Oh, Hello There

Howdy strangers.  Did you miss us?  It sure seems like it has been a while.  What? What is that you say? It has been TWO MONTHS?!?!?!  Yikes.  My bad.

First and foremost, allow me to apologize for the unexplained shutdown of GameTime, TBD© for the past two months.  Not to make excuses (cue the excuses), but a lot has gone done around the offices over the past two months.  There is a possible announcement looming on the horizon that will likely have a dramatic impact on our little corner of the world wide web, and, while things remain in limbo, I did not want to hold out on you, my avid readers, any longer.  When you mix holding out for a final decision to be made with actual work and the various holidays, you get two months of silence around these parts.  But we are back up and running at full speed for the indefinite future, and I will obviously, as I always do, keep you all in the loop if and when any developments actually occur.

Yes, I know that does not necessarily make up for two months of radio silence, not even a sympathy post featuring a picture of an attractive female celebrity, but I do hope you will find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Before we get to the goods [Editor's Note: that's what she said!], I wanted to briefly update you on a couple of topics:

• The Boston Red Sox kick-off the "second half" of their season tonight with a 55-35 record and holding a game-and-a-half lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East.  After starting the season 2-10, Boston remembered they were supposed to win a lot of games this season and started doing just that.  And that has been great for my little "science experiment".  At the start of play today (read: pre-bet), my co-scientist and I were up $329.77 on the season.  But things did not always look so pretty.  We reached a season low $-123.43 on April 15th after a 7-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.  From there, we did not reach positive figures until a 15-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on May 20th.  After bouncing back and forth between positive and negative territory for the next few games, we have remained in the green since an 8-6 win over the Oakland A's on June 3rd.  Since then, it has been a steady climb to current season-high of $329.77.  You may be asking how I know all of this.  Well, I can be a little anal retentive, so I have a complex spreadsheet tracking everything.  Shocking, I know.
• I am a fan of smart television; that is why most of the shows I grow to love get canceled before they should.  Since the main networks prefer to pander to the lowest common denominator, shows like Sports Night, Life, Veronica Mars, Studio 60, Friday Night Lights, and Freaks and Geeks do not survive (the average-American viewer is too dumb to understand them . . . yeah, I went there).  Which brings me to the Women's World Cup (totally saw that one coming, right?).  Perhaps the smartest thing ESPN has ever done (more on this below) was to bring Ian Darke in as their main soccer play-by-play man.  Why is that you ask?  Well, not only is Mr. Darke a genius with his calls (see, e.g., (1) "Oh, it's INCREDIBLE!"; (B) "It is an AB-solute FIRECRACKER . . ."; (iii) "CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?"; and (d) and the always simple, "It's a GOAL!"), but he is actually a genius.  He displays his intelligence through his word choice and dry sense of humor, or "Darkeisms".  If you actually listen to the things he says throughout the course of the game (like when the ball is just being passed around the midfield), I guarantee you will laugh at least a half-dozen times, probably more.  For example, only a few short minutes before Abby Wambach scored possibly the most dramatic goal in U.S. Soccer history (sorry Landycakes) against Brazil, with the ball out of play and U.S defender Ali Krieger desperately trying to retrieve it, Darke dropped this classic "Darkeism": "The ball went out of play there, and a retinue of intellectuals decided they'd hand it around among themselves before throwing it back." Legen . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . dary.
  
• I am going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2 tonight . . . yeah, you read that correctly.

Anyways, I apologize again for the delay in getting things back up and running.  So, without further adieu, I present to you our first Link Dump in two months to help get you through your Friday:

• In non-sports related news, for all you beer lovers out there, here are some ideas for your next vacation . . . 
• . . . and, apparently Groupon does things a little differently over in Europe.
• Sports Illustrated put together a list of the Top 100 sports-related twitter feeds not named @GameTimeTBD that you should be following.
• ESPN, raising the bar of the stupid decisions since 2011.
• But what about "Always pay cash"?
• Your feel-good story of the week comes from the (sing it Dre!) city of Compton.
• You expect me to believe that a guy with nearly a billion dollars in the bank and who is making at least $20 million in endorsements is possibly running out of money?  Right.
• "Reagan Kennedy says she's now working toward her ultimate golf goal - beating her father."  Daddy issues already?
• Dear Lord, not another Hopoate-style incident.  And for those of you now asking "What the [censored] is "Netball"?", here you go.

