My NBA Preview

OK fans, its time for my NBA Preview. First, lets get some music going:



Heard this in the car today and was feeling it.

Here’s how I’m going to do the preview. I’m going to give you the major awards, including division winners and world champion below for those of you who don’t want the complete analysis.

Then, I’ll go over each division and give you a reason to watch the team if you’re randomly flipping the channels and see this team on the television. I’ll also give you a reason to beware of them. OK, enough descriptions and lets get to the picks.

One more thing, I know that these are a few days late and I’m aware that Oden is going to be out two to four weeks and nothing more. I also saw the first games of opening night and have purposefully not watched any NBA games tonight until I’m done with this to be fair. OK, now lets get started:

Eastern Conference:
1) Boston
2) Cleveland
3) Orlando
4) Detroit
5) Philly
6) Toronto
7) Miami
8) Chicago

Western Conference:
1) Lakers
2) New Orleans
3) Utah
4) Houston
5) San Antonio
6) Dallas
7) Phoenix
8) Portland

Conference Finals: New Orleans over Lakers, Boston over Cleveland
Finals: New Orleans over Boston

MVP:
1) Chris Paul, New Orleans
2) LeBron James, Cleveland
3) Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Wildcard: Dwayne Wade, Miami

Thoughts: Hear me out on this one. I think that Kobe is the best player in the world. I think that LeBron is physically the most dominant. However, Paul is the most valuable player to his team’s success. Kobe will probably lead his team to the best record in the NBA which is going to help his cause. LeBron is due for a season of 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, which would be sick. However, Paul runs the show for my eventual conference title champions. Well, gave that one prediction away. The wildcard is Wade, who looked like a monster in the Olympics. If he is healthy, he is right there with the other three guys. If he has an amazing season, remember you read it here first.

Rookie of the Year:
1) Derrick Rose, Chicago
2) Michael Beasley, Miami
3) O.J. Mayo, Memphis
Wildcards: Eric Gordon, Clippers and Greg Oden, Portland

Thoughts: Many people are picking Beasley because you can pretty much pencil him in for 17/8 this season because he’s going to get his shots with Miami. But Rose is sick. All I needed to see was his preseason game against Dallas to know that he is going to be the truth. You usually don’t want to hedge your bets on an rookie point guard in the NBA but I think that Chicago is going to make an exciting push towards the playoffs and this will make Rose look good. Mayo is going to have some exciting games that get people talking. Gordon shouldn’t be slept on because he’s going to look good and he can score. Oden will get some looks because of his defense and rebounding but his offense is lacking. Plus, you have to be worried about his injury issues.

Defensive Player of the Year:
1) Kevin Garnett, Boston
2) Ron Artest, Houston
3) Marcus Camby, Clippers
Wildcard: Greg Oden, Portland

Thoughts: This is easy. Garnett is the standard when it comes to playing defense. Artest is going to be on a winning team and get acknowledgement for this. Camby is going to get his blocks. If Oden can stay healthy, the one thing he can do is defend and rebound.

Sixth Man of the Year:
1) Lamar Odom, Lakers
2) Ben Gordon, Chicago
3) Rodney Stuckey, Detroit
Wildcard: Andrei Kirilenko, Utah

Thouhgts: Some are worried that since Odom is in a contract year, he’s going to sulk and be mad that he’s not going to get his numbers. However, I think that Jackson will find a way to make it work and he will relish this role. Gordon is playing for money as well. Sensing a trend? Stuckey is going to play a lot of minutes this season, especially since Detroit’s backcourt is getting old. AK-47 is the wildcard because you never know where his head is at.

Coach of the Year:
1) Jerry Sloan, Utah
2) Nate McMillan, Portland
3) Byron Scott, New Orleans
Wildcard: Mike D’Antoni, New York and Vinny Del Negro, Chicago

Thouhgts: I think this is the year that Sloan finally gets the award after competing for the Western crown. Portland is going to make the playoffs and this will be a good reflection on McMillan. I have New Orleans winning the title, so Scott has to be in there somewhere. If the Knicks are remotely competitive, D’Antoni is going to get some looks, just watch because Mike is a media darling and the writers like him. Chicago is going to be improved so Del Negro gets some consideration as well.

Atlantic Division
1) Boston: These guys are the champs and look ready to defend their title properly. I love that Paul Pierce said that he was the best player in the world. He’s ready to prove his statement. I think that these guys know that they need to win another title to cement their legacy. Player key to their success is Rajon Rondo. He’s going to have to take control of the keys more often and improve his jump shot to elevate this team into repeating. The thing to be aware of these guys is the bench. James Posey was huge for them and that bench became weaker. You’re relying on rookies and young players and that’s not always good.

2) Philadelphia: Obviously the signing of Elton Brand is something to like for these guys. He’s a good player but he’s also coming off of a major injury to his Achilles, something that you can’t just walk off, pun intended. I like Miller at point, Iguodala is nice and I’ve always been a fan of the Dalembeast when he’s motivated. The key player for them is Thaddeus Young. If he steps up and plays to his potential, these guys can contend for a spot in the conference finals. If not, they lose in the first round again.

3) Toronto: They’ve finally gotten rid of T.J. Ford and riding the point with Jose Calderon, which was a necessary move. He has the talent to be an All-Star. The big pickup for these guys was Jermaine O’Neal. I don’t know about this guy’s health and I can’t rely on it. Bosh is solid. The key guy on this team has to be Andrea Bargnani. He has disappeared as the #1 overall pick and he needs to be at least a solid bench player for this team to do anything remotely decent.

4) New York: The Knicks are going to be an improved group this season. I don’t have them making the playoffs or anything like that but they are going to at least act like they give a damn, hopefully. I’ve been so down on this team from the play on the court to the antics off of it that I really stopped being a fan and watching their games. The key player for them that I actually may care about is maybe Jamal Crawford. Every single one of the rest of them, especially Eddy Curry and Marbury, I can do without. Lets move on.

5) New Jersey: Going to be a long season for them. I guess the only positive that I can come up with is seeing the evolution of Devin Harris and the progression of Yi Jianlian. Vince Carter disgusts me. I think that they are losing on purpose by clearing cap space to sign a free agent like Lebron in two years but you didn’t hear that from me.

Central Division

1) Cleveland: I feel bad not naming LeBron as the MVP because he’s going to have his best season as a pro. I say this because he has improved his game every season, he’s due to make the leap and Mo Williams is going to be a huge benefit for him. He finally has a point guard who is going to keep the offense flowing and get him the ball. Williams may shoot it a little too much, but this will be a good thing because it takes pressure off of James. As you can tell, I think that the key guy for them is Williams but I’ll give you another perimeter guy, Daniel Gibson. His development and staying healthy is his key.

2) Detroit: My least favorite team to watch in the league. I’m tired of seeing these guys around. As much as Vince Carter annoys me, Rasheed Wallace does it even more. His general lack of care for being a great player insults me as a fan. The rest of the team isn’t much better. The only one I kinda like is Stuckey who is the key to that team. I see some regression from this team.

3) Chicago: If it sounds like I have a love fest with Rose, I understand but you have to see that guy play to appreciate my feelings for him. This team is deep and I like Hinrick, Gordon, Deng, Noah and even Sefolosha for various reasons. However, the key guy to this team is Tyrus Thomas. He has so much potential and he’s only 22. He was the direct beneficiary of Rose joining the team. He reminds me of Tyson Chandler. Someone once tried to insult Chandler one time and said that all he does is block shots, rebounds and catch lobs for dunks. Chandler has done that with New Orleans all the way to becoming a top player. If Thomas can do this as well, watch out for him.

4) Indiana: I have not much positive to say about them accept that they got rid of O’Neil which had to be done for them to move on. Granger is a solid player and Dunleavy has surprised me. I’m not a fan of T.J. Ford.

5) Milwaukee: This team on paper isn’t so bad. Bogut is ok. Jefferson is a nice player. Redd seems like a nice guy. Villanueva has potential. For some reason though, nothing seems to break right for these guys. Key to their season is actually Joe Alexander, the rookie out of West Virginia.

