No Tricks, Just Treats

I do not know about you all, but I am burned out right now. They are calling the upcoming Presidential election the most important election ever. And to prove it, news outlets are shoving every last little bit of information they can down our throats. And now we have got this "Joe the Plumber" guy out there campaigning too. If you were at the gym at 6:00 a.m. this morning (and seriously, who doesn't love being at the gym at 6:00 a.m.?), you got to see legendary coach Mike Ditka make an appearance at a McCain/Palin rally where Palin was speaking. Here is the thing, I agree that this is an important election . . . in my lifetime for sure, and for at least the last fifty years . . . but I am exhausted from all of this coverage. At this point in time, I do not care so much about who wins, but rather that it will finally be over. That is why Halloween could not have come at a better.

If asked me what my favorite holiday is, I would have to go with Thanksgiving and Christmas because it is a time when my whole family is able to get together and we always have a good time when that happens (see, e.g., every family wedding). And while that answer might seem like the political answer, it is the truth. But believe-you-me, Halloween will always hold a special place in my heart. I mean, how can you not love the one holiday that allows young women between the ages of 18 and 24 to dress up in as little clothing as physically possible without fear of derogatory words and phrases being thrown their way? Thankfully I am still young enough (a spry 27) that it is appropriate (and, in the spirit of all-things GameTime, TBD©) for me to appreciate these things without getting in too much trouble with my Better Half . . . after all, she is amongst those that enjoy the opportunity to let their hair down on this day of ghoulish tomfoolery.

I do not know what you all have planned for the evening, but I hope it allows you to escape from everything that is going on in the world, if only for a night. The GameTime, TBD© household will be throwing an epic shin-dig (which has been deemed a "Politics Free Zone") and I am using it as an excuse for me to leave the office early. So while I get ready to take off early, here are some things you might have missed to help get you through your afternoon:

• Rick Reilly is not the only one still in awe of John Wooden, and he did not even coach during my lifetime.
• Not that I needed an excuse to watch more college basketball, but this certainly will help.
  
• Mike Singletary's impressive first week as the 49ers head coach just keeps getting impressiver (yes, I did just make that word up . . . that's what we lawyers do, make stuff up).
• Apparently the Redskins have really mastered their home field advantage.
• Daly being Daly.
• In 2014, Alabama could be a pretty cool place to live.
• Remember when Tyler Hansbrough could have been a Top 5 pick after his freshman year? No, that is not a joke . . . stop laughing . . . seriously . . . you might hurt his incredibly fragile body. (I hope this doesn't affect their rankings).
• Your a high school football coach and the opposing quarterback is unstoppable. What do you do? Why, cheap shot him while he is doing his other duties (hehehe . . . duties) as the place kicker, of course.
• Today's episode of "Dude, Time to Move On" is brought to us by James McMahon.
• Andrew Bynum has 57.4 million reasons to be happy he just turned twenty-one and I have 57.4 million reasons to wonder where I went wrong (I'll tell you: it's when Dad taught me to throw a baseball right-handed even though I'm left-handed . . . curse you!)
• Trying to read between the lines here, but it looks like Wayne Huizenga will not be voting for Obama.
• I am in the market for a new snowboard. I wonder if Burton has anything I might enjoy?

It is going to be difficult to follow-up last week's collection of videos I prepared for your viewing pleasure (admit it, you had "Flea Market Montgomery" stuck in your head all weekend . . . I blame myself). To try to follow that up is a daunting task, but I will try my best. So here are some clips for you to enjoy:

• I love me some Chinese game shows.
• Fat Guy Dancing! Fat Guy Dancing!
• If you are interested in quality commercial acting, do not watch this video. If you are interested in Marisa Miller strutting her stuff in short shorts then you probably can not click that link fast enough.
• Somewhere A-Rod is wondering why Kobe got to be the lead singer of their band.
  
• Do as Borat says . . . oh, and what everyone else says too!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Working On Something Special

Dear avid readers and those of you who have stumbled upon this gift to the world for the first time,

I invite you to count your blessings. I have been fired up this whole week about the people and their positions on Proposition 8 (a prop on this year's ballot here in California for anyone who might be reading this from some exotic location such as Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, or Missouri). I was all ready to get on my "I'm Smarter Than You" soapbox and lay some knowledge on everyone as the introduction to this week's Link Dump, but I decided against it. I realized (1) I am not about to turn GameTime, TBD© into a hot bed of political debate, it goes against everything I stand for; (b) I do not think most of you would find it very entertaining, which is the point of the weekly Link Dump; and (iii) my Detroit Lions are working on something special this season.

