Drawn Together

Sitting here watching Drawn Together on Comedy Central....should be doing other things but they aren't as much fun as wasting time is....Procrastination is a helluva drug, helluva drug

Is anyone else bothered by Spongebob Squarepants? Something about the whole phenomena bothers me....can't quite put my finger on exactly why it bothers me but it definitely rubs me the wrong way....

I've been very moody lately. It's kind of scary...I don't know exactly why but ....yeah

Old People

I tried to kill an old man today.

I was minding my business in my usual hour and a half morning commute (it's only 30 miles, but it is Atlanta). I'm sitting at the light to turn left. Light go green, me go cuz it's a leading green. Luxury UV across the way decides red light means he can turn right...he cuts the wrong commuter off. I hit my 'you're a stupid ass' horn. He's startled....guess he wasn't expectin' that. He turns right into a strip mall and flips me off. Wow! You cut me off and then flip me the finger for not taking kindly to you cutting me off. Cool, except that he didn't even have the balls to look me in the face when he flipped me the bird. SO he turns, I decide, 'Bump that' and I turn at the next entry into the strip mall. At this time, I have no idea what I'm planning to do...but I know I almost hit a different old man...an innocent one in the crosswalk. I spot the Luxury UV at a drive through cleaners....I may have skidded right up beside him....He's startled and baffled this time because he never looked at me so he doesn't know why I have run up on him like this.....I curse him, flip him off while lookin' him squarely in the eye, then proceed to spin my tires to show my disgust at how immature an 80 year old man can be....

Now I know my actions weren't mature either....but I wasn't in the wrong.....and I'm not 80 so hopefully I have time to learn better...he should have known better....

Why we need another quarterback!

QB Mark Brunell is looking to climb out of his season-long slump this week when Washington plays the Packers. Brunell ranks dead last in the conference in completion percentage (51.2) and average gain (5.43 yards).

Xavier Davis
Voice Team Vantive Support
Aon Consulting
404-264-3061

Why a QB change is necessary

QB Mark Brunell is looking to climb out of his season-long slump this week when Washington plays the Packers. Brunell ranks dead last in the conference in completion percentage (51.2) and average gain (5.43 yards). (Quoted from CBS Sportsline)

A quarterback change should be at the forefront of the coach's mind when your qb is having 'a season-long slump'. It is almost a necessity when you see the stats behind the slump!

BoSox and Underdog Bandwagons!!

This society is severely flawed. We love to build something or someone up and then once they reach a certain point, we revel in their collapse. This is particularly true in sports. We hope for, we pray for a dynasty, but if that dynasty lasts too long then it's all about rooting against. Prime example: the number of people that have suddenly become Boston Red Sox fans (and Patriots fans as well but we'll get to that in a different post).

Suddenly, everybody wants Boston to win it because they haven't won it 85 years. Well, let me spit on that a little bit.

1) They have consistently choked for 85 years. No curse of the bambino. That's childish denial for our team chokes. If your team chokes for 85% of a century, they deserve whatever they get. I will not, in fact, I loathe the idea of rooting for them because they haven't won in 85 years. Hell, there are some teams that have never won.

2) Rooting for the underdog doesn't make sense. If you're not a fan of either team, then just watch the game (I refuse to refer to baseball as a sport) for the enjoyment you receive from the game. Don't lose your credibility as a sports fan with bandwagon bullshit! Irag was an underdog against the U.S., are you secretly hoping they win the war??? No? Then what's your fascination with underdogs?

3) I digress a little here just so I can expound on severe dislike of Boston sports not because of the teams themselves but because of their fans. I'm a passionate fan for the teams in my sidebar. Have I ever wanted to fight someone because of their lack of support for my teams??!?! No. But my time in Boston led me to the conclusion that they are the ABSOLUTE WORST FANS ANYWHERE!!!

I sincerely hope Boston loses, not because St. Louis is the underdog...but because their fans don't deserve it!

Excellent Article

Check this out. Lakers are not down and far from out. Thanks to the sportsrant.com forums for pointing this out to a brotha.....

Lyfe Jennings

HOTT! This CD is off the chain in a ridiculous way. The entire CD is one story with an explanation between each song which acts as a transition between one chapter in Lyfe's life. I picked it up for no particular reason other than I'm pretty damn tired of radio airplay B.S. I wasn't sure if it was gonna be hip hop or R&B especially since Lyfe definitely has the thug life going on. But this cat can sing! It's been a long time since I had the words for the songs in front of me and tried to sing along. Definitely check this CD out....

I also bought Jean Grae, female lyrical artist. Haven't decided how I feel about it yet? There are some things have caught my attention like when I first bought Bahamadia but I have to give it another listen.

I also bought Mos Def's new CD. It's in the car deck now...I'm on the fence right now with that one too.

Lastly, (yeah I went a little crazy at Best Buy last night), I copped Anthony Hamilton. Liked it through the first eight songs are so but then started to tune it out. Not necessarily because of the music but it just happened.

Thursday Night!!

Yours truly will be in attendance as the Hokies meet Ga Tech at Bobby Dodd stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN's Thursday night football. I can't wait...I don't even know if my seats are particularly good but I will be trying to bring the feel of the game to the website (provided I bring my camera which I have a horrible habit of forgetting for key events).

This game scares me a little bit. It seems as if the Yellow Jackets are up again down again and that always makes them a dangerous team. Add to that, a national TV audience on a Thursday night and anything is possible.

But what scares me most is this is the time of the year the Hokies tend to struggle most, at least in years past. Granted most of that was due to a sudden uptick in level of competition but it still is a cause for concern for me.

My Prediction: Va Tech will continue with the ball control offense hopefully getting big games out of Imoh and Randall. The X-factor in this game may be the Hokies ability to contain this Ga Tech offense. They haven't exploded yet andlet's hope that is still the case come Friday morning. Hokies 27, Ga Tech 14.

Lakers 117, Seattle 91

Surprise surprise! Mr. Talk a lot but Not Play a Lot Ray Allen missed last night's preseason matchup due to a sore lower back. Strange how that worked out after talking freely to the media not too long ago. Wonder how many times he's going to manage to be hurt when it's time for the Lake Show.....

My Own Eyes (with Liquor Goggles)

So I did make it to my local watering hole to watch the game Thursday night. But I got sidetracked through most of it by the local waitresses and various shots. I promise better coverage during the actual season!!

Arrington Hurt Again

Some players in professional sports are just not meant to be healthy. Grant Hill, Ken Griffey Jr., and apparently Lavar Arrington.

Up Next: The Packers

Great...leave it to Dallas to bend over the Redskins again!!! I didn't want Dallas to win, but putting up some kind of challenge could have kept the damaged confidence of the Green Bay Packers at a low. But instead, the Cowboys roll over, let Green Bay embarass them and at the same time provide momentum for a team that was desperately seeking some kind of season altering performance.

Good News though, Mr Arrington is expected back after missing the past four games with a knee injury. How effective he will be is yet to be determined but it's good to have him back nonetheless.

Right now, I have two questions going into this game and the rest of the season. 1) How long before Coach Gibbs benches Mark Brunell especially if he plays anything like he has so far this year? 2) Can our defense keep up this pace that it has set so far...particularly with regards to third down percentage where they have stopped the opponent almost 77% of the time?

Excerpt From an Article

This is from an article I read about Brian Cook.

