes the economy even worse. So, with this in mind, it appears as though some of these corporations really were "too big and important to fail".
I know I'm oversimplifying, but I feel the two schools of thought meet at one major difference between them. The hands-off approach of my professor is much, much more future-oriented than the interference approach of the Obama administration, which is much more present oriented. Its comes to this scenario:
Its all probably very fair and true that eventually if you let the market do its own thing, things would probably sort themselves out. I mean, if that many people lose their jobs and nobody is buying anything, prices will have to come down, and therefore so will the standard of living. Eventually, more people will be able to afford more things, and although their wages will be less as there becomes more demand for these lower-cost products more employment will be needed to fill the void, and in the mean time the lower wages will still be good relative to the lower costs. It makes sense, and the government doesn't have to spend a dime or take a risk of its own financially in the process, not to mention the just-due of those people that failed their corporations will come.
BUT... How long exactly would this take? Months? More likely years. What about all the people out there looking to do things right now? What about those that want to retire, or those that are looking to enter the world of employment as they are just out of college. The world doesn't stop for them so they can wait until things get better. If they can't do the things they need to right now then they are in serious trouble. Doesn't the government have the obligation to look out for its citizens? Doesn't it have the obligation to ensure that people can pursue their happiness? That opportunity is pretty much null and void for those 2 groups that I just mentioned in this instance, those two groups that either just spent their entire lives busting their butts to get themselves to a better position or just busted their butts in the classroom, and potentially spent thousands on an education to get themselves somewhere better will get nothing. After all that, they have to be told to wait, because the market is bad because corporations they have no relation too misled themselves entirely? That's sounds just as stupid as anything else.
So where does that leave us? I'll say this much. Government bailouts aren't the only thing keeping this economic system from truly being a free enterprise, and that fault lies just as much in the corporations as it does in the government. The game isn't played fairly. Executives were giving themselves unbelievably gaudy bonuses before this whole scenario began and they didn't deserve those either. You don't have to look any further than Enron to see how dirtily the game can be played. Business executives don't care about anybody, except themselves and their own greed. Something has to be done in order to keep these people in check that knock our economic system out of whack. So why shouldn't it be the government's duty to oversee them? They can look out for the rights of the individual this way.
Does that make the bailout acceptable? I would say yes. There were a lot worse options and I'm sure any option would have some negative repercussions to it. I feel like this was, for the most part an acceptable practice, but it did have significant flaws. The one that sticks out to me is no guidelines to how this bailout money was to be spent. It was meant to preserve these companies, not line the pockets of the executives, and the lack of guidelines makes the whole scenario a little startling. With all that said, what's been done is done, and it was done with great intentions. Time will really tell if it works, but I'm already liking some of the growth we are seeing. We have to just hope for the best.
-Hype
So... to begin, I'll say my professor was directly talking about how the US government decided to bailout, or pay money to collapsing financial institutions that were about to go out of business last year. He mostly made AIG the posterboy for this scenario, but also strongly alluded to General Motors. He essentially called the bailouts the stupidest thing he has ever seen. Here's why:
It was by their own doing that AIG (and the like, I'm going to stick with that example for the sake of time) basically collapsed upon themselves. They grew too big as a corporation and hurt because of it. In their massive growth they diminished most of the significant competition around them, and therefore, killed themselves because competition is the essence of what keeps free enterprise growing and thriving. Without the competition, there was no growth, there was no prosperity and there was only the potential to sink to financial catastrophe. So, why should the US Government, save them? Why is that necessary? They are a company just like everyone else, and this is an unprecedented move in the history of free enterprise. By keeping AIG alive, you're not letting the market take its course. Bankruptcy is a cleansing of the market and by keeping AIG afloat the market isn't cleansed. Furthermore, you're rewarding the bad behavior of AIG's executives. And even furthermore, you're setting the precedent that it is okay for big corporations to get so huge that they will collapse upon themselves, because in the end the government will be there to bail them out. So the government is paying to keep these companies alive and then when they stay alive the executives use the money on big bonuses for themselves that they clearly don't deserve. And all of this comes within the spectrum of a situation where the US government is in trillions of dollars of debt, over a trillion alone last year in fact. All because the government deems that if they companies fail it will have too severe of repercussions on the rest of the economy. Lastly, free enterprise means having the right to succeed, but it also means having the right to fail. If something is failing then the market should be allowed to take its course, eventually things will grow and get better again.
