Sunday Reflections

Hey everyone, hope your Labor Day weekend is going well. Mine has been solid. Had to take care of some work on Friday night, but was able to see my friend Stephanie perform some songs in a performance on campus, which was great.

Saturday was all about college football. It was good to see Virginia Tech lose to East Carolina, I love to see the underdog do well. Tech may have problems, but Jesus Christmas, Clemson, what an embarrassment. They looked like crap against Alabama.

The ACC is terrible. I can throw in Maryland barely beating Delaware and Virginia looking bad against USC, but that’s not too, too bad. N.C. State stunk against South Carolina and the rest of the conference beat 1-AA teams, including my favorite ACC team, Georgia Tech.

Wake Forest may win the ACC again after all, which I’m sure some of you readers will be happy about but not the rest of America.

Vandy got a win on Thursday, so I’m happy about that. Only five more wins to go!

Today was about doing more work, taking care of the laundry and just relaxing.

With that, here are Sunday Reflections:

-The reason that I didn’t do a MMA Review on Friday is that I really didn’t have a strong desire to write something that day on it. I write what I feel and there really wasn’t much to report. However, this Saturday, there is an UFC event, so I will have a preview of the event this Friday. Sorry if you were looking forward to a Review this past Friday.

-I’m really torn on who’s the hotter politician/spouse in the Presidential Battery. It’s between Mrs. Obama and Governor Palin.

If you haven’t figured it out from this blog, I find power a very attractive attribute for a woman. Both of these women seem to have this skill in their arsenal.

With Mrs. Obama, you have a beautiful, tall black woman who has her own opinions and isn’t afraid to express them. She also seems to have the ability to be serious and funny at the same time. She seems like the type of woman that you can have an hour-long conversation about economics with and then watch Dumb and Dumber with the next. However, she seems like the type that if you crossed her, she may be less forgiving then you would like.

Governor Palin definitely has the sexy librarian thing going for her. I love the dark hair, the hair being pinned up and of course the glasses! I was talking with Watson on Saturday and she said that she would make her gorgeous by letting the hair down and taking off the glasses and I strongly disagree. The glasses have to stay.

I also like that she’s a lifetime member of the NRA because guns are hot, digs hockey and actually was once a sports broadcaster. I don’t like her abortion stance and her hate for polar bears. Look it up. The accent is also different. It’s part Canadian, part-Wisconsin with a little Idaho thrown together. Different.

I guess if I had to choose one at this moment, I would choose…

You’ll have to wait till later this week for my choice

-Some shows that I’ve gotten into this summer are premiering the next few days.

I really got into One Tree Hill, Everybody Hates Chris, Gossip Girl and The Game over the past few months. The CW plays these shows on Sunday afternoons/evenings when I’m relaxing and I gave some of them a chance and started liking them.

One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl premieres tomorrow, looking forward to that. I have no idea who Luke is going to choose to marry. However, there is one premiere on the CW that I can’t co-sign on yet.

-I will watch the return/new premiere of 90210, but I will not co-sign on it until I get a view of it. They are screwing with me bigtime if they funk up this show. 90210 was the Truth back in the day. I loved that show and I don’t know why they’re bringing it back.

Not sure about this one.

-Laura is back on General Hospital! That is all…

-We are about to enter an amazing time in sports that happens only once every four years. Here’s what we have/will experience in the months of August/September/October

1) Olympics just finished
2) NFL starts on Thursday
3) NBA Training Camp
4) MLB playoffs (don’t screw it up Mets!)
5) Start of European domestic seasons (War Arsenal!)
6) College football
7) US Open for Tennis (very underrated TV viewing)
8) Ryder Cup (It’s gonna be rough on the Americans this time)
9) NHL Training Camp
10) Mixed Martial Arts events from UFC, WEC, Elite XC and even Strikeforce

There are probably one or two more things that I’m forgetting including NASCAR if that peaks your interest. This is an amazing time to be a sports fan.

-I continue to underestimate the power of this blog. I mention one girl that I meet in passing and everyone wants to wonder if I’m making a major play for her. It wasn’t like that with Maria, even though reading the post again may have made it seem like that. She’s a new friend that I’ve made and nothing more or less. I’m not going to post every interaction that I have with her or any other girl here because she and I deserve some privacy of some form.

I appreciate each of your interest in the personal life and I put stuff out there for you to consume, I just need to be a little more careful with what I put out there. I’m not blaming any one of you at all. If anything, I’m blaming myself.

I just need to make sure I keep some stuff private sometimes.

That doesn’t mean I’m not going to give my honest opinions on things anymore. I’ll just pick my spots more.

-Classes are going well. I’m happy to be back learning again.

-I think Alabama just rushed for another first down against Clemson.

-I’m flipping through channels right now and noticing some things.

a) Extreme Home Makeover will make me cry in a minute.
b) Love Family Guy, don’t like American Dad
c) Wow, that crowd for the NASCA race looks light. If there is one sport that has been hit heard by the bad economics and high gas prices, it’s definitely NASCAR.
d) Hurricane Gustav scares me and brings back so many bad memories of Katrina. I pray for everyone out there.
e) The original Star Trek is some trippy stuff.
f) The Honeymooners is still worth a viewing whenever it’s on
g) Colorado/Colorado State is an underrated college football rivalry.
h) I have no interest in Sunday Night baseball on ESPN, even when the Mets are playing
i) So, BET is showing Scarface on a Sunday night, interesting, while this afternoon they were showing some interesting political programming on the Presidential Election when less people were probably watching then now.

I know that BET is pro-Obama, yeah, I know shocking, but at least it’s a step in the right direction to educate people on the issues. Why aren’t they showing that stuff now instead of Scarface which all of the viewers have probably seen already. Get it together BET!
j) Why does Puffy act all hard on Making the Band show on MTV when he’s so overrated. I’m tired of seeing you Puffy! You have no career if not for Biggie. Make some more poor saps walk across New York to get some cheesecake, idiot!
k) Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels show is a guilty pleasure for me at times.
l) I think that the Weather Channel secretly digs these hurricanes because more people watch the station, which means higher ratings, more money, etc. There’s also something weird about watching hurricane coverage and you’re no where near it.
m) The E! channel always brings the entertainment. Currently on is the 25 Most Memorable Swimsuit Moments and the entire show of Baywatch is in the top-five.
n) Oh, Baywatch. I miss that show.
o) M.A.S.H., never got the show. I guess I had to watch it when it was on TV and there were only three or four channels on TV to truly appreciate it.
p) Comedy Central is showing a Dane Cook special. He’s ok at times, but just like Jim Rome, I need to get him in small doses or he becomes annoying.
q) Iron Chef, fun times. I prefer the Japanese version better.
r) Pro Bull Riding, no thanks. I respect those guys getting on those bulls because I would want no part of that. I would rather race a car then get on one of those bulls, because I can control the car. That bull can just go off on me.

-That’s all. Here’s what’s coming up this week:

Monday: My MLB Review
Tuesday: My NFL Preview
Wednesday: The Mrs. Obama vs. Governor Palin debate will be settled
Thursday: Freestyle
Friday: MMA Review
Saturday: Wildcard
Sunday: Reflections

Have a good week and keep those affected by Gustav in your prayers tonight.

Will we have to learn Italian to follow Kobe?

Hey what’s going on? Just sitting here after hearing Barack Obama give his acceptance speech for the Presidential nomination. Good stuff.

In try to not get political here but I will say this. The Republicans are going to have to do A LOT very, very soon to have a chance in this presidential election.

This post is going to be about the possibility of NBA players going to Europe to pursue their professional careers.

My thoughts on this have been inspired by three things and I will break down my theories based on these three.

-High school star Brandon Jennings decides to forgo college basketball to play for an Italian team. This was spurred by two things. First, the NBA now has an age limit on when players may enter the draft. Second, he struggled to meet the minimum academic requirements to get admitted to Arizona.

He decided to avoid the hassle of getting qualified and is going to Europe to play basketball. Some are looking at him as an innovator; some are looking at him negatively.

