I do not think of myself as someone who suffers from multiple personality disorder, but I currently have two personalities: the BAP that everyone has grown to love and admire (and who's head does not always fit through doorways), and Sam. Sam's a nice guy: he says hello, please, and thank you; he smiles; he holds the door open for others; and he's a very generous tipper. However, Sam does not have very many friends...after all, he only exists for about 10 minutes every weekday.
Sam is my coffee house personality. I did not create Sam myself, but rather, it was the nice lady behind the counter. You see, I swing by my local Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (better known as CBTL to you hip youngsters) every morning on the way to work and pick up a large vanilla latte. Every morning; the same drink (I fear change, change is bad). Well, the nice lady behind the counter began to recognize me about a month ago and now I do not have to order. I get up to the cash register and she already has me rung up. Yet for some reason she thinks I am this Sam guy (it's ironic that this nice lady would choose Sam because when I was five years old, I really wanted a dog, but my parents wouldn't get me one. So I began to act like a dog, a dog named Sam. I figured if my parents wanted BAP back they would have to get us a dog. Worked to a "T"...but I digress). So, I became Sam. Sam does not talk much, just collects his drink and goes along his merry way.
There are other classic examples of multiple personalities: Edward Norton's character in Primal Fear (should have won an Oscar if you ask me); Anthony Reddick, who went from an All-American safety, to suspended indefinately helmet-slinging luntatic, to a self-proclaimed "role-model for the kids who look up to him" in a span of 48 hours; UCLA Offensive Coordinator Jim Svoboda, who was a completely different person during the Notre Dame game...well, at least for the first half (can't even imagine how many years of my Brother-in-Law's life were lost thanks to the last 4 minutes of that game); Jeffrey Hunter, who split time between sensative manager of "The Max" and sleazy college guy (I mean, who chooses a blond-bimbo over Kelly Kapowski, seriously?); and the Los Angeles Kings from 2001 to 2006.
It was always fun showing up to a Kings game during that era because you never knew what team you were going to see. It was a crap-shoot. It was probably one of the main reasons why my main man Andy Murray got let go during the 2005-2006 season. You never knew whether the Kings would come out playing hard, aggressive hockey or tentative, let-the-game-come-to-you hockey. I'm sure it was frustrating to management; I know it was frustrating for the fans.
Although we are only 10 games into the 2006-2007, I can honestly say that this new Kings team has but one personality. Although their 3-5-2 record may not be proof, the Kings thus far have been playing hard-nosed, aggressive hockey. I had the privilege of attending the Minnesota-Los Angeles tilt (hockey lingo for game) last week with my Dad and My Better Half; it was a great game. The Kings played the hardest 60 minutes and 43 seconds I have seen them play since their epic playoff push at the end of the 2000-2001 season (true story: after one game during the 2000-2001, Andy Murray was so upset with the Kings performance that he made each player write an essay about what it meant to be a professional hockey player...I'm already a fan of whatever team hires him next). Although the Kings ended up losing 2-1 in overtime, it was an impressive game, one that I believe shows this youthful Kings team is moving in the right direction.
The scores of the games may not indicate it, but this team has a personality of playing hard. They are not going to rollover for anyone. They are not beating the elite teams right now, but they are making the games interesting. The Kings are still young, and when a young team plays hard and aggressive, mistakes are going to happen. However, if you listen to Marc Crawford (fyi: no relation to Michael Crawford of Phantom of the Opera fame...I knew that was eating you alive), you know he's proud of this team. I am too.
It is still too early to tell what the 2006-2007 season has in store for the Kings; give me 10 or so more games to figure that out. One thing is clear though, this season is all about personality.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Take The Points
I am a risk averse person. When I mention this around my parents, they normally get a good chuckle. You see, perhaps my main vice in life is my love for gambling; but I do not see it the same way my parents do. Although I enjoy a good game of no limit hold-em', my true gambling love is betting on sports. I know you are probably expecting me to say I love betting on hockey, but you would be mistaken. Professional sports are next to impossible to consistently bet and win. For me, I enjoy the art (oh, it is an art) of betting on college football.
