Kelly Johnson Hits for Cycle but Dbacks Still Fall Short

Last night the Diamondbacks faced the San Francisco Giants and once again, dbacks fans were crushed with another defeat. The Diamondbacks lost 7-4 thanks to poor pitching and errors in the top of the seventh. The one sparkle on the Diamondbacks end was Kelley Johnson who went 4-4 hitting for the cycle. Kelley Johnson was some how or another responsible for all three runs as he got 3RBIs and 2Runs. Unfortunately, this was not enough for the Diamondbacks to win. The fireworks after the game were nice and Johnson's amazing accomplishment was spectacular, but it would be nice to accompany it with a Diamondback's victory.

Notable Performances:
Kelly Johnson: 4-4, 2B, 3B, HR, CYCLE, 2R, 3RBI, HBP
Aubrey Huff: 3-5, 2HR, 2R, 3RBI

Loser of the Game:
Edwin Jackson: 6IP, 8H, 6R, 4ER, 2BB, 4Ks, 2HR, 2 Errors

Woohoo! Diamondbacks Sweep Mets

Tonight the Diamondbacks concluded a sweep against the New York Mets in fourteen innings. This game was excruciatingly long, but it was well worth watching as in the end the Diamondbacks got their first sweep since August of 2009…man last time that happened I was still awaiting my senior year of college. The game featured some unlikely stars as the bullpen went eight scoreless innings which allowed the Diamondbacks to be victorious 4-3. The bottom of the fourteenth was spectacular with a leadoff double by Justin Upton, an intentional walk to Montero and after an out by Reynolds a deep double by Snyder driving in the winning run.

Game Review of Perfect Balance 3

Rating: 3/5

Perfect Balance 3 is a simple puzzle game where the object is to balance a bunch of shapes in a stage filled with gadgets and other shapes. The goal is to prevent the shapes from falling in pits (not balancing) in which case you must start the stage over again. While the game is extremely simple, it can get quite addicting as a player may notice themselves wanting to retry a stage after getting "close" the time before. One nice feature of this game is that after you complete a level you have the option of trying to balance additional tiles in an attempt to score bonus points. However, the quality features ends there. The game is equipped with a map editor, but unfortunately the editor is so poor and hard to customize that it is a drag trying to create a unique level. For example, in order to place an object in the editor you must scroll through every single object one-by-one just to find the object you like; it is a waste of time if you ask me. People do not play games for their sound and graphics but sometimes great visual and audio effects can be a nice addition to a game with good gameplay. Unfortunately, Perfect Balance 3 will not be scoring very high marks in these departments. Overall, the game is addicting but less then stellar which is why I give it a rating of 3 out of 5.

Bumper Stickers

This one reminisces of the great times I had while in college that I will deeply miss.

A bumper sticker never written: "The less hard you try, the easier it is."

Second Half - Much of the Same

The All-Star break occurs slightly beyond the halfway mark in a Major League Baseball season and provides a breather for teams to gather the strength that may have been lacking previously. One team that needed to kick it into high gear was the Diamondbacks hoping for a fresh start after the break. Unfortunately, tonight was a big league disappointment as the Diamondbacks got demolished by division rival, the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks were awful from both sides of the mound tonight as they lost 12-1. Dan Haren had subpar stuff, the bats were not hammering in any runs, and most importantly, the bullpen struggled mightily. It has become clear that the issue with the Diamondbacks is within the players of the organization who have been out of funk for the last two years. The problem is not managerial as neither AJ Hinch nor Kirk Gibson have been able to spur life into this team...if only the Diamondbacks could rewind time and keep Bob Melvin as a manager.

This 12-1 loss was brutal, but if there was something to take positive out of this game...and trust me you wont see this coming...it is reliever Blaine Boyer. This may sound crazy from looking at the box score which accurately shows him giving up 5 hits and 2 earned runs in one and one-third inning; however, Boyer seems to have the right material to finally become a solid reliever. His fastball topped at 97MPH today and it seems to have a unique rotation to it that if he can locate it, it can be deadly. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Boyer got four infield punches in a row. Unfortunately, two were infield hits, this is not that bad of a sign unlike the long balls that struggling pitchers are thrown to give up.

