Dear Dean . . .

Dear Dean,

How is it going? I know you are busy figuring out which third-round talent you are going to take with the number two overall pick at tomorrow's 2008 NHL Entry Draft, so I apologize for this interruption.

About a year and a half ago, my good friend (and best man) Money Bags asked if I would be interested in joining his fantasy baseball league. He and his old high school friends had a league together for about ten years but it had started to decline recently. So Money Bags took over as league commissioner, let go of the managers who did not want to stick around, and offered teams to some of his other friends and co-workers. His goal was to start fresh, every team starting from square one.

Since I know you are such an avid GameTime, TBD© reader, I know you have noticed the lack of baseball-related posts. I am not the biggest baseball fan, and my lack of baseball knowledge has proved costly. I thought my success in fantasy football (I'd like to thank my coworkers for the new plasma and Xbox 360 over the past two seasons) would translate into success "on the diamond"; I was wrong. For starters, I finished second-to-last and am not fairing that much better this year. Why is that you ask? Because I was not around to draft my team the first year; I was auto-drafted by the (stupid) computer. And believe you me, when you are playing in a keeper league, using your third and fourth round picks on closers is not a strategy to go with. Oh, and in the draft lottery for this season, with the second best chance of getting the number one overall pick, I got the eighth pick. The lesson to be learned you ask?

When drafting, it is a good idea to have a coach. So imagine my surprise when you announced last Tuesday that the Los Angeles Kings had fired head coach Marc Crawford, a mere ten days before the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. I know what you are thinking to yourself right now, "What is this guy talking about? GM's do the drafting." Yes, you are correct, general managers do the actual drafting (more on this unfortunate point later), but it is the coach who decides what system the team is going to play, and the system should play a roll in the type of player the general manager (that would be you if you've forgotten) drafts.

Every hockey fan in Los Angeles (by this point in time, there might be only about five of us) is wondering why the Kings waited until now. You had just finished tied for last in the entire league, the franchise's second-straight disappointing season, and fifth-straight season out of the playoffs. So when you were asked, "Why now?", here is what you gave us:

• it was "a gut call."
• there was "an organizational change in philosophy."
• "we're committed to the way we're going after my meeting with ownership this week."

It was "a gut call"? SIX weeks after the season ended? Ten DAYS before the NHL draft? After several teams had hired some of the prime coaching candidates?

The organizational philosophy of getting younger is not a change in philosophy, it is what you said two years ago when the Kings first hired you to be the general manager, Dean. You said it would take three years until things started to change around here because you were going to get younger, develop the talent in our farm system, be more aggressive in the free agent market. So this is not actually a change in philosophy. Let us call it what it really is: a mistake. When you hired Marc Crawford two seasons ago you made a mistake and it has set us back on your timetable and now you are trying to back track.

Just admit it, Crawford was never the right fit. You probably knew this going in. But you did not think you could sell the fans another Andy Murray-type hiring, someone without experience at the NHL level, because, after all, the team had just fired AM. So you went out and found yourself a coach who had won a Stanley Cup and made this the focal point of his credentials. And you had to, because behind the smoke and mirrors was the fact that Marc Crawford was not known for his ability to develop young talent. He was a coach that took already-talented teams to a higher level. So when the Kings began their youth movement two years ago, an uphill battle in-and-of-itself, it was like you had shot them in the foot before they even started climbing.

So now you are out there looking for the twenty-second coach for the start of the teams forty-second season, TWENTY-SECOND. I am not positive, but I think the old saying goes "third times a charm." And while I appreciate that you are looking for a coach schooled in the old Hockey Canada system (wait a sec, isn't that the same system AM ran when he was here? Weird.), I am going to tell you how to make the twenty-second time a charm: hire John Tortorella. That is right Mr. Lombardi, the ex-Tampa Bay Lightening coach is the guy for you. He was won a Stanley Cup the way the Kings want to do it, by developing their young talent. He took a perennial last-place team (alright, I will admit they finished tied with the Kings this year) to four playoff appearances and the Stanley Cup in six-and-a-half seasons by taking young superstars-in-training Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards, and turning them into actual superstars. The Kings youth is bursting with superstars-to-be: Kopitar, Brown, Cammalleri, O'Sullivan, Johnson, and Bernier. It is also not to late for Frolov to develop the consistency everyone has been waiting for.