-Former Atlanta Hawks player Josh Childress decided to not sign with an NBA team and joined a team in Greece. I will always remember him as the idiot that former worst general manager in the NBA Billy Knight took instead of Andre Iguodola or Luol Deng. Never, ever become a Hawks fan kids.

-With the recent success of the USA Olympic team in Beijing, some are now speculating that current NBA superstars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant will look to offers from European teams in the future.

Here’s how I look at each situation.

1) Jennings never wanted to go to college. He intended to stay at Arizona one season and then go to the NBA. Those types of athletes are usually negative towards the college game. Noticed that I didn’t say that he was a negative person. Jennings is a man and has the right to do whatever he wants and if he feels that the college system isn’t something he wants to be a part of, I’m fine with that.

It’s done in so many other sports like tennis, golf, soccer, auto racing, baseball, hockey, etc. There are teenagers and young adults becoming professional athletes from 16-20. College basketball and college football are trying to hold on to the current system because it makes money. Jennings wants to make money too. You can’t fault him for that.

Furthermore, the aspect of him improving his game in Europe is a yea and nay. He will get to play against professionals out there, which is good for development, but the European teams tend to not play players unless they can help the team win immediately. Jennings will have a hard time getting on the floor while he would have been an immediate starter in Arizona and played a full season. He will get paid a nice sum of change because the Euro is strong, which brings me to point #2.

2) Childress is just going for the money and prestige and you can’t hate on that either. The Euro is very strong right now and is actually worth more than the US Dollar. Therefore, when you look at the salary of Childress in Europe, some will say that he’s taking a pay cut, but when the conversion is done, he’s making a nice penny.

He would have been a marginal bench player for a contending team and maybe started for a crappy team like Memphis, Minnesota or Oklahoma City. He’s not that good of a player. He knows he can go to Greece and be a star and get his international profile up, which brings me to point #3.

3) Of course Kobe and Lebron will consider playing in Europe for several reasons.

First, let’s just look at the money factor. There is a set limit on the salary that each player can make in the NBA. Those limits don’t exist in Europe. Either one can receive an offer to make 40 or 50 million dollars a season to play, not to mention part ownership and percentage points for things like TV ratings, marketing deals and sponsorships.

Americans tend to look at sports from a narrow scope. We like to talk about how big the Super Bowl is. It’s a big event, but the Olympics, Soccer World Cup, Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup and other events are much, much bigger.

There are still untapped sports markets for basketball in Africa, the Middle East, South America, Asia and even Australia. Playing in Europe makes the players more accessible to these markets and that means more exposure and money.

There is so much money out there to be made and Kobe and LeBron are smart enough to realize this.

Did you see how the rest of the world reacted when the USA men’s basketball team made appearances at the Olympics? Kobe was treated like a rock star. Even in the USA vs. China opening game, Kobe got louder cheers than Yao Ming and I saw Chinese people in Kobe's Lakers jerseys. You don’t think Kobe noticed this and took note.

Furthermore, Kobe does various camps throughout the world in the off season and has a major international profile. He also grew up in Italy and is familiar with the culture. He’s fluent in Italian and speaks other non-English languages well and will adjust well there.

Lebron is developing his profile as well. He’s been focused on making the Olympics his launching pad into the international scene. Why do you think he is the American athlete in that Coke commercial with Yao Ming that was played all throughout the Olympics?

I will say that each of them wants to make their mark in the NBA because that’s the league that everyone aspires to play in. Kobe wants to win some more titles with the Lakers and Lebron still has to win his first.

BTW, if they go to Europe, they won’t be forgotten.

I’m a huge fan of Arsenal, a football team that plays in the English Premier League. Yeah, I said football and not soccer! I can watch them play every single match live if I want to, like when they lose to crappy Fulham last week!!! They will finish fifth in the EPL this year, which is pathetic!

Anyway, I can get video highlights of all the games, receive statistics, see transactions online, order clothing and be a complete fan even though I’ve never been to England and never seen Arsenal play in person.

This is for English soccer in America. Imagine Kobe playing in a league in Italy. We would know all of the information like scores, how many points he had, we would even see highlights on ESPN.

Do I think that either one of them is going to Europe? I would lean towards no because the NBA means so much to them, but don’t dismiss the idea.

What do you readers think? Would you leave your home country to go somewhere else to make more money and increase your exposure and start a new, less challenging job?

I was going to post some more Talking Heads for you because playing their music has been my soundtrack this week and I have become a bigger fan of them.

However, since this post was about Europe, I have to represent for my fellow Frenchmen, Daft Punk. I love these guys so much. Here’s their return concert at Coachella from 2006. I recommend playing this completely while you work; it makes the time go by.

Have a good day or night or whenever you read this.

Meeting Maria and Reflecting on My Final Round at Belmont

Before I get to my post about NBA players going to Europe, I’ve had an interesting night.

First, I had my first class of the semester. It was good to see many of my friends in one location for the first time along with one or two new faces. I’m looking forward to the class for the rest of the semester, even though if it pans out like I think it will, its going to be a lot of work. But all of us in the class are in graduate school to better ourselves and for that to happen, we have to work hard. Bring on the work!

I was about to head home, but ran into my friend Robert and we chatted for about an hour near the soccer field. It was a good conversation where each of us was reflecting on our time at school and looking forward to the upcoming year. It’s each of our last year here at Belmont and talking to him made me realize that I will probably be in a different place in May. If I stay in Nashville, I would like to stay where I’m living and be near Belmont, but it ain’t the same as an alum. I experience this everytime I’m at Vandy now.

So after speaking with Robert, I proceeded to head past Beaman and come across Daniel and Angie and speak with them some. I was about to leave when a really cute girl asked Angie a question about her student ID card. I was talking to Daniel about getting home to watch The Simpsons. She walked off and I happened to follow her because we were heading the same direction. She looked back and saw me and thought it was funny that I was rushing home to see that show.

I’ve honestly haven’t been looking to date any girls recently and haven’t even asked one out in a long, long time. I’ve been focused on work and just living a chill life. However, if a girl like this one wants to chat, I’m going to respond.

I joked with her about my entire syndication TV viewing rotation including the Simpsons, Family Guy, Scrubs, Seinfeld, etc. She mentioned how much she likes those shows as well. I even mentioned King of Queens, which she likes because she resembles one of the actresses.

I held off on telling her about coming home to watch General Hospital also. I’ll have to ease her into that one.

I found out her name, Maria (not her real name, but you know the drill by now) and we walked to her home, continuing to talk. I learned about her, she’s a transfer student and this is her first year at Belmont. She's an artist who specializes in drawing. I originally thought that I was going to just talk with her for a few minutes and then go home, but we vibed immediately.

She’s a talker and very outgoing, which was a good thing because I was just content to listen to her. We talked about everything, music, tv, sports, movies, etc. I’m usually the one that initiates conversations, but Maria just kept going and going, which was a good thing. She talked about her dancing background, things like that. She even found my job as an SID interesting and sorta comprehended what I did. We talked about financial aid and our process of getting that done. Needless to say, the conversation hit many subjects.

She’s also a legit sports fan and likes sports such as soccer, volleyball and baseball. I know that she’s going to come out to some Belmont games which is good for her.

BTW, it was humid as heck outside and I was sweating, but if you think I was going to pass an opportunity to speak to her, you don’t even know.

It was funny because the first part of the interaction, I was thinking, this girl is way too hot for me. That was my honest thought.

She has dark, curly hair, had on some funky blouse with a big black and white bag and had ripped jeans and some heeled shoes. Interesting look. Definitely one of the top two or three attractive women that I’ve met in Nashville since I’ve come back here.

So while she’s talking with me, I’m thinking to myself, is she actually showing a friendly interest in me. It’s so darn hard to read if a woman whose talking to you is attracted to you. I was looking for some signs.

-She kept eye contact with me.
-We stood about a foot apart from each other as not to cross any physical boundaries
-She laughed a lot and thought I was funny.
-She didn’t touch my arm or anything like that during the entire conversation.

