I hope you all had an amazing Christmas (or holiday season for my non-Christian readers). I wanted to let you all know that I am shutting down for the rest of 2008. I am celebrating "Second" Christmas with my family this weekend, so I will be unable to get anything new out before we ring in the new year.
I hope you all have a happy, healthy and safe New Years celebration. See you all in 2008!!!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Christmas has finally arrived. Everyone is walking around the office handing out gifts and I feel like a retard because I did not get anyone anything. In my defense, I call last Christmas as my first witness; no one gave me anything. Maybe I should have followed the example of my buddy Nosh (thanks for the card!), who cooked and iced out (that's edible bling) enough cookies to feed a small nation. This was an amateur mistake on my part and will never happen again. My team is getting ready to head out for a holiday lunch (read: getting drunk), so I am getting you this weeks link dump a couple of hours early. Besides, I figure most you are headed out early (if you're even in the office at all) and are probably dying for some way to pass the time. So here are some things from the past week you should know about:
- I am now 100% convinced that Congress does not do any actual work. Seriously though, the Rockies did not even win anything.
- When you were 7 years old, did ever ski "fast and recklessly"?
- Student asks math teacher for extra credit assignment; math teacher follows the porno movie playbook. I am sure you know how this one ends.
- Purdue University: training great minds like Orville Redenbacher, Neil Armstrong and this girl since 1869.
- Berkshire Hathaway share fell 4.6% on Monday, closing at $136,000 per share. I totally sympathize with what the shareholders must be going through right now.
- Come this time of year, you really should not disappoint your parents.
- Nerds of the world rejoice . . . I am doing so secretly to maintain my image.
- I cannot say I was totally shocked when Jamie Lynn Spears announced she was pregnant (and provided my with a great new Guitar Hero band name: "Jamie Lynn's Baby"), but shouldn't something be done about the fact that a 16-year-old girl got knocked up by a 19-year-old boy? Or have just finally realized that a celebrities are whores?
- Holiday time is when the most wonderful culinary wishes can come true.
Holiday Greetings from GT, TBD©’s In-House Counsel
Please accept, with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of subsequent holiday greetings, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of subsequent holiday greetings, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Something New, Something Blue, . . .
. . . but never something borrowed. With the help of the list of things needed to get married (as I will be, come next August), I am proud to announce the arrival of a new post (trumpets, trumpets, trumpets . . . fanfare, fanfare, fanfare . . . fireworks . . . thank you, you're all too kind). As usual, these words are all my own, never borrowed. Unfortunately, I have been forced to face a cruel reality, one that makes me blue (read: sad . . . see how I did that?). I share this reality with you now.
Do you remember way back when the producers of Saved By The Bell decided to make a second senior year of high school? I do, and at first I was excited. I did not know how I was going to cope with the loss of my good friends Zack, Albert Clifford, and Samuel; they were practically family. And what about getting the latest gossip from Lisa, or daydreaming about the head cheerleader/homecoming queen/swim team member/cheating Kelly, or getting annoyed with the neurotic Jessie (especially when she goes and gets hooked on caffeine pills . . . "I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so . . . scared!")? So, needless to say, I was relieved to hear that senior year part two was going to happen.
Sure, some changes needed to be made. The same class coming back for a second round would have seemed a little odd. So Jessie decided it was best for her to go pursue her dreams of being a big-screen actress (if you can call taking your clothes for all your roles being an actress). Kelly also decided it was best that she go and sleep with every single male living in Beverly Hills, 90210 (no comment from Zack's people on how he's responding). Then there was the new girl in town, the "biker chick' Tori, who spent half the time being a bad-ass and half the time trying to discover her feminine side. Now, interesting enough, although the Tori episodes were filmed after the first senior year episodes, they aired simultaneously on NBC, alternating weeks. All that being said, the second senior year was a disappointment. Although the episode that features The Five Aces still ranks as one of my favorites, the second senior year left me feeling blue.
But the second senior year of Saved By The Bell is not the only thing that has left me feeling blue. This is the second year of Dean Lombardi's rebuilding plan for the Los Angeles Kings, and it seems to be worse than the first. If you take a moment to peruse the Pacific Division standings over in the right-hand column, you will see the Kings there at the bottom. The team is currently in the middle of not their first or second, but third five-game losing streak of the season and we are not even to the half way point. If I posted the standings for the entire National Hockey League, you would see the Kings at the very bottom; they are the only team that has not reached the thirty-point mark. As usual, the Kings are being let down by their defense and goaltending; they have given up the most goals (119) in the league. The team only has five players with a plus/minus rating of even or better, but only one of those five has played more than twenty games.
But like the episode featuring The Five Aces, the Kings second season under Dean Lombardi is not all bad. Their top line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and Michael Cammalleri (who My Better Half thinks is rather good looking) all putting up some great numbers having scored 15, 16, and 14 goals respectively. All three are proving that are the future of the Kings and are all possible NHL superstars (Kopitar, only in his second season, is already, arguably, there). The Kings also gave 19-year-old goalie Jonathan Bernier a few games to get his feet wet before sending him back to Juniors (they were forced to do so based on some crazy NHL rule). Although he only won one of his four starts, Bernier looked sharp in all but one of the games he played. All signs point to him being the Kings goaltender of the future, and a good one at that. The Kings have also played in two memorable games this season. The staged a dramatic comeback on November 10th, beating Dallas 6-5 in overtime after trailing 4-0 midway through the third period. Then, on December 6th, they beat the Buffalo Sabres 8-2; at one point the Kings had seven goals to the Sabres' eight shots. Needless to say, it was a fun game to watch.
Through thirty-five games last season, the Kings were 12-18-5; this year, they are 12-21-2. Although all signs point to the Kings regressing this season, I am not ready to give up on them just yet (yes Dad, I'm always the optimist). There are still forty-seven games left in the season. That is plenty of time for the Kings to turn things around and at least show some signs of improvement. Do I think they will make the playoffs? No, not really; but I still believe they can have a better record than the 27-41-14 record they posted last season. Although we will not be seeing Bernier anymore this season, hopefully LaBarbara can fully recover from the rib injury he suffered a few weeks. The Kings have shown they can score, in bunches when necessary, but it is time for the defense and goaltending to keep the puck out of their net. If they can shore up the defense, the Kings are capable of making a nice run.
A lot of fans have already written off this season and, while I am not one of them, I do not blame them. But some are also going as far as saying there is no end in sight to the Kings' ineptitude. I would not be willing to go that far because you never know what will happen between now and season. Besides, if this season does not get any better, the Kings will be calling Steven Stamkos' name as the number one overall pick in the 2008 Entry Draft.
And remember, Saved By The Bell: The College Years turned out way better than anyone expected.
Do you remember way back when the producers of Saved By The Bell decided to make a second senior year of high school? I do, and at first I was excited. I did not know how I was going to cope with the loss of my good friends Zack, Albert Clifford, and Samuel; they were practically family. And what about getting the latest gossip from Lisa, or daydreaming about the head cheerleader/homecoming queen/swim team member/cheating Kelly, or getting annoyed with the neurotic Jessie (especially when she goes and gets hooked on caffeine pills . . . "I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so . . . scared!")? So, needless to say, I was relieved to hear that senior year part two was going to happen.
Sure, some changes needed to be made. The same class coming back for a second round would have seemed a little odd. So Jessie decided it was best for her to go pursue her dreams of being a big-screen actress (if you can call taking your clothes for all your roles being an actress). Kelly also decided it was best that she go and sleep with every single male living in Beverly Hills, 90210 (no comment from Zack's people on how he's responding). Then there was the new girl in town, the "biker chick' Tori, who spent half the time being a bad-ass and half the time trying to discover her feminine side. Now, interesting enough, although the Tori episodes were filmed after the first senior year episodes, they aired simultaneously on NBC, alternating weeks. All that being said, the second senior year was a disappointment. Although the episode that features The Five Aces still ranks as one of my favorites, the second senior year left me feeling blue.
But the second senior year of Saved By The Bell is not the only thing that has left me feeling blue. This is the second year of Dean Lombardi's rebuilding plan for the Los Angeles Kings, and it seems to be worse than the first. If you take a moment to peruse the Pacific Division standings over in the right-hand column, you will see the Kings there at the bottom. The team is currently in the middle of not their first or second, but third five-game losing streak of the season and we are not even to the half way point. If I posted the standings for the entire National Hockey League, you would see the Kings at the very bottom; they are the only team that has not reached the thirty-point mark. As usual, the Kings are being let down by their defense and goaltending; they have given up the most goals (119) in the league. The team only has five players with a plus/minus rating of even or better, but only one of those five has played more than twenty games.
But like the episode featuring The Five Aces, the Kings second season under Dean Lombardi is not all bad. Their top line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and Michael Cammalleri (who My Better Half thinks is rather good looking) all putting up some great numbers having scored 15, 16, and 14 goals respectively. All three are proving that are the future of the Kings and are all possible NHL superstars (Kopitar, only in his second season, is already, arguably, there). The Kings also gave 19-year-old goalie Jonathan Bernier a few games to get his feet wet before sending him back to Juniors (they were forced to do so based on some crazy NHL rule). Although he only won one of his four starts, Bernier looked sharp in all but one of the games he played. All signs point to him being the Kings goaltender of the future, and a good one at that. The Kings have also played in two memorable games this season. The staged a dramatic comeback on November 10th, beating Dallas 6-5 in overtime after trailing 4-0 midway through the third period. Then, on December 6th, they beat the Buffalo Sabres 8-2; at one point the Kings had seven goals to the Sabres' eight shots. Needless to say, it was a fun game to watch.