But maybe that is not what you are looking. Maybe Anschutz is actually planning to move the Kings to the booming hockey market of . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . Kansas City once his new arena opens out there. So when you say that ownership is committed to the way the team is going, you are actually saying ownership is committed to losing so the franchise loses enough to justify the move. I think I have seen this movie before, so let me give you a piece of advice: do not hire Lou Brown. He will find out you are losing on purpose and next thing you know, he will be pulling pieces of clothing off a life-size cut-out of Anschutz (ew, that's gross).

But I guess we will find out exactly what you are thinking tomorrow during the NHL draft. I know you are desperately trying to move the number two. You have always hated high draft picks. I give you credit for the success you had in San Jose where you used late first round picks to find that diamond-in-the-rough. That is great; there is nothing wrong with using the twenty-fifth overall pick to take a chance. But this is the second overall pick we are talking and you have the chance to either trade for some much needed goaltending help or draft a player who might make a difference. I know the easy choice would be to take Drew Doughty or Zach Bogosian, two puck-moving defensemen. And I would not blame you. Puck-moving defensemen are all the rage in the post-lockout NHL. But last time I checked, we have two puck moving defensemen on our roster (Johnson and Visnovsky) and you drafted one last year.

So take a chance and draft (La Femme) Nikita Filatov. I know it is not a guarantee that his Russian club will let him come, but he wants to come and he has all the makings of the next Ovechkin. Yeah, you might have heard about that Ovechkin fella, I hear he has been doing some pretty impressive things over in Washington. Besides, after the number two pick you have eight more picks in the first four rounds to play with. I am sure you can find a puck-moving defensemen then, or maybe even a stay-at-home defenseman with speed, something I think everyone would agree that the Kings need.

I will be at the Kings draft party tomorrow with my Brother-in-Law while you are in Ottawa working your "magic". Since my Brother-in-Law is connected to the NHL, I have promised him I will not make a scene if you do something stupid. So how about you do me a favor. Do not do something stupid. Do something smart. Then I will not even have to be concerned about making a scene. Can you do that for me, Dean? I would really appreciate it.

Hope you have a great time in Ottawa. Say hi to the family for me.

Best regards,

GameTime, TBD©

While I Was Flying

Once again, I found myself traveling on business all week. I must say, it is hard to keep up with the daily going-ons of the sports world when you are living out of a hotel room for a week, using your travel budget to buy drinks for you and all of your college buddies. I was, however, able to keep up fairly well this week because I take my responsibilities as Editor-in-Chief and Lead Writer for GameTime, TBD© very seriously and I did not want to let you all down this week.

Because I was away, I have yet to have a chance to put together my thoughts on the Los Angeles Kings' firing of Marc Crawford. While my previously-mentioned college buddies and I were watching game three of the NBA Finals, my eyes were drawn to the sports ticker announcing Crawford's untimely departure. Rest assured, I have my fair share of opinions on this recent development and the comments that have been made by the organization since then. And rest assured that those opinions will find there way to GameTime, TBD© sooner, rather than later.