Southeast Division:
1) Orlando: Dwight Howard is a stud, we all know that. The rest of the team has questions. Is Jameer Nelson a good enough point guard to help them advance? Was Turkoglu’s season a fluke? Will Rashard Lewis perform to his contract? Is J.J. Redick a lost cause? The wildcard on this team is Mickael Pietrus. If he evolves under their system, they can be a darkhorse to make the conference finals.

2) Miami: I like this team’s makeup to get into the playoffs. You have Marion playing for money, Beasely playing for respect and Wade playing for redemption. Wade has become a forgotten superstar. Two years ago, this man carried a team to an NBA title and now people are saying that he’s not even a top-five player anymore. Wade is going to come strong this season. The key player to this team is actually Shaun Livingston. They need a point guard and he’s the best one they got there. I hope he can stay healthy.

3) Washington: Rough times for these guys. Arenas’ injury is major, I don’t care what they’re saying. I see a major drop off for these guys. I like Jamison and Butler but the rest of the team I can do without. They don’t make the playoffs. The key guy for them is Nick Young.

4) Atlanta: I like the signing of Josh Smith, the firing of Billy Knight but disliked the keeping of Mike Woodson. Joe Johnson is nice, love Al Horford’s effort and the fact that they got rid of Sheldon Williams. The guy that needs to step up is Marvin Williams. Still can’t believe they passed on Chris Paul for this guy.

5) Charlotte: This is going to end badly for them. An underachieving young team with an absentee executive in Michael Jordan and a cranky head coach in Larry Brown. The key player is Adam Morrison.

Western Conference:
Northwest Division

1) Utah: I like this team a lot and they are a dark horse to win the conference. Deron Williams is a top point guard. Boozer does his thing. Everyone knows their roles. Millsap is an underrated player. I mentioned AK-47’s mental issues so that needs to be stated here again. However, the key guy on this team is Ronnie Brewer. He’s poised for a breakout season.

2) Portland: They have the makings of a team that’s going to be a major player in the next few years but these guys have to crawl before they can walk. A playoff appearance would be a nice start. They are young and deep in every position and all eyes will of course be on Oden. However, my key guy is Rudy Fernandez who can take over games and provide some ballhandling relief from Roy.

3) Denver: This has the makings of a bad situation. A grumpy Carmelo+Iverson in the final year of his deal + George Karl being well, George Karl = problems. The key to this team is J.R. Smith. If he plays with maturity and consistency, maybe, just maybe, they can make the playoffs. Beyond that, not so good.

4) Minnesota: I like Al Jefferson. That is all. OK, you’re about 15 minutes into reading my previews so I have to give you something more than that. I don’t love Kevin Love. He’s ok. I’m looking at their roster right now and don’t like much. Brian Cardinal is still in the league? OK. Randy Foye is not bad if healthy. Sebastian Telfair. I shake my head thinking of my fellow Brooklyn-ite.

5) Former Seattle Sonics: I can’t call them their real name yet because I don’t approve of the move. It was shady as hell. Thankfully, Memphis will be moving there in four years and all will be right. As far as the team goes, Durant is obviously the star and the main attraction. He’s going to be a great pro. Jeff Green is decent. The key guy for this team is Chris Wilcox. Potential must meet consistency for this guy at some point.

Pacific Division:

1) Lakers: This team has it all. Two deep in every position. The best player on the planet. A good coach. Motivation to win after tanking in last year’s Finals. Everyone has something to prove. I don’t think Odom is going to be a big deal. He’ll be a pro. They’re the top team in the league. The only thing that is going to possibly mess them up is a logjam at forward and center. They’re also inconsistent on defense and Kobe can pull a Kobe and sabatoge this whole thing. The key to this team is Jordan Farmar. They need production from that second unit at point guard and Fisher is going to wear down at one point.

2) Phoenix: From contender to barely making the playoffs, what a difference a year or two makes. Shaq is the key to anything they’re going to do. I just don’t see this mix working out for them. Shaq just doesn’t have the physical skills to do what they want. The positives is that they finally seem to have some help at point guard to rest Nash. The Grant Hill rejuvenation has been nice to see. They can look forward to a career year from Stoudemire. The key to this team is actually is going to be Robin Lopez. Shaq is going to break down at some point and they need a center and guess who that is.

3) Los Angeles Clippers: I think these guys are going to be better than people think. Their main rotation is Camby, Ricky Davis, Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Cat Mobley, Tim Thomas and Al Thornton. That’s not terrible. The key guy for them is the trainer because most of those guys have injury issues. If they stay healthy, I can definitely see them making the playoffs.

4) Golden State: This has a chance to get bad as well. As fun as Nellie ball is, with no Davis and Ellis injured, this team isn’t the same. Now you have Al Harrington demanding a trade and the season hasn’t started yet. Stephen Jackson is still himself and that’s never good. Maggette is going to score but what else is he bringing to the table. I’m interested in seeing Azubuike and Biedrins development. The key to this team is Marcus Williams because he has the skills to be a good point guard but it hasn’t clicked for him. Actually another guy to look at is Nashville-product Brandon Wright. If he gets some minutes maybe he can show something.

5) Sacramento: This is the Kevin Martin show. Maybe Donte Green brings something good to the table. I’ve always liked Francisco Garcia.

Southwest Division:
1) New Orleans. I see the Hornets winning the toughest division in basketball. They’re deep, everyone knows their roles, they need redemption after falling to the Spurs in the playoffs. Paul is a special player, West and Chandler are strong, Peja does what he does, Ely is a good contributor, we all know about Posey and even Julian Wright is solid. The key to this team is Bonzi Wells. If he can stay consistent, they win the NBA championship. The thing holding them back is that they may get tight like they did in game seven against the Spurs.

2) Houston: Obviously the addition of Artest is major for these guys. The main issue with them is health. Ming and McGrady can’t stay on the court. The key guy on this team is Skip as we know him in the NYC or to the rest of the world Rafer Alston. The point guard is important for these guys and Rafer has to key that attack.

3) San Antonio: Is this the year that they finally take a major step back? I say that they do take a major step back by their standards. Besides Parker, Manu and Duncan, the rest of this team is bad. And Manu is out until Christmas, problems. I think that Duncan has one more monster season in him but he’s aging and you can tell it. If this was anyone else but the Spurs, I wouldn’t even have them making the playoffs.

4) Dallas: This team made a bad move trading for Kidd. He’s too slow to play point anymore in this league. I like Carlisle as the coach but this roster concerns me. Dirk will get his numbers but the key to this team and the guy that concerns me the most is Josh Howard. I don’t care about the whole weed thing and the national anthem stuff. What I see from him is lack of focus that he can’t have.

5) Memphis: The most apathetic franchise in the NBA. The city doesn’t care about them and they don’t care about the city. Watching their games on TV is depressing. Enjoy the move to Seattle in a few years. For the time being, watch Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo. Mike Conley and Javaris Crittenton give you something at the point. Marco Jaric has a hot girlfriend, its Adrianna Lima for those of you out of the loop, Darko is on the team so that’s good I guess. I’m stretching with them.

And with that, those are my predictions. Hold me to them and I’ll check in on them throughout the season.

NFL Review Week 8

Hey everyone, its time for the NFL Review in the format from last week because I know that all of us dig music and sports, so lets get to it:

I love Massive Attack and this one of the first songs that I ever heard from them.



Before I get to my impressions on each team, I want to address something from my post last night about sports fans not deserving anything. I stand by what I said and if it sounded like I was coming from an angry place, good, that was the point.

I’m tired of all of the bulls*it I keep hearing from fans of teams that lose that they deserve stuff. All you really deserve in live is three hots and a cot and the rest you have to earn. We’re turning into a nation of whiners and that’s unfortunate. I have my moments of self-pity, but I’m working on getting past that because you have to man up and move on.

As I always say, life is full of depression and random moments of happiness.

In relation to this is that this time of year in an NFL season is when you know if your team stinks and has no hope of making the playoffs. If you’re a fan of Cincinnati, Detroit and maybe one or two more teams, you know you’re going to win three, four games max.