Now this all makes sense doesn't it? It really does, and I entirely understand this point of view, but I feel there are a few issues.
AIG is an insurance conglomerate. They give insurance to anything and everything you can think of. The problems came in that they insure housing construction-type people who build houses and expect money when someone buys the house. AIG backs up the purchasers in cases where the purchaser doesn't pay their mortgage. So if someone doesn't pay their mortgage for the month, AIG has to pay for it. When people actually pay, AIG makes a killing because they gain the premiums from the housing people and luck out that the purchasers have paid their mortgages. The issue came in that people were buying houses they couldn't really afford in the mid 2000s, and eventually weren't able to make the payments. This happened a lot, and AIG went into a downward spiral. With this in mind, I think its fair to say keeping AIG alive was necessary. Without AIG and companies like it house builders wouldn't have any confidence in the market, and would stop building in a market that has already seen great decreases due to foreclosures. I haven't even mentioned how this scenario would make interest rates skyrocket as well. That just means so many more lost jobs and higher unemployment and more problems that spread throughout the economy. The same could be said of General Motors. If General Motors were to disappear from the midwest, the unemployment rate in these states would skyrocket, and no one would be able to afford... anything. Which just makes the economy even worse. So, with this in mind, it appears as though some of these corporations really were "too big and important to fail".
I know I'm oversimplifying, but I feel the two schools of thought meet at one major difference between them. The hands-off approach of my professor is much, much more future-oriented than the interference approach of the Obama administration, which is much more present oriented. Its comes to this scenario:
Its all probably very fair and true that eventually if you let the market do its own thing, things would probably sort themselves out. I mean, if that many people lose their jobs and nobody is buying anything, prices will have to come down, and therefore so will the standard of living. Eventually, more people will be able to afford more things, and although their wages will be less as there becomes more demand for these lower-cost products more employment will be needed to fill the void, and in the mean time the lower wages will still be good relative to the lower costs. It makes sense, and the government doesn't have to spend a dime or take a risk of its own financially in the process, not to mention the just-due of those people that failed their corporations will come.
BUT... How long exactly would this take? Months? More likely years. What about all the people out there looking to do things right now? What about those that want to retire, or those that are looking to enter the world of employment as they are just out of college. The world doesn't stop for them so they can wait until things get better. If they can't do the things they need to right now then they are in serious trouble. Doesn't the government have the obligation to look out for its citizens? Doesn't it have the obligation to ensure that people can pursue their happiness? That opportunity is pretty much null and void for those 2 groups that I just mentioned in this instance, those two groups that either just spent their entire lives busting their butts to get themselves to a better position or just busted their butts in the classroom, and potentially spent thousands on an education to get themselves somewhere better will get nothing. After all that, they have to be told to wait, because the market is bad because corporations they have no relation too misled themselves entirely? That's sounds just as stupid as anything else.
So where does that leave us? I'll say this much. Government bailouts aren't the only thing keeping this economic system from truly being a free enterprise, and that fault lies just as much in the corporations as it does in the government. The game isn't played fairly. Executives were giving themselves unbelievably gaudy bonuses before this whole scenario began and they didn't deserve those either. You don't have to look any further than Enron to see how dirtily the game can be played. Business executives don't care about anybody, except themselves and their own greed. Something has to be done in order to keep these people in check that knock our economic system out of whack. So why shouldn't it be the government's duty to oversee them? They can look out for the rights of the individual this way.