Through thirty-five games last season, the Kings were 12-18-5; this year, they are 12-21-2. Although all signs point to the Kings regressing this season, I am not ready to give up on them just yet (yes Dad, I'm always the optimist). There are still forty-seven games left in the season. That is plenty of time for the Kings to turn things around and at least show some signs of improvement. Do I think they will make the playoffs? No, not really; but I still believe they can have a better record than the 27-41-14 record they posted last season. Although we will not be seeing Bernier anymore this season, hopefully LaBarbara can fully recover from the rib injury he suffered a few weeks. The Kings have shown they can score, in bunches when necessary, but it is time for the defense and goaltending to keep the puck out of their net. If they can shore up the defense, the Kings are capable of making a nice run.
A lot of fans have already written off this season and, while I am not one of them, I do not blame them. But some are also going as far as saying there is no end in sight to the Kings' ineptitude. I would not be willing to go that far because you never know what will happen between now and season. Besides, if this season does not get any better, the Kings will be calling Steven Stamkos' name as the number one overall pick in the 2008 Entry Draft.
And remember, Saved By The Bell: The College Years turned out way better than anyone expected.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Calling In Sick Today
I am calling in sick to work today so that I can go watch the second round of the Target World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods at Lake Sherwood Country Club. My managing partner is a big golf fan so he is more jealous than annoyed that I called in sick (I asked permission). Having already billed 40+ hours this week did not hurt my cause either. But I did not want to leave you, my avid readers, hanging without a way to get through your Friday, so here are some stories to hopefully keep you entertained:
- Having perfected her ability to flip-flop on the issues, Katherine Heigl announces she will be seeking office in the 2008 election.
- It is good to know that stupid criminals do not take the holiday season off.
- Explain to me again why paying the writers a few extra bucks for shows that appear on the Internet is not worth it?
- Angelina Jolie loves all children not birthed by her.
- Child welfare is investigating multiple abuse claims after TomKat take Suri to two Spice Girls concerts in three nights.
- Hey coach, I am not exactly sure how this will improve team moral, but I am sure you have your reasons.
- No gays in the military . . . unless, of course, we are running low on troops.
- Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious
- It's easy to do, just follow these steps . . .
Friday, December 07, 2007
This Is Harder Than It Looks...
Like learning to ride a bike, or taking the California Bar, or sharing an "intimate" moment with your lady friend for the first time, maintaining a Weblog (or "blog" for short) is harder than it looks. I understand how people can make it a full time job . . . though I still do not understand how they are able to make a decent living off of it. I do my best to find the time to keep you all entertained, and it is hard. I apologize for not having anything new for you this week, but this holiday season is kicking my behind. There I was watching the Kings beat up on the Buffalo Sabres last night (at one point in the game, midway through the second period, the Kings had 7 goals and the Sabres had 8 shots), and all I could think about was work, getting presents for people, the Victoria's Secret fashion show (average at best; though I did learn that Marisa Miller's nickname is "The Bombshell" . . . see banner picture above for visual proof or just go here), and writing a new post for you all to enjoy. It will come, I promise, but I cannot say when unfortunately. For now, I hope you enjoy the brief break from reality that I can provide you every Friday afternoon. Here are some things you might have missed:
- Stephen A. Smith says bloggers are unqualified to disseminate information. Anyone who has watched ESPN within the last three years says Stephen A. Smith is unqualified to think and speak at the same time. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce "Screamin'" A. Smith to the 1st Amendment, you know, the reason he has a job and all.
- Hillary is melting down faster than the Baltimore Ravens in the 4th quarter. Blame it on the officials Hillary.
- I demand a recount.
- I guess we should be glad that Congress is even planning to work at all in 2008.
- The Writers' Strike is still going on? I did not even notice that all the shows I watch have stopped running new episodes. I am glad it will not have any affect on next years schedule.
- Milli Vanilli may have told you to blame it on the rain, but when that fails you might as well blame it on . . . the Spice Girls?
- Protecting "the twins" since 1907.
- Dodgers are looking to sign her to a 5-year, $65 million contract.
Today we have a triple feature for your viewing pleasure, all public service announcements to prepare you for the new year:
- Parents, do NOT let your children play in youth soccer leagues. They are getting entirely too dangerous.
- Apparently mine fields are a bigger problem then I realized. (YouTube account required . . . do yourself a favor and get one).
- Some familiar faces would like to remind you to go green.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Friday, November 30, 2007
I Think My Clock Stopped Moving...
It is just one of those days here in the City of Angels. It is dark, cold, and rainy . . . but it is also Friday! Thank goodness. I know I have not been able to provide you with any original material lately and I apologize. Every time I think I am going to have time to write something up, life or work gets in the way (of course, by life I mean sports and by work I mean planning my honeymoon). I have two posts in various states of readiness and I hope to have them both up sometime next week. But I have been getting a lot of positive feedback from my avid readers about the weekly link dumps, so this letter to my client is going to have to wait (okay, I'm actually on my lunch break, but I'd put aside a letter for you guys). I hope you all have fun weekends lined up, I know things can get pretty crazy around the holidays. Me? It is rivalry week so you know where to find me. But I am sure you all need a little entertainment to help get you to the weekend; here you go:
- The Catholic Church seeks to make The Golden Compass the highest grossing film of the holiday season.
- Congratulations to South Dakota . . . so sorry to the Mormons.
- I am not sure is Jessie Spano knows this, but nudity is not allowed on television.
- In Australia, "chimney climbing skills" and a "gentle nature with children" gets you a prize. In America? Probably three to nine.
- Sabotage, pepper spray and a bomb threat . . . I am not talking about season 7 of 24 silly; it is the Miss Universe pageant.
- Man becomes one with nature (warning: kinda freaky).
- Who would have thought that children ages 2 to 12 could be so right?
- There go the mannequins, objectifying and assaulting the dignity of women again.
In honor of UCLA's four-point upset of USC last year, I bring you not one, not two, not three, but FOUR video clips for your viewing pleasure:
- I love the books and all, but really? REALLY?
- Nothing like a good, old-fashioned "Poon" fight with play-by-play.
- Think ACC official Ron Cherry is the first person to call this penalty? Think again.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A Three Day Week Can Only Mean One Thing...
A link dump on a Wednesday!!! If you are like me, you are probably thinking to yourself: "Why didn't my office just give us Wednesday off as well? It is not like anyone is doing any actual work." Well, that is because it is a slippery slope. If they give you Wednesday off, then Tuesday will be a lost day and so on. The solution? Just give us the whole week off. So, now I am stuck in my office getting fired up for the first meaningful Thanksgiving day game the Detroit Lions have played in eight years (kickoff is at 12:30 pm etz). For those of you not as excited about the Lions/Packers game, here are some newsworthy items you may have missed during this shortened week to help you pass the time:
- Nick Saban describes Alabama's loss to a stripper as a "catastrophic event" . . . you know, like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor.
- Stay classy New York Jets fans.
- This Thanksgiving, I would like to give thanks to all of those stupid criminals out there who keep me entertained.
- It is too bad the Packers do not play New England this year. I am in second in my FFL league and the guy in first has Brady.
- Ah, the United States Government . . . you never cease to amaze me.
- And England wonders how we defeated them in the Revolutionary War.
Although I have been shorted two days worth of entertaining news articles, I will never short my readers on funny video clips to get them through the day.
- First it was the 12-man beer bong, and now it is the gas-powered blender. People of Wisconsin, I take back everything bad I have ever said about you.
- Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried . . . EVER!
I hope you and your families have a safe start to the holiday season. Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving everyone!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Here's To Friday . . . And Long Lunches
Well, Friday has finally arrived. Although I have been sick for most of the week, I am in high spirits. I have overcome my illness thanks to two events: (1) I just had a "long" lunch (lawyer speak for had a few drinks), and (2) My Better Half's organization held their annual fundraiser (read: I spent the night rubbing shoulders and sharing drinks with celebrities). I had the opportunity to meet Jimmy Jean-Louis, and I would like to share with you how our conversation went:
BAP: Mr. Jean-Louis, it is such a pleasure to meet you.
JJL: Please, call me Jimmy.
BAP: Okay, Jimmy. I think it's really great that you support an organization like this.
JJL: Well, we can't take take the HIV/AIDS pandemic lightly. The least we can do is contribute some time and energy to help educate people and start fighting the problem.
BAP: I totally agree. Listen, I have a favor to ask and I know you can help me out. There's this girl I used to date and, well, she's crazy and I would kind of like to forget I ever had anything to do with her. You can take care of that for me right? Just erase my memory?
JJL: [Laughing] Well, I only play a character who can erase people's memories. I can't actually do that.
BAP: Oh, right. [wink] We shouldn't really broadcast that secret to too many people.
JJL: Haha. Well, it was nice meeting you.
BAP: So, we'll meet out back in about 15 and you can take care of that for me?
JJL: Security.
Okay, so I did not actually have the courage to go introduce myself, but you get the idea. I hope you all have fun plans for the weekend and, to help get you there, here are some things you might have missed:
BAP: Mr. Jean-Louis, it is such a pleasure to meet you.
JJL: Please, call me Jimmy.
BAP: Okay, Jimmy. I think it's really great that you support an organization like this.
JJL: Well, we can't take take the HIV/AIDS pandemic lightly. The least we can do is contribute some time and energy to help educate people and start fighting the problem.
BAP: I totally agree. Listen, I have a favor to ask and I know you can help me out. There's this girl I used to date and, well, she's crazy and I would kind of like to forget I ever had anything to do with her. You can take care of that for me right? Just erase my memory?
JJL: [Laughing] Well, I only play a character who can erase people's memories. I can't actually do that.
BAP: Oh, right. [wink] We shouldn't really broadcast that secret to too many people.
JJL: Haha. Well, it was nice meeting you.
BAP: So, we'll meet out back in about 15 and you can take care of that for me?
JJL: Security.
Okay, so I did not actually have the courage to go introduce myself, but you get the idea. I hope you all have fun plans for the weekend and, to help get you there, here are some things you might have missed:
- 2007 is a bad year for you when: (1) you are drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs; (b) naked pictures of you appear on the Internet; or (iii) all of the above.
- When Lance and Ashley's relationship falls apart, they will probably look back and say this is when things got weird.
- As it turns out, the best way to shorten the Oscars is a writers strike.
