Jot by Jot

Joe Paterno Dies at Age 85

2012-01-22T10:59:00.003-07:00

Today is a sad day at Penn State state as the legendary Joe Paterno has died at age 85. He has quite a legacy as he has spent his entire coaching career at Penn State and holds the record for coaching the most consecutive seasons at a single school as a head coach. He coached Penn State last season, less than a year before his death. He was coaching his team to another winning season until he was fired after the indictment of longtime assistant Jerry Sandusky. Unfortunately, Joe Paterno's name will always be associated with Jerry Sandusky given the gravity of what Sandusky did while on the Penn State football staff. Paterno certainly deserves some blame, but Paterno shall also be remembered for all the good he did for the PSU football program.

What the Heck Is that Doing in My Freezer?

2012-01-10T13:47:00.004-07:00

Today I did my much-needed grocery shopping run. I purchased only one frozen item, albeit a frozen pizza, and I noticed that there was no room in the freezer to fit the pizza. In a house of four people splitting a medium-sized refrigerator/freezer combo I was in disbelief (considering I did not have any frozen items in the freezer to begin with. Here is when you know that the freezer has never been reorganized...when you have food that has been left there that belonged to not the previous year's tenants or the even the year before that but the tenants from at least three years ago. Today I uncovered numerous very old items including this Turkey Bacon that was purchased over three years ago. For those who cannot read the date inscribed on the side of the package it says:
"USE OR FREEZE BY 10 23 08"

Wow! It's too bad this isn't wine, that would at least make the resale value nice. 3.5 years may not seem that long ago, but for meat, this Turkey Bacon is now practically an antique. It is interesting thinking what I was doing back in October of 2008...having the time of my life in Mexico.

I normally like asking all of my roomates before throwing something I think is old out, but this time there is no question that this Turkey Bacon belongs to nobody in sight.

Fixing the United States Postal Service

2012-01-05T19:26:00.006-07:00

The United States Postal Service is in bad shape. It has already had to downsize and layoff several employees.

As it is now, USPS is bad bad bad. Last Tuesday, I went to my local post office simply to buy a stamp and mail a letter. I arrived at the post office at 1:38pm and I was shocked to find out that the post office was closed at that time. My local post office now closes at 1:30pm. I could understand this on a Sunday, Saturday, or even a Friday but Tuesday? I could not believe this recent change, especially considering 1:30pm is a pretty busy time of the day to make a postal run.

Today, the postal service is recognized as going through stormy seas. Republican house member Darrell Issa (Cal.) appears to support the downfall of the postal service in the sense that Issa and his bill are strongly against any postal bailout whatsoever. The bill calls for cuts in postal service, a reduction of service centers, and a reduction of labor benefits. This is in stark contrast to another bill titled the Postal Service Protection Act. Unlike Issa's bill, the Postal Service Protection Act is backed by Democrats in Congress as well as the postal workers themselves.

I am not member of Congress but I think there are a lot of simple solutions to fix the mess that the postal service is currently in:
1) Vending Machines: Post offices should be equipped with vending machines that dispense stamps (and possibly other items such as small envelopes). All of the post offices I know of in Phoenix do not have vending machines. I do not understand why this is, but it would solve a lot of headaches for customers who just need a stamp. Vending machines are an easy, quick, and cheap way of dispensing a necessary item for mailing letters. Vending machines may have a high initial cost, but they have virtually no labor costs. A vending machine should just be left in the lobbies of post offices so customers who need stamps can go to a post office even during after hours and still be able to mail their envelopes. Vending machines also reduce lines and the impatience of the people who currently have to wait in the personal service lines just to line get a stamp.
2) Increase Stamp Costs: Stamp costs should be increased to 50 cents and stay there for some time to come. This is a very sizeable increase and will generate plenty of additional revenue for the postal service. This also reduces the need to layoff workers. Demand for stamps is pretty inelastic so I doubt there will be much fewer stamps paid. Furthermore, what kind of number is 44 cents? The current cost of stamps is about as inconvenient as stamp costs get. Individuals have little use for the extra six cents, whereas the postal service can benefit immensely from charging each person more on stamps. Having stamps cost an even 50 cents will be a lot more efficient. At fifty cents a stamp, people do not have to get a calculator to figure out how much it costs to buy, say, six stamps.
3) Restore Hours: Post offices need to be open at least until 4 on weekdays. I know this is not the strongest point of mine because I cannot speak from an economic standpoint. However, every time I have gone to a post office in the afternoon, it has been quite crowded.

Love it

2012-01-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

Guest post of the week by Bradley Guthrie

I went to http://www.satellitetvfamily.com/satellite-tv-spokane-wa at the suggestion of a colleague and I got all these channels I didn’t even know existed. I love that show Tori and Dean…I’ve been watching it since they bought a bed and breakfast but there’s something about them that I’m just so drawn to. They’re really cute and in love and I can tell that they like being with each other. I saw an episode the other day where Tori found out she was pregnant with their third and she told him as a Valentine’s Day gift – it was just adorable! They’re starting an “antiques” store with all this old junk Tori has had in storage and it’s just been hilarious. I can’t understand how someone could have THIRTY storage units full of furniture and stuff but you know, I guess that’s what accumulates when you’ve got millions of dollars and no hobbies other than collecting stuff. That’s something I guess I’m happy I never had the opportunity to do – I never had enough disposable income to hoard!

New Year Joke!

2012-01-01T10:28:00.004-07:00

This one is very corny but it came from my New Year popper so expectations have to be low :)

Q. How did the human cannonball lose her job?

A. She got fired.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T01:50:00.001-07:00

Wishing everyone a happy new year from California!

Discipline Matters

2011-12-22T20:50:00.004-07:00

Image From ESPN

Dennis Erickson has "coached" his last game at Arizona State University if you can even call it that. The ASU football team has been criticized for being undisciplined, and the MAACO bowl game featuring ASU versus Boise State has exemplified ASU's problems. Quarterback Brock Osweiler has demonstrated a complete disregard for authority. Despite coach's orders he signaled the punting unit back to the sideline on a 4th and 4 just at midfield. Of course, ASU is unable to convert on that drive. On a later drive ASU drives to get within Boise State's ten-yard-line. The team fails to convert and on fourth and goal with the ball on the 1, Osweiler does not even pause to look over to the sideline. Instead, he unilaterally decides to go for it. Not once did he look to his coach who was calling for a timeout. ASU will get blown out this game and discipline has definitely been a factor.

DOJ After Joe Arpaio...but is anyone surprised?

2011-12-22T00:03:00.003-07:00

Joe Arpaio never seems happy. In a recent interview with Fox News, he attributed his yelling to his Italian heritage. Given his track record, is anyone honestly surprised by the recent allegations that he has committed human rights abuses? In my opinion, Arpaio has been a disgrace to Maricopa County. I can only hope that he finally gets the boot.

The Texas Steam Team

2011-12-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Steam Team is a Texas carpet cleaning company operating in Austin and Dallas. The Steam Team has been in service for over 25 years. The Team is experienced in cleaning, maintaining, and restoring flooring in both commercial and residential infrastructure. If you live in the Austin or Dallas area, check them out at http://www.thesteamteam.com/.

The website makes it convenient to schedule an appointment or if you would like to get a quote you can do that online. Of course they also accept phone inquiries. Carpet cleaning can get pricey, but The Steam Team offers some pretty nice specials. For example, the Steam Team is temporarily offering to clean three rooms for $99 if you order in Austin. One of the biggest problems for residential homes is removing the stench of pet odor. Particularly for homeowners that have multiple pets roaming around the house. When Fabreeze simply isn’t enough, give The Steam Team a call for carpet pet odor removal austin.

Boston College Basketball, Can You Feel It?

2011-12-20T11:33:00.002-07:00

Anyone taking a quick glance at Boston College will notice that BC has a 4-7 record, almost unheard of for an ACC team that is still in the midst of out-of-conference games. However, Boston College fans and analysts closely following the Eagles basketball team should see a wealth of potential. Boston College was picked to finish dead last in the ACC at the conclusion of this season. It is hard to expect anything else this year when 7 out of your 9 scholarship players are freshmen. In fact, second-year BC head coach Steve Donahue’s entire roster is composed of strictly players he recruited. This is the definition of transition year for coach Donahue. Nonetheless, it has been exciting seeing the future of BC basketball developing and getting each game. While this year, has hit several bumps in the road and will undoubtedly continue to be a struggle. There are plenty of reasons to believe that the future is very bright for BC Basketball.

Donahue has already defied and exceeded the experts’ prognostications on BC basketball. Last year, BC was predicted to finish 10th in the ACC, which seemed reasonable considering BC had a roster consisting of only 8 scholarship players: Biko Paris, Reggie Jackson, Corey Raji, Josh Southern, Joe Trapani, Dallas Elmore, Courtney Dunn, and Gabe Moton (decommit from Air Foce). Furthermore, this was a reduced roster from the 2009-2010 BC team that had only won 15 games. Nonetheless, Donahue pulled off a 20-win season in 2010-2011.

All of the players from the 2010-2011season, except Moton, have now departed leaving the Eagles with a fresh group of new faces and a roster that consists exclusively of players recruited by second-year coach Steve Donahue. Nonetheless, the BC Eagles have shown slow but steady improvement.

There are patches of brilliance scattered throughout each BC basketball game. As this young BC squad develops and matures BC may soon become a nationally competitive team in the coming years. Donahue has struggled on the recruiting trail, and one can hope is recruiting improves overtime. Nonetheless, players like Jordan Daniels, Lonnie Jackson, Patrick Heckman, Ryan Anderson, and Dennis Clifford have demonstrated a wealth of potential. If they continue to work at it and progress, these players may become outstanding in the ACC. Caudill and Odio have yet to show much. Perhaps as they develop over the years they can become productive players. After all, very rarely are college freshmen put into the position that this freshman-laden BC roster has been put into.

The Eagles play Sacred Heart tomorrow at 7pm ET.

GO BC!

The Xavier Basketball Team is a Bunch of Gangsters

2011-12-16T23:39:00.002-07:00

These words came straight from Xavier’s star player. What poor senior leadership that someone can go through a four-year university and still consider himself a gangster. This may be the worst college basketball post-game player interview.

Don't Worry About ACC Basketball

2011-12-10T14:45:00.006-07:00

The Atlantic Cost Conference (ACC) was once considered the very best basketball conference in the country. Historically, the ACC would send half of its schools to the NCAA tournament. Yet last year, the ACC only sent four schools. Recently, there have been a few concerns about the decline of the ACC as a basketball conference which have been echoed by BC Interruption.

One barometer that has recently been used for determining ACC success relative to other conferences is the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, which is an NCAA basketball tournament where the schools from each conference square off. The ACC has one every single year from the tournament's inauguration in 1999 to 2008. However, the Big 10 has now won the last three years which have caused several sports analysts to claim that the once great conferance, is now on the decline.

While there is no denying that the ACC has been weak both this year and last, the ACC is by no means a weakening conference. Despite these rough patches the ACC will undoubtedly soar back to the top as the very best conference in basketball1.

With any degree of foresight and context to the ACC struggles, it should be clear that there is no cause for concern for ACC fans disappointed by its recent struggles:

Coaching Turnover:

Normally a school's coaching turnover has little to no effect on the strength of that school's conferance, but the situation in the ACC is unique. In the ACC there was an unprecedented degree of coaching changes that have signaled rebuilding years for two-fourths of the conference that have all had new coaches within the past three years.

Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Roy Williams (UNC), Leonard Hamilton (FSU), and Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech) can rightfully call themselves ACC regulars. Not surprisingly Duke, UNC, and FSU were three of the four ACC teams that made it to the NCAA tournament (with Virginia Tech being among the "first four out").

After the dramatic changes in ACC coaches we will likely begin to see some stability with the ACC, which will bring the ACC back to where it once was.

Conference Expansion in ACC's Favor
One of the conferences that had continued to be strong during the ACC transition years was the Big East. However, the ACC will now skim the cream of the crop from the Big East acquiring Syracuse and Pittsburgh--both are basketball powerhouses.

I have no doubt that in the near future, the ACC will be the very best basketball conference in the nation and it won't even be close.