Betting on college football is not so much gambling as it is a science. Sure there is an element of chance; but isn't there in everything? Let me give an example. This week Wisconsin is playing Minnesota at home. The spread is -8.5. Would you take the points or lay the points? (As an aside, I should make something clear in case someone actually likes what they are about to read. Last season I was on a good run during college football's second season. One of my friends decided he was going to make the same plays I made. For the Texas/USC game I told him to take the points and the over, assuming he knew what I meant. In every bet, there is a favorite and an underdog. The favorite is always minus (-) something and the underdog is always plus (+) something; the favorite is expected to win by at least that many points. If someone tells you to take the points, it means bet on the dog, they should be able to beat the spread; lay the points means take the favorite, they should be able to cover the spread. Can you see where my friend would go wrong? I was telling him to take the underdog, Texas ,and he took USC. If only he had listened.)
So, if you know college football, you are probably thinking "I don't know BAP, Big Ten games are usually close." This is where betting becomes more of a science. Wisconsin, at 5-1 this season, is currently ranked #25 in the nation. Their only loss was to National Championship contender Michigan (Go Big Blue!). Minnesota, on the other hand, is merely 2-4 and 0-3 in Big Ten games; their wins came against Kent St. and Temple (which hasn't won a game since 2004). Wisconsin has the number 1 rated defense in the Big Ten; they are first against the pass and second against the run. Wisconsin also has one of the top offenses, including their running game. Minnesota, on the other, has the second worst defense in the Big Ten and are terrible against the run (Wisconsin's strength; P.J. Hill, Jr., you are needed at the main stage). Although Minnesota has a decent offense, they rely on the passing game, which plays into Wisconsin's defensive strength. So, to me the choice is clear, you lay the points. Wisconsin should win by more then 8.5 points. I do not feel as though I am gambling so much as hoping Wisconsin just plays its normal game. (Update: Wisconsin 48, Minnesota 12...the greatest mind of this century, I kid you not)
Why am I telling you all this? Well, it is because one time I truly did take a risk; I was truly gambling. Thankfully, it paid off. You see, the reason I call My Better Half my better half is because she is truly amazing. Had Vegas put odds on me actually winning her over, I probably would have been a heavy underdog; the spread would probably have been somewhere in the 44.5 range (aka BAP +44.5). The pre-game stats looked like this: she was a freshman in college while I was a senior, 3.5 years her elder; my previous girlfriend had done a number on my psyche and desire to be in a relationship; she had been burned by several dirtbags in the recent past; and neither of us were actually looking for love at the time. Clearly, the odds were against us.
So, I threw my risk adverse ways aside and took a chance. It is not everyday that an incredibly smart, smoking hot (if you're wondering whether your better half is smoking hot, perform the following test: have her wear a long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama-pants, no make-up and her hair up in a ponytail. If she still looks amazing and you are still uncontrollably attracted to her, congratulations, you have yourself a smoking hot better half...but I digress), extremely dedicated, and ovlerly passionate young woman enters your life.
We met at a Glee Club retreat in Big Bear, California. This was in late-September. It started out with just a few "deep" conversations, but I knew this girl was something special. She will tell you it was the booze talking, but I know otherwise. From there, it was occasional phone calls, she would hang out with me and my friends (mind you, my friends and I treated Senior Year less as school and more as a constant drinking game), and we would watch some movies (which, in dorms, can serve as great decoys). She introduced me to her parents during the last weekend of October, a move that caught me by surprise considering we were not even really seeing eachother at that point in time.
Betting on college football is not so much gambling as it is a science. Sure there is an element of chance; but isn't there in everything? Let me give an example. This week Wisconsin is playing Minnesota at home. The spread is -8.5. Would you take the points or lay the points? (As an aside, I should make something clear in case someone actually likes what they are about to read. Last season I was on a good run during college football's second season. One of my friends decided he was going to make the same plays I made. For the Texas/USC game I told him to take the points and the over, assuming he knew what I meant. In every bet, there is a favorite and an underdog. The favorite is always minus (-) something and the underdog is always plus (+) something; the favorite is expected to win by at least that many points. If someone tells you to take the points, it means bet on the dog, they should be able to beat the spread; lay the points means take the favorite, they should be able to cover the spread. Can you see where my friend would go wrong? I was telling him to take the underdog, Texas ,and he took USC. If only he had listened.)