Entering Week 8 of the NFL season, the Lions are 0-6, with losses against such powerhouses as the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, and, most recently, Houston Texans. Having already had their bye week, things do not get any easier the rest of the way. Of their remaining games, only two teams currently have sub-.500 records (Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints), and it is like that by the time they play, those teams will be above .500. It is also likely that their last three opponents (at Indianapolis, home vs. New Orleans, at Green Bay) will be in the middle of the playoff race, not having necessarily clinched spots and, therefore, not resting players. The Lions have not had a quarterback throw for more than 300 yards (Kitna had 276 in Week 2) or a running back rush for more than 100 yards (Johnson had 83 in Week 3) in a game this year. And with the Washington Redskins coming to town this weekend (the first Lions game to be blacked out locally since Ford Field opened), that is not likely to change anytime soon.

While the general consensus is that the Kansas City Chiefs are the worst team in the NFL, they have something the Lions do not: a win. The Lions are on track to do something that not even the 2007 Miami Dolphins could do: go 0-16. Yes, I know that the Cincinnati Bengals are also currently winless, but I think they have enough offensive talent to squeeze out one or two wins before the season is over, especially since they close out the season at home against the previously-mentioned Chiefs. Since the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL, only the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gone oh-for-the-entire-season, finishing 0-14 (yes, I know, Baltimore went 0-8-1 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, but they did not lose every game). So, I encourage everyone to watch the scoreboard closely this weekend (or, if your brother-in-law has DirecTV's Sunday Ticket, you can watch the game live) and follow the Lions' Odyssey-esque quest to become the first team to go winless over a 16-game season.

Best Regards,

The Management

P.S. Here are some things you might have missed:

• Marisa Miller did a photoshoot for . . . you are probably not even reading this anymore, so who cares.
• "Coach" athletes who do not care to be coached or hang out with his soon-to-be-second ex-wife (third wife overall)? Interesting decision Lute.
• Seriously people, if my concealed weapons permit does not allow me to pull a gun on my child's soccer coach in a dispute over playing time, why have one?
• Rachel Glandorf fans of the world rejoice (for those of you scratching your head right now, this is Rachel Glandorf . . . not to be mistaken with Glandorf the Grey of course).
• Remember when boys used to throw pebbles at girls in P.E. to "flirt"? Would this then be considered the college version of that?
• You seek revenge against a fellow athlete who dropped a few racial slurs at a party that you were not at. Do you (a) report him to school officials so that they can discipline him, or (b) hold up the wrong people at (B.B.) gun point while robbing them, thankful that you left your illegal sawed-off shotgun at home?
• In this weeks edition of "It Could Happen to You": meet Matt, a Tarleton State (where?) transfer student who kicked a 30-yard field goal to win free rent for a month and may now being kicking for your Texas Tech Red Raiders (that's right, the #8 team in the nation) this weekend.
• Some have been hit harder than you would have expected by this economic downturn.
• I must have missed the church service where the pastor explained where the Bible tells us that girls can not play football. Can someone please point me to the right verse?
• In non-sports related news, allow me to offer some advice: when pulling off the good ol' "dine-and-ditch", it is best that you do not leave your purse behind. Yes, I am talking to you Miss Teen Louisiana.

P.P.S. As for your weekly viewing enjoyment, I have put together quite an impressive combination of videos for you. You might say that I hit the motherload this week. So you can officially write off the rest of your Friday:

• Nice stick, but next time wrap him up (or, you could go with the blow-to-the-head like they do in high school).
• The world is a better place because of post-game press conferences.
• A behind-the-scenes look at the strenuous life of an Oregon cheerleader.
• "Mom, help! I am pathetic." [I'm just guessing, I don't speak Asian.]
• What is creepier, the guy's hair or what his step-daughter has to say about it? [with great Fargo-like accent goodness]
• People think that SNL has been a little biased in its campaign coverage. Where could they have possibly gotten that idea?
• Be warned: click on this link and you will have the song stuck in your head for the next four days. Oh, the wonder that is local television commercials.

P.P.P.S. Have a great weekend everyone!

And Then Everything Was Great!