No loser of the game...I am going to change the pace tonight. I know all losses are "team losses" but this one couldn't be closer to that mark.

Last Comic Standing - The Finals...who will it be

Season 7 of Last Comic Standing has been running every week on Mondays for six weeks now. Yesterday was the Finals of Last Comic Standing in which the 10 top comics as voted by the judges in previous weeks each performed a bit to win over America's votes. There were some comics who outperformed and others who you would question how they even made it to the finals if you had not seen their previous performances.

In the field of 10, these are the four that I particularly liked and would like to see move on:
*Mike DeStefano: To be completely honest, I was not crazy about his audition nor semifinal performance. He was one of the characters that I was in some sense upset to see make it to the finals. His shouting and biting delivery annoyed me. I thought the judges voted for him because they felt more threatened by him than amazed. However, his Finals performance was exceedingly impressive and while he may have a tough exterior he also showed to be an extremely good comic.

*Tommy Johnagin: This guy is hilarious, he takes ordinary situations that people would not think twice about and makes them funny. While his semifinal performance was good, his final performance was great.

*Myq Kaplan: His on-the-fly wit is outstanding and is someone I would expect to go far in the competition. He is able to throw a mix of self-deprecating humor and self-praising humor in such a way that is strangely funny.

*Roy Wood Jr: So far he has my vote as the funniest comic in the competition. He is able to bring up joke patterns in his routines that really holds the audiences' attention. Ok...so what I just may not have made much sense although hopefully you see what I am trying to say after watching a few of his performances. He has original humor that is hard to top.

While all of these comics were impressive last night, I voted for Roy Wood Jr. and Myq Kaplan because I thought they were the best of the best. Nonetheless, I would love to see all four of these comics advance.

Here is the NBC link to watch full episodes of this season's Last Comic Standing:
http://www.nbc.com/last-comic-standing/video/categories/season-7/1217729/

The Fail Report: Subway Breakfast

The last month or so I have been hearing Subway advertisements rave about their new fresh breakfasts that may be served on an English muffin or flatbread. I love Subway sandwiches and you certainly cannot beat the price for a fresh footlong sandwich for lunch or dinner, but their breakfast is far less than stellar. Subway really got it wrong with breakfast as quite frankly precooked egg sitting in a tray with all the veggies quite frankly does not look appetizing. I still gave breakfast a shot, but after this unpleasant experience I can say that Subway really got it wrong with breakfast. Even though the price is reasonable, I think I would rather have an Egg McMuffin from McDonalds, a food chain which I hate, over any of the Subway breakfast items. I love Subway and I may even consider making it at 7am opening, but if I do I certainly will not have anything off the breakfast menu but rather a tasty sub that will not contain egg.

America's Got Talent Loses Respect

America's Got Talent is a great show, but these cuts that America's Got Talent have made for the round of 48 are very poor and makes me question the judging with new judge Howie Mandel in the panel. This past week has allowed some really awful acts get put through at the expense of excellent acts other than the magician fiasco that I mentioned in a previous post.



This above act makes it because it is "so bad its funny" while genuinely talented acts like the homeless veteran singers do not make it. Do not get me wrong I do not evaluate acts based on how inspirational they are and I personally hate how emotions take a role in talent competition. That being said New Direction Homeless Choir certainly has talent and deserves to go to Las Angeles. I thought their Vegas performance was better than their audition but I could not find it on YouTube. Below is their audition, which made it to Vegas but didn't get to go to LA while Ronith and other weak acts did make it.



The good news, is that many good acts are still in the competition such as Future Funk and Fighting Gravity which were my two favorite acts going into Vegas.

James Decision Evaluation

Early today Lebron James chose to play for the Miami Heat and join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to hopefully win some NBA titles. One of the toughest things as a professional athlete of Lebron James' stature is that it is impossible to please everyone and every professional move you make is bound to be criticized one way or another. This decision is far from an exception. The fans in Cleveland are distraught while the city of Miami will be celebrating all night. Some Cleveland fans have taken the news better than others. One particularly poor sport about Lebron's decision is Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who has said that Lebron will be cursed and that the Cavaliers without Lebron will win a championship before Lebron does with Miami.

