Watch out Hugh Hefner

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Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

Devin is sporting the latest in baby fashion! As he gets jiggy in his Thomas the Train robe, he shakes his groove thang lite as a feather in his Elmo slippers.

That's what we'd like to think is above. What's really going on is he is trying to touch himself after his quick shower!

Devin at his Desk

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Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

Devin working hard at his new desk!

Simple Happiness

It's the holiday season.  Even though we're in a recession, I've driven past my local Toys R Us and the parking lot is packed like the dot-com boom never ended.

But something I realized tonight is that kids don't need all those toys and gizmos to be happy.  My son has been sick since Saturday with fever and vomiting.  He was lethargic, sleepy, and in a general foul mood as diarrhea reared it's ugly head.  I had to work late so my wife and mother in law were giving him the TLC.  As I closed my work laptop, I looked at him playing in the family room with his spirits coming back a little bit (no doubt thanks to the motrin - baby crack!).  So I walked up to him and said 'Devin, let's march!'

We marched, and by march I mean full sprint, through the house for the next 30 minutes.  No toys, no tv, no gizmos.  Just father and son, and feet....and lots of yelling.  Simple happiness.

On the cop's side

In Athens, Greece, there has been rioting over, among other things, the death of a 15 year old boy.  The boy was shot by police while attempting to throw a fuel filled bomb at the lawmen during a riot.

The policemen who fired the fatal shot is being charged with manslaughter with intent.  Though I understand the young man is now dead, can we in good faith overlook that he was trying to throw a bomb at a police officer?   Apparently so as violence erupted at the boy's funeral when some angry attendees again clashed with police.

There are tons of other issues going on behind these riots of course.  However, protesting and rioting are two separate things entirely.  In this case, a young man lost his life in riot, not in protest.

Just watch and enjoy

Korean Touch My Body

Bud Staying?

Clemson has hired, to my surprise, the interim coach.  So what says you?  That means the pride and joy of Virginia Tech football may be around another season!  Bud Foster interviewed for the job but did not get it.  Though Bud deserves a head coaching shot more than anyone else I can think of, my selfish side is straight giddy thinking that he'll be around to coach his defense in the fine art of covering the offense's ass -- both the our offense and the opponent's!

Yet Another Reason to Hate Texas

Granted this isn't new news, but it's news to me as I'm sure it may be to some of you.  In Kleberg County, Texas, the official greeting is 'Heaven-O'.  Yes, Heaven-O replaces Hello.  And yes, the reason is because Hello contains the word 'hell'.  I really hate the state of Texas....and New York.  And Boston.  And while I'm at it, Colorado kinda pisses me off too.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleberg_County,_Texas#Religious_Laws

CBS Cares

It's a quiet Sunday evening.  My wife, Devin, and I are enjoying a little 60 minutes before Amazing Race comes on.  A commercial comes on.  Below is the script of the commercial:

Woman from some CBS show:  "Ladies, do you want to make Christmas special for your husband this year?  Call his doctor and schedule a prostate exam."

My reaction (sorry ladies) was 'BITCH'.  You got me a finger in the ass for Christmas?!  Really?!  Now the women in my life who know me personally know that I make an effort to never use the B-word.  But this woman is on TV telling woman that the gift to get is a prostate exam.  I'm supposed to get you a diamond or a lexus and you're gonna get me . . . . a prostate exam.  That gets an insult hurled!

Daytime TV Nuggets

"I'm Donna Abraham, and I keep it real" -- Law offices of Donna Abraham

Yeah, so, I don't want my lawyer saying that she keeps it real.  I expect to hear that phrase at a club, in a barbershop, or on a hip-hop track.  I do not want that said on my behalf in a courtroom.  "Your honor, my client is not at fault.  That's my word, son!  I keep it real!"

--

On Jerry Springer, the Reverend Snore is about to wed a gay couple in which one of the bewedded believes he is a woman trapped in a man's body.  His godmother refuses to accept his closet exit and his desire to be female.  In an effort to stop the wedding, the godmother starts chasing the Reverend Snore around the set to which he exclaims "You raised him!  The Bible says 'A good tree bears good fruit, and . . . a bad tree bears a he she!'"  Oh that darn Reverend Snore!!

Xpinionated Sports Recap

As some of you may have noticed if you've looked at the tags, my Redskins, Hokies, and Lakers blogs are now residing here.  My time and effort to those blogs had become minimal, not to say I've been a workhorse on this blog either but whatever.

Up first, we'll go with the Lakers.  The Lakers had three games this weekend with double digit wins over Phoenix (thurs), Denver..again (fri), and Sacramento (Sun).  At 11 - 1, there's a feeling that something special is a-brewin'.   Everyone knows their role, and does it well.  A coming out party for Trevor Ariza this season has been an unexpected surprise.  I am still looking for a bit more from Sasha Vujachic but Farmar is showing signs as being the successor to Derek Fisher.  Luke Walton has spiralled to a position on the end of the bench.  I'm not even sure he has trade value at this point.

The Hokies squeaked by the Blue Devils of formidable Duke.  As this game wasn't televised, there's not a whole lot I can say about the actual game.  Turnovers seemed to be what made it a tighter affair than what was expected with four turnovers from T-squared in the first half.  That still doesn't explain the inability to score against Duke in the second half save for a pick six.  A win next week and the Hokies have managed to limp into the ACC game.  Still not so sure that's a good thing.  I never want to wish bad luck on the Hokies, but part of me needs Bryan Stinespring fired.  And success does not act as a catalyst for severance.

The Redskins finally won a game in Seattle.  I believe Seattle has put the 'Skins out of the playoffs in 2 of their last 3 meetings and beat them in a regular season matchup as well.  The 'Skins were able to move the ball well 30 - 30 but had trouble translating that success into touchdowns.

Exaggerated Definition

A co-worker told me I tend to over-exaggerate.  Over-exaggerate?   Is that possible?  After all, "to exaggerate is to overstate, to describe more than is fact".  So is it possible to over overstate?  And for that matter, is it possible to under-exaggerate, under overstate?  And at what point does exaggeration just become a lie?  When the exaggeration does become a lie, is it a white lie or a bold faced lie?  Is there such a thing as a black lie?  If so, which would be considered the minority lie?

Dedication

Ouch that must hurt!

Originally uploaded by weblaunches

Photographer Ryan McGeeney got caught up in a bit of a bad position.  Covering a track and field event, he became part of the festivities when the javelin pierced his leg.  But does he pass out or yelp...nope, he snaps a photo of the event.  Dedication - when new holes in your body don't stop you from doing your job!

Overheard in the Office

"Yeah, I'm just waiting on Obama's bailout!" -- by the same guy who thinks all NBA players are assholes....go figure.

President-elect, emphasis on '-elect', Barack Obama apparently is the leader of the recent bailouts.  What a talented individual.  Campaign, win election, and making laws with exactly no power to do so all at the same time!

Idiot!

Announcing Natalia!

Premiering in late February or early March 2009 (scheduled C-section so due date is 3/12/2009 but birth before that is highly likely), Natalia Elizabeth Davis.  

Quickies 11/7

I officially am no longer a Beyonce fan.  Her latest single 'If I were a boy' is so freaking sexist.  I am fed up with the depiction of all men as one single entity.  Just as golddigging whore does not describe every woman, ungrateful, scheming, dog does not describe every man.  She should be ashamed of herself...I'm ashamed of her.

Dr. 90210 is a bitch.  More specifically, the Brazilian one.  He lets his wife walk all over him and then let's her blame it on his childhood.

Also, I have made up my mind concerning cosmetic surgery.  I think it's stupid.  How's the saying go?  "You can't put in what God left out!"  I hate to think of all the effort put into learning to give a Canadian woman a brazilian butt or giving someone bigger boobs so they can pursue their stripper fantasies of a starlet stripper legacy.

Election Thoughts Continued

Barack Obama is the President-Elect.  I won't say that I never thought I'd see a black man as president but I never thought I would see it so soon.  I wish I could feel the joy that I saw expressed by so many people for this historic event.  After all, I did vote for Obama.  But the moment where I felt that he would win, I felt an impending dread.

