Where Should I Move To? Part Tres

What’s going on everyone.

First some business:

Music to listen to: Ghost Song by The Doors



Play this and relax.

Crush of the Day: They will be throughout this post.

Since I’m graduating from grad school in a few weeks, its gotten me thinking about the possibility of moving to a new city. I did two posts about this and they were popular so here’s the third edition of “Where I should Move To?” Part Tres

Here’s the criteria:

a) I would prefer that it’s not in the Northeast. Grew up there, love it, need something different.

b) At least two professional teams and/or solid college sports scene. I do work in sports management after all.

c) The majority of my family lives in New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and South Carolina. I love my family and would like to be near them but I’m also a loner so moving across the country away from them doesn’t concern me greatly.

d) I’ve never been to any of the places that are going to be listed accept Baltimore and San Antonio, so I have no personal experiences with any of them.

e) Grew up in New York but that was too big, like the size of Nashville even though it feels too small at times and Atlanta is slightly too condensed.

f) I want it to be a known place but not cliché. That’s why you won’t see Dallas, LA, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, etc. on the list. Those are nice cities but I want to go with something different.

g) I don’t like the Eastern Time Zone. I have my reasons so that going to be a factor.

Here are the rankings so far:

Vancouver- 2 out of 10St. Louis- 5 out of 10Toronto- 6 out of 10Houston- 6 out of 10Cincinnati- 6 out of 10Denver- 7 out of 10Baltimore- 7 out of 10Oakland- 8 out of 10Seattle: 9 out of 10

OK, lets get to some cities:

Milwaukee

Sports Scene: The scene is solid. You have the Bucks and Brewers right in town, so the NBA and MLB are represented. I’ll have to become a Packers fan, which is ok I guess. They have some minor league teams in various sports. I would be close to Chicago, so all of their sports teams are available to me.

College may be a little thin, even though Marquette is right there. The University of Wisconsin is about an hour and a half away so that’s not a far drive to make.

Nicknames: I don’t like Mill Town or The Mil. Cream City doesn’t sound family friendly, if you know what I mean. Brew City is good. I’m ambiguous on The City of Festivals and Deutch-Athens, which in German means German Athens.

Motto: Where’s the beer and cheese. Just kidding, that was mean. I couldn’t find one.

Cultural Scene: They seem to like museums a lot in the city, which isn’t a bad thing but not something I’m going to be running to. One thing that I do enjoy going to are festivals and the city probably hosts one of the most famous ones in the world in Summerfest. All my research continues to point to the cultural diversity of the city, which would be welcomed.

Weather: Its frickin Wisconsin, time to start wearing the heavy coats after years of avoiding them in the southeast.

Odd Fact: The city is home to the International Clown Hall of Fame, the Harley-Davison Museum and America’s Black Holocaust Museum. I would be interested in visiting one out of those three places the first day in town and it may or may not be the one you would think.

Actually, this gives me a moment to talk about my lack of trust in clowns. I’ve never liked them and when I see one, I give them the side eye and watch my back. Laugh if you want but those are the facts.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While listening to my Steve Miller CDs, here are the people that I could kick it with in the city…Eric Benet, Devin Harris, Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Jane Kaczmarek, Kato Kaelin, Les Paul, Terry Porter, Speech from Arrested Development, Prince Fielder and Bob Uecker.

Candice Michelle counts as the eye candy.

The food would be excellent, especially if I embrace European dishes. I’m not a big fan of the various forms of sausages or cheese for that matter, so that would be an issue. What wouldn’t be an issue is Miller beer. I can have that all day.

Population: Metro population is just under two million people, so this works out.

Likelihood of moving here: A surprising 7 out of 10. I was surprised by this one. I like the cultural activities, especially the ones outdoor and I always have Chicago for big city activities.

Minneapolis

Sports Scene: Very strong. They have all four of the major sports leagues represented with the Twins, Timberwolves, Vikings and Wild.

They also have the solid USL team, the Minnesota Thunder right there as well.

Oh, there is the University of Minnesota, part of the Big 11, yes, I said the Big 11, so all of those sports are right there for me.

Nicknames: City of Lakes is excellent, Mini-Apple is ok and Twin Cities is solid. I can do without Mill City

Motto: En Avant, which in French means Forward. Needs some more creativity.

Cultural Scene: They have excellent parks, the most elaborate theatre scene outside of New York, the parks are described as some of the best in the country, lots of things working for it. Furthermore, Mall of America. Who doesn’t love a mall?

Weather: This may be an issue. Its not just “hey, it’s a little chilly outside so let me get a light coat” cold, its “holy crap, I can’t feel my fingers and why did a foot of snow just come here overnight?” cold. This isn’t a city to be messed with.