- Wohhhhhhhh, we're half way there-re. Woh-OH, livin' on a prayer-er.
- An interesting twist on the criminal justice system brought to you by Saudi Arabia.
- I've got your right to bear arms right here.
- Here is a nice way to spend that extra $350 million I know you have lying around.
- There must be something in the Gulf water.
And in for your double feature, I present two sports related clips:
- The Clippers have finally found themselves an outside shooter.
- And, Boom Goes the Dynamite.
Have a great weekend everyone!
[Update: I'm so sorry that most of you did not get to see this post on Friday afternoon. Apparently "save" is different "publish". I'm a retard.]
Monday, November 12, 2007
We Must Protect This House!
I have always found Under Armor's marketing campaigns rather humorous and relatively unimpressive. I mean, I have not been swayed to go out and buy their products (and can someone please tell me what is up with their new "Click, Clack" campaign . . . what does that even mean?). And while I wish this post could be dedicated to mocking Under Armor's original slogan (the now infamous . . . that's when you're more than famous, you're INfamous . . . "We must protect his house" . . . taken a little too seriously by the Kansas City Chiefs' mascot earlier this season), it is not. In fact, it is about something completely different; this entire introduction was just so I could link to the Kansas City video because I really enjoy it.
Now, to the real point of this post. I hate to do it, and I had told myself I would not do it, but I have to take a moment and get a little political. Do not worry, I am not going to try and tell you who you should vote for or which party is better and why; I would never do that. That decision belongs to you, and you alone. What I would like to do, however, is take a moment to discuss two problems that both parties should be talking about on a daily basis (and neither includes the word Iraq): (1) the sad state of American households, and (2) the war on drugs.
I usually get excited when I have a story to support my post, but not for this one. As you may or may not know, the two eldest sons of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid were recently sentenced to up to twenty-three months in prison for several drug and firearm related crimes. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Steven O'Neill described the Reid's home as "a drug emporium" and found "there isn't any structure there." This, of course, prompted sportswriters, sportscasters, and radio personalities (including my main man Dan Patrick...welcome back DP, it's been a great month of morning radio) to ask whether Coach Reid should take a leave-of-absence from the Eagles organization to be his family during this time. This, of course, brings me to my first point: the sad state of American households.
This nation is in need of a massive priority shift. On a daily basis we read about young celebrities doing stupid things, kids killing each other, kids doing drugs, and the like. And when something bad happens, the parents are out there pointing fingers at everything and everyone else. Blame it on the music, blame it on the television, blah, blah, blah. Blame it anything you want, expect my child and except me. No one ever wants to blame the household in which these kids are raised because then we have to face the real problem.
The current state of our nation, driven by money and power has developed a growing class of people who prioritize their life as follows: (1) money, (2) work, (3) money, (4) conspicuous consumption, (5) money, (6) popularity, and (7) family. I would even go so far as saying we are lucky when family falls within the top ten. And no family wants to deal with their own problems, believing it can just be solved with money. Let's send the kid therapy, a private school, or, my personal favorite, let's sue someone.
My Dad will be the first to admit that he worked hard and he worked a lot. He has flown around the world on business trips at least ten times that I can think of, and has accumulated so many frequent flyer miles on American Airlines that he has a guaranteed seat on any flight he needs (read: he can kick someone off a flight to have their seat . . . which he has never done and will never do). Working hard paid off for my Dad, and he became very successful. You have to be pretty financially secure to retire early in this day-and-age, and he was able to do so, and is loving life. But while he was working 12-hour days and traveling weeks at time, one thing remained the same: his family came first. He did not miss holidays or birthdays, we had a family vacation every year, and he was the coach of most of our youth sports teams. He also would tell you he could not have done it without his teammate/partner, my Mom, who ruled our house with an iron fist (and a wooden spoon . . . don't even get me started about how people don't think it's right for people to discipline their with a little whack on the bottom). And when my Brother and Sister and I got in trouble, we had to face the consequences. Mom and Dad were not there trying to blame someone else. They have always their children in all of our endeavours, and while they might have tried to assist us in making the right decision, it was our decision to make, and ours to deal with in the end . . . but never alone.
We should have seen this coming from a mile away. Back in the early 1990s, a friend of mine, Zach, was having some trouble in high school; he was close to failing out. All he wanted to do was to go on the class ski trip, so that he could spend a weekend away with his cheerleader-girlfriend Kelly. But the principal would not let him go unless his parents came in for a meeting first. Well, Zach's dad, you see, worked a lot and was never around, and Zach did not want to disappoint him, so he got an actor/waiter to impersonate his dad so he could go. In the end, his dad found out but Zach was still having a hard time communicating with his dad. How did Zach finally get through to his dad? If you answered super-large 80s cell phone, you are correct. And though their reconciliation was touching, their story showed the tragic path down which this nation was headed.
And that brings me to point two . . . which I will discuss next week (ohhhhh . . . dramatic cliffhanger).
Now, to the real point of this post. I hate to do it, and I had told myself I would not do it, but I have to take a moment and get a little political. Do not worry, I am not going to try and tell you who you should vote for or which party is better and why; I would never do that. That decision belongs to you, and you alone. What I would like to do, however, is take a moment to discuss two problems that both parties should be talking about on a daily basis (and neither includes the word Iraq): (1) the sad state of American households, and (2) the war on drugs.
I usually get excited when I have a story to support my post, but not for this one. As you may or may not know, the two eldest sons of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid were recently sentenced to up to twenty-three months in prison for several drug and firearm related crimes. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Steven O'Neill described the Reid's home as "a drug emporium" and found "there isn't any structure there." This, of course, prompted sportswriters, sportscasters, and radio personalities (including my main man Dan Patrick...welcome back DP, it's been a great month of morning radio) to ask whether Coach Reid should take a leave-of-absence from the Eagles organization to be his family during this time. This, of course, brings me to my first point: the sad state of American households.
This nation is in need of a massive priority shift. On a daily basis we read about young celebrities doing stupid things, kids killing each other, kids doing drugs, and the like. And when something bad happens, the parents are out there pointing fingers at everything and everyone else. Blame it on the music, blame it on the television, blah, blah, blah. Blame it anything you want, expect my child and except me. No one ever wants to blame the household in which these kids are raised because then we have to face the real problem.
The current state of our nation, driven by money and power has developed a growing class of people who prioritize their life as follows: (1) money, (2) work, (3) money, (4) conspicuous consumption, (5) money, (6) popularity, and (7) family. I would even go so far as saying we are lucky when family falls within the top ten. And no family wants to deal with their own problems, believing it can just be solved with money. Let's send the kid therapy, a private school, or, my personal favorite, let's sue someone.
My Dad will be the first to admit that he worked hard and he worked a lot. He has flown around the world on business trips at least ten times that I can think of, and has accumulated so many frequent flyer miles on American Airlines that he has a guaranteed seat on any flight he needs (read: he can kick someone off a flight to have their seat . . . which he has never done and will never do). Working hard paid off for my Dad, and he became very successful. You have to be pretty financially secure to retire early in this day-and-age, and he was able to do so, and is loving life. But while he was working 12-hour days and traveling weeks at time, one thing remained the same: his family came first. He did not miss holidays or birthdays, we had a family vacation every year, and he was the coach of most of our youth sports teams. He also would tell you he could not have done it without his teammate/partner, my Mom, who ruled our house with an iron fist (and a wooden spoon . . . don't even get me started about how people don't think it's right for people to discipline their with a little whack on the bottom). And when my Brother and Sister and I got in trouble, we had to face the consequences. Mom and Dad were not there trying to blame someone else. They have always their children in all of our endeavours, and while they might have tried to assist us in making the right decision, it was our decision to make, and ours to deal with in the end . . . but never alone.
We should have seen this coming from a mile away. Back in the early 1990s, a friend of mine, Zach, was having some trouble in high school; he was close to failing out. All he wanted to do was to go on the class ski trip, so that he could spend a weekend away with his cheerleader-girlfriend Kelly. But the principal would not let him go unless his parents came in for a meeting first. Well, Zach's dad, you see, worked a lot and was never around, and Zach did not want to disappoint him, so he got an actor/waiter to impersonate his dad so he could go. In the end, his dad found out but Zach was still having a hard time communicating with his dad. How did Zach finally get through to his dad? If you answered super-large 80s cell phone, you are correct. And though their reconciliation was touching, their story showed the tragic path down which this nation was headed.
And that brings me to point two . . . which I will discuss next week (ohhhhh . . . dramatic cliffhanger).
Friday, November 09, 2007
How Did This Happen?
Believe it or not (and I'm guessing most of you will not), Friday snuck up on me this week. It has been a crazy week at home and at the office. I did not realize today was Friday until last night when I was setting my alarm. I even watched Grey's Anatomy last night (which, right now anyways, is like pulling off 1,000 band-aids very slowly. . . it might be the one show that the writers' strike actually helps); a show I know airs on Thursday nights. Weird. So now it is Friday and I actually have a chance to take a short breather. I am planning on working overtime this weekend, for my GameTime, TBD© readers, to get a full post up by Sunday; I have already started working on it and I must say, it might be the most serious post I have ever written. For now, I want you to take a breather too, and catch up on some things you might have missed:
- How could the Minnesota Vikings possibly think this was the right thing to do?
- Somewhere in America, Bill Belichick is wondering why he did not think of this first.
- A priest stops molesting his alter boy for a moment and . . . starts stalking Conan O'Brien?
- The newest nominee for the 2007 Dumbest Criminal in America award.
- Want to know the difference between a great senior prank and sheer stupidity?
- So let me get this straight, I can text message anything I want and it will be displayed on the Jumbotron? How can anything possibly go wrong.
- A supermodel with a brain . . . now that is a scary thought.
- I wrote my high school term paper on Alcatraz and how it was a hotel for prisoners. Well, it turns out there actually is a prison hotel, and you too can stay there for at least $319 per night.
- As if New York Jets fans needed another reason to be depressed.