I felt for his family.  For their safety and his.   Beyond that, I felt for him.  I think the pressure and criticisms he will face will be at a far higher level than any previous president.  As I've stated, I don't feel like he carries the burden of black folks on his shoulders, or at least I don't think he should.  I do feel like he carries the heavy weight of setting a precedence for any presidential nominee who is not a white male.

On a different stroke, I noticed Virginia went blue for the first time since the 1960's.  I find this extremely interesting.  A battlecry from the conservatives  has been that the military must stay in Iraq and win this war.  In backout would be admitting a defeat.  Growing up in the Tidewater area, I know the ridiculously high military presence that calls the place home.  I find it interesting that with such a high military personnel voting population, the sentiment did not go with the conservative mantra of stay and fight.  If the military personnel doesn't support the cause (very different from supporting the troops in my opinion), is this a war that can be won?  For that matter, has anyone defined what ends qualify as 'winning the war'?

Lastly, I was saddened to see some of the status updates on Facebook from friends of mine who also happen to be Republicans.  Instead of a congratulatory word, or maybe something to try to bring folks together in this most divisive of elections, most were exaggeratingly pessimistic.  Updates ranging from 'Hope you're happy, I can't wait for the first terrorist attacks!' to '...mourning the country as takes a huge step in the wrong direction'.  I wanted to comment to both of these but for the sake of the friendships, chose to let them deal with their disappointment in their own ways.   However, didn't the first terrorist attack already occur on 9/11?  And given the crises of the past couple of months, not to mention the never ending war, wasn't this country already headed in the wrong direction?

Election Day Fodder

So I'm standing in line waiting to be the good American and cast my vote for the next chief of the union.  It's 8:30 am, I was out drinking last night watching my 'Skins suck arse.  With this said, yeah, not in the best of moods.  

As my fortune would have it, there are two soccer moms a couple of folks ahead of me who happen to know each other and happen to also talk . . . a lot.  

The most interesting conversation was from the unemployed soccer mom.  As she waxed poetic on how some video games are just too violent for her 14 or 15 years old, she held in her hands a book by the title of 'Kill Me', highlighted with a bullet for the 'i' in Kill.  Irony at it's finest.

Early she stated that she could not believe that there were kids who were left alone at home at the age of 13.  I think back and I was a latch key child, along with my sister for as long as I can remember.  Maybe you can't trust your little badass kids but don't assume your burden is shared by all.  

As you can tell, these ladies soon got on my nerves.  And for the first hour and a half, I had no distraction.  Just their constant....constant.....constant yapping.  Luckily as we neared the actual election room, the general buzz of the crowd ground them out of my earshot.

Tapered Disappointment

I shoulder the blame. A few weeks ago, I updated my facebook status to reflect the Hokies and Redskins combined 9-0 record after the opening week of the football season. Since then, they have combined for a dismal 1 - 3.

The Hokies have had two disappointing, and potentially season ending, losses as they no longer control their own destiny completely in the ACC race. The loss to Boston College as well as the loss to Florida State can be attributed first to penalties and secondly to Stinespring's lack of offensive genius.

Roughing the punter in the third quarter completely changed the momentum today with the Seminoles completing a long pass for a first and 10 on the very next play. The first 30 yards in Boston College's initial scoring drive came on penalties, including pass interference on third and long.

Stinespring's inability to come up with an effective offensive gameplan (save for the Nebraska game, and Cory Holt's touchdown drive today) is the main issue for the Hokies. Even further, I believe Frank's reputation is starting to be affected, at least with some fans. We know Frank's loyalty is a given. But at some point, the numbers have to be telling you something. Think of this, when was the last time you saw a VT player running free on the way to a touchdown (that wasn't on defense)? When was the last time you could, as a fan, turn the game off (not that you would want to) because VT was dominating on both sides of the ball? Hell, I can't remember the last time I looked forward to seeing what our offense would do. And I don't think it's a talent thing!

Our Thursday night schedule ramps up in a little under two weeks. Maryland and Miami, home and away respectively, meet the Hokies on Thursday night. Must wins if we have any hope of getting in the ACC championship game. I may have misspoken earlier. The Hokies do completely control their fate. Win out, play for the conference championship...simple as that!

The Political

Technorati tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, Politics, Presidential Election

As we are all too aware, the presidential election is weeks away.  I typically avoid politics as much as possible, particularly with friends.  I don't want to know know who they are voting for, I don't want them to know who I'm voting for.

With this said, I wrote an earlier post on my initial thoughts on the Barack Obama campaign.  Those thoughts still ring true for me but they are not why I write today. 

Just as many folks have claimed that voting against Barack as being racist, I feel voting for Barack because he is black is racist as well.  With that said, I have made a conscious effort this year to give both candidates equal air time in my decision making process.  That is to say, when I watch either candidate speak (particularly in the debates), I am going to be as objective as I can. 

I personally feel that for 90% of us, religion and politics are too societal choices that our parents make for us.  My parents were never overtly democratic or republican, at least not as I remember as a child.  Throughout college, I did find that I was more liberal than conservative but that I was probably best described as a moderate liberal...probably on the fence but leaning on it from the Democrat side. 

As this election has gone on, as well as ones before it, I find a strong desire to vote for something.  By that, I mean I am tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.  As the campaigns have progressed, I've noticed that McCain backers spend more time disparaging Obama than 'Building McCain'.  As a fence voter (or at least trying to be as I'm fairly disappointed with both major parties), tell me why I should vote for the candidate you so strongly support.  If the first words out of your mouth are attacks on the other candidate, that sounds to me as if a) you're voting based on party affiliations moreso than support for the candidates ideas/goals/plans; and b) your candidate doesn't have enough strengths to stand on alone so disparaging the other candidate has to be a strength.

Devin Knievel

Devin Knievel

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

My daredevil son gets his thrills and spills on. And by spills, I mean what he's doing to his poor poor diaper!

Me and the Giraffe

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Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

This is by far the best picture from the family trip to Zoo Atlanta. Oddly enough, he was making a completely different facial expression that I was trying to catch. But I'm glad I did....do you see the mischief on his face or is it because I know the lil man?

Strictly Hot

Weekend Recap

Technorati tags: Washington Redskins, Virginia Tech Hokies, University of Alabama, University of Georgia

By far this was one of the better football weekends than I have had in a long long time.  Two games (and a side interest, propelled by hate, in a third game).  Virginia Tech at Nebraska.  Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys.  And the University of Alabama at University of Georgia.

Let's take it in chronological order.  Alabama whipped Georgia in the first half jumping out to a 31 - 0 lead and then lost interest.  The final score was 41 - 30.  My hatred of UGA fans has led me to actively cheer against the Bulldogs.  Today's most common question from the less than knowledgeable base of UGA fans -- why didn't they play the first half like they did in the second half?   Uh, because Alabama still cared in the first half.  The second half for the Crimson Tide was all about running clock.  They weren't making the timely offensive calls of the first half.  They were simply chewing up the ticker.  Any time Georgia came within two scores, Alabama marched down the field and put some points on the board.   Thud...the sound of the overrated coming back to earth!

The Hokies traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to face the undefeated Cornhuskers.  The last time these two teams met, Nebraska showed Virginia Tech what it was going to take to be a big time team with a 41 - 24 dismantling in the 1996/97 Orange Bowl.  Virginia Tech set the tone early with a blocked punt midway through the first quarter.  They followed that with an interception deep in Nebraska territory, eventually getting the touchdown and taking a 9 - 0 lead.  Though a competitive game throughout, the Hokies biggest lead was 28 - 10 before a furious comeback attempt fell short and the Hokies left the sea of Red 35 - 30 victors.  The offense was actually very productive with over three hundred yards of output.  The defense was stout making the Cornhuskers rushing game a moot point.  Ahhhh...the sound of a HOkies fan base seeing an offense work despite it's coordinator!

Lastly, the Redskins traveled to Dallas for their last game in Texas Stadium.  Underdogs coming in, the 'Skins had a lot to prove in this game.  Already being considered an also ran in the ultra competitive NFC East, going into Dallas and winning would go a long way in proving to the world what we had.  Jason Campbell showed more improvement as he dinked, dunked, and evaded the Dallas defense on his way to a 26-24 win.  Heehee....the sound of smug laughter as the wheels fall off the Cowboys bandwagon. . . .