I am taking a calculated risk with this week's Link Dump return: less articles, more videos.  What do you think?  I figured it is the end of a long summer week, you are tired, and likely do not want to waste time reading things.  So why not go heavy with videos?  You will thank me later:

• With an assist from the bikini-clad smokeshows in the pool.
• Dear Dude, Can you please stop singing?  There is an attractive woman working the pole behind you.  Kthxbye.
• Things Dwyane Wade loses to: (1) the Dallas Mavericks; (b) basketball nets; (iii) six-year-old basketball players even when he tries to abuse his height advantage.
• We are not Giants fans here at GameTime, TBD©, but know a good number of our readers are.  So, to them, here is a reminder that The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants premiered this week on Showtime.
• Ever wonder what happens when you let Real Madrid practice at UCLA?
• Could this video have been the breakthrough in NFL labor negotiations?
• What is a talk show host to do if he accidentally books two comedians for the same night?  Follow Conan's lead.
• Wedding entrance fail? Wedding entrance fail.
• First Justin Bieber and now Rebecca Black?  How else would you expect him to respond?

It feels good to be back.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Birthday America!

Long weekends are the best, are they not? You usually get to leave early from the office, and then you get that extra day off, and then the following week is shorter as well. It is a win-win-win in our book. But even with the early departure, we know that work still has to get done. And if work has to get done, that means you all are in need of at least some entertainment to get you through your Friday. Which is why, of course, we here at GameTime, TBD© started our weekly Link Dump.

It is well documented that the Chief is a big fan of the 4th of July. His parties are, well, legen . . . wait for it . . . dary, and, if his invitation to this year's festivities is any indication (it's hard not to get excited for party when the invitation starts "Setting aside the fact the Declaration of Independence wasn't officially signed until August 2, 1776, that ID4 was released to some theaters on July 2 (wait, what?), and Zach Morris voted for Kelly Kapowski over Stacy Corroci at the Miss Malibu Sands pageant, that special time of year is right around the corner." . . . but I digress), we are in for another great one. After all, America deserves to celebrate its 234th birthday in style.

That being said, their are whispers floating around the office that the Chief is not as ready for the party as he usually is, that he is distracted. To those whispering I say, "Well, duh". Everyone knows the lone wild card in the Chief's 4th of July party planning is that July 1st marks the start of the free agency signing period in the NHL. Usually, the start of free agency serves as only a minor distraction to the Chief, just a blip on the radar. But not this year. Everyone knows the biggest name on free agent market is Ilya Kolvachuk, a player who is a legitimate threat to score every time he steps on the ice. He is the type of player the Kings have not had since Ziggy Palffy was in his prime, and the type of player they avoided trying to invest to heavily in during the rebuilding process (which, the Chief readily admits was both frustrating and the right decision). Well, the rebuilding process is over, the Kings are one of the up-and-coming franchises in the league, and for the past week the news has all been about how the Kings are the front runner in the Kolvachuk sweepstakes. Do you know what that kind of hype does to a die-hard Kings fan?

Well, if you were here in the GameTime, TBD© office yesterday, you would have see what that type of hype does. A man who has steadfastly opposed Twitter and a GameTime, TBD© twitter account, was *this* close to opening an account yesterday so that he did not have to keep searching for and refreshing the twitter pages of various NHL insiders. He was following not one, not two, but three live chat feeds for the better part of the day. It was ugly. Worst of all, nothing happened, and we are back at it today. Have you ever tried to get a man to approve a set of links to be published on his blog at a time like this? Mark my words, practically impossible.

But rest assured, dear readers, approve them his did. Of course, that was immediately followed by a string of expletives when Kevin Allan of the USA Today posted "Kings apparently were bridesmaid on Hamhuis and Paul Martin on Day 1. They wanted one of the big name D Men." on his twitter page. Seriously people, we are at DEFCON 2 here; I am worried we may see a grown man cry by the end of the day and we can not say for sure whether they will be tears of joy or tears of sadness. Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and ask, "Is this really my life?" Do not answer that. Rather, just enjoy these things you might have missed from the past week:

• The GameTime, TBD© family would like to send its congratulations (and a video camera) to Kyle Boller, who is marrying anti-gay marriage/pro-solo sex tape family values Carrie Prejean today in San Diego.
  