-Too smart for that: As part of a line of questioning about Divac's acclimation to Tomjanovich's system, a television reporter suggested to Divac that the Lakers were "used to playing with a center who didn't run the court," quite obviously referring to O'Neal.

The normally extroverted Divac, who has feuded with O'Neal, stumbled for a response.

"I don't speak English," Divac finally said with a wide smile.

Hee hee hee

With My Own Eyes

I will hopefully get to see the new era of the Los Angeles Lakers tonite against Golden State. My normal watering hole for the games is a sports is a sports bar called Jeffrey's in Suwanee, Ga. Suwanee is for all intents and purposed the northern end of the metro Atlanta area. It's the last exit before the interstate becomes a 4 lane roller coaster instead of 8 lanes. Anyway, normally this bar has every Lakers game due to their ability to get any and all Fox sports channels. Unfortunately, Fox Sports doesn't carry all preseason games as I found out rather rudely last week.

I expect to see a lot of energy on the floor and a faster paced team. I don't know what to expect as far as team chemistry. That kind of bothers me but at least I know we have youth now and a fastbreak is not out of the question.

Tune in tomorrow for my analysis. But I must admit, there is a good chance I won't see the entire game due to this being my bachelor party weekend and friends and booze and stripper ladies...you know how it goes....

Now that's a camera phone

Ok, this camera phone is no joke. This is the kind of camera phone I'd be willing to walk around the mall and be a pervert with. A 5 megapixel camera phone with true color LCD screen (16.7 million colors), that's fire!!!

Who says?

Can anyone tell me exactly why shit, fuck, and damn are curse words? At what point in human history did soceity decide that we don't like those words. I don't believe there is any biblical reasons behind the condemning of these words. I would look it up myself (and may still after my bachelor party weekend concludes) but I'm at work right now.

I find it odd that we call these bad words when they are actually some of the most flexible, understood words in language. Each of these words can be used singularly or in sentences conveying happiness, sadness, or shock. Yet, they are the bad words. If these words were more accepted, perhaps we would not work so diligently at creating slang such as the notoriously '80's fad of bad being good (must use the Run DMC line now: Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good).

I'm off to ponder....

It's one of my favorite times of the year!!! Monopoly at McDonald's!!!

Please feel free to send me any unused monopoly pieces....

It appears that I am having some difficulty with the commenting feature. I will try to rectify as soon as possible.

ACC Divisions Announced

Yesterday, the ACC announced it's football divisions for 2005-2006. Surprisingly, the divisions are called the Atlantic and the Coastal....whole lot of originality there! Below is the breakdown of the divisions:

Atlantic

• Maryland
• Clemson
• NC State
• Wake Forest
• Boston College
• Florida State

Coastal

• Virginia Tech
• Miami
• Virginia
• Duke
• North Carolina
• Georgia Tech

As a Hokie, you gotta love this division. You get to play UVA and Miami every year so your rivalries continue without the blasphemy of playing every other year. Plus, you get Duke!!!! Nothing says victory like Duke Football!

Lakers Crush Weary Kings 105 -80

Two days after ballin' it up in China, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings met in a preseason matchup in Fresno. Jet lag kept playing time down for the Kings as they were steamrolled 105 - 80. Surprising stat of the game, Kobe Bryant had only 10 points in 33 minutes of effort along with 5 & 5 assists & rebounds.

Leading the scoring were newcomers Caron Butler and Chris Mihm with 18 and 17 respectively. Brian Cook also had 17 as five Lakers scored in double figures.

I must say that, although this is only preseason, I like what I'm hearing from this team so far. I haven't had the ability to see them yet due to the lack of TV coverage for preseason games but there seems to be an energy about these Lakers that may be taken for granted once the regular season comes around. One thing I've noticed so far in what I've read is that Kobe appears to be enjoying himself quite a bit as well as talking quite a bit of trash as that has been mentioned a few times in the three games the Lakers have played thus far. More power to him, it's time we change our reputation. We're a younger, more athletic team now and it should be a lot of fun to watch.

It's amazing how many blogs are dedicated to just the presidential election....wonder what the authors are going to do when the election is over????

Finally something that made me smile today...in my daily job listing email I ran across the following

Title: Penetration Tester
Skills: Penetration Tester

Date: 10-19-2004
Location: Atlanta, GA
Area code: 404

Tax term: FULLTIME
Pay rate: Market
Length: Perm

Position ID: 15596
Dice ID: 10109755

Something isn't right in my world. I can't seem to stay in a good mood for any extended period of time unless I've been drinking. I think part of it is not being particularly happy with the ol' jobby job. But there's something else and I can't put my finger on it.

I need to find another source of income. I became very accustomed to the kind of money made as a contract worker. Yeah, now I have benefits but I only go for medical attention a couple times a year if that. And with the money I was making before, I could afford to pay for the treatments. Now, I feel like I'm always broke and I hate that feeling.

I hate getting out of the bed in the morning just so I can sit in traffic. I bet that if I would have had to drive through Atlanta traffic when I first moved to Atlanta, I probably wouldn't have stayed here. I mean it is almost impossible to have a good start to your weekday when you have to sit in traffic like this. I have a plan for that though.

People should have assigned departure times from their homes. If you miss your departure time, you have to wait an hour or two. Too bad so sad. OR, corporate America should allow employees to arrive at their leisure. This way, employees who have no obligation to leave their abodes early ie kids or something can come in a little later and stay a little later. It works for all parties involved because Corporate America gets to extend it's workday and employees are less stressed with traffic concerns......

Vick Suspension - Good For the Hokies

Often times, living in die hard SEC country, I am looked at as an anomaly when my local sports bar patrons discover that I am a Virginia Tech fan and alumni. Immediately after finding out, I am asked one of two questions: 1) What is a Hokie; and 2) What do ya think of Vick's brother?

Well as we all know a Hokie is a fighting gobbler which is a stronger, meaner, nastier version of a turkey. But you will never eat a Hokie on Thanksgiving, keep that in mind!

As far as Marcus Vick (some folks here in Ga don't even know his first name, he's just Vick's brother), I personally am ecstatic that he was suspended for the year. I'm not happy about the reasons he was suspended but I am rather pleased that his suspension has and will continue to have on the Hokies.

Last year, there were several games that I think we lost due to Beamer going with a two quarterback system. That does not work. It never has and more than likely never will. There were multiple times where Bryan Randall was playing a pretty good game, the Hokies were in control, and then Beamer mysteriously decides to put Vick in. The result? Rhythm is thrown off, and Mr. Momentum changes his address.

With this being Randall's senior year (in football, he's actually a graduate student academically), it is only appropriate that he get to play the game outside of a 'Vick' shadow. Coming to Tech, he was the one after Mike Vick. Then, he has to fight to keep his job from Marcus Vick. A lot of folks don't realize how good of a quarterback Bryan Randall is. His numbers don't astound you from game to game but he makes plays and he leads the team. Not to mention he is closing in on quite a few records at Va tech for the quarterback position.

Hopefully, for Marcus Vick this will be the learning experience necessary for him to get his head out of his hind parts and realize the fortunate situation he has in front of him. Next year, he can come to spring training and compete for the starting qb job....and I do want to see a competition. I don't want the job just handed to him. We have two true freshman qb's backing up Bryan Randall now that are probably getting quite a lesson from watching Randall. Best performer should get the job. Maybe, Marcus can come back and be the quarterback that he was hyped to be upon returning to the team.

