I'm telling you the nintendo wii is a great invention. It's gets you off the couch and every game is more and more fun each time you play it. All I have is the Wii Sports game that comes bundled and I have yet to get bored with it. Now I am a little sore, all those serve returns, punches, home run hits and long drives do take a slight toll. It's almost like actually being out there doing it.
Now while he always complains and says he ain into video games I think I could even get my dad into the Wii golf, especially since you actually have to swing like you do a real golf club. I would probably have to get him the club attachment for him to make the connection but it should work for him too. Get him the Wii tiger woods game and let him go at it.
As for the Wii fitness tests they have on there I wanna say some days I can't stand them, day one I was 33, day two I was 24, and day 3 was a personal low I was 46, my wife was dying today I was 27 though so it's an ebb and flow thing, but it is fun. Oh for those who have a Dlink wireless or any other wireless router make sure you wireless is either on channel 1 or channel 11 mine was on channel 6 and acted like it didn't wanna actually connect to the internet changed it to 1 and it worked just fine. I know with it being christmas time gaming packages are starting to go on sale so if you want some nice family fun pick one up, haven't bought any games yet, that may or may not come next week if we do dunno what I plan to pick up. But like I said it's a blast and I hope wifey will enjoy it.
My vacation is going quite well and I am going to try and tweet and blog a little more, unfortunately my laptop fan is deciding that it doesn't want to cooperate I already knew I was in need of a new one because with my job I need to be up on the latest OS, so I need to get a pc or laptop with windows 7 on it. But the constant shutoff due to overheating is killing me. Hell I am doing this blog again on a wednesday after starting it tuesday. Just tiring as hell. hopefully I can get through this quickly. Okay another vaca blog may come soon, I may try blogging from the wii next. Ve shall see
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
It's finally happened
For our anniversary/christmas my wife wanted a Wii console. Now we tried to get one at walmart, they had this special going buy a Wii console and get a $50 dollar walmart card with it, so basically get a Wii for $150. I wanted to get up on that but only stocking 2 or 3 a day in the store ain gonna cut it. So we went to best buy(if I hadn't said it before I will say it again if you buy a lot of electronics, or media get a best buy reward zone card, those $25, $35 and $15 dollars off coupons come in handy trust me I'm always using them) best buy had plenty of them, so we bought one. Didn't have money for another game(yet I got to get some severe dental work done, which is another blog that I might do tonight) now I said this when I got my 360 and now that I have actually played a Wii for an extensive period of time(well most of the afternoon on the 11th) I will reiterate Nintendo was trying to be the second console if you wanted next gen hi def gaming but with as much fun as me and the wife had it could be your first console easy.
Besides it's much cheaper price tag then it's competitors the nintendo wii is an easy system to pick up by that I mean you don't have to be game master to enjoy a Wii. The Nintendo Wii that we purchased game with one Wii mote, a nunchuk, Wii sports and the console. Can I say wifey whooped me at Wii bowling hell she doubled me up a couple of times. It seems me and Wii bowling are the same as me and REAL bowling somedays I'll knock them all down others maaaaan I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Okay that was a little white lie it ain some days it's some throws, I mean in one frame I can have a bunch of great throws and a bunch of bad ones it's comical. Now Wii sports is not just Wii bowling(thank god, cause she would have been running off at the mouth about it FOREVER) it's got golf(we tied) tennis(whooped her), baseball(I played she didn't) and Boxing we only bought one extra controller and no nunchuk so we haven't boxed each other yet.
Let me say this if you are trying to figure out a fun way to burn some calories before you truly kick it into high gear buy a wii cause you will get tired, and you will burn calories. And MAAAAAN, Wii baseball if you can get your swing right yes you will nail homers left and right. And it does allow for some bonding and good old fashioned fun, so nintendo congratulations you have a nice little system on your hands.
Next up on my list of things to get and try an PS3
Besides it's much cheaper price tag then it's competitors the nintendo wii is an easy system to pick up by that I mean you don't have to be game master to enjoy a Wii. The Nintendo Wii that we purchased game with one Wii mote, a nunchuk, Wii sports and the console. Can I say wifey whooped me at Wii bowling hell she doubled me up a couple of times. It seems me and Wii bowling are the same as me and REAL bowling somedays I'll knock them all down others maaaaan I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Okay that was a little white lie it ain some days it's some throws, I mean in one frame I can have a bunch of great throws and a bunch of bad ones it's comical. Now Wii sports is not just Wii bowling(thank god, cause she would have been running off at the mouth about it FOREVER) it's got golf(we tied) tennis(whooped her), baseball(I played she didn't) and Boxing we only bought one extra controller and no nunchuk so we haven't boxed each other yet.
Let me say this if you are trying to figure out a fun way to burn some calories before you truly kick it into high gear buy a wii cause you will get tired, and you will burn calories. And MAAAAAN, Wii baseball if you can get your swing right yes you will nail homers left and right. And it does allow for some bonding and good old fashioned fun, so nintendo congratulations you have a nice little system on your hands.
Next up on my list of things to get and try an PS3
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Don't be flaunting your bliss round me
We all know the saying ignorance is bliss. Thing is I find it funny that because in some peoples uninformed or under informed stupor they expect the rest of us to just let them act out and don't expect any consequences for said actions.
I know I get accused of being pro man a lot, and yes I am pro man, but it ain pro every man it's pro MAN. You know guys who actually go out of their way to be responsible, respectful, honest and decent. Are they always gonna hit the mark 100% of the time hell no, to date I believe only 1 person hit the 100% always doing the right thing. I do however reserve the right not to include people in the men club who only hit the mark 30% of the time or less. I'm also pro woman, oh I know some folks are rolling their eyes I could care less. I'm pro woman because I want the best for them, it ain all about the draws with me. I really do love women, so if they are making a stupid mistake or following bad advice I try to intercede because I personally hate hearing "I told you so" from people who actually didn't say it but egged me on. Or even better "see I knew all about that should have listened to me" you know that good old I could have told you so but I wanted to let you get your lumps first. Again not pro every woman pro women actually out there trying to do their best to live their dreams, support their families and live a decent life.