However, after about 20 minutes, I realized that she was interested in me. I’m not saying in a romantic, we’re going to start dating kind of way. But she was NOT completely rejecting me and placing me in the friendship zone. Trust me, I know when I’m getting placed in that zone. This conversation was in between.

I also did the one defense mechanism that I hate doing. At least once during our conversation, I asked her if I was keeping her from anything important. I have the habit of making sure my conversation with a girl isn’t taking up too much of her time. There’s probably more to it like I don’t believe that a girl will willingly talk to me in a subconscious way. You psychology majors or dating experts can probably give me a straight answer on this.

We even talked about each others families and how we ended up here at Belmont. This whole conversation went for about an hour. At least once or twice, I mentioned that I had to leave but one of us would mention something and we would go another 10 minutes.

So when it was finally time to end the conversation, I was unsure how to end it. I mentioned that I was going to watch the Alabama/Clemson game this Saturday at a friend’s house. Maria wants to come to that if she isn’t busy.

I say that’s cool and get her phone number. I told her that I’ll call her if I’m heading out with some friends out on the town or going to a game, something like that. Maria was down with that because she’s trying to meet new people here in town.

She’s even interested in coming to, wait for it, ‘Pancakes.’ Maria lives a block away from me so its not like I’m asking her for a late-night visit or anything like that so she knows that this wasn’t a forward date move because it’s a friendly gathering. I invite any and everyone to ‘Pancakes.’

Finally, I tell her that it was nice meeting her and give her a handshake and let go a little too early. If you read my previous post on greeting from last week, you know my feelings on this: http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/08/when-is-it-time-to-hug-it-out.html

I walk home and that’s really it.

I guess I’ll call her on Friday night to see if she wants to watch the game and see what happens there.

Your advise on this topic would be welcomed. Maria is cool and I would like to get to know her better, but I don’t want to get into some ultra serious commited relationship or anything like that.

I need to convey that I would like to hang out with her in a friendly way that could potentially turn into something but not place pressure on her.

Should I even call her on Friday?
Should I call her Saturday before the game?
Should I even call her at all?
Should I invite her over to my place to watch some TV in a friendly, non-dating way because we like the same shows and she can literally walk over to my place and be here in less than five minutes?
Should I ask her out for coffee at the Bongo?
Should I make her a collage?
Should I have a box social and invite her to it?
Should I just do like my nephew Matt said and completely ignore her?

So many options. However, it was good to speak with a cool girl for an evening, even if I never see her again. If you’re a longtime fan of this blog, you know that I tend to focus on unavailable women. For reference, I will mention Joan and Amber. Maybe your boy will finally met someone who has no attachments and is ready to play. Or maybe I just made another good friend. Either way, it’s all good.

I leave you with her favorite artist, Cheyenne Kimball, I think. She either said Cheyenne or Chevelle. Here’s both of them.

She even dug my interest in Talking Heads, Rush and even Mars Volta.

BTW, my post on Kobe and Lebron going to Europe will be tomorrow, I promise

Why I will always represent for the NYC!

Last week, I wrote a post about why I left my hometown of New York: http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/08/why-i-left-nyc.html

Some people thought when they read it that I was dissing my hometown and after reading the post, I can see how some people think this.

I even got my first ever response post on another blog courtesy of Red Bull, aka Nicole, on her excellent blog, REDvolutionary Warfare. The post is here: http://aredvolutionary.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-still-love-oakland.html

She made some excellent points about how I should be proud of my hometown and listed the great things about Oakland, a city that I really want to visit.

BTW, Nicole, I'm telling you now. The Raiders will finish 8-8 this season. Keep the hope and trust in McFadden and Russel!

I listed in my initial post the reasons that I left the city, so I won’t rehash them here. The main gist of it was is that I was tired of living in the NYC and wanted to experience a different lifestyle.

For years, I tried to run away from being a New Yorker. New Yorkers have a negative connotation with a majority of people and I didn’t want to be grouped with that. We all know the stereotypes. New Yorkers are arrogant, speak with horrible accents, are mean to people.

Of course, growing up in the area, I knew many, many people who were the opposite of this. However, all stereotypes have an element of truth in them and these were no different.

I used to say that I would never go back to live in the NYC, but I can’t predict that. Furthermore, I should not try to run away from my upbringing and embrace it.

Growing up in Brooklyn has shaped me into the person that I am. My acceptance of different types of people and to not see race or gender when I’m interacting with somebody comes from living in the NYC. I’ve seen almost anything you can see. Gay men dressed in drag, interracial couples, crack viles on the sidewalk next to my home, homeless people begging me for money walking home, alchoholics and so many other things. I’m not trying to glorify these things, but confronting and embracing these realities made me the tolerant person that I am today and I’m proud of that.

I’ve been able to:
-See games at Yankee Stadium,
-See Broadway plays
-Go to the Statue of Liberty, comprehend Ellis Island and realize how fortunate we are as Americans to live in this country
-Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
-Spend time at the World Trade Center before 9/11
-Attend a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
-Eat at Monk’s the diner portrayed on Seinfeld
-Spend time at Union Square Park, my favorite place back home, and reflect on a perfect evening, seeing the skateboarders and the hip-hop dancers provide an atmosphere indescribable here.
-Go to Central Park and see Strawberry Fields and the Zoo.
-Head to the Bronx Zoo
-Go to Coney Island and eat a Nathan’s hot dog
-Go to the New York Aquarium and see nature underwater.
-Visit the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and see the Mets
-The Guggenheim
-Spend an evening in SoHo, Greenwich Village, Harlem, the South Bronx, Bed-Stuy, Spanish Harlem, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side
-Staten Island. That’s all I need to say.
-See jazz in a shady nightclub and a full concert at Madison Square Garden
-Ah, MSG.
-Eat a New York Style Pizza in New York

I can go on and on, but you get the idea.

However, the reason that I can look back and appreciate these things is that I’ve been fortunate to experience life in different cities like Charleston, Atlanta and now Nashville.

Neither of those cities are perfect. No place is perfect, you just have to accept where you’re at.

My original post was to call out people who have only experienced the NYC and mentally and physically limited themselves to experiencing different cultures in other cities.

I want to travel more and find out more about this country. I want to visit every state and at least spend a day there to get an idea of things go there. The good part about my job is that I get to travel. Granted for every trip to OK places like Jacksonville, Fla. or Kennesaw, Ga., there are trips to places like Buies Creek, N.C. and Johnson City, Tenn. but that’s good.

I will always be a New Yorker and proud of my hometown. I still have family and friends that live there and really want to see them and reexperience them as an adult. I actually do miss living there, but my life path has taken me to Nashville and I’m fine with that.

Finally, I’ll leave you with some music based in the NYC. First, fuck the Strokes. People try to push them as the New York band. They suck.

Give me hip-hop, dance music from The Tunnel or some Velvet Underground, the Bravery, Interpol, Springstein or Bon Jovi (yeah, I know they’re from Jersey but they are in the Tri-State area).

For now, here’s some Talking Heads. David Byrne is the truth and Tina is an underrated bass player. They need to reunite like yesterday. Either you get them or you don't. I'm in between but dig them becasue they were so different. The sad thing is that they wouldn't get played on radio stations or have videos played on MTV if they came out now.

The first video is my favorite song of theirs and the second one is actually appropriate for the times we're going through in America today. See their live concert Stop Making Sense as soon as you can. I seriously recommend it. The second video is from that.

Back to School and Loving It!

What’s going on people. Just got back in the house from a long, but productive day.

After work, I went to the new student orientation for my graduate school program. I was able to meet some of the new students, enjoyed some epic Queso (my God, do I love some Queso) and actually got to speak to the new students. I looked so professional, it was funny. We then headed out to the bar and mingled and bonded some more. It was a good time overall.

Two things from the entire night’s festivities were interesting. First, I’m still amazed that people read this blog. When I’m writing, I just type away with my thoughts without considering others. The fact that people come to me and tell me about my posts is cool.