Does that make the bailout acceptable? I would say yes. There were a lot worse options and I'm sure any option would have some negative repercussions to it. I feel like this was, for the most part an acceptable practice, but it did have significant flaws. The one that sticks out to me is no guidelines to how this bailout money was to be spent. It was meant to preserve these companies, not line the pockets of the executives, and the lack of guidelines makes the whole scenario a little startling. With all that said, what's been done is done, and it was done with great intentions. Time will really tell if it works, but I'm already liking some of the growth we are seeing. We have to just hope for the best.
-Hype
February 3, 2010
Tying Up the Loose Ends
There wasn't really much going on today, and I've taken notice that we are about 2 weeks deep into this blogging experience so I thought I would take this opportunity to look back a little and add to anything I've talked about in the past.
-US Transportation Secretary's take on the Toyota issue is for people to stop driving their Toyotas, at least until they've been fixed. He seemed very adamant about this in the afternoon today, but backed off due to backlash as the day progressed. I must say, I can't blame his stance.
- The intramural basketball season is up and running. Tonight was a bye for The Skins, but we'll be back in action next Monday. We currently sit at 1-2 after a 36-27 victory last Wednesday and a 32-31 heartbreaking loss on Monday. The loss Monday was hard to swallow. We had a key player miss the entire first half because he had shorts with pockets on, which is apparently against the rules. I missed a point blank shot that could've won us the game late, and had an all-around lousy game. 0 points, 2 rebounds. I am averaging 4.3 points and 3 rebounds. Considering that last performance, I'm doing pretty well with those numbers otherwise. Point is, the league is really fun and its a good opportunity to play some basketball. More updates will come.
- The Super Bowl is only a few days away now, the hype is all around it, and the coverage that seemed ridiculous 2 weeks ago is a lot more relevant now. I'm still sticking by my stance that the Saints are in trouble considering how they narrowly beat a Vikings team that really beat themselves. Although I'd rather see New Orleans win for its city, and because I like Drew Brees a lot more than Peyton Manning, my best guess is that the Colts will win.
- Not that its relevant to anything, but my friends and I worked through 2 and a half of the campaigns on Left 4 Dead 2 last Friday night, and with relative ease. Not much else to say on that front.
- I've been to BW3 once since our incident, and had no problems since. Service has returned to normal.
- Ever since I made my post about the Cavs and the Lakers, the Cavs have been rolling. They've won 9 in a row dating back to before my post, so I can't take all the credit, but its still reassuring. A big point is they are doing this without Mo Williams and Delonte West. They're still firing on all cylinders despite that fact. Shaq has stepped up, LeBron is playing much more of a point guard roll to pick up the slack, and its working very effectively. J.J. Hickson has played well as I would have hoped too. He has almost 10 points and over 6 rebounds a game in his last 6 games. That's well over his season stats. The Lakers are 5-2 since the post, which isn't all that bad either. Perhaps their shipping isn't sinking like I thought.
- Finally, my New Year's Executions are coming pretty well. Some are better than others, but I'm being more open and trying to do what I need to do. Its a slow and gradual process I am confident in.
Unfortunately, that's all I have for tonight.
-US Transportation Secretary's take on the Toyota issue is for people to stop driving their Toyotas, at least until they've been fixed. He seemed very adamant about this in the afternoon today, but backed off due to backlash as the day progressed. I must say, I can't blame his stance.
- The intramural basketball season is up and running. Tonight was a bye for The Skins, but we'll be back in action next Monday. We currently sit at 1-2 after a 36-27 victory last Wednesday and a 32-31 heartbreaking loss on Monday. The loss Monday was hard to swallow. We had a key player miss the entire first half because he had shorts with pockets on, which is apparently against the rules. I missed a point blank shot that could've won us the game late, and had an all-around lousy game. 0 points, 2 rebounds. I am averaging 4.3 points and 3 rebounds. Considering that last performance, I'm doing pretty well with those numbers otherwise. Point is, the league is really fun and its a good opportunity to play some basketball. More updates will come.