Odd Fact: The City of Lakes and Seattle are tied for the most literate cities in the USA. Also, the city was ranked second in having the highest percentage of commuters that use bicycles. One more for the road, more than 40% of citizens in the city volunteer and do charity work, the highest percentage for a major city in the US.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While listening to my Prince CDs, which each of us should be doing on a daily basis anyway, here’s who I can kick it with at the Mini-Apple…Prince of course, Rachel Leigh Cook, Julia Duffy, Kimberly Elise, Larry Fitzgerald, Ric Flair, Al Franken, Brock Lesner, Allen Page, Jesse Ventura

I know that Rachel Leigh Cook may fit my type more but I’m going to go with the upset and list Kimberly Elise as the eye candy. She’s underrated.

Population: Metro population is just over three million people, so that’s not too bad but maybe pushing it on size.

Likelihood of moving here: I’m going to go with a five out of 10. Everything looks good on paper accept for the weather. I can’t deal with the cold like that, laugh at me if you want, its deserved.

Portland, Ore.

Sports Scene: Its limited in comparison to many other places. Of course, you have the Trailblazers of the NBA and that’s great, I love the NBA but I need some more. OK, I’ll give you the Timbers of the USL who will actually be in the MLS in 2011, so that’s a bonus. There are some minor league teams in the area, which is good.

For colleges, the University of Portland is there. The Pilots. Portland State deserves a mention as well. I also know that the two big state schools, Oregon and Oregon State aren’t impossible to get to.

Nicknames: I like Rose City, dislike P-Town, confused with Stumptown, PDX is awful and I wouldn’t want to move to Little Beirut when normal Beirut isn’t a walk in the park.

Motto: Two separate sources say that its “The City that Works” and “In Livable Cities is Preservation of the Wild.” First one is bad, second one has potential.

Cultural Scene: Portland is obviously on the west coast and has an outdoor element that’s intriguing. If I want to go hiking or hit up a river for some rafting, I can get down with that. A nice feature of the city is that it’s a center for microbreweries, which is something I like to dabble in.

Weather: Time to get the raincoat off of layaway...

Speaking of which, do people purchase items on layaway anymore. This deserves its own post one day.

Odd Fact: Portland is the largest shipper of wheat in the USA. Good to know if I need some bread. I guess this connects with the microbreweries as well.

Another odd fact. Because of the strong free speech protections in the Oregon Constitution, it was found that full nudity and lap dances are protected speech. What this has resulted in is the city having the most strip clubs per capita than San Francisco and even Las Vegas. Wow, just wow.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While listening to my Meredith Brooks CDs , here’s who I can kick it with in Rip City…Bill Walton, Matt Groening, Joey Harrington, Peter Jacobson, Phil Knight, Roddy Piper, Ahmad Rashad, Damon Stoudamire…

Quick tangent of Damon. He had my favorite drug arrest ever when he was busted with pot at the airport when the metal detector went off and his weed was wrapped with the foil. Who does that? He’s coaching now with the Memphis Grizzlies so hopefully he has that under control. OK, back to the celebrities.

Gus Van Zant, Lindsay Wagner and Brad Wilk.

Katee Sackhoof of Battlestar Galactica fame gets love for the eye candy.

Population: Metro population is just over two million, not bad.

Likelihood of moving here: I’m going to say five out of 10. It’s a little too far away, isolated and I need more sports.

Ok, that’s it for now. Here are the current standings:

Vancouver- 2 out of 10

St. Louis- 5 out of 10

Portland- 5 out of 10

Minneapolis- 5 out of 10

Toronto- 6 out of 10

Houston- 6 out of 10

Cincinnati- 6 out of 10

Milwaukee- 7 out of 10

Denver- 7 out of 10

Baltimore- 7 out of 10

Oakland- 8 out of 10

Seattle: 9 out of 10

I only have about two or three cities left. I promised Karst that I would do Kansas City. I also need to get at Mr. McMahon’s suggestion, San Diego. I need to do Salt Lake City for comedy sake and maybe Omaha.

Am I missing any cities, let me know.

Sunday Reflections/MMA Review/Crush(s) of the Day, just a long post.

Hello everyone. Hope you’ve had a good day.

Wow, I looked back on my last post and it looked like one of my old ones when this dude would make a lot of appearances:

Some days you reach breaking points when you have to vent your frustrations and find a calm medium. I feel better now.

Normally Friday is reserved for my MMA Review, which I will still do. However, a lot is happening in the sports world that I want to touch on as well, so for this edition, I will do a General Sports Review. However, first, let’s get to business.

Music to listen to: Roulette Dares by The Mars Volta




This is for two reasons. First, I found out that my boys are releasing a new album called Octahedron on June 23. You know that I’ll be getting it the first day that its released. They’re the only band that I still do that for.