Second, I thought ‘Pancakes’ last year was cool. Having people over to your house to eat some breakfast is kinda different. I’ll have to have a post at some point explaining why I have pancakes at my home. Anyway, when everyone comes to me and gives me the best day of the week to have the event, including fellow classmates and co-workers, the event has blown up. There are going to be a lot of people at the events. I need to get ready.

Actually, this is a long winded way of saying that I’m looking forward to classes starting on Wednesday.

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to the first day of school for many reasons. Even as I got older, the intensity of the reasons would change but the general concepts stayed the same. Here are the reasons, in no particular order:

1) Seeing my friends. Summer is such an inconsistent time for people to get together. Some kids are in camps, some spend the summer with the family in another part of the country and other reasons. School was the central location for everyone to get together and catch up on what we did over the past few months.

2) Learning. I enjoy learning about different things. Even the boring subjects would bring me interest. I liked getting homework and increasing my knowledge. My friends would hate me for this but it was the truth.

3) Becoming or meeting the new kid. I went to a Catholic school in the first and second grade and I’ll never forget when my father picked me up the last day of second grade and told me that I was changing schools. I cried so hard. But then, I realized that I was going to be a new kid in a new school.

That’s a nice feeling. It’s like starting over. No one knows you and you tell yourself that you’re going to be a bad ass. However, by the second week in the new school, you return to your dorky ways.

I went to a new school in the fifth grade and that was solid as well. Then, I changed schools one more time in the eighth grade before college. I always liked meeting new people and finding about other peoples lives.

I also liked meeting the new kids at the school that I was already at. Which leads me to…

4) Girls. Returning to school meant reuniting with your school crush and seeing her every day. I used to get hyped the week before classes back in elementary school. I made sure that my clothes were on point, made sure that my fade haircut was sharp and even did some pushups to get in shape.

As a boy, this was also the time that puberty hit and while your body was changing, you definitely noticed the change in the ladies as well.

Unfortunately these fun times ended for me in the eighth grade when I was sent to an ALL-BOYS SCHOOL!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!

No more could I look forward to seeing girls every day. Thanks Ma. Actually, looking back on it, things weren’t as bad as I made it out to be, but for a 13-year-old kid, these were sad times.

The good times returned when I went to college. These were glorious days when I would see the hotties of Vandy kicking it on the lawn in sun dresses and short shorts. Ah, the good memories.

Do I have the same feelings as a graduate student? Yes and no.

Yes because I still appreciate beautiful women and I’m on a college campus. The “talent” at my current school is solid and I acknowledge.

No because I’m 27. Most of the women that I come across on campus are just a little too young for me. They’re legal, but I usually don’t try to date girls who are super younger than me.

Remember the rule…the dating range should be five years younger and ten years older. So for me, I should date women between 22-37. But rules can be flexible. Amber is 20, so what can you do?

5) New school supplies/clothing: The new school year allowed each of us to get a new backpack, pens, pencils, Trapper Keepers, folders (sports teams for me) and many other things. This was also a good time to make a play with your parents to get those new sneakers or jeans you’ve been eying for the entire summer.

6) Sports. Back in the NYC, this was the time of year when my Mets were finding new ways to blow the season and the Giants were finishing up training camp and getting ready for the NFL season. For many of you, this is also time for college football to kick off.

There are probably many more exciting things about returning to school that I’m forgetting. List them in the comments section and we can get some good interaction going.

For now, here’s some At the Drive In with Quarantine. I was bumping this song on my way back from the bar tonight.

My love for The Mars Volta started with these guys. Perfect mood, perfect playing, even Cedric sounds good on this live version, which isn’t always a guarantee. Omar, the left-handed guitarist looks so young. They all look young. I remember when this album came out several years ago. Amazing stuff.

I blame Coughlin for this ish!

That picture you see above is of Osi Umenyiora being carted off the field after injuring his knee in the Giant’s preseason game against the Jets. He’s out for the season with a torn knee ligament.

As a Giants fan, I’m beyond pissed at head coach Tom Coughlin. It’s his fault that the best defensive player on the team and arguably one of the top-10 defenders in the entire league is out for the season.

Some want to blame the NFL for his injury, as well as others such as Jones-Drew in Jacksonville, Jason Taylor in Washington, Steve Smith in Carolina and many others. The league is not immune to blame on this. Between OTA practice sessions in the offseason, four or even five preseason games and an entire 16-game regular season, not to mention playoff games for some, too much football is being played on bodies that can only take so much abuse.

Here’s how the NFL season used to be back in the olden days. Teams would have voluntary OTA sessions in the offseason for players to participate in if needed. Then the guys would take a summer off. They would come back in early August to get in shape for the season and play up to six preseason games. The regular season would take place, yada yada yada you get the idea.

Now, times are different. First, these players train all season and come to camp in shape, most of the time. Those voluntary OTA’s have turned into one of those deals where you don’t have to come but we will make life unhappy for you if you pass. Players are then forced to attend. Minicamps have now sprung up before training camp even starts. Finally, training camp takes place and the teams have to play FOUR preseason games.

All of this preparation isn’t necessary.

Why do I not completely blame the league for injuries such as Osi’s? As I always say, sports are fun, enjoyable, inspirational, a release of emotions for us, but most importantly, it’s a business.

The league, especially the owners, know that they can charge full price for two home preseason games and make a profit. We criticize owners for a lot of things and sometimes it’s deserved. However, if you’re an owner of a business whose goal is to make a profit, how can you turn down a revenue stream.

Fans can turn their back on this and not go to the games, but people still go. And for those of you who will then tell me that the stands are half empty during the games, this is true. However, those empty seats are pre-paid, so the owners are still making their money.

I don’t watch preseason games, accept maybe if the first-team is on TV during the first quarter. After that, I have no interest.

Some of you want to eliminate preseason games all together. I can understand this view but it wouldn’t be a good thing.

Here are the only three acceptable situations that a veteran like Osi should be out there playing at all besides maybe one or two series, at the most (btw, quarterbacks are exempt from this because they have to get their timing down):

1) If you’re on a new team. If you’re Brett Favre or Jason Taylor, you do need to play some to learn the scheme. You don’t have to play the whole game, but you do have to play more than a normal veteran.
2) Rookies. They have to get adjusted to the NFL by playing games.
3) Bench players and final roster spots. You can practice all day, but the coaches need to see the players in game situations to evaluate them and get ready for the season.

In the end, I blame Tom Coughlin for this particular situation. Osi is a vet. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been on the team for several years now and you know he’s a pro-bowl level player. So what if he gets 20 sacks against Favre, does that prove anything?

Wouldn’t it be more useful to see the backup defensive ends get some snaps in to improve their game and gain experience then to see Osi do what he always does?

And if the league gets mad at you for not playing a star player in a preseason contest, you can tell the NFL to go somewhere, if you catch my drift.

I won’t blame the player in this situation at all. He’s out there playing hard. You can’t tell a player, especially a football player and in particular a defensive end to take it easy and coast on the field. Those are when most of the injuries take place, when a player isn’t focused on the field.

Coughlin should have not even had Osi out there and now the slim chances of the Giants repeating as Super Bowl champions went from nil to none. Thanks Tom, you were doing so well this past year until this moment. You brought a championship to the NYC, and for that, I will forever be grateful. But for now, I’m not happy with you and I’m damn near pissed thinking about this right now!

No happy music at the end of this post, I’m legit mad right now and will need to take a moment to reflect, focus and get back to work.

I feel worse for Osi then anyone else. Damn Coughlin!

Sunday Reflections

Another Sunday, another time to reflect…

-Some amendments on my final thoughts on the Olympics.

1) I stayed up to watch the gold-medal game between the USA and Spain in men’s basketball. Props to the US for getting the win and bringing the gold home. Kobe, that was a man performance. He’s the best player on the planet and there’s no doubt about it.