- The Super Bowl is only a few days away now, the hype is all around it, and the coverage that seemed ridiculous 2 weeks ago is a lot more relevant now. I'm still sticking by my stance that the Saints are in trouble considering how they narrowly beat a Vikings team that really beat themselves. Although I'd rather see New Orleans win for its city, and because I like Drew Brees a lot more than Peyton Manning, my best guess is that the Colts will win.
- Not that its relevant to anything, but my friends and I worked through 2 and a half of the campaigns on Left 4 Dead 2 last Friday night, and with relative ease. Not much else to say on that front.
- I've been to BW3 once since our incident, and had no problems since. Service has returned to normal.
- Ever since I made my post about the Cavs and the Lakers, the Cavs have been rolling. They've won 9 in a row dating back to before my post, so I can't take all the credit, but its still reassuring. A big point is they are doing this without Mo Williams and Delonte West. They're still firing on all cylinders despite that fact. Shaq has stepped up, LeBron is playing much more of a point guard roll to pick up the slack, and its working very effectively. J.J. Hickson has played well as I would have hoped too. He has almost 10 points and over 6 rebounds a game in his last 6 games. That's well over his season stats. The Lakers are 5-2 since the post, which isn't all that bad either. Perhaps their shipping isn't sinking like I thought.
- Finally, my New Year's Executions are coming pretty well. Some are better than others, but I'm being more open and trying to do what I need to do. Its a slow and gradual process I am confident in.
Unfortunately, that's all I have for tonight.
February 2, 2010
Toyota Claims Accelerator Problem is Fixed
Yeah right.
This story all started a couple of months ago when a major problem with Toyota came to a head. Cars are seemingly accelerating by themselves. The story goes that drivers take their foot off the accelerator pedal and the car proceeds to accelerate still. From what I've read and heard on the news, its caused 19 deaths and several more injuries as 100s of Toyotas have had this defect.
Now, back in December, Toyota blamed the defect on the floor mats in the cars, and recalled a number of cars for new floor mats. The idea was that the accelerator would get stuck on the edge of floor mat, and not release back to coasting position. Its a weak premise that was exposed by most car people quite quickly. In fact, at that point, many car aficionados saw right through the guise of Toyota's excuse, and claimed the defect to truly be the work of a computer glitch in the electronic accelerator, connected to the pedal. I have it from a very reliable source (to remain anonymous) that this is very likely the actual problem. You see, the whole electronic accelerator unit is a relatively new addition to the automobile, and as its newer problems could arise without any actual long term consumer use of it to use as a reference. Its also important to remember, unlike machines, which run like clockwork unless obstructed or worn out, computers are prone to glitches (thing Windows Millennium). Furthermore, one Toyota owner was able to deal with the issue and nurse his car to a dealership where they put the car on the lift and experienced the problem right in front of themselve-. According to the account, there was no floor mat, and no pressure on the pedal provided, yet the car accelerated to speeds of 60-70 mph. This all makes a glitch in the system seem to be a very liable possibility. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is the definite problem, but I'd consider it the most likely. A more in depth article about this will be found at the bottom of this post.
Well, a few days ago, Toyota changed its tune a little. However, its still not acknowledging an electronic problem. Toyota is now recalling 8 different models, including from its line of luxury vehicles. The automobiles cover the years 2005-2009. That's a 5 year span. What Toyota is now presenting as the problem is that the accelerator pedals are sticking in place due to corrosion over time. This is an understandable issue, and I don't take issue with Toyota thinking it may be the problem, but I do have a problem with them leaving it at that.