So when a man or woman acts out, and I feel they are wrong I am gonna call them on it. Oh I know what will happen, man why don't you give a dog a break you ain perfect either. No I'm not perfect but why am I gonna give you a break if you have shown that it's not A break you want, but 100 breaks, you don't wanna act right you just want to be given a pass when you don't act right. And ladies if your coming out being loud and wrong, really no leg to stand on yet in defense you either spitting the "brothers are worthless, all men ain spit" or my favorite I'm just being sexist. Yeah your bad behavior doesn't change your responsibility nor does it make me a bad person for pointing it out. The only way we find out what is or isn't acceptable is if somebody tells us, because no matter what age people will go as far as you let them. Most of us see or can figure out where the "line in the sand" is drawn but everybody loves a challenge is that really the line or is it just a warning saying look please try and stay behind this. So how can it be proven to you that yes it's a hardline someone has to tell you. No it doesn't always have to be me but if your interacting with me guess what yes I am gonna tell you.
Another thing if somebody else gets away with something and that is your defense as to why you should be allowed to get away with it to(or someone else) just stop talking right there and realize what you are saying. You already are admitting you are wrong, not only are you admitting your wrong but know you are trying to snitch on someone else and claim see they were more wrong, what ya mama say about tattlin? Sometimes the first person to go flying over the line is the only person who is going to get away with it, simply because now they have everybody watching that spot. Trust me I'm in the surveillance business, the first time somebody breaks in a store from an angle the store owner can't see is when I get a phone call to put a camera there. If you vandalize the store from an angle he/she can't see same thing. Oh and if you and an employee are getting into it and the he said/she said might cost the owner money in goes a microphone or two. Because CYA happens on all levels, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" and most people don't wanna bear responsibility later for your bad acts(hell they don't wanna be responsible for their own, so why pay for yours.
Now if someone else let's you get away with something hey enjoy it while it lasts, twon't be me and depending on how bad you treated the person the last time you got over might not be them the next time either. See some folks also forget that if you get away with something somebody had to be gracious enough to let it slide, so if you act too big a fool and rub the egg into their face they will be waiting until next time to go ahead and get their revenge. Just saying, yes you can show ya whole behind to someone but just because you can doesn't mean you should cause next time they might just kick you in it.
I know I get accused of being pro man a lot, and yes I am pro man, but it ain pro every man it's pro MAN. You know guys who actually go out of their way to be responsible, respectful, honest and decent. Are they always gonna hit the mark 100% of the time hell no, to date I believe only 1 person hit the 100% always doing the right thing. I do however reserve the right not to include people in the men club who only hit the mark 30% of the time or less. I'm also pro woman, oh I know some folks are rolling their eyes I could care less. I'm pro woman because I want the best for them, it ain all about the draws with me. I really do love women, so if they are making a stupid mistake or following bad advice I try to intercede because I personally hate hearing "I told you so" from people who actually didn't say it but egged me on. Or even better "see I knew all about that should have listened to me" you know that good old I could have told you so but I wanted to let you get your lumps first. Again not pro every woman pro women actually out there trying to do their best to live their dreams, support their families and live a decent life.
So when a man or woman acts out, and I feel they are wrong I am gonna call them on it. Oh I know what will happen, man why don't you give a dog a break you ain perfect either. No I'm not perfect but why am I gonna give you a break if you have shown that it's not A break you want, but 100 breaks, you don't wanna act right you just want to be given a pass when you don't act right. And ladies if your coming out being loud and wrong, really no leg to stand on yet in defense you either spitting the "brothers are worthless, all men ain spit" or my favorite I'm just being sexist. Yeah your bad behavior doesn't change your responsibility nor does it make me a bad person for pointing it out. The only way we find out what is or isn't acceptable is if somebody tells us, because no matter what age people will go as far as you let them. Most of us see or can figure out where the "line in the sand" is drawn but everybody loves a challenge is that really the line or is it just a warning saying look please try and stay behind this. So how can it be proven to you that yes it's a hardline someone has to tell you. No it doesn't always have to be me but if your interacting with me guess what yes I am gonna tell you.
Another thing if somebody else gets away with something and that is your defense as to why you should be allowed to get away with it to(or someone else) just stop talking right there and realize what you are saying. You already are admitting you are wrong, not only are you admitting your wrong but know you are trying to snitch on someone else and claim see they were more wrong, what ya mama say about tattlin? Sometimes the first person to go flying over the line is the only person who is going to get away with it, simply because now they have everybody watching that spot. Trust me I'm in the surveillance business, the first time somebody breaks in a store from an angle the store owner can't see is when I get a phone call to put a camera there. If you vandalize the store from an angle he/she can't see same thing. Oh and if you and an employee are getting into it and the he said/she said might cost the owner money in goes a microphone or two. Because CYA happens on all levels, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" and most people don't wanna bear responsibility later for your bad acts(hell they don't wanna be responsible for their own, so why pay for yours.