And for your Friday double feature, I would like to take this opportunity to salute athletes who endorse products:
- Tony Siragusa: Former Pro Football Player and Food Connoisseur.
- Three words: Laser-rocket arm.
And just in case you, like me, have had a long week and need just a couple extra minutes of fun, here is a bonus feature for you:
- Peyton Manning is just a likable guy. (I know it's old, but it still makes me laugh.)
Have a great weekend everyone!
Friday, November 02, 2007
Let's Get This Party Started...
Well, it is Friday, November 2nd and that can only mean one thing: the start of the 2007-2008 UCLA Men's Basketball season. The Bruins take on perennial National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) powerhouse Azusa Pacific University, the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Although it is only an exhibition game, Pauley Pavilion is sold out for the Bruin debut of Kevin Love, the top-ranked recruit in the nation. But while I am counting down the time until tip-off, I know most you out there are counting down the time left in your week. So, here are some enjoyable stories that you might have missed that will hopefully help make that clock move a little faster:
- I used to think Major League Baseball players were stupid for using performance-enhancing drugs, but as it turns out, they're only stupid if they actually get caught.
- I am not an alcoholic, I am an athlete.
- As sad is this story is, I am pretty sure they could still field a team that could beat the Miami Dolphins.
- Don't quote me on this, but I am almost positive that this is not the first time Hillary has been caught in a six-on-one.
- Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, and Scott Norwood were last seen pooling their money so they could buy all of the tickets.
- Call me crazy, but this might actually be a good thing.
- Just in case you are having a hard time parenting your own children, the Parents Television Council is willing to do it for you.
- I guess I better start checking IDs next Halloween.
I have always enjoyed a good laugh at the expense of a cheerleader or two. So, if you are in need of a good chuckle (I don't want you to laugh too loud and get in trouble at work), I offer you these two cheerleader-themed videos for your viewing enjoyment:
- Hold on boys, I just need to fix the banner for you.
- What do you expect? She's a USC Song Girl.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Behind Enemy Lines
Yesterday I ventured to a place I rarely go, a place that haunts me in my nightmares: the University of Southern California (or, as girls from my high school used to call it, "that place Daddy went"). I have been to the USC campus three times since December of 2005: (1) USC's 66-19 drubbing of UCLA to end the 2005 football season; (b) Sis's graduation from the Marshall School of Business (don't even get me started; if she hadn't met her husband--more commonly known to GameTime, TBD© readers as my Brother-in-Law--while attending Marshall, I probably wouldn't be speaking to her anymore...okay, that's not entirely true, but you get the picture); and (iii) UCLA's 65-64 come-from-behind victory over USC at the Galen Center, capped off by Arron Afflalo's 15-footer with four seconds left while getting fouled by Nick Young.
You might be wondering, then, how I ended up on the USC campus on a Monday late morning/early afternoon when no sporting events were taking place at that time. I wish I could tell you that I was there checking out the disproportionate number of attractive young women that attend USC, the girls that will invariably be dressed as a "Sexy (interest profession/fairy tale character/superhero/etc. here)" come Halloween. Attractive women, however, were not the reason for my quest into the seventh circle of hell. [Speaking of attractive young women (other than My Better Half), my office is located right around the corner from the Fashinon Institute of Design and Merchandising, "FiDM" for short. In fact, my office overlooks the campus from about a block away. Many of the students at FiDM are attractive young women and you see them walking to and from classes during lunch, proudly displaying their FiDM shoulder bags. Well, I was in Ralph's picking up a sandwich for lunch today and there was a FiDM student walking around with an arm full of sugar-free Rockstar energy drinks and a bottle of water, and she was taking a few bites of samples available around the store. This is the problem with shows like The Hills; they make young women think that diet energy drinks and a few sample size bites of food constitutes a "healthy" diet. And these girls wonder why they get wasted after only two drinks?...but I digress].
Every Monday, the USC Athletic Department hosts an event entitled "Monday Morning Quarterback." It is a lunch followed by a meeting with Pete Carroll. Pete gives a little speech about his feelings on the last game, breaks down some game film, and then takes questions from the crowd. Those in attendance are mostly older alums who have probably donated tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars to the program. Several of the senior partners in my firm attend this event on a weekly basis and when they can not make it, they invite other attorneys to go in their place. I have been invited to attend on several occasions in the past but, as you can imagine, have had no desire to sit in the Galen Center for two hours and listen to a Pete Carroll love fest.
Well, I was invited to go yesterday and I could not say no. This was my chance to go after a USC loss. Not just any loss mind you, but a loss that all but guaranteed that USC will be playing in, at best, the Holiday Bowl and possibly the Las Vegas Bowl. This is a school that has grown accustom to playing in the Rose Bowl or the BCS Championship game; they are used to playing their bowl game after the new year begins, not before it. I just had to see how the alumni responded to that. Although I had to sit through about twenty minutes of USC marching band (I nearly slit my wrists with my car key...seriously...that damn song is worse than a Chinese torture chamber), it turned out to be everything I hoped for.
There was no standing ovation for Pete when he entered the arena; I was informed that that was a first. Although I had watched the game live, when Pete went over some of the game film it became abundantly clear that USC was not necessarily beat by a better team but, rather, were not prepared to play the type of game Oregon plays. When it came time for the question and answer portion, Pete was forced to deal with questions like "Is the offense becoming too predictable?", "Why did you go for it on 4th and 1?", "Why is the team struggling against the worst teams in the league?", and, my personal favorite, "Why are you getting out coached?" Pete, for the most part, gave cookie-cutter answers: dealing with too many injuries, thought they could make it on 4th and 1, the Pac-10 is competitive league top to bottom, blah, blah, blah. But those in attendance were clearly not satisfied with the answers and, had the MC not called an end to the event, would probably still be asking questions. I have never seen a man exit a building faster than Pete Carroll left the Galen Center.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed watching him face the firing squad, I should admit that I have a new level of respect for Pete Carroll (though, it's admittedly low since my prior respect was non-existent). USC fans have become spoiled with their school's recent football success. They forget what it was like during the latter years of John Robinson's tenure. So, I am not surprised that a few alumni have their granny panties in a bunch over two losses. I do not think they even remember that the last time USC lost two games was just last year. Yet Pete stood there and took it all square in the chest. I am jealous that USC fans get to attend an event like this and I wish UCLA did something similar. I would be there every week if they did. But I know that, even if UCLA did have an event like this, Karl Dorrell would not have come out after that loss to Washington State and answered those questions. Ironically enough, I am pretty sure he would have had to answer the same questions I just mentioned.
It is fun, however, watching USC fans struggle to come to terms with reality. Pete Carroll is not the great coach everyone thought he was. Pete had put together a great staff that made him look like a genius. But with most of the staff having moved on to bigger and better things, the true state of the USC program is becoming clear. And I have got to tell you, I like what I see.
So Bruin fans, I invite you to tune in and watch Karl Dorrell coach his last game as the UCLA head coach this coming Saturday at noon. As for you Trojan fans out there, you can tune in and watch Pete Carroll coach his last game as the USC head coach on Saturday, December 22nd when the Trojans take on the mighty Cougars of BYU in the 16th annual Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl.
You might be wondering, then, how I ended up on the USC campus on a Monday late morning/early afternoon when no sporting events were taking place at that time. I wish I could tell you that I was there checking out the disproportionate number of attractive young women that attend USC, the girls that will invariably be dressed as a "Sexy (interest profession/fairy tale character/superhero/etc. here)" come Halloween. Attractive women, however, were not the reason for my quest into the seventh circle of hell. [Speaking of attractive young women (other than My Better Half), my office is located right around the corner from the Fashinon Institute of Design and Merchandising, "FiDM" for short. In fact, my office overlooks the campus from about a block away. Many of the students at FiDM are attractive young women and you see them walking to and from classes during lunch, proudly displaying their FiDM shoulder bags. Well, I was in Ralph's picking up a sandwich for lunch today and there was a FiDM student walking around with an arm full of sugar-free Rockstar energy drinks and a bottle of water, and she was taking a few bites of samples available around the store. This is the problem with shows like The Hills; they make young women think that diet energy drinks and a few sample size bites of food constitutes a "healthy" diet. And these girls wonder why they get wasted after only two drinks?...but I digress].
Every Monday, the USC Athletic Department hosts an event entitled "Monday Morning Quarterback." It is a lunch followed by a meeting with Pete Carroll. Pete gives a little speech about his feelings on the last game, breaks down some game film, and then takes questions from the crowd. Those in attendance are mostly older alums who have probably donated tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars to the program. Several of the senior partners in my firm attend this event on a weekly basis and when they can not make it, they invite other attorneys to go in their place. I have been invited to attend on several occasions in the past but, as you can imagine, have had no desire to sit in the Galen Center for two hours and listen to a Pete Carroll love fest.
Well, I was invited to go yesterday and I could not say no. This was my chance to go after a USC loss. Not just any loss mind you, but a loss that all but guaranteed that USC will be playing in, at best, the Holiday Bowl and possibly the Las Vegas Bowl. This is a school that has grown accustom to playing in the Rose Bowl or the BCS Championship game; they are used to playing their bowl game after the new year begins, not before it. I just had to see how the alumni responded to that. Although I had to sit through about twenty minutes of USC marching band (I nearly slit my wrists with my car key...seriously...that damn song is worse than a Chinese torture chamber), it turned out to be everything I hoped for.
