Diamondbacks Lose 2-1 to Angels

Yesterday in interleague play, the Los Angeles Angels in a close 2-1 game. With yesterday's loss, the Diamondbacks have now lost four games in a row and have the second-worst record in Major League Baseball (the worst record belongs to the Washington Nationals). The Diamondbacks have had mixed results. At times win the Diamondbacks seem to be scoring runs, the pitching struggles dearly and at times when the pitching is phenomenal virtually no run support is present. The latter occurred yesterday's game. Both John Lackey for Angels and Doug Davis for the Diamondbacks were excellent and pitched almost identically in the box score. Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, in 95% of games one run plain and simply does not cut it. Chris Young is day to day battling injury giving Alex Romero some new-found playing time this year.

Noteable Performances:
Mike Napoli: 3-4, R, RBI, HR
John Lackey: 7.0IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 3BB, 9Ks
Doug Davis: 7.0IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 3BB, 8Ks

Loser of the Game:
Chad Qualls: 1.0IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1HR

The Rundown

There have been loads of stuff out there. Here is the Rundown:
Basketball:
*NBA Draft concluded yesterday. Blake Griffin goes number one to the LA Clippers. Hasheem Thabeet unsurprisingly is the number 2 pick. James Harden from Arizona State, a big winner, goes number 3 in the draft. Tyrese Rice, the top player at Boston College last years goes undrafted.
*Shaquille O'Neill gets traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Suns seem to be working deals and may very well trade Amare Stoudemire to the Warriors in the near future.

Soccer:
*USA Soccer team stuns number 1 Spain in the FIFA Confederation Cup and sends a strong message of faith. USA will play Brazil in the finals Sunday the 28th.

Baseball:
*Manny Ramirez is training with the Dodgers.
*Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz appear to be coming out of a slump.
*Ricky Nolasco has been performing superbly coming out of injury.

***Two Pop Culture Icons: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett die at young ages.***

A Riddle of Doubling

You may have heard some form of the doubling riddle before, but this one may take some brain power. Here is the riddle:

You have won what is called the “February Jackpot” which lets you choose one of two offers for prize money. As the name of the jackpot suggests, each offer pays you each day in the month of February (no leap-year). The first offer will pay you 10,000 dollars every day for 28 days. The second offer will pay you a penny on day one which will be doubled each day for 28 days meaning you will receive two pennies day two, four pennies day three, eight pennies day four, etc. Which offer do you choose?

You Call That a Sale?

I am a big fan of sales, I am typically that guy who uses all of those coupons printed out on that long receipt from CVS Pharmacy. The other day at the local grocery store the cashier commented on how surprised she was by the massive amount of money I saved in preferred savings for card holders. I know cashiers tend to always point out how much money you save at stores, but trust me, this time was different in that she mentioned that my savings of upwards of fifty dollars was the most she had ever seen in recent times.

Anyways at the last movie I went to see, the movie theater was distributing slips that promoted a particular sale. As shown by a picture of what one of these coupons showed, you can get any candy for "just" 2.50 with the purchase of any featured combo. Paying 2.50 for candy on its face seems quite ridiculous even at a movie theatre where prices are already levied quite high. Nonetheless, to take advantage of this "special offer" you had to purchase one of the already high-priced feature combos. So basically if you purchase that two hot dogs and a drink combo for a whopping 14.00 dollars you get to buy a candy for another 2.50. The funny thing is how much this special is talked up. I apologize that the picture quality of the image I provided is not very good, however, coupon indicates on the bottom "Get ANY candy for just 2.50." Underneath in smaller text it indicates that a featured combo must be purchased, however, the funny thing is that under the area where 2.50 is listed the text states "Limited time offer – while supplies last." I am sorry Regal Cinemas, but I highly doubt very many people will take advantage of your offer.