Now if someone else let's you get away with something hey enjoy it while it lasts, twon't be me and depending on how bad you treated the person the last time you got over might not be them the next time either. See some folks also forget that if you get away with something somebody had to be gracious enough to let it slide, so if you act too big a fool and rub the egg into their face they will be waiting until next time to go ahead and get their revenge. Just saying, yes you can show ya whole behind to someone but just because you can doesn't mean you should cause next time they might just kick you in it.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Countdown
It's a rather momentous occasion actually. My 10th wedding anniversary, yes I know I have been separated from my wife for the last going on 3 years doesn't change my marital status. I'm still married just seperated, I know that as far as most men are concerned that belief probably has me in the minority, my response is and? I am who I am and always have been that person, a bunch of oxymorons, wrapped in enigmas, packed in misshapen boxes, falling through round holes being pushed by triangular pegs.
10 years ago on the 11th of December, 7 days before my mothers day of birth and 13 before my own I asked the middle child of a carolinian mother if she would be my wife for better or for worse. Crazily she said I do, I mean have you read some of my blogs and seen how twistedly my mind works(little red squiggles we have had this talk before begone) she did not understand what she was signing up for. When it became too much she walked out the door, thing is she didn't send any papers back. As such my obligations did not change, I am still a husband and try to direct myself as such. Oh yes I may flirt and tease, I will send you pictures of almost anything you wanna see(the rectum is off limits sorry nothing is going up there so why even show it) I will see pictures that are sent to me. I am still that friend and confidant if you need that I have been to who ever has asked it of me. Just who I am, hell even when she cursed my name I was still hers, as tends to be the pattern everybody wants a shoulder to cry on and never has time to lend one.
Oh I'll be honest I can be overly emotional, I may not show it as much as I did in my youth but I vent like crazy myself(thus why some of my blogs are so erratic and curse laden, just not of course here), I can be moody, as much as I talk I may not always know how to express myself in a time or manner that someone else may need or find acceptable. I can become distant, I can be impatient(for those with the incredulous looks no one knows me better then I and I'm not being humble I am being honest), stubborn past the point of lunacy. When she left I had to do a lot of soul searching and ask hard questions that though I had no problems facing, it doesn't make it any easier to have to face them. No matter how fearless you still feel pain, despair and embarrassment.
By the way I am being vague not deep(or at least not trying to be) I may type a lot but I still enjoy having a nice amount of privacy, since I don't need to be popular I also don't need to throw someone else under the bus to get you onto the pity me parade float. I mean to be honest I was obviously the inadequate one, people only go in search of what they are missing when they are not already getting it. Was I too proud(which for me is odd because while I may take pride in who I am and what I might be doing at the time rarely do I think I make a me first acknowledgment a deal breaker), was I not supportive enough, to I fail to listen, to act, did I come up with a lousy plan, did I come up with a great plan but gloat and make my partner feel uncomfortable with their place in it. Many a hard masturbatory night spent trying to relieve tension as well as figure out was I really that lousy a husband.
Don't ask me why this blog has taken this direction I guess I just had somethings I needed to release, I mean I have been married for 10 years wow. I mean to go from thinking hmmm maybe I will always be alone to actually having someone who wanted to put up with me, to them then deciding anything is better then being with him. it has been a sobering, joyful, painful, and educational 10 years, some questions still remain, the future is ever cloudy. But on friday I will have been married for 10 years and I will be spending that day with my wife, how good it feels to type that. We're still separated, things while better are still at times tense, but for now she is still tolerating me, and willing to see if she was really right in saying I do
10 years ago on the 11th of December, 7 days before my mothers day of birth and 13 before my own I asked the middle child of a carolinian mother if she would be my wife for better or for worse. Crazily she said I do, I mean have you read some of my blogs and seen how twistedly my mind works(little red squiggles we have had this talk before begone) she did not understand what she was signing up for. When it became too much she walked out the door, thing is she didn't send any papers back. As such my obligations did not change, I am still a husband and try to direct myself as such. Oh yes I may flirt and tease, I will send you pictures of almost anything you wanna see(the rectum is off limits sorry nothing is going up there so why even show it) I will see pictures that are sent to me. I am still that friend and confidant if you need that I have been to who ever has asked it of me. Just who I am, hell even when she cursed my name I was still hers, as tends to be the pattern everybody wants a shoulder to cry on and never has time to lend one.
Oh I'll be honest I can be overly emotional, I may not show it as much as I did in my youth but I vent like crazy myself(thus why some of my blogs are so erratic and curse laden, just not of course here), I can be moody, as much as I talk I may not always know how to express myself in a time or manner that someone else may need or find acceptable. I can become distant, I can be impatient(for those with the incredulous looks no one knows me better then I and I'm not being humble I am being honest), stubborn past the point of lunacy. When she left I had to do a lot of soul searching and ask hard questions that though I had no problems facing, it doesn't make it any easier to have to face them. No matter how fearless you still feel pain, despair and embarrassment.
By the way I am being vague not deep(or at least not trying to be) I may type a lot but I still enjoy having a nice amount of privacy, since I don't need to be popular I also don't need to throw someone else under the bus to get you onto the pity me parade float. I mean to be honest I was obviously the inadequate one, people only go in search of what they are missing when they are not already getting it. Was I too proud(which for me is odd because while I may take pride in who I am and what I might be doing at the time rarely do I think I make a me first acknowledgment a deal breaker), was I not supportive enough, to I fail to listen, to act, did I come up with a lousy plan, did I come up with a great plan but gloat and make my partner feel uncomfortable with their place in it. Many a hard masturbatory night spent trying to relieve tension as well as figure out was I really that lousy a husband.
Don't ask me why this blog has taken this direction I guess I just had somethings I needed to release, I mean I have been married for 10 years wow. I mean to go from thinking hmmm maybe I will always be alone to actually having someone who wanted to put up with me, to them then deciding anything is better then being with him. it has been a sobering, joyful, painful, and educational 10 years, some questions still remain, the future is ever cloudy. But on friday I will have been married for 10 years and I will be spending that day with my wife, how good it feels to type that. We're still separated, things while better are still at times tense, but for now she is still tolerating me, and willing to see if she was really right in saying I do
Thursday, December 3, 2009
You can't win just showing up
I'm gonna get this out there get it out of my head and be done. There are a lot of sports franchises who suck for one very important reason:they hire a bunch of players who don't make any noise and are just happy to show up and have a job.