There was no standing ovation for Pete when he entered the arena; I was informed that that was a first. Although I had watched the game live, when Pete went over some of the game film it became abundantly clear that USC was not necessarily beat by a better team but, rather, were not prepared to play the type of game Oregon plays. When it came time for the question and answer portion, Pete was forced to deal with questions like "Is the offense becoming too predictable?", "Why did you go for it on 4th and 1?", "Why is the team struggling against the worst teams in the league?", and, my personal favorite, "Why are you getting out coached?" Pete, for the most part, gave cookie-cutter answers: dealing with too many injuries, thought they could make it on 4th and 1, the Pac-10 is competitive league top to bottom, blah, blah, blah. But those in attendance were clearly not satisfied with the answers and, had the MC not called an end to the event, would probably still be asking questions. I have never seen a man exit a building faster than Pete Carroll left the Galen Center.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed watching him face the firing squad, I should admit that I have a new level of respect for Pete Carroll (though, it's admittedly low since my prior respect was non-existent). USC fans have become spoiled with their school's recent football success. They forget what it was like during the latter years of John Robinson's tenure. So, I am not surprised that a few alumni have their granny panties in a bunch over two losses. I do not think they even remember that the last time USC lost two games was just last year. Yet Pete stood there and took it all square in the chest. I am jealous that USC fans get to attend an event like this and I wish UCLA did something similar. I would be there every week if they did. But I know that, even if UCLA did have an event like this, Karl Dorrell would not have come out after that loss to Washington State and answered those questions. Ironically enough, I am pretty sure he would have had to answer the same questions I just mentioned.
It is fun, however, watching USC fans struggle to come to terms with reality. Pete Carroll is not the great coach everyone thought he was. Pete had put together a great staff that made him look like a genius. But with most of the staff having moved on to bigger and better things, the true state of the USC program is becoming clear. And I have got to tell you, I like what I see.
So Bruin fans, I invite you to tune in and watch Karl Dorrell coach his last game as the UCLA head coach this coming Saturday at noon. As for you Trojan fans out there, you can tune in and watch Pete Carroll coach his last game as the USC head coach on Saturday, December 22nd when the Trojans take on the mighty Cougars of BYU in the 16th annual Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Sometimes Life Gets In the Way...
I am sorry that I was not able to get to a full post this week. Between all of the Southern California fires and crazy drama at the office, I was not able to put together a full piece. I appreciate all of you that called/e-mailed to inquire about the various family establishments and I am happy to say that they are all a safe distance from the fires. I do, however, have several friends and family of friends who have been affected by this disaster. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
But enough with the sadness, it is Friday. Here is what you all missed this week:
But enough with the sadness, it is Friday. Here is what you all missed this week:
- Well, I guess Harry Potter will never be required reading in the South.
- As my Better Half would say, this story is ten kinds of awesome.
- If that last story was 10 kinds of awesome, this one is 50 kinds of awesome. Why? Cause I hate the Florida Gators.
- Remember when that judge sued a dry-cleaning business for $54 million? That money sure would come in handy now.
- Believe you me, it's not all it's cracked up to be.
- Who would have thought a drought, of all things, would have been the end of Jack Daniels?
- They must have been fake.
- This would, of course, require that schools figure out how to hire more attractive teachers.
And for your Friday viewing pleasure:
- My favorite musical? My favorite actor? How can you go wrong? Short answer: you can't!
- I wanted to write something witty here, but there's NOT ENOUGH TIME!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Friday, October 19, 2007
For Your Afternoon Reading Enjoyment . . .
I was going to lead with a link to a great article about various ESPN college football analysts who are sandbagging the polls by voting for only big name programs because they do not want schools like South Florida making the BCS Championship game. But then South Florida went and lost to Rutgers last night, so it killed that one. But never fear, my dear readers, there are plenty of other things you need to know about. On this wonderful Friday afternoon, I invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy:
- A GameTime, TBD© shout out to Nosh's blog. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
- This is a big blow to all those Romosexuals out there.
- Wouldn't "Time(out)less" have been more appropriate?
- So, it turns out my friend Money Bags and China share a common enemy: fat chicks.
- Victoria's Secret + The Spice Girls = not exactly what I was hoping for.
- Why get yourself a mail-order bride when you can build one yourself?
- Remind me never to go swimming about 70 miles southwest of Destin, Florida.
- How would you like your money? Um, singles please.
Remember, it is important to have a cause that you believe in and are willing to fight for. When you find your cause, don't forget to write a song about it. For example:
Have a great weekend everyone!Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Need a Lift?
One advantage to being a Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Lions fan is that no one ever accuses me of being a bandwagon fan. It is possible that someone could try and accuse me of being a bandwagon UCLA fan, what with their recent basketball success and all. But if you have read this blog over the past year, you know that my allegiances run deep. Outside of people who actually went to UCLA, I think there are few people who love UCLA as much as I do. I pride myself on being a loyal fan, in good times and bad.
I say this because I have always been annoyed by bandwagon fans, especially the USC bandwagon fans. Part of the problem with USC bandwagon fans is that they are mostly former Los Angeles Raiders fans. We all know how bad Raiders fans are, so it should come as no surprise that they are not any better as USC fans. Go to a Trojans game at the Los Angeles Coliseum and you will see that most of the cars have Raiders decals on them. I can guarantee that those cars did not make the trip to the Coliseum during the John Robinson era. During the last few years of Robinson's tenure as head coach, and even during Pete Carroll's first season, USC had trouble filling the Coliseum to half its capacity. Now, two national championships later, the Coliseum is packed for every home game and I am left to deal with the traffic as I drive to the Rose Bowl to watch my Bruins.
But the lug nuts on the USC bandwagon are starting to come undone. With three straight weeks of unimpressive play, including an embarrassing lose to the lowly Stanford Cardinal, USC is starring a four, hopefully five, loss season square in the eyes. Now, I know USC has been hit with the injury bug this season, but I do not buy that as an excuse. This is a program that has had a top-five recruiting class each of the last five years, including the number one ranked class from 2004 to 2006 (it's true . . . see for yourself). That means USC's second and third string players would be starters at most other college programs. This team is deep; they have competitions at practice every Tuesday for players to earn their playing time for the upcoming week. I do not buy the injury excuse.
The Trojans have looked sad all year. They looked unimpressive in their week-one victory over Idaho and struggled to beat Washington and Arizona, two of the bottom teams in the Pac-10. There "marquee" win this season is over Nebraska, a team that, at 4-3 and coming off a pounding at the hands of Oklahoma State, is not as good as everyone originally thought. USC still has to travel to Eugene, to Berkeley, and to Tempe to play three of the top programs in the nation (Cal, Oregon, and Arizona State respectively). Plus, you never know what will happen when UCLA "comes to town" in December. Trojan fans just need to face the truth: USC has not been the same since offensive coordinator Norm Chow left in 2005. It was Chow, not Carroll, who was the mastermind of that unstoppable offense. And, if USC goes 6-4 or 5-5 (gotta love the Las Vegas Bowl), there is a very real possibility that Pete Carroll will say yes to one of those NFL offers that come his way every year.
So, what are all of those Trojan bandwagon fans going to do if . . . no . . . when the wheels fall off? Well, since I am a the bearer of bad news, I thought it is only appropriate that GameTime, TBD© help find those poor, lost souls a new bandwagon to jump on.
While perusing Rolling Stone's 2007 "Hot List," I discovered that table tennis (better known as ping pong) is making a comeback in the United States. [I enjoy a good game of table tennis, so this might not be a bad thing. In fact, just the other day I was playing some ping pong with my good friend Forrest and he said, "You know BAP, when I was in China on the All-American Ping Pong team, I just loved playing ping-pong with my Flex-o-lite ping pong paddle." He had an extra one on him and he gave it to me. Let me tell you that he was right, that paddle is amazing . . . but I digress] USA Table Tennis (or "USATT" for short) is hoping that the world's most effective marketing tool, sex, will help sell their sport. USATT is hoping that Serbian-born Chicago resident Biba Golic will help the sport gain some notoriety in the upcoming year. Ms. Golic certainly is easy on the eyes, and I know that is something most Raider/Trojan fans enjoy. What could be better for the sport of table tennis then having a bunch of drunk, overweight men with "I love Biba" painted across their chests showing up at every tournament? Although it seems like a match made in heaven to me, I am guessing that most of the bandwagoners would be looking for another football team to get behind, not table tennis.
Well, thankfully for them, we at GameTime, TBC© know just the team. By traveling only a few miles northeast of Los Angeles, they will be able to find best college football team in all of Southern California, the Occidental Tigers. Now, in the interest of full and fair disclosure, I am an Occidental alum . . . but the facts do not lie. The Tigers have won thirty-one straight regular season games, twenty-four straight conference games, and nineteen straight home games. They have been coached by Dale Widolff for the past 25 years, and his 151-87-3 career record ranks as one of the best career winning percentages in Division III history. They have won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ("SCIAC") title three years in-a-row, and four out of the last six years. The Tigers have made three straight Division III playoff appearances and Occidental is the only SCIAC school to register a playoff victory. The Tigers are 5-0 this year, 3-0 in league, and are ranked #17 in Division III (they were ranked as high as #6 in 2005). If they can get past Cal Lutheran on October 27th, they will likely run the table again and find themselves back in the playoffs.
If I were you, I would jump on that Tiger bandwagon now, before it gets too crowded. What's that you say? You don't know how to get to Eagle Rock? Don't worry, I do. Need a lift?
I say this because I have always been annoyed by bandwagon fans, especially the USC bandwagon fans. Part of the problem with USC bandwagon fans is that they are mostly former Los Angeles Raiders fans. We all know how bad Raiders fans are, so it should come as no surprise that they are not any better as USC fans. Go to a Trojans game at the Los Angeles Coliseum and you will see that most of the cars have Raiders decals on them. I can guarantee that those cars did not make the trip to the Coliseum during the John Robinson era. During the last few years of Robinson's tenure as head coach, and even during Pete Carroll's first season, USC had trouble filling the Coliseum to half its capacity. Now, two national championships later, the Coliseum is packed for every home game and I am left to deal with the traffic as I drive to the Rose Bowl to watch my Bruins.
But the lug nuts on the USC bandwagon are starting to come undone. With three straight weeks of unimpressive play, including an embarrassing lose to the lowly Stanford Cardinal, USC is starring a four, hopefully five, loss season square in the eyes. Now, I know USC has been hit with the injury bug this season, but I do not buy that as an excuse. This is a program that has had a top-five recruiting class each of the last five years, including the number one ranked class from 2004 to 2006 (it's true . . . see for yourself). That means USC's second and third string players would be starters at most other college programs. This team is deep; they have competitions at practice every Tuesday for players to earn their playing time for the upcoming week. I do not buy the injury excuse.