Spain is legit and could have won that game. Missing Calderon was a major deal for them. However, the point guard Rubio is going to be a major player in the future, especially considering that he’s only 17. Furthermore, Rudy Fernandez is going to ball hard for Portland. One more thing, how is Navarro not on an NBA roster? He’s a solid guard.

I’m calling it right now, the top four for MVP this season will include Kobe, LeBron, Chris Paul and Dwayne Wade, in some order. Wade is going to have a monster, monster season for the Heat this year.

International basketball is back in the mainstream and that’s a good thing. I’m going to post on this more this week.

2) Congrats to the USA men’s volleyball team for their thrilling win over Brazil for the gold medal. Tremendous match and effort throughout the games considering the tragedy that took place with the family of the head coach.

3) My brother and I are making serious plans to go to the London Olympics in 2012. any one of you is down with the plan, just shoot me a holler. I’m looking at you Mr. McMahon, People’s Champion and icon of the masses, Sean Sawyer, Sager and Meggie. Let’s make it happen.

Just remember that we’re going to have to attend handball, table tennis, tons of judo, avoid diving and gymnastics and probably check out rhythmic gymnastics and women’s volleyball for my “research.”

-This weekend was solid overall. Saw some soccer action, washed the clothes and got some relaxing in.

-The undergraduates have returned to Belmont and I’m hyped. I love school and am looking so forward to going back to classes myself. I’ve missed learning, seeing my friends consistently and many other things. I’ll have a post on this topic tomorrow after orientation with the new sports administration graduate students.

-While washing my clothes, I went to Harris Teeter and flipped through some magazines. I came across a Cosmo I think with Blake Lively from Gossip Girl on the cover. I rarely look at this magazine but had some time to kill and checked it out. Wow, interesting stuff. There’s content on woman issues like breast cancer, but then the next article will be on sexual positions and how to spice up your love life. Just odd. Decent read though.

-This week, I’ve taken my nephew’s advise and ignored the ladies, which was kinda odd. I’m a social guy and I like to know what going on with people but I don’t want to be overbearing. To be honest with you, I really didn’t think about any of the women that I discuss and detail here this week at all. I’ve really just moved on and just living my life.

I did put my nephew’s ideals to the test when I saw Amber at the gym Saturday after not seeing her for about two weeks. Usually, when I see her, I stop and speak with her for a few minutes. However, when I entered the gym, I gave her a hello and walked right past her and did my workout. When I finished my lift, I was leaving and Amber said what’s up to me and we chatted some. I let her initiate the conversation and lead things.

We finished and I just said goodbye and left. I wanted to tell Amber later how it was great to see her, how great it was to see her smile and wanted to talk with her some more because I can spend everyday with her, but I haven’t spoken or called her or text messaged her since I saw her.

I’m not saying that this is the right approach or something that I would normally do, but it’s definitely different. I’ll give you an update if something happens.

-The two most poitntless things that go on during this time of year for me. Little League Baseball World Series and Preseason football. I’ve watched none of the first one and maybe 10 minutes of the second one.

-I’ve just joined a fantasy football league and I’m geeked about that.

-That’s all for Reflections. Here’s a tentative schedule of the posts schedule this week:

Monday: Why I’m hyped about returning to school
Tuesday: Why I still represent for the NYC contrary to popular beliefs
Wednesday: Why I’m feeling international basketball again and why its 40% possible that Kobe Bryant ends his career in Italy and Lebron James in Greece
Thursday: Wildcard
Friday: A proper MMA Review
Saturday: Whatever I damn well please
Sunday: Reflections

-I was bumping some Depeche Mode hard this weekend. Here’s some music.

Olympics Review

As the Olympics wrap up within the next day or two, I reflect on the entire events with positive thoughts. I used to joke with my mother that if you put any game on the TV, I’ll watch it and be an expert on it within a few viewings. I’m not an expert, but I’ll give any sport a chance. The Olympics is the ultimate test of this.

Everyone can watch basketball, but try watching Judo at 2 a.m. online! Fun times. However, good things must come to an end. Here’s my review of the events, along with some attractive Olympians in them.

I was not going to include the hotties, but that’s not how I roll. I am what I am. I appreciate the athletic skills of the women, however if I find them attractive, is that a problem?

To be fair, here's something for the ladies:

Let’s keep it moving.

Archery: I didn’t really check this out as much as I wanted to. South Korea and China won the most medals, just like I predicted.

Badminton: I couldn’t get into it like I thought I would. It looks cool to watch for five minutes, but to commit to an entire match is not the most enjoyable thing, to me anyway.

Baseball: It’s the final time that we’re going to see it in the Olympics and that’s a shame. There were some good games, including the testy game between China and the US. The Americans got bronze and South Korea shocked the world by getting a gold medal over Cuba.

Basketball: The US women took care of business and got another gold. Congrats to Lisa Leslie, who is probably the most underrated American basketball player ever, men or woman. Look at her resume. She has won at every level and changed the game. Candice Parker did well, but I won’t post her picture here again because she gets enough love from me. Never, ever trust a Tennessee Volunteer.

The US men face Spain for the gold and by the time you read this, they probably took care of business. I’ll elaborate more later this week with a post specifically on this team.

Beach Volleyball: This sport is an example of what I call the “lack of uniqueness” quality. I like watching it, but I can check out NBC on a weekend evening and watch it. This limits my desire to check it out in the Olympics.

Put it this way. I’ll make more of an effort to watch handball or table tennis in the Olympics than tennis, baseball or basketball.

It was good to see both American teams take care of business, especially after the eventual men’s team winners lost the first match to Latvia. Freakin Latvia! Do they have beaches in Eastern Europe?

It was good to see Keri Walsh, aka Six Feet of Sunshine and my girl, Misty May-Treanor bring home the gold.

This has become a solid debate among guys the past few years. Misty or Keri? Do you want the tall, thin blonde or the shorter and let’s keep it PG, “curvier” brunette. The picture should tell you who I would take, even though neither one would get kicked out of bed, if you know what I’m saying! I’ll see myself out.

Boxing: As I’ve mentioned here in the past, I’m not a big fan of Olympic boxing because of the scoring system. I’ve seen guys get clean shots to the head yet not receive a point. It’s terrible.

You know what else is terrible? The United States only having one medal so far and a bronze at that. There was a time when the USA was the premier country in boxing, but how times have changed.

Canoe/Kayak: Didn’t see a moment of it, but congrats to Togo for earning it’s first ever Olympic medal.

Cycling: Congrats to the USA for getting some medals in BMX, which I’m not sure if I’m down with it being an Olympic sport. X-Games, yes. Olympics, not so sure.

Diving: Same as boxing. That lady who does the announcing annoys the heck out of me. Someone will do a nice dive, but she’ll say something like their legs were spread or they arched their back on the second rotation, small stuff like that. To her credit though, she thinks like a judge and her predictions are usually correct. I just don’t like judges.

Yes, I know that I love mixed martial arts and there are judges in that, but it’s different.

Equestrian: No interest in seeing horses.

Actually, I take that back. Check this story out: http://www.nbcolympics.com/equestrian/news/newsid=242890.html#jumping+horses+suspended+doping

Four horses getting kicked out for drugs!?! This sport just got more interesting. I may have to give it more of a chance in 2012 in London.

Fencing: Finally, a sport that the USA represented in well. Six medals overall for our Yanks, including silver from my man, Keeth Smart of my hometown, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The NYC is taking it global!

Field Hockey: I checked out the male competition, because I didn’t think that they competed in the sport until I did my preview post about a week or two ago. My bad on that one, especially since I pride myself on knowing the Olympics pretty well and this is one of the oldest sports in the games. Congrats to Germany beating Spain on the men’s side.

Props to the Dutch as well for getting the gold on the women’s side.

Gymnastics: Ah, a biggie. I actually gave this one a chance, more than normal.

First, those Chinese women aren’t 16, I’m sorry.

Second, good job by the US men and women overall.

Oh, Alicia, she had a rough go at it in the team competition. Falling on the balance beam, on the floor exercise and most likely costing your team a gold medal is not so good. However, getting a silver medal is nothing to be ashamed of.