Like most every Friday, I was not a happy camper getting ready for work (though, seeing as I do not camp all that much, I guess I cannot really say what the difference between a happy and unhappy camper is . . . but I digress). As I was begrudgingly collecting my things to walk out the door, I stopped to check my Crackberry to see what emails had trickled in while I was getting ready. And just like that, my friends, it was a great Friday!

I would like to congratulate my friends Mr. and Mrs. Georgetown (collectively "Georgetown") on the arrival of their first child, a happy and healthy baby boy! Andy Katz has confirmed that Jay Bilas is reporting that sources close to GameTime, TBD© have told me the baby boy has not been named after any of the 2006-2007 Georgetown Hoyas who contributed to their epic Final Four run. This is a good thing; this kid is going to have a tough enough life being raised in home that supports the Hoyas and Buffalo Sabres (also the Buffalo Bills, but they don't really bother me that much, so I'll let that one slide . . . plus, I probably shouldn't be blaming this kid for his dad's mistakes, nobody's perfect . . . except me of course). I mean, seriously, throw in being named JeffGreen (one word) and he would be joining me at Dr. Finklestein's by the time his fifth birthday rolls around. That is why when I get called in for babysitting duties (hehe, duties . . . and that, my friends, is why it's more likely my Better Half will get called in and I'll just tag along), bed time stories will center around the great accomplishments of the Los Angeles Kings . . . and once those five minutes are over, I will have to find something else to talk about. And you can be darn (it's not polite to swear in front of the children) sure that for his first birthday, Georgetown Junior will be getting a Kings jersey from me.

So, while I go check-in with the happy parents to see how everything is going, here are some things you might have missed:

• I probably do not have time for another fantasy football league, so it is a good thing that this one is a little out of my price range . . . and that just makes me want to join it even more.
• "Ah, the Detroit Lions. They're a Savage Garden CD played on loop, a wet pair of wool socks, a piece of aluminum foil being chomped on by a teenage girl in braces. They're more than just a bad football team. They're harmful to your health." Could not have said it better myself.
  
• Philadelphia is cracking down on drunken, rowdy football fans. But who will be at the games then?
• Michigan football player takes his frustrations out on Michigan hockey player. I know that does not sound very sexy, so I will give you a teaser: "picked up Kampfer and slammed him into the sidewalk." Now we are talking!
• Don't look now, but Bobby Knight could be throwing chairs at a college near you very soon.
• You stay classy PETA!
• If you do not get to talk to the media that often, you might as well make it count. [Bonus: now with video!]
• It is good to see Scott Boras already has Manny toeing the company line.
• I misread the title of the article, so I thought I was going to get something on the little people from Willow. It turns out it is an ESPN article actually worth reading . . . if you have got a half an hour to spare.

For your weekly view plessure, we turn our attention to, well, nothing in particular. I have got a few clips that should help you

• (1) work out any unwanted agression (in honor of our newest Sabres fan arriving safe and sound),
  
• (b) feel bad about that youth sports participation trophy you got back when you were 9 years old (anyone else think this kids parents might work for the governing body of Chinese gymnastics?), and
• (iii) remind you to vote in eighteen days (wait? JT is in this video? I must have been distracted by something in the background . . . )

Have a great weekend everyone!

Let's Get Dialed-In

Can someone please explain to me when and how "dialed-in" became a catch phrase for an athlete's performance? It does not make any sense to me. I mean, I get that it is used to describe an athlete who is "running on all cylinders" or "in the zone" (two more great catch phrases that I can't hear enough), but I do not understand how someone landed on "dialed-in" as an appropriate adjective.

Take, for example, my session at the driving range yesterday evening. The only mat available was uneven, hard, and next to a four-year-old smacking balls left and right across the bow of golfers hitting around him. While his father was getting frustrated at him for not swinging the way he was taught, this kid was having more fun just swinging away than I have seen anyone have at the driving range (myself included) in a long time. When I took my first swing and knocked my 9-iron right out where I was aiming, my new friend simply turned and said "Nice shot!". Thereafter, I was stroking my short irons wherever I wanted them to go. While I was a little loose with my long irons and woods, had an announcer been doing the play-by-play of me at the driving range (hmm . . . play-by-play of people at the driving range, I may be on to something here . . . I smell Emmy), he would have said I was "dialed-in" with my short irons (and, thankfully, there were no signs of the "s" word to be found).