Va Tech Makes the Rankings

After what has been a rather impressive 'rebuilding' year for the Hokies, we have finally cracked the Top 25. We are also ranked number 25 in the BCS, though in years past I thought the BCS only ranked the top 15. Oddly enough, UAB is ranked 24th. I can honestly say I have no idea who UAB has played but I don't remember them having a particularly tough schedule before. Quacky computers.

Delving into the political world -- an excellent site that provides random statements from each of the candidates. It allows you to pick which one you agree with more without telling you which candidate made the statement. Click here. Here is how I fared the first time around.

You preferred Bush's statements 33% of the time You preferred Kerry's statements 67% of the time Voting purely on the issues you should vote Kerry Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues? Find out now!

This past weekend...how can I sum it up....okay here goes...Bachelor Party, naked stripper ladies with bananas and whipped cream followed by needing a ride home on Sunday after a day of football...

Drunken debauchery at its finest. And it wasn't even my bachelor party which is coming this weekend by the way. I'm actually a little scared. I am going to have to tell the strippers that I can't do what I saw done this past weekend....no no no....can't have that happen....

All three of my squads won this weekend...first time that's happened in at least a month...all Four including Lakers preseason victory last night...but alas...sports talk no longer occurs on this blog...see sidebar for sports commentary...

Golden State falls to New Look Lakers

In preseason action, the Lakers notched their first victory 94 - 80 over the Golden State Warriors. The win was jumpstarted with a 23 - 2 run to end the third quarter. This game marked the first battle against former Laker Derek Fisher (we're going to miss you fish!) who scored 15 points in the contest.

The story in this game is not Kobe's 23 points, but rather his eight assists. All who had PT in this game scored except Ike Nwankwo whom I've never heard of and didn't know he was on our roster. In any case, the Lakers shot just under 40% which is far from desirable but the win was the result. 22 assists on 31 made field goals for a percentage of 71%. Not a bad team play statistic.

Chicago Victory

Okay, so it took like a month, but we have won another game. With a 13-10 victory of the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins improved their record to 2-4.

What's good about this victory? We beat a pretty bad team in a pretty lackluster fashion. We did dominate the first half, but per our modus operandi, a lackluster second half offensive and defensive effort left the game undecided until Chicago's final drive.

Clinton Portis had a beautiful first half with 103 yards off 21 carries. I can only imagine the noise that Redskins would be making if Mark Brunell was tutoring Patrick Ramsey instead of being a role model....put Brunell On The Bench. His prime playing days are long gone. Patrick Ramsey is our future as far as the Redskins faithful can tell right now. Unless our intent is to pickup a big time qb in the next year or two, and Brunell is no longer a big time qb despite his contract, then we need to put Ramsey in the games. Last year, Ramsey picked invaluable experience with Spurrier. We now know that he can take a helluva ass whippin and keep playing. So why not put him in the game with some protection, let him learn the new offensive scheme, give the experience to match his talents?

But we did win and we have a bye next week so maybe Lavar can get healthy and we can make something off this season of hope that has turned so negatively.

I am in the process of creating team specific blogs. So, there may be less content here, at least sports related content anyway, and more life shit, or bullshit as the case may be. Keep in eye out for links to the other blogs...Lakers, Redskins, and Hokies coverage from the obscure eye of the straight guy.....

Bandwagons A Plenty

Can't you just see it now? All year long, players, coaches, journalists, and possibly cheerleaders are going to jump at the chance to criticize Kobe Bryant. They all want to be the first to say the completely unoriginal 'THis isn't the same team without the big greedy'.

I know Kobe has brought some of this negativity on himself, but isn't it odd how no one remembers Shaquille O'Neal's preseason game last year where after each time he scored he yelled 'Pay me Motherf&$CKER' at the owner. I'm sure there were kids nearby but that didn't stop the Big Charge Waiting to Happen.

People say they don't like Kobe because he's cocky. But as I have stated in other blogs, the only difference between cocky and confidence is age. People think he's too young to be this confident so he must be cocky. Whatever man.

Ray 'I've done nothing in the League' Allen spouts off

PORTLAND – A night after competing against Kobe Bryant, Seattle SuperSonics guard Ray Allen offered some sharp, visceral opinions about the Los Angeles Lakers star. Full Story Here.

So let me get this straight...Ray Allen doesn't like having trash talked to him so he spouts off. Hey, Ray, do something with yourself, man. You're like the geek at the prom, close to some action but never actually getting it done. How are you going to speak for Kobe's teammates? Speaking of which, I can't imagine your teammates are overly thrilled about your uncanny ability to miss the playoffs....oh but you're usually hurt so it's not your fault....fragile punk.

The Future and an Introduction

There is a lot of yackety yak going on in reference to the greatest franchise in sports. A lot of 'dirt' being spewed by those no longer a part of the purple and gold family. Well, I'm here to tell you that this Lakers team is not on the brink of collapse. Are they championship contenders? Time will only tell. Are they going to make the playoffs? I have no reason to believe otherwise. Will they compete? AN EMPHATIC HELL YEAH!

This blog will chronicle the Lakers, hopefully game by game (though that is a promise I can't guarantee), week by week, and ideally season by season. Interesting stats, history, game notes, and whatever else I can think of will be available here. I will chronicle my Lakers memorabilia for you (already own a Caron Butler jersey, what!), tell you about some of the best Lakers deals, and keep you entertained with my what some would call obscure point of view on the Lakers.

I am a loyal fan. I do not have a favorite player. If you play for the Lakers, I love you. If you leave, you're dead to me. Rest in Piss Shaq....perhaps when Shaquille O'Neal retires, I can once again don his jersey because his hall of fame legend was built in L.A. But as for right now, there are nothing but ill feelings for the Big Greedy!

Fruition

The time has come. No longer shall I let the media be your single source for Lakers news and notes. This site will be your new go to guy, your star, your workhouse for all that is Lakers. Stay tuned....it's gon' be awfully nasty!!!

So can somebody, anybody, tell me why I get yelled at for doing someone a favor? You ask me to take in your dry cleaning for you. Never mind that I'm sleep when you ask. So I take it to the only dry cleaners I know of. My bad for not remembering YOU had a bad experience with them. I even remember to tell them that you don't want friggin creases in your pants with no reminder from you. Then, they call me and tell me that they put creases in your pants and they are sending them back. I call you to tell you off the situation and you want me to get mad for you at them?!?!? When I tell you I can't do that, you call them and realize that the place I took them is not the place you wanted them to be taken. Realizing that my doing you favors is getting me nothing but static, I simply say, 'Handle your own dry cleaning for now' and being you that you are you get more pissy at me......and somehow I'm wrong in all this......

Can't make up my mind if I want to play basketball today or go to the driving range. Playing basketball means I will lift weights which will make me as big and sexy as I was back in 2000. Playing golf is what I kind of feel like doing because it's my current challenge. Also, think I may need to get lessons...this learning on my own thing is not going particularly well....or maybe my expectations are a little high....although it was reassuring to read on a golf website that for beginners it is pretty common for the ball to go the same yardage regardless of the club.

I'm not sure if I like my job....