Hidden Prejudice?

There are probably going to be two or three folks at work wondering why I became so heated with a co-worker today during what appeared to be an innocent conversation about sports.  This co-worker said something that I believe wholeheartedly shows some true colors to this person's beliefs. 

Talking about Josh Howard's idiotic statement on film, I mentioned to, let's call him gerg, that Howard attended gerg's beloved Wake Forest University.  His reply was that all those NBA players are piss-pots.  Alarm one in my head goes off as I ask what he means by that.  Being an NBA fan, I am quick to defend the league as I believe they get the worse rub from the public and media in any matters concerning image. 

His reply?  They are all assholes.  Now I am standing up.  Walking to his cube.  I've already mentioned that I think I may be offended but I ask him to explain that.  His bullshit response?  He first states that they are overpaid.  I ask him are football players overpaid.  He states yes.  I ask him so why do you dislike certain overpaid athletes versus other overpaid athletes?  His Second bullshit response:  I have a right to my opinion. 

Can't argue with that.  But when someone asks you to explain your opinion and you can only name call followed by 'I have a right to my opinion', your opinion has lost all credibility and displays an ignorance.  If you can't simply tell me how all NBA players are assholes then there is obviously not a single factor, rather it's something about the group.  After all, gerg has now identified a group of over 400 persons roughly as ass-holes.  And when you hide behind (or perhaps try to avoid the topic at hand?) having a right to an opinion, it shows me that you're scared to say what you really think.

My personal explanation for his sweeping statement.  Let's take a step by step approach.  He likes football and baseball and college basketball.  What is different about the NBA when compared to these other sports?  Not much.  The pro athletes of each sport are paid astronomical amounts compared to their relatively trivial importance to society.  Each sport has had its share of DUI's, embarassing moments, etc and so on.  Baseball's clean cut image has taken a hit recently with all the steroid talk.  The NFL's image is status quo -- some players considered too flashy, some too mouthy, but all in all still America's favorite game.  The NBA, on the other hand, gets labeled as too hip hop.  Questions about all the tattooed players abound.  And let's not forget the overused, in fact overused incorrectly, term de rigueur -- thug.  All NBA players are thugs has been typed and spoken so often that the sheer use of the term brings to mind idiocy to me.

In fact, there is a large disconnect between who the players are as people and the fans that cheer for them particularly in the NBA.  It's no coincidence that the majority of NBA players -- by a large margin -- are black.  So I know what you're thinking, "Here we go again, the race card!  Every time someone dislikes something that is done primarily by black people, some black person pulls the race card!"  If that's your train of thought, so be it.  But please tell me the difference between a football player and a basketball player to the point where you tolerate one but not the other.  The silliest idea is that the ability to tolerate is due largely to the gear of each sport.  Bear with me. 

Suppose you're sitting in the mall and a bald black male sits next to you wearing a button down shirt and decent jeans.  ON the other side, a black male sits with a wife beater on, tattoos screaming for attention.  The difference between the two is only what you can see.  My point is that the heavily geared black football players lose some of their thugness, some of their hip hop, when covered with those pads.  From a distance, they look like everyone else on the field.  Not so for basketball players.  A good portion of their arms and legs are exposed, and heavily tattooed.  Their braids, cornrows, and dreads are basking in the limelight of professional sports. 

The combination image of tattoos, cornrows, braids, and dreads has somehow evolved into a characteristic of hip hop though all have existed long before hip hop mesmerized mainstream America.  So now we have this scenario -- a fan base of young to middle age white men watching young, vocal, and strongly independent black men in a very public arena.  Disconnect?  The fan base can cheer for their favorite team but have a hard time falling in fandom for a person that they would typically avoid in any number of other situations. 

But I fear I digress.  My point is this.  My coworkers condemnation of a group of adults to whom which I closely identify leads me to wonder at his true reason for his distaste.  Since his only explanation is more namecalling, my guess is that he has some prejudices that he cannot divulge (or may not even recognize consciously) so he avoids answering any questions for further explanation.  Hence the title -- Hidden Prejudice...

Technorati tags: Prejudice, Black Athletes

Overheard Office Conversations

IN regards to the recent AIG collapse and subsequent government bailout:

Now I'm really upset at the Bush administration!

You're just now getting upset at the Bush administration -- after 87.5% of the tyranny has transpired?!?!

Technorati tags: AIG, Bush

Arguing College Football

Flowchart from http://gunthered.googlepages.com/howtoargueaboutcollegefootball.jpg

Victory?

The Hokies used a 21 point third quarter to win an unimpressive 24-7 game over the mighty Furman University Paladins. Not much to say except in no way can I see VT being favored next week against GT.

Long Season Ahead

At halftime, the mighty Hokies lead the Furman Paladins 3 - 0. No shit. 3 - 0. And that was a late second quarter field goal. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this game isn't televised so I can't give you details on our ineptitude but judging from the stat line. Glennon is 2-5 for a few yards with an interception of course. Taylor hasn't made much of an impact. It looks like Evans is our only ray of hope.....

I'm scared...

Never Enough Off My Chest

Far too often I feel like what I do is not good enough. I don't make enough money. I don't have a big enough house. I'm no good at handyman work. It's like no matter what I do, she won't be happy.

And it's beyond material, it's always about her. If I say I'm tired, she's more tired and I have to hear why she's more tired. If I say my foot hurts, her back is killing her and we need new mattresses.

Then there is the constant fear I have whenever she starts a sentence with 'been thinking' because she only thinks about ways to spend money that we don't, and the way things seem to go 'won't', have. The other day, as if there was a windfall of loot, she says we should get the hardwood floors that snap in place and then you can call Bobby and Gary to help put them in. Yeah, that hurts on several levels:

1. Don't know what money she plans to use to upgrade to these new hardwood floors which are only necessary because of those damn cats...seems to me getting rid of the cats would be a cheaper and more practical solution.


2. I can't say her always bringing up other folks to help makes me feel good. I wouldn't mind trying some of these things but her criticisms would take the joy of learning while messing up out of it.


3. Even if we did do this, it would be maybe two weeks before we would need to do something else.

I guess what I need is for her to realize that with her pay cut and rising costs, she makes me feel like shit when she is constantly asking for stuff. Or one of my favorites is I'll joke about having a sports room and she says 'When we buy a house with a basement' like our current four bedroom home is garbage. Like she didn't take a 40% pay cut for less stress even though I personally believe she loves drama and stress and will create it if it doesn't exist. But it's somehow my fault that we don't have a basement.

I'm venting and this post is nowhere near linear but I need to get it off my chest. Last night, I went to watch the Skins play horribly. Besides the usually sudden gloom to make me feel bad for leaving -- something I never do to her regardless of the situation -- I now have to hear about 'the kind of night' she had with Devin. What's odd is I never seem to have these super horrible nights when it's just me and him. I'm seriously thinking about not going out but once a month for two reasons....so she can't run a guilt trip on me and so I can run my own guilt trip on her (staying home with my own doom and gloom).

Redskins 2008 Debut

The Skins face the Giants tonight as the 2008 season kicks off. To be honest, I've no clue what to expect from this year's team. Of course, I'm hoping for further development at the QB spot but I don't know enough about our new coach Jim Zorn to have a feeling either way on how this season is going to go.

After a blistering 3-0 start in the preseason, we were on the drubbing end of losses for the final two games. Not exactly confidence building as those are the games where everything is supposed to be coming together. We'll see how we roll tonight and hope for the best.

Unranked and Tyrod changes shirt color

New polls are out and Virginia Tech is not included. No surprise here. And quite frankly, we are deservedly unranked. It's times like this that remind me of that magical 2004 season. Dropped an early game, joined the bleakness of irrelevancy only to bounce back and win the conference. Granted, it will be considerably harder if we are to do that again.

On the heels of the loss, the (at least in my mind) expected un-redshirting of Tyrod Taylor was announced today. Though it provides another look for our struggling offense, the real problem I saw Saturday was defensive. Our tackling was atrocious. Not just running backs, but anybody. It seemed like it took two defenders to tackle anybody. After the first series, our defense became awful. I know we lost the game on the backs of a blocked punt but quite frankly, we shouldn't have even been in a position where a blocked punt would have mattered.