Now, there are three observations I have for you as a result: (1) golfing next to this four-year-old boy was exactly what I needed heading into my tournament this weekend because he reminded me that, in the end, golf is supposed to be fun; (b) "dialed-in" makes no sense as a sports-related catch phrase (but I sure was "dialed-in" to that conference call this morning . . . hello? hello? is this thing on? testing, testing . . .); and (iii) I applaud you if you were able to get through that last paragraph without a "that's what she said" because there is no greater game than golf for blatant sexual innuendos (in-her-end-ohs . . . baZing!). Regardless, I hope you will find that I am "dialed-in" for this week's Link Dump. Here are some things you might have missed:

• I vowed to stay on top of the University of Idaho cheerleaders and their uniform "controversy" and I am happy to report that their new uniforms have arrived and they are clearly less provocative (Kelly, could you give us a cheer? Thanks!).
• Speaking of cheerleaders, apparently they are as much a part of growing up in America as blueberry pie and drive-in movies . . . wait, when was this article written, 1950? And what does that have to do with catastrophic injuries?
• A little heads up to all my Philadelphia readers (anyone? anyone?): the "most popular hockey mom in America" is coming to a Philadelphia Flyers' game near you.
  
• This article pretty much cements my third point above, and all you have to do is read the title and first line.
• Steve Williams donated how much? I think its time I strongly consider becoming a professional caddy.
• We should be hearing about an outbreak of pregnant nurses at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in about 3 months.
• Hey, my Lions finally got a win.
• Apparently basing a movie on "a true story" does not require that you actually tell the true story.
• "Naked van"? I should have been in the band.
• With the "Ray-hawk" craze sweeping through Tampa (and getting 11-year-olds suspended), women not willing to cut their hair have found a reasonable substitute . . . I guess.
• I will trade you my James Tumlinson rookie card for your Richard Alley straight up.

Man, I really nailed those links. I was totally "dialed-in". Someone get me a Gatorade so I can replenish my electrolytes. As for the rest of you, here are a few short clips for your weekly viewing pleasure:

• Oh, Martin Sheen, what has happened to your career?
• I told you the moon landing was fake!
• Sorry kid, just the wrong place at the wrong time.

Have a great weekend everyone (and wish me good luck)!

The Season of . . . Change?

Over at the GameTime, TBD© household, things have been a little tense. We have been at threat level red for the past two weeks.

Having been a collegiate golfer, I walk a fine line of playing the game for fun and playing the game for sport. As many of you are aware, I do have a bit of a competitive side that, well, can take over at any moment. When it does, I am not responsible for my behavior. My friends have witnessed a club throw or two in their time (including the epic 4-iron wrap around my golf bag) and I have been known to yell at myself after a few bad shots ("What the [expletive deleted] are you doing?" . . . this is a family friendly site people). My competitive streak is not helped by the fact that, of my friends, I would be considered the weakest golf (my current handicap of 12.3 doesn't match up to their low single-digit handicaps). I cannot bomb it out there three hundred-plus yards like they do, but when I try, the wheels come off. It is all about course management and setting up the shots that work for me.

Things, however, have gotten better over the past few years. A separated shoulder and three years of law school took a toll on my golf game, and it was only about twenty-four months ago that I started really getting back into it (thanks, in no small part, to living with my good buddy, and former teammate, Thirty Deuce). Much like riding a bike, you never forget how to swing a club, but things can get pretty rusty pretty quick and your short game (where a half to two-thirds of your score is determined) disappears. Over the past two years, I have learned to appreciate the game more, playing it more for enjoyment than competition. But do not think for one second that does not mean my competitive drive has gone away. Like a volcano (please, someone, take my keyboard away before I make this lame analogy . . .), my competitive drive is always there, right underneath the surface, waiting to erupt ( . . . oh no, it's too late). So, when I got back from my honeymoon in late-August and was invited to play in a three-day tournament with some of my co-workers in October, how could I say "no"?

With the tournament set to tee off this Saturday at 9:00 a.m., I have obviously spent the last six and a half weeks trying to fine tune my game. Things were going swimmingly for a while until two weeks ago. That is when it happened: I came down with a case of the . . . of the . . . of, you know, that thing you are not suppose to mention (six letters, starts with "s", also used to describe a prison event in which one inmate stabs another with "a make-shift knife, or a 'shiv'"). And when I say I caught a case of it, I mean I caught it BAD. And with each passing day, as the start of the tournament got closer and closer, I was feeling worse and worse.