So Jerry Rice is making noise about wanting to be traded because he can still give 100% and make things happen on the field. Jerry? Come on man, stop playing, for real tho'...why can't some athletes just go out gracefully? Why do only the bad players find a way to leave the league quietly? Why tarnish a great career by going and doing nothing for a different team? Shoulda stopped after San Fran!

My list of those that won't go away:

• Jerry Rice - WR - Oakland Raiders - His 100% is only 50% of what his greatness and contribution used to be. Be like Usher and let it burn.


• Emmitt Smith - RB - Arizona Cardinals - I mean, the fact that you have celebrity status AND your first name is Emmitt should be enough for you to want to fade into the shadows gracefully. Plus, you resorted to playing for the Cardinals?!?! I know you had a decent game but you're not even the bonafied starter...you're playing because others are hurt....


• Eddie George - RB - Dallas Cowboys - I know Eddie used to be a warrior. He used to play through injuries and still does. But did you ever think that maybe if you took some games off due to injury, you could have that burst that made you a threat to opposing defenses???


• Dikembe Mutombo - C - Some Team Somewhere - When your last shining moment was in 199-??4 maybe, then you should stop. No more dunk on him. It's done, over. Next.


• Vlade Divac - C - Los Angeles Lakers - Dude, you played with, not for, but with Magic Johnson....hell, there's some former player commentators that I don't think can say that!


• Kevin Willis - C\PF - Somebody still - Man, let somebody else be the persistent non factor ninth man off the bench in an eight player rotation....


• Gary Payton - PG - Boston Celtics - You could get off of this list if you could shoot a three, or a mid range jumper, or could at least still play defense or something....


• Reggie Miller - SG - Indiana Pacers - You've been a bitch your whole career but you could shoot the lights out. Still can, but be a graceful bitch and get out while people still look at you without sympathy....maybe if you aged as well as your sister.....

This may be an ongoing theme as we move through the 'Real Sports' seasons....lists that will be heard by only you o' faithful reader.....

Wow, I had typed what I thought was a pretty damn good entry only to have my browser crap on me.

Now it's decision time...do I try to recreate my literary excellence or just say two tears in a bucket and move on...

You know it's a tough decision because I don't know if I can rehash the same passion for the topic that I had when I initially authored it. And even if I could, would I be able to recreate the same wit that was making the post magical....

I slipped back into my Boston persona Saturday spending over 13 hours in bars! Wow...didn't know I still had that in me. As far as the VaTech\WVU affair, my Hokies did what, as I later found out, we were expected to do. How we were the favorites against a 'supposed' top 10 team eludes me. What eludes me even more than a courteous migrant worker is the fact that the media refuses to admit we played a good game....everything is about how WVU wasn't really as good as they were ranked or they didn't play the way they have or something....damn it.... Show the Hokies some flippin' love! Believe it or not, we could very easily be undefeated this year if exactly two plays happened differently. Yeah, I know you hear what if's all the time but right now our season has hinged on exactly two plays....a horrid, embarassing, sham of an offensive pass interference call against USC and our punter inexplicably dropping the ball against NC State (a blocked punt I can take...but the punter just dropping the ball doesn't sit well with me)....

Assplosive! That describes the bowel movement after a glass of milk. Nasty, or as Luda would say 'Awfully Nasty!'

I think I am addicted to golf but I'm not sure. I went to the range for the first time last weekend....bought a cheapo set of clubs this week....and have been plotting how I could manage to go to work today, hit the driving range, and play in a pool tournament all in a single day. Because, well, there's football tomorrow....

Speaking of which, VaTech's game against WVA is huge for me on several personal levels as well as sports levels. I know a lot of WVA fans, met many recently during my expeditions to the Northern version of the Carolinas, and there has been a considerable amount of shit spoken. Now VaTech is the underdog in this game. And for all intents and purposes, we are underdogs for this season, but we could have a really big season relatively speaking if we were to flip the script this game. Plus, if we lose this game, that puts us below 500 for the first time since 92 I believe. Scary thought.....

KOBE VS SHAQ
I so want this to end. I've stopped supporting Shaquille O'Neal since he left the Lakers. But I can't find a way to explain Kobe's dropping names in this situation. Listening to 790 the Zone this morning, a caller called in and wished a career ending injury to Kobe. Ain't that some shit to wish on a person? The caller went further and said that Lakers fans should no longer support the Lakers because of one player. In that case, Nets fans can't support the Nets 'cause they had a habitual accidental shooter on the team.

The bottom line is I bleed purple and gold. I've gone away from one of my mainstays in that I don't get into the players personal lives. But it's time I get back to that. The players receive my support for what they do on the court....anything else is not my business.

Click here now because I said so You have to find three different things between the photos.

Subject: Typoglycemia

Don't delete this because it looks weird. Believe it or not you can read it.


I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.

You know, I mentioned that I spend a bit of time posting on sportsrant.com. I've noticed that many posters there tend to dislike black players much more so than white players. For example, there's a current thread about how much they dislike Kellen Winslow. Their reason for their dislike is mainly his holding out for money as a rookie. No one mentions that Eli Manning received a ridiculous amount of money as a rookie, that Ben Roethlisberger received a ridiculous amount of money as a rookie, but they all fervently remember Kellen Winslow holding out.

Another post involves this guy saying Mike Vick is overrated. Among his arguments as to why this is so, he states the media's desire for the success of a black quarterback; basically rehashing Rush Limbaugh's statement. Alas, Race has officially been entered into the conversation.

Now as far as I have been able to tell, I'm the only intelligent Black person I know of posting on the forum. There is one other person claiming to be of color, but I'm not sure what that color is and he is far from intelligent. So when conversations of race come in, the former militant in me rises to the occasion and spits his knowledge.

And it almost never fails, that I am accused of letting my race cloud my vision as it was so aptly put last time I heard it. But, what I don't think people realize is that we all see through cloudy, cloudy glasses. I can only see things as a black man. My life has been lived as a black man, my experiences, interactions, conversations have been as a black man. What a lot of white people don't seem to see, in my opinion and this includes my fiancee, is that the world is very different when race has been put foremost in your perspective.

As a black man, I can never leave race at home because I have been treated differently in various situations because I was a black man. Best example, when I'm out with my white fiancee, she never or at least hardly ever sees the looks that people give us. Is it because I'm overly sensitive or hyper attentive? No. It's because if I were walking through that mall alone, 50% of those people would still give me that same damn look. That look of slight disapproval or mistrust or something. When I'm with her, it's just a definite disapproval. This is my life. I don't let it change my mood because I'm used to it. When I'm in a bar, you'd be surprised at the number of my friends (particularly white male friends) that say what's up homie to me but never say that to one of their white friends. Why I gotta be homie?? It's funny and I shake it off but the fact that it's done is still a glaring reminder that I'm black and he's white.

Okay okay, I think I'm done now....oops no I'm not. I think anyone that tells you they don't see color is lying. You see color because it's what you see. Granted you shouldn't judge based on the color you see but you do, it's human instinct. Just like if I see a blonde, I'm going to have certain preconceptions about her until I get to know her. If a see a white male, same thing. My experiences have built my perceptions and my perceptions are applied until there is reason to change them....

Where the hell was this post headed????

I once heard a story about hurricanes. I can't remember it in its entirety but the basic premise was that hurricanes are the souls of the black slaves that died in the African diaspora. Ever notice how many hurricane paths follow the same path that slave ships did over 400 years ago....