Offensively, I await the day when going deep is something you have to account for against the Hokies. But for that to happen, our supposedly improved offensive line has to make some strides. Furman should be a cakewalk but I'm not sure a cake walk is what we need. Georgia Tech the following week should provide a better barometer of where we are as a team -- a couple of games under our belt and with that some experience.

I do feel bad for Sean Glennon. Though his play wasn't horrible -- outside of the two picks -- his pocket presence seems to be lacking a little bit --particularly for a senior. I also have to wonder about our playbook as we didn't seem to be able to get anybody open either on a consistent basis. Frank Beamer said he hopes to Sean get a job in the NFL but I just don't think he has had the college career to get that far. At best, he'll have to 'walk-on' somewhere and prove himself as a backup.

Not an upset

Sitting at the bar as the final seconds ticked off the ECU victory over the Hokies, the jackass fans that are UGA fans started chanting E-C-U. For reasons unknown to me, UGA fans are happiest when kicking other teams' fans when they're down. No worries, a simple 'When did you go to UGA?' will usually shut the majority of those fans up. In any case, another UGA fanboy comes behind me and says 'This year's App state!' Another stinging quality of UGA fans is their lack of football knowledge in general. But being used to this kind of harassment from them, I know the easiest to do is ignore them. But in my mind, I thought, 'You can't be serious.'

This was not an upset of App State-Michigan stature. We're talking about a team coming off of a bowl victory last year over Boise State (I believe). Slouches hardly.

We were completely dominated today. Defensively, we couldn't stop them when we needed it most. Third downs became a lesson in smash mouth football. Without Macho Harris, the corner routes were a given. And our normally attacking defense was passive at best, often stopping and waiting for the offensive player to make a move instead of laying the lumber. The result, missed tackles left and right. Offensively, we didn't look sharp. There seemed to be hesitations on running plays and interceptions that just took points off the board. I personally didn't agree with Beamer's decision to go for it on 4th and 1 early. Two reasons -- 1) Our FG kicker really could have used an easy FG to get him going in this season; 2) We struggled with this team last year. There is no reason to take sure points off the board.

I think this is going to be a long tough season. 41% of our players saw their first collegiate action today. Let's hope we can find ourselves against Furman. Congrats to East Carolina although unlike a lot of fans, this game scared me and apparently for good reason.

Missing Caylee

Caylee has been missing since June.  Her mother (used loosely given the facts so far) did not report her missing for a month.  Upon returning to the grandmother's house, the grandmother called the police reporting that the trunk smelled like a dead body.

Since that day, Caylee's mother has not been charged for kidnapping (or suspected murder).  Obstructing justice blah blah blah is what she currently faces.  And the grandmother has completely flipped flopped in that now she swears by her daughter's innocence based on facts that will come to light when the time is right?!?!

Disgusting.  This beautiful little girl is missing and I fear dead.  Her mother has shown little to no remorse.  Her grandmother is frolicking between talk shows in her 15 minutes of fame.  And who speaks for the little girl.  For little Caylee?

Technorati tags: Caylee Anthony

True Story

This is so comedic (and sad) that I need not add any commentary:

G4 reports: Oh boy. As if having an internet boyfriend wasn't embarrassing enough, a North Carolina woman is facing attempted kidnapping charges for driving to Delaware and trying to take her former Second Life companion at gunpoint.

Kimberly Jernigan met her internet significant other in person a few months ago, after which the "victim" in this situation ended their relationship. Apparently, this sent poor Jernigan into a downward spiral, and after her first kidnapping at gunpoint attempt was laughed at, she posed as a US Postal worker to get his new address, broke into his home, bound and gagged his dog in the bathroom, and greeted him at the front door with a laser-sighted BB gun. I'm so not kidding.

After seeing the red dot appear on his chest when he walked inside, the victim immediately fled and called the police. His dog was unharmed, and the cops picked up Jernigan on the freeway sometime later. She is currently facing charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary, and aggravated menacing. So. Awesome.
Link Here.

Jason Taylor Injury

On top of our worst preseason beating in years, possibly ever, new Redskins DE Jason Taylor sprained his knee. He's expected to be out 10 days to two weeks.

(Source - Madden 09 -- How freaking cool is that!?)

Madden Results 8/24

Not so good tonite. My competition was a bit cheesy but all in all he controlled the ball, I panicked (often) and the result was a 21 - 0 loss. The game actually was a bit closer than the score indicates as I entered the fourth quarter only down 7-0. In addition, he threw a bomb for a touchdown with one second left in the fourth for the final margin. I say he was a bit cheesy because of 1) the constant moving of his dline in less than sim positions, going for 4th and 9 from the 50 with a lead, and onside kick to start the second half with a lead. But my five int's didn't help, some of which were user picks so nothing but myself to blame for those.

xdavis24 [Level 1] vs JAYMADDEN [Level 4]

Skill Points Los: -43
Skill Points Needed For Next Level: 142
My Rank: 10001
Opponent Rank: 10001


Mode: Ranked
Qtr Length: 5 minutes
Difficulty: All-Pro

Score breakdown:

1 2 3 4 OT F
xdavis24 0 0 0 0 0 0
JAYMADDEN 7 0 0 14 0 21

Statistics xdavis24 JAYMADDEN
Rushing attempts for 6 16
Rushing yards for 4 37
Passing attempts for 17 23
Passing yards for 75 266
Punts 0 0
Field goals for 0 0
Long field goals (40+) for 0 0
Rushing touchdowns for 0 1
Passing touchdowns for 0 2
Returns touchdowns for 0 0
Defensive touchdowns for 0 0
Turnovers for 1 5
Interceptions for 5 1
Sacks for 1 0
Number of third downs 4 4
Third down conversions 2 3
No-huddle plays 3 4
Audibles called 2 5
Hot routes used 0 5
Shotgun plays 11 21
Blitzes 17 10
Time of possession 5:20 14:39
2-point conversions tried 0 0
2-point conversions succeeded 0 0
Red zone field goals 0 0
Red zone touchdowns 0 2
Red zone opportunities 0 3
First downs 5 16
First down yards -12 141
Special teams yards 62 0
Punt return yards 0 0
Punt yards 0 0
Penalties 0 0
Penalty yards 0 0
First down rushing plays 4 11
First down passing plays 6 11
Second down rushing plays 1 5
Second down passing plays 8 8
Third down rushing plays 1 0
Third down passing plays 3 4
Fourth down rushing plays 0 0
Fourth down passing plays 0 1
Passes completed 6 19
Fumbles 0 0
Fumbles recovered 0 0
Possessions 6 8
Third downs, 3 or less yards 4 0
Successes 2 0
Third downs, 4 to 9 yards 0 2
Successes 0 1
Third downs, 10 or more yards 0 2
Successes 0 2
Hurries 1 3
Knockdowns 1 0
Passes deflected 0 5
Passes tipped 0 0
Offensive yards 79 303
Total yards 141 303
Return yards 62 0
Total touchdowns 0 3

Madden Victory

Since this is a football blog, I figured I would add my ups and downs of Madden 09. Two games tonight but only one victory. The second game I was winning handily with less than two minutes left and Chris Cooley frolicking through an open meadow heading towards a 96 yard touchdown reception when AT&T's network crashed. . . . . bastard! I was up 28 - 14 and I was headed to at least a 35 -14 victory and a league win!

In the first game I was down 3 - 0 with 3 seconds left in the first half when Moss hooked up with Campbell for a 55 yard prayer. Got the ball at the half and held it for the entire third quarter scoring on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 14 - 3 lead. Final 28 - 3 over the Chargers!