So, if you know college football, you are probably thinking "I don't know BAP, Big Ten games are usually close." This is where betting becomes more of a science. Wisconsin, at 5-1 this season, is currently ranked #25 in the nation. Their only loss was to National Championship contender Michigan (Go Big Blue!). Minnesota, on the other hand, is merely 2-4 and 0-3 in Big Ten games; their wins came against Kent St. and Temple (which hasn't won a game since 2004). Wisconsin has the number 1 rated defense in the Big Ten; they are first against the pass and second against the run. Wisconsin also has one of the top offenses, including their running game. Minnesota, on the other, has the second worst defense in the Big Ten and are terrible against the run (Wisconsin's strength; P.J. Hill, Jr., you are needed at the main stage). Although Minnesota has a decent offense, they rely on the passing game, which plays into Wisconsin's defensive strength. So, to me the choice is clear, you lay the points. Wisconsin should win by more then 8.5 points. I do not feel as though I am gambling so much as hoping Wisconsin just plays its normal game. (Update: Wisconsin 48, Minnesota 12...the greatest mind of this century, I kid you not)
Why am I telling you all this? Well, it is because one time I truly did take a risk; I was truly gambling. Thankfully, it paid off. You see, the reason I call My Better Half my better half is because she is truly amazing. Had Vegas put odds on me actually winning her over, I probably would have been a heavy underdog; the spread would probably have been somewhere in the 44.5 range (aka BAP +44.5). The pre-game stats looked like this: she was a freshman in college while I was a senior, 3.5 years her elder; my previous girlfriend had done a number on my psyche and desire to be in a relationship; she had been burned by several dirtbags in the recent past; and neither of us were actually looking for love at the time. Clearly, the odds were against us.
So, I threw my risk adverse ways aside and took a chance. It is not everyday that an incredibly smart, smoking hot (if you're wondering whether your better half is smoking hot, perform the following test: have her wear a long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama-pants, no make-up and her hair up in a ponytail. If she still looks amazing and you are still uncontrollably attracted to her, congratulations, you have yourself a smoking hot better half...but I digress), extremely dedicated, and ovlerly passionate young woman enters your life.
We met at a Glee Club retreat in Big Bear, California. This was in late-September. It started out with just a few "deep" conversations, but I knew this girl was something special. She will tell you it was the booze talking, but I know otherwise. From there, it was occasional phone calls, she would hang out with me and my friends (mind you, my friends and I treated Senior Year less as school and more as a constant drinking game), and we would watch some movies (which, in dorms, can serve as great decoys). She introduced me to her parents during the last weekend of October, a move that caught me by surprise considering we were not even really seeing eachother at that point in time.
But I knew I had found something special. It is funny how you always find what you want when you are not even looking. I mean, this is a woman who was willing to sit outside her room on a relatively cool evening and listen to me ramble on about nothing because I was drunk. Finally, though, I got her to go on a date with me. On November 4th, I took her to a Kings game...shocking. Had the Kings won, I am pretty sure I would have been able to make it official that night. Instead, it was November 15th. And the rest, they say, is history.
Well, that was nearly four years ago; and now, I am almost sure you are wondering why I even told you all of this. But, if you are in love, and I mean truly in love, you do not have to ask; you already know. My Better Half has been in South Africa for last 20 days and today could not get here fast enough. I felt it best to relive those first two months because I want the whole world to know just how I feel. I want My Better Half to know that when I tell her I miss her like crazy, I am not saying it because I feel obligated too, but because I actually do.
Sometimes you take the points.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Rebuilding is the New Black
We all have events in our life that are branded permanently into our mind. We remember exactly where we were when when it occurred. I remember exactly where I was on March 21, 2006 when the Los Angeles Kings fired then head coach Andy Murray (corner of Moorpark Rd and Los Robles Dr., just having filled up my car with gas if you must know...jeez you're nosy). I immeadiately called my dad. You see, although many fans were fed up with Murray's inability to get his players to produce, I still thought he was getting the job done. I always thought the Kings were underperforming because their impact players were constantly out of lineup from one injury or another. But, in the end, it was Murray who got sent packing back to Minnesota (ironically enough, some of you may recall that I got to fly with Murray the next week when I was on my way to Minneapolis for the NCAA tournament. I was a little gun shy, and if it wasn't for my amazing better half, I wouldn't have had the nerve to talk to him. Turns out, he owns season tickets right by my family's tickets...god I love my better half).
Back to the night of the 21st, I called my dad and told him what happened. He told me something that stuck with me (and the Kings, apparently): sometimes change is good. The Kings apparently think change is great, taking it to a whole new level. In the sports world, change like this is known as rebuilding. The Kings, however, are making rebuilding the new black. They've been rebuilding for about three seasons now and progess...well...it's been kind of slow. Each season, the Kings have done just enough to keep the fans thinking they're moving in the right direction. They would bring in one upper tier player and claim it was sufficient to fill the holes they had. Management was good at making the sales pitch. But by mid-season, it always became clear that the change was about as good as the second senior year of Saved By the Bell. I mean, who told the producers it would be okay to replace perennial favorite Kelly Kapowski with a biker chick named Tori Scott? How could this possibly be a good thing? I mean, Kapowski, she was the real deal...wait...