First case in point I give you the Memphis grizzlies when they first got here they drafted a bunch of scrappy I wanna leave it all on the court guys. Now they may not have been loud mouths or show boats but they went out there and they played hard. Fast forward 8 years, other then a few guys trying to either increase their trade value(Rudy gay, OJ Mayo, Marc gasol and probably Zack Randolph) they mostly have a team full of guys just happy to show up and be getting paid. Now some might say I am being unfair to the four I pointed out, but I'm not because even if they didn't want to be traded if you look at how the grizzlies management has handled the team over the last 5 years if you are good, and are productive they trade you to save cap space(for what I have no clue whatsoever). I mean the grizzlies used to have Jason williams, Shane battier, Pau gasol, kyle lowry(not a household name but dude is the type to go out there and give you energy and hustle for however long you have him on the court), Bonzi Wells, Stromile Swift, Mike Miller, and earl somebody's who's name I forget right now. With those guys they had back to back playoff appearances(except for lowry) they didn't win a game but hell neither did the timberwolves for a while it just takes time and experience.
I already ranted about the grizzlies loss on friday by 10 points when they did not score for the entire end of the game. Which is a pride thing, because after that game if you had pride and couldn't muster up enough strength to make the next team you face pay you don't deserve to pick up a basketball. As much as it pained me to read about it when the raiders got called a "practice squad" by the giants what did they do they beat my eagles, because it was pride. A few weeks later they beat the bengals, again pride we deserve to play in this league too maybe we don't have all the right personnel but you will respect that we CAN beat you. I will include my sixers in this as well yeah you sign a big name or two to sell tickets but your not signing pieces that can actually help your team. SO your not going anywhere.
Because of his last two wide reciever picks(MONSTAHS can I say that, Desean Jackson if he doesn't make the probowl next year something is wrong, he's hurt so I don't know if he will get to 10 TD's this year and 1000 yards but before the injury he was on pace hell he was about to probably set the 50 yard or more TD reception record for a season and jeremy maclin ain no slouch either just needs another year of seasoning is all) I am letting Andy reid off the hook. Before last year Andy would always pick "character guys" read this as guys who won't talk too much or get into on the field or off the field issues. Problem is this quiet guys were always quiet especially in big moments. If you wanna show boat or trash talk on the field fine, I don't mind a guy who wants the spotlight because that means he will be fearless when it's crunch time. When you need a guy to give that extra effort so folks will remember his contribution to the victory, the comeback, the stand quiet guys will always let you down. They shy away from the spotlight, they just wanna collect a paycheck.
This is not to say NO quiet guys can't be good, Marvin Harrison comes to mind and yes he was good and didn't bring a lot of drama but he's a rare talent. Which when you think about the numbers your looking for a needle in a haystack made of a bunch of other needles found in haystacks because thats what sports are. There are soo many players, schools, overseas teams, development or "minor" leagues. That for you to find a good player who can contribute for years in any sport is a long shot, you get better odds at a craps table in vegas. Usually a good sign though is somebody who wants the spotlight. A guy who wants to be the one to hit that walk off home run at the bottom of the 9th inning game 7 of the world series. The man who wants to go up and catch the jump ball in traffic on that hail mary at the end of the game. The player who wants to shoot that buzzer beater and win the game. In basketball I would say ray allen, I mean have you ever heard ray allen's name in anything he has a good career shooting average and points per game average. His game is steady, Reggie miller without that killer instinct(because Reggie was a trash talker ask a knicks fan about Reggie miller).
Don't get me wrong there are some guys out there who are all mouth and no action as well, so getting the loudest guy isn't a cure all either. But you want that guy who when your down 20 points in the third quarter is looking at you pleading with you to put him in the game, that James T Kirk type if there is still time on the clock we can do something. Who sees the 11 guys on the other team coming at him free but doesn't think I'm about to get killed but this is how I am gonna make these guys miss. Who has the ice water in his veins closer staring daggers at him and is thinking I'm taking this sucker downtown give me your best pitch.
I have had this gripe about sports as business for years. Mainly because in this drive to make themselves seem more palatable to the corporate dollars they forget why the corporate folks were so interested:the people in the stands. You give the people in the stands that everyday Joe who works his 9-5 or 5-1, 6-2 shift and just wants to go home relax and watch a game. Maybe have a beer, the folks that even if you go 0 for the season show up if you played hard and say damn we sucked but we never gave up, a break here or there and maybe we go 500, hell maybe we even have a winning season. Any competition is a test of wills, preparation and luck. Because you can be the best in the world and still need to catch a few breaks, have a shot bounce off awkwardly, have a ball that flutters hit your finger tips and bounce into your body not away, have that high fly ball not lose as much momentum as you thought and sail into the stands fair. That wrister go under the goalies pad and not catch just enough to stop short.
Give me a guy who wants the ball whether your winning or losing, who sees the paint as his own personal domain and nobody better even think that they gonna get a rebound, the guy who sees a ball over the middle not as a death sentence but as an opportunity to bounce off and run 30 yards for the score. That inside fastball as the game tieing or winning home run, that break away as a chance to stone the other teams best scorer.
That is what made me fall in love with sports as a kid, watching guys go out there and say you think you can beat me prove it.