What you have to decide is if you want your team to start losing to get a better position in the draft. I say that you shouldn’t just quit on the season but you should open up every starting position and make people earn their jobs. This usually means you start losing some more but at least you know who can play and who you need to get rid of so it’s a winning situation.

St. Louis: Only two games out of first place at 2-5…pathetic division

Detroit: Still marching towards 0-16 with passion, my goodness are they terrible. At this stage, you root against them as a fan so that you improve your draft position.

Here’s an excellent track from UNKLE:



Cincinnati: This is an example of a team that really needs to play everyone and reevaluate what they really have that’s positive and negative. Palmer needs to shut that arm down and look forward to next season. BTW, I haven’t mentioned Chad Johnson at all in any of these posts because he isn’t worth it.

Kansas City: Who’s quarterbacking them now? A fan of the Chiefs needs to help me out with this one.

Oakland: Why was Fargas the leading rusher in the game at Baltimore. McFadden needs to get the ball often. I know that they are probably saving his legs similar to Chris Johnson on the Titans, but Darren needs to run some more. Russell has no hope with that team.

Houston: Why did I trade Matt Schaub? Stupid on my part. They aren’t going to make the playoffs, but at least they’re playing respectively.



Look, I know that Nickleback gets a bum rap, but I don’t mind these guys. When I was working in a retail store a few years ago, this song would always be in the music CD that we had to play. I knew every word of this song.

Cleveland: Nice win at Jacksonville. My fantasy football season comes down to Braylon Edwards, that’s sad on my part.

Seattle/San Francisco: I’m placing these two teams together because honestly, I can’t tell either one apart. Seattle beat a pathetic 49ers team that just fired its coach and forced Singletary to bench a player in the middle of a game, which I admire on one hand but worry about in the other. Frank Gore is toiling away.

Green Bay: Bye week

San Diego: I’m done with these guys.

Arizona: Nice comeback by Boldin from that injury. He’s working hard to earn that money because he wants to get paid.

Miami: Playing respectable football.

New Orleans: I told you Drew Brees would be the Offensive MVP this season

Minnesota: Bye

Jets: They’re going to finish 7-9 and all of the Favre kiss ass fan club, I’m looking at you Peter King, John Madden and others, will find some excuse to not insult their boy. BTW, if the stories about him advising the Lions against Green Bay are true, then karma is a bitch and that will come back to mess him up.

Indianapolis: Wow, did they look weak against Tennessee. Their reign of terror over the AFC South is over and I’m actually OK with this. Not because I’m a Titans fan, but I’m tired of seeing Indy in the playoffs. Lets get some new blood.

Here’s some Signal Hill. I’ve always wanted to be in this type of band:



Atlanta: That was a tough spot having to go to Philly but you have to get wins like these if you want to take your team to another level.

Tampa: Don’t care

Baltimore: Flacco isn’t bad, other than that, nothing.

New England: They’re 5-2 and probably going to win the division, again. I’m tired of these guys too just like Indy.

Jacksonville: I’m done elevating these guys…you can’t lose at home to Cleveland and expect to do anything. The one thing going into the season that we knew that they could do was run the ball and they’re struggling to do that right now and if they can’t do that, problems.

Chicago: Bye week

Philly: Still in wrong division but definitely not the worst team in NFC East.

Buffalo: Disappointed by loss at Miami, division champions don’t lose that game.
Denver: Bye week so March Towards Canton for Cutler takes a week off as well.

Carolina: Most quiet 6-2 in the league and if they can win on the road, watch out for these guys.

Pittsburgh: It just seems like this is one of those years where all of their guys get banged up and they lose in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Dallas: Beating an average Tampa team at home means nothing to me.

Tennessee: They run the ball well, they stop the run, they play special teams well, Chris Johnson is legit, Keith Bullock represents the NYC and Syracuse, I love these guys. They have 12-4 written all over them.

Washington: This team scares me the most as a Giants fan.

Giants: They need to beat the crap out of Dallas at home this week.

That’s what I’ve got. Your thoughts are always welcomed.

Tomorrow is my NBA preview, which I’m telling you is going to be great.

You deserve nothing as a sports fan!

First, I have love for Philly and what I’m about to say will make it seem like I don’t. So here’s an olive branch of one of my favorite hip hop groups, The Roots:



Top-five concerts I’ve ever been to was a Roots show back in the day. Good stuff. Ok, now lets get to the post.

Today I was thinking about the Philadelphia Phillies and their attempt to win the World Series and how much it was making me mad as a Mets fan.

First, I will never, ever cheer for anything in Philadelphia sports. I actually don’t mind the city unlike Boston, which is the most bitter sports town that I’ve ever been to. The problem is that the chief rival of the Mets is the Phillies, the rival of the Giants is the Eagles, the Knicks and Sixers don’t get along and while I dislike the Devils and Islanders more as a Rangers fan, I’m not flying a Flyers flag anytime soon.

Actually, Philadelphia was the scene of some of my favorite high school memories when I did Model UN conferences at Penn. Those were good times. I love cheesesteaks, the Roots are great, so this isn’t a bash on the city itself.

So why am I mad at seeing Philadelphia doing well? I thought about it and I came to a conclusion.

The whole time that the Phillies have been doing well, we have been hearing stuff about how the city hasn’t won a professional sports title since 1983 and that the city deserved the chance to celebrate a championship. This sense of entitlement annoys me greatly.

I hear the same thing from my fellow Vanderbilt fans who say that the Commodores deserve to go to a bowl game after years of futility.

You are guaranteed NOTHING in sports!

Your team performs on the field and whatever result happens is the deserved result. I have absolutely no sympathy for fans who play the woe is me, my team stinks and we deserve a break act.

If your team is bad, they are bad and get over it.

Philadelphia doesn’t deserve a championship because the teams have struggled to put a winning product on the field. If the Phillies happen to win the World Series, they would have done it on the field and not because fate intervened.

This goes out to the Cubs fans out there as well. You aren’t cursed, you had crappy management and bad play for 100 years. Curses aren’t real and if you subject yourself to that thinking, you are not a fan, you are an idiot. If you want to come after me, I don’t care because you know I’m right. If you want to get mad at someone, get mad at ownership for not producing a champion. Get mad at crappy players or managers. You don’t deserve anything.

Neither do fans of Buffalo teams, Philly teams or anybody else who fits into this category.

The only positive thing that can happen from Philly winning the World Series is that their fans can finally shut up about not winning a title and I can go on with living my life. I thought this would happen with Boston after the Red Sox, another pathetic franchise that finally got its act right in the past few years, won the World Series in 2004, but I still hear crap from them once in a while.

I fucking hate the Red Sox Nation stuff out there still playing the underdog, we’re going to find a way to lose card. Buy another pink hat and sit down you annoying bastards.

If any of my favorite teams don’t reach their goals, whether it’s a world championship, bowl game, playoff appearance, whatever, they didn’t make it because they didn’t deserve it and that’s the end of it.

Your team isn’t cursed or unlucky in fate. They just stink! That’s all from me, NFL Review is tomorrow.

I was serious about what I said earlier. If you obsessive loser sports fan who care way too much about your team and think that they deserve to win want to take me on, I’m ready to verbally put you in your place because I’m annoyed by you and trust me, everyone else is too. Just shut up, take your losses like a man and leave me alone or I’m going to hurt you. If you think I’m kidding, try me because I would love it!

Here’s some more Roots to ride out to. BTW, I don’t give props to Will Smith the rapper, just can’t.

Sunday Reflections: Final Thouhgts

OK, some quick thoughts before bed:

-Am I mad/disappointed that Vandy is 5-3 in football right now? OK, first, I have some two-win seasons on my resume so this is fine. Second, if you are a Vandy fan and expecting more than this, you need to choose another team. What I mean is that if your say a Tennessee fan and you are 5-3 or even worse have the current record they have, you should be disappointed and mad. If you’re a fan of pretty much every other team in the conference and have this record, you should be mad, but not at Vandy.