Here are the official results of your Madden NFL 09 game on 2008.8.24-2:31:26.

xdavis24 [Level 1] vs ThreeKings23 [Level 4]

Skill Points Won: 45
Skill Points Needed For Next Level: 99
My Rank: 10001
Opponent Rank: 10001


Mode: Ranked
Qtr Length: 5 minutes
Difficulty: All-Pro

Score breakdown:

1 2 3 4 OT F
xdavis24 0 7 0 21 0 28
ThreeKings23 3 0 0 0 0 3

Statistics xdavis24 ThreeKings23
Rushing attempts for 14 5
Rushing yards for 41 13
Passing attempts for 16 23
Passing yards for 158 75
Punts 1 1
Field goals for 0 1
Long field goals (40+) for 0 1
Rushing touchdowns for 1 0
Passing touchdowns for 3 0
Returns touchdowns for 0 0
Defensive touchdowns for 0 0
Turnovers for 2 1
Interceptions for 1 2
Sacks for 5 3
Number of third downs 5 7
Third down conversions 2 2
No-huddle plays 0 3
Audibles called 1 1
Hot routes used 3 0
Shotgun plays 7 11
Blitzes 9 20
Time of possession 9:58 10:01
2-point conversions tried 0 0
2-point conversions succeeded 0 0
Red zone field goals 0 0
Red zone touchdowns 3 0
Red zone opportunities 3 1
First downs 8 6
First down yards 36 13
Special teams yards 51 101
Punt return yards 0 0
Punt yards 41 52
Penalties 0 1
Penalty yards 0 5
First down rushing plays 7 3
First down passing plays 7 9
Second down rushing plays 6 2
Second down passing plays 7 9
Third down rushing plays 0 0
Third down passing plays 5 7
Fourth down rushing plays 1 0
Fourth down passing plays 0 3
Passes completed 11 11
Fumbles 0 0
Fumbles recovered 0 0
Possessions 6 7
Third downs, 3 or less yards 1 2
Successes 0 1
Third downs, 4 to 9 yards 2 2
Successes 0 1
Third downs, 10 or more yards 2 3
Successes 2 0
Hurries 5 4
Knockdowns 1 0
Passes deflected 7 3
Passes tipped 0 0
Offensive yards 199 88
Total yards 250 189
Return yards 51 101
Total touchdowns 4 0

Daredevil Devin

Daredevil Devin

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

Lil man feels the need to stand on everything including things he should fall off of. Here he stands on his horsey. He actually managed to start bouncing and then sit down again. He also managed to fall off a couple of times and as usual, didn't scare himself enough to cry and definitely didn't scare himself enough to not do it again!

Fro gogo

DSCF3050

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

It's about that time. Sunday I went back to baldness. I had been growing my hair since lil man was born -- 20 months. The longest I had ever grown it. But, I got to thinking that I wasn't enjoying it as much anymore and so. . . . .

Not Quite Sleepwalking

DSCF3038

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

Yeah, so it appears lil man had every intention of getting out of bed to do something but apparently fell back asleep midway through whatever his intentions were. He fell back asleep standing up!

A Leg to Stand on?

In this report, United States defense officials are demanding that Russia cease it's aggressive actions in Georgia.  Stop invading Georgia....says the country still invading Iraq. . . .

One of those days

Maybe it's a combination of exhaustion and irritability, but Saturday was one of those days where I couldn't conjure enough emotion or drive or desire to do much of anything but lay on the couch in varying positions of laziness.

I'm not even sure where the afternoon went as I watched hours of 'The Last Comic', the Olympics, and Car Wash. The night was a blur of napping, a bit of gaming, and 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. By the way, the book is ridiculously better than the movie.

Now's it's ten til two and I'm watching more Olympics. Odd given that I've watched sports that I normally couldn't care less about. Handball and volleyball seemed to be the rule of the day with some rowing, gymnastics, and boxing thrown in for good measure. By the way, I think I like team handball. A bit like basketball and soccer mixed together.

Anyway, I'm gonna lay on the couch and flip through the boob tube.....here's hoping I'm back to myself tomorrow....

Eye for an Eye

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="170" caption="No execution for obesity?"][/caption]

Richard Cooey, a rapist and murderer of two young women, believes he should not be forced to endure execution because he is fat. At 5'7" and 267 pounds, he has poor veins.  In addition, he is currently on tax payer funded medicine for migraines that may have made his body resistant to the anesthesia provided during lethal injection.

Hmm...

Fuck him.  He raped and murdered two people.  They had no anesthesia.  They had no choices.  He's lived 22 years after killing two young women.  And we worry about his suffering.  Again, I say fuck him.  He needs to pay for what he chose to do.  And if it's painful, sorry.  Death hurts.  We're worried about making him comfortable on his way to hell?!?

I apologize for the language as I have tried to refrain from getting too vulgar in speech and content in recent months but this is one of those cases that society has pissed me off.  Further, I have not personally decided whether I'm pro capital punishment  or against it.  But I am against going out of our way for folks convicted of rape, murder, child molestation, and any other crime against another person (as opposed to crimes against property).  So if capital punishment is to be used, then do it with the same consideration the convicted had for their victim.

Update:  His appeal was denied.  He is scheduled to be executed on October 14, 2008.

New Look

By now I'm sure you've guessed that there is a new look here at Xpinionated.

I was sitting here with Mrs. Xpinionated watching Project Runway (she was watching and then she went to sleep and I just didn't turn it -- busy webbing it), when I decided I really wasn't pleased with the site's look as of late.

Well, the show inspired me but I wanted the theme to be something that suited me personally. Well, the Header suits me like a glove if you've ever met me in person. I am very much into funky button up shirts and the header was definitely something I would rock (like the horseshoe mustache I'm rocking today :)!

I did have to do some editing as the theme came with some space for advertising and that's not what this blog is about. Not that I could tell you what this blog is about but I can definitely tell you it's not about that!

Hip Hop's Foot

Ludacris has released a song endorsing Barack Obama. Unfortunately, in his endorsement, he says everything possible to make any voter who may have been on the fence lean towards voting for McCain.

Idiot statements include a reference to McCain being paralyzed, a diss to Hilary Clinton, and something about painting the White House black. The White House being painted black is nothing new and I don't find that offensive at all. I'm sure a lot of folks will jump on it but is a phrase that has been used since the seventies in one way or another.

But the disrespect to the other political figures is not what Obama has been about and is not what the campaign needs right now. . . or ever. On Sirius this morning, the entertainment reporter on HotJams (can't remember her name) suggested that Obama distance himself from hip-hop in order to avoid situations like this that could be potentially devastating to his campaign efforts. I agree wholeheartedly. As someone who has spent 20 years trying to defend hip hop in various circles, it has become increasingly hard. Hell, I want to distance myself and I'm not a public figure in any way, shape, or form.

Hopefully, this will get marked up as just one big embarassing moment for Ludacris and blow over....doubt it though!

Guilty

DSCF2607

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

The boy just looks guilty doesn't he?

Money management

Many of you are familiar with the show 'Extreme Makeover - Home Edition'. I personally hate the show but found this story about one lucky couple that received the gratuity of this show. Their 5500 square foot remodeled home is now facing foreclosure. Hmm? The show remodels and from what I understand pays off your house. That begs the question: how can a paid-for home be facing foreclosure? Ah, stupidity would be the answer to that question.

Your mortgage was paid off, your home remodeled, and you were given $100,000 in cash. Yet, somewhere along the line, you needed a second $450,000 mortgage? Let's do some quick math, no mortgage for 3.5 years (42 months) at a grand a month (to make the math easier). So there is $42000 bucks you have saved. Add to that the 100 grand, which should have been used to pay off any car notes and other outstanding debt. Suddenly, you should be able to find yourself living pretty comfortably with a 40K/year job if all you're doing is paying utilities and food costs.

But no, you want to start a business. Good for you, entrepreneurial spirit is the backbone of this country. But what's that you say? You don't want to try to save the start up money or get a traditional loan from the bank? Huh? You wanna take out a second mortgage on a home that is paid for, likely your greatest asset? Uh, ok....

Yeah, no sympathy for this couple whatsoever......

Dollars

Dollars

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Good Ballin' Days

The human body is a strange thing.  The last time I dunked a basketball or even attempted to dunk had to be back in 2003.  I had become resigned to the fact that my body was no longer in basketball shape nor would it ever attain the basketball glory that it had once known.  After all, I had been spending more time in bars than in gyms without a doubt.

But yesterday afternoon, Chocolate Thunder drove around his man, and I jumped, I looked into the eye of the last defender and what I saw was immediate recognition that I was expected to dunk.  I was taking the big steps I used to take back when I could throw it down.  I went up, and up, and missed the dunk.  But I felt great just trying.  It felt right.  Of course, today everything on me is sore but it's nice to know that I'm slowly but surely returning to form!