Blue Sky Scrubs

2011-12-05T14:05:00.003-07:00

Do you like the TV show Scrubs? Are you looking for a Christmas gift for a friend in the medical profession? Are you already thinking about costume ideas for next year’s Halloween? Blue Sky Scrubs is offering medical scrubs and accessories at reasonable prices.

The name Blue Sky Scrubs is somewhat of a misnomer as it does not just offer the traditional blue scrubs, but offers other colors as well. The stylish look of the clothing is great, but even better is the price. Blue Sky Scrubs offers mens medical scrubs that are professional in their appearance yet at a very low price. Men’s medical tops for $22 as well as scrub pants for $22 (and $44 to purchase as a set). The scrubs all look professional in their appearance. Pictured is a Jet Black Scrub Set.

Blue Sky Scrubs also offers scrubs for men and women alike of all different sizes and ages.
http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/

Dr. Pepper's Blatant Sexism

2011-12-03T23:38:00.003-07:00

...if it is a joke does that make it ok?

Just over a month ago I watched Ellen (yes I do watch Ellen every now and then, and no I do not have cable). Anyways Ellen played the commercial and of course criticized it. I honestly couldn't imagine that the commercial could survive much longer. Nonetheless, it is still surviving and I have seen this commercial on TV multiple times now.

Before I say anything more, here it is:

It's not for women? So Dr. Pepper 10 has blatantly excluded half of the population from this beverage? I do not care if it is a joke or not, several women are offended by this and have now stopped purchasing any Dr. Pepper products. I find it odd that that there are numerous modern criticisms of the very subtle instances of older commercials and early cartoons that were not politically correct, yet this becomes permissible. What I find interesting is that this video is displayed on YouTube by the Dr. Pepper company and has survived for 7 months. We'll see how long you will be able to watch this commercial. Something tells me that this marketing tactic is going to backfire.

Why I Love Arizona

2011-11-30T11:42:00.005-07:00

You can't beat the Arizona night sky.

Guest Bloggers Welcome

2011-11-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

I will be allowing guest posts who would like to publish content on Jot by Jot. Unless it is an approved advertisement, I will limit the type of publishable content. I will likely be willing to publish content related to one or more themes of this blog (such as sports, college, entertainment, “how to” guides, etc.). I will also welcome posts that are related to something I have recently discussed. A few years ago I have considered opening Jot by Jot to a co-author. However, I cannot and will not give administrative privileges of this blog to anyone other than a close friend.

As I mentioned before, I will not have Google ads. Joy by Jot will still provide the opportunity for legitimate firms to advertise in the form of blog posts. Again, obscene or illegal content will be strictly prohibited.

Please comment if you have any questions. I receive all comments published or not.

Moving After 20 Years

2011-11-28T22:17:00.001-07:00

Content by Donny Vinson

I haven’t moved in over 20 years. We raised our children in this big old house, and it’ll be very sad to leave it. It has been great living in the same place and knowing all of our neighbors, but my husband and I are definitely ready for a change and a smaller place now that our kids are all grown and on their own. Since we have been stationary for all of this time, we haven’t really though too much about changing our cable or internet service. We just figured it worked and we didn’t have many complaints, so why bother? Now that we are moving and I have started looking at internet and cable packages I feel like we’ve been stuck in the dark ages! There are so many choices out there now, and at such great prices! I don’t even want to think about all the money we have probably thrown out the window because we were just complacent with our service and didn’t think about changing it because of the hassle. The other thing I realized is that it’s not a hassle at all to change services. Maybe we needed this move more than I thought!

Jot by Jot Is Back

2011-11-28T21:26:00.002-07:00

After over a year of no posts, I am back. Those who know me understand that I have been very busy so I do not plan have daily posts like I did during my earlier days. Nonetheless, I still plan to somewhat regularly publish content.

Jot by Jot will make a few changes moving forward:
1. All comments are moderated. I understand this is a change to how I ran my blog for roughly six years, but this new measure is an attempt to prevent spam, obscene, and illegal content. Given the fact that my comments are DoFollow, I understand that there may be an increased risk for spam and hopefully I can nearly eliminate that through comment moderation. That being said feel free to make legitimate comments because I attempt to be relatively efficient with comment moderation.
2. There will be no Google Ads: Google ads distract from content and the folks at Google seem to be weary of fraudulent traffic, which is often out of my control (although hopefully I can attempt to eliminate any draw to spammers). This may change in the unforeseeable future, but as of now I am going to eliminate all of the previous heading and sidebar ads. I may still keep the Google Search Tool, but only because it is a very useful search engine and not for the any advertising purposes.
3. I will occasionally advertise products, ideally related to my blogs and thoughts. As always there will be absolutely no illegal content published.
4. I will remove myself from blogging communities. This one is hard to explain, but there are the occasional spam bloggers that belong to these communities that I want to completely disassociate myself with. Also, given the explosion of the blogosphere, I have realized that bloggers (as a whole) really do not have that much in common. I neither have the time nor the desire to direct attention to the wrong readers.

P.S.
For the crazies at EagleOutside, I do not hate Salerno :)

Got My Ballot!

2010-10-14T16:36:00.004-07:00

Jan Brewer is a Failure

Today, I got my absentee ballot for the November 2, Arizona general election. I am very excited to vote and have been trying to keep up with all of the issues. It is very apparent how I will vote on some issues and positions; however, others are less clear and will require me to do a bit more fact-finding before I make a decision. One thing for sure is I will NOT vote for Jan Brewer.

Time and again I have confirmed my belief that Jan Brewer is an absolute abomination as a governor.

Ok...so you have heard the liberal media painting Brewer as a monster even before she became the unelected governor of Arizona. However, as a moderate I have difficulty seeing how anyone can be persuaded to elect Jan Brewer and maintain her has the current Arizona governor. First of all, she does not know what she stands for. She has no plan on the economy so she has adopted Terry Goddard's proposals and even worse she claims them as her own. The obvious question is that if this is the case then how come Brewer as governor has not signed off or even advocated any plans while in office boost our economy? Her biggest qualm is that the people in Washington are not doing anything...but that does not mean the AZ governor who is one of the most important state political figures should not do anything to help the Arizona economy.

This SB1070 issue is ridiculous. She has attempted to mitigate the reasons why it "isn't bad" without giving a single concrete reason why it is good. Her biggest claim is that it is merely enforcing federal law. Congratulations Jan Brewer, but even if you are right you have still not told me why it is good to enforce this particular federal law. If a particular federal law is bad and not being enforced should a state still pass legislation to ensure it is enforced? I mean there are plenty of examples of federal case law and legislation that is still on the books but surely most would agree should not be actively enforced, most notably the US v. Korematsu. You can find the entire decision online but basically it held that detaining people based on race (particularly referring to housing Japanese in relocation camps) is constitutional. Surely, even though this decision has yet to be overturned we should not attempt to reinvigorate it.

One thing that really frustrated me was that today, I called Brewer's governor office to ask about Gun Control. All I asked was, "What is Jan Brewer's position on gun rights?" This was it, I put it plainly and simply and said it as friendly and inquisitive as I could. Instead my response was, "I am not in a position to answer for Jan Brewer." Really??? I call Jan Brewer's office that specifically indicates on the website that it is the place to call for learning about her issues and my response is that you cannot clarify an issue as broad as gun control? Either Jan Brewer hires idiot employees who do not know her views or Brewer refuse to answer questions of voters. Regardless, Brewer is ignorant to the people.

Do voters really want a governor who refuses to answer to the concerns of Arizonans? Even if you agree with Jan Brewer's stances the fact that she refuses to listen to Arizona citizens should be reason enough not to vote for her. She does not represent the people and is someone who does not deserve to hold office of governor.

My vote is for Terry Goddard so far I have liked everything I have heard from him. This is one decision I can be 100% sure of.

Can Arizona Voters Face the Facts?

2010-09-03T22:59:00.004-07:00

If she sounds like she doesn't know what she is talking about, if she acts like she doesn't know what she is talking about, guess what...she probably does not know what she is talking about. Jan Brewer has proven herself not only to be a corrupt politician, but also unable to lead. Okay...so I understand that those are some pretty strong statements; however, let me qualify them.

First let me begin by a video of Jan Brewer's opening statement at a recent AZ governor debate:

At first I was convinced this video was edited, but then when I watched the full unedited debate I realized that the video was genuine. Yes...Brewer could not come up with a coherent 1-minute opening statement. The full video of the 1-hour clean elections debate can be found on:
http://www.azpbs.org/vote2010/

I am going to be honest, after learning about of all of the candidates I much prefer any of them to Brewer; however, realistically there is only one who stands a fighting shot and it is Terry Goddard. While Goddard faces an uphill battle, there is hope if the people educating themselves about the candidates get out and vote. Brewer's advantage over Goddard is 2-fold: she is an incumbent and when it comes to voting, she is the one with the R next to her name. The second fact being extremely important in Arizona which is for the most part a red state.

A lot of Arizonans have been in support of SB1070 but few have read any of the text. Jan Brewer has been the principal advocate for this bill and the primary reason it is in place today. When this bill was first signed by Brewer it explicitly stated that "race, color or national origin" may be one of the elements for questioning immigration status. The bill now reads that race cannot be used EXCEPT if federal law allows it. Clearly there were racial profiling intentions when this bill was drafted; however, with the edits the supporters of the bill claim that it now forbids racial profiling. Wait a minute, if this bill "outlaws" racial profiling then why did the drafters include an exception clause? The bill now states officers may not consider race "except to the extent permitted by the United States or Arizona Constitution." Interesting, do either state or US constitution permit racial profiling? The initial reaction of an equal society would be of course not, but if that is obviously the case then why would the bill even say this, shouldn't this exception be unnecessary? Unfortunately, thousands of cases providing case law to draw from immigration law can be applied in a racist manner if we apply what should be defunct policy. Both state and federal case law have allowed race to establish probable cause for determining immigration status (see State v. Graciano and US v. Brignoni-Ponce). So does this bill prohibit racial profiling? The exception clause in SB1070 make it clear that this view is impossible. In fact, there is a pretty good case that SB1070 authorizes racial profiling.

However, for those out there who are willing to allow racial profiling, still need to come to grips with the facts. Since SB1070's adoption jobs have actually DECREASED. People have lost more jobs with this unfair battle to determine legal status.

Jan Brewer prides herself on giving Arizona national attention since taking office. Yet, all of this attention is negative...something Jan Brewer would surely realize if she got out more. Arizona is being called racist and unsafe to the point that people around the world want to boycott Arizona because of SB1070. Shouldn't Arizonans be concerned how others perceive us?

All three other candidates for AZ Governor recognize the failure of SB1070, yet they still recognize the importance of reducing illegal immigration. It seems clear that illegal immigration can be combated without the racist SB1070, which has now proven to not even be able to do anything to combat economic hardships nor make Arizona more secure.

I sure as hell will not vote for Jan Brewer and neither should anyone else. Arizona deserves better, which is why my ballot will go to Terry Goddard who is a big improvement for governor.

New Update 100 Best Movies

2010-08-14T11:20:00.002-07:00

Here is my update to what I view as the 100 best movies. I have not seen all the ones in theaters yet and there are still a few older ones I am in need of seeing. Here it is: 100 Best Movies

Two America's Got Talent Blunders

2010-07-31T16:54:00.002-07:00

America's Got Talent is a great show that I have been heavily watching the last couple of years. The round of 48 has been going on in Las Angeles and some acts have wowed the judges and some have been quite disappointing. Big surprise, but Chipps Cooney was one of the awful acts to advance. Let's not forget that Cooney advanced over the amazingly talented Michael Grasso, but something tells me that Howie Mandel is somehow throwing off the competition as I feel like more legitimate contenders advanced when David Hasselhoff judged. Anyways, there are two acts that I think deserved to make it to through to the Semi-Finals who did not: Hannibal Means and CJ Dippa.

I cannot fault the judges for either of these acts as the audience decided and somehow voted in such a way that these two acts did not even finish in the top five in the voting in their heat of 48.