Farewell to Policy Debate

I have officially retired from being a policy debater. While most serious debaters tend to retire once they graduate college when they are no longer able to debate, I have made my retirement a year early. I have participated in policy debate for the last seven years and have decided to go my senior year without debating. This was a long and hard decision for me, but I know I made the right decision. Before I say anything else, I must mention how much I love the activity of policy debate. Being on the policy debate team in high school could very well be the single-best decision I have ever made in my life. Policy debate is such an excellent activity second to no other club or organization that can be found on a high school campus. Policy debate is incredibly entertaining and educational and is an activity I will continue to support for the rest of my life. Partaking in both speech and debate has helped me be a better persuasive speaker and researcher which are incredibly important skills that have come into play numerous times in college. Writing term papers or giving presentations have become a breeze and in which my work has paralleled even the brightest of classmates. Without question I would recommended to anyone in high school or college to join policy debate - the early you join the better. Furthermore, if I ever have kids I will make sure they at least give policy debate a shot and open the door to such an excellent experience. Policy debate has certainly shaped the person I am today in such a beneficial manner.

While I have such a love for the activity of policy debate, there are several reasons why I have decided to quit debating. While the university I attend is excellent and has a debate program with superb coaching, the program has done a poor job recruiting debaters. While by my senior year of high school I got to the level of becoming a nationally competitive debater having winning records and breaking at almost every prestigious national debate tournament, in college I have had far less success. Do not get me wrong I have continued to develop and learn as a debater and will continue to think about philosophical debate concepts and their applications in debate rounds. Nonetheless, I am not willing to spend my senior year struggling just to compete after I have had so much success in the past. I know this sounds selfish on the surface, but during my senior year in college I have other priorities that I would like to take care of such as having a significantly increased focus on my studies, maintaining my oncampus job, and applying to law school. Nonetheless, I plan on continuing to be involved in the activity of policy debate at least some way or another whether it be researching debate evidence for high school, judging tournaments, helping out with a school's debate program and/or becoming a debate coach or lab leader at a camp. I cannot express how much I have enjoyed my time as a policy debater, but it is finally time for me to say farewell.

NEW FORMAT - CONSTRUCTION DAY

For the loyal and not so loyal readers of Jot by Jot, you have probably noticed a massive change in my blog design. Jot by Jot will likely be taking on a new format. I am working out the kinks of a new layout and am spending most of the day working on it to make my blog look nicer and more professional. I understand it looks ugly right now, but bear with me. DO NOT WORRY I plan on being done by tomorrow. Additionally, I can revert my blog to the old format at any time so if you liked the old format just the way it is let me know and if that is the general consensus I will not change it.

Thank you for your patience,
Matt

The Rundown

*US Soccer team makes semifinals of FIFA Confederations Cup: In a near miracle situation the US team was able to defeat Egypt by three while Brazil was also able to beat Italy by three. Both of these events had to occur (3+ point differential with both US and Brazil coming out on top) for US to make it to the semifinals. American soccer fans have something to look forward to.
*Tony La Russa becomes only the third baseball manager in history to win 2500 or more victories.
*Manny Ramirez is soon eligible to play for the Dodgers. Nonetheless, without Ramirez Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 46-24.
*David Ortiz is breaking out of a slump.
*Tiger Woods is even at US Open looking like a near impossibility for him to win another US Open title - I guess anything is possible.
*NBA draft is just a few days away and Blake Griffin is expected to go number one by the Los Angeles Clippers.
*Roger Federer can take Wimbledon possibly putting him ahead of Nadal. Of course Nadal has sat this competition out due to injury.

*Slightly-old news: Lakers win NBA title.

Game Review: Epic Battle Fantasy

Rating: 3/5

Epic Battle fantasy is an RPG-like game that closely resembles Final Fantasy battle sequences. You control two characters, which start extremely powerful. You will fight off waves of enemies in turn-based battle where you have the option of using your regular attack, magic, special attacks, and items. Unfortunately, there is no storyline to this game and the fun of leveling up and acquiring new skills has diminished. The battle sequences are fun, but extremely redundant. All that is really to Epic Battle Fantasy is a series of battles one after another with the occasional short break to shop for items. The anime graphics are nice, but there is not enough to the gameplay for this to be considered a good-quality game. As a result, I give the game a rating of 3 out of 5.

Bullpen damages Diamondbacks as they fail to capture win

Last night the Diamondbacks played the Seattle Mariners. The Diamondbacks had a golden opportunity to have a winning road-record, but the Mariners would have none of that. Jon Garland pitched seven shut-out innings for the Dbacks, but unfortunately when it came time for the bottom of the eigth, the Mariners would smack balls all over the place. The bullpen more than struggled. Both Scott Schoeneweis and Tony Pena severely hampered the Diamondbacks' ability to hold on to a win. Although the Diamondbacks were up 3-0 going into the bottom of the eigth, after the eigth inning the Mariners would take the lead 4-3. The game closed 4-3 with the Diamondbacks losing. The Diamondbacks have played several games where there have been late rallies, unfortunately the Diamondbacks tend to be on the losing side of those rallies.