The Trojans have looked sad all year. They looked unimpressive in their week-one victory over Idaho and struggled to beat Washington and Arizona, two of the bottom teams in the Pac-10. There "marquee" win this season is over Nebraska, a team that, at 4-3 and coming off a pounding at the hands of Oklahoma State, is not as good as everyone originally thought. USC still has to travel to Eugene, to Berkeley, and to Tempe to play three of the top programs in the nation (Cal, Oregon, and Arizona State respectively). Plus, you never know what will happen when UCLA "comes to town" in December. Trojan fans just need to face the truth: USC has not been the same since offensive coordinator Norm Chow left in 2005. It was Chow, not Carroll, who was the mastermind of that unstoppable offense. And, if USC goes 6-4 or 5-5 (gotta love the Las Vegas Bowl), there is a very real possibility that Pete Carroll will say yes to one of those NFL offers that come his way every year.
So, what are all of those Trojan bandwagon fans going to do if . . . no . . . when the wheels fall off? Well, since I am a the bearer of bad news, I thought it is only appropriate that GameTime, TBD© help find those poor, lost souls a new bandwagon to jump on.
While perusing Rolling Stone's 2007 "Hot List," I discovered that table tennis (better known as ping pong) is making a comeback in the United States. [I enjoy a good game of table tennis, so this might not be a bad thing. In fact, just the other day I was playing some ping pong with my good friend Forrest and he said, "You know BAP, when I was in China on the All-American Ping Pong team, I just loved playing ping-pong with my Flex-o-lite ping pong paddle." He had an extra one on him and he gave it to me. Let me tell you that he was right, that paddle is amazing . . . but I digress] USA Table Tennis (or "USATT" for short) is hoping that the world's most effective marketing tool, sex, will help sell their sport. USATT is hoping that Serbian-born Chicago resident Biba Golic will help the sport gain some notoriety in the upcoming year. Ms. Golic certainly is easy on the eyes, and I know that is something most Raider/Trojan fans enjoy. What could be better for the sport of table tennis then having a bunch of drunk, overweight men with "I love Biba" painted across their chests showing up at every tournament? Although it seems like a match made in heaven to me, I am guessing that most of the bandwagoners would be looking for another football team to get behind, not table tennis.
Well, thankfully for them, we at GameTime, TBC© know just the team. By traveling only a few miles northeast of Los Angeles, they will be able to find best college football team in all of Southern California, the Occidental Tigers. Now, in the interest of full and fair disclosure, I am an Occidental alum . . . but the facts do not lie. The Tigers have won thirty-one straight regular season games, twenty-four straight conference games, and nineteen straight home games. They have been coached by Dale Widolff for the past 25 years, and his 151-87-3 career record ranks as one of the best career winning percentages in Division III history. They have won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ("SCIAC") title three years in-a-row, and four out of the last six years. The Tigers have made three straight Division III playoff appearances and Occidental is the only SCIAC school to register a playoff victory. The Tigers are 5-0 this year, 3-0 in league, and are ranked #17 in Division III (they were ranked as high as #6 in 2005). If they can get past Cal Lutheran on October 27th, they will likely run the table again and find themselves back in the playoffs.
If I were you, I would jump on that Tiger bandwagon now, before it gets too crowded. What's that you say? You don't know how to get to Eagle Rock? Don't worry, I do. Need a lift?
Friday, October 12, 2007
Get Your Weekend Started on the Right Foot...
If you are like me, you are staring at the clock on your computer and you are convinced that it is not moving. While, GameTime, TBD© has just what you need to get through those last few hours of the work day. It was a busy week out there, so enjoy:
- I'm not a slut, I'm just very warm.
- Stop the press; serial killers are sick in the head?
- Don't you fear, Cardinal fans, Tim Rattay is here.
- The Detroit Lions: surprise team of 2007 or the newest church in town?
- We're taking the phrase "geek squad" to a whole new level.
- Don't look now, but the Peacock is making a comeback. Better jump on the bandwagon now before it's too late.
- 4 years, $25 million per . . . no, it's not A-Rod's new contract.
- Someone keeps sayin' I'm insane to complain about a shotgun wedding and a stain on my shirt.
And finally, a double feature for your Friday:
- I'm sure you've seen this within the last month, but it's by far the best commercial out there right now (according to My Better Half).
- If this is a "breach of UEFA's principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship," shouldn't the entire league be suspended for two games?
Have a great weekend everyone!
Monday, October 08, 2007
That's How We Roll in the City of Angels
My computer had barely finished logging on, and my morning coffee had not even made its way into my blood stream, when the following message popped up from my good friend Agman: "so as things wound down on Sat[urday], everyone wanted to leave and I was like, 'let's stay to see if they commit a seventh turnover.' And they did . . . on the next play."
As with most dedicated Los Angeles (and Detroit) area sports fans, I have become uniquely comfortable with disappointment. Agman, as I am sure you all recognized, was referring to formerly-winless-Notre Dame's 20-6 victory over UCLA. Later that night, the Kings would blow a two-goal lead against the St. Louis Blues, losing 5-3. My weekend was not complete, however, until the Lions got blown-out by the Washington Redskins on Sunday, 34-3 (don't even get me started on the Dodgers. I'm not much of a baseball fan, but the Dodgers were supposed to be the best team in the National League this year and ended up finishing 7 games out of the Wild Card). Now, as you already know, I was in North Carolina for my Cousin's wedding so I had a great weekend. But had I been home this weekend, (1) I would have been at the UCLA game to watch the disappointment live, (b) would have rushed over to Staples Center to watch the Kings home opener, and (iii) would have forced my Brother-in-Law to tune one of his TVs to the Lions-Redskins game on Sunday morning. That sounds about as fun as getting a bad sunburn on your back and being forced to ride roller coasters the next day (this happened to me when I was about 12 years old . . . trust me when I say it was not a good time).
I should have seen this typical Los Angeles sports weekend coming from a mile away. First, I was on the East Coast, which meant college football did not start until noon on Saturday and the NFL did not start until 1:00 pm on Sunday (sometimes I forget how lucky we are on the West Coast: beautiful weather year round, an abundance of attractive women, and sports that are on when you roll out of bed on the weekends. No wonder there's an East Coast bias in sports, it's because everyone is so jealous of us left-coasters. They're so jealous that we get to watch more sports than them in a given day, so jealous that they're bitter and bias all sports rankings against us. They might as well call it East Coast Bitterness...but I digress). Second, Lindsey Lohan was released from rehab. Look, I wish Lilo all the best, but let's face the facts: I have her back in rehab by January, 2008 in my office pool and I still think I am going to lose to the receptionist who has her going back in late October, 2007. Lastly, USC lost to Stanford.
Now, do not get me wrong I was ecstatic that USC lost, especially because it was to the worst team in the Pac-10. My Brother-in-Law was following the USC game on his Blackberry while I was following the UCLA game on mine. During our breaks from tearing up the dance floor (you want a guaranteed good time at your wedding? Invite BAP and his family . . . we rock it like few families can), my Brother-in-Law and I would huddle around our table, hitting refresh as quickly as possible. When John David Booty was intercepted by Bo (that's right . . . BO) McNally with 13 seconds left, sealing Stanford's victory, my Brother-in-Law and I danced around in a circle like a high school girl who just got asked to prom by the varsity quarterback. But, as is the norm with Los Angeles sports, our joy was short-lived. A few refreshes on my blackberry later and it became apparent that Notre Dame was sealing Karl Dorrell's fate. It is hard to believe that the coach who led UCLA to ten wins two seasons ago, and a shocking 13-9 win over USC last season, is likely gone after this season. I am not a KD-hater like many Bruin fans out there, but it is hard to argue that he seemed woefully unprepared for the possibility that Ben Olson might get injured and not be able to finish the game. Perhaps he should have gotten McLeod Bethel-Thompson a few more snaps with the first-string offense during the week. Perhaps KD should pull the play sheet out of his pants and realize he has twice as many plays at his disposal. I hope KD is around for a few more seasons; I think he is a good coach who is moving this program back in the right direction. But one more embarrassing loss this season and I fear KD's job will be taking a long walk off a short pier.
Moving on to my Lions, I can not be too upset about their loss. After all, they have already matched their win total from last season. They have a bye this coming weekend which means they will be entering the seventh week of play above .500 for the first time since 2004. Mike Martz has put together enough offensive weapons that the Lions can outscore anyone they wish, but they are still having trouble protecting Jon Kitna. Greg Foster, brought in from Denver to anchor the right side of the line, can not remember the snap count by the time he leaves the huddle (he had 7 false starts heading into the Redskins game). Rod Marinelli has gotten the defense back into shape and playing relatively well. The secondary is still a concern and any decent passing offense will make a shootout of the game. But I can not be disappointed with what has transpired thus far this season. Besides, as a sports fan from the Los Angeles area, I am used to this by now.
Then there are my Kings. This is the team that gets me every time. By this point in time, you are all intimately aware of my unnatural man crush on former Kings coach Andy Murray. Since being hired by the St. Louis Blues in mid-December of last season, AM is 4-0 against his former team. I still, to this day, believe that the Kings took a major step back when they fired AM. Do not get me wrong, I think Marc Crawford is a good coach and will help to take this team to the next level, but he is no AM. I believe that AM was the scapegoat for an incompetent front office and owner. AM got his players to give their best at all times; he kept teams that were mediocre at best in playoff contention long after they should have been eliminated. If you gave AM a roster as deep as this year's team is and with as much young talent, the rebuilding process would have never been necessary. Dean Lombardi and Andy Murray, together, would be the Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick of the National Hockey League (minus the video cameras of course). And there is no way AM's team would have let a 3-1 third period lead turn into a 5-3 loss.