Well, I am happy to report that, as of last night, we have returned to threat level yellow. My game appears to have returned and I am feeling much better today. I remain cautiously optimistic and am not willing to lower the threat level to blue or green until I have one more range session tomorrow night to confirm that everything is in order. But with the tragic events of the past fourteen days behind me, I can now officially move on to the main point of this post (I know what you're thinking, 624 words and I'm not even to my main point?):

The Los Angeles Kings 2008-2009 season begins in THREE days!!!

Playing in the NHL's most competitive division, the Pacific, expectations are again low for my beloved Kings. This season is their first under new head coach Terry Murray (their third coach in 4 seasons), they have one of the youngest, if not the youngest, line-up in the NHL (of the 23-man roster, 4 are over the age of 30 and 12 are under the age of 25), and they continue to have a huge question mark in net (neither LaBarbara or Ersberg have played a full NHL season as a number 1 goaltender). Put it all together and it is pretty easy to see why the experts are not expecting much out of the Kings this season. But I have got a surprise for all of the so-called experts out there: the 2008-2009 Los Angeles Kings will compete for the eight playoff spot in the Western Conference. No, I am not drunk, and no, I do not think that they will make the playoffs without a little luck and a lot of help, but come March, when the Kings are only six-to-eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, remember that you read it here first on GameTime, TBD© way back on October 8th. Now, allow me to explain.

For starters, Terry Murray [who's reign shall henceforth be remembered as that of Murray II, as he will never replace the reign of the great and indispensable Murray I (Andy)] is a great coach to have for a young team. Murray II brings with him the Hockey Canada system (not to be mistaken with the Hockey Canada system run by Murray I . . . seriously, one of these days someone will have to explain to me why we let him go in the first place), which stresses hard work and accountability in all three zones of the ice. This should help relieve the pressure on the young and inexperienced defensive group. Murray II is also, from all accounts, a coach that will not get down on a player when mistakes are made but, rather, will stick with them and give them plenty of opportunities to learn and develop. This was, perhaps, Marc Crawford's greatest short coming as a coach, and is a trait that is crucial for developing a team as young as the Kings.

But with a young and inexperienced defense, and a question mark in net, if the Kings are going to compete they will have to score a lot of goals. With the crop of talented youngsters up front, scoring likely will not be a problem this season. Anze Kopitar remains the Kings most prized and talented young gun. While he does not garner the same attention as the likes of Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, Kopitar deserves to ranked among the elite youngsters in the game. Entering his third full season in the NHL, a 30-goal and 80-plus-point season is what is expected out of the Kings alternate captain, and I would not be surprised to see him go higher. The Kings also have 30-goal talent in their newly-named captain Dustin Brown, who led the Kings with 33 goals last season, Patrick O'Sullivan, who netted 22 for the Kings in his first full NHL season, and Alexander Frolov, who got 23 past opposing goalies during the 2007-2008 season. The concern with O'Sullivan would have to be how long it will take for him to get into game shape having held out through all of the preseason, only signing a new contract this past Tuesday. If he is able to get back up to speed by the end of October, he could be primed for a breakout season. With Frolov, it all comes down to whether he will play his grind-it-out style all season, or in 15 to 20 game spurts like we are accustomed to right now.

But those four guys are names we are all familiar. Here is who you should look out for during the 2008-2009 season: Brian Boyle. At 6' 7" and 252 pounds, Boyle is a center with the body to bang and the skills to score. In 8 games with the Kings last season he netted 4 goals and 1 assist. Entering his first full NHL season, I would not be surprised to see 15-plus goals and 30-plus assists out of Boyle. I think he will be a strong contender for Rookie of the Year (which will ultimately be won by the #1 overall pick in the 2008 Entry Draft, Steven Stamkos).

Obviously, there remain some big question marks for the team. First, and foremost, can Jason LaBarbara finally rise to the ranks of a legitimate number 1 goaltender? He has shown that the talent is there, but now can he put it together for a full season? Also, will the Kings finally have a season where their players are able to avoid major injuries? This has been a big probably for the Kings over the past few seasons (see, e.g., the end of Murray I's reign), and if the Kings can keep they key players on the ice for 90 to 95% of the season, we might start to see what this team is actually capable of. Finally, will everyone buy into Murray II's defense-first mentality? Support from the forwards in the defensive zone will go along way to relieving some of the pressure on the young defense and the goaltenders.