Notable Performances:
Jon Garland: 7.0IP, 7H, 0ER, 1BB, 3Ks
Ken Griffey Jr.: Pinch-hit 1-1, R, 2RBIs, HR

Loser of the Game:
Tony Pena: 1.0IP, 4H, 3ER

Diamondbacks Beat the Royals Again 12-5

With last night's game coming to the close the Diamondbacks have won two straight games against the Royals. Interestingly, both of these games were one by a score of 12 to 5. The goods news is that the Diamondbacks have been scoring a lot of runs. The pitching by starter Dan Haren was phenomenal. Haren rightfully received the win through pitching seven innings with only two earned runs. Chad Qualls had a very poor performance giving up three runs, two earned, in the bottom of the ninth. Fortunately, it did not matter much because Qualls was played in a non-save situation. Diamondbacks young hitters were excellent last night with stellar performances by Chris Young, Justin Upton and Gerardo Parra. Other players like Eric Byrnes and Miguel Montero also came through. Despite the excellent victory by the Diamondbacks there were a few sad spots yesterday. Chris Young rounding a triple pulled a muscle which caused him to be taken out early in last night's game - we have yet to find out how bad everything is but let's hope it isn't anything major. Additionally, Brandon Webb's expected pitching sessions this weak have been cancelled. Perhaps he needs more time, but let's still keep our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. Diamondbacks fans all over the nation wish Brandon Webb to get well soon.

Notable Performances:
Chris Young: 4-4, R, RBI, BB, SB, 2 doubles, triple
Justin Upton: 3-5, RBI, BB, 2 doubles
Dan Haren: 7.0 IP, 2ER, 0BB, 6Ks

Loser of the Game:
Luke Hochevar: 4.0 IP, 9H, 6ER, 2BB, 3Ks

Diamondbacks Beat Royals 12-5

As of late, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been slumping. The dbacks had previously lost their last three games. As a nice change of pace, the Diamondbacks demolished the Kansas City Royals winning 12-5. Max Scherzer pitched an excellent game for the Diamondbacks only giving up two earned runs in six innings whereas Zack Greinke got shelled giving up six runs - four of them earned in six and two-thirds. The hitting was definitely present for the Diamondbacks and this time the hitting was timely in that the Dbacks hit when they needed to and runners were in scoring position. Justin Upton who was previously slumping a little bit went 3-5. Stephen Drew and Miguel Montero also had excellent games.

Noteable Performances:
Miguel Montero: 3-5, RBI, R, 2B
Justin Upton: 3-5, RBI, 2B
Stephen Drew: 2-6, 2R, 3RBI, 2B, 3B
Chris Young: 1-2, 4R, 3BB

Loser of the Game:
Zack Greinke: 6.2IP, 8H, 6R, 4ER, 2BB, HR

The Easy Way To Plan a Trip: CheaperthanHotels

Chaperthanhotels provides travelers with the easiest way to plan a trip. Cheaperthanhotels is a way for people to instantly find hotels at the best rates while still providing a wealth of information quality such as client reviews. Cheaperthanhotels is a very user-friendly online tool that allows people to instantly find the hotels they are looking for simply through typing in the place of destination and the approximate dates of travel. With just a click, users of the website will find several listings of hotels with their price, rating and a small picture of the hotel included.



Additionally, there is a search filter that allows travelers to find hotels or other habitations based on very specific criteria such as limiting your search results to find only hotels that offer a fitness center, wireless internet, a pool, etc. Perhaps what I found to be the greatest feature of finding hotels on Cheaperthanhotels is the ability to sort search results by price range to see the most reasonable rates first and whether. Additionally, once you find the hotel you are looking for it you can easily book a hotel room simply through Cheaperthanhotels. This is very easy to do and I definitely plan on booking my future excursions through Cheaperthanhotels. All of the hotel information for thousands of different hotels is already listed so there is no need to go to the hotel website to find details such as phone numbers, addresses, directions to the hotel, etc. Who would have known I could get a hotel for only 33 dollars a night at the West Side Inn located in New York city. Rates as good as these would be virtually impossible to find anywhere but Cheaperthanhotels.