Speaking of the NBA Finals, what happened to the Lakers last night? I was enjoying dinner and some drinks at the airport before my flight, watching the Lakers build a comfortable eighteen-point halftime lead. By the time I boarded the plane, flew from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and turned on mu CrackBerry, the eighteen-point lead had turned into a six-point loss. Now that is impressive. I hoped to get the low down from Kurt at Starbucks this morning, but he was nowhere to be found. So, while I try to figure out what I missed during the second half of last nights game, here are some things you might have missed:

• Speaking of Lakers-Celtics game four, Bill Simmons certainly did choose the right game for one of his famous running-diaries.
• Oh, and there is something going around about a Laker Girl who used to be a Celtic Dancer. What, was she traded for three pairs of hot pants and a sports bra or something?
• Oh, and if you have a couple extra tickets to game six in Boston, this guy is willing to offer you his wife. Stay classy Celtic fans.
• And since we are talking about Boston, a GameTime, TBD© congratulations goes out to Big Papi on becoming an American citizen. I guess that just makes him Big Daddy now.
• My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail or blocked by my spam-filter.
• If you see a decidedly un-athletic-looking character parading around town with a Giants Super Bowl ring — and it's not Eli Manning — please call your local authorities immediately.
• Pop Quiz: What does eight earned runs on three hits earn you?
• Hey taxpayers of New York, I know times are tough, but would you mind giving me $400 million?

Before I present to you with your clips for your Friday viewing pleasuring, I would like to remind you that quality is more important than quantity. That being said, here are two videos that best sum up how Laker fans are feeling today:

• What would we do without replays? (listen with sound if possible).
• I knew there was a reason I never got into skateboarding.

Have a great weekend everyone!

If You Can Call It A Milestone . . .

I do not know how I missed it, but apparently my "Coffee with Kurt" post, while bringing the Lakers bad luck, was GameTime, TBD©'s 75th post (trumpets, trumpets, trumpets . . . fireworks . . . fanfare . . . thank you, you are all too kind). Reflecting back on my first seventy-five posts as lead author [read: only author] and editor-in-chief (believe it or not, I do actually have a couple of editors), running a sports and girls related blog, especially part-time, is hard. While I do not think full-time bloggers have it easy, per se, I do think it would actually be easier to be a full-time blogger than a part-time one (stupid job that pays the bills). So then, if you are wondering why I keep doing this, it is because of you. The "you" of course refers to all of my avid readers, who stop by GameTime, TBD© week-in and week-out, sending me questions and comments about my recent ramblings. The "you" also refers to those of you out there who might not be an avid reader, but who happens stumble on my little corner of the massive world-wide-web and are able to get even the smallest iota of entertainment out of what you see. So, I thank for sticking around all this time, or just for stopping by, and hope you are looking forward to all the things still to come.

But enough about me, now for the real reason you stopped by on this Friday afternoon. Here are some things you might have missed over the past week:

• Marisa Miller (and her cleavage . . . nice!) at SpikeTV's "Guys' Choice Awards." I am not positive, but I am pretty sure . . . you are probably not even reading this anymore.
• If any of the people on this list are looking to make charitable contributions, I am willing to set up a fund in honor of my plans to retire by the age of 28.
• The New England Patriots cheerleading squad and a high school senior, how could this possibly go wrong?
• Big Brown to win Triple Crown while licking wing sauce from his hooves, wearing orange hotshorts and low-cut tank top.
  
• High school basketball coach facing felony charges for being awesome.
• Note to self: cancel plans to break into Noah Herron's home next week.
• I can not really say I know much about Taryne Mowatt, but I am pretty sure she and Erin Andrews would make a dynamite announcing team.
• Duke working hard to prove that the only stank found at their football stadium is coming from the field.

And for your weekly viewing pleasure, I have a nice variety of clips for you. Some are of the funny type and some are of the . . . well, I will just let you decide.

• After receiving such positive feedback from last week's 49ers rap, I thought it was only right to let you watch this.
• From the category "some people have too much time on their hands".
• Practice makes ouch.
• Two friends spend 55 seconds punching like girls and 2 seconds punching like men . . . and apparently 2 seconds is all that is necessary.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Coffee with Kurt

I am, admittedly, not the biggest fan of the NBA. When it comes to basketball, I prefer the college ranks to the pros. Having followed the ramblings here at GameTime, TBD©, I know that is not hard for most of you to believe. But living in the greater Los Angeles area, and with the NBA Finals set to tip off tonight with the Lakers at the Boston Celtics, it is hard not to get swept up in all the hoopla surrounding the team.