Bob Pruett coach of the Marshall Thundering Herd referred to the Ohio State Buckeyes as a bunch of Mandingos. As you can imagine the press and some black community leaders went up in arms about this. My take: it's a compliment, the Mandingo tribes were know for their strength, their size, and their physical prowess. Should he have used the term? Probably not but that's more related to political correctness than whether or not blacks should be offended. I don't think he meant the term in any negative way. I think he truly thought he was giving the Bucks credit. Hell, when I'm boosting my own ego I refer to myself as a Mandingo Warrior....I mean, c'mon, I know there is still a racial struggle going on but everything needs to be taken in context. When Paul Hornung made his comments this past year about lowering academic standards for black athletes, that's offensive. But using a term that is not even full slang, a term that refers to an actual historical fact, that my faithful (or at least kinda faithful) readers is not offensive.

Everybody got their somethin..... -Nikka Costa

I'm just not sure what my somethin' is yet.....

With the third pick in the Race Draft, the Asian delegates select the Rza, the Gza, Inspectah Deck, the Wu-tang Clan....Fonichiwa Bitches! -Dave Chappell

Dat boy funny!

It never fails...at some point in the middle of the afternoon, I get ridiculously sleepy. This would normally be the time I would get up and go have some idle chitchat with a coworker.....but now there's no one in the office for me to go idly chitchattin' to. So alone...did you ever know that you're my hero...

So at the Madden tournament last night, I lose in the first round 9 - 6. They only let you play for 30 minutes which is not nearly enough time to finish a whole game plus the cat I was playing started doing cheesy shit by suddenly taking forever to pick his friggin play after he got the lead....But on a good note, I did win the FlickBall (paper football) tournament walking away 20 bucks and a t-shirt and auto qualification in the bar finals. If I win that, then it's on to the regionals and then the nationals with a $10,000 champ prize....

'Sup biotches!!? Sorry, don't know where that came from. Anyway, I thought I'd drop a favorite Jay-Z quote...."Got mixed feelings like a mulatto"

Heehee, I'm gonna have a bunch of mulattoes runnin around the house one day (God willing) and I'm gonna call them mulatto 1, mulatto 2, etc....

I'm going to a Madden tournament tonite...not sure what to expect...see my problem is I rarely play humans in video games so I learn to play the computer but when I play against a human I have to learn to adjust for the unexpected...or in some cases with the cheesers....the same play over and over and over and over and over and over ....sorry my fingers got in a rhythm and the keyboard was enjoying that...

I'm going to Winston next week and I'm actually looking forward to it...I still feel kind of like a visitor in Atlanta because I was gone so long and now I have to reestablish my footing here...at least in Winston I WAS a visitor so feeling like one didn't feel weird. I do miss the money of contract work though!!!

How about them Skins? Their defense is lookin hella tight...wow did I just say 'hella', aw fuck it I'll be 30 soon, time to let that slang thing go...

Been cursin alot lately...feels like the only way to truly expree meself...I only have 12 more days of smoking before it's bippety boppety bye to the nicotine....gonna be real weird....put your two legs up then put your booty on the floor if you think I can do this....

FUCK SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

Now he's just being childish. Let shit go. Grow the fuck up. Stop rapping dumbass. The reason for my angst is here. What a tool.....

Now I know you're all expecting me to put my two cents in on Kobe but oddly, I spent so much of yesterday debating about this that I have talked myself silent.

Actually, no I haven't. Kobe should sue her ass for defamation. For a year and change, his reputation was dragged through the mud. I am beginning to think that for whatever reason she intended to drag Kobe's name down. I mean, how does she suddenly not have the will to testify? Especially considering she has every intent to continue pursuing her civil case. She's known for quite a while that she was not going to testify in my opinion.

And don't get me started on the damn apology letter!!! I'm so sick of trying to explain that damn letter!!!

Okay, I'm back.

I must tell you that I have been expressing my xpinions on the internet, just not on this site. My internet travels led me to messageboards where I receive more of a response. Now that is not to say that I don't enjoy the respones I receive here, but the response is just more. I have become a poster on sportsrant.com and rantchaos.com.

My faithful readers, I first must apologize for inconsiderate lack of consideration in keeping you updated here on this tome we call Xpinionated. It has been over a week and change and I have not typed a single word of comedy, drama, or other tv genre category thingy.

To make it up to you, I will speak on several topics today. Maybe. You know I'm moody and may change my mind.

Today's first topic is...oh sh!t, I gotta go pee...

Coworkers

Isn't a rule that if you're new to an office, your coworkers are supposed to take you out to lunch...or at least invite you to join them....or at the very least invite you to place an order when they are having something delivered???  These folks are scandalous....all week long I have not spoken more than 200 words during work hours....which leads to me getting into a mood....which leads to me going home and being quiet....which leads the fiancee into thinking that I'm not happy to finally be home....which leads to both of us being quiet....and though I may want her to stop talking sometimes, it scares me when she's quiet.  It's like very like weird like totally like odd....

Isn't a rule that if you're new to an office, your coworkers are supposed to take you out to lunch...or at least invite you to join them....or at the very least invite you to place an order when they are having something delivered??? These folks are scandalous....all week long I have not spoken more than 200 words during work hours....which leads to me getting into a mood....which leads to me going home and being quiet....which leads the fiancee into thinking that I'm not happy to finally be home....which leads to both of us being quiet....and though I may want her to stop talking sometimes, it scares me when she's quiet. It's like very like weird like totally like odd....

Good start to the day. First a little background....I'm officially thirty...okay not official 'til next month but mentally I'm done. All week I have chosen to listen to sports talk radio instead of CD's or music radio on my way to and from work. I just flip back and forth between 790 and 680....yes AM radio...whudda thunkit??? Anyway, on 790 this morning they did this thing (don't know if it's a regular thing 'cause I just started listening) called barbershop roll call where they call a barbershop and inquire about specials....basically free advertising for the barbershop. So they called this one place and the owner refused to give out any information stating he was too busy to talk...at 8 am in a barbershop! Never thought that barbershops had a morning rush but I could be wrong...doubt it though....N e way, the radio guy goes off talking about how he was raised in a barbershop (this is the black guy on the morning show) and how much barbers love to talk...which is true . . .at least in a black barbershop. So somehow the discussion turns to whether or not the barber they had called was white or black....Now I've always been able to tell over the phone whether a person is white or black at a 90 to 95 percent clip. Just the voice inflections and how things are said. So the radio folks decide to ask the listeners to call in to tell if they thought the barber was white or black....since I was sitting in traffic thinking about playing with myself (joke...kind of) I called in. I didn't get on the radio but I did get a $25 gift certificate to Santana's or something...don't know what Santana's or whatever they said is but it's a free 25 bucks.....Free stuff is always a good start...