Here is a picture of the Colombus Studios hotel in Manhattan also at an incredible rate at $35 per night:



Not only is Cheaperthanhotels the best way to book a hotel online, but it also provides Fund Raising. Cheaperthanhotels provides grants and funding for communities, clubs and organizations through its generous fundraising program. Cheaperthanhotels is more than happy to sponsor important community groups and organizations for a good cause. All one has to do to get sponsored is fill out a form of an organization giving a brief description of that organization and its missions. After its assessments Cheaperthanhotels may provide up to $25,000 a year in funds for a single organization.

Please give Cheaperthanhotels a visit particularly its Sponsorship & Fundraising Program at: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com/sponsorship/

A New Dislike for Rock Band

After a long day of work I decide to take a nice long and comfortable nap (I know it may have some sleep cycle disruption effects, but I set my alarm to give me at least an hour). Anyways in no more than 30 minutes I was awoken abruptly to some strange music. I thought there was a parade going on outside or something only to realize that it was some friends of mine playing Rock Band. I cannot knock Rock Band too much. I definitely understand the entertainment factor for those who play this game, however, Rock Band is not the game to play if you are looking for a quiet setting.

Movie Review of Up

Rating: 7/10

Yesteray, I saw the 3D version of the movie Up in theatres. Pixar entertainment's Up has been getting raving reviews with critics claiming it as one of Pixar's best. While I think Up will likely get a few academy award nominations and possibly win the Oscar for best animated feature film, I did not find this movie to quite live up to the hype. Do not get me wrong, Up is a great animated film, however, virtually every review of this film that I have seem have been unfairly astounding. Perhaps when viewing the film I plain and simply found it difficult for the film to keep up with the high expectations (...corny pun I know). First of all, I am not a huge fan of animated film which is part of the problem, however, from what I have heard of Up I thought Up would go above and beyond. Unfortunately, it did not. To put it simply there is very little action and events that take place in Up to make this a quality film for me. I did not find the constant bickering between Carl (the old man played by Ed Asner) and Russell (the kid played by Jordan Nagai). Unlike what the majority opinion indicates, I thought this movie got better towards the end because at least later on in the movie new characters were brought in and a the main character Carl goes through an epiphany that brings emotion from the audience (I will stop here to prevent spoiling anything for those who have yet to see the movie). The animation is solid, although I did not find the movie being in 3D to add much to the movie. Overall, I think this movie was good, but I think Pixar has produced better films in the past mainly Mosters Inc. and The Incredibles. To sum up, for Up I feel that the animation is excellent, the character development is limited (I found Carl to be the only deep character), the humor is cheap and the dialogue does next to nothing for me. I give this movie a rating of 7/10.

Looking Grim for Orlando

Yesterday was a seemingly must-win game for the Orlando Magic as they faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The first team to win four games has the right to call themselves NBA Champions. In what must have been a frustrating game for Magics fans everywhere, the Lakers beat the Magic 99-91 in overtime. Dwight Howard was one block away from getting a triple-double with blocks, something that is virtually unheard of. However, 16 points was not nearly enough to achieve a victory in game 4 as he shot less then 50% from the free-throw line going 6 for 14. Outside of his miserable free-throw performance Howard played quite well. However, while Howard was good, Kobe Bryant was excellent as he scored 32 points while contributing with both rebounds and assists. Additionally, Lakers only made 7 turnovers to Orlando's 17. A ten-turnover differential tends to bite any team. Additionally, Lakers got solid production from Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher that allowed the Lakers to seize victory. What had to be most frustrating for the Magic, however, will not show up in its entirety when viewing merely the box score. The Orlando Magic were up by 12 points at the half-time, yet the Magic still managed to give the game to the Lakers. Not only did Kobe Bryand and the Lakers come from behind after half-time but the Magic got their lead back up in the fourth quarter with little time left on the game clock. With 38 seconds left on the clock, the Magic were up 87-82. With only 30 seconds left the Lakers cut down the Magic lead to 3, however, it still did not seem like enough for the Lakers to pull out victoriously. Dwight Howard went to the line at 11 seconds left on the clock. The score was 87 to 84. Had Dwight Howard made either of his free throw shots he would have made it a two possession game with few seconds left on the clock. Of course Dwight Howard misses not one but both free throws. Derek Fisher's clutch three-pointer with only four seconds left on the clock would put the game into overtime where the Lakers would eventually win it. The Orlando Magic are now down 1-3 and are looking for a miracle to give them a shot at the NBA Title.