Hannibal Means: I will be the first to admit, I was not too thrilled when I saw he made it past Vegas to LA, just thinking he couldn't do much with his quirky deliverance of vocals and percussion. His audition was ok, but I just did not see him possibly being able to light up the stage. I was glad I was wrong on this one as when he brought his act on the big stage he was truly spectacular as he not only delivered great vocals but truly provided a spectacle. I am normally not a big fan of singing acts (with the exception of Susan Boyle's on BGT), but Hannibal Mean's LA performance was spectacular as he had so much going on and is a pleasure to watch. What I think really made it for him in my opinion was his song choice of the Circle of Life was perfect as it was one he was able to deliver so well and his spiritual high-energy nature along with his props fit the mold perfectly. It is entertaining and something that I think deserves to be on Broadway. Here is the video of his LA performance:

CJ Dippa: CJ is a child rapper who can dance and writes his own lyrics. The fact that CJ Dippa did not get voted to advance absolutely shocks me as I thought he was one of the most talented acts in the competition and he is only 11...this being the case I felt as if he was sure to win the hearts of the American viewers at home. Granted he was in a really tough group of 12 which made it especially hard to advance; however, I still am shocked that he was not considered one of the best. If personality means anything in the competition, his should have given him the extra step to go through:

Kelly Johnson Hits for Cycle but Dbacks Still Fall Short

2010-07-24T11:55:00.002-07:00

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

2010-07-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-19T21:35:00.003-07:00

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

2010-07-17T22:12:00.002-07:00

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

2010-07-16T23:12:00.003-07:00

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

2010-07-13T23:13:00.005-07:00

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

2010-07-11T17:36:00.002-07:00

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

2010-07-10T19:02:00.004-07:00

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

2010-07-08T23:20:00.004-07:00

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

2010-07-08T18:33:00.003-07:00

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

2010-07-07T11:38:00.004-07:00

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

2010-07-05T19:47:00.002-07:00

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.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T23:33:00.005-07:00

The Diamondbacks lost today despite Dan Haren's outstanding performance. It was still fun to go to Chase Field to watch the game despite losing 1-3 with our struggling offense and horrendous relief effort.

More importantly, it was a nice 4th of July as I got to see fireworks this time and use for the first time my camera that I recently purchased.

I hope 4th of July was great for everyone!

Diamondbacks Blown Out

2010-07-03T22:06:00.005-07:00

Kirk Gibson's second game as manager was a "test of character" according to Gibson after the game. Unlike the first, the Diamondbacks got blown out this game and Gibson is now stressing that "we need to bounce back." Go figure this would be his mantra after the game; however, it seems a little different coming from Gibson and hopefully the Diamondbacks truly can rebound. Several things were all out sloppy about this 14-1 Diamondbacks defeat. The pitching certainly was poor, but it did not help that the Diamondbacks committed 6 errors, which helped drive up the run total. Furthermore, in the second inning, the home plate umpire called a walk in the second inning off of 3 balls...Yes, not every day you see a 3-ball walk. In that same inning the Dodgers got an out by one base runner passing another.

Notable Performances:
James Loney: 3-4, BB, 2R
Clayton Kershaw: 5.2IP, 4H, 0ER, 8Ks

Loser of the Game:
Tony Abreu: 1-3, 3 strikeouts, 3 errors

Gibson is 1 for 1 as New Dbacks Manager

2010-07-02T22:28:00.004-07:00

Former Dbacks Manager AJ Hinch was recently fired to be replaced by interim manager Kirk Gibson. Gibson is a former MLB baseball player who is an intimidating and tough figure who and attempt to bring some fire back into the Diamondbacks. Former Dodgers players have had success managing baseball teams and hopefully Gibson is no exception. Several former Dodgers are currently managing MLB teams, most notably Dusty Baker and Mike Scioscia. Of course, it's going to take a lot of work from Gibson and the team to put the Diamondbacks back on track as he manages one of the worst teams this year record-wise. Furthermore, the Diamondbacks have the worst bullpen ERA in baseball history, something that definitely needs to start heading the other direction.

Tonight the Diamondbacks won a game against division rival the LA Dodgers and this time around, the Diamondbacks showed strength as they routed the Dodgers 12-5. Kirk Gibson received his first win as a manager and now stands 1-0 managing the Dbacks. Edwin Jackson took the mound and was not impressive giving up four earned runs in five innings. Nonetheless, it was enough to get the win as the Diamondbacks scored twelve runs to annihilate the Dodgers.

Notable Performances:
Chris Young: 3-5, 3R, 5RBI, 2B, HR, SB
Miguel Montero: 2-3, 2R, 2RBI, 2B, BB

Loser of the Game:
Hiroki Kuroda: 1.2IP, 8H, 6ER, 2BB, 3Ks

Boston College Basketball Looking Good Once Again

2010-07-01T22:33:00.009-07:00

The new Boston College basketball coach Steve Donahue, who was hired in April, makes leaps where others make steps. Just when it started to look grim for Boston College basketball which had only 7 returning scholarship players and all three of Skinners recruits ditching to go elsewhere, Donahue fights vigorously on the recruiting trail to get BC relevant again. Donahue's efforts have been explosive as not only has he been practicing hard to get BC energy up but he has been out far and wide recruiting. Now Donahue has six recruits under his belt all of whom have given solid verbals for playing basketball with Boston College. While only two of them will be able to play next year, this signals such a nice and quick rebound. Given the way things were looking, it is nice to know that Boston College can not only field a team this year, but a pretty good one that at least has some reserves on the bench.

Boston College has lost Rakim Sanders and Evan Ravanel who played last year but decided to transfer. Additionally, Papa Samba Ndao, Kevin Noreen and Brady Heslip were recruited by Skinner to play for BC in 2010 but decided to get releases to play for another school due to the coaching change. It's their loss...I may not have ever played basketball at Boston College (although I have gone to the games as an intense Superfan), but I can say for certain that BC is an awesome school and after graduating in May I already wish I was still there.

However, there will be at least six new Eagles coming within the next couple of years and hopefully more to come as Donahue is able to shore up some great prospects to play for BC. Two new players for BC are transfers Matthew Humphrey (Oregon) and Travis Taylor (Monmouth). Because they have transferred, both of these players will not be eligible to play until the 2011-2012 season. Nonetheless, after a year of sitting out and working with BC they should be able to easily adapt to Donahue's system and be explosive players for us in 2011 alongside Reggie Jackson and Dallas Elmore. However, two players Donahue recruited who will be able to play immediately in 2010 are Danny Rubin and Gabriel Moton. While neither player are highly ranked recruits, both players add some much-needed depth to the Eagle's roster. We don't know how well these guys can hang in the ACC, but both are Division 1 players and who knows keep in mind Jared Dudley was not a highly ranked recruit either. Donahue showed interested in both these guys at Cornell so they will likely fit into his system quite well, and with Donahue practicing hard with the players these guys could be very strong members of the team and prove to the high-major schools that they deserved another look. Finally, Donahue already has verbal commitments from two players for 2011: Eddie Odio and Dennis Clifford.

Let's keep in mind that BC's top three scorers from last year will be returning with the Eagles and are likely to improve under Donahue. Now with a couple more players providing support off the bench, BC may be a strong team in the ACC. Donahue has shown himself to be a tough competitor as a coach as he was able to take Cornell to the Sweet Sixteen which was the first time an Ivy League team has made it to the round of sixteen since 1979. If he can do that recruiting out of the Ivy League with less-than-stellar recruits, it is promising that he could do much more with Boston College; however, only time will tell. As of now Donahue gets an A+ for effort as he seems to be working hard to take Boston College to greatness.

I know we have already seen some pretty cool stuff from Reggie Jackson, but this dunk is pretty impressive from Travis Taylor (transfer to BC).

Down Goes Federer - But Nadal Still Hanging

2010-06-30T16:21:00.004-07:00

Getty Images-Matthew Stockman

This morning top-ranked Roger Federer was taken down by Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic at Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal won his match beating the tough Robin Soderling who recently beat Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the US Open. As a result, Nadal now moves on to the Semifinals of Wimbledon along with Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Berdych.

The End of Group C

2010-06-27T08:49:00.002-07:00

Yesterday and this morning have been devastating for England and USA fans as both lost their group of 16 World Cup games in rather tough manners. This morning England and Germany squared off and Germany demolished the English 4-1. German forward Thomas Muller scored two second half goals in this game. Yesterday, miracle team USA lost to Ghana in overtime. This was unfortunate particularly since, in regulation, the US had a great chances on goal to score that went sour: one by Michael Bradley and the other by Jozy Altidore.

8-Walk No Hitter Good Enough for Me

2010-06-26T09:29:00.002-07:00

Last night the Arizona Diamondbacks faced the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the first game of a three-game series. The struggling Edwin Jackson took the mound for the dbacks, except this time he did not allow a single hit. Jackson had one of the weaker no-hitters conceivable with 8 walks and 149 pitches. Nonetheless, Jackson's performance was good enough to deservedly get the win despite weak run support by the Diamondbacks hitter. The Dbacks won 1-0 and lights out Tampa Bay pitcher Jeff Niemann was credited with the loss giving him only his second loss of the season.

Notable Performances:
Edwin Jackson: 9.0IP, 0H, 0ER, 8BB, 6Ks

Loser of the Game:
Sean Rodriguez: 0-3, 3 strikeouts

Why it's tough to be a Diamondbacks fan...

2010-06-23T22:55:00.004-07:00

Today was a very happy day with USA soccer defeating Algeria in extra time to advance to the field of sixteen in an extremely exciting game that looked to be unfulfilling for the US team as the game neared the final minutes and a goal taken away by a mistaken offside call early on. I had to wake up early for this game (the game started at 7am here in Arizona) and I was happy I did--particularly since USA was able to finally get a shot going their way.

Now to switch the subject to a completely different sport...

Tonight in a very long game the Diamondbacks ended their series against the New York Yankees and as you may be able to tell by the title of this post, they lost. The Diamondbacks suffered a brutal 5-6 loss with an unusual first inning which consisted of very poor pitching on both sides but poor base running accounted for four out of the six outs. This game had its ups and downs. The Diamondbacks started Dontrelle Willis who gave up seven walks in two and one-third inning of play. I am really pooling for Willis to work hard and get his stuff back that made him so dominant in Florida; however, tonight I am going to have to give him loser of the game as he nearly gave up some more runs had he not been bailed out by Blaine Boyer in the third. Yes, Aaron Heilman and Mark Reynolds had some pretty poor performances as well, but Willis certainly was not good tonight. Nonetheless, the Diamondbacks certainly had chances as they were up a run in the nine, but Heilman blew the save giving up a run, which would bring the man who has been invincible the last few weeks - Mariano Rivera. Even though Mariano Rivera loaded up the bases in the bottom of the 10th with zero outs he somehow managed to keep his composure and get two short bloop outs (one fouled) and a strikeout from Mark Reynolds.

Notable Performances: Sam Demel: 1.2IP, 0H, 0ER, 0BB, 3Ks...against the heart of the Yankee lineup
Adam LaRoche: 2-4, 5RBI, BB
Curtis Granderson: 3-5, 2R, RBI, 2B, HR

Loser of the Game:
Dontrelle Willis: 2.1IP, 1H, 2ER, 7BB, 2Ks

Resisting the Urge to Ebay!

2010-06-22T17:52:00.004-07:00

This afternoon I was snacking on a Kirkland trail mix pack from Costco which consists of peanuts, almonds, cashews, raisins and M&Ms. In the mix was an long-shaped M&M unlike anything I have seen in the thousands of M&Ms that I have eaten in my life time. Something was stopping me from eating this unusual piece, which made me recall the silly Ebay sale where someone sold a Corn Flake shaped like Illinois for $1350. Heck, in my mind this M&M was in a similar caliber so maybe I should test my luck an sell it...unfortunately, these product flaws likely happen more often then not and all but very few are worthless. I mean at least the Illinois M&M could be put in a US history museum or something, but a tube-shaped M&M is something that seems like one could easily craft on his or her own so I decided to take some pictures and throw it away...there is a reason why people are in absolute shock that an Illinois Corn Flake sold for so much - a rare Ebay occurrence unlikely to ever happen again.

Here is a picture both of the M&M intact and apart:

Hitting the Sweet Spot - Dbacks Win 10-4

2010-06-21T22:43:00.003-07:00

The Arizona Diamondbacks were nationally televised for the first time of the year...not because the nation was dying to see one of the worst teams in baseball, but rather to see the defending world champs: The New York Yankees. Yankee fans and haters a like watched the game and the Diamondbacks showed the Yankees up putting up five runs right out of the fifth inning and eventually going on to win the game 10-4. Not only was Diamondback hitting fantastic (which to be honest has been very streaky this year) but the pitching was phenomenal by veteran Rodrigo Lopez who pitched his heart out for eight innings and only gave up three runs...a win well-earned. It is great to see the Diamondbacks shine if only they would keep up what they had tonight.