Devin at the Fountain

Great Comment Messageboards #2

This is not so much a comment as much as it is an embarassing testament to the understanding of the English language.  The article is entitled 'Looser Gun Law, other new state laws start Tuesday'.  The comment is as follows:

By Kahne

Jun 30, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this

"looser"? Must mean the AJC is concerned the Perps are loosing some advantage over their victims. Now they will have to wonder if their potential victim is armed.

Not only does Kahne impress us with his use of 'Perps' as if he is in law enforcement (let's hope this isn't the case), but he manages to show he has no idea of the difference between lose and loose.  And to prove that he has no vocabulary skills even further, he manages to use loosing (a word?) in a sentence....yet these are the folks who want guns....scary to me.

Technorati tags: Grammar, Lack of Grammar

Screw College, I'll Travel

High School to NBA . . . via overseas? That's one scenario for Brandon Jennings, a top incoming freshman at the University of Arizona. 

Instead of abiding by the NBA's 'One Year Removed from High School' rule and being forced into college ball, this prep star is thinking why not get paid for a year and then see what the NBA has to offer.  And Xpinionated says 'Go for it'.

In a country where the majority of citizens never attend college, I find it preposterous that so many folks use their own selfish reasons to insist that prep basketball players attend college for at least a year before getting entering the NBA.  These people fear a decline in the level of college basketball while at the same time touting the importance of getting a college education.  Give me a break, most college basketball fans didn't attend the college for which they cheer and they definitely did not throw their support to the college because of it's Entomology department.

In a country where we will give an 18 year old an assault rifle and send them to the other side of the world to fight a war for a reason they barely understand, I find it preposterous to suggest an 18-year-old does not have the right to forgo college if he so desires.

If it were anything other than a pro sport (in my mind, even if it were pro baseball or hockey), folks would have no problem with an 18 year old forgoing college to make his way in the world legitimately.  College is not for everybody.  And though studies show those who attend college make more money, there are exceptions -- and one of those exceptions is the sporting world. 

If a kid has god-given talents and gifts that can be used to secure his place in this world as well as his family's place, why should we force him to provide those talents to an institution for an education that he doesn't necessarily value?

Technorati tags: Brandon Jennings, NBA Draft, College Basketball

Fascinatingly Odd

Isn't odd how many folks on the internet will read an internet story, take the time to sign in or register on the website, take more time to leave a comment and the comment says something to the effect of 'I don't care about this topic' but with a lot more words?  If you don't care, why waste the time, energy, and space to tell us?  Why not just not care?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Xpinionated LIVE 6/26/2008

Technorati tags: Kentucky Gunman, Zimbabwe, Mugabe, Tsvangirai

Kentucky Gunman

Yet another coward with no moral fabric and little social skills gets a gun.  I am really getting fed up with the stories of people opening fire over what usually amounts to trivial issues.  I'm even more fed up with cowards such as these 'turning the gun on themselves' after their dastardly deed. 

In my opinion, if you're 'man' enough to shoot someone, and man enough to boast to your girlfriend that you're going to kill your boss, then you should be man enough to face the families you've destroyed, to face the consequences you've earned. 

<---Face of a coward -- and yeah, I'm intentionally not putting his name here for he deserves no fame or recognition.

 

 

Zimbabwe Elections

Every time I think U.S. politicians are some of the lowest of the low, situations such as the current Zimbabwe elections reminds me of how lucky I am.  Do you realize that people are being killed as a means of deterring votes for the challenger Tsvangirai.   And we in Georgia are worried about Voter I.D. laws? 

It saddens me sometimes to think of how people in other countries live and fear -- fear of doing things to make a better life (hopefully) for themselves.  It angers me to think that the incumbent Mugabe has run a country through fear for this long yet my country, who often feels it must police the world, has done nothing to step in -- not enough oil I guess.....

Shaq's startin' again

Shaquille O'Neal has again lost the respect of me and probably most of Lakers nation.  He apparently performed a rap freestyle dissing Kobe and blaming Kobe for his divorce -- 4 years after Kobe's ill advised mutterings. 

Let's dissect this shall we?

1. Let's make it absolutely clear:  Shaquille O'Neal has again (as has been the case 99% of the time) started with Kobe.  So when everyone says Kobe drove Shaq out of L.A., once again note who started whining and crying.  Notice who started talking shit first -- The Big Nobody.
2. Shaquille mentions the Lakers loss to the Celtics in the Finals saying something to the effect of 'Kobe couldn't win it without me.'  And Shaquille fails to mention that he rode Dwayne Wade's coattails to his only non-Kobe championship.    He also fails to note that his team didn't make it out of the first round.  Or that Kobe and the Lakers defeated the team that ran through them so easily.
3. In a quote to the media, Shaquille says something to the effect of 'Nothing personal, it's a freestyle, it's what M.C's do.'  Someone, anyone, please tell this 300 pound mass that he's a lot of things -- a has been, a sheriff, a bad actor -- but an M.C. he is not.  He has never been.  Exhibit A:  'I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out, that's why I'm getting a divorce.'  huh?  wtf? horse, divorce, what?
4. Blaming divorce on someone ratting you out - no matter how anti-man law snitching on a man's sex life may be - is really not sensible.  Don't blame Kobe for your divorce...blame your dick!
Technorati tags: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Freestyle, Rapper

Oh and. . .

LAKER FAN TIL i DIE....AND THEN SOME MORE AFTER THAT

Next Season

lost to a better team

Devin's Favorite Part of the Game

DSCF2016

Originally uploaded by Xpinionated

I promise you, Devin just insisted that I take this photo...and all the others too!!

Down 3-2 and Holding Steady

As the series heads back to Boston, the Lake Show finds itself in a 2-3 hole in the quest for a title.

There are several problems that I've seen with our game this series.  Our lack of consistent aggression is our number one problem.  Our inability to play a complete game has cost us one if not two games.

Reading the internet (something I should seriously consider giving up), you would think that the Lakers are some last place team that's lucky to be in the finals.  All the talk is of the vaulted Celtic defense (a bit touchy grabby for my taste but I'm not an official).  Oddly enough, though our screen and roll defense leaves much to be desired, many of the stats that are a reflection of the defense are not that underwhelming. 

Lastly, there's a simple statement I want to make for all the newly diehard Celtics fans claiming greatest basketball franchise -- the Celtics are relevant every twenty years, the 60's, 80', and currently.  The Lakers have never gone 22 years without a championship......the Lakers have played for a championship in every single decade. 

Let's go Lake Show...let's win Game 6 and move on from there!

Technorati tags: Finals, Lakers, Celtics

And the NBA wonders why college ball is more popular?

38 free throws for Boston, 10 for the Lakers.  Result?  17 point differential in free throws made.  There is home court officiating, and then?  Then?  Then there is downright travesties.

I've watched the NBA for 24 years.  Through every NBA conspiracy I've held on to a belief that the game is not rigged.  My faith in this is not shaken.  Do I think we will see such a favoritism in L.a?  Not at all.  At the very most, I expect maybe a 10 point free throw surplus in favor of the Lakers.  That would be normal home cookin' as they say.  But tonite was an embarrassment for the officiating crew.

One of my boys who is also a Lakers fan said that (before our comeback in the fourth) our defense was porous.  In fact, he believed our the foul calls were a result of our poor play.  I disagree.

Poor play?  The Lakers had 18 points off turnovers, the Celts had 19.  The Celts had 14 points on the fastbreak while the Lakers managed 10.  Points in the paint saw the Lakers with a 31 to 30 advantage.  So far the only overwhelming stat in favor of the Celts is field goal percentage , 53% to 49%.  And that's not really overwhelming.  Rebounding?  The Celts had a plus one advantage.

So where was this game determined.  With 83 shots and just shooting a shade under 50%, the only  logical guess is the free throw line.  Am I arguing that the Lakers didn't commit their share of fouls?  Nope.  I'm saying that the difference lies in referees perception of what teams are known for.