While I wish it was the Los Angeles Kings that had hoisted the Stanley Cup last night, it is exciting anytime your city gets the opportunity to win a championship of any sport. I enjoy the way such an event seems to really bring an entire area together, if only for a few weeks. Will I watch the Finals? Yes. Will I buy one of those Lakers window flags? Hell no! (seriously, those are the most annoying things ever. Do you really need one? for your rear windows? for all four windows? Ugh, I get annoyed just thinking about them . . . but I digress.) But here is the funny thing, I have actually been rooting for the Lakers over the last three to four months more than I ever have, and it is not just because they are winning (as evidenced by my undying support of the Kings, I clearly don't often root for the front runners).

You see, on most week days for the past three to four months I have had the opportunity to share coffee with former-Laker "great" and current-assistant-coach Kurt Rambis. Well, share might be a bit of an overstatement; we go to the same Starbucks at the same time. The first few times I noticed him (a 6' 8" white guy kinda sticks out in a crowd), I was kind of star struck. When I was younger, and a bigger fan of The League than I am today, Rambis was one of my favorites. He was not the most talented player, but he worked hard night-in and night-out, epitomized team play, and I respected that. Plus, I loved the 80's porn mustache [editor's note to Jeff Kent: grow it back buddy, it's about the only thing you had going for you] and the black thick-rimmed glasses; what a combo.

So one morning, after a Lakers' victory the previous night, I finally got the courage to talk to Kurt (yeah, we're on a first name basis). I simply introduced myself and said that I wanted to congratulate him on a nice victory. Here was the great thing, he did not just say thanks or shrug me off. Instead, he responded with something to the effect of "Well, it was nice to get the win, but there are certainly some things we have to work on." Then, he proceeded to talk with me for about five minutes about the Lakers' inability to close out on the outside shooter on defense and their problems with slashing point guards. He talked about how their offense was good enough to overcome these deficiencies on most nights, but that it was something they definitely needed to address to be successful come playoff time. Needless to say, it was one of the best sports experiences I have had recently.

Since that time, I have had several other conversations with Kurt while he waits for his lattes. He is always willing to share some insights into the game and the team which has allowed me to enjoy the NBA more than I used to. He also always gets two lattes. I keep meaning to ask him: is that for the Mrs. or does Phil make you get him a coffee every morning? I think it is best that I just let that one go for now (until we're actually on a first name basis). Instead, I will just sit here and wonder what will happen once the season is over. Will he still need coffee at 8:15 a.m.? I hope so.

Albom may have had his Tuesdays with Morrie, but I get my coffee with Kurt. Now, when do I get my dinner and drinks with Dan (Patrick that is)?

Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

I love short weeks. I l-o, l-o, l-o-v-e them (in a "have to have a shotgun wedding" type of way). There is just something about only having to work four days in a given week without having to use a vacation or sick day. It is almost liberating, like you are sticking it to the man.

Yet even with this short week, there is still something about Fridays. I can not quite put my finger on it, but there is something about this day that causes time slow down or, on occasion, completely stop. If you have a theory or understanding as to why this happens, please feel free to let me know. In the mean time, I will continue to do my duty as editor-in-chief of GameTime, TBD©, faithfully providing entertainment to the masses. I know we have been a little light on original entertainment over the past couple of weeks, but for good reason. This is a one-man shop and this one man has been incredibly busy. I do not mean to make excuses, but I am hoping that in your heart of hearts you will be able to forgive me. So, while you mull over whether you are going to forgive me, here are some things you might have missed in the world of sports:

• Unused tickets from Game 2 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Semifinals game between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche just became a whole lot more valuable.
• Joakim Noah: A Model Idiot.
• I will take "Know Your Opponent" for $1000, Alex.
  