By the way the barber was white...if for no other reason than he ended every sentence with 'buddy' and that's not something black folks do...not every sentence...nope

This was yesterday..first day in new office

I have had a long day....;) So after sitting in traffic which I'm
sure you did, then thinking my badge was lost, then realizing that I
may not have enough gas to make it to work if I have to sit in traffic
too much longer, I finally get to the office and realize I have no
clue which building out of the 12 that I'm supposed to go to. So I
call Shanlon and she tells me that she thinks it's building one which
makes sense because the address is 1 Piedmont center (I didn't know
that until Shanlon told me). So after holding a stranger up while
talking to Shanlon ( I flagged him down in my desperation), Shanlon
gives me the phone numbers to contact Rose. But I don't have anything
to write on!! So I type it in my phone thinking I can save it after
the fact. Except when we get off the phone, I close the phone(out of
habit) thereby erasing the number to contact Rose. So instead of
calling Shanlon back, I just drove around until I found building one.
I figured suite 600 would be on the 6th floor. Got lucky on that one.
So they take me to my cube and I start to get setup et cetera when I
realize that I forgot the power cord to my laptop....it's in Winston
Salem. So not a biggie right....except everyone here uses Dells and I
use an IBM laptop.....luckily they found one that they 'borrowed' from
somewhere (I'm not asking any questions but the way they said borrowed
was more than a little shady). So now Winston Salem is mailing me my
power cord....and it's just 9:30.....

Well, it looks like I will have to remove the day by day comic strip that has adorned my blog for the past few months....it has become ridiculously conservative during this campaign year and frankly...annoying....I could deal with the conservative republican black guy...but now it's like every character is a republican....a bit of the artist coming into play there......

Can it really get anymore obvious than a civil suit? At least in the OJ case the family had the decency to wait until the criminal case had been decided (and I realize the differences in the case, but it was the first example of criminal case then civil case that I could think of). In my ever so not humble opinion, I think it should be illegal to file a civil suit against a person alleging the same accusations that were the focus of a criminal suit if the defendant in the criminal suit is found not guilty or the case is thrown out. It doesn't make sense. I know double jeopardy only applies to criminal cases but there should be some kind of extension like Final jeopardy that applies to civil filings.....

It's 99% official!! I will be going home permanently Friday afternoon. Unless something completely unforeseen happens, I will be a full time ATLien again!!! Tonite, Winston Salem homies are trying to get me drunk as a farewell but I'm going to try....notice I said try....to avoid liquor and stick strictly with beer. Or if I do shots, I will chase it with water to try to stay somewhat ahead of the game.

There is nothing worse than a coworker (and I know I've mentioned this before) who thinks he's funny but he really isn't. Wait, yes there is. There's the coworker who thinks he's funny but really isn't who won't let his bad jokes die a nice sudden death. NOOOO, he's gotta go to the internet to further enhance the 'comedy' of his joke. And then he laughs at his joke which forces you to at least give the pity chuckle so he doesn't feel like ..... well the weird guy with the weird sense of humour (weird as in not funny, not as in I don't get the joke)

Finally, a member of the media has something positive to say about the Franchise

On a separate note, I should be going to that ATL for good in a couple of weeks. Permanent job offer from the company I have been contracting with. Still working out some details....

Redskins play Denver in a little over a week....

Don't feel like driving today but I guess I have to suck it up and move on....

I have a shopping problem. I've bought 12 shirts in the past week. I have taken my metrosexuality to a new level. And not just with the clothes, oh no! I let the fiancee talk me into getting a pedicure. A PEDICURE!!! I know the new age folks are going to say, 'There's nothing wrong with a man getting a pedicure' but sorry that's not my upbringing. Men have no use for pedicures in my opinion. Nor manicures for that matter. Cut your toe nails, cut your fingernails, and don't think about them ever again. But the part that scares\bothers\boggles me is that I think I enjoyed. I'm almost certain I enjoyed it. And enjoying it goes against my preconceived notions of what was going to happen. And if I can be wrong about this, then heaven forbid I could be wrong about other things too...I feel shaky....my whole belief system is in peril.....if a man don't got his principles what do he got (the worst english I could bring myself to type)!

I must admit though, I didn't know my feet could be so soft and pretty.....WAIT I didn't just say that....but the nails are so shiny....STOP IT.....and the dead skin has gone bye bye... SHUT UP.....and the leg massage kind of got me too....AARAGGGGH

Meanwhile, on the left side of my brain....

FOOTBALL is only 2 and 1/2 weeks away...it's the sport of kings....better than diamond rings....

I'm very irritable today. There are people whose voices are just getting on my nerves and I feel bad because they are nice people, just surprisingly annoying today.

And why do people talk funny when they talk to kids?

And country accents are really starting to get on my nerves? Not everyone's, just certain ones...like the ones attributed to the people whose voices are getting on my nerves....

My off the chain list for July (I say it like I do one every month):

Music:
Joss Stone: The Soul Sessions - This girl can blow. She has a smooth R&B style even though most of her songs are covers. There are one or two tracks on the 10 song CD that are suspect but all in all worth the purchase.
Javier - I can't remember the name of his album but I first heard on late night BET. The entire CD is worth it. I can't think of a song on this album that I dislike. And unlike the current R&B atmosphere, there are exactly zero rap interludes and not a single mention of 22's or a rolex, a BMW 745.

Video Games:
NCAA 2005 - A review of this game is probably uncalled for but at the same time a damn necessity. Can EA sports keep this up? Year after year they give me a brand new addiction and quite frankly, I'm dumbfounded. It's the attention to detail that puts this as a sports game of the year candidate. Camera panning to the fans as they hold up a user created sign. Crowd noise so loud the screen and the controller shimmy like Elton John at a gay music festival. Oh yeah, player suspensions due to academic violations, team rules violations, and who knows what else. And the NCAA will take scholarships. I haven't even gotten to the post season yet, I have a Music City Bowl to play against Ole Miss with Va Tech. There's so much more to this game but you just need to buy it yourself.

People:
This girl here in Winston I'll call C is cool as hell. I don't like to use folks names. She is ghetto as she wants to be, she trys to play hard, but she is just as sweet. She's cool to drink with.

This dude here in Winston I'll call J is just as cool. I actually met C through J. J has more woman problems with his ol' lady than any dude I have ever met that is only dating somebody. I can't think of a time that I've hung with both of them and some kind of argument broke out. But it's kinda funny too and makes me realize how lucky I am L-Boogie (my ol' lady) isn't as crazy as she could be.

Okay. I find it completely unfair that the world is blaming Kobe for Shaquille's departure. Let's think about this....Shaquille, in the very first exhibition game this past season, yells at Jerry Buss demanding more mone given that he was: 1) Overweight....again!, 2)Out of shape. . . again!, 3)In the first year of his extension as it was, and 4)the highest paid player in the league. Enough to satisfy Shaquille? Nope!!! But Kobe forced him out?!?!? Through all of this, has the media reported any Kobe pay demands? Not that I've seen. Even as he tested the free agent market, you never heard of teams not being able to afford Kobe. But Shaquille couldn't be happy be the highest paid player in the league...a mantra he won't deserve when his current contract is up.

Now I have intentionally not spoken of the Phil Jackson situation because honestly I haven't seen the media harp on this as much. At least nothing more than mentioning that Kobe wasn't a fan of the triangle offense which he wasn't but so weren't players! And let's face it, Phil was out coached in the finals, his theory of not calling timeouts to stem runs by the opponent didn't work in this scenario and he didn't do the X's and O's adjustments necessary for the Lakers to win (and yes I still stand by my statements concerning the one-sided officiating earlier, but Phil's approach didn't help matters).