Shouldn't this corporation, that's supposed to pride themselves on quality, exhaust every possible problem the situation could bring? I mean, if you're already recalling the cars anyway, why not make a statement one way or the other about glitches. Even if you claim it isn't the problem, at least you made your stance and can fix the issue you think you have. Its just a little unsettling to me. We're talking about people's lives at stake here, and Toyota would rather sweep a possible issue under the rug and try to save face than address the issue and do everything they can to save potential lives.
That's my issue here. At least when other companies have problems in the auto industry they claim them and then fix them. You'd think they'd know better and at least make a statement. The point is, fixed or not, this problem isn't going away soon, and that's the last thing Toyota would need in this economy with increased strong competition.
This story all started a couple of months ago when a major problem with Toyota came to a head. Cars are seemingly accelerating by themselves. The story goes that drivers take their foot off the accelerator pedal and the car proceeds to accelerate still. From what I've read and heard on the news, its caused 19 deaths and several more injuries as 100s of Toyotas have had this defect.
Now, back in December, Toyota blamed the defect on the floor mats in the cars, and recalled a number of cars for new floor mats. The idea was that the accelerator would get stuck on the edge of floor mat, and not release back to coasting position. Its a weak premise that was exposed by most car people quite quickly. In fact, at that point, many car aficionados saw right through the guise of Toyota's excuse, and claimed the defect to truly be the work of a computer glitch in the electronic accelerator, connected to the pedal. I have it from a very reliable source (to remain anonymous) that this is very likely the actual problem. You see, the whole electronic accelerator unit is a relatively new addition to the automobile, and as its newer problems could arise without any actual long term consumer use of it to use as a reference. Its also important to remember, unlike machines, which run like clockwork unless obstructed or worn out, computers are prone to glitches (thing Windows Millennium). Furthermore, one Toyota owner was able to deal with the issue and nurse his car to a dealership where they put the car on the lift and experienced the problem right in front of themselve-. According to the account, there was no floor mat, and no pressure on the pedal provided, yet the car accelerated to speeds of 60-70 mph. This all makes a glitch in the system seem to be a very liable possibility. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is the definite problem, but I'd consider it the most likely. A more in depth article about this will be found at the bottom of this post.
Well, a few days ago, Toyota changed its tune a little. However, its still not acknowledging an electronic problem. Toyota is now recalling 8 different models, including from its line of luxury vehicles. The automobiles cover the years 2005-2009. That's a 5 year span. What Toyota is now presenting as the problem is that the accelerator pedals are sticking in place due to corrosion over time. This is an understandable issue, and I don't take issue with Toyota thinking it may be the problem, but I do have a problem with them leaving it at that.
Shouldn't this corporation, that's supposed to pride themselves on quality, exhaust every possible problem the situation could bring? I mean, if you're already recalling the cars anyway, why not make a statement one way or the other about glitches. Even if you claim it isn't the problem, at least you made your stance and can fix the issue you think you have. Its just a little unsettling to me. We're talking about people's lives at stake here, and Toyota would rather sweep a possible issue under the rug and try to save face than address the issue and do everything they can to save potential lives.
That's my issue here. At least when other companies have problems in the auto industry they claim them and then fix them. You'd think they'd know better and at least make a statement. The point is, fixed or not, this problem isn't going away soon, and that's the last thing Toyota would need in this economy with increased strong competition.
February 1, 2010
Grammy's Don't Show Respect Where Its Due
As I mentioned last night, I viewed the majority of the Grammy Awards as they aired. I must say I came out disillusioned by what I saw, a very conservative set of nominees and winners that left me slightly upset and more so perturbed. I feel one genre near and dear to me doesn't get the respect it deserves by the powers that be.
Toby Keith claims the Grammy's don't respect or give proper acknowledgement to country music. I think that may be a fair assessment, but keep this in mind. The Grammy's showed the Best Country Song award on television last night. A country singer, albeit pop-country, won 4 awards last night as well, including Album of the Year, that singer being Taylor Swift.