Notable Performances:
Justin Upton: 3-3, 2HR, 4R, 4RBI, BB
Adam LaRoche: 1-4, HR, R, 3RBI (even though Gerardo Parra and Miguel Montero also had outstanding games I mention LaRoche under Notable Performances because his home run was truly clutch to really get things going in the first inning with two men on and two outs)
Rodrigo Lopez: 8.0IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 2Ks

Loser of the Game:
AJ Burnett: 4.0IP, 9H, 7ER, 3HR

Comments Are Now DoFollow

2010-06-21T10:08:00.005-07:00

**UPDATED 6/29/2010** no longer DoFollow
I am changing it back to no-follow as testing this for a week did not do anything to encourage commenters while it forced me to moderate all comments. Commenting still creates exposure without potential negative rep on this site. For those who do not understand the technical aspects of this the change is MINIMAL between no-follow and do-follow so do not worry about it, just wanted to test something new out :)
**UPDATED**

Hi everyone, so as some of you may have noticed I have been experimenting with a lot of new updates to my blog (including this followers widget I added a few days ago...please show some love and be my follower :)

Anyways, you may notice that now I have added comment moderation. The only reason I am enabling comment moderation is to remove spam comments now that all of my blog comments are DoFollow (meaning comment links are followed...potentially encouraging spam commenters but also rewarding non-spam comments). Do not worry I will try to immediately approve all comments that are even remotely relevant to the post so do not be discouraged to comment :)

-Matt

Diamondbacks Snap 13-Game Away Losing Streak By Defeating Tigers

2010-06-20T08:15:00.004-07:00

Yesterday, the Diamondbacks beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5 to snap their losing streak on the road. Edwin Jackson received the win and despite allowing 4 runs, 3 earned he really deserved this one pitching for 7 and two-thirds inning. Rick Porcello of Detroit got the loss allowing 5 runs, 4 earned. Today the Diamondbacks play the Tigers won last time before they take on the Yankees. The Diamondbacks will be facing Max Scherzer, the young hard-throwing who wore the Dbacks uniform last year. I was always a fan of Scherzer and wished the Diamondbacks could have kept him, but hopefully the Diamondbacks can finish up winning this series.

Noteable Performances:
Mark Reynolds: 2-3, 2R, 2RBI, BB, HR

Loser of the Game:
Rick Porcello: 5.1 IP, 8H, 4ER, BB, 2HR

Outstanding Comeback Has Team USA Settle for 2-2 Tie Against Slovenia

2010-06-18T10:18:00.005-07:00

The title of this post seems to suggest that Slovenia made a massive comeback that forced US to settle for a tie when truly the reverse was true. In the first half the USA team looked miserable getting scored on twice leading to a 2-0 lead by Slovenia. However, in the second half, the USA team came back fiercely with an early goal second-half goal by Landon Donovan putting the USA back in it. At around the 80-minute mark Michael Bradley was able to score goal 2 to give the US a 2-2 lead. This caused a massive burst of excitement by the United States players and fans. From the stand point we would be content with a draw. Given the way the game progressed, we demanded more as a fair goal by Maurice Edu was called off by referee Koman Coulibaly towards the end of the game. Well, considering we were down 2-0 at the start of the second half, coming out with a tie is definitely respectable. However, we demand more especially considering Coulibaly would not give a reason why the goal was called off leaving us in a state complete confusion. Despite unfortunate circumstances, the USA team should not led this get them down they still have another game to play against Algeria and desperately need a win for a chance to advance.

Image From: Getty Images

What Am I Going to Do with EIGHT Jars of Pickles?

2010-06-17T10:38:00.004-07:00

It sounds like the start of a teaser: "If I had eight jars of pickles I would..."

Unfortunately this is not one of those Jot by Jot riddles. Instead this is based on reality. My neighborhood grocery store Safeway has this bulk buy special that applies to the most ridiculous products. Furthermore, at Safeway, unlike Costco and Price Club items in bulk do not come in larger containers but rather a purchase of large quantities of regularly sized items. The one that caught my attention was that Safeway was selling standard Vlasic jars of pickles for 2.49 but if you bought 8 or more they would charge 1.99 each. Who the heck buys EIGHT jars of pickles at Safeway?

I apologize for the picture being hazy, it was taken on a 2 megapixel camera (I plan to get a legit digital camera soon).

A Shocker in South Africa

2010-06-16T10:06:00.003-07:00

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Earlier this morning Switzerland and Spain from Group H faced each other in the World Cup. Spain is the European champion and while Spain had way more shots on goal and held on to the ball for the vast majority of the game, Switzerland did what counted...they won the game. In the second-half Switzerland's Gelson Fernandes scored to put the Swiss up 1-0 a lead they would maintain for the rest of the game. Spain is now in a hole and seeks to win its next two games to have a shot of advancing.

A Bit of College Conferance Realignment

2010-06-15T14:52:00.003-07:00

In the past several hours there have been a few changes in the composition of college conferences; however, despite what some cynics predicted, it looks like there will not be too many major changes. While some said that the Big 12 would disintegrate and the teams would be incorporated into other conferences, the past 24 hours has shown that not to be the case. There have been only three and possibly four changes. The Pac-10 was fighting to get Texas to their conference. While Texas is a big football rival of USC, Texas has an even larger rival in Oklahoma and it seems like overall college football is benefited by having Texas stay in the Big 12 with Oklahoma. Instead, the PAC-10 got Colorado from the Big 12. The Mountain West got Boise State making the Mountain West stronger; however, it looks like Utah might go to the PAC-10 which may do something to equalize the pickup of Boise State. Nebraska has moved from the Big 12 to the Big 10. Interestingly, now the Big 10 has 12 teams and the Big 12 has 10 teams...it looks like it is time for a change in the name of conferences...the PAC-10 may want to consider changing its name now that it has 11 and possibly 12 teams.

So to sum this is what we have, nothing major but that is probably good:

PAC-10 Gets Colorado from Big 12
Big 10 Gets Nebraska from Big 12
Mountain West Gets Boise State from WAC

PAC-10 Possibly Getting Utah from Mountain West
*On a side note, I hope Utah stays in the Mountain West to boost the strength of that conference and possibly getting them consideration as a major football conference.

A Tuesday Rundown?

2010-06-14T11:55:00.003-07:00

I was on vacation the last week and unfortunately internet was extremely difficult to come by. I know I missed a lot of things blogging-wise but I definitely got glimpses of it from television.

Anyways, here is what we have:
*Britain's Got Talent 2010 ended the Saturday before last and the the acrobatic group Spellbound has been declared the winner. An in front of the stage toss over the judges left the audience in awe.
*In the FIFA world cup USA has tied with England 1-1 on Saturday. USA soccer team allowed a goal very early in the game; however, they held them to one, which was good enough to tie with Clint Dempsey's long range goal at the 40-minute mark.
*Boston has taken the lead in the NBA Finals winning Sunday night at home. The Celtics and Lakers will faceoff tomorrow night at 9:00ET in Los Angeles. This is a must-win game for LA, but if they manage victory they will go into game seven at home.
*Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher and former Cy-Young Winner Brandon Webb who has been battling injury for over a year pitched from a mount for the first time since March 4.

Britain's Got Talent 2010 Semifinals Under Way

2010-06-03T20:49:00.005-07:00

The live semifinals from Britain's Got Talent 2010 have already begun and already we have seen some pretty incredible acts go through and some pretty awful acts make it to the semifinals but fortunately not advance to the finals. Unfortunately embedding has been disabled for most of the BGT 2010 videos.

Here are the links for some of the impressive acts that will now be in the finals on Saturday:
*Tobias Mead (this is his audition performance)
*Spellbound Acrobatics (this is the audition performance)
*Connected (I put there semifinal video link here because while their audition was good I think their semifinal performance was substantially better)

As of now I can embed the Connected video so here it is, hopefully it stays up:

Boston College Basketball - Working Hard With What You Got

2010-06-01T21:20:00.004-07:00

Former Cornell head basketball coach Steve Donahue has been put in a tough position ever since taking the job at Boston College. While Boston College has had fantastic basketball success in the past--even competing with and topping some of the best teams in the ACC, this past year was a different story. When Steve Donahue was hired he became the head coach of a basketball team that had just gone 15-16 and 6-10 in the ACC, which put Boston College at the bottom of the ACC. Nonetheless, Al Skinner and company had signed three strong recruits for the 2010-2011 season that signaled promise for next year's team with only one graduating senior in Tyler Roche. Unfortunately, things would get complicated once Donahue stepped in with his new and, for lack of a better word, more exciting offense that he planned to bring to the Boston College basketball program. This change in pace has caused all three recruits from the Skinner camp to request transfers which potentially means that all three recruits may play for another Basketball program during the 2010-2011 season. Furthermore, two of the "returning players" Rakim Sanders and Evan Ravenel have decided to also play for different programs cutting the Boston College Eagles down to seven returning scholarship players and possibly no incoming players.

On its face this may seem disastrous for the program; however, the reverse can easily be argued. Steve Donahue has immediately tried to do so much with the basketball program that signals success if not this coming year certainly in the near future. Donahue has already been working intensely with the players which will hopefully improve everyone's game. Boston College basketball fans like myself have to be excited about the drive and motivation Donahue is bringing to the table. Several of the BC basketball players have been working really hard and embracing Donahue's attempts to organize a successful program which are promising signs for the coming season.

While Donahue has yet to get a commitment from an "ESPN top 100 prospect" he has definitely been working hard to get solid players interested in the program. In fact, Donahue and his crew have already received verbal commitments from Dennis Clifford and Eddie Odio for 2011, which is an outstanding start. Additionally, it is likely that Danny Rubin, a 6'5" small forward will be joining the Eagles this coming season.

Another Tough Year

2010-05-30T18:41:00.004-07:00

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Last night the Suns squared off against the Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conferance finals. The Suns went in down 3-2 facing a must-win situation. The Suns were unable to pull off victory as the Lakers won 111-103 which means that the Lakers will advance to the NBA Finals. I titled this post as "Another Tough Year" because of how far the Suns have gotten and how well they have played under Alvin Gentry. The Suns were awesome and long-time Suns players like Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Nash once again missed the finals in an attempt to get a championship ring. This time, at the Suns were able to beat the Spurs at least but fell short against the Lakers. Outstanding Suns players such as Stoudemire, Hill, and Nash played with passion and planet orange was behind every second of the playoffs hoping for the W. There was definitely a sense of "now or never" in that despite having excellent years, Grant Hill and Steve Nash are approaching retirement and Amar'e Stoudemire's future with the Suns becomes uncertain as he will be a free agent with several teams drooling over the prospect of signing Amar'e. However, there are things to look forward to starting with Alvin Gentry who has provided the necessary spark and determination to give Suns fans something they did not have the last couple of years: hope. You can look at this year as another failed attempt at the Suns trying to get a championship; however, it is important to remember that the Suns had an excellent season that was certainly not expected to go as far as it did. Gentry coaching ability has been outstanding and the Suns players played great despite not getting the final result as hoped. Younger players like Jared Dudley, Channing Frye, and Goran Dragic had their best seasons and Suns fans can expect more excellent seasons to come. Despite what happens in the off-season with trades, there are definitely some bright spots that the Suns future has in store.

[Note this blog post was not edited but preserves thoughts jotted down, please disregard any possible grammatical errors through the post]

Glimmer of Hope Snatched

2010-05-27T21:32:00.003-07:00

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Despite an amazing start in the first half of the first quarter it seemed like the Suns had played "coming from behind" in nearly the entirety of the game. For much of the game the Suns were down by double digits; however, in the third and fourth quarter the Suns fought to chip away at the Lakers' lead. With just 3.5 seconds left to go in the game Jason Richardson put up a three that went in after two previous missed three attempts that possession by him and Nash. This tied the game up 101-101, but unfortunately this was not enough to take the game into overtime. After a Laker timeout Los Angeles was able to inbound the ball on their side of the court. Despite a failed three attempt after putting the ball in the hands of Kobe, Artest was able to catch the airball and sink the two at the buzzer which gave the Lakers the game. The Los Angeles Lakers now go up in the series 3-2; however, all is not lost for the Suns. The Suns have proven themselves worthy adversaries even away from their home court. The Suns now must win Game 6; however, if they pull off a Game 6 home victory the Suns will have another shot at Staple Center to go to the NBA Championships.