Club Bing Quote a Pillar New Game

Recently Microsoft's Live Search Club which was previously accessed through club.live has transformed into Club Bing which has sparked a harsh user reaction and decreased the popularity of Live Search Club. This transformation with the new Club Bing (clubbing.com) has created a worse site interface and in turn has eliminated some excellent games including many people's favorite Picture This. While the general consensus is that Club Bing is a serious downgrade to club.live, the people at Microsoft have been trying to take several steps to calm frustrated users who were serious supporters of club.live. In an attempt, Club Bing has just released a new game called Quote a Pillar where the objective is to identify famous quotations. Unfortunately, this newly released game is not yet playable as it faces technical difficulties that prevent it from being accessed by users of Club Bing. Quote a Pillar (also known as Quoteapillar) has displayed an error message in an attempt to somehow verify the game. Instead of a screen that allows the game to be played, Quoteapillar displays an error message (below the Verifying Game text) that states "Verification Failed. This game file has failed verification." This leaves another frustration for the new Club Bing.

Tails R Wagging Making Pets Happy

Tails R Wagging is one of the neatest pet places I have ever heard of. Tails R Waggins is based in Australia and offers unique and useful products and services to pet owners all over Australia. Services include grooming, pet maintenance, veterinary assistance, doggy day care, and training. Tails R Wagging even provides the opportunity to send your dog on vacation which may include walks by the beach, training and as always comfortable and individualized living spaces. Are you going out of town? Tails R Wagging vacations for dogs allows you to save the hassle of trying to find someone to watch the dog while ensuring the dog is having a good time and being well taken care of.

Tails R Wagging has an excellent online store that offers the possibility of free shipping. In addition to providing a wealth of quality products, the online store is constantly updated for specials that come at very good deals. You can buy pet medication online as Tails R Wagging is a convenient way to purchase quality pet meds at very reasonable prices. Additionally there are many friendly, trained and gorgeous puppies looking for new homes that may be purchased. In particularly, Tails R Wagging is offering cavoodles for sale which is the cross between cavalier and poodle. Many pug mixes are also displayed on the website.

The Tails R Wagging website at http://www.tailsrwagging.com/ is easy to navigate and provides excellent customer support so you should definitely pay it a visit.

Fenway Park is Incredible - A nice retro look that hopefully never loses its style in Boston

For the first time in my life, I went to a Red Sox game in Fenway Park yesterday. It was cool enough that I had the opportunity to attend Fenway Park sitting in the front row in one of the Infield Grand Stand sections, however, what made the game even cooler is that this was a Red Sox-Yankees game - a game where one of the biggest rivalries in sports would square up against each other. The pitching matches was quite good as well Josh Beckett versus AJ Burnett. Of course this game Beckett was outstanding whereas Burnett struggled from the start. The Red Sox won 8-0 and of course the crowd went wild. It was interesting to see the crowds reaction to the struggling David Ortiz when he stepped to the place. To my surprise the cheers for Ortiz were louder than anyone could have imagined and perhaps as loud as they could possibly be if he was currently on a hot streak. Immediately when his name was announced that crowd cheered extremely loudly, some even gave him standing ovations and this was before he even took a swing at a pitch - talk about a warm entrance. The especially cool thing is that his first at bat yesterday was a home run. If the crowd went wild at his plate entrance you can imagine how hectic the stadium was after this 2-run home run. Nonetheless, what impressed me so much about the overall experience had nothing to do with the game itself but rather the Fenway stadium and the surrounding environment. The minute you step into Fenway Park, you feel like you are stepping into a part of history. Fenway has a very retro look like when it was originally built and even has preferred several of its original artifices. There is definitely something special about Fenway and even though I will never become a Red Sox fan, I do have a new respect for the ballpark and an understanding of the craze of Red Sox fans.