Since there are no regular readers of this blog, I'll openly admit that I have brought this point up in previous posts, most notably in the Pistons/Lakers Finals a few years back.  My theory is this:  when a team is known to be a "physical" team, they are allowed to reach and grab much more freely than a team not known for a physical style of play.  This is ridiculously unfair.  Even more unfair to the team abiding by the spirit of Naismith basketball (you know the one, basketball is a non-contact sport officially speaking), is that if the non-physical team attempts to become more physical, they get the whistle blown.  Effectively, you're telling one team it is completely fine to push, grab, and reach while telling the other team it's a foul.

At this point, given our fourth quarter effort, I am only slightly discouraged.  I would have loved to see us take one of these games in Boston as I love winning a series on your home floor if the opportunity is there.  Now, assuming three wins in L.A., we have to win what would be an enormously intense game on the Celts floor.  The disadvantage in that is the physicality allowed in a game six or seven will be increased.  If the refs continue to allow one team to be physical while blowing the whistle on another team . .. . you get my point so I won't be a dead horse.

Sadly, right now I'm not even sure I want to watch a game with my boy which is a sad state of affairs.  The way the conversation went, I was made to feel like my opinion didn't count, almost as if he knows more of basketball than I do.

In any case, Kobe, Lamar, Pau, Derek, Vladimir, Sasha, Jordan, Luke, Trevor, DJ, and the rest of the crew have some work to do.  As a bleeder of Purple and Gold, I know it can be done.

Go Lakers!!!!!!!!

Update:  To further enhance my point, here's what foxsports.com analyst Charley Rosen had to say:

The Lakers' defense was porous, and their offense was virtually obliterated by Boston's defense. Yet there was another significant dimension to the game.

Within the first couple of minutes, Perkins and then Garnett were tooted for committing moving screens. Both of these calls were highly questionable, and even though they favored the Lakers, they certainly boded ill for the visitors. When the visitors get the benefit of blatantly bogus fouls early in a game, the standard operating procedure tends to be that the refs will shaft them from then on. And that's exactly what happened.

A pair of phantom fouls on Kobe ruined the Lakers' first-half rotation, and at the intermission Boston had attempted 19 free throws to L.A.'s two (one of these being a technical foul on KG). After three quarters the margin was 26-to-4, and the final total was 38-to-10.

This disparity was even more puzzling since the Lakers' game-plan called for them to constantly drive the ball to the hole. And several replays showed exactly how biased and inconsistent the refs' decisions truly were.

No surprise, then, that the Lakers were distracted, annoyed and even outraged all game long. And rightly so.

Technorati tags: NBA Finals, Lakers, Celtics, Referees, Physical Play

Game 1 Loss in the Finals

The Lake Show fell 98-88 to the Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. 

The game seemingly turned when Paul Pierce faked an injury (and I will believe it is a faked injury until proven otherwise) leaving the game by being carried off the floor to a wheel chair.  After a few minutes he returns with a brace and a barely noticeable limp.  The Lakers, however, seem to have lost that edge when he appeared to be out and the Celtics received an adrenaline rush upon his return at one point outscoring us 28 - 16 after Pierce's return.

 

Initially, I wanted to remain somewhat indifferent about the injury.  But then watching Pierce flail anytime someone got close to him took my already waning respect for him to the bottom.  At one point, he throws his head back and reaches for his eye as if he's been hit in the eye.  Blinking and blinking.  The replay shows, he wasn't touched, not only not touched in the face, not touched at all.  He has become a soccer player.

Last night's loss can also be attributed to horrible rebounding.  The Celtics had far too many second chances.  On top of that, our shots weren't falling so there was a recipe for disaster.  And it certainly didn't help that there were at least three calls that the refs simply blew that replays showed no foul occurred.  The disgusting part was that not only did the replays show no foul occurred, the plays themselves were so conclusively clean that they couldn't have even been 'go either way' calls. 

Game 2 is Sunday.  Here's to hoping our shots start to drop and we man the boards a bit better.  Watching the game, I feel like we are the better team.  It's just time to prove it.

Why I blog?

I sometimes wonder why I blog.  I see other folks blogs and wonder how they became so popular.  How did they get such a loyal fanbase?  Then I tell myself that I don't do it to gain a fanbase.  It would be nice, no doubt, to have or to know that somebody out there has found Xpinionated other than the scammers who try to spam my comments.  But after six years, I guess I do  do it for myself.

I do feel as if I have something to add.  Although, I may not have a particular theme with Xpinionated (which is probably part of the reason the readership is low), I do have an opinion that I would like to be heard.  Though, I don't blog as much lately, I still want to be heard.

Even if I wanted a theme, I'm not sure what theme that would be.  As witnessed by the decline in my Lakers and Redskins/Hokies blogs, even the things I love I don't always feel like talking about. So to put a theme to this blog would mean I would have to damn near be obsessing over something....I'm too old to obsess or at least too old to actually put any kind of extra effort into my obsessing!

MegaFest moving to . . . . South Africa

I'm not a T.D. Jakes fan.  Or Creflo Dollar or any televangelist.  I think most, oops I mean all, are using religion as a money making machine which doesn't sit right with me.  But this story caught my eye.  The formerly Atlanta based Megafest Christian get together is moving to South Africa in 2008.  Apparently, folks found traveling to Atlanta and lodging expenses too much of a burden.  In response to that, Jakes is moving the money machine, I mean get together, to . . . wait for it . . . . South Africa?!?!

This makes sense how?  In addition to getting together for some worship -- on another continent, Jakes' organization is also going to be offering 11-day tours around the same time as the get together for five to six grand per person.  And this doesn't strike anyone as fishy, odd, conniving, or scammish?

"When you're the mother of a couple of kids, it's not something that you can do on an annual basis, " said Williams, who managed MegaFest for Jakes. "We want to be sensitive to the needs of our delegates."

Sadly, the quote above is referring to the good ol' days when the get together was in Atlanta......

Technorati tags: T.D. Jakes, Megafest, Religious Scams

Devin Finds His Shadow

2008 WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!!

The game started off ugly.  Very Ugly.

Ridiculously ugly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the Lakers matured in this series right in front of our eyes.  The development of poise is a beautiful thing to watch.  The evolution of leadership was something to behold. 

In a first quarter  dominated by the hot shooting Spurs, adjustments had to be made.  The double teaming of Tim Duncan was leading to wide open jumpers for Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, and the rest of Spurs' perimeter squatters.  Our rotations had to get better, we needed to force cross court passes that would allow our defense to rotate and recover.  And on the offensive side of the ball, we needed to stop settling for jumpers. 

Somewhere in the second quarter, we got it.  Thanks to Jordan Farmar's spark of three straight buckets, the offense started getting aggressive going to the hope and getting paint points.  Along with getting out of our scoring quagmire, our defensive intensity picked up. 

By mid third quarter, that feeling of being a team of destiny for this series started to settle in.  Loose balls were rolling to the purple and gold.  Amazingly, we managed to get the Spurs in the penalty with more than a minute left in the quarter.  You just felt it.

Now we need four more victories.  We get a week off.  Rest and prepare.....

Technorati tags: Western Conference Finals, Lakers, Spurs

GTAIV = A Clockwork Orange?

In this article from The Record, a newspaper (used loosely in this case) in Stockton, CA, aggression is being attributed to the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. 

Stockton's Mark Wellis, 19, said he was involved in an altercation a week after he purchased "Grand Theft Auto IV." At the time he noticed that he had become less sensitive to violence.

Wellis doesn't completely blame the game for his violence, but it did affect him.

 

So after 19 years of life, one week with GTAIV and the kid is no longer sensitive to violence?  Wait there's more....

"My son Peter was never really aggressive, but once he got into video games, 'GTA' being one of them, he started to push, hit, talk back, and just become a different person," said Stockton parent Greg Within, 46.

Does Peter sound like he is 17 or older?  I ask because GTAIV is rated Mature meaning you have to be 17 or older to purchase the game.  Seems to me like Greg Within may need to look 'within' for the root of the kid's new personality (pun intended).

Critics seem to want to paint this video game and others like it as the source of the debauchery of the world.  They seem to think that if we can reduce or remove this 'influence' entirely, the world would be a better place.  But maybe, just maybe, the world would be a better place with fewer critics and politicians...just maybe.