And finally, they have four games left and here’s something to contemplate. If Vandy wins the rest of their games, at least in the SEC, which includes home wins over Florida, Tennessee and a road win at Kentucky and Florida beats Georgia next week, guess who’s going to Atlanta to represent the SEC East? Yeah, it can still happen.

-I have some free time this week so expect some good posting here. I have my NBA Preview which I’m excited to write about, I may update my top-five list and they’re will be some things here and there. Until then, have a good week and remember two things. Respect the Jesus and he will respect you and good fight, good night.

Here’s some Zoe Keating to reflect on:

Sunday Reflections: Homecoming Post

Some music from The Mercury Program for your listening pleasure:



Ok, this Sunday Reflections post will be focused on my college homecoming weekend or for me night because work is a bitch this career finds a way of intertwining into my personal life.

So it was my five-year reunion and I was very, very nervous before going to it. College was an interesting experience for me and it was a good time but there also were some bad times that I’ve come to terms with and accepted. However, I’m a different guy now then I was when I graduated in 2003. I’m a lot more comfortable with myself and learned to establish my own life and develop my personality.

I was social in college and had friends but I was also shy and socially awkward. I wouldn’t have people in my room, didn’t like to party and would not express my opinions or emotions to others.

If you told me then that I would have a blog that I would actually state my name and express personal opinions, I would say there’s no way I would do that.

While all of this is fine and good, I was unsure about going to my reunion because I was doing the one thing that I tell myself, younger family members and everyone else to not do.

I was comparing my life to everyone else.

I feared that I would go to the event and feel little compared to some of my classmates that are doctors, lawyers, mothers, fathers and a lot of other things that I’m not. I didn’t want to go to the event and leave feeling that I have accomplished nothing with my life, wasted four years at Vandy and have no hope in the future.

However, I was talking with the People’s Champion and he told me that I should be proud of what I’m doing. I’m in graduate school, working and doing something that I really like. The Icon to the masses was right and I went to the event on Friday night.

First, I saw that there was an open bar and knew that this was going to be a good night.

If Vandy didn’t learn anything from my class from five years ago is that the best and worst thing that they could have done was have an open bar. We may be older and wiser, but we’re still fishes. They actually ran out of liquor later at the night. I made a basic request and they were dry.

So I walk in there, see the open bar and then run into two guys who I used to hang with and hadn’t seen in literally five years. They look exactly the same and we just hug each other. One of them tells me that I look the exactly the same and I’m still smiling.

I have to explain that one. I was always known as the guy who smiled and was an optimist. Over the years, this has lessened and I’m not that dude anymore. It happens when you get older. However, I still look at things from mostly a positive way but not as much as in 2003.

So Alfredo is telling me this and I just think about where I’ve come from and how I’m back in Nashville to experience this stuff again. At that point, I was happy and had a great night. Some observations in bullet-point style.

-It seems like my classmates either stayed in Nashville, went to New York, D.C. or Texas. Its so odd that I’m from the NYC and moved to Nashville and been in the southeast since 1999 while classmates were in the south their whole life and moved up north and stayed there after college.

-I didn’t realize how popular I was. This isn’t me stroking my own ego, I just knew a good amount of people there. Some were coming up to me and just started telling me stories about stuff we used to do and I had no clue. Thank goodness for nametags.

-How were the ladies? Well, there were shockingly few that peaked my interest in that way, even though an old friend was enjoying the evening and flirting with me but that was the alcohol talking. She does live in town though so we’ll see what happens. Other than that, nothing special to report on that end.

-There were two women there that I was absolutely shocked were married. The first one actually brought her husband to the event and she came up to me to introduce him to me. BTW, she looked amazing and that dude is lucky to have her. She has the same personality, which was good to see. I never hooked up with her but we were very “friendly” with each other back in the day (I love when the quotation marks make an appearance). I was cordial but I wanted to say that dude, back in the day, yeah that would have been a bad move.

The second one I never got down with in any way but we were running buddies for a while. She was very nice, very hot, and had cute friends so of course I hung out with her. I was talking with one of my buddies there and we were just surprised she was married especially because she was very “social” in college and now she’s domestic. Who figured.

-Shouts out to my freshman dorm Vandy/Barnard! It was crazy talking to people from my freshman dorm and all of our stories. We were such a tight unit there. Freshman year in college is different than any other because its before the Greek system, clubs, organizations, majors and other things start separating you. No one knows anyone else on campus so you bond with your floormates. I can name half of the guys that were on my floor and are still friends with guys like John, Nic, Matt, Thomas, Bill, Omar and several others.

I hung with the class all Friday night but had to be up early to work a soccer match on Saturday morning which caused me to miss the tailgate which I was pissed at big time. I had to get to the pressbox to work the football game and didn’t have time to see some more of my friends.

Normally, I would have been able to do all of the Homecoming stuff on Saturday but my Friday soccer match got postponed to the next morning which fucked up my whole day. It sucks but that’s the industry that I’m in.

I look at it this way. If I wasn’t at school at Belmont and had my type of job in another city, I wouldn’t have been able to go to any Homecoming events. I was thankful for that.

Athletics, especially media relations, just messes with your social life and you have to deal with it.
There were lots of other events that I wanted to participate in but it didn’t happen but it was still good to see some old friends.

Sunday Reflections: Families Post

Heard this song while doing my homework and loved it the first time I heard it in the movie Hackers, one of my favorite movies ever.



OK, I finally get to blog after a long few days. I want to talk about some interesting interactions that I had with some women this week.

I was at a party in the middle of the week and one of the women there recently reached her mid-20’s. She was talking about how she was getting old and needed to start a family. I looked at her with a confused look like I had no idea what she was talking about. I told her that she was young, heck, she’s younger than me and that there’s no need for her to rush to start a family.

That was one thing, but then I had a conversation with one of my friends who is in her early 30’s and she was talking about her dating life and how she feels that her clock is ticking and she needed to find a man to start a family soon. I had the same reaction to my first incident and told her that you can’t force this stuff. Furthermore, she has all of these standards and procedures like she won’t date guys of a certain age, the guy has to call her, he has to have the same religious beliefs, like the same things, etc. I told her that if she really wants to get this plan going, she was going to have to be aggressive and open up her standards in the beginning and then start narrowing things down.

I told her that there isn’t a perfect man out there and that everyone has flaws. She told me that there is someone out there perfect for her and for me but I reject that quickly.

I don’t believe in love at first site, soul mates, perfect partners, true love and everything else associated with it. No one is perfect and you aren’t going to find someone who works for you completely. You just have to look at the pros and cons of who you’re with and hope that the positives outweigh the negatives.

I then told her that if she didn’t get married at a certain point to have a kid, she can always adopt, which wasn’t received well.

She didn’t seem to like the conversation and got mad at me but whatever.

My thought is that if you were meant to have a family and do the domestic thing, then it will happen.

I really don’t care if I have no kids or ten kids. If I meet someone and start a family, cool. If not, that’s fine as well.

However, after talking with these two women who have good careers and are quality people, do all women feel this void in their life? Is it a southern women thing because both of these women are from southern states and have some “southern belle” qualities about them which can be a good and bad thing depending on how you look at it.

And why do I seem to not have this desire to have children and start a family? As I’ve stated in the past, I’m not interested in getting married or having children for a long time and no disrespect to my two friends who are attractive and would peak my interest physically and mentally, if I didn’t know them and either one came up to me and starting talking about all of this family stuff, I’m running the other way quickly.

Furthermore, let me explain something about children. Lots of people and I’m not saying my friends are in this category seem to only think of the children when they’re babies and cute.

Look, I like babies. They’re cute, you can dress them in whatever you want and they help your taxes. Its like seeing a dog learn how to talk.

But that cute baby phase ends after a year, 18 months tops. It seems like all of these people wanting to start families look at the first two years of the child as the only reference points.

That kid is going to grow up, do stupid things and possibly destroy your life. Children aren’t fun, they’re a bitch to raise and can be a pain in the ass that you have to deal with the rest of your life.

I have nieces and nephews that I’ve seen grow up from babies to high school age and it’s a good time, but I get to see them in spurts and not every day. Every single day, your kid wants something from you, needs something from you and you’re legally obligated to provide for them. That’s does not sound like fun times if you’re not ready.