• Much like Major League Baseball, the Detroit Tiger have been slow to respond to the rhoids issues.
• Manu Ginobli will be broke by the end of next season.
  
• A sumo wrestler with a ladle . . . stop me if you have heard this one already.
• Blah, blah, blah . . . women's tennis . . . blah, blah, blah . . . Playboy . . . blah, blah, blah . . . wait, what?
• I used to feel bad for players who were traded for the infamous "Player-to-be-Named Later".
• The Dan Marino of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
• The Seattle Mariners have managed to ruin the only good thing they have going for them this season.

You may recall that a couple weeks back my Bro got married. Late Friday night/early Saturday morning of that weekend, Crazy Cooter, Brother-in-Law and myself were showing off some of our favorite YouTube videos. In the process of searching, we stumbled across perhaps one of the greatest hidden gems of our time. For your viewing enjoyment, I present some of our favorites and the hidden gem:

• "It's the woo-WOOOOOO. You know what I'm sayin'?"
• I can not decide which video I like better, this one . . .
• . . . or this one?
• Let me get this straight, they are goats in a tree and they can talk?
  
• The Hidden Gem.
• And in case you did not already know, Mariah Carey proved once again that she is physically retarded.
  

Have a great weekend everyone!

Failure to Launch

Dear avid readers and new readers alike,

Unfortunately I will be unable to provide you with your weekly does of news and good fun.  I was traveling all week for work and am now about to take off with a group of friends to Yosemite for the long Memorial Day weekend.  Since most of you are likely leaving work early anyways, this should not be that big of deal.

Looking ahead to the next couple weeks, there are some big things in the works.  Most notably, my Better Half will make her long awaited debut on GameTime, TBD© as we play point/counter-point with the recently released Maxim Hot 100 list. I have had the opportunity to peruse the list and I must say I am a little disappointed with some of the choices (but, as mentioned last week, not their number one choice).  Plus, the NHL draft is right around the corner and the Lions have still not fired Matt Millan.

So, enjoy your long weekend.  Kick back with some friends and enjoy a cold "adult" beverage or two.  We will pick things up again next week.

Best Regards,

The GameTime, TBD© Staff

Party Time!

I know it is only Thursday but, sometimes, something comes up that forces you to move your schedule around and plan accordingly. In this instance, the "something" I am talking about is Bro's wedding. I know you have heard me talking about my wedding (more like poking fun at my Better Half about our wedding, but that's neither here nor there . . .), but it turns out that there are two weddings in la familia de BAP this year.

Here is the 411 on Bro: older than me by a good six years and made it known when we were younger. Unfortunately for him, I was to become the bigger of the two sons so picking on me never really lasted. Most of you who know Bro know that he is crazy smart, probably the smartest person I know. He has got a Phd in some type of chemistry (bio?) and speaks in languages no one can understand (are words with twenty-three syllables really necessary?). Seriously, half the time I think he is just making stuff up. He is a science nerd in every sense of the work but thankfully does not dress part. I have yet to figure out how exactly, but he somehow found himself an awesome girl, convinced her to move to Boston with him so he could keep going to school (a little place called Harvard . . . it's the Stansbury of the east), and got her to say "yes!" when he proposed. Call me crazy, but I think she has been drugged; I am pretty sure I can get a court order for a tox-screen no problem.