Second, one of my fantasy baseball teams is named Roulette Dares and The Peoples’ Champion wanted to know where the name came from. Well, here it is. Also, deal with the 10 minute live version of the song, its much better than the studio version and its worth listening completely through especially after the five-minute mark.

Crush of the Day for the Ladies: Georges St. Pierre



What am I doing? Well, I do have readers that are women and they deserve a Crush of the Day once in a while. Even as a straight dude, I can acknowledge GSPs good looks. Plus the dude is a badass fighter, best welterweight in the world.

Ok, back to reality!

Crush of the Day: Mandy Moore



Mandy is generally acknowledged as the most well known female MMA fan. I’ve seen her attending events for years, even before the sport staring getting more mainstream attention. For that and being sneaky hot, she gets love.

Now, lets get to some Reviewing:

-I purchased UFC 97 and had the same sentiments that the rest of the fans had. I was disappointed in the main event of Silva vs. Leites. It was slow, boring and I felt cheated out of spending my money. This is the first time that I’ve ever said something like that about a UFC event in the five or six years that I’ve devoted to it. Leites would just take a punch and fall to the ground and get in a turtle position, trying to bait Silva to head down to the ground with him.

UFC President Dana White was very harsh in his criticism of Silva and I get that too. I’ll give Dana credit for one thing, he keeps it honest with the media, which as we learned a week or two ago with his tirade of Loretta Hunt of Sherdog, can be a good or bad thing. In this case, it was a good thing.

I don’t think that Silva feels motivated which isn’t an excuse for how he has looked in his last two fights, its just a fact. We all know that he will probably get GSP if Pierre gets past Alves, which isn’t a gimme.

-Excellent career by Chuck Liddell. He’s done it all, was a major force in me starting to follow the sport and if that was truly his last fight of his career against Shogun last Saturday, well done sir.

-I was on the road with baseball and missed the latest Strikeforce event so I can’t give my complete analysis of the event but I heard it was a success. That’s great for the sport. Not everything has to be UFC-related in MMA. We need more companies putting on events for us to view and for fighters to gain experience and make money.

Similar to Liddell winding down towards the end of his career, I think that we can start saying the same about Frank Shamrock. He’s won titles, been a tremendous asset to the sport, but when you reach a certain age, its time to move on.

-I’ve been thoroughly enjoying each of the NBA playoff series this year for various reasons. Whether its seeing a team developing into elite (Cleveland vs. Detroit), the maturation of point guards (Chicago vs. Boston), even matchups (Orlando vs. Philly and Denver vs. New Orleans), etc. Even the LA vs. Utah and Portland vs. Houston series have been solid.

-I’ve also been intrigued by the NHL playoffs, especially seeing the Rangers face the Capitals. I actually stayed home today to watch the Rangers and Caps go into battle in Game Six and that was a rough one to see as a Blueshirts fan. Hopefully the Rangers can win game seven in D.C. I’m actually torn about this one because I love the Rangers and will never root against them, but Alex Ovechkin is my favorite player to watch in the league. I really want him to have a long run in the playoffs so more people can learn about him because that dude is a beast.

-It was an interesting weekend on the baseball front for me, especially Friday. First, I had to take my final for my Sport Finance class, which wasn’t fun. After dealing with that in the morning, I had to work a doubleheader and the Bruins won the first contest in thrilling fashion, a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 12th, the second game didn’t go so well. After all of that, I had to head back out to Shelby Park during the Music City Marathon, streets blocked everywhere. It was a bear getting out there. So that game finally takes place and I just go home and collapse.

-I can dig running a marathon, I can even comprehend running a half-marathon. What I don’t get is WALKING a marathon. Dude, that’s probably 9+ hours of walking. I like to go for a long walk or two but that isn’t the way.

-However, congrats to Mr. McMahon, Sarah T. and the rest of you out there who did the Country Music Marathon on Saturday.

-I’m caught up on most of my shows, especially General Hospital and Chuck. Even at this moment, I’m watching the last episode of One Tree Hill. All of them have been solid, especially GH. I won’t give you a rundown of it because none of you watch it, but I’m been enjoying it.

-I completely understand why Ray-J picked Cocktail over Unique. I wouldn’t have gone that route personally but for the lifestyle Ray-J wants to live, he chose the right woman.

I had some of my lady friends tell me that Ray was scared of dealing with a real woman so that’s why he picked Cocktail. My first reaction to this is that this may be the truth. Unique would probably not put up with a lot of the tendencies of Ray. However, why should Ray subject himself to dealing with a woman who he knows will clash with him constantly. It seems like most people wanted Ray to pick someone that he could grow with and develop something more serious with.