• Marisa Miller attended the Eclipse premiere for God knows what reason, but at least she looked good doing it . . . and managed to give some oogling teenager his first . . . er . . . "man moment".
• There is a porn star participating in the 2010 World Series of Poker. Insert poke-her pun here.
• It should not be hard to spot the reason this Q&A with Erin Pageviews is getting posted. Here is a hint, it is not because of the pictures.
• Rumor has it we finished a close second in the voting. At least we lost out to one of the best around.
• Only in Canada do parents attempt to profit from their inability to pass along athletic genes to their children.
• "No, you stay classy, anonymous Phish fan who took cell phone pics of a bottomless teenager." [Editor's Note: (1) the girl is of-age, and (b) there is a story associated with the link.]
  
• MLB has found a way to legalize gambling on baseball while also screwing over its fans. Bravo to you, Bud Selig.
• He pulled a hammy doing what?
• Early candidate for "Best Name of 2012 College Recruiting Class" has committed to Tulane; hopes to be drafted by Green Bay.
• "But I feel very comfortable with it and it also helps my physical performance." [Editor's Note: that's what she said!]
• What? No Kobayashi? What has Major League Eating come to? [Editor's note: nice picture choice Wall Street Journal.]

We usually head to lunch not long after the Link Dump goes live, and normally the Chief is very opinionated about where we go. Well, you can throw that out the window today: "I don't care where we go, as long as it has ESPN News on." This from the guy who has been driving the anti-ESPN bandwagon for past two years. NHL free agency, it is fantastic. Speaking of fantastic, here are some clips for your viewing enjoyment:

• It would not be Friday without some vigorous thrusting. [Editor's note: that's what she said (sometimes it's just too easy)!]
• Might as well get our other weekly tradition out of the way now. Here is your weekly dose of mocking of FCC.
• From the YouTube description: "A cinematic study on the social phenomenon that is 'Man Smacks.' The application of 'Man Smacks,' in simple English, allows two men to embrace each other affectionately while preserving their desire to be perceived as heterosexual."
• This will come as a surprise to exactly no one: we are nerds. Thus, we are posting the trailer for the last Harry Potter movie(s). That is all.
• "There are no grenades in Miami." Oh, Jersey Shore, welcome back.
• I will never drive a minivan. Oh, it is a Swagger Wagon? Nevermind then.

Happy Birthday America! Please be safe. Have a great weekend everyone!

It's A Long Weekend

I am trying to get my weekly link dump up a little earlier today because many of you probably have plans for the long weekend. You might be heading up to the slopes to get in some skiing, or taking the weekend as an opportunity to visit some friends you do not get to see very often. As for me, it is business as usual this weekend because come Monday morning, I will be back at work slaving away just like any other Monday.

I got a "Would you rather . . . " desk calendar from my soon-to-be Mother-in-Law for Christmas, so I decided to bring it to work to provide me with some daily entertainment. My friends and I always used to play a rousing game or two of "Would you rather . . . " when we would travel or were up late and in that "special" state of being. Anyways, with all the news that has been swirling lately, I found it ironic that today's question was "Would you rather . . . as a child, be reared by Britney Spears or K-Fed?" Wow! You ask this question 12 months ago and I think everyone would have picked Britney without blinking an eye. Who would have ever thought that K-Fed, the tool of all tools, would have come out on top? Though it was tough to do this week, here are some non-Britney related things you might have missed:

• Of all the things the fraternity likely did over the past year, you are going to get upset about some midget wrestling?
• I appreciate that the Girl Scouts are trying to make their cookies a little healthier, but don't you think they should start with the crack cocaine they have packaged as "Thin Mints"? Seriously, I could put down a box of those things without breaking a sweat.
• Death to Bobby Fischer: Checkmate!
• When are people going to learn? If you are going to commit a crime of some sort, do not put a video of it on YouTube or MySpace (also, I wouldn't recommend taunting the authorities at the same time; for some reason, they don't really like that).
  
• U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-umbass . . . err . . . I mean, D-Ohio) grills the Chairman of the Federal Reserve about his involvement in the subprime mortgage crisis . . . under belief he his actually U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
• Democrats continue putting your tax dollars to good use . . . if by "good use" you mean in a way that helps the American people in no way, shape or form.
• Having finally put the sex scandal behind them, the Vatican moves on to the next most pressing issue facing the Church: Is Harry Potter evil?
• I can total see how PETA thinks the two are related (crickets . . . crickets . . . crickets).

And for your weekly viewing pleasure, I have a couple of totally unrelated, yet very enjoyable, clips for you:

• And, he's out.
• Am I supposed to be impressed? Well good . . . cause I am.

Have a great (long) weekend everyone!

[Late update for those of you still working this afternoon: Jimmy Carter wants you to know how he feels about the state of America at this moment.

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:

• 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!