Game Review: Super Karoshi

Rating 3/5

Super Karoshi is a game that instead of going through obstacles to get from one point to another you must play off of the obstacle. The goal is NOT to reach the other door but rather to (ironically) lose. In other words in order to complete the stage and eventually win your character must die. This means that instead of avoiding the spikes you must hit the spikes. Otherwise you will have to start all over again. This game parodies the fact that there are way too many obstacle games where you try to complete stages by exiting through a door surrounded by critters and traps. While the concept is definitely interesting and unique, there really is not anything to this game. I do not see how this game is any better than your typical obstacle game. At some point the goal is to reach a trap which to me seems no different than reaching a door to advance to the next level. All that is really left for me to say is that this game is silly. You can try this game for yourself, but I am giving this game a 3 out of 5. The game is mediocre at best and really only meant for the die-hard maze fans who will get a kick of a unique twist.

Game Review: Ultimate Tactics

Rating: 4.5/5

Ultimate Tactics is a neat game that has interesting progressions. The game is a strategy turn-based war game where you move players like you would on a chessboard and attack when in range of an enemy. If you have ever played Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars or Shining Force you should be familiar with the general style of Ultimate Tactics. The tutorial is very useful and definitely helps guide first-time gamers to really get the hang of this game. You start with only one character who is extremely weak, however, you gain experience through each attack which makes the leveling a fun and interesting process. One thing I do not like, however, is that you do not learn new skills with experience per se. With the exception of the mage who learns new skills at the guild based on his level, you merely get stat bonuses for leveling. This leads me to the biggest criticism I have of the game: complexity. While there are some praise-worthy features of this particular tactical game such as lockpicking, the game is lacking variability. There are few unique items and equipment and even less variation when it comes to special abilities. Additionally, while all enemies provide your units with experience, they do not drop anything except the occasional treasure chest. This game would be much better if enemies dropped the occasional useable item or weapon. Instead, the only way items are obtained is through guilds, treasure chests, quests and shops. Sure my criticism is not strong on this point, but there is definitely room for improvement. The fact that there are few weapons and armor for each character is one area in need of improvement. Additionally, there are few characters. While characters may join your party in later stages of the game, there are very few of them (three total including yourself). One last thing to mention, there is little to no variety of skills. By this I mean to say that your main character, no matter what level, can only use one attack: his regular slash. Despite these shortcomings, I still enjoy the game. The strategy-element of the battles is nicely laid out and the lockpicking aspect is very nice for a flash game.

Easy shopping for Men's Apparel

ShopWiki is the easiest way to shop period. Unlike other online shopping websites, ShopWiki aggregates a massive quantity of products giving users the largest selection of products from all of the various brands out there. This allows shopper to easily compare and contrast products so they know they are getting the best deal on any particular item. ShopWiki provides users with a whole host of Men’s Apparel. ShopWiki makes it easy to be in style because let’s be honest, what man is not interested in looking good? The biggest names in fashion all meet up at ShopWiki including: Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Armani, Gucci, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Lacoste, Aeropostale, Anchor Blue, Nautica and several others. ShopWiki even includes clothing by designers that tend to shy away from being sold at big department stores such as American Eagle Outfitters. Nonetheless such great brand names are on ShopWiki and at prices cheaper than if I were to make the commute to the retail store itself.

It should go without saying that a lot of men's formal clothing can often get on the pricey side. Above all, nobody wants to be the guy who has just purchased a nice suit only to find the same make of the suit one-hundred dollars less at another store. ShopWiki will save you the trouble and make sure you know you are getting the best deal. ShopWiki lists all clothing out on the market and makes searching extremely easy through its price-range filter. Say you are unwilling to pay more than $400 dollars on a suit...no problem, ShopWiki provides you a solution through its price range filter. Through use of the filter you will find a wide range of less expensive suits based on your acceptable price range. Additionally, ShopWiki provides guides on clothing which includes buying guides, tips and tricks and general information to clear up any uncertainties.