I just fear that people don’t think about this stuff from a realistic prospective like I do. My prospective may sound harsh, but its honest.

But I’m not the standard of how anyone should live their life. I think people should live their own life and keep it moving so I hope that both of my friends find that special guy in their life and fulfill whatever they’re looking for.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Am I misinformed, looking at this too narrowly or is there something else going on. Let me know.

Post from the Past: Are No Black baseball players a problem? Not to me

The World Series between Tampa and Philadelphia has brought to light some prominent Black baseball players like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, B.J. Upton, David Price, Carl Crawford, Cliff Floyd, etc. For some this is represents a potential for the revitalization of baseball for Black people.

Some writers have taken this opportunity to push agendas. Just read Scoop Jackson's article about B.J. Upton: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/081015&sportCat=mlb

Yeah, Scoop, B.J. Upton's "laziness," looking ghetto and not hustling is going to inspire Black kids to play baseball. You know what's lazy, your writing.

Here's a more objective article to read: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-series22-2008oct22,0,2492508.story

This stuff is fine and dandy and I hate to say this becasuse I'm a big fan of the RBI program that is done in inner-city areas throughout the nation, but this whole lack of Black baseball players "problem" really isn't a problem.

In fact, I wrote about this issue in June and wanted to repost my thoughts on it below:

So I was recently reading an article in the Nashville Rage this week in the sports section discussing the lack of black players in baseball. The story profiles some Middle Tennessee black players and speaks to coaches in this area about the struggles of getting kids to play baseball. Its well-written by Mo and here’s a link to the article, I seriously recommend that you scan it before you read what I have to say on it: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080519/SPORTS07/805190335/1002/SPORTS

OK, now that you’ve scanned the article, here’s my opinion.

I really don’t care.

I really don’t care if there are no black players who ever play baseball again…or any sport for that manner, as long as there isn’t any discrimination against someone playing the sport.

The argument that I hate most for why someone will watch a sport or play a sport is the racial makeup of the players. I loved hockey back in the day and I saw hardly any black players in the sport. I loved the sport, not the color of the players.

It irritates me to hear black people tell me that they don’t like watching a sport such as hockey or golf or tennis because they’re aren’t enough black people in it.

It goes the other way too. There has been more than one occasion when a white person has told me that they don’t like the NBA because there are too many black people. Yeah, scary stuff, but I keep it real with people and they tend to keep it real with me, which I appreciate.

I used to get so much crap for being a hockey fan as a kid in New York. I would go to Rangers games and when I was desperate Islanders and Devils games and people would come to me and wonder why I was there. They would tell me that black people weren’t supposed to like hockey. That made me mad.

Thankfully my mother has always taught me to look at things for what they are and not what they look like. She always encouraged me to watch all sports and not focus on the lack of black people in it. I was trying to watch golf before Tiger Woods even entered Stanford. I’ve always watched auto racing, especially F-1. I watched the NBA and the NFL just as hard. I didn’t care.

This from a woman who grew up in South Carolina in the 50’s and 60’s and had some negative interactions with white people and could have taught her son to be negative. Special woman.

Anyway, I understand that the issue becomes very complicated when it comes to a sport like baseball where the expense of youth travel teams is a problem and economics becomes an issue. Therefore, scouts aren’t inclined to see certain players, etc.

In the end, life’s a bitch and sports are even worse. It isn’t fair. The prep player the article profiles may be an outstanding player and feel that he got short changed with scholarship offers for baseball, but that’s the way it is. He needs to bust his ass at Cumberland University and if he’s talented, he will get his shot.

I don’t like how the racial makeup of sports, particularly baseball, has become an issue. Is it the end of the world that only around 10% of the players in MLB are black, not at all. Let’s keep prospective.

From a baseball prospective, there are more minorities playing the sport than ever. The influx of Latin players, Asians, Europeans and even Canadians have made the sport more global than ever. Black people, including myself, need to realize that when people like Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente were playing in the 40’s and 50’s, they were fighting for the equality of all players. I repeat all players. To make this a woe is me black issue is shortsighted of the progress baseball and other sports have made towards minorities playing. I realized this years ago and I hope others do too.

And from a general prospective, compared to all the problems/issues that we have in society from the war in Iraq, terrorism, the bad economy, gas prices, poverty, general safety and countless others, who really cares if there aren’t black players in baseball?

I fear many things in this society and as someone who eventually wants to have a family, I have concerns for the world I’m bringing my future kids into.

That sounds cruel, but as I’ve gotten older and matured, the less I care about sports and its issues.

Sports is my job, I spend a majority of time working in the industry, and I still love it. However, we have a lot more pressing issues in our society. I mentioned them earlier and we need to focus on solving those.

If we want to keep in sports, we can. I don’t like seeing the lack of minority in high-level positions in college athletic departments. Furthermore, I don’t like the lack of women in that regard as well. I don’t like being the only minority at various sporting events in the press box. Those are things that I’m trying to make better from a sports prospective.

I don’t need a black role model to make me want to be an athletic director. I don’t need a black influence to become a sports general manager. I would like to interact with good AD’s and GM’s. That’s what I need.

The racial makeup of the players of the games that I work at, not too concerned about.

I hope this post gets picked up by somebody huge and I can be on some panel or something and discuss this further because it’s a topic I love talking about. Or I can be labeled a racist against my race. What would that be called?

I was watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals, so there was no music. However, here are two videos for some edutainment on blacks in baseball. Enjoy and Buck O’Neil should have been in the Hall of Fame years ago. That is all.

Tremendous video that made my day

Just watch the video below:



I usually don't like Florida but this is funny.

They have another video called Sideboob, but that isn't safe for work so watch it home at your own risk.

NFL Week 7 Review and Jay Cutler March Towards Canton Update

I was doing some homework and realized that it’s late, I’m going to forget this stuff and I’m tired…time to blog!

I’m going to try something a little different once again with this NFL Review. I have a music program called Pandora Radio on the internet, seriously recommend it and I have it on a mix right now of various stations, so whatever song comes up from this that I like, I’ll post the video below. BTW, notice the color of the border for the videos. Its intentional. Here’s the first one:



Is it bad that when I would go to churches with candles as a kid, I wanted to dance like Sting in the video. Love the Police!

OK, back to the Review, but first a thought or two:

-Cutler is playing well, above average and I can make an argument that he’s going to make the Pro Bowl this season, which is a beginning prerequisite to making it to Canton. However, his defense has to help him out a little bit. Also, he has to play better on the road. The March is still on track but he needs to make the playoffs this season to speed up the walk but that defense may not let him.

-Rodney Harrison being out for the season…couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Take some HGH and try to come back again you jerk! Never liked that guy, never will. Karma is a bitch, ain’t it!

-Once again to my dear friend Nicole, the Raiders still have no hope but at least have two wins and aren’t the worst team in the league. That battle goes down between Kansas City and Detroit.

Now, lets really get to the quick thoughts with maybe a fantasy football note or two:

St. Louis: Contenders in the NFC West, sad state of division

Detroit: Legit shot of going 0-16, look at their schedule…Enjoy the Colt McCoy Sweepstakes between them and Kansas City.

-Seriously, here’s Detroit’s schedule the rest of the season, in order (home game in CAPS): WASHINGTON, at Chicago, JACKSONVILLE, at Carolina, TAMPA BAY, TENNESSEE, MINNESTOTA, at Indy, NEW ORLEANS and at Green Bay. You see a win there? Didn’t think so.

Here’s some Zoe Keating, a bad ass cello player. I wanted to play Legions (War) but the video was too short so here’s Tetrishead:



Cincinnati: Shut down Palmer for rest of season…should have traded Chad Johnson to Washington when you had the chance

Kansas City: Carl Peterson is one of the worst two or three GM/Presidents in last 20 years in NFL yet it takes place in KC and no one notices…sad state for once proud franchise.

Oakland: Congrats on getting win over Jets…still hopeless

Houston: Beating Lions was like barely outrunning a turtle, praise isn’t deserved and blame should be given for making it closer than it should have been.