But am I surprised? Nope. It is just another day in the life of a sports fan here in the City of Angeles.
As with most dedicated Los Angeles (and Detroit) area sports fans, I have become uniquely comfortable with disappointment. Agman, as I am sure you all recognized, was referring to formerly-winless-Notre Dame's 20-6 victory over UCLA. Later that night, the Kings would blow a two-goal lead against the St. Louis Blues, losing 5-3. My weekend was not complete, however, until the Lions got blown-out by the Washington Redskins on Sunday, 34-3 (don't even get me started on the Dodgers. I'm not much of a baseball fan, but the Dodgers were supposed to be the best team in the National League this year and ended up finishing 7 games out of the Wild Card). Now, as you already know, I was in North Carolina for my Cousin's wedding so I had a great weekend. But had I been home this weekend, (1) I would have been at the UCLA game to watch the disappointment live, (b) would have rushed over to Staples Center to watch the Kings home opener, and (iii) would have forced my Brother-in-Law to tune one of his TVs to the Lions-Redskins game on Sunday morning. That sounds about as fun as getting a bad sunburn on your back and being forced to ride roller coasters the next day (this happened to me when I was about 12 years old . . . trust me when I say it was not a good time).
I should have seen this typical Los Angeles sports weekend coming from a mile away. First, I was on the East Coast, which meant college football did not start until noon on Saturday and the NFL did not start until 1:00 pm on Sunday (sometimes I forget how lucky we are on the West Coast: beautiful weather year round, an abundance of attractive women, and sports that are on when you roll out of bed on the weekends. No wonder there's an East Coast bias in sports, it's because everyone is so jealous of us left-coasters. They're so jealous that we get to watch more sports than them in a given day, so jealous that they're bitter and bias all sports rankings against us. They might as well call it East Coast Bitterness...but I digress). Second, Lindsey Lohan was released from rehab. Look, I wish Lilo all the best, but let's face the facts: I have her back in rehab by January, 2008 in my office pool and I still think I am going to lose to the receptionist who has her going back in late October, 2007. Lastly, USC lost to Stanford.
Now, do not get me wrong I was ecstatic that USC lost, especially because it was to the worst team in the Pac-10. My Brother-in-Law was following the USC game on his Blackberry while I was following the UCLA game on mine. During our breaks from tearing up the dance floor (you want a guaranteed good time at your wedding? Invite BAP and his family . . . we rock it like few families can), my Brother-in-Law and I would huddle around our table, hitting refresh as quickly as possible. When John David Booty was intercepted by Bo (that's right . . . BO) McNally with 13 seconds left, sealing Stanford's victory, my Brother-in-Law and I danced around in a circle like a high school girl who just got asked to prom by the varsity quarterback. But, as is the norm with Los Angeles sports, our joy was short-lived. A few refreshes on my blackberry later and it became apparent that Notre Dame was sealing Karl Dorrell's fate. It is hard to believe that the coach who led UCLA to ten wins two seasons ago, and a shocking 13-9 win over USC last season, is likely gone after this season. I am not a KD-hater like many Bruin fans out there, but it is hard to argue that he seemed woefully unprepared for the possibility that Ben Olson might get injured and not be able to finish the game. Perhaps he should have gotten McLeod Bethel-Thompson a few more snaps with the first-string offense during the week. Perhaps KD should pull the play sheet out of his pants and realize he has twice as many plays at his disposal. I hope KD is around for a few more seasons; I think he is a good coach who is moving this program back in the right direction. But one more embarrassing loss this season and I fear KD's job will be taking a long walk off a short pier.
Moving on to my Lions, I can not be too upset about their loss. After all, they have already matched their win total from last season. They have a bye this coming weekend which means they will be entering the seventh week of play above .500 for the first time since 2004. Mike Martz has put together enough offensive weapons that the Lions can outscore anyone they wish, but they are still having trouble protecting Jon Kitna. Greg Foster, brought in from Denver to anchor the right side of the line, can not remember the snap count by the time he leaves the huddle (he had 7 false starts heading into the Redskins game). Rod Marinelli has gotten the defense back into shape and playing relatively well. The secondary is still a concern and any decent passing offense will make a shootout of the game. But I can not be disappointed with what has transpired thus far this season. Besides, as a sports fan from the Los Angeles area, I am used to this by now.
Then there are my Kings. This is the team that gets me every time. By this point in time, you are all intimately aware of my unnatural man crush on former Kings coach Andy Murray. Since being hired by the St. Louis Blues in mid-December of last season, AM is 4-0 against his former team. I still, to this day, believe that the Kings took a major step back when they fired AM. Do not get me wrong, I think Marc Crawford is a good coach and will help to take this team to the next level, but he is no AM. I believe that AM was the scapegoat for an incompetent front office and owner. AM got his players to give their best at all times; he kept teams that were mediocre at best in playoff contention long after they should have been eliminated. If you gave AM a roster as deep as this year's team is and with as much young talent, the rebuilding process would have never been necessary. Dean Lombardi and Andy Murray, together, would be the Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick of the National Hockey League (minus the video cameras of course). And there is no way AM's team would have let a 3-1 third period lead turn into a 5-3 loss.
But am I surprised? Nope. It is just another day in the life of a sports fan here in the City of Angeles.
Friday, October 05, 2007
In Case You Missed It...
I am currently in North Carolina for my cousin's wedding, so I do not think I will get to a full post this week. As promised, however, here is the first ever GameTime, TBD© link dump. There is a lot of good stuff out there that you might have missed, so enjoy:
- If you thought NBC's American Gladiators revival couldn't get any better, you were wrong.
- Don't believe everything they tell you about playoff baseball.
- Holyfield vs. Foreman II: Let's get it on.
- Are the Dolphins really THAT good?
- Once upon a time, there was an island in the Red Sea.
- America shows its love for its government.
- In case you missed it, the Knicks hired Isiah and all they got was a $11.6 million judgement.
- Andy Samberg should write every SNL skit.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Don't Reign on My Parade . . . Take II
Well, it is September 28th again, which means only one thing: we are mere hours away from the first puck being dropped in the 2007-2008 NHL season. Hours you say? That is correct. For the first time in NHL history, the season is starting in September. My Kings are being forced to open the season a week early because their owner (who's name will never be mentioned on this site until he actually acts like an owner . . . no free publicity for you until you actually attend a game) decided to ship them off to London, England to play a "home-and-home" serious at the new O2 arena he just built. [Bitter Irony Update: the start of the first game was delayed about 30 minutes because the arena lights wouldn't come back on after the national anthems. That would have never happened at Staples Center.]
To make matters worse, what team did he choose to play the Kings? Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . you guessed it, the Anaheim Ducks. I am sure Mr. "I Am a Terrible Owner" made a couple of million dollars (which is really necessary when you're a multi-billionaire) by convincing the two teams to play in England, but did he really have to pick the Ducks as the other team? Are you trying to intentionally anger your fans so that when you announce you are moving the team to Kansas City they will not care? Believe you me, it was not easy to read about the Ducks bring home the Stanley Cup in their fourteenth season (ain't no way I was gonna watch that). It is not like the Kings have been around for forty-one seasons, have one of the most loyal fan bases in all of hockey and are stuck with an owner who in practically rubs it in their face or anything like that. You using the whole fist there Doc?
But I do not want to get ahead of myself this early on. Sure last season was disappointing and all, but it is a whole new ball game now. [I was originally going to describe last season as a train wreck but two things happened: (1) I realized that there were a lot of positives to be taken from last season, and (2) Webster's Dictionary actually defines train wreck as, and I quote "VH1's Rock of Love with Bret Michaels." Seriously. Just imagine the goodness you get when you mix a washed-up rock star (who has had a shocking amount of plastic surgery I might add) with a group of women comprised of wannabe groupies, professional "dancers" (read: strippers) and girls who likely have outstanding restraining orders against them. Mix in some booze, and more than likely a few STDs, and you have the definition of train wreck. Yet, for some reason, there I'll be this Sunday night watching the finale.]
At first glance, you might be wondering what positives I can take from a season in which the Kings finished 28th out of 30 teams by going 27-41-14 (hey, isn't that my high school locker combo?). I will be the first to admit that a record like that does not add up to a pretty season. Yet, when you dig deeper, you see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Kings were young, very young, and they relied on their youth to be leaders. Anze Kopitar is the real deal, a superstar in the making. He was the third leading scorer amongst NHL rookies, the third leading scorer on the Kings, and he played hard every night. NHL experts always say that a player does not truly come into his own until his third year in the league. That means we have two more seasons to discover just what Anze Kopitar can do.
While Anze may be a legitimate superstar in the making, he is not the only young player who made an impact last season. Michael Cammalleri, Patrick O'Sullivan, Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Jack Johnson are all 25 years old or younger and all played a roll in last years development (O'Sullivan and Johnson have also been touted as superstars in the making). The Kings played in, and lost, a lot of close games last year. It is hard to expect a young team to be able to close out games; you have to learn to play a full sixty minutes. Yet very few teams had an easy time handling this team. While the goaltending, as always, was clearly an issue, the Kings did manage to finish a respectable 10th in the league on the power play, something you would not expect from a young team. At this time last year, all I was asking for was a team that played hard night-in and night-out. The 2006-2007 Kings did not disappoint.
You are probably wondering where that leaves us for this year. For starters, DL made a splash in the free agent a market the likes of which Kings fans have not seen, well, ever. Instead of being a wallflower at his first middle school dance, DL walked right up to the hottest girl in the room and asked her to dance. But he did not just dance with one girl; oh no, he danced with every girl there. When all was said and done, DL had signed five solid free agents this offseason, adding two top-six forwards in Michal Handzus and Ladislav Nagy, two mobile defensemen in Brad Stuart and Tom Preissing, and a forward who is not afraid to park himself right in front of the opposing goaltender at all times in Kyle Calder. Want a cherry on top of the sundae? Here is one in the form of 19-year-old goaltender Jonathan Bernier, the Kings' first-round pick in the 2006 NHL draft. Bernier had an unbelievable pre-season and earned himself a spot on the opening day roster. The Kings have 10 games to decide whether they should keep him with the big club or send him back to the minors. But if he plays well and becomes the goaltender of the future that the Kings hope he will, look out. [Update: Bernier started the first game of the season and led the Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Ducks.]