No matter what the time of year it is ShopWiki has you covered. You will find trendy yet comfortably warm clothing in the Winter Style section. One particular item that caught my attention when browsing through ShopWiki was an Argyle Sweater for men at a low price of $14 dollars from Sierra Trading Post. On the lighter side you will also be able to find Fall, Spring and Summer apparel from retailers everywhere. I particularly like ShopWiki's ability to classify clothing such as pants. For example, ShopWiki allows you to immediately click on a particular type of pant style you are looking for you to immediately see the variety of different products within that particular style. For example, through the main page for ShopWiki pants you will see links to various different types of pants such as khakis, jeans, cargos, etc. With just one click of the mouse you can find a wide variety of pants in the style you are searching for. It is incredible how easy using ShopWiki is to find exactly what you need at the most affordable price available. Please see for yourself and pay ShopWiki a visit.

The Rundown

Here is the run-down of late:
*Future Hall of Famer and current San Francisco Giants pitcher Randy Johnson achieved his much-deserved 300th win.
*The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic by 25 points in the first game of the series in the NBA Playoff Finals.
*San Diego's incredible win streak has come to an end as the Padres have now lost three straight.
*ESPN still ranks Dodgers as the best team in Major League Baseball.
*Diversity wins Britain's Got Talent beating the originally favorited and much-talked-about Susan Boyle.

Game Review: Bug War

Rating: 4/5

Bug War is a game of intense strategy where you control a colony and your goal is to wipe out all enemy colonies. To do so you will need to colonize neutral colonies to expand your production to eventually achieve total domination. The game is strategic because it is very important to know exactly which colonies to conquer at what times. The game is something unlike anything I have ever played before. If I could compare the game to anything, and this is a stretch, I would say Bug War is like a more strategic version of Risk. You conquer based on whether you think your forces are strong enough to take over an enemy and expand based on that. One neat feature to this game is that you can build one of three towers that will attack enemies if they cross a certain path. Interestingly, gold does not exist in this game so the purchase of tower is based on units. You must sacrifice a certain number of your units to produce a tower. Unfortunately, this game did not provide any way to sell towers so once you place a tower in a certain location, you are stuck with it there until the level is done. Your units as well as enemy units advance as well. Your units will all start out as larva but can get stronger and/or faster based on the upgrades you choose to eventually turn into powerful beetles. While I still think this game is excellent, I would have liked to see more upgrades to Bug War. At a minimum the gamemaker should have made a way to either sell towers (to get a unit bonus) or upgrade them to make them even stronger. Overall, I give Bug War a rating of 4 out of 5 - not the best game I have ever played, but one I would recommend.

The best starting pitching in baseball with the worst bullpen in baseball

Last night game was one of those beyond frustrating game. The game seemed to be sealed for a Diamondbacks victory and yet in the 8th inning the Dbacks fell apart. This game was a classic example of what happens when a team plays without a closer. This is not the first time the Diamondbacks have lost late in a game. The bullpen has been struggling dearly and unfortunately this time it cost Dan Haren and the Diamondback the win. Chad Qualls has been having a sore forearm so has not pitched the last couple of games. While two days ago the Diamondbacks barely held on last game the Diamondbacks lost late in the game. Dan Haren was exceptional and by all counts deserved the win. Not only did Haren earn only one run against the hard-hitting Diamondbacks, but Haren performed incredibly well at the plate. Dan Haren went 3 for 3 with one run scored. The rest of the Diamondbacks offense did well enough to get a win, but unfortunately could not maintain it. Justin Upton hit a grand slam in the second inning - not to mention that this grand slam was off of the incredibly hot pitcher Randy Wolf. This game should provide another wake-up call to the bullpen. Tony Pena gave up four earned runs this game. The game before Pena allowed two. Even though those runs were technically unearned I would still be hesitant about Pena as a set-up man. Pena can be great, but when he struggles it leaves a huge mark. Analyzing the the bullpen, I am starting to like Clay Zavada more as a reliever and Tony Pena less. If I were Hinch I would have put in Clay Zavada, if not immediately, at least with the bases loaded once Pena showed he was struggling.

Noteable Performances:
Dan Haren (pitching): 7.0IP, 2H, 1ER, BB, 7Ks
Dan Haren (batting): 3-3, R
Justin Upton: 1-3, R, 4RBI, HR (grand slam), BB

Loser of the Game:
Tony Pena: 0.2IP, 2H, 4ER, 2BB

Diamondbacks Beat Dodgers 3-2

In a low scoring game, the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 3-2 last night. Billy Buckner was the starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks pitching quite well. Buckner pitched six shutout innings with five strikeouts giving him the win. The starting pitcher for the Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda, also pitched well. Kuroda who came fresh off the DL yesterday, gave up two earned runs in five innings pitched and struck out six. Kuroda still got the loss. Diamondbacks are one up against the Dodgers this series and will play Game 2 tonight. Dan Haren pitches tonight so hopefully the Diamondbacks can get at least one more win this series and ideally sweep the currently number one ranked team in baseball.