Cleveland: So much for welcoming back the offense…clean up your act on and off the field, staph infection is no joke.

I just got Home By The Sea by Genesis, so I’m not going to put that on here because I’ve already done that video before. So, here’s some Peter Gabriel, original lead singer with one of his classics:



Seattle: I actually feel sorry for them, which I never do for professional teams because they are paid to do a job.

San Francisco: Old joke but J.T. O’Sullivan sounds like a good bar name but not a good quarterback.

Green Bay: Ryan Grant, my fantasy football team thanks you for returning to form…Rodgers to Pro Bowl, I say yes.

San Diego: Ten years from now when two or three of these guys are considered the better half of players of their generation like Tomlinson, Cromartie, Merriman, Castillo, McNeil, Gates, Rivers and you see the lack of success they had, no Super Bowl appearances, terrible losses, it will be sad.

Arizona: Bye but made my week last week with that Dallas win, loved that.

Miami: Not good but not terrible

New Orleans: Need to find some consistency on the road.

-Side note on them. Why the heck is their “home” game being played in London against San Diego. If there’s one place that can use as many home games as possible and good business for the surrounding area, its New Orleans. I like the NFL but sometimes it does things that I disagree with and this is one of them.

Minnesota: Might want to practice special teams more and not let Marty Booker run the slowest slant route for a touchdown that I’ve ever seen in a college or pro game. Check it out below, its at around the 2:30 mark but check out the entire highlights if you want:



Jets: Favre is making too many mistakes for average team that needs him to be above-average

Indianapolis: Tennessee best team in division and its not close…that sound you hear is their window closing, its cracked a little but not much.

Atlanta: We’ll see their true makeup this week in Philly.

Tampa: Liked the uniform combo on Sunday, red tops, white bottoms, but liked Garcia even more. Why was he benched in the first place?

Baltimore: Good road win, nothing more.

New England: Matt Cassel may still not be the answer but a good way to cheat is to get the ball to Moss often, just a thought.

Jacksonville: Had a bye and are still most physical team in the league

Chicago: If you thought Kyle Orton would play like this either you love neckbeards, bleed Purdue black and gold or like the sauce or if you think like my Indiana Hoosier fans, all three!

Philly: Needed the bye, get tougher than expected test this week against Atlanta. Here’s an idea, blitz Ryan early and often or as Peter King would say, come off the bus blitzing.

Buffalo: I will always root for these guys, the true New York team as their fans tell me. Too bad they’re going to be in Toronto full-time in five years.

Denver: Defense needs to help out somehow.

Carolina: Good division win, need to become consistent. They have Arizona at home but have to get better on the road.

Pittsburgh: Bengals are helpless so win counts but doesn’t. They and especially me need a healthy Willie Parker to take extra step. Get healthy Willie, sweet Jesus Chrismas, get healthy Willie

Dallas: Some of you (Nicole) mocked me when I said they were overconfident. I thought they were but now I think that they just aren’t focused. Too many distractions and Wade Phillips isn’t a take charge coach. Good guy but that isn’t his style. Oh and Owens is mad, shocking. For their sake, Romo needs to suck it up and play.

Tennessee: Who rushes for over 300 yards in an NFL game? You can’t even do this on Madden if you play a decent mode like Pro or All-Madden. Good job beating KC. Want to see them face Indy on Monday night, oh wait, I’ll be in class until 9 p.m. central or 10 p.m. eastern and there is no way of changing that. All of my Belmont classmates know exactly what class and whose teaching it that I’m taking without even having to ask me

Washington: Recovered nicely against Cleveland, still think Giants are better, speaking of which…

Giants: Good win against San Francisco, not great. Road game against Pittsburgh will be good test to see if they are title contenders again.

The song currently playing is Dracula by Gorillaz. Here it is:




Have a good fight and good night. Your thoughts are always welcomed in the comments section.

Sunday Reflections

Time for those Sunday Reflections:

-Music listened to this weekend:

I was out on Friday night and heard some Phil Collins which was great because I’ve been on a major Genesis kick lately. Here’s a song below:



-Was able to finally catch up on some TV this weekend. Boston Legal is in fine form, One Tree Hill is solid, Chuck has been OK. I still need to catch up on General Hospital, CSI: NY, Life on Mars and one or two more.

-Watched the latest The Office episode today online and it was sad to see Michael get taken advantage of this way. Its one thing to laugh at the way he lives, but he is getting his manhood taken from him throughout this season. The whole baby shower episode was depressing to watch.

-Also watched some episodes of the Ultimate Fighter and Junie is an idiot. He is ruining my viewing experience for the show. His alcoholic outbursts make it seem like all mixed martial arts fighters are arrogant jerks and that’s not the case. His ass needs to be kicked off of the show.

-Speaking of MMA, good win by Bisbing over Chris Leban in UFC 89. He’s nowhere near ready to face Anderson Silva, but honestly, who is at middleweight at this stage? Also, what’s going on with Brandon Vera. He used to be a cocky, talented fighter but then he had that dispute with his management, took a year off, went down in weight to light heavyweight and he hasn’t been the same. That fight against Keith Jardine wasn’t his best effort. He needs to get his act together.

-Didn’t watch one moment of the Bernard Hopkins/Kelly Pavlik fight and have no regrets.

-So, Titans won, NY Giants won, Georgia Tech won and Vandy lost in football this weekend. Three out of four isn’t bad.

-I haven’t officially stated who I’m going to vote for in the Presidential election, even though if you read this blog enough you can figure it out, but I was watching Meet the Press and they had General Colin Powell on the show declaring who he is going to endorse. He chooses Obama but his reasoning is solid and he vocalizes it very well. I hope that people take this approach when they choose who they want for President and whoever that is, I’m cool with it. The video is below:



-Game seven of the ALCS is on right now and I have no interest in watching. I think that I’m sports-out right now and can go a day or two without seeing a game and be cool with it.

-This week, I attended not one, but two Tennessee State games and that was cool. I try to meet all of the sports people here in Nashville, but I’ve done a bad job with TSU. So, I went to a volleyball match when the Tigers defeated the Bisons of Lipscomb and as a Bruin, that’s always a good time. The second event was the Austin Peay football game on Saturday night thanks to Kenisha, she hooked me up with a pass. I had a good time and was able to see how they operate their games and got a note or two that I may use in the future. Plus, I met one or two people and that’s always good.

-I’ll end my Reflections on my Friday night, because Had an interesting night out on Friday. So it was Holmes’ “birthday” celebration even though I thought his birthday was a week ago, but whatever. I head downtown, which I absolutely hate. Its crowded and since there was a damn Rascal Flats concert, there was no parking. Why people would go out and see that mouse singing with the worst voice in music, I have no idea.

BTW, if I ever ended up in hell, I think my punishment would be hearing an endless loop of Rascal Flats, Soulja Boy and Fall Out Boy songs for eternity. That would stink.

OK, back to the night. So I meet up with Holmes and our friends at an establishment. It was good, free beer and pizza! The DJ was solid too, playing some Huey Lewis and the News, that crappy Don Henley song when he went solo and then this conversation…

Drunk lady: Is that Motley Crue?
Me: No, maam, that’s Def Leppard.

Highlight of my night because it was so odd, yet so brilliant. The song in question is below:



We’re having a good time there, hanging out with the locals and I decided to buy Holmes a drink. He decides on the drink, wants to get two for him and one of our friends and I was cool with that.

Now, I have to tell you that I don’t order mix drinks or shots at bars. They are always too expensive and I don’t like getting drunk in public, it’s a bad look, I feel bad later and I just don’t like it.

So I order the drinks and give the bartender a ten. I stand there waiting for my change and he tells me, “sir, that’s 16 dollars.” Are you serious? I give him the money and include a tip because its not his fault that his place overcharges for this. The drink I ordered involved an alcoholic beverage and Red Bull. Let me tell you something, we can head to the supermarket and the liquor store and take care of this real quick, but it was for Holmes, so I didn’t mind.

After that, we all decide to head off to another location, which was fine accept it got crowded in there and was really loud and I don’t like that. I decided to call it a night at this point and went home.