So here we are. The puck drops in less than twelve hours and I am more excited about my Kings than I have been in a long time. It is time for the Kings to take that next step; time for them to play even harder, night-in and night-out; time for them to beat the teams they should every time and surprise some of the other teams every now and then. Show me that, and I will go home happy every night. Show me that, and this season will be a success. Show me that, and the Kings will make it back to the playoffs. Show me that, and maybe DL's three-year plan becomes a two-year plan. Show me that, and maybe, just maybe . . .
Man, I have got to lay off the Kool-Aid.
To make matters worse, what team did he choose to play the Kings? Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . you guessed it, the Anaheim Ducks. I am sure Mr. "I Am a Terrible Owner" made a couple of million dollars (which is really necessary when you're a multi-billionaire) by convincing the two teams to play in England, but did he really have to pick the Ducks as the other team? Are you trying to intentionally anger your fans so that when you announce you are moving the team to Kansas City they will not care? Believe you me, it was not easy to read about the Ducks bring home the Stanley Cup in their fourteenth season (ain't no way I was gonna watch that). It is not like the Kings have been around for forty-one seasons, have one of the most loyal fan bases in all of hockey and are stuck with an owner who in practically rubs it in their face or anything like that. You using the whole fist there Doc?
But I do not want to get ahead of myself this early on. Sure last season was disappointing and all, but it is a whole new ball game now. [I was originally going to describe last season as a train wreck but two things happened: (1) I realized that there were a lot of positives to be taken from last season, and (2) Webster's Dictionary actually defines train wreck as, and I quote "VH1's Rock of Love with Bret Michaels." Seriously. Just imagine the goodness you get when you mix a washed-up rock star (who has had a shocking amount of plastic surgery I might add) with a group of women comprised of wannabe groupies, professional "dancers" (read: strippers) and girls who likely have outstanding restraining orders against them. Mix in some booze, and more than likely a few STDs, and you have the definition of train wreck. Yet, for some reason, there I'll be this Sunday night watching the finale.]
At first glance, you might be wondering what positives I can take from a season in which the Kings finished 28th out of 30 teams by going 27-41-14 (hey, isn't that my high school locker combo?). I will be the first to admit that a record like that does not add up to a pretty season. Yet, when you dig deeper, you see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Kings were young, very young, and they relied on their youth to be leaders. Anze Kopitar is the real deal, a superstar in the making. He was the third leading scorer amongst NHL rookies, the third leading scorer on the Kings, and he played hard every night. NHL experts always say that a player does not truly come into his own until his third year in the league. That means we have two more seasons to discover just what Anze Kopitar can do.
While Anze may be a legitimate superstar in the making, he is not the only young player who made an impact last season. Michael Cammalleri, Patrick O'Sullivan, Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Jack Johnson are all 25 years old or younger and all played a roll in last years development (O'Sullivan and Johnson have also been touted as superstars in the making). The Kings played in, and lost, a lot of close games last year. It is hard to expect a young team to be able to close out games; you have to learn to play a full sixty minutes. Yet very few teams had an easy time handling this team. While the goaltending, as always, was clearly an issue, the Kings did manage to finish a respectable 10th in the league on the power play, something you would not expect from a young team. At this time last year, all I was asking for was a team that played hard night-in and night-out. The 2006-2007 Kings did not disappoint.
You are probably wondering where that leaves us for this year. For starters, DL made a splash in the free agent a market the likes of which Kings fans have not seen, well, ever. Instead of being a wallflower at his first middle school dance, DL walked right up to the hottest girl in the room and asked her to dance. But he did not just dance with one girl; oh no, he danced with every girl there. When all was said and done, DL had signed five solid free agents this offseason, adding two top-six forwards in Michal Handzus and Ladislav Nagy, two mobile defensemen in Brad Stuart and Tom Preissing, and a forward who is not afraid to park himself right in front of the opposing goaltender at all times in Kyle Calder. Want a cherry on top of the sundae? Here is one in the form of 19-year-old goaltender Jonathan Bernier, the Kings' first-round pick in the 2006 NHL draft. Bernier had an unbelievable pre-season and earned himself a spot on the opening day roster. The Kings have 10 games to decide whether they should keep him with the big club or send him back to the minors. But if he plays well and becomes the goaltender of the future that the Kings hope he will, look out. [Update: Bernier started the first game of the season and led the Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Ducks.]
So here we are. The puck drops in less than twelve hours and I am more excited about my Kings than I have been in a long time. It is time for the Kings to take that next step; time for them to play even harder, night-in and night-out; time for them to beat the teams they should every time and surprise some of the other teams every now and then. Show me that, and I will go home happy every night. Show me that, and this season will be a success. Show me that, and the Kings will make it back to the playoffs. Show me that, and maybe DL's three-year plan becomes a two-year plan. Show me that, and maybe, just maybe . . .
Man, I have got to lay off the Kool-Aid.
We're Back, and Better Than Ever!
As my good friend Samir Na . . . Na . . . Not Gonna Work Here Anymore once sang: “Back up in your 'gluteus maximus' with the Resurrection.” Okay, that might not be exactly what he sang, but you get the point. GameTime, TBD© is back and, with the help of my overly-computer-savvy friend Jimbo, is better than ever. Today we celebrate the one year anniversary of the blog that has single-handedly changed the landscape of life as we know it. I know Al Gore wants you to believe that global warming is behind all of these changes, but that is because he cannot come to terms with overwhelming power of my words and the enjoyment they bring to those that read them.
But I am not just resurrecting GameTime, TBD© with a new look. No; my avid readers (and those who stumble across this haven of wisdom) deserve more. With the new look comes a new game plan. I will be introducing new features to go along with the new look. In addition to my usual posts about life and sports, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the insights and comments of My Better Half who, more often than not, has a few responses she would like to share about things I say (I know, I know…it’s shocking to think that someone has the nerve to disagree with BAP…the things I have to put up with on a daily basis). Also, every Friday I will be posting a link dump--a list of links to content on the world wide web--providing you access to information that you may not have seen during the week and that I believe is news worthy (like, for example, this article that confirms what we feared most: men like boobs). It will be a nice way to kill those last few hours . . . er . . . minutes at the office when no one is doing any actual work.
All this should help prevent the late-season burnout I suffered during my first year as a “blogger.” Let’s face it, when the hockey season came to a bitter end I was lost, floating aimlessly in a boat without a paddle. I have apologized to my readers on several occasions in the past, and now I plan to show them just how committed I am to making their lives better. I will never leave you stranded without my witty commentary again (to my credit, no one could have predicted Britney’s total melt down or Lindsey’s trip back to rehab…ah, who am I kidding, we saw this coming from a mile away). I have learned from my mistakes and am better because of it. So I ask you to join me in the celebrating the one year anniversary of GameTime, TBD© and its magnificent resurrection.
But I am not just resurrecting GameTime, TBD© with a new look. No; my avid readers (and those who stumble across this haven of wisdom) deserve more. With the new look comes a new game plan. I will be introducing new features to go along with the new look. In addition to my usual posts about life and sports, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the insights and comments of My Better Half who, more often than not, has a few responses she would like to share about things I say (I know, I know…it’s shocking to think that someone has the nerve to disagree with BAP…the things I have to put up with on a daily basis). Also, every Friday I will be posting a link dump--a list of links to content on the world wide web--providing you access to information that you may not have seen during the week and that I believe is news worthy (like, for example, this article that confirms what we feared most: men like boobs). It will be a nice way to kill those last few hours . . . er . . . minutes at the office when no one is doing any actual work.
All this should help prevent the late-season burnout I suffered during my first year as a “blogger.” Let’s face it, when the hockey season came to a bitter end I was lost, floating aimlessly in a boat without a paddle. I have apologized to my readers on several occasions in the past, and now I plan to show them just how committed I am to making their lives better. I will never leave you stranded without my witty commentary again (to my credit, no one could have predicted Britney’s total melt down or Lindsey’s trip back to rehab…ah, who am I kidding, we saw this coming from a mile away). I have learned from my mistakes and am better because of it. So I ask you to join me in the celebrating the one year anniversary of GameTime, TBD© and its magnificent resurrection.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Checking In...
Okay, so it has been a little over a month. Believe it or not, my avid readers are still re-reading my pearls of wisdom. I appreciate that.
I am going dark for the next month or so to prepare an all new GameTime, TBD©. With the help of a friend, I am creating a whole new look for year two. I am also working on a new game plan so that I have things to share with you all once hockey season has come to an end and we are staring down the barrel of four months of nothing but baseball. I promise you, year two of GameTime, TBD©...better known as GameTime, TBD© Version 2.0....will not disappoint.
But, I do not want to leave my readers hanging with nothing new. Last night at about 8:00 p.m., this piece of news came across my entertainment radar. Seriously, it is the best news I have gotten since My Better Half and I got engaged in April. I do not want to hog all the credit, but we all know the power that GameTime, TBD© wields around here.
You can all thank me later.
I am going dark for the next month or so to prepare an all new GameTime, TBD©. With the help of a friend, I am creating a whole new look for year two. I am also working on a new game plan so that I have things to share with you all once hockey season has come to an end and we are staring down the barrel of four months of nothing but baseball. I promise you, year two of GameTime, TBD©...better known as GameTime, TBD© Version 2.0....will not disappoint.
But, I do not want to leave my readers hanging with nothing new. Last night at about 8:00 p.m., this piece of news came across my entertainment radar. Seriously, it is the best news I have gotten since My Better Half and I got engaged in April. I do not want to hog all the credit, but we all know the power that GameTime, TBD© wields around here.
You can all thank me later.
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