Suns Win Game 4 to Tie Series Against Lakers 2-2

2010-05-25T22:37:00.006-07:00

[Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

Beat LA? Celtics Fans Need to Reconsider Arrogance.

After the LA Lakers, the #1-seeded team in the West, had won both of their home games against the Suns to go up 2-0 in the Western Conference finals and after the Celtics had won both of their away games in Orlando to go up 2-0 in their series, Celtics fans started to sport signs at the games that said Beat LA. Worse, Celtics fans have even made green shirts saying Beat LA which were brought to TD Garden to be distributed after the game if the Celtics were to win. I tend to root for the Celtics when in comes to teams in the East, but "Beat LA" premature messages...seriously?

The Suns victory tonight was beyond awesome as Phoenix was able to tie up the series against the Lakers 2-2 after winning both of their home games. While the Lakers are still the favorite, the Suns have proven to be worthy contenders against the defending champions. This game was absolutely awesome as the Suns bench was huge coming up overwhelmingly positive when they were put on the floor. This is a contrast from Game 3 in which although the Suns won it took outstanding performances by both Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire to come up victorious. The Suns now head to Los Angeles in hopes of snatching an away game.

I realize a Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals is still likely, but I sure hope it is not the case. Suns players and fans deserve much better as Alvin Gentry has done some great things with the teams to put form a top-quality team. The Suns have been awesome and I love watching them play and I would love to see the arrogant Celtics fans who have prematurely endorsed the "Beat LA" message proven wrong. The Suns-Lakers series is now tied 2-2 and Suns fans such as myself who have been longing for a Suns championship will be cheering out hearts out for the Phoenix Suns.

Paying the Full Cost of Your Gas-Guzzler: Why the US Gas Tax Should Increase

2010-05-13T12:28:00.001-07:00

The United States is a leader in many things. We were the first to go to the moon. We have the most Olympic gold medals. We lead in social networking. However, we also lead in Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Crude Oil consumption—something to be far less proud of. One of the biggest sources of this problem is automobiles running on gasoline. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, US passenger vehicles are responsible for 40% of US oil consumption and 20% of US carbon dioxide emissions. Senators Kerry, Lieberman and Graham are currently working on an energy reform bill that includes a section on raising the tax on gasoline. Unfortunately, this proposal has already been met with severe criticism. The Obama Administration has already expressed opposition to raising the gasoline tax. Such a stance is poorly conceived as increasing the gasoline tax has some hefty advantages.

Automobile emissions are a serious problem that Obama and critics in Congress need to come to grips with. According to the EPA, motor vehicle emissions cause respiratory illnesses and cancer. Furthermore, a recent study by Stanford scientist Mark Jacobson has shown a direct link between carbon dioxide emissions and mortality. The study found a causal relationship to conclude that each one degree rise in Celsius caused by carbon dioxide leads to 1,000 US air-pollution deaths per year, plus many more new cases of illness. By increasing the fuel tax we can reduce carbon dioxide exhaust by gasoline-powered vehicles. Oil analyst Paul Roberts indicates that price and fuel consumption are directly related and price determines whether we consume or conserve. Those who really need to get places may be inclined to take public transportation which is typically a much greener alternative particularly in Massachusetts where nearly all MBTA vehicles run on natural gas or electricity. While the fare at two dollars may seem pricey now, it might not seem like such a bad deal if your alternative is to drive and pay higher prices at the pump. As a result, by increasing the price of gasoline, we can help reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing the demand for oil also has some indirect benefits by encouraging auto-companies to develop more fuel efficient cars. According to Lee Schipper, a senior researcher at EMBARQ, the average fuel economy of a privately owned vehicle in Europe is about 10 miles per gallon higher than in the US. It should strike you as more than mere coincidence that the tax on gasoline is significantly higher in Europe than it is in the US. Moreover, raising the tax on petroleum-based gasoline provides an incentive to invest in safer and cleaner alternatives.

Another benefit of reducing consumer demand on oil is it reduces our oil dependency in an international context. The Government Accountability Office of Congress indicates that 85% of known oil reserves are in medium-to-high investment risk areas, which includes Middle Eastern nations with who our relationships with are not exactly that pleasant. By reducing our reliance on foreign oil we can improve our security and reduce our involvement in foreign conflict. General Charles Wald states that our dependence on foreign oil reduces our international leverage, funds nations that wish us harm and puts troops in unstable regions. I understand that raising the gasoline tax may be politically difficult as constituents tend not to understand the full benefit of a gas tax increase. However, consumers could be compensated by the increase in the gas tax by channeling the money back to consumers in the form of stimulus money. This would mean that no matter how much someone drives, all US citizens would be paid equally from the revenue collected by the tax increase. This benefits those who drive less or drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

It is also important to note that the United States has one of the lowest gasoline taxes in the world. In the United we get upset when we see gas prices in the 2.80-3.00 ballpark, but in countries like Britain the tax alone is 3.50 a gallon with an overall gasoline price of $7.00 a gallon. On the other hand, state and federal taxes in the US combine to only 40 cents a gallon. We can still raise it by a couple dollars and still be on the lower end of gasoline tax rates among Western nations. I am not suggesting we have such a massive hike overnight, but rather a tax increase should be gradually phased out in the course of a year or two. One thing for certain is that the demand for petroleum-based gasoline needs to be reduced and increasing the gas tax provides just the remedy. The fact that the United States is responsible for 45% of the world’s automotive carbon dioxide (Environmental Defense Fund) should strike anyone as unacceptable and something we need to take action against.

It's Decided: Suns versus Lakers in Western Conferance Finals

2010-05-12T18:03:00.002-07:00

VS.

The Suns and Lakers have swept there adversaries in Round 2 and will go head to head on Monday. The Suns cleanly swept the Spurs with tons of production coming from the bench. The Lakers expectedly beat out the Jazz and this best of 7 Conferance finals is sure to bring some excitement. Hopefully the Suns can shoot at their A game. Alvin Gentry has done so many great things for the Phoenix Suns which had really been lost the last couple of years.

The Diamondbacks Win Tonight

2010-05-06T20:21:00.003-07:00

Tonight the Diamondbacks beat the Houston Astros 6-3. Dan Haren was rightfully credited with the win after pitching his first complete game of the season. The Diamondbacks scored six runs which was enough to give Haren is fourth win of the year taking him to 4-1. Dan Haren also helped his cause behind the plate with a double and run scored. Wandy Rodriguez for the Astros on the other hand got the loss and is now 1-4.

Notable Performances:
Dan Haren: 9.0IP, 7H, 2ER, 1BB, 9Ks
Tony Abreu: 4-5, R, RBI, 2B

Loser of the Game:
Wandy Rodriguez - 3.2IP, 9H, 5ER, BB, 4Ks, HR

The Suns Keep Rollin' On

2010-05-04T18:00:00.003-07:00

NBA:
Last night the Phoenix Suns faced off against the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns won 111 to 102. The was actually a lot closer than the score may have you believe because the spurs rallied in the third and fourth quarter with the game tied at several points. Suns lead the series 1-0 and play tomorrow at 9PM eastern.

The Celtics on the other hand rocked the Cavaliers who only managed to score 12 points in the third quarter and lost 86 to 104. Boston tied the series 1-1

Water Crisis - Eastern Massachusetts Gets Hit Day 2

2010-05-02T13:13:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, a pipe leak caused a sewage dump in a Massachusetts reservoir that polluted the water supply of the greater Boston area. As a result, the tap water of roughly 2 million residents has been deemed unsafe to drink, brush teeth with, and wash dishes with. This has caused Boston residents to rush to the grocery and drug stores to stock up on bottled water. Fortunately, the stores so far have not hiked up the prices of drinking water which has at least softened the blow to residents.

Dismantling the Land of Opportunity

2010-05-01T17:46:00.003-07:00

This past Friday morning the Arizona legislature passed Senate bill 1070 which furthers the hostility against illegal immigrants in the state of Arizona. This bill has already been met with extreme criticism and rightfully so. SB1070 is a serious affront to America's image as a land of opportunity. The bill reinforces a lot of Arizona's current harsh immigration laws as well as adding a couple new provisions. The bill triples the fine for hiring illegal immigrants; however, it also provides legitimacy to racist acts. SB1070 allows police officers to stop and arrest illegal immigrants without a warrant. The bill also forces identification to be carried around at all time as proof of citizenship.

Since our nation's inception people have come to the US in search for a better life. People should be welcomed and legalization should be made easier in the process of becoming an American citizen. Instead, Jan Brewer and the Arizona Senate has decided to criminalize immigration explicitly ostracizing Mexican-Americans many of whom have lived here for a long time and would do anything to be an American citizen. Crime is one thing, but this isn't the case with the average "illegal" immigrant. Most work very hard and support our economy as much if not more than the average citizen. The next step should be giving access to citizenship including legitimate social security information to make it easier for current illegal immigrants to pay taxes and further help the economy. However, the Senate out of touch with the issue has decided it best for Arizona to spend resources on jailing and booting immigrants from the the US despite the fact that many have no place to go and call Arizona home.

I did a little bit of research on the issue of the Arizona economy and if illegal immigrants were really harming it that badly. This is what I found:

Tough immigration law forced 100,000 immigrants to leave the state of Arizona in 2008 (still perhaps only 1/6th of illegal population), yet the economy did not improve. Furthermore, Unemployment actually increased significantly in Arizona. I have spent months of my life in Mexico and while in Arizona have known several immigrants whether they are illegal or not does not concern me because more importantly they are people and should be treated as such. Aside from my experience, the facts go against this legislation and is something the Arizona Senate needs to come to grips with. It is no coincidence that in just that last couple of days over 1 Million people have already joined in protest of the new Arizona immigration law on facebook.

US Department of Labor provides statistics for Arizona's Economy: http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LASST04000003

It's All Over for the Coyotes...but Suns Rollin' with a Flare

2010-04-28T18:23:00.002-07:00

Image by Christian Peterson/Getty Images

Hockey is my least favorite of the four major US sports; however, when a team makes a run that is not only historically one of the worst NHL teams but is also from your home city, it attracts attention. Unfortunately this "playoff run" was short lived as last night the Coyotes lost their first opening series with the red wings 4-3. Had the Phoenix Coyotes won last night they would have pulled off victory, but unfortunately for them success was short-lived as they lost Game 7 6-1. Fortunately, for me I am not a big NHL fan and I still have the Suns to root for. Unfortunately for several NHL fans, the Detroit Red Wins may be a thorn in the tail of the Sharks.

Boston College Law Library Double Standards

2010-04-16T11:05:00.002-07:00

I am a prospective law student who plans to go to law school full-time next year. The undergraduate years have gone by quicker than I would like, but that's besides the point. As an undergraduate at Boston College one thing I wanted to do before I graduated was visit the law library before I graduated - a quick tour nothing more nothing less. Anyways, at the entrance of the library I was quickly stopped by a front desk security guard asking for identification so I prepared to give him my BC ID card, but unfortunately he said that undergraduates were not allowed in. I can partly understand the reason for imposing restrictions on entering the BC law library. After all the Boston College law school is on the Newton Campus of BC which is an area with several freshman dorms and consequently several freshman undergrads. That being said the exclusiveness of the law library is likely an attempt from freshman abusing the library that should be a private areas for law students to focus seriously on their studies. Considering the nature of the school and the nature of my visit I think it is inappropriate for the law library to not allow me to make a quick visit.