But when you put it all together, and you look at the direction this team is heading (please people, give Dean Lombardi the credit he deserves; he told it would be three to five years and this is only year three), you have to feel optimistic about the 2008-2009 season. Stanley Cup Champions optimistic? Obviously not. But as I said before, do not be surprised when, come March of 2009, the Kings are right there in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Now, excuse me while I get back to the range to work out the kinks of my swing. If I am going to miss the Kings' home opener for this golf tournament, you better believe I am going to do everything in my power to win it all.

Slumpbusters

I know you will not be proud to admit it, but I guarantee everyone reading this knew (knows) of their college's slumpbuster(s) (seriously, 50% of my college would have been considered slumpbusters at other schools). Do not play dumb with me and pretend you do not know what I am talking about. So you hit a little bit of a dry spell; your confidence was shaken; you just needed to get back in the game. So you lowered your standards a little bit, ran into someone at a kegger on Saturday night who looked "good" (beer goggles anyone?), and "busted" out of your proverbial "slump". Look, it happens to the best of us (Editor's Note: not me; unless you count my Better Half as my slumpbuster of bad relationships), and, assuming your slumpbuster had some redeeming qualities, you have nothing to be ashamed of (just ignore your friends laughing at you; their turn will come).

But there are other slumps out there that need busting too. The Los Angeles Dodgers were in one of those slumps. Since the Dodgers last won the World Series in 1988, they had won exactly one (1) playoff game in twenty years (a gem of a performance by Jose "Lima Time" in 2004 versus the St. Louis Cardinals). In a city where success is defined by championships, that is a slump. So the Dodgers did what any person in a slump does: go looking for a slumpbuster. They found theirs, however, in the most unlikely of places: Boston. The Boston Red Sox were willing to give up Manny Ramierez for free . . . nothing . . . zilch . . . nada (if you've got an extra half an hour after reading the rest of this, check out Bill Simmons' in depth look at the real villain of the Manny-t0-L.A.-for-nothing deal). Now the Dodgers have a 2-0 lead in their NLDS against the Chicago Cubs (talk about a slump . . .) and are one win away from their first series victory since, well, 1988. It is fun to be a baseball fan again in Los Angeles (and I'm talking about the real Los Angeles, not that fictional Los Angeles in Anaheim).

Well, rest assured that GameTime, TBD© will never find itself in a slump. That is because you, my avid readers, will always be in need of a little Friday afternoon distraction. So, to do just that, here are some things you might have missed:

• With the Yankees and Mets out of the playoffs, the New York Times fills its baseball writing quota with . . . wait for it . . . mowing patterns in major league stadiums.
• Fukudome is not so popular amongst Cubs fans or school administrators.
• Apparently I am not the only one who thought referring to Rays' third-baseman Evan Longoria as Eva Longoria was funny. Unfortunately, Eva Longoria does not find it funny.
• "Hey baby, I'm just calling to let you know that the Restraining Order you got against me just went through about 20 minutes ago."
• I guess it was only a matter of time before fantasy football scoring pushed someone over the edge.
• It is good to see Shanahan finally joking about his long standing feud with Al Davis. But did he really count all of the days? I am not positive, but I am pretty sure the Broncos have a game this weekend. Can anyone confirm that for me?
• "Luongo to lead the way from the rear." Sometimes these things write themselves.
• Apparently, newspaper are cutting back on their coverage of local hockey teams. Those of us who have read articles written by those who cover the Los Angeles Kings think this might be a good thing.
• I think I will parlay "AFC winning the coin toss" with "Born to Run" for this year's Super Bowl.
• While some were sad to learn the Golden State Warriors had to fire their mascot (thanks to the Seattle Supersonics . . . wait, they moved? To Oklahoma City? When? Huh, who knew?), this guy is clearly not one of them.

Seriously though, that last guy has some unresolved anger issues he needs to take care of before things spiral out of control for him. Maybe he needs to go find dad and let him know he understands and he forgives him. Or, maybe these three videos I have selected for your weekly viewing pleasure would help:

• Carey Price obviously took the red pill.
• Gravity 1, Roof Surfer 0: gravity's best punchline in years.
• Even with all of this economic turmoil, apparently it still feels good to be a banker. How good you ask? Damn good.

Have a great weekend everyone!