First case in point I give you the Memphis grizzlies when they first got here they drafted a bunch of scrappy I wanna leave it all on the court guys. Now they may not have been loud mouths or show boats but they went out there and they played hard. Fast forward 8 years, other then a few guys trying to either increase their trade value(Rudy gay, OJ Mayo, Marc gasol and probably Zack Randolph) they mostly have a team full of guys just happy to show up and be getting paid. Now some might say I am being unfair to the four I pointed out, but I'm not because even if they didn't want to be traded if you look at how the grizzlies management has handled the team over the last 5 years if you are good, and are productive they trade you to save cap space(for what I have no clue whatsoever). I mean the grizzlies used to have Jason williams, Shane battier, Pau gasol, kyle lowry(not a household name but dude is the type to go out there and give you energy and hustle for however long you have him on the court), Bonzi Wells, Stromile Swift, Mike Miller, and earl somebody's who's name I forget right now. With those guys they had back to back playoff appearances(except for lowry) they didn't win a game but hell neither did the timberwolves for a while it just takes time and experience.
I already ranted about the grizzlies loss on friday by 10 points when they did not score for the entire end of the game. Which is a pride thing, because after that game if you had pride and couldn't muster up enough strength to make the next team you face pay you don't deserve to pick up a basketball. As much as it pained me to read about it when the raiders got called a "practice squad" by the giants what did they do they beat my eagles, because it was pride. A few weeks later they beat the bengals, again pride we deserve to play in this league too maybe we don't have all the right personnel but you will respect that we CAN beat you. I will include my sixers in this as well yeah you sign a big name or two to sell tickets but your not signing pieces that can actually help your team. SO your not going anywhere.
Because of his last two wide reciever picks(MONSTAHS can I say that, Desean Jackson if he doesn't make the probowl next year something is wrong, he's hurt so I don't know if he will get to 10 TD's this year and 1000 yards but before the injury he was on pace hell he was about to probably set the 50 yard or more TD reception record for a season and jeremy maclin ain no slouch either just needs another year of seasoning is all) I am letting Andy reid off the hook. Before last year Andy would always pick "character guys" read this as guys who won't talk too much or get into on the field or off the field issues. Problem is this quiet guys were always quiet especially in big moments. If you wanna show boat or trash talk on the field fine, I don't mind a guy who wants the spotlight because that means he will be fearless when it's crunch time. When you need a guy to give that extra effort so folks will remember his contribution to the victory, the comeback, the stand quiet guys will always let you down. They shy away from the spotlight, they just wanna collect a paycheck.
This is not to say NO quiet guys can't be good, Marvin Harrison comes to mind and yes he was good and didn't bring a lot of drama but he's a rare talent. Which when you think about the numbers your looking for a needle in a haystack made of a bunch of other needles found in haystacks because thats what sports are. There are soo many players, schools, overseas teams, development or "minor" leagues. That for you to find a good player who can contribute for years in any sport is a long shot, you get better odds at a craps table in vegas. Usually a good sign though is somebody who wants the spotlight. A guy who wants to be the one to hit that walk off home run at the bottom of the 9th inning game 7 of the world series. The man who wants to go up and catch the jump ball in traffic on that hail mary at the end of the game. The player who wants to shoot that buzzer beater and win the game. In basketball I would say ray allen, I mean have you ever heard ray allen's name in anything he has a good career shooting average and points per game average. His game is steady, Reggie miller without that killer instinct(because Reggie was a trash talker ask a knicks fan about Reggie miller).
Don't get me wrong there are some guys out there who are all mouth and no action as well, so getting the loudest guy isn't a cure all either. But you want that guy who when your down 20 points in the third quarter is looking at you pleading with you to put him in the game, that James T Kirk type if there is still time on the clock we can do something. Who sees the 11 guys on the other team coming at him free but doesn't think I'm about to get killed but this is how I am gonna make these guys miss. Who has the ice water in his veins closer staring daggers at him and is thinking I'm taking this sucker downtown give me your best pitch.
I have had this gripe about sports as business for years. Mainly because in this drive to make themselves seem more palatable to the corporate dollars they forget why the corporate folks were so interested:the people in the stands. You give the people in the stands that everyday Joe who works his 9-5 or 5-1, 6-2 shift and just wants to go home relax and watch a game. Maybe have a beer, the folks that even if you go 0 for the season show up if you played hard and say damn we sucked but we never gave up, a break here or there and maybe we go 500, hell maybe we even have a winning season. Any competition is a test of wills, preparation and luck. Because you can be the best in the world and still need to catch a few breaks, have a shot bounce off awkwardly, have a ball that flutters hit your finger tips and bounce into your body not away, have that high fly ball not lose as much momentum as you thought and sail into the stands fair. That wrister go under the goalies pad and not catch just enough to stop short.
Give me a guy who wants the ball whether your winning or losing, who sees the paint as his own personal domain and nobody better even think that they gonna get a rebound, the guy who sees a ball over the middle not as a death sentence but as an opportunity to bounce off and run 30 yards for the score. That inside fastball as the game tieing or winning home run, that break away as a chance to stone the other teams best scorer.
That is what made me fall in love with sports as a kid, watching guys go out there and say you think you can beat me prove it.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It all boils down to Vengeance
I was thinking Sunday night after watching Ninja Assassin, that as I look at any and all ninja stories I don't care who's they are basically all a story of vengeance there may be sub plots but it's still about vengeance and if you think about it, because of the job description well can you blame them.
This about it they are assassins, somebody wants someone else dead because of a past wrong done to them. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Master splinter and the shredder enemies because shredder killed splinters master.
Okay let me head the geekdom train off now before I go on a tangent(technically I just deleted part of the tangent) and focus on Raizo(played by Rain who I'm slapping myself upside the head about I'm trying to figure out where I had seen Rain before it was in last year's speed racer as Taejo togokhan). Raizo is a bad mutha shutcho mouf. The rebellious son of the Ozunu clan, he is on a mission to destroy that which created him.