However, the one who got screwed out of some golds is Nastia Liukin. She lost a tiebreaker for the gold medal TWICE. I don’t understand how she can have the same final score as the winner and not get a gold medal of her own. Even the commentators were unsure of the tiebreaker system.

Congrats to the US men for getting a bronze medal in the team competition without the Hamm brothers competing.

Rhythmic Gymnastics: This deserves a separate category. I watched some of this as well and I find this more entertaining than normal gymnastics. It involves ribbons, ropes, balls, rings and other props. I love props.

You know what else I love…


Yeah, when you have beautiful women like that (above is Alexandra Orlando of Canada) doing jumps in the air and having the sickest flexibility (look up some routines on You Tube if you want an idea), yeah, I’m a fan.

Handball: Such a darn cool sport. I’ve loved checking it out online.

I asked out loud in my preview why this sport wasn’t more popular in the US. It’s fast paced, includes elements of basketball, hockey, soccer and other sports that people recognize. Why no love?

I compare it to lacrosse in some way. When I was in eighth grade, our baseball team would practice on fields next to lacrosse games. My coach exclaimed to me one day, “How can someone like that sport, no defense is being played!”

Handball looks like some guys just running up and down the court throwing the ball into the net with no defense. Furthermore, when the save percentage of a good goalie is around 35%, this looks like lack of effort with the scores of games being 28-26.

We Americans like our sports to have scoring, but only to a certain point. We also don’t like too much defense. Like in football, we don’t like a 6-3 game, but don’t want a 45-42 game every time. Baseball is the same. We like the occasional 1-0 pitcher’s duel, but don’t want a 16-13 home run fest. Balance is the key.

There isn’t as much of this balance in handball.

Judo: Let me tell you how much I loved staying up till 2 a.m. every night the first week of the Olympics to watch this.

It’s convinced me to seriously consider joining a dojo and practicing it myself.

Actually, I was going to try to learn Jiu-Jitsu before the Olympics, but watching the Judo convinced me even more to explore these sports.

I like the balance of speed, strength and strategy. It’s very much a mental contest just as much as the physical. However, as someone I heard speak about it on one of the MMA internet radio shows that I listen to, the Olympic Judo is less action-packed because everyone is a black belt and so good.

Since there are no mismatches, the defense is so, so good. Many of the matches would end in a draw before extra time was needed. I’m still a fan though.

Japan got the most medals, as usual. However, congrats to Ronda Rousey for getting the USA’s lone medal, a bronze in the 70 kg.

Modern Pentathlon: Didn’t watch it, sorry.

Rowing, Sailing, Shooting: Pass, Pass, Pass

Actually, I did watch some of the rowing but didn’t dig it.

Soccer: I did check some of this out.


Congrats to the USA women, especially my girl Hope for getting gold. I wasn’t mad at her when she called out the coaches during the last World Cup. She should have played in that game and now she has redemption.

That’s Natasha Kai, my favorite player on the team. Hawaiian and rocking tats, gotta be down with that.

The USA men didn’t do badly but not great. I would have liked to see them at least make it to the medal round. Hopefully this got the guys some good experience to prepare for the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa.

Props to Argentina for getting the gold. Brazil, issues. How do you lose 3-0 to Argentina in the semifinals? Shouldn’t happen. The Nigerians made a nice run at it and hopefully this gives them momentum.

I’ve been on the Kaka train and then the Ronaldo train as being the best players in the world. However, Lionel Messi? If he was this consistent in club play with Barcelona, the debate wouldn’t be as clear. I’m still saying when all three are healthy, I’m taking Ronaldo, but Messi is making it really, really, really close.

Softball: We lost to Japan in the Gold medal game? How does this happen?

People like to throw out some hot softball athletes out there like Jennie Fitch or Taryne Mowatt, but how about this one…


Cat should get just as much love. Let’s see. She’s 6-2, dark hair, a lefty, a Texan and I’m two years older than her. She threw a no-hitter in the Olympics as well. I might have to make a trip to Houston.

Swimming: Michael Phelps, you reek of America. Everyone has spoken about him so you know about him.

The gold medals are cool, but this is even better



That’s Stephanie Rice of Australia and she won three gold medals. She also had a public breakup with her boyfriend before the Olympics. How does she celebrate after winning the medals?

By making out with our boy Phelps in the Olympic Village.

Well played, Michael, well played.

Seriously, Jason Lezak’s final leg of the 4x100 relay was one of the most thrilling sports moments I’ve ever witnessed live.

Also, let’s give props to another one of my favorites and legend of the cooking segment on the Today show, Natalie Coughlin.


She is a fantastic swimmer, as evidence in her six total medals in Beijing. However, in all of the stories about her, you see her swimming and cooking. I like sports and love food, so she’s a winner in my book.

Synchronized Swimming: Creeps me out.

Table Tennis: So awesome that this is an Olympic sport. I dig how the Asian countries take this so seriously. China dominated and South Korea notched some medals as well.

Taekwondo: Congrats to the Lopez family for getting three medals in the same Olympics, tremendous stuff.

I was kinda disappointed in it overall. It was the first time that I sat down and watched it and just couldn’t get into it. Not every sport can be a home run.

Tennis: Rafa continues his epic year. If he wins the US Open, where does that place him in the best individual tennis seasons ever?

Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams for the fellas.

Track and Field: This can be its own post, but I’ll hit you with bullet-points.

-The Jamaicans are fast and the Africans can run distance races. That’s all.

-How long before an NFL team makes a play at Usain Bolt? You have to at least give him a tryout. I know I would in a second. Even if it doesn’t work out, you get some free international pub for it.

-Bad moment for potential bench player in my top-five, LoLo Jones. She was two hurdles away from winning the 110 hurdles and then she fell. LoLo handled it like a pro in the interview but you can see how tough she took it when she was alone and crying. I felt terrible for her.



-I felt just as bad for Sonya Richards. She had the 400 meters wrapped up and then gassed to finish third. She got some redemption in the 4x400 relay and got gold. BTW, not only is she amazingly hot (her eyes are amazing), she’s engaged to Aaron Ross of the SUPER BOWL WINNING CHAMPIONS, THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS!

Well played, Aaron, well played.



-Congrats to Allyson for getting gold in that same relay.

-What happened to Bernard Lagat? He didn’t even medal in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters, races he has won world championships in. For his sake, I hope he’s injured. That sound cruel but at least it’s a legit excuse.



-Congrats to Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of our friendly neighbor to the north, Canada for placing third in the same hurdles race LoLo raced in. The only reason she’s mentioned in this post is what you already know.



-That’s Katie Goucher of the USA. She ran in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races and didn’t medal, but made some new friends. Read here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/08142008/gossip/pagesix/horny_hoopsters_124347.htm

Not well played, Carmelo, LeBron, Kobe and Jason Kidd. Let’s see, Carmelo and LeBron are in long-term relationships with their girlfriends who have children with them. Kobe, married but we know how much that means to him. That leaves Jason. He’s not married but was engaged to a model but I think they broke up. She’s married fellas.

Trampoline: No interest.

Triathlon: Didn’t check this one out.

Volleyball: Before the Games started, I was hoping that each US team could get a medal. Both teams exceeded expectations. It’s also been cool watching the live matches late, late at night. After watching a men’s match that lasted until 2 a.m., I went to work later that morning and the People’s Champion Sean Sawyer said I sounded tired. I was beat, but got my cup of coffee and grinded it out. Loved it all.

Congrats to the women for getting the silver and introducing me to my future wife, Kimberly Glass.



She’s also a model. I’m now a fan.

The men are facing Brazil at this moment and if they can pull off the win that would be sick. Great effort by those guys. If you have the chance, check out the semifinal match between the US and Russia. Thrilling match.

Water Polo: My expectations were similar to volleyball, a little higher for the women.