Technorati tags: GTAIV, Grand Theft Auto, Violent Games

A different look on illegal immigrants

Here's an interesting take on the 'jobs Americans won't do' stance of those supporting illegal immigrants from CNN's Glenn Beck:

The Journal article offered an example of a couple that sells food at fairs around California each summer. They say that because of the H-2B visa shortage most of their seasonal employees aren't able to enter the country.

So why don't they just hire Americans instead? Good question. Her answer? "This is a hard job."

I find it pretty hard to believe that there aren't a few college students who wouldn't want to drive around California and work outdoors all summer, but let's assume that's true. Let's even assume that none of the other 1.1 million Californians who were unemployed as of April are interested in the job either. Isn't anyone wondering why?

Well I'm not a labor consultant, but I am a thinker. Maybe the problem isn't that the job they're offering is "too hard," maybe it's that the wages they're offering are "too low."

No one paints the undersides of bridges for fun, they do it for the money. That's how capitalism works.

How capitalism does NOT work is when we collectively look the other way as companies exploit illegal labor for their own benefit.

The unspoken truth is that these businesses don't hire illegal aliens because they can't find American workers, they hire illegal aliens because they don't want American workers. And it has nothing to do with wages.

 

Technorati tags: immigration, low wages, unemployment, visas

Conference Finals

After a tough series against a very physical and game Utah Jazz squad, the Lake Show is preparing to square off against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.  It's only right that if the Lakers go on to win a championship this season, they should have to go through the Spurs to do so. 

The key factors going into game one:

1. Kobe's health:  He says he's 100%, that's good enough for me.
2. Manu Ginobili:  Starter?  Bench?  Does it matter?  Containing him will be one of the keys to our defensive effort.  I'm not as worried about Tony Parker as we are coming off a long series against Deron Williams who I would place ahead of Tony Parker in terms of causing defensive problems.  And D-fish held his own against D-Will so the focus in my mind will be Manu.
3. Pau vs Tim:  After facing a Utah team without a true center, I wonder how Pau will matchup with Tim Duncan.  On one hand, I don't think Tim is nearly as physical as Carlos 'Bruiser'.  On the other hand, Tim is better.  However, this year's playoffs have seen Tim disappear for stretches. 
4. Role Players:  Starter for starter, the Lakers look good in this series.  Even going down the rotation, I give the Lakers the edge.  The wild card?  Experience.  This Spurs team knows how to win regardless of circumstances.  Keeping the Bowens and Finleys under control will go a long way to reaching the Finals. 

Sorry

I have been rather scarce here lately.  No particular reason.  Just haven't had that urge to get my type on.  But for nearly six years I have made at least one post to Xpinionated so I gotta keep the tradition going.  So how about a simple update....

Had a great time with Devin, Mrs. Xpinionated, and some friends of ours at the Georgia Force game a couple of weekends ago. 

Was in the emergency room this past Monday morning with the worse asthma attack I've had since I was five or six years old.  But the Prednisone that I'm on now has me feeling ridiculously good breathing wise...

sorry Devin won't sleep (and hasn't been for the past week) so the writing stops now....

Post Game Four Thoughts

Technorati tags: Lakers, NBA Playoffs

The Utah Jazz have tied the series at 2-2 with a an overtime victory today.  Here are some abstract thoughts:

• If the refs hand out the same home team calls in L.A. as they did in today's game, I will be satisfied.
• There were several calls that either were displayed differently on my TV or that the announcers felt obliged to agree with the refs:

• The block on Luke Walton from behind was a great hustle play. . . however. . . since when is legal to go through someone's body to get the ball -- head and all?
• The foul called on Sasha when he blocked Deron Williams shot from behind was ludicrous.  Even more ludicrous was the play by play of Hubie Brown....'got him on the forearm'?  He said this during the replay showing nothing of the sort.
• Why exactly is Matt Harpring getting all star treatment in terms of foul calls?

Two games in Utah, two losses.  The upside?  Each game was lost as opposed to us being beaten.  Game three: turnovers.  Game Four: foul shots and foul calls -- could have made the foul shots.  And though the refs had a horrendous outing, we need to stop swiping without intent because the refs are making prejudicial calls.

Kobe's back spasms could be telling.  Needed him to facilitate the last two minutes of the game instead of forcing shots.  I would have preferred the focus shifting to Odom and Fish with Gasol and Bryant looking to play decoy and man the boards.

Game 5 Wednesday at Staples Center. 

Wins are good but .. . .. .

Quite frankly, I'm not altogether sure how we pulled yesterday's game out.  Out-rebounded embarrassingly, particularly on the offensive boards is usually a recipe for disaster. 

Also, the adjustments the Jazz made to slow down our offense bothered me a little although to be quite honest I couldn't pick out what those adjustments were.  The only real difference seemed to be that the Lake Show wasn't getting out on the break for most of the second half and the offense kind of stalled. 

Sasha, I mean the Machine came through like the emerging star he is.  That's right I said it!  Emerging star.  Look at the young kid.  The ingredients are there.  Young kid, big stage, hair that flows in the wind, and a deadly bomb from deep....emerging star!

In all seriousness, if we get at the boards and maintain our defensive intensity Wednesday night, we should be able to head back to Utah with home-court in tow.

Technorati tags: Lakers, NBA Playoffs, THe machine!

So far so good

Up 2-0 in our first round series against the Denver Nuggets and I think my main concern is will the stellar play hold up in Colorado.  Playing in front of fans full of contempt (a special contempt given Kobe's relationship with the state of Colorado) is a different monster than doing it for your faithfuls. 

I think the key will be sustaining the initial energy Denver is inevitably going to bring to the floor the first quarter.  The idea is to not panic.  The idea is to stick to our game, play defense, and limit our mistakes.   I know pretty simple advice but it's tried and true.  JR Smith, the guy off of the Denver bench, looks like he was trying to egg Kobe in last night's game -- maybe as a head game headed back to the mile high city.  Although, I have some words of advice to JR:  When you're coming off the bench (despite being pretty damn effective), do not trash talk the guy that has dropped 40+ on your squad with time still a tick tick ticking.  This person is apparently a bit hot so last thing you need to do is to give him extra incentive, extra motivation to score.  But Kobe handled it well.  He got the ball drove at JR Smith, got the foul, made the bucket, hit the free throw, and left the game for good. 

Word is JR Smith is still talking......And who the hell is this Linas Kleiza?!??!

Technorati tags: Los Angeles lakers, Denver Nuggets, NBA Playoffs, Kobe Bryant, Linas Kleiza, JR Smith

Take the time to Notice

I don't know if I am going through some chemical imbalance the past few days but I have been pretty emotional watching little man this week.  He's so amazing, from him ability to pretend to not here you say no to his finally giving you a kiss after you stopped asking for one an hour ago, everything he does just kind of leaves you in awe. 

We have this game where he runs in circles from the living room, through the french doors and dining room, into the kitchen, through the foyer and back into the living room.  My part is to hide somewhere along his route.  Usually, I'm either in the bathroom, up the stairs a little ways or just badly hidden like a cat with his tail out.  Then I jump out and say hey and if he's surprised he says 'O000hhhhhgobagodoogabal'.  Well, we were doing this the other day and I guess he REALLY wasn't expecting me.  His exact words were scarily close to 'OOOHHHHJESSUS'!  Absolutely hilarious.

Our other game is from the football practices of old.  We stand in place and run and then fall down and pop back up.  What makes it fun for us parentals is that he's saying 'Ooohhhhh' the whole time we run in place.  Then we fall and he bursts into laughter...it's the funniest thing for him to run in place and fall.  Unfortunately, I'm so out of shape that after two or three times of doing this, I need a break.....I'm gonna have to get in better shape.

And, then there's the new game that we don't like.  In this game, which is further proof that boys are daredevils from their first breath, he finds a way onto the coffe table.  A toy, a box, whatever he can climb on to get on the table.  We didn't mind at first because he showed significant caution about 1) what he did on the coffee table which was usually pacing and yelling, and 2) he always got onto his stomach and slid backward to get off the table.  But for the past week, he's decided that he wants to jump off of the table into my arms.  I made the mistake of catching him and laughing once.  Now he thinks it's a game....we gotta break this game

 

Above, Devin and Daddy on the Laptop