So, the Kings haven't exactly been the epitome of rebuilding over the past few season. But there's reason to believe that this offseason will be different. Why's that you ask? Because this rebuilding has been like nothing we've seen before. First, and foremost, this has been a complete rebuild. The Kings' ownership did away with most of the upper management, including General Manager Dave Taylor who, in his early years, was known for making some big time deals that actually made an impact. Over the last few years, however, his big time deals had become big time duds. So we start with a new GM, Dean Lombardi. Then we got a completely new coaching staff, including a coach who has a Stanley Cup championship on his resume, the first Kings coach to have one of those. This rebuilding thing is starting to look pretty sexy. But what about the players?
This is where Dean Lombardi has proven that he is the right man to turn this rebuilding trend into a passing fad. DL hasn't tried to hide anything. He's not trying to convince anyone to drink the Kool Aid. He's been honest from the beginning and has said this is going to take a few years. He's collected a slew of young prospects for whom the sky is the limit. He's surrounded them with few marque players, if any at all. DL has brought in several character players, who will play hard every night and be a great influence on these young and influential kids. There are going to be mistakes and there are going to be moments that leave you breathless. It's just going to be one of those seasons.
So, if I know this seasons is going to be hit and miss throughout, why am I so excited? I think it's because I know what to expect. No one is trying to hide the eight ball. I know this is the first season of the development of several potential superstars. If the Kings are able to make the playoffs, it's just icing on the cake. It means the youth movement is further along than anyone imagined. That would mean the best years are closer than we think. The best part, however, is that because I know what to expect, I just get to sit back and enjoy the show.
Yes dad, as always, you're right...
Back to the night of the 21st, I called my dad and told him what happened. He told me something that stuck with me (and the Kings, apparently): sometimes change is good. The Kings apparently think change is great, taking it to a whole new level. In the sports world, change like this is known as rebuilding. The Kings, however, are making rebuilding the new black. They've been rebuilding for about three seasons now and progess...well...it's been kind of slow. Each season, the Kings have done just enough to keep the fans thinking they're moving in the right direction. They would bring in one upper tier player and claim it was sufficient to fill the holes they had. Management was good at making the sales pitch. But by mid-season, it always became clear that the change was about as good as the second senior year of Saved By the Bell. I mean, who told the producers it would be okay to replace perennial favorite Kelly Kapowski with a biker chick named Tori Scott? How could this possibly be a good thing? I mean, Kapowski, she was the real deal...wait...
So, the Kings haven't exactly been the epitome of rebuilding over the past few season. But there's reason to believe that this offseason will be different. Why's that you ask? Because this rebuilding has been like nothing we've seen before. First, and foremost, this has been a complete rebuild. The Kings' ownership did away with most of the upper management, including General Manager Dave Taylor who, in his early years, was known for making some big time deals that actually made an impact. Over the last few years, however, his big time deals had become big time duds. So we start with a new GM, Dean Lombardi. Then we got a completely new coaching staff, including a coach who has a Stanley Cup championship on his resume, the first Kings coach to have one of those. This rebuilding thing is starting to look pretty sexy. But what about the players?
This is where Dean Lombardi has proven that he is the right man to turn this rebuilding trend into a passing fad. DL hasn't tried to hide anything. He's not trying to convince anyone to drink the Kool Aid. He's been honest from the beginning and has said this is going to take a few years. He's collected a slew of young prospects for whom the sky is the limit. He's surrounded them with few marque players, if any at all. DL has brought in several character players, who will play hard every night and be a great influence on these young and influential kids. There are going to be mistakes and there are going to be moments that leave you breathless. It's just going to be one of those seasons.
So, if I know this seasons is going to be hit and miss throughout, why am I so excited? I think it's because I know what to expect. No one is trying to hide the eight ball. I know this is the first season of the development of several potential superstars. If the Kings are able to make the playoffs, it's just icing on the cake. It means the youth movement is further along than anyone imagined. That would mean the best years are closer than we think. The best part, however, is that because I know what to expect, I just get to sit back and enjoy the show.
Yes dad, as always, you're right...
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