The ladies got silver, which is great, but the story of the men’s team is even more incredible. They came into the Games the ninth-ranked team in the world and are now in the gold medal game against two-time defending Olympic champs Hungary. The USA dismantling of Serbia in the semifinals was amazing to watch.

Congrats to both teams.

Weightlifting: I found myself watching this a lot. I love the focus that the lifters have when they approach their weights and the intensity of the coaches. They look like they are in a mental zone people rarely approach. Those men and women are strong beyond comprehension.

Wrestling: Congrats to Henry Cejudo of the USA for his gold. His reaction of tears and pure joy after winning the final match was great to see.

That’s the review kids. I’m going to get comfortable and hopefully see the USA kick the crap out of Spain for that gold medal in basketball. Good fight, good night.

MMA Review

It’s time for my MMA Review. Sorry that I didn’t do one last week but I was out of town taking care of family business. But I’m back now and ready to start.

-It’s not a really active week coming up in MMA because no events are coming up. However, it has been a bad week for Elite XC, a new promotion.

If you’re reading this, you’re of course familiar with the promotion that has brought us Gina Carano, Kimbo Slice and other characters. They’ve made an assertive effort to confront the UFC directly and become the top dog in mixed martial arts.

Plans haven’t gone so well.

Fighters are getting tested positive for drugs, the promotion is losing millions and millions of dollars (55 Million to be exact), weakened TV ratings, shakeups in the leadership and many other things. A good detailed breakdown is here if you really want to read about it more: http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/elitexcs-impending-doom-averted-for-now-14140

This isn’t uncommon in sports. There have been countless leagues over the years that have tried to compete with the big professional sports leagues. For every NFL, there’s the XFL, USFL, CFL (when the league tried to expand into the USA in the 90’s). For the NBA, there’s the CBA, Developmental League, ABA and some others. Even sports that have solid followings like auto racing have seen their viewership decline over the last year or two.

The key with all of these organizations is that each of them knew their role and the ones that were stubborn ended. Elite XC should have approached their product slowly and built up their fan base before taking on the UFC, because that’s a battle that you’re going to lose.

I’m not saying that Elite XC shouldn’t exist. In fact, I love all of the different federations besides the UFC. A monopoly is not good for any sport, especially MMA. We need to see as many fighters perform as possible for a diversified product. Furthermore, every fighter has to start somewhere and the lower leagues give these fighters a chance to improve their skills.

-The last UFC event was solid. Brock Lesner is a beast and is a scary, scary dude. I don’t like his taunting, but he does play to a crowd well and brings a much needed personality to the UFC heavyweight division. Him and Cain Valasquez are going to fight for the title in two years, mark my words.

St. Pierre did what he does and made Fitch look like an amateur. Good win by Florian over Huerta as well.

-That’s all for this week. Enjoy MMA Live below.

...When Sports and Religion Collides

Per suggestion of my friends Meggie and Jen back in the NYC, I’m doing to discuss if religion and sports should be connected. This is a topic that can take me ten posts to completely analyze, but I’m going to stick with one connection that has been taking place.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in on a graduate class and the organizer of “Faith Nights” at sports arena talked to our class. For those of you unfamiliar with this concept, here it is:

Say you’re a minor league baseball team. An organization will contact you requesting to host a “Faith Night” during one of your games. The organization will contact local churches and other religious groups in your city and promote the event using discounted group tickets. Either before or after the game, there will be a religious service with probably a sermon, some testimonials from the players and even a concert. The religious events are usually done hours before the game or after the game long enough for people who don’t want to participate in the event can leave the stadium. Some Faith Nights go so far as to have the events take place outside of the stadium.

These have become very profitable for the teams because their attendance increased by a significant amount on these Nights and the team doesn’t have to pay a dime for these so they are making pure profit. The organizers use donations to pull off the events.

However, while I was sitting in class with Meggie, we started talking about if this was appropriate for a sporting event.

My initial thoughts were hypothetical and I placed myself in the position of president of a minor league team. Would I host one of these events?

First, I believe in God, so that’s not an issue. However, I respect the religious beliefs of others and don’t think that my God is the only thing or person you should worship. If you worship gods, plural, or a creature of some nature, as long as it keeps you from killing me, worship away.

My role as the president of the team is to provide an entertaining product for my fans. If a religious ceremony takes away from that, then that’s a negative on my job.

However, my ultimate role is to make money and help provide an environment that will produce victories for the team and keep the fans happy. If I don’t increase the gross of the team to help improve profits, we won’t win and no one wants that.

In conclusion to this part of the argument, I would have no problem hosting a Faith Night, no matter what the religion is. The key is that I would want to keep the separation between the game and the ceremony high.

While thinking about this topic more in-depth, I thought about the connections that religion and sports have.

In sports, each of us gathers in one common area to watch a type of ceremony, a game. In religion, each of us goes to one church-like setting to participate in a service.

In sports, we memorize statistics and compare eras and constantly reevaluate the merits of players past and present. In religion, we memorize verses or statements in our holy books, whether it’s a Bible, the Koran or something along those lines. Furthermore, we continually reevaluate the merits of our religious statements. As a Christian, I know that the interpretation of the Ten Commandments and other rules on finances, sex and other topics have changed over the years.

In sports, uniforms indicate who the participants in the game are. In religion, we use robes, suits, head scarves and other forms of clothing to symbolize who the leaders are and who the worshipers are.

In sports, there are iconic names that are used as symbols to express a positive or even negative virtues in our society. Lombardi, Aurabach, Jordan, Tiger, Ali, these coaches and players represent even more than their accomplishments on the field or ring.

In religion, there’s of course the Jesus, God, Mary, Joseph, Moses, Noah, Job, David, the Diciples and countless others who have transformed into mythical figures to teach us a lesson.

Its even to the point where there are specific channels for the two (ESPN and CBN), magazines (Sports Illustrated and I can’t think of a religious one right now but I know they exist), even music/talk stations (gospel channels for religious music and sports talk stations for well, sports)

There are many, many more similarities and plenty of differences, but there is one thing that both disciplines share.

Both are taken too seriously.

As much as I love sports, its my job and I’m thankful for that, but it can’t run your life. There are so many more important things in life.

I used to be OBSESSED with sports to the point that I couldn’t go a day without reading the sports section of a newspaper, listening to the sports talk stations, watching the ball games and a lot of other stuff.

The internet has been a help in this because I know to hit two or three sites and get all of the information that I need in a short time.

However, I’ve learned to prioritize things in my life and sports is not #1 anymore.

For religion, I used to go to church every Sunday and even on other days of the week. That was fine and all, but I took a major break from that when I realized that I was worshiping the concept of the ceremony and not God himself.

I would go to church and comprehend what was being said, not sin and be a good Christian, but I wasn’t feeling the faith that I was professing to express.

I’m still not going to church consistently but that’s my issue to deal with.

I still don’t like how we let religion separate us as a society. I’ve never understood why if we all believe in one central God we critique others who don’t interpret it the same as we do. Furthermore, I really don’t care who you worship, its your life. I wish more people had this mentality.

Sports separates us as well and I don’t like that.

I would like your thoughts on this topic. I could have gotten deeper and maybe I will in another post.

Here’s one man who combined sports and religion, the great Reggie White aka the Minister of Defense. He’s the only Tennessee football player that I can respect (screw Manning) and Eagles football player. He played for the rival of my two favorite football teams yet may be the best player ever to play for both of those teams. Best defensive lineman I’ve ever seen. Sick, sick player. Enjoy the highlights below:

When is it time to hug it out?

Today at work, I found out that one of my co-workers wasn’t going to return to us and that saddened me. She’s a good person and I hope that she’s doing well in her life.

One of my favorite things to do with her was to give her hugs and hold on to them a little too long. It made her uncomfortable because she has a boyfriend and she doesn’t like affection. I would do this to mess with her and it made me laugh.

I was talking with Mr. McMahon and the People’s Champion and now father of a future icon, Sawyer and we thought back on these hugs and laughed.

However, this has got me thinking about the levels of affection that we have with each other and when they are appropriate.