I like the way this movie was done, it mixed in some of the mysticism, a lot of the weapons(especially the staples), some of the history, a whole lot of action and some blood and gore. Now while I am not a fan of blood for bloods sake in a movie like this, yes you need it. I am also wondering with the way this movie was rated exactly why couldn't Tarantino show the crazy 88 fight scene in full color. Another mild digression, the problem with this movie is if I start to give too much back story you will be mad at me, because this movie is just that tight. Yeah yeah maybe the name will only appeal to guys, but it also has a love story(or two) woven in, as well as some drama, some mystery, and a little bit of wise cracking humor.
I will say this the fact that a human life is worth 100 pounds of gold to some people, hmm I feel honored. And if you ever get a sealed letter and it shakes like there might be sand in it, don't open it and if the sand that is leaking happens to be of a dark hue turn all the lights on.
Go see this movie, Raizo is the best man to do it since the dragon was entered, the fists got pissed, and the chinese made a connection. When I say you will see some tail kicked, you will some some straight up and down aw hell nah I ain going out like this, Raizo ain playin wit them. You have to go see this movie, I don't care if you got to do a trade off with your girl for an extreme chick flick this movie is worth it.
This about it they are assassins, somebody wants someone else dead because of a past wrong done to them. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Master splinter and the shredder enemies because shredder killed splinters master.
Okay let me head the geekdom train off now before I go on a tangent(technically I just deleted part of the tangent) and focus on Raizo(played by Rain who I'm slapping myself upside the head about I'm trying to figure out where I had seen Rain before it was in last year's speed racer as Taejo togokhan). Raizo is a bad mutha shutcho mouf. The rebellious son of the Ozunu clan, he is on a mission to destroy that which created him.
I like the way this movie was done, it mixed in some of the mysticism, a lot of the weapons(especially the staples), some of the history, a whole lot of action and some blood and gore. Now while I am not a fan of blood for bloods sake in a movie like this, yes you need it. I am also wondering with the way this movie was rated exactly why couldn't Tarantino show the crazy 88 fight scene in full color. Another mild digression, the problem with this movie is if I start to give too much back story you will be mad at me, because this movie is just that tight. Yeah yeah maybe the name will only appeal to guys, but it also has a love story(or two) woven in, as well as some drama, some mystery, and a little bit of wise cracking humor.
I will say this the fact that a human life is worth 100 pounds of gold to some people, hmm I feel honored. And if you ever get a sealed letter and it shakes like there might be sand in it, don't open it and if the sand that is leaking happens to be of a dark hue turn all the lights on.
Go see this movie, Raizo is the best man to do it since the dragon was entered, the fists got pissed, and the chinese made a connection. When I say you will see some tail kicked, you will some some straight up and down aw hell nah I ain going out like this, Raizo ain playin wit them. You have to go see this movie, I don't care if you got to do a trade off with your girl for an extreme chick flick this movie is worth it.
What was the question?
Allen Iverson aka the Answer. Former NBA rookie of the year, former MVP, multi year scoring champion, allstar MVP. There have been rumors swirling around that he might return to philadelphia and let me tell you why I see this as a good thing, there has been a lot of trash talked over the years about allen iverson but a few things cannot be disputed: the man can score the basketball his career scoring average 27.0 a game(lowered because he only averaged 17 due to sparse minutes in detroit and12 this season in 3 games with memphis it jumps up to 27.8 if you remove the last two seasons). In a league where some teams don't have players averaging over 20 points for the entire season his career average is 27 points. There is also some dispute about where or not the man will pass the ball he averages a respectable 6.2 assists per game, this is a guard 6 assists a game is considered a good game, he averages that for his career. He averages 3.7 rebounds a game for his career this man is 6 feet tall and he fights amongst the trees, Allen Iverson has always been the captain of the NBA all heart team. Oh and did I mention the steals
2.2 for his career and to put it in even more perspective the men got triple digit steals every year except for this year and his year in detroit, yup he had more then 100 steals every year which means these claims of not playing defense, not going all out for the team are bull.
Let's also put another lie to rest why Iverson wanted out of philly, it was the same reason Charles Barkley left. You ask a man to lead you team to the playoffs and win and you give him sub par talent with which to do it. For Barkley I will never forget the quote " I asked for Shaq and they got me Shakleford" he needed a dominate center in the middle to help him out and they got him a body who could give the team 6 fouls. A man puts it all on the line for you and you give him no support of course he will be bitter. For Iverson I know who it was Kevin Ollie, Kevin Ollie never worked out for the philadelphia 76ers but he was cheap. And 6 times ollie got a contract from the Sixers his numbers never improved, he never added more to the team yet they kept bringing him back. Why he wasn't helping, he wasn't a piece for the future he was just a cheap guy you could throw out on the court. And for a guy who would go out there and play hurt, who would challenge the giants and get hit every game, who would lay it all on the line, I can't blame him.
Allen Iverson was a Philadelphia kind of player: all heart, no quit, it wasn't about the personal accolades it was about the winning. You wonder why he didn't work in detroit simple Iverson needs a big dominant center for his game to work, suprisingly the year they went to the finals First they had ratliff who got hurt then they got mutumbo. The main difference between ratliff and mutumbo Ratliff scored more points. Way more points, so when they got to the Finals yes the lakers had to worry about mutumbo blocking shots but they had no worries about him on the offensive end.