Now lets take a look at the hip-hop genre. No rap related awards were televised last night, making it the only major genre not to be televised last night I believe. I had to find out Relapse by Eminem was the Rap Album of the Year through the internet (props to Em, by the way). The only all-genre encompassing (meaning nominees from all genres included) award the genre won was Best Sung/Rap Collaboration. That went to "Run This Town" by Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna. Furthermore, look at the performances. The only true rap performance was at the very end of the show with Drake, Lil Wayne, and Em. The only other thing that came close was Doug E. Fresh's brief cameo appearence with Jamie Foxx and T-Pain (an R&B song, not rap), and he didn't really provide much other than nostalgia (Fresh hasn't been relevant for 20 years). Country has 2 performances, R&B 3, then there were numerous pop and rock performances as well. Also, Drake, Wayne, and Em's performance was made basically into a farce because of the incessant censoring it was given. It made the songs they performed sound a lot more vulgar and ignorant than they really are, and ruined the performance in my mind. But what really bothers me is that these are supposed to be experts in music running this show. Shouldn't they know the lyrics to one of the more popular songs by 3 of the most popular names in the music industry (ok, 2), let alone their genre? Shouldn't the people running the show have known when to censor instead of just running through entire lines of music and blanking them out? It was straight up stupid and disrespectful. But I guess you can't expect much more from the 50 year old white men that run the award show, much like the rest of the world (no offense to 50 year old white men, but you guys don't know everything about everything).
So that situation just got me really frustrated. Its been 30 plus years since hip hop was born, you would think by now it would get the respect it deserves and not be considered a passing fad, but rather a very intricate and substantial entity in the music world that would command respect. I guess in some eyes, it still doesn't. And that's ok, I'm sure there are still plenty out there that consider Rock & Roll "Devil's Music" too.
-Hype
Toby Keith claims the Grammy's don't respect or give proper acknowledgement to country music. I think that may be a fair assessment, but keep this in mind. The Grammy's showed the Best Country Song award on television last night. A country singer, albeit pop-country, won 4 awards last night as well, including Album of the Year, that singer being Taylor Swift.
Now lets take a look at the hip-hop genre. No rap related awards were televised last night, making it the only major genre not to be televised last night I believe. I had to find out Relapse by Eminem was the Rap Album of the Year through the internet (props to Em, by the way). The only all-genre encompassing (meaning nominees from all genres included) award the genre won was Best Sung/Rap Collaboration. That went to "Run This Town" by Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna. Furthermore, look at the performances. The only true rap performance was at the very end of the show with Drake, Lil Wayne, and Em. The only other thing that came close was Doug E. Fresh's brief cameo appearence with Jamie Foxx and T-Pain (an R&B song, not rap), and he didn't really provide much other than nostalgia (Fresh hasn't been relevant for 20 years). Country has 2 performances, R&B 3, then there were numerous pop and rock performances as well. Also, Drake, Wayne, and Em's performance was made basically into a farce because of the incessant censoring it was given. It made the songs they performed sound a lot more vulgar and ignorant than they really are, and ruined the performance in my mind. But what really bothers me is that these are supposed to be experts in music running this show. Shouldn't they know the lyrics to one of the more popular songs by 3 of the most popular names in the music industry (ok, 2), let alone their genre? Shouldn't the people running the show have known when to censor instead of just running through entire lines of music and blanking them out? It was straight up stupid and disrespectful. But I guess you can't expect much more from the 50 year old white men that run the award show, much like the rest of the world (no offense to 50 year old white men, but you guys don't know everything about everything).
So that situation just got me really frustrated. Its been 30 plus years since hip hop was born, you would think by now it would get the respect it deserves and not be considered a passing fad, but rather a very intricate and substantial entity in the music world that would command respect. I guess in some eyes, it still doesn't. And that's ok, I'm sure there are still plenty out there that consider Rock & Roll "Devil's Music" too.
-Hype
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