We've all heard the hype...we now know the decision...some are crushed and some elated.

As a basketball fan neutral (no emotional feelings) to this situation as a Phoenix Suns fan which was not even an issue for James, I am going to try to do my best and be as objective as possible to rate Lebron's move. I give it a B+.

First, I think Lebron should have stayed in Cleveland if he was going to build this event up like he did. By the time the event started 47 states out of 50 already knew where Lebron would land, and the states of Ohio, New York and Illinois were simply being overly optimistic. Lebron James building the event the way he did only to tell the nation that he would be leaving his home town was a bit tough to deal with for Cleveland fans all of whom were forced to watch the special and very minute of his announcement in anticipation to hear him "officially" announce. I understand Cleveland's frustration with the way he handled himself which is why I cannot give Lebron an A for the decision he made. Nonetheless, Lebron reasonably stated that he could not make an emotional decision but rather a decision that was best for him. I think Lebron should have worked in Cleveland to bring the pieces together and give the city of Cleveland its first sports championship in almost four decades. However, Lebron wanted to go somewhere that he would have the most fun and have the best shot of winning a championship.

I understand why James left Cleveland. After all, James, Wade, and Bosh are all buddies who all came out in the first five picks of the 2003 NBA draft. Is it a coincidence that their contracts all expired in during the exact same year? Perhaps not. This was a dream team that seemed unlikely but given the opportunity was something the players simply could not pass up. Lebron certainly will enjoy his time working with two stars in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh; however, from a winning championships standpoint, he may have had a better chance to win in Chicago where the pieces were already catered to Lebron with young talent such as Derek Rose and Joakim Noah along with newly acquired veteran Carlos Boozer. Unlike in Miami, the Chicago Bulls would not have to get a fresh new roster to sign Lebron whereas Miami will have to acquire a lot of newcomers.

Lebron grew up his entire life in Chicago and was the face of Ohio with a huge following. It is tough to see him leave after getting so close to a championship and diminishing the little glimmer of hope Cleveland had for a city that really needed it. Even as a non-Cleveland fan I will find it tough to root for Lebron James and the Miami Heat. However, this Heat team will certainly be fun to watch as any sports fan has to be curious how this new squad will pan out. While Lebron certainly did not handle the situation ideally, you certainly cannot put that much blame on Lebron. After all, I genuinely believe his decision was not one to ditch Cleveland as much as it was one to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Lebron Chooses Miami

Minutes ago Lebron James states on national television that he would play next year for the Miami Heat an join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

My Rating: B+

I initially gave this a B but I am going to bump it up to a B+ after having better knowledge of the situation and the reasoning behind Lebron's choice. I will fully evaluate this decision later tonight...but finally the anticipation behind his decision is over.

America's Got Talent Cuts Made for LA

Last night on NBC America's Got Talent was in Las Vegas and cuts were made for the final 48 acts to make it to the next stage of the process in Las Angeles. A lot of good acts went through, but a few acts did not make it. One magician that did not make it past Vegas is Michael Grasso who performed with the other magicians in Vegas doing several slight-of-hand tricks. This is a contrast from what Grasso did in his audition which was a quick change magic act that is extremely impressive. I honestly believe Grasso was the best magician in the competition and it is unfortunate that the judges could not appreciate his slight-of-hand magic. Even if his performance in Vegas was not as impressive, what really annoys me is that bad acts were put through to LA while Grasso gets a ticket home. For example, Mary Ellen who has a great personality but not nearly enough talent to get put through to LA as well as comedic magician Chipps Cooney. Where is Simon Cowell when you need him? He would have preserved the sactity of the show and weeded out these people who do not have talent.

Here is Grasso's audition:


Not bad eh?

Amare Stoudemire Now a Knick

Well, I am a huge Suns fan and I hate to see Stoudemire. He has done great things in Phoenix and is worth every bit the New York Knicks are paying him. It would have been nice if he stayed with the Suns especially with Nash and Hill in their final years in the NBA, but I guess I cannot entirely blame Stoudemire for leaving and going where the money was. However, with Amare gone it seems like the Suns will be able to sign a pretty good player now that they have millions to spare. I am still optimistic that the Suns may still be able to make another run.