Here’s a link to ten gestures you better get right in the right country or problems for you: http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2007/09/24/top-10-hand-gestures/

First some background. I used to be a chronic hugger when I was younger, especially in college. I would come up to girls and give them hugs. It got to the point that I was known as a hugger in the dorm. At that point, I decided to fall back and not be that affectionate because no one wants to be known as that.

Over time, I’ve learned to balance the art of hugging almost to a science.

Here are the types of hugs/greetings that you can give to someone and when it’s appropriate.

As usual, your opinions/contributions are appreciated in the comments section below:

-Here are some greetings/gestures you probably either want to avoid or never, ever do:

1) Air kiss. What is this, Europe?
2) Cheek kissing. See number 1. Actually, I take that back. If you’re in an international setting, this is sorta passable.
3) Bowing & Curtsey. Unless you’re at a formal ball, avoid this one.
4) Middle finger. Self-explanatory
5) Mooning. No one wants to see your butt.
6) Air quotes. This is just insulting. You’re not Chris Farley so don’t do it (I’m guilty of doing this one).
7) Crossed fingers. You make your own luck in life. Stop wishing like a pussy and make it happen
8) Loser. The movie Clueless came out over 10 years ago (man that makes me old). Stop using this gesture.
9) Vulcan Salute. Live long and prosper? I’ll live long enough to properly kick your ass into next week if you give this one to me, Trekker.
10) Hitler salute. Not a good look.
11) Any sports related ones. Hook em Horns, Gator Chomp, Guns Up, Sic ‘em Bears, Tomahawk Chop, etc. Even my Commodores have a lame one, try this one at home. Raise your right hand, palms facing out. Now pull in your pinkie and ring finger. What does that spell? VU. Awful. Actually, the Guns Up one is kinda cool.
12) Applause. Done way too often that it has lost meaning. We applaud anything these days, especially children. Timmy sucked singing that song, little Lisa can’t dance! Stop giving the courtesy golf clap for mediocrity.


-I’ll have some underrated greetings at the end of this post. Let’s get to the basics and work our way up.

-Handshake: This is the most general, basic, risk-free greeting you can give somebody. This is usually given as a general sign of respect and is accepted by everybody.

The two issues that usually come up with this are:

1) How long to hold the shake. You generally want to hold on to a handshake too short than too long. Anybody can deal with someone giving a quick shake but most people have issues with long shakes because they fear getting germs or don’t like being touched. Play it safe with this one.

2) How hard to shake. People always tell you to have a firm handshake and I used to do that for years, until I shook my sister-in-law’s hand one day. She works in human resources and told me that she will look negatively at someone, especially a man, who shakes her hand too hard. If you’re a guy shaking a woman’s hand, you don’t have to squeeze as hard because you can hurt her hands and you don’t want that. If you’re shaking another dude’s hand, it really doesn’t matter how hard the shake is. Just make sure that you have a decent grip.

-Dap greeting: These include the fist bump, the fist pound, knuckles, giving props and may other variations. Wikipedia gives a more thorough definition here (the whole “started by African-Americans” explanation is interesting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_bump

We’ve all given this form of greeting to friends, even though I don’t see women give these to each other as often as men. This is less formal than a handshake and can be used with friends, family or associates.

I tend to find that I do this automatically with fellow Black people very often, even if I’ve never met them before and less often with people of other races. I don’t know why this is.

Obviously, you want to be careful when you bust these out. I don’t do these greetings in my work office, but that’s about it. I give pounds all day.

-Dap greeting and half hug with right arms connected: This is also a basic one. Puff Daddy is showing great execution of this gesture above. I give this one out to a lot of my guy friends and very, very rarely to my female friends. In general, you have to be careful with how much you touch women.

I’ve tried to give this move to women friends and they don’t receive it well.

Obviously, this is another greeting that you don’t want to do in your workplace often. It’s not very professional. However, if you’re kicking it with some friends, do it hard.



-Church hug: There are actually two definitions of this one.

1) The hug you see above. These are usually given in times of extreme grief or vulnerability. Funerals, therapy sessions where breakthroughs take place and moments of crying are just a few examples of when these are done. These are the hugs where you hold on extra tight and often wrap both arms around the back as a sign of support. Tears are shed and you bond closer with that other person. Sometimes these can last a minute, sometimes they can last five. I’ve been in both.

If the other person starts to pull away from you, let go softly and don’t force it, no matter how hot he or her is.

2) The half-assed hug. You know what I’m talking about. You run into that someone that you don’t completely dislike but you would rather see someone else at that time. This usually applies to the ladies. Women see that guy from across the room and he comes up and wants to use the situation as a chance to get closer to someone that they want to touch. A prime place for this to take place is in church because women aren’t going to reject a man’s attempt to hug them out of common courtesy. The ladies have two ways to combat this.

a) They do the full hug but push their lower back and butt far away from the man and have a soft hold.

b) They do the shoulder to shoulder move where the right or left shoulders are perpendicular to each other. Only one set of arms are connected in this form.

Fellas, if you get this form of hug, it’s good because she at least isn’t insulted by you. However, if you want to “get to know her better,” just keep it moving because she wants no part of that.

-General hug: We all know this one, no definition needed.

90% of the time, these are fine especially if you give these to family, friends, partners, etc.

The touchy situations are when you try to give these to people of your same sex. The ladies seem to give out their hugs more openly and have less unofficial rules.

Guys, we have intimacy issues. We tend to not want to touch another man unless it’s an extreme situation. I think that this is based on a latent fear of homosexuality, but that’s another post for another day.

Just remember to don’t hug strangers because all it takes is for one person to take it the wrong way and to attack you.




I show Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors (War Georgia Tech!) giving a hug to Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Rafa Nadal greeting Roger Federer after their tennis match. I show this one to explain how sports transcends hug rules.

I’ve known men who hate gay men and talk negatively about touching another man give full out hugs to another man in celebratory moments of excitement when their team wins a game or makes a good play. Kinda hypocritical, right?

Also, if you’ve competed with another athlete and they played with respect, you can give them a full hug similar to Bosh or a church hug like Nadal and Federer. Tennis players tend to go with the half hug because of the net, even though you can go with the hop over the net to give a full hug or give the full hug over the net. The analysis of this can go on for days.

-Finally, here are some underrated greetings/gestures:

1) Mouth hug. Nothing more needs to be said.
2) Thumbs up. If it was good enough for the Fonz, it’s good enough for me.
3) Namaste. Ultimate sign of respect in the yoga community and I wish I received this peace offering more often.
4) Hand kissing or kissing the ring. The ladies tend to like this move because it’s old school. Kissing the ring is also old school in the religious community and we all saw The Godfather. Everyone knows to kiss the ring of the Don.
5) Kowtow. Another form of respect that isn’t used as much in the American culture.
6) General hand symbols like hello in Hawaiian, surf’s up. OK in my book.
7) Bellamy salute. Hitler gave this one a bad name, but it used to be used during the USA pledge of allegiance. I like this gesture but understand why it isn’t used because of the Hitler. Damn him!
8) Roman salute. Similar to Bellamy
9) Devil horns. Only in the right times. Not every moment is a “rock star” moment.
10) Anasyrma. Just look it up.
11) Gang signals. Rep your hood!
12) Head bobble. Don’t do it in an Eastern Slavic culture. If in India, all is good.
13) Jazz hands. People mock this one, but I did doing the jazz hands once in a while, for a change of pace. Stop laughing at me!
14) Eskimo kiss. This is when you rub the tip of your nose against someone elses. So simple, yet so cute.
15) Puppy face. Gotten me out of a situation or two in my day.
16) And finally, raised fist. It means power and solidarity with your fellow brother or sister. Can’t go wrong there.

There are many, many more greetings and gestures to discuss, but you get the idea. Just use the right greeting for the right situation and you should be all good.

For now, I leave you with the famous track “Confusion” from the movie Blade soundtrack. Respect to New Order! Also, the inspiration for this post, Ari on Entourage.

Leave your prospective in the comments below.