As for the memphis grizzlies man please, let me read you the list of players memphis has traded away in the last 8 years: Jayson williams, Bonzi wells, Stromile swift(but he game back and left again), Shane Battier(dumbest trade ever all dude does is whatever you ask score a little, rebound, block some shots, the consumate 6th man), Kyle Lowry, Pau Gasol. Now while Pau's heart may have been questioned a time or two all of those guys did one thing the current roster members don't they play their hearts out all game and sometimes will the team to win. The memphis grizzlies starting point guard shouldn't even be a back up in the league. He is not a leader, for as long as he has been a grizzlie he has been the safe guy, the quiet guy the guy who will just go in there and basically disappear. Which may be great in a movie but if you want to win the game you need players on your team who can not only score but who can inspire their team mates and help them kick it into another gear. On Sunday Memphis lost a game 98-88. With like 3 minutes left in that game I believe memphis was up 88-78, thats right for 3 minutes memphis DID NOT SCORE, you have a 10 point lead, with 3 minutes left and you can't score a single basket? Nobody drove the basket trying to force a foul.
This is where you need heart players at, this is where you need guys who are gonna refuse to lose a game that you are winning wire to wire and the other team just decides at the end we just want it more. and no they weren't caught with a bunch of 3 pointers the other team basically drove to the basket on them and scored 20 points, the last 20 points of the game. Yet some people wanna lie and say the current starter is their point guard of the future, really thats the kind of leadership you want out on the floor for your team you wanna go scoreless in crunch time? I know memphis if they went scoreless it was because they shot a bunch of jumpers at the end. Yet they didn't wanna start iverson, He would have drove no way in hell you lose that game if iverson is on the team because he wants to win, he is a competitor.
I hear talk about Iverson being a ball hog, um how many assists a year did he average again? I don't care what "Team Ball" lie you tell yourself if you want to be a champion there has to be one guy who dominates the ball on your team and other players who can be counted on to just fill there role.For Chicago it was jordan, for detroit it was Isaih Thomas then chauncey billups and rip hamilton, for philly it was doctor j, for san antonio it was Tim Duncan, for Houston Hakeem olajuwan, LA it was first magic then shaq then kobe, For miami it was dwayne wade. One guy who you know was gonna get the ball when the game was on the line, yes you could have other good players on the team but they had to compliment the star. People may not like to admit it but on those first 3 laker title runs shaq was the man, he was the center of the triangle for the last one Kobe finally found some players who could compliment his style. And if we go back to Jordan the current mark of Excellence for this era of basketball we are in do you remember how many game winning shot's he hit on their way to finals glory? think it was one the last one versus Utah I believe jordan hit the final game leading or winning shot. Before that the guys who closed the door Bj armstong, john paxson, craig hodges, steve kerr hell I think even pippen closed one out.
Why because game on the line one man is expected to get the ball, you expect one man to beat you and you want to stop him. The man you knew you had to stop was jordan which meant as long as those other guys fulfilled their role and hit that open shot when jordan drew all the attention they would win. You can lie to yourself all day, if you don't have a guy who not only wants the ball when the game is on the line but that has proven he can make the defense react and respect his presence on the court you are rarely going to win. Plenty of teams in the NBA with a bunch of "nice guys" on the team, no overly forceful willing to just collect their checks and be local celebrities maybe do a little flossing. But who's the guy who when you step on the court you know damn, I gotta tough night cause I gotta guard him, he ain gonna go down til the final whistle is blown.
I said when Iverson first got to memphis that hopefully he gave the team a heart transplant because they needed it, unfortunately it seems the team just wanted the free ticket sales. Allen iverson is a philly style of player, if it ain just about making money, if it is actually about basketball you bring him back. The real AI never left the court unless it was drenched in his blood sweat and tears. He's the type of guy that when he comes back we cheer because we know he gave us his all. If your gripe is that the players we have in philly now may suffer because iverson comes back, um they weren't winning. They are so lackluster that they couldn't even save the coach that was a former beloved player(and won a title for us) yet you wanna tell me AI shouldn't come back cause he ain the answer? No truth be told he should have never been allowed to leave, you stock a team full of decent starters and then folks on the bench who add nothing to the team but some possible flash to show on a commercial. Maybe they go on a streak and get some press so you can sell a jersey or two.
Nobody can deny that Allen Iverson is a Hall of Fame player, some say best to play the game at 6 feet or under. There are some players who should NEVER wear a different jersey. In philly we have allowed quite a few of those players to leave, in football this year we had Brian Dawkins leave, the captain of our defense the guy who kept our D going and we just let him go, in basketball that trade 3 years ago by the Hack Billy king was a mistake. I could see if what Iverson was saying was untrue, but please if a guy never makes your team better he is just sitting there collecting a pay check(and you have given him multiple tours with the team) I prefer you tell me the truth and basically fight to get your team made better then to just be a company man and throw slop on the floor every night and claim it is beautiful.
As touchy as this subject is for me I'm surprised I made it this far without a curse or hitch, cool. You disagree be my guest, but if AI was wearing his jersey again on the team that drafted him, I wouldn't have a single problem with that.
2.2 for his career and to put it in even more perspective the men got triple digit steals every year except for this year and his year in detroit, yup he had more then 100 steals every year which means these claims of not playing defense, not going all out for the team are bull.
Let's also put another lie to rest why Iverson wanted out of philly, it was the same reason Charles Barkley left. You ask a man to lead you team to the playoffs and win and you give him sub par talent with which to do it. For Barkley I will never forget the quote " I asked for Shaq and they got me Shakleford" he needed a dominate center in the middle to help him out and they got him a body who could give the team 6 fouls. A man puts it all on the line for you and you give him no support of course he will be bitter. For Iverson I know who it was Kevin Ollie, Kevin Ollie never worked out for the philadelphia 76ers but he was cheap. And 6 times ollie got a contract from the Sixers his numbers never improved, he never added more to the team yet they kept bringing him back. Why he wasn't helping, he wasn't a piece for the future he was just a cheap guy you could throw out on the court. And for a guy who would go out there and play hurt, who would challenge the giants and get hit every game, who would lay it all on the line, I can't blame him.