Okay, I am just kidding . . . about her being drugged at least. In all honesty, they are great together and I am so happy for the both of them. Best of all, this whole wedding thing means that I get to party with my whole family, and by "party with my whole family" I mean blow it out with my two cousins. So that is why this Link Dump comes to you on a Thursday and not a Friday. And because I am in an extra good mood, I have pull out all the stops for this week. So here are some things you might have missed:

• Maxim finally got it right!
• The NCAA finds 688 violations . . . not in one year, silly, at one school.
• High school cheer coach jailed for being awesome . . . or not . . . you decide.
• There is a Storm brewin' at ESPN. [note to self: worst pun EVER!]
• Charles Barkley, still not a role model.
• Apparently Bill Simmons's relationship with ESPN has fallen on hard times, so he went and started himself another blog . . . and posted a pretty interesting story.
• There is no "i" in team, and no "team" in Bonnie Richardson.
• Scotland really has some interesting hazards on its golf courses.
• All you Romosexuals can breathe again.
• One hundred and one . . . and counting.
• Some good might actually come from the O.J. Mayo scandal . . . at least if you are a fan of the Arizona Wildcats.
• If you are attending the 2008 Liberty College graduation, be aware that there is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

Since I am in such a good mood, I have put together quite a few clips for your viewing pleasure. Most are sure to make you laugh and one you will think is down-right amazing. I know, I know, get on with it already:

• While most of you may think that the Steeplechase is the lamest sport under the "track and field" heading, I have got not one, not two, but three reasons why you might find it mildly entertaining.
• Put simply: Manny being Manny.
• This is a video submitted to GameTime, TBD© by reader "Brother-in-Law". When I said one of the clips was down-right amazing, I might have been selling this one short.
• Since you are probably reading this at work, a word of advice: do not throw paper clips at your co-worker.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Goodbye Week, I Hardly Knew Thee

I have a confession to make: I have killed a man . . . and a woman . . . probably a baby or two . . . a lady of the night (I had to get my money back) . . . oh yeah, and a couple police officers, all within in the past week. Phew, it feels good to get that off my chest.

You may or may not have heard, but Grand Theft Auto IV sold six million copies and made $500 million in its first week of sales. As one commentator put it, "That's a whole lot of dead hookers." I am proud to say that I purchased GTA during its first week; yes, I am twenty-seven years old and I still play video games. And while I really enjoy playing GTA, I agree with the parent advocacy groups out there that strive to make this game unavailable to the younger gamers. While I have no problems disconnecting the game from reality, the violence and images portrayed in this game are very graphic. Take, for example, the advertisements for the game. Every morning on my way to work, I drive past the Hotel Figueroa (or "Hotel Fig" for us locals) in Downtown Los Angeles. Hotel Fig has three twenty-or-so story surfaces that they sell for advertising. Well, sure enough, the marketing team for GTA purchased the space and painted three twenty story pictures of characters from the game . . . and here is what it looks like (seriously, you can find anything using Google). While I thought it was funny at first, I have grown tired of it and actually believe the portrait on the left takes it a little too far. But I will always contend that it is time for society to grow up. Instead of blaming the video game producers and the retailers, it is time we put the onus back on the parents to take responsibility of their children and start teaching them wrong from right. Anyone who blames video games, music, and television for out societal problems needs a reality check.

But enough with the heavy stuff, it is Friday! I hope you all have a great weekend planned (don't forget to call your Mom on Sunday and thank her for teaching you wrong from right so you can play video games), I sure do. But if you are like me, I am sure you could use some entertainment to help get you through those last few hours of the day. So here are some things you might have missed:

• This is, without a doubt, one of the best stories I have read about in a long time.
• All good things must come to an end, including the greatest streak of all time.
• It is good to see that the Lingerie Football League (really?) cares about athleticism.
• People are starting to take this Yankee-Red Sox rivalry to a whole new level.
• I am 27 and my best round was a 192 . . . and I have two good eyes.
• I have never had a hole-in-one and this four-year-old scores one using a Snoopy driver. His reaction? Upset that he did not get to putt.
• Probably the most exciting article Tony Biasotti will pen for the Ventura County Star (that's my hometown's local paper).
• I never thought I would ever type this: Derek Jeter, my hero. (Side note: when the list is finally released, watch out for a point/counter-point from my Better Half and me).
• If the Eagles' cheerleaders really wanted to be "eco-friendly", they should have just gone sans-bikini. Who's with me?
• You know you are having a bad year when even the Canadians are after you.
  