All in all, the Kobe dismantled the Lakers theory is a media created soap opera. Kobe has made no public statements until he announced which team he was playing for yesterday. The Media created a story, and ran with it. Strangely enough, the 'story' that the media has been running for the past weeks about Kobe's evil plan to take over the Lakers is actually an editorial; an editorial is supposed to be an opinion since it's basically based on what one reporter thinks; yet, this editorial has been repeated over and over again by reporters from the smallest, most unconnected news sources to ESPN.com as if there opinions were based on factual conversations held between Kobe and Buss and Kupckak. And still, there is no documentation that Kobe had a thing to do with this 'breakup'. The media, as it often does, has decided to steer the public's perception because it makes for a good story. It's really as simple as that....unfortunately, the public has shown once again they would much rather be told what's going on than to think about it and opine on their own. Groupthink is a terrible fashion to wear........

I thought it best that I not immediately comment on the happenings surrounding Shaquille O'Neal (no longer Shaq, no nicknames for non-Lakers). Up until late last night, I tried to remain neutral given that Shaquille had been a Laker for eight years, I had grown accustom to having the dynamic duo, and that there seemed to be something fishy about the way Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss were handling things. Then I watched a press conference by Kupchak, who I still have no faith in as a GM but more on that later. The thing that turned me against Shaquille (and this is a new feeling for me, but it is a passionate one) is the fact that he turned down an extension that would have kept him the highest paid player in the league. What more could you want in a league that's willing to give Carlos Boozer 68 million bucks? But to listen to Shaquille speak, you would think they offered nothing. He says he didn't like the way the team was going, that the executives didn't come to him and communicate effectively, that the organization didn't keep things 'in-house' so to speak. Oddly enough, he is\was the first person to speak to the press about matters that should have been kept 'in house'. It is sad to see what could have been disappear so quickly, so underhandedly (on both sides), and so trivially.

As for Mitch Kupchak, why in the hell are we getting Brian 'my accomplishments in the league (and I played against Magic) total zero' Grant, Lamar 'I've been to L.A. but never really did anything' Odom, and Caron 'unproven' Butler in exchange for a franchise player? Oh yeah, we also get a first round pick which may sound nice unless Miami finishes in the upper echelon of teams then it becomes a twenty something pick....woohoo! Mitch has thrived off the team the Mr. West built. He has yet to make a single improvement that he can call his own. Payton and Malone? They came on their own accord. Now there is a possibility of losing Kobe, Derek Fisher, and a few others. Let's put Magic in the GM's chair....he garners respect from the players, the fans, and anyone who has anything to do with basketball. And further, he's a helluva businessman who knows the game. Yeah, Magic couldn't coach but that's a different animal.

Needless to say, I am not the happiest Laker fan there is right now. I guess I need to try to get excited about our new look teams and try to build some enthusiasm that can only come from the loyalty of a true fan.....shit's gonna be hard though....

Today's question: Why do we call it a toothbrush? We rarely brush just a single tooth. Shouldn't it be called a teethbrush? Or perhaps a teethbrusher?

I'm sleepy but I didn't go out drinking last night. I think all this driving is wearing me down a bit. Plus, I got a speeding ticket yesterday...84 in a 65. Must make a cameo at the Gastonia, NC courthouse. I may have a lawyer go in my absence.

THe ol' battleaxe's birthday is next week and for the second year in a row, I will not be in town. That kinda sucks! Oh well, guess I have to go broke trying to do right by my Bae....

It's been a while since I posted regularly but summertime is so less creative for me. Uh, let's see. Making quite a few friends here in Winston Salem....to the point that I hate to tell them that I may be leaving soon. I ran into a friend I went to VT with. Turns out she is a pretty cool chick. We didn't hang out much in college since I didn't mess with white folk too much, you know I was in my militant phase. But she told me last night that I seemed very different than what she remembered. I was like it's because I talk to white people now. And she was quiet for a second and then she said 'Maybe that's it'. But we ended up hanging out most of the night with good conversation....cool chick cool chick.

I had a thought the other night during karaoke night. Karaoke is discriminatory towards the illiterate. What if someone plagued by illiteracy wants to sing 867-5309 but can't remember all the words. Are they forced to endure the embarassment of having to hum parts they don't know?!?!? WE MUST MAKE KARAOKE AVAILABLE TO ALL!!!!!

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you without a strong rhyme to step to" .. . .Eric B. and Rakim (I think)

Yeah, I know I have been kinda vacant for a minute now. My bad. Still recovering slowly and quietly from the debacle known as the NBA finals. Nuff said about that...

I think I am going to make this my metrosexual summer. I am going to buy one metrosexually inspired clothing item per week. Deciding to dress metrosexually is a big risk since I live in Atlanta, the (drag)sister city of San Francisco. This past weekend was Gay pride weekend in the ATL. That got me to thinking.....homosexuals always claim that they want to be just like everyone else, treated the same etc....but there is no heterosexual parade?!?! I think I'm going to start the Straight in Straight Out Parade for heterosexuality (and lesbians...I like lesbians, not butches, but lesbians). We can have a mobile wet t-shirt contest conducted by the chippendales (so all heterosexuals are entertained) followed by heathen night at a local whorehouse.

Okay, I don't know where all that above came from......

Finally! Someone else saw at least a hint of what I saw, click here. Check the excerpt:

You love NBA conspiracies ... what's the best one you heard during the playoffs?

A: As you know, the officiating was curiously one-sided in the Finals. It reached the point where ABC was afraid to show replays -- like when Rasheed delivered a flying forearm to Devean George in Game 5, sent him flying out of bounds, drew a prolonged whistle from the referee ... and play was mysteriously allowed to continue. What the heck happened there? Thank God for TiVo. And have you ever seen a team set more moving picks in a single series?

I'm pretty much at a loss for words. The pistons played the best that they could have possibly played. Combine that with shady officiating (more on that later) and less than average play from the Lakers and I guess the outcome of this series isn't as 'surprising' as the lame ass media would have you believe.

As far as the officiating goes, I am not saying it was some conspiracy cooked up by the NBA. What I am saying is there is no way you'll ever convince me that one team could be 'aggressive' enough to shoot 171 free throws in five games (avg 34.2 per game) versus 111 (avg 22.2 per game). My view? The refs allowed one team to play physical because that's how they played all year long while they blew the whistle if the other team played physical. Tayshaun Prince wasn't moving his feet on Kobe at such an incredible rate that he could stop him, he was holding and pushing long enough for help defense to arrive (Strangely enough, tv announcers throughout the series applauded Detroit for playing Kobe and Shaq straight up, yeah never saw that).

I know this sounds like sour grapes but when a team is in the penalty within the first three to four minutes of every quarter, it makes it extremely hard to be competitive. Especially when the calls aren't being made on both sides of the floor. Just how often is Ben Wallace allowed to jump over someone's back to tap the ball out? Is Chauncey really allowed to take two steps and a hop.....when catching the ball?!?! Rasheed is allowed to curse the referees blatantly for 3/4 of a quarter but if Gary Payton so much as looks at a referee it's time for a technical? One sided affair and I'm not talking about the gameplay....

History begins in 7 hours. Theysay it can't be done....I say it should be...and it will be. There is no other acceptable ending. PERIOD!!

132 -78 free throw advantage, 115 -78 fouls called advantage, 4-0 opening tip violation advantage, yet I'm the only one who sees a disconcerting difference in how the officials are calling this series.