Allen Iverson was a Philadelphia kind of player: all heart, no quit, it wasn't about the personal accolades it was about the winning. You wonder why he didn't work in detroit simple Iverson needs a big dominant center for his game to work, suprisingly the year they went to the finals First they had ratliff who got hurt then they got mutumbo. The main difference between ratliff and mutumbo Ratliff scored more points. Way more points, so when they got to the Finals yes the lakers had to worry about mutumbo blocking shots but they had no worries about him on the offensive end.
As for the memphis grizzlies man please, let me read you the list of players memphis has traded away in the last 8 years: Jayson williams, Bonzi wells, Stromile swift(but he game back and left again), Shane Battier(dumbest trade ever all dude does is whatever you ask score a little, rebound, block some shots, the consumate 6th man), Kyle Lowry, Pau Gasol. Now while Pau's heart may have been questioned a time or two all of those guys did one thing the current roster members don't they play their hearts out all game and sometimes will the team to win. The memphis grizzlies starting point guard shouldn't even be a back up in the league. He is not a leader, for as long as he has been a grizzlie he has been the safe guy, the quiet guy the guy who will just go in there and basically disappear. Which may be great in a movie but if you want to win the game you need players on your team who can not only score but who can inspire their team mates and help them kick it into another gear. On Sunday Memphis lost a game 98-88. With like 3 minutes left in that game I believe memphis was up 88-78, thats right for 3 minutes memphis DID NOT SCORE, you have a 10 point lead, with 3 minutes left and you can't score a single basket? Nobody drove the basket trying to force a foul.
This is where you need heart players at, this is where you need guys who are gonna refuse to lose a game that you are winning wire to wire and the other team just decides at the end we just want it more. and no they weren't caught with a bunch of 3 pointers the other team basically drove to the basket on them and scored 20 points, the last 20 points of the game. Yet some people wanna lie and say the current starter is their point guard of the future, really thats the kind of leadership you want out on the floor for your team you wanna go scoreless in crunch time? I know memphis if they went scoreless it was because they shot a bunch of jumpers at the end. Yet they didn't wanna start iverson, He would have drove no way in hell you lose that game if iverson is on the team because he wants to win, he is a competitor.
I hear talk about Iverson being a ball hog, um how many assists a year did he average again? I don't care what "Team Ball" lie you tell yourself if you want to be a champion there has to be one guy who dominates the ball on your team and other players who can be counted on to just fill there role.For Chicago it was jordan, for detroit it was Isaih Thomas then chauncey billups and rip hamilton, for philly it was doctor j, for san antonio it was Tim Duncan, for Houston Hakeem olajuwan, LA it was first magic then shaq then kobe, For miami it was dwayne wade. One guy who you know was gonna get the ball when the game was on the line, yes you could have other good players on the team but they had to compliment the star. People may not like to admit it but on those first 3 laker title runs shaq was the man, he was the center of the triangle for the last one Kobe finally found some players who could compliment his style. And if we go back to Jordan the current mark of Excellence for this era of basketball we are in do you remember how many game winning shot's he hit on their way to finals glory? think it was one the last one versus Utah I believe jordan hit the final game leading or winning shot. Before that the guys who closed the door Bj armstong, john paxson, craig hodges, steve kerr hell I think even pippen closed one out.
Why because game on the line one man is expected to get the ball, you expect one man to beat you and you want to stop him. The man you knew you had to stop was jordan which meant as long as those other guys fulfilled their role and hit that open shot when jordan drew all the attention they would win. You can lie to yourself all day, if you don't have a guy who not only wants the ball when the game is on the line but that has proven he can make the defense react and respect his presence on the court you are rarely going to win. Plenty of teams in the NBA with a bunch of "nice guys" on the team, no overly forceful willing to just collect their checks and be local celebrities maybe do a little flossing. But who's the guy who when you step on the court you know damn, I gotta tough night cause I gotta guard him, he ain gonna go down til the final whistle is blown.
I said when Iverson first got to memphis that hopefully he gave the team a heart transplant because they needed it, unfortunately it seems the team just wanted the free ticket sales. Allen iverson is a philly style of player, if it ain just about making money, if it is actually about basketball you bring him back. The real AI never left the court unless it was drenched in his blood sweat and tears. He's the type of guy that when he comes back we cheer because we know he gave us his all. If your gripe is that the players we have in philly now may suffer because iverson comes back, um they weren't winning. They are so lackluster that they couldn't even save the coach that was a former beloved player(and won a title for us) yet you wanna tell me AI shouldn't come back cause he ain the answer? No truth be told he should have never been allowed to leave, you stock a team full of decent starters and then folks on the bench who add nothing to the team but some possible flash to show on a commercial. Maybe they go on a streak and get some press so you can sell a jersey or two.
Nobody can deny that Allen Iverson is a Hall of Fame player, some say best to play the game at 6 feet or under. There are some players who should NEVER wear a different jersey. In philly we have allowed quite a few of those players to leave, in football this year we had Brian Dawkins leave, the captain of our defense the guy who kept our D going and we just let him go, in basketball that trade 3 years ago by the Hack Billy king was a mistake. I could see if what Iverson was saying was untrue, but please if a guy never makes your team better he is just sitting there collecting a pay check(and you have given him multiple tours with the team) I prefer you tell me the truth and basically fight to get your team made better then to just be a company man and throw slop on the floor every night and claim it is beautiful.
As touchy as this subject is for me I'm surprised I made it this far without a curse or hitch, cool. You disagree be my guest, but if AI was wearing his jersey again on the team that drafted him, I wouldn't have a single problem with that.
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