Noteable Performances:
Billy Buckner: 6.0IP, 0ER, 4H, 2BB, 5Ks
Stephen Drew: 2-4, 2B
Juan Pierre: 3-5, RBI, SB

Loser of the Game:
Russell Martin: 0-4, 2 strikeouts

Vote Justin Upton in All-Star Game

All-Star voting is now available for the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game between the National League and American League set to take place July 14th at Busch Stadium. While you can vote at any live baseball game, you can also vote online via MLB All-Star Game at Vote Now. Via online means you are allowed to vote a total of 25 times so take advantage of it. While a lot of big-name fan favorites are sure to get a lot of votes it would be great to get talented players in the All-Star game who gets in the All-Star game based on season stats and not based on name. Some players such as Manny Ramirez are getting a lot of undeserved votes. Ramirez in particular is a cheater in that he has admittedly taken performance-enhancing drugs and has been suspended for a couple months and yet is getting votes. We cannot let this happen. Please please please vote for Justin Upton. It would be great to get a Diamondbacks player as a starting position player for the All-Star game - the last Dbacks player to do so was Luis Gonzalez.

The Case for Justin Upton
Justin Upton is more than deserving of an All Star appearance. Yahoo Sports ranks Justin Upton #3 for National League outfielders, which is right behind Raul Ibanez and Carlos Beltran. Justin Upton is batting .324 with an OPS (on base percentage plus slugging average) of .993. If you do not know baseball very well, that is excellent. Keep in mind that three National League outfielders will get a starting spot at the All Star Game. If voting was based strictly on stats, Upton would be in the top three which is why with enough support we can produce a good National League All-Star team. If you are tired of seeing the big budget teams send loads of players to the All-Star game, do the game of baseball a favor and refuse to support the Manny Ramirez or players who have been struggling to such a great degree such as David Ortiz. Vote for Justin Upton, your vote matters!

Gareth Oliver Deserved Another Look

One of my disappointments with this years Britain’s Got Talent regards Gareth Oliver. While I thought the Gareth’s audition was solid, his semi-final performance was phenomenal. Unfortunately Gareth did not advance to the finals. While there were some stellar performances that did not advance, I truly believe Gareth Oliver deserves a second look more than anyone in televised talent competition history. Gareth Oliver is extremely impressive and based on his variety of talents and the ability to do multiple things extremely well, he is somebody who I thought was even worthy of winning. While a lot of semifinalists put on a very similar show to the auditions, Gareth did something extremely distinct by being a singing ventriloquist. Such a performance would not even be much of a disappointment coming from the great newly-discovered multi-millionaire Terry Fator. Simon’s utter unappreciation for anything outside of singing and dancing acts really hurt Oliver as he unfairly called Oliver’s act a bottom-of-the bill bar performance.

Here is the humorous, yet impressive performance by Gareth Oliver in the semi-finals.

Diversity Wins Britain's Got Talent

Britain’s Got Talent has finally wrapped up. For the most part I was happy with the show. I thought the final performances were excellent. The much talked YouTube sensation Susan Boyle did not win. While I think favorited Susan Boyle is talented, I think Diversity rightfully won. Susan Boyle for me is an excellent singer, but if she had won I think she would have only won because she was a surprise of a good singer whereas Diversity is more talented and can put on a better show.

Overall I much prefer Britain’s Got Talent over America’s Got Talent. Not only do I feel that the Britain’s Got Talent acts are more unique, but in some odd way it almost seems as if Britain has more talent despite being considered a smaller talent competition. While former winner Terry Fator was phenomenal I think the breath of the talent depicted on the British version is better. Additionally, any of the winners of Britain’s Got Talent could give a winner from America’s Got Talent a run for their money. Additionally, the hosts of Britain’s Got Talent are significantly better. In BGT you have the humorous Ant and Dec as opposed to the far blander Jerry Springer.