All graduate students are allowed in the BC O'Neill library on main campus which is the biggest library at Boston College. If graduate students are allowed in the undergraduate library why should the reverse not be the case? There is certainly a double standard taking place among two groups of people both of which spend a lot of money on the institution - it is as if graduate students have to pay more for their studies than undergraduates at BC. Considering the library lists law library holdings in the online card catalog is extremely deceiving considering undergrads cannot access those stacks. However, my biggest concern involves the nature of my visit. A strong law library is something that could potentially influence a future law student's decision choice of school. Wouldn't it make sense to allow tours of the library as long as visitors can be quiet and not disturb those who are trying to study? What harm would such a visit cause? Whatever, I will graduate Boston College and end up going to another law school never having visited the BC law library despite being interested in law and spending four years at BC. I am not concerned about this so much, but I do know for a fact that this unusually exclusive policy is unique in the sense that I have certainly visited at least one other law library without any problem. Like I have indicated before, I understand that the Boston College law library does not want to allow just anyone in and I also understand why they may not want non-law students to stay there for an extended period of time. That being said, the BC law library should make clear a policy that allows non-law students like myself to tour the campus while leaving an ID at the front desk. This seems to be a no-risk solution that preserves a great degree of exclusivity of the law library.

Dbacks Down One in Dodgers Away Trip

2010-04-14T12:21:00.003-07:00

Unfortunately I have not been able to post about the Diamondbacks since last season. It is not because I am no longer a fan of the Diamondbacks but rather those who know me know I have been extremely busy. In fact, I would still consider myself a Diehard Diamondbacks fan and it is nice to see the Diamondbacks kick-off the season with a winning record! Yesterday, the Diamondbacks began a 3-game road series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a division rival predicted to win the West. Unfortunately, Diamondbacks pitching could not deliver as the Diamondbacks lost 9-5 to the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks hitting may be an improvement from last year as the young talent of the team should mature to put up some excellent numbers. Furthermore, Conor Jackson has finally returned to the field after suffering from Valley Fever. Nonetheless, the problem of pitching seems to be even magnified this year as the Diamondbacks have lost Jon Garland, Doug Davis and Max Scherzer all of which are quality pitchers who would easily a comfortable spot on the Dbacks starting rotation. The only addition that the Diamondbacks added to the roster that can compare to any of these pitchers is Edwin Jackson who was acquired from Detroit. Brandon Webb is still recovering from injury and while Haren is amazing he is only one of five pitchers in the starting rotation. Additionally, the Diamondbacks are still hunting for a fifth pitcher. The relievers do not hold too much promise either. Reliever Clay Zavada was unfortunately released last season despite having excellent numbers last year. Unfortunately, a weak spring training caused him to be demoted to triple-A. Hopefully, Zavada gets his grove back and works on perfecting his pitches.

Yesterday's game highlighted potential pitching struggles as Dbacks pitchers combined to give up 9 earned runs.

Notable Performances:
Chris Young: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Andre Ethier: 2-5, 2R, 3RBI, HR, no strikeouts

Loser of the Game:
Ian Kennedy: 4.1IP, 6H, 6R, 6ER, 3BB, 3HR

Kevin Everett Video?

2010-04-11T14:10:00.003-07:00

NCAA Basketball Sells Its Soul

2010-04-01T19:20:00.003-07:00

Earlier today, the NCAA held a basketball meeting to discuss the state of the game. The primary topic of discussion was the NCAA tournament and potential changes too it. The sad thing is, if anything is wrong with college basketball it certainly is not the tournament, which is nearly flawless. As it stands, March Madness is one of the most exciting events in college sports. In fact, it is probably the most exciting events and a lot of that is due to the 64-team bracket. Nonetheless, Greg Shaheen, NCAA Basketball vice president, somehow thinks that it is necessary to change what is successful and implement something that the overwhelming majority of fans, coaches and sports analysts disapprove of. There are certainly some problems with college basketball such as the One and Done rule which needs serious reconsideration, yet NCAA basketball staffers tries to find the one thing that is problem-free and reek havoc in paradise.

The real reason the NCAA wants to do this: Greed. The new proposal will expand the field to have more games at little cost. Let's be honest, at 64 teams, the small schools from weak conferences still get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament...Murray State anyone? Expanding the field to 96 demeans their accomplishments. Even the weak conferences like the American East and Atlantic Sun still have bids to the tournament. Do we honestly need to expand the field and make conference championships meaningless? Today, Shaheen seemed to answer that question affirmatively, which should be unsettling to anyone who has an interest in college basketball. This proposal is certainly not a team to get more Cinderella teams as schools not in the top 32 will have to play an additional game to get on top. One thing the 96-team bracket will inevitably do is expand the power of the big conferences by giving schools like North Carolina the ability to be among the field of 96, when their pathetic regular season record, including a 5-11 conference record, should say otherwise. Nonetheless, the proposal does not even benefit the fans whose teams' did not make the tournament. UNC typically makes NCAA tournament play every year and most fans would tell you that the Tarheels deserved nothing better than the NIT this year. I myself am a big Boston College basketball fan, and this year the Eagles unfortunately did not make the tournament. However, in a field of 64 I feel like they deservedly did not make the tournament as there are 64 better schools or at least a good amount of better non-conference champion bid schools.

College basketball is a lot of fun particularly March Madness (and like I said my a lot of my enjoyment of March Madness can be attributed to my tournament system). If this proposal goes through, which now seems to not be so much of a question of if but when, then my interest will certainly decrease. I think it is up to the fans to show their displeasure with NCAA corporate mongers and boycott or at least diminish viewership of NCAA games come tournament time. I myself plan to boycott or watch fewer games come tournament play. After all, the fans are the viewers and the ones who make up ratings. If the NCAA is going to say our opinion does not matter, it is our prerogative to prove them wrong.

Skinner Forced to Leave BC

2010-03-31T14:19:00.004-07:00

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Yesterday, Al Skinner got fired from Boston College after serving BC for 13 years as the head coach of the Boston College men's basketball team. In the earlier days, Boston College has had success under Skinner, but since 2006 the team has truly faced a drought. The BC basketball team was unable to make even the NIT in two of the last three years. In 2009 the team led by Tyrese Rice had to settle for a 7th seed losing in the first round in the March Madness tournament. The overwheliming opinion from Boston College students is that it is time for Al Skinner to leave, hopefully he finds success wherever he ends up.

I have been to every Boston College home game this year that did not conflict with either Spring Break or Christmas break and here is what I can say about Al Skinner's positives and negatives:

+'s
*Good Player-Coach relations
*Experience as a college player and played with the great Dr. J
*Plethora of head coaching experience with almost a decade of head coaching experience at Rhode Island.
*Took BC to the Sweet Sixteen the NCAA tournament in 2006 losing a close game to top-seeded Villanova

-'s
*Poor Recruiting, rarely getting highly ranked players by scouts
*No recruits for 2009-2010 incoming class.
*Too traditional: Al Skinner sticks to the "game plan." Al Skinner does not try out anything new using only the original playbook. He tends to stick with the same starters and gives them the same minutes despite player performance. He tends to only make adjustments well into the future. Pays no attention to players who are "hot" in a game still benching them when time would traditionally be up in their average game.
*Poor media relations. He is known by the school newspaper as the toughest athletic coach to approach making interviews few and hard to conduct.
*Lack of excitement at games fuels student apathy

The Disadvantage of Bleach

2010-03-24T19:27:00.002-07:00

Today I did a laundry load of whites. As a result, I wanted to use some bleach along with regular detergent. On the way to the laundry room the container of bleach rubbed on my sweatshirt and it looks like a bit of bleach seeped through somehow. It's unfortunate how problematic bleach can be at times even when you avoid spilling it. It's kind of hard to see through the picture so I circled the discoloration in the black hoodie caused by the bleach.

Boston College wins Hockey East

2010-03-21T11:14:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, 4th-ranked Boston College squared off against Maine in the Hockey East Championship game at TD Bank arena. This game was extremely high scoring with over 30 shots on goal by both teams. The end score was 7-6 with Boston College winning in sudden-death overtime. Now the Boston College hockey team advances to regionals as the top-seed at Worcester.

A Lot of Celebration for a Wednesday Night

2010-03-17T16:58:00.002-07:00

So today is Saint Patrick's Day and like the last three Saint Patrick's Days I am in Boston for this one, the American city where Saint Patrick's Day was essentially founded. Boston is home of the longest-standing St. Patty's Day parade. Despite Saint Patrick's Day having such a strong influence on the city of Boston, I have to say something that I realize is quite a risk...the holiday seems a bit overrated. March 17 fell on a Wednesday this year and from the looks of it, it seems clear that Saint Patrick's Day even in Boston has become more of an excuse to drink on a Wednesday without getting judge as opposed to commemorating the patron saint of Ireland. I know others celebrate Saint Patrick's Day for other reasons which is excellent, but despite being in Boston I cannot find anything so "marvelous" about keeping the spirit of Saint Patrick's Day. Nevertheless, after walking around and feeling out of place, I made sure I switched from a maroon to a green shirt...so please do not think I am a grinch. Heck, why not, have a happy Saint Patrick's Day! But most importantly, make safe decisions and keep in mind it is a Wednesday and some people have to get up early the next day for work.

Even those 100 Dollar Textbooks Can Make Big Mistakes

2010-03-12T08:17:00.002-07:00

The beginning of a college semester can tend to be quite excruciating when it comes to buy textbooks only realize that you've paid about 1000 dollars just buying reading material that will only get used for a few months. One of my books of this semester is on game theory titled, Games of Strategy third edition, which I believe I paid around 100 dollars for in January. The worst part about it is while this book has supposedly been edited it has left some pretty sizable errors that I or even someone not familiar with the subject matter are able to catch.

Chapter 17 is on Bidding Strategy and Auction Design. Page 660 talks about the types of auctions and reads:
"Other, less common, configurations also can be used to sell goods at auction. For example, you could set up an auction in which the highest bidder wins but the top two bidders pay their bids, or one in which the high bidder wins but all bidders pay their bids, a procedure discussed in Section 5. Although we do not attempt to consider all possible combinations in this chapter, we do analyze several of the most common auction schemes by using examples that bring out important strategic concepts."

Page 661 regarding Auction environments reads:
"Other, less common, configuarations also can be used to sell goods at auction. For example, you could set up an auction in which the highest bidder wins but the top two bidders pay their bids, or one in which the high bidder wins but all bidders pay their bids, a procedure discussed in Section 5. We do not attempt to consider all possible combinations here. Rather, we analyze several of the most common auction schemes by using examples that bring out important strategic concepts."

Being so close together, you would assume the editors would catch nearly identical paragraphs, but even they were unable to do what I did on my first reading of the chapter. Another less grievous error is that on page 722 the header states: "[CH. 17] BARGAINING" when it should state "[CH. 18] BARGAINING" because this page is on Chapter 18 and not 17 (in fact this page is closer to Chapter 19 than 18)

Now the book is selling for substantially less than I bought it for which makes me think a new edition is underway. With the make of a new edition the publishers and authors will end up getting a lot more money by preventing causing people to trash their old editions and causing resale...in other words benefiting for their own mistake. This is not so much a knack on this book; however, it is more of a criticism of the publishing industry in general that has a disincentive to produce good editions in the first place.

Kind Acts

2010-03-08T13:31:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of rotten people in the world, but I would like to believe that there are a great deal more of good ones. Yesterday, when I was at the airport, I took the forward escalator to get to my gate. There were a few people in front of me and one way up ahead dropped his boarding pass. I did not even see the ticket drop but the woman right in front of me picked it up and successfully tracked the guy down to deliver him his boarding pass. Of course the easier thing to do would have been to just leave the boarding pass, but sometimes a small inconvenience for one can mean a lot for someone else…so much that it had inspired me to write about it!

Dansby and Rolle to Go

2010-03-06T10:35:00.005-07:00

Getty Images

It's tough times for the Arizona Cardinals as the team was unable to resign linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Antrel Rolle. Dansby signed a contract to play for the Miami Dolphins after the dolphins released two other linebackers. Rolle agreed to a contract with the New York Giants. Both these players were two explosive defensive players for the Cardinals - a team who can not afford to get any weaker on D. This is coming after wide receiver Anquan Boldin was traded to Baltimore for 3rd and 4th round draft picks in the 2010 draft. I was not too upset with the Boldin trade because post-trade Cardinals will still have a very strong receiving core with Fitzgerald, Breaston and Doucet. Additionally, Boldin, over the past two years, has expressed seemingly unwarranted frustrations with offensive decisions by the Cardinals particularly when the Cardinals have been playing well...Terrell Owens anyone? Boldin even indicated he would not like to play for the Cardinals the day the Cardinals made it to the Superbowl. Nonetheless, with the loss of Boldin you would hope to free up salary space to resign Rolle and Dansby, unfortunately the Cardinals were unable to do either. With a larger amount of draft picks and a bit extra cash, hopefully the Cardinals can get some quality players to have a strong team for the coming season.