What all of this proved to me is that I really don’t like going out. If I had the choice of going out like on Friday night or staying at home watching Scrubs and Seinfeld repeats with maybe a Family Guy episode thrown in, I’m staying home.

Don’t misinterpret this as me not having a good time with friends. I like spending time with people and everyone in my group was great, I just like my alone time.

I think that this stems from my past. I used to be a major homebody who wouldn’t go out at all. I just like staying in my place and relaxing. However, the past year I’ve tried to be better about it and go out some more.

Its been hit or miss for me. Personally, a good night for me is going to a bookstore, getting about four books or some magazines, a cup of coffee and just reading them all night. That’s bliss for me, not heading out to the bars.

But I know that I should be out there because I’m a young single professional who is also a baller and dare I say a shot caller and enjoying myself. It’s a balance but it will eventually work itself out.

I just like being a loner, that’s my comfort zone. Furthermore, I like being focused on school, classes, working out and sleep.

-This week is going to be super busy for me with classes, two soccer matches and Vandy homecoming. I hope to blog a little bit this week but if I go a day or two without posting something, you now know why?

Until then, respect the Jesus and he will respect you and good fight, good night.

Why did you choose a girl over a job?

Per request from some of you who don’t play my music uploads in my posts, Sean, here’s the song that I was listening to this weekend for your enjoyment while you read my post:



I was catching up on my TV episodes from this past week and came across the latest One Tree Hill show, which was tremendous.

Not only do we get to see Nathan possibly play SlamBall, only one of the greatest games ever invented, but we get so see some storylines develop for everybody. However, this post isn’t about that.

One storyline has Mouse (yes, that’s his name) dating Millicent. Mouse is a sports broadcaster and Millicent is an assistant for Brooke and her clothing store. Anyway, the two of them are a great couple and everything, but he gets a job in Omaha, Nebraska and if you don’t watch the show, it takes place in Tree Hill which I assume is a place like North Carolina but you get the idea.

So Mouse is doing great in Omaha, but Brooke is going through a rough time in her life and Millicent decides to move back to Tree Hill to help her out and run the store again. In this episode, Lucas happens to be in Omaha and catches up with Mouse and they’re talking about the ladies in their life and he talks about how much his success is nothing without Millicent and yada, yada, yada.

You can probably figure out how this one ends…Lucas asks Mouse, “dream job or dream lady?” Mouse answers dream lady, they get into a car and head back to Tree Hill together.

When I watched this, my first thought was, “what an idiot, you always choose the job.”

After I thought this, I wondered why I had that opinion. I should have been saying that it was great for Mouse to find a woman in his life that he wants to be with and he should always go for that, but that just isn’t me and then I tried to think of why I feel this way.

First, I can relate to Mouse in one aspect, we have jobs in sports. I just know that this industry is fun and everything, but you have to always take advantage of the opportunites when they come up because 1) they’re aren’t many and 2) if you turn down something, someone else probably better than you is going to take that job and you fall behind in your career. That’s why I’ve lived in Atlanta, Charleston, S.C. and now Nashville in the past three years. I’m in Nashville for another seven and a half months because of school but I know once May comes, I probably won’t be here. I’ve prepared myself for this because I have to take a job that benefits my career the most, no matter where that is.

When I hear some of my classmates talk about where in the country they want to work or the type of sports job that they have, it sometimes irritates me because it looks like a lack of prospective. They start considering boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancées, where family is, emotional stuff like that and it displeases me greatly.

In our line of work, you have to be flexible with your options because the opportunity that you really want probably isn’t going to happen immediately.

I know that I’m going to have at least two or three more city moves in my career and I can’t let anything get in my way, including a woman. So for Mouse to stunt his sports career for a woman rubbed me in the wrong way. I know that the show will make it work out for the couple, but in real life, that probably doesn’t happen.

And I guess that brings me to point number two with Mouse. I’ve always believed that I’m going to live a solitary life no matter what I try or not try to do. What this means is that I may have some relationships, even a marriage and some kids, but in the end, I will end up alone. Sure I’ll try to make a relationship work, but in the end, I’ll mess it up or she will and I will end up back at the beginning.

Instead, I focus my efforts on work and enhancing my mind and making myself better. I’ve never let anyone inside my life to consider them in my life like Mouse did with Millicent.

I’ve never been in a relationship so I don’t know what its like to consider someone else in making a career decision. Usually my line of thought is, “How does this benefit me?” It’s the only part of my life where I’m selfish, my career and my profession.

Do I want to stay selfish in my career like this my entire life? I really don’t hope so because that sounds bad but I’ve tried to run away from this for my entire life and I’m too old to try to reverse things now.

Maybe I’ll meet my Millicent who will make me think like Mouse, but I doubt it. I guess I’ve become cynical of relationships and cold blooded and I kind of like it.

Until then, I’ll watch the show, hope that they feature more SlamBall and keep it moving.

Your thoughts are always appreciated.

NFL Week 6 Review

Hey, its time for the NFL Review in the new format, but first I have to address some things.

-Adam “Pacman” Jones is a thug. The Cowboys knew exactly what they were getting when they signed him. Here’s the sad part of the whole situation. He makes so many things bad for everyone. Let’s break it down.

He makes the NFL and especially the players look bad. I have to defend athletes so many times from people who don’t like sports and think all of the players are troublemakers. Most of the players in the league are good guys and do their jobs but it’s the five or six idiot thugs that make my defenses useless.

He also makes Black men look bad as well. This needs to be addressed by me deeper in another post because you’re reading this for NFL stuff and not my views on race but let me say this and I’ll move on.

Unfortunately, some people in our society look at one person and think that they represent their entire gender or race. Some look at Britney Spears and think all White women are like that or Beyonce represents all Black women or Jennifer Lopez is like all Latina women, you get the idea.

Some look at guys like Pacman and think all young Black men with finances and success act like that. That’s not true and I trust most or all of you reading this know that but people are ignorant and Pacman isn’t helping.

OK, on to the teams. Wait, one more thing.

-For my dear friend Nicole, yes, the Raiders are awful and I’m sorry for getting your hopes up in the preseason. Now, lets really get to the quick thoughts with maybe a fantasy football note or two:

St. Louis: Congrats on finally getting a win, enjoy your 3-13 season
Detroit: Trading Williams is step in right direction
Cincinnati: Palmer’s elbow has to be worse then they’re saying
Kansas City: And you didn’t trade Gonzalez because?
Oakland: Already talked about them
Houston: Gutsy QB draw earned deserved first win of season
Cleveland: Welcome back offense, especially Braylon!!
Seattle: Nothing sticks out accept bad football
San Francisco: Besides Gore, nothing to watch here
Green Bay: Needed Seattle win more then experts think.
San Diego: Beating Patriots at home still not enough for paper champs
Arizona: Warner comeback player of the year?
Miami: Wildcat continues to impress
New Orleans: Offense is fun to watch
Minnesota: Can’t struggle to beat Detroit at home, no playoffs for them
Jets: Ugly uniforms…Jesus Christmas, ugly uniforms
Indianapolis: Written off too soon, lets see them in Green Bay next week
Atlanta: Rookie QB, rookie coach, story of early season
Tampa: Most unexciting 4-2 team ever, btw, ugly uniforms
Baltimore: Slightly below average
New England: Matt Cassel is not the answer, my goodness, he is not the answer
Jacksonville: Most physical team in the league
Chicago: Orton won it for them, defense and coaching lost it for them
Philly: Still in wrong division
Buffalo: Edwards may be most valuable player to success of any team in league
Denver: Cutler isn’t going to Canton with that defense
Carolina: Mulligan in Tampa, better play better against New Orleans next week
Pittsburgh: Bye week was needed
Dallas: Dysfunctional is a generous term for these guys now
Tennessee: Hopefully got healthy over bye
Washington: Can’t, can’t, can’t lose to St. Louis at home
Giants: Eli’s three interceptions worry me more than defense

That’s what I’ve got. Your thoughts are always welcomed.