As for your viewing pleasure, it was a pretty slow week in the comedy department. I have a couple short clips for you though that I think you might enjoy:

• A little rough on the landing, he might have to settle for the bronze . . .
• . . . only because this guy is gonna take the silver (degree of difficult is key).
• While a man should NEVER strike a woman, there is nothing out there that says he should let a collegiate gymnast lay him out.
  

Just in case that was not enough, and because I am in such a good mood, here are two of my recent favorites that we have enjoyed together in the past:

• Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel: Point; Counter-Point.

Have a great weekend everybody (and a Happy Mothers' Day to all you mothers out there)!

Don't Go There

Here at GameTime, TBD©, "our" readers are better than yours, and "we" know it.

As such, it did not come as any surprise when several of my avid readers inquired about the lull in Los Angeles Kings-related posts. Many noted that I had stayed relatively quiet while the Kings slid from the middle of the pack to last in the league. Several questioned why I never expressed concern over the Kings failure to move some of the bigger names on their roster at the trade deadline. Some even went so far as to (not so subtly) question my dedication to the franchise. That, my dear readers, is where I draw the line; no one EVER questions my dedication and loyalty to the Los Angeles Kings.

For starters, I never stopped following the Kings on this site. Sure, most of posts moved away from the Kings and more towards the UCLA Bruins and attractive women, but that does not mean I did not care about what was going on. [Speaking of attractive women, it turns out that Sports Illustrated's website has a section called "On Campus", which has an ongoing series of articles entitled "Cheerleader of the Week". For starters, I am a little disappointed that none of you out there gave me a little heads up on this, but I will let that slide. As it turns out, the series featured UCLA-fan favorite, and MOP of my NCAA Bracket breakdown, Brianna. Now, my expectations might have been a little high, but, as it turns out, Brianna is about as deep as a kiddy pool. Seriously, she wins the lottery and the first thing she buys is a blackberry? She grew up in Sunnyvale, I'm guessing daddy can get her one. Her best physical feature is her hair? Now she's just being modest; I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that when she goes for a guy, her hair is not what he notices first. Oh well, at least she's still easy on the eyes . . . but I digress.]

If work did not get in the way (ha, that's almost funny), I made it to every game for which we had tickets. I even made it to a couple of extra games thanks to my Brother-in-Law and his hook-up (read: job). You might have also noticed that, in the right-hand column, I tracked the Kings record for the entire season (though, admittedly, half way through the season I changed it from "Pacific Division Standings" to "Draft Watch: The Hunt for the Number 1 Pick"). This is not the first time in my life I have tracked the Kings record. You might remember way back in 2001 (February 21, 2001 to be exact), the Kings traded Rob Blake and a nobody to the Colorado Avalanche for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, a draft pick and the ever-famous "future considerations". Well, at that time I declared the Kings were better off without Blake and would make the playoffs (they were in 10th at the time). So, I took one of the dry-erase boards in my dorm room (I was a sophomore in college at that time), wrote "Kings Record Post Blake" and tracked it through the end of the regular season. Well, the Kings went 13-2-5-2 (wins-losses-ties-overtime losses) over the last twenty-two games of the season, earning the seventh in 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs. True fans do not just remember the amazing serious win over the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, they remember what the Kings did to get there.