(500) Days of Summer Absent from Oscars

2010-03-05T10:49:00.004-07:00

The nominees are out for the 82nd Academy Awards that will take place this Sunday, March 7th. While I have yet to hear the results, I can already say that the Academy has made an immense mistake by not nominating the (500) Days of Summer for anything. I am happy with the inclusion of some films, but then again what movie critic could argue that none of the best films and performances are not included? At the same time, it is amazing to see such a huge blunder for such a good movie. There are now 10 Oscar Nominees for Best Picture, so it shocks me that a movie as good as (500) Days of Summer could not even make the top 10 of the year. While I am not necessarily saying it would or should win this particular category it is definitely worthy of some recognition. I am not alone on this either. Probably the two most popular online movie databases IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes gave (500) Days of Summer stellar ratings. (500) Days of Summer has such a unique plot, is not cliche (as shocking as it may seem for a "story about love"), and is packed with comedy. The elements in (500) Days of Summer including the end split frame that contrasts reality and fantasy are so well done. However, while this movie would be nominated for Golden Globes the Oscars decided to focus on movies that had more "serious" storylines or involved bigger name actors.

Game Review: Infectonator World Dominator

2010-03-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Rating: 4.5/5

Infectonator World Dominator by Toge Productions is an extremely fun game where you must strategically capture certain units to charm them on your side and fight your foes. However, in this case you are “charming” opponents to become zombies that attack human forces. The game is full of skill because you can only infect humans a limited amount of time so the player must try to infect a densely populated area. When the zombies attack they have a chance of infecting attacked humans to join the zombie forces. OK…you are probably thinking that this game sounds a quite weird and admittedly it is, however, this game is extremely addicting and fun. The features of this game make it a significant improvement from the original Infectonator that is now labeled as the “60’s edition. More upgrades have been included so that special units such as Michael Jackson and Ronald McDonald zombies can be spawned once unlocked after a certain stage in the game. As before, spawned zombies can receive bonuses such as attack, defense, and speed boosts with cash received from destroying units and cities. Overall this game is excellent. While the graphics are poor the gameplay is good enough to get you instantly hooked which is why Infectonator World Dominator receives a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Is Nobody Going to Televise Klitschko v. Chambers Match?

2010-03-01T16:44:00.013-07:00

VS
Images From: www.aworldofboxing.com and fightnight.easports.com/

On March 20, one of the best imaginable heavyweight boxing matchups will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany. The matchup is between Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko and American Eddie Chambers. Wladimir Klitschko is the IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine champion. ESPN sports expert Dan Rafael ranks Klitschko as the number 1 heavyweight boxer in the world. While massively undersized compared to Klitschko Eddie Chambers is a fast-punching boxer and currently the top American heavyweight. While Wladimir is the overwhelming favorite we see underdogs pull upsets in boxing all the time. Furthermore, this game is between two excellent boxers and it baffles me that no American television network is willing to pick up this fight. I was looking forward to watching this fight live on TV...could it possibly be that American networks are going to let this one go by?

In Epic Finals Canada Hockey Beats Team USA 3-2 Taking Gold

2010-02-28T20:49:00.001-07:00

The Finals of Olympic Hockey took place today. The game was absolutely epic as Canada got ahead 2-0 early on, but little would the Canadian hockey team realize that Team USA would come back to tie it up scoring their second goal in the final 25 seconds of play in the third period. This lead to overtime in which Sydney Crosby of the Canadian team scored the winning goal despite Miller's outstanding saves that had taken place earlier. As a result, Canada took the gold medal in hockey whereas USA took silver.

Boston College Residential Life v. Students of Boston College

2010-02-26T17:11:00.005-07:00

Early during the 2009-2010 academic school year, a few senior residents of Boston College decided to custom-design their common room. At Boston College all of the senior living arrangements have common rooms, and many students decide to spruce it up with posters or flags to make it visually appealing. However, these students decided to have the artist amongst them paint the four teenage mutant ninja turtles on the wall - images that are reminiscent of their childhood. Not surprisingly, Residential Life was unhappy with the walls being drawn on when they did their health and safety inspections of the college dorms.

Despite the name of the housing sweep, it is clear that the painting does not represent a safety, health or fire hazard. Instead, Residential Life is concerned that the paintings deface campus property, which is an entirely legitimate concern. However, in this case, no furniture has been damaged and the wall is fully functional. Not to mention these paintings of the teenage mutant turtles are beyond impressive and not even the strictest staff member of Residential Life can ignore that. Unfortunately, this is a hard-to-win battle despite the heavy disapproval from the senior class of Boston College who are unhappy with ResLife's decision to immediately paint over the turtles and impose a fine on the residents. It is important to note that these paintings are neither profane nor destructive but rather a work of art. While I understand why ResLife policy can be harsh at times, I think BC ResLife needs to make an exception for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If Residential Life is intent on wanting plain looking, unblemished walls for future students, Residential Life could simply allow the residents to keep the turtle paintings for the remainder of the semester while requiring the students to paint over the entire wall in white before they leave. I think such a measure would still capture the goals of ResLife without facing opposition from the student body - especially considering the students are paying for housing for a year.

Furthermore, I believe that if BC students were to know in advance of a room painted with these turtles, such a dorm room would be one of the first to go in the lottery system. I can believe students would find it very neat to be the ones with the "turtle room." However, if BC is going to turn the blind eye to artwork, in which many homeowners have paid hundreds of dollars on similar wall paintings, they can at least take some form of middle ground that allows the students to maintain the turtles for the rest of the semester. If Boston College honestly finds the need to fine and paint over the turtles, would it not make sense to wait to do that anyways? I fail to see how the turtles on the wall pose any health or safety concern. Furthermore, there is certainly no immediate need to paint over the wall, which is why I find Boston College ResLife unjustified in wanting to paint over the turtles while the residents are still living in the dorm.

(reproduced with permission of resident)

A Coupon for a Coupon?

2010-02-23T20:42:00.002-07:00

This past Sunday I went on a grocery run, at the local Shaws. Often times after I make a purchase I tend to get coupons to save money on my next visit; however, this time I received something a little bit different. I got a "Coupon" to "Receive a Coupon to save up to $3.50 when you buy General Mills." The right of this offer states that if I buy three Betty Crocker (Betty Crocker is owned by General Mills) Fruit Flavored Snacks I will receive a $1.50 coupon, 4 for a 2.50 coupon and 5+ for 3.50. I apologize that the image quality above is not the greatest, but mark my words: I just received a coupon for a coupon. What is this world coming to?

Apology to the Boston College Hockey Team

2010-02-10T20:10:00.002-07:00

Two nights ago (technically morning) at 3:00AM I was still up doing some studying for class. At around that time I was interrupted by boisterous screams of "Beanpot!" Of course I was quite frustrated and agitated. Even worse I got knocks on the door and chimes of the doorbell...four of my roomates were already asleep and I was virtually certain they would wake up from the noise. I went over to the door to say please leave before I call the school police. For some reason that message did not quite sink. While they left the door they decided to pioneer towards the back glass door continuing to scream "Beanpot!" and they showed this massive trophy. I was not exactly sure what this trophy meant but I did not care, I had work to do and the noise was not helping so I kindly told them, "Please leave, I have a lot of work to do," fortunately after I said that much they left.

It was not until I left that the three or five guys rudely interrupting at 3AM were members of the Boston College Hockey Team who had won the beanpot that night, the second most important college hockey feat for hockey players in the Northeast (second only to winning the national championship). I found out later from a friend that the hockey players visited all of the Modular houses who had their lights still on (signifying someone was still up) and my place was the only one that did not let the hockey players in. This statistic surprises me and I think even college athletes do not have the right to barge into anywhere they like even if they have had the best day of the entire year. Nonetheless, four of my roomates are intense hockey fans and gave me a frown when I told them what happened and passed up the opportunity to meet and congratulate the hockey team as opposed to kick them out. I even passed up the opportunity to drink from or hold the beanpot. Boston College winning the beanpot is was a huge deal on campus and rightfully earned them the top spot on ESPN Sportscenter's top plays. While I think it is perfectly appropriate not to let in who had to be the most excited athletes in the nation on that particular night, I definitely apologize for kicking them out the way I did instead of at least congratulating the hockey team. It is funny that as I am writing this I turn left and view my roomate's flag on our room's wall that says Boston College Hockey Beanpot Champions (and lists the years in which Boston College has won the beanpot). It looks like he is going to have to get a new flag that includes 2010.

I apologize BC Hockey team and congratulations on such an excellent achievement!

How about them ads?

2010-02-08T16:20:00.007-07:00

Before and after every Superbowl there is some type of discussion of commercials and how good of a job advertisers do. In my opinion, the last two Superbowls have been busts in terms of advertising in that I felt there was a dearth of good and humorous commercials. This year, there were several excellent advertisements. My favorite ad is one of the Doritos commercials that has got to be one of the best commercials I have seen in my life.

Here it is:

No Longer the Ain'ts...Who Dat?

2010-02-07T22:14:00.002-07:00

The New Orleans Saints beat the the Indianapolis Colts in Superbowl XLIV. The Colts were favored by 3 with the odds from InLine, however, few could refute that the Saints and the Colts were the two top teams going into the playoffs. This Superbowl was sure to be interesting and the Saints certainly delivered New Orleans a night to remember. The New Orleans Saints franchise had been one of the worst franchises over the years such that they used to be referred to as the Aints in the 80s and 90s. Prior to today the Saints had never gone to the Superbowl. Tonight the Saints could rightfully call themselves the best team in the NFL after beating the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 31 to 17.

Bumper Stickers

2010-01-26T22:27:00.003-07:00

A bumper sticker never written: "Better to walk a blind dog than have it walk you."

Something Magical about A Capella

2010-01-20T08:27:00.002-07:00

It seems as if just recently I have been exposed to the world of a capella. Almost randomly I came across a video from the Voca People, a professional a capella group. Needless to say, I was more than impressed. This triggered me to look more into a capella and realizing that there are hundreds of brilliant professional and non-professional a capella groups all around the world making music and rhythms without any instruments. Good a capella seems to take beat boxing to a whole new level. There are several a capella clips that are quite impressive that can be found on video sharing sites such as YouTube. Here is a clipe from a group performing the theme song from The Simpsons.

Avatar for the Experience

2010-01-18T17:54:00.003-07:00

Rating 8/10

There has been a lot of deserved hype about the movie Avatar. While I am by no means a fanatic of fantasy or sci-fi movies, I was definitely impressed with Avatar. Avatar is a movie that is more of an experience than a motion-picture. The visual effects used in Avatar seem to be unreal for the 21st (or even the 22nd) Century. Avatar is the first blockbuster to use non-animated three-dimensional effects. I would recommend this movie to anyone if nothing else but its visual effects. Nonetheless, I enjoyed more than just the effects, the plot was good albeit a bit cliche. Avatar has some striking similarities to the movie FernGully: The Last Rainforest. I know this seems like an odd comparison, but it really shouldn't be. Like Avatar, FernGully involves a human who comes into contact with an outside land of creatures. Not only that, but the land of FernGully is about to be destroyed by humans. I would be shocked if the movie FernGully never crossed the minds of the makers of Avatar...but do not get me wrong, I much preferred Avatar. My only two criticisms of the movie are: Avatar is overwhelmingly cliche and (while limited) the foul language seems gratuitous. Overall Avatar deserves a 8 out of 10 and is worth seeing before it is no longer in theaters.

19 Seconds of Happiness

2010-01-16T18:06:00.003-07:00

Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Dave Martin

Today the Cardinals played the Saints in what would unfortunately be the last game of the Cardinals post season. This game was expected to be tough for the Cardinals, but I bet few if any could have expected the game to go as it did. Cardinals fans around the nation had a burst of excitement during the first 19 seconds of the game as Cardinal's runningback Tim Hightower had a long rushing touchdown on the first play of the game; however, the excitement would quickly end as the Saints quickly answered back with a scoring drive. Shortly after the Cardinals would be down for the rest of the game...quite depressing considering the Cardinals' offense was virtually unstoppable against Green Bay. Ultimately the Arizona Cardinals lost to the New Orleans Saints 45-14. While there is not much more to say, one thing that should be mentioned is that the Cardinals were disadvantaged with injury. Few players were 100% particularly in the backfield with Rolle and Rogers-Cromartie having to come out early. Additionally, Anquan Boldin and Hayes were unable to play throughout the game. The Saints on the other hand were able to have plenty of rest and were far less banged-up through injury.