It's gotten to the point where I can't even be upset anymore. I feel like the crazy person who really isn't crazy; rather just has a deeper understanding. No one can convince me that one team is aggresive enough to have a 50 free throw advantage. 1) They are a physical team which would lead one to believe that they would commit more fouls because in order to be physical, you have to make a lot of contact. 2)Aggression leading to more free throws? Most of the calls they have gotten have been phantom fouls when viewed upon replay. I know I know, refs are only human (old humans, but humans nonetheless) that see and react at real speed. But after four games, you would think their seeing and reacting would adjust at least a little.....And what call are they making exactly on the opening jump ball for 4 STRAIGHT GAMES?!?!

Want some numbers? I got numbers....91 -52 free throw advantage to the Pistons.....58 fouls called on the pistons vs 80 called on the Lakers.....Oddly enough, field goal % is just about even at 42% to 40% for the Pistons....

If Defense is being allowed to do whatever you want because the refs are not going to call it, then the Pistons have a great defense.....if methodical offense means shooting behind a moving pick (they refer to them as screen and rolls...new terminology because they must be aware that the original idea of a pick is stationary), then they have a methodical offense.....

And for all these new Pistons fans that suddenly are raving lunatics, I bleed purple and gold....do you even know where Detroit is?

Bird on the Race Card

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-06-08-bird-interview_x.htm

61 - 39.....That is the free throw differential in the Lakers - Pistons series...in favor of Detroit.....after two games in L.A. So all you Lakers Conspiracy Believers can shut the hell up....Are you trying to tell me that Kobe and Shaq aren't getting fouled....you're trying to tell me that everytime Chauncey (hard to respect a man named Chauncey, might as well call him 'Delicious') Billups touches the ball he's fouled? No worries, we will just have to play our game and the refs will take care of themselves. It seems to me that the refs let the pistons play rough because they've done it all year...but if the Lakers get as physical back then it's a foul....STERN TALK TO YOUR OFFICIALS.....

Boxing is really pushing me to the limits now. Oscar De La Hoya got his ass thoroughly thumped Saturday night by Felix Sturm....thoroughly. Yet the judges gave hoya the fight. Even in the post fight interview, De La Hoya spoke as a beaten man. He knows what happened and if he's smart, he better find a way to dodge the Bernard Hopkins fight.

Something interesting I noticed, why are boxing judges so old. There was a 77 year old judge for this fight...77! And something else, why don't they put TV monitors in front of the judges so they can see that the 'flurries' De La hoya had were just punches to the elbows and Gloves of Sturm. Boxing is starting to sound more and more rigged.....

Interesting story....Yahoo and Al Quaeda??

16.25 hours. I worked for 16.25 hours . . . straight yesterday. Missed the Jello Wrestling at 8pm, missed the karaoke at 10 pm....missed the sexy college girls in summertime clothing while I have a nice alcohol induced buzz from 10:01 to 1:15 am....Hell I missed the 2am episode of Sportscenter....I got home at 3:45 in the morning.....I got to work in the am and left work in the am....but it wasn't the same am.....

Why has the American business person become so lazy? I've noticed an abundance of people with wheeled carts for their laptops....that's ridiculous! Just lazy and ridiculous. So as laptops have gotten lighter, suddenly the ability to carry them has become burdensome?? How's that work? And then we pass this on to our kids with their little bookbag carts. And we wonder why there's an obesity problem in this country????

I am starting to hate Antonio Tarver....but I was happy to read this chat transcript where boxing fans let him know how they really feel.

Okay, now that Halle is free, I gotta find a way to convince the fiancee that polygamy is the newest fad!

I have decided that I need to be a collector of things. So I am going to collect email addresses....currently I have email addresses at the following sites....bellsouth, excite.com, yahoo.com, iwon.com, go.com, gmail.com, my job, and msn. But That's NOT Enough!!!!

I just realized how much more interactive I have become with this blog. I've done a lot more linking and picture/photo posting....maybe I have taken another step up as a blogger....hmmm? Interesting....no?

The reputation of the U.S. is closing in on irreparable damage. Too many examples of stupidity, misinformation, brutality, or whatever you want to call it are making it very difficult for me to 'stand behind our troops' or this war. You want to support the troops because they are just doing their jobs but it's hard to support the troops and not support the war. They kind of go hand in hand. But I can't say that I support this war....

Now it gets interesting. The timberwolves played pretty damn dirty in the second quarter though the referees were apparently ignorant of that. Derek Fisher on at least three occassions was either thrown or knocked to the floor and on two of those occasions they called a foul on him. ???? Let's recap, I get knocked down and that's a foul on me.....riiight....and lest we forget the Hoigberg 'charge'! You know the one...where he managed to have a charge called while at the same time grabbing both of Malone's arms.....hmmm...doesn't sound like a charge to me.

But we are headed back to L.A. and now we should at least have some fire in our drawers. My only question is are they going to try to suspend Karl Malone? If they do then they need to do the same to Wally Sczxdfg;qewrgvoin;iak. He threw just as many elbows on the DL...and REFS, perhaps if you would have made some calls earlier in the game, players wouldn't have had to take into their own hands.....

Finally get to South Carolina and traffic is not light enough for me to make up the time that I had hoped to. In any case, I got to my destination midway through the second quarter...... 

Drive started off nice enough....pretty flowers, light traffic....
Posted by Hello

Yesterday afternoon: So it's 4:45 and I have a 9:00 game to get to. Not a problem I think on a sunny Friday afternoon, even with an estimated 4 1/2 hour drive ahead of me
Posted by Hello

I just watched the Nick Berg video out of curiousity and it is disturbing. That's all I can really say, it's disturbing. Moreso due to the sounds than the actual pictures. Personallly, I think he was dead before they beheaded him. But still seeing someone beheaded is disturbing whether they are dead or alive.

Work hard...play hard...both should make you equally as tired.

Finally, proof that I'm not crazy. The NBA does this to more folks than just me!!!

I think

I think I could literally hang out all day on the internet.  I mean, 24 straight hours of browsing.  I wonder if Guiness has a web surfing record?   I think I could break it.  What with sports, news, games, and porn, how could I ever get bored??

Further proof that the world is going to shit.

How far low has it gotten for me when I look forward to Wednesday nights because it's Karaoke night at the Fox and Hound? The Fox and Hound is an english pub here in Winston Salem. To me, the name sounds like it should be a strip joint but that could be because I'm a sex fiend....did I say sex fiend? I meant because I am morally stringent and simply offended by the implications of such an obvious play on words.

Fashion Rule #232: If your shirt is tucked in and you're wearing khakis....do not wear athletic shoes....Thank you.....

On sportsbybrooks.com, Brooks mentions that some baseball player received his degree. He goes on to say that only 17 active players in MLB have a college degree. But, let a high school kid say he's going to skip college to play in the NBA and people make an uproar about it like dubya said something intelligent.....

Okay, so apparently it only took a mouth full of elbow to set off KG:

"Sitting in the house, I'm loadin' up the pump. I'm loadin' up the Uzi. I got a couple M-16s, a couple 9s. I got a couple joints with some silencers on them. I'm just loading clips, a couple grenades. I got a missile launcher with a couple of missiles. I'm ready for war."

Slow down fella, those aren't the best politically correct words to describe your intentions during a time of war. You could fuck around and find yourself in Abu Grahib and you really don't wanna see Lynndie England naked.....