Still want to question my loyalty and dedication to this organization? Well then, let us talk about this season.  This was one of those seasons when nothing went right.  I should have seen this coming a mile away, all the signs were there . . . well, actually just one sign.  As you may recall, the Kings opened the season in London, England for two games against the Anaheim Ducks and the first game was delayed about a half-an-hour because, well, because they could not get the lights to come back on after the national anthems were sung.  Then after a brief stint in first place, the downward spiral began.  Sure, there were some high points:  Anze Kopitar proved he is a legitimate superstar, Patrick O'Sullivan showed signs of being the great player he has been touted as for so long, Jonathan Bernier showed flashes of brilliance in his limited action, Brian Boyle showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with up the middle, and Dan Cloutier's contract expired.  There was even the surprise of Erik Ersberg, who was called up after Jason LaBarbera's season ended due to injury and posted respectable numbers (6-5-3, 2.48 GAA, .927 save percentage).  I even got to attend the Kings-Sabres game that the Kings won 8-2 and at one point had seven goals to the Sabres' eight shots.

But, in general, this season did not go well.  It is not like the Kings were predicted to be a division winner, or even make the playoffs.  They were, however, expected to compete for a playoff spot and it was not out of the realm of possibilities that they would make it in as an eighth seed.  Instead, the were competing for last in the league and the number one overall pick.  Now, most experts have stated for sometime that Steven Stamkos, the expected number one pick, is the only NHL-ready difference maker in this years draft.  Well, the Kings could not even lose right this season.  The Kings were out of it by early January and proceeded to go a decent run from the end of January to late February.  In the end, they finished tied for last with the Tampa Bay Lightening and lost out on the number one overall pick.  Yet there I was, to the bitter end.  In the stands, or in front of the television, I was cheering on my Kings.

Still want to question my loyalty and dedication?  I did not think so; just do not go there.  Now, if you will excuse me, I will be scouring the Internet between now and June 21st trying to figure out who the Kings are going to take with the number TWO overall pick . . . and if know Dean Lombardi, it will be someone with second-round talent . . . ugh, I will save that for another day.

Fore!

I am playing a little hooky today, "working" from home. My brother's wedding is right around the corner so I am "forced" to attend his bachelor party this weekend in Vegas. Do not worry, I am not actually taking the time to post from Vegas . . . I would just be getting back to room at this hour. I head to Vegas tomorrow morning for the one day swing. Today, we golf.

Like all other sports, I enjoy golf. In fact, I am able to call myself a college athlete because of it. Now, do not go thinking that I shoot lights out on daily basis, constantly breaking par (never done that), but I am better than average. After college, however, between going to law school and becoming an attorney, I have not had the opportunity to keep my game at the level it once was. But do not think that will stop from taking an afternoon off, grabbing the clubs, and playing around. Do I get frustrated more often now? Yes. Do I have to actually pay for the rounds now? Yes. Am I able to enjoy the game more now that I am playing more for fun as opposed to competition? Well, let us see how I play first. If my session at the driving range yesterday was any indication, it should not be that bad. So, while I am out hitting "the links" and enjoying the sun, here are some things to help you get through the rest of your Friday:

• Please ASU, think of the children.
• Will you go to prom with me? If yes, spank left cheek.
• Do you think Ronaldo can sue for false advertising?
• "That whole thing . . . will be jammed with people, fifty thousand or so, and most of them staggering drunk. It’s a fantastic scene – thousands of people fainting, crying . . . and fighting with broken whiskey bottles.” Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 . . . Kentucky Derby?
• You think this looks tough? You should have seen the time I played a round of golf with a hang nail.
• Karl Malone likes 'em young.
• Crack, hookers, professional sports . . . so goes the life of "Straw".
• Good to see that things are still going well for Lenny Dykstra.

And for your Friday viewing pleasure, well, I hope you like baseball. These following videos are of some guy who is really good at impersonating professional baseball batting stances. So good in fact, you could make a drinking game out of it . . . oops, I forgot we are all at work. So, unless you are uber-good at guessing the players, you will probably want some sound.

• For all you St. Louis Cardinals fans out there.
• For all you New York Yankee fans out there.
• For all you Boston Red Sox fans out there.
• And, a "Best of the 1980s" montage.

As an added bonus, and for those of you who do not like baseball, here is a bonus video:

• Greatest exercise video ever!

Have a great weekend everyone!