AZ Cardinals Come Up Big in Offense-Heavy Game

2010-01-10T19:23:00.003-07:00

The Arizona Cardinals beat the red-hot Green Bay Packers tonight in an offensive battle. The Cardinals won 51-45 in overtime a score that set the record for the highest point total in playoff history. Both quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers had outstanding games; however, Kurt Warner won the battle as the Cardinals defense were able to force a fumble from Aaron Rodgers which was returned for a touchdown. The Cardinals now must face the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.

College Football Wrapping Up

2010-01-07T10:49:00.003-07:00

The big BCS championship game between #1 Alabama and #2 Texas is tonight which will conclude this postseason for college football. So far some bowl games have been a blast and other have been a bit of a disappointment.

The Alabama-Texas championship game is sure to be interesting, but the TCU-Boise State matchup in the Fiesta Bowl set the bar extremely high for exciting bowl games. After successfully pulling off a very unexpected fake punt on 4th and nine Boise State can be considered the best team at executing trick plays in college football (let's not forget the hook and lateral and statue of liberty from the 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma).

Here is Boise State's fake punt a few days ago in the Fiesta Bowl:

Cannot Blame that One on the Fans

2009-12-30T14:19:00.003-07:00

Boston College has a tradition of a pretty strong football program. One criticism of Boston College is that they play extremely well at home and very poor on the road. This year Boston College went 8-4 during the regular season with only one home loss and three road losses. People point to Boston College's inability to travel well as a cause for Boston College's disappointing road record. A few days ago Boston College played in the Emerald Bowl against the powerhouse University of Southern California. I flew to the game from Arizona to watch this match-up. I am a die-hard Boston College football fan who was unfortunately surrounded by USC fans (go figure, USC didn't even have to cross state boundaries whereas BC is 2700 miles away). It was an enjoyable game in that Boston College kept it close through halftime; however, it seemed as if Boston College athletics gave up a little in terms of team support. For whatever reason, Boston College decided not to send the band to the game. One of the things that makes home games so much fun is chanting the fight song after touchdowns and shouting other cheers such as the awesome first down cheer which looks particularly awesome in the student section at home games. While it is always hard to top home football games, a lot of the excitement definitely lacks when a team decides not to travel with their band.

A Day of Upsets

2009-12-28T13:10:00.001-07:00

Yesterday in the NFL there were two very large upsets. The two top teams in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints lost yesterday. The Indianapolis Colts were undefeated going into Sunday’s matchup against the New York Jets, but the Jets managed to pull-off the upset spoiling the Colts’ undefeated season. Probably even more surprisingly, the 2-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the one-loss Saints in overtime yesterday handing the Saints there second loss of the season. Not to mention, the Bucs beat the Saints on the Saints home field.

Fortunately, upset city did not hit Arizona as the Cardinals demolished the St. Louis Rams yesterday 31 to 10 giving the more wins then they had during the regular season last year. In fact, this is the first time the Cardinals have had a 10-win season in the last 33 years.

A Breath of Fresh Air

2009-12-20T14:27:00.003-07:00

This afternoon, the Arizona Cardinals played the 2-11 Detroit Lions. While the first half did not go over extremely well, the Cardinals still managed to grab a hold of a 17-0 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, for the Cardinals they would lose that lead in the third quarter where the Lions managed to score seventeen unanswered points to tie the game up. However, the Arizona Cardinals were able to answer back in the fourth quarter thanks to the impressive running game of Beanie Wells. In the end the Cardinals were able to win 31-24 which gives them a 9-5 record. The player of the game in my book is definitely Beanie Wells who averaged 6.5 yards per carry with a total of 110 yards and one touchdown run.

Image By: AP Photo-Carlos Osorio

The Sports Rundown

2009-12-08T15:05:00.003-07:00

I know I have typically done sports rundowns on Fridays but there is so much that has happened in sports and it has been a while since I have done a rundown so here it is.

*After an auto accident information on Tiger Woods' personal life leaks out revealing that he has cheated on his wife with multiple women. This has caused strong reactions against many of his sponsors including Nike. Public perception has also shifted while he is not a felon or anything, Woods has become one of the guys who is an outstanding athlete but cannot be looked to as a role-model.
*Bobby Bowden forced to retire after another unsuccessful season at Florida State. It is really unfortunate Bowden had to retire a year early considering how much he had done for the football program at FSU. Bowden was the second-most winningest coach in college division-1 football behind Joe Paterno.
*The five Heisman Trophy candidates have been announced and among the the candidates is defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska. He is one of the few defensive players to ever be nominated and will be among an even smaller handful if he wins the Heisman.
*Alabama will be playing Texas in the college football Citi BCS National Championship Bowl.

Great Win for Cardinals against Vikings

2009-12-07T12:21:00.002-07:00

Last week the Cardinals faced the tough Minnesota Vikings who were 10-1 going into week 13. With an impressive performance by Cardinals offense and defense, the Cardinals defeated the Vikings 30-17 handing the Vikings their second loss and putting the Cardinals up three games against the San Fransisco 49ers and Seahawks for the division lead. The Cardinals got off to a rocky start with an early fumble by Tim Hightower on the Cardinals' first drive. Nonetheless, the Cardinals would quickly bounce back which was ignited by a phenomenal punt return by Steve Breaston to take the ball on Minnesota's two yard line. The Cardinals go on the road next week facing the San Francisco 49ers, a game which will be televised on Monday Night Football. If the Cardinals can defeat the 49ers, the Cardinals will clinch the division lead.

Here are some highlights from the game:

Cardinals Drop to 7-4 After Frustratring Loss to Titans

2009-11-30T11:24:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, the Arizona Cardinals played the hot Tennessee Titans. The Titans were on a four-game winning streak and the Cardinals hoped to end it. Unfortunately, Kurt Warner who got virtually all of the quarterback reps in practice did not feel well Sunday morning from his concussion injury last week and as a result backup Matt Leinart was asked to step in. While no Warner and having little practice, Leinart managed to keep the game competitive. Additionally, the Cardinals special team was incredible this game. The Cardinals were down at halftime but with a couple late-game impressive touchdowns the Cardinals were up 17-13 in the fourth quarter. The Titans would not give up however with 2 minutes and 37 seconds in their final drive at their own one yard line. Somehow someway Vince Young and the Titans managed a 99 yard drive. While this is bad enough, what was particularly frustrating was Vince young's 4th and goal pass at the 10 yard line with six seconds left that gave the Titans the victory. This was about as bad as it gets in terms of Arizona Cardinals losses go. With yesterday's loss, the Cardinals' lead over San Francisco has dropped to two games. Next week, the Cardinals are home playing the tough Minnesota Vikings. Hopefully, Kurt Warner is healthy and the Cardinals could cash in on what would be an excellent victory.

Why it Is so Hard to Be a Boxing Fan

2009-11-29T20:39:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy sports, but one sport I have never been much of a fan of is boxing. Yesterday, I was flipping through sports and noticed boxing televised on HBO. This particular game I watched was a serious match between two high-ranked lightweight boxers: Ali Funeka versus Joan Guzman. To my surprise this match was surprisingly interesting to watch and throughout it I told myself that I may have begun to really enjoy boxing. Towards the end of the fight it was clear that Funeka was romping Joan Guzman who was bloodies all over the face and seemed to not be entirely conscious with his inability to fully throw a punch. For one, I was a bit shocked that Funeka was not able to knock out a seriously weakened Guzman towards the end match, but nonetheless it seemed clear Funeka would win the match on a judge’s decision. At the end of the match the television announcers analyzed the stats, which showed Funeka as an obvious victor. Funkea landed over twice as many punches as Guzman and one of the announcers decided to fill out an unofficial scorecard giving Funeka the win 117 to 111. However, two of the judges ruled the match a 114-114 tie which led to a draw by lack of majority decision. The announcers showed a clear mistake by the two Canadian judges who ruled the match a tie. Both of these judges, Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel, had very little judging experience compared to Joe Pasquale the lone judge who ruled the match as a victory for Funeka. Such strange subjective and unfair results to what should be a relatively clear decision one way seem to make it so difficult to be a serious fan of boxing.

The Rapid Progression of Technology and Innovation - Case Study of Facebook

2009-11-26T09:28:00.004-07:00

It amazes me how quickly society has developed to the point where society could not even function anymore if it had to use same resources it had access to in the 1980s. Now almost 2 billion people worldwide use the internet when in 1990 the Internet did not even reach the public sphere. What amazes me even more is the progression of the internet. It is hard to believe that Facebook, the largest online social network, was only developed 5 years ago and only allowed college students to join as members. I particularly liked Facebook as a college networking device which not only was a great way to communicate with friends but Facebook also provided students with an outlet to coordinate group projects with colleagues from class. Facebook would later expand to high school students, understandably so to increase membership although this addition was somewhat somewhat to my dismay...seriously I liked the exclusiveness it had for college students. Soon after Facebook the demographic of Facebook users expanded even further, and now anyone over the age of 13 can be a member of Facebook. Now there are over 300 million active users of Facebook worldwide. When I went to Mexico, I was often asked by my friends abroad to be added as a friend on Facebook. Just yesterday, I found out that my Mom created a Facebook account. Facebook is still growing and it is incredible that something non-existent six years ago has now become a primary source of sharing information on the web, which includes people sharing photos albums to friends.

College Basketball Rankings Fail - AP and ESPN Polls Seems to Miss the Mark

2009-11-23T15:41:00.002-07:00

It is only the second week in college basketball and somehow the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls seem to be miserable in the ranking department. It seems like it would be quite easy to rank teams early on based on record but somehow the polls are completely comfortable ranking teams even with losses over good conference undefeated teams: Miami and Florida State to name a couple. Yet nonetheless, the AP Poll seems to find a place for the Oklahoma Sooners who have lost to Virginia Commonwealth this early in the season, yet I do not see any massive points going to VCU for their win, yet Oklahoma still gets ranked for this. The ESPN poll is not much better as they are willing to rank the 2-2 California Golden Bears as number 23. Something seems quite wrong with this.

Still Kid at Heart

2009-11-22T09:11:00.003-07:00

For some reason after we reach a certain age, we become too old for a lot of things. I guess I may understand why someone should be off training wheels at least by their teenage years or even the McDonald’s play pin; however, the notion of being too old even applies to certain foods or types of food and I am not referring to baby food. Well, I am not going to lie, I definitely enjoy a lot of the “kids” foods that have been avoided by most young adults. I eat things based on tasted and convenience over perception. I still find myself frequently enjoying Lunchables, Dunkaroos, and Go-Gurt. You know you are in trouble when the snack you are eating has the nutritional information listed for children under four. Below is a picture of the side of a box of Cinnamon Teddy Grahams. While the picture quality is poor, the side of the box indicates information “for children under four” at a reduced serving size.

Taco Bell 1.99 Burritos are a Disappointment

2009-11-14T10:27:00.003-07:00

Recently Taco Bell has made a pitch to promote three of their half-pound burritos priced at 1.99. These tacos have double the beef and are supposed to be able to be plenty of food for anyone...at two-dollars Taco Bell provides a deal that cannot be found anywhere else. The prime commercial of these burritos features boxing great Evander Holyfield. Here is the commercial, unfortunately the video quality from YouTube is not very good:

While advertising is almost always somewhat misleading and it is expected that the food item featured in a commercial will never look as good when ordered in real-life as it does in the picture, the Taco Bell half pounders fall even farther below these expectations. These burritos plain and simply are tiny. I could have figured that Holyfield could probably eat more than one burrito, but I still expected the burrito to be relatively substantive. As it turned out, at my recent visit to Taco Bell I found out that someone my size, much lighter than Holyfield at 150 pounds, needs a half-pound burrito in addition to: one chicken ranch gordita, one soft taco, and two apple turnovers.

Below are the realistic images of an actual half pound burrito. However, I do not see Taco Bell showing these pictures to anyone.