Sunday Reflections

Its time for those Reflections…

First, to appease some of you like the People’s Champion who don’t play my music videos on my posts because its at the end, here’s the video now.

I was bumping some excellent progressive rock from Yes, Pink Floyd and Genesis this weekend. I wonder which one is better? I smell a potential post…

Here’s Home by the Sea (parts 1 and 2) to play while you read my Reflections below:



-So Vanderbilt lost its first football game of the season on Saturday at Mississippi State right after I wrote last week about how they have changed my prospective as a sports fan: http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/10/am-i-still-sports-fan.html

Now, I don’t believe in jinxes because I believe in the Jesus and that’s good enough for me, but I’ve been very, very hesitant to elevate the team beyond what they are. They are a good team…not very good or great, they’re good. They are 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC which is nice. The team heads to Georgia next week and they should lose that game. That’s being honest. I look to the next game and that’s it so don’t expect me to talk about Duke, Wake Forest, Florida or Tennessee because those games are later.

However, don’t let this seem like I’m unhappy with the team. I’m very happy with the team because as I stated in that piece last week, I lived through two two-win seasons. This is like heaven to me.

-BTW, props to Georgia Tech for being 5-1 this season. I still represent for the Yellow Jackets who travel to Clemson this upcoming weekend. Maybe they can ring the final death knell of Tommy Bowden at Clemson. He has to be released after this season, right?

-I’m glad some of you enjoyed my new format for my NFL Review. Its easier to write and I’m sure more easy for you to read and comprehend. Look for it to stay for a while.

-My Beaman is finally reopening tomorrow! I’ve been doing some workouts while my workout facility has been closed because of the Presidential Debate but its not the same. Now everything will be there for me to take care of business. I guess this is a good transition to an update on “Workout Girl”



You know when you see that picture, it can’t be a good thing. Actually, it isn’t all bad. I’ll explain.

It all started on Friday night when I was attending a women’s soccer match and I realized that I hadn’t heard from Amber in a while. Darn, I have to introduce her to some of you unfamiliar with her. Read these three posts and you’ll be caught up: http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/09/general-thoughts-on-thursday-night.html and http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/06/update-on-workout-girl-if-you-see-this.html and http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/04/this-is-what-i-get-for-trying-to.html

Yeah, she’s been mentioned one or twice. So I sent her a text and left a message on her voicemail to check on my friend. Turns out she hurt a body part really bad and had to get treatment. She’s fine but I felt so bad for her. I joked that I would make her soup and bring it to her to make her feel better. She just responded that her and her roommate were cooking dinner. I was cool with that.

While attending the game, I ran into Basher, Daniel and their lady friend Kristin. We were talking and Daniel mentioned if I’d spoken to Amber. I said that I did and Kristin asked who Amber was. I gave her the whole run down and told her about my interaction with Amber earlier. Kristin thought that it was so sweet how I think of Amber because it can come off lame in the “I do think about her and want to spend more time with her” way.

Kristin thought that it would be sweet for me to offer to do something for Amber even thought I did already earlier that evening.

However, I kept telling her that Amber has a boyfriend back in her hometown and I was not trying to date her at all. I was trying to be a friend and not overstep the boundaries that we’ve established.

So all Friday night, I couldn’t stop thinking about Amber because I kept talking about her to Kristin. I was even lying in bed thinking about her, something I never do with a girl.

Anyway, Saturday comes along and I’m cooking a big meal, cooking all of my meats for the week so that it doesn’t spoil and I had some extra vegetables, chicken and fruit. I decided to make some for Amber and text her that I had some food for her. I even baked cookies! She text me back, told me that was sweet of me to do, but she was working all night and couldn’t see me.

So today, Sunday, after I finished working my soccer match, I text her again to just ask how she’s been doing and I haven’t heard back from her, which I need to repeat is fine with me. Remember, I’m in “tap out” mode from pursuing women seriously right now so I’m not trying to date Amber. She knows this, I think.

I’ve told her numerous times that I respect her and is it hard, sure. I like her and I’m happy everytime I’m around her in a way not like many other women that I’ve met but she’s not available so I don’t dwell on it and her friendship is more important than me trying to date her, if that makes sense.

I’m just wondering aloud or in typing if I came off as pushy or insincere or trying to push up on her with my actions and words the last two days. It wasn’t meant to come out that way but actions are stronger than words.

What do you think? I would love to know your thoughts.

-The beard is working well and I like having it. It gives me a sense of maturity that I enjoy. Plus, it makes me look serious and if I don’t keep it trim, it can make me look crazy, looking forward to that.

-Saw the new version of Knight Rider on NBC and must say that it wasn’t awful. The women on the show are amazing and KIT is the truth as usual. Other than that, its touch and go.

-I’ve started increasing my video game rotation lately and its been a mixed bag. I have been playing NCAA Football everyday for the past few weeks but needed a change. I played some NCAA Baseball which was fun and will get into that some more. I had a good ATV racing game but can’t find it, which is a bummer.

-That’s all for Reflections today.

I was looking at an old post about Amber from June and I linked to some Genesis in that post as well. That’s crazy and wasn’t done intentionally.

MMA Review

What’s going on with each of you on this glorious weekend? I’m doing well and trying to make an ultimate conclusion on this week in mixed martial arts. I’m just going to focus on the EliteXC event from last Saturday and of course, our main man Kimbo Slice.

If you didn’t see what happened in his fight, look at it below:



Yeah, that was terrible. I actually didn’t see it live because I was working at a football game. However, at the game, I first found out that Ken Shamrock was not going to fight Kimbo because of an injury he sustained during training the morning before the fight. First, shame on Ken for getting injured. There isn’t an excuse that I can think of to make this acceptable. If this doesn’t blacklist Ken from getting another fight, I don’t know what will.

Next, at the game I find out that Kimbo got knocked out in the first round. That didn’t shock me.

And this will serve as a good transition into my bone to pick with EliteXC. I have been insulted as a MMA fan of their promotion of Kimbo and they got exactly what they deserve.

Notice that I didn’t say that Kimbo got what he deserved. From all accounts, he’s been a professional MMA fighter in and out of the ring. He trains hard, respects the sport and his opponents. He has never asked to be a main event draw and knows that he is a young fighter and understands his place. Kimbo has been along for the ride and fought who they put in front of him.

However, as much as I respect Kimbo for all of the stuff mentioned above, that performance in the ring was not good, even for a novice. He took harder shots against Tank Abbott and James Thompson and kept fighting. There is no shame in getting knocked out. You just can’t do it in less than 20 seconds

I blame EliteXC for bad business. They have continually ignored the rest of their roster which includes respectable fighters and champions like Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, KJ Noons, Diaz and some others and elevated Kimbo to a place where he shouldn’t be at yet.

This is the main difference between EliteXC and the company that they aspire to be, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. If anyone in the UFC loses their fight, it can be a positive spin for either fighter because the company builds the brand.

I’ve seen Randy Couture lose to Chuck Liddell and come back even more popular. I’ve seen Liddell lose numerous times and stay relevant. I’ve seen Georges St. Pierre lose, B.J. Penn get beaten. Even the great Anderson Silva, the man regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in many people’s opinion, including mine (actually, I think it’s B.J. but that’s another argument for another day), has lost.

Everyone loses in MMA. No one tries to lose but if you are aspiring to be a champion, you are going to face tough competition and you will fall at least once in your career. The main thing is that fans, even the mainstream ones and especially the hardcore ones like me, understand this.

EliteXC thought that the fans couldn’t comprehend Kimbo and accept him if he lost a fight in the proper way. The organization chased the cheap dollar instead of building their brand for the long run.

So where does EliteXC and Kimbo go from here? For Elite XC, they have to recover quickly and try to build their brand beyond Kimbo. They need to promote Shilds, Lawler, Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg and some others. They have talented fighters but they need to promote them so that people get to know and eventually love them.

Kimbo isn’t going to just go away. He still has a following even though that number has been hurt of course by the fight. There are still some fighters out there he can fight, but he shouldn’t headline another event for a long time, he’s not ready. People will watch his next fight to see if he can recover and I really hope he does.

What are your thoughts on all of this? I would like to know.