This is a frickin reality TV show. No one is going to get married or get in a serious relationship. All Ray was doing was finding someone that he can kick it with. If something serious goes down, then good for them. However, I don’t think that Ray was going on the show for a wife.

-I’m almost running out of things to Observe in this post so let’s talk about the weather. Its been great, actually, I just thought about something.

-So I was going around on Facebook earlier this past week and I see the profile of my friend Amber. She’s been written about here often. She’s the woman that I’ve had an interest in for nearly a year. Amber was the one that I worked out hard for that one time and darn near hurt myself and launched this picture. Read this post for a prime example of something about her: http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/10/sunday-reflections_12.html

She even inspired this dude to make an appearance:

Well, on the profile she lists her new boyfriend and I was actually happy for her. That was my first thought. Actually, keeping it honest, I saw the pictures of him and realized that I could take him out. I could completely kick the crap out of him. Then, I saw some pictures of the two of them together and she looks happy.

I then was at the Beaman getting my workout on and I saw her there and asked her about the boyfriend. Now, you have to understand, I talked with her about her old boyfriend and that guy was not good for her and I would vocalize that. I kept telling Amber that she doesn’t have to date me but she can do better than the old boyfriend.

She gave me the details about how they met, etc. I told her that I was happy for her and for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, I told a woman that I have feelings for that I was happy for her love and completely meant it.

All of us have been there. We tell someone that we’re interested in that we’re happy that they are dating someone else when in reality we wish they were with us. I’ve done this numerous times, even with Amber in the past.

However, seeing her happy makes me happy. I would rather have her in a positive place with someone else than in a negative state with me.

Actually, when she broke up with the old boyfriend and told me about it, I was happy, not for the fact that I could lay down the magic and get her, but for the fact that she moved on from that guy. After that conversation was over, I thought about asking Amber out again but remembered the “Tapout.” I even consulted the People’s Champion and he told me to ignore my rule and go for it, but I refrained.

She’s been going through a rough period and if he makes her happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for her. I want to be her friend before her boyfriend, if that makes sense.

But its hard at times. I have my whole “Tapout” thing going and that’s been a good thing but a part of me still holds out hope that she will end up with me. We’re friends and I think that she likes me and I like her but this just isn’t the right time for whatever reason.

I do know this. If dude does her wrong, I will make a trip to his school and beat him up. That’s another thing, this guy does to another school, out of the state. Amber likes the long distance relationships.

-OK, sorry for the Amber talk, I know that some of you aren’t fans of that but that’s why these are called Reflections.

That’s it for tonight. You know the posts that I’ve promised to provide but haven’t gotten to. Hopefully this week will be better. Until then, good fighting and good night.

An Observation and Crush of the Day

Sorry that I haven’t written on the blog in the past few days, I’ve been pathetically busy in the past few days, which I’ll get to later. But first, some business:

Music to listen to: Optimistic by Radiohead



I was going to post some Depeche Mode or even Mars Volta for the People’s Champion to explain one of the names of one of my fantasy baseball teams, but this excellent song by Radiohead came up on Pandora, so here you go.

I remember when Radiohead was at its peak as far as attention and they used to annoy me because I was told constantly by everyone how awesome they are. Its similar to my issues with people always telling me TV shows are great, this stuff makes me less likely to actually watch or listen to it. Anyway, over the years, I’ve begun to appreciate this group.

BTW, they kick Coldplay’s ass any day of the week and its not even close.



Crush of the Day: Nicole Scherzinger

I go back with her through Eden’s Crush. Come on, I know every one of you remembers the hit song, Get Over Yourself (Goodbye). I still can hum the melody right now.

I saw some pictures of her recently and was reminded of how brilliant she is. Trust me, those pictures are the PG version. I seriously suggest that you do a Google search of her when you’re home. You won’t be disappointed.

OK, on to her credentials. She’s 30, from Hawaii, supporter of Barack Obama and currently dating Lewis Hamilton, only the best race car driver in the world currently doing his thing in Formula One. That’s a winner. She will definitely make my bench when I update my top-five.

-We’re too busy in our society. I’m currently writing this at midnight during a study break for a final that I have to take tomorrow because I couldn’t originally take it on Wednesday night because I had to work another baseball game, which I have another one of tomorrow, check that, two games tomorrow which I will head straight to after taking the final. I’m written part of this in the office preparing for the game at 11:30 p.m. What is all of this for?

I was talking with one of my friends Mete about our society turning into a group of overachievers working laterally. Honestly for all of the overtime that we do, the extra hours in the office, the extra classes we take in school, the additional meetings attended from the extra clubs and organizations that we join, what’s the benefit?

As I head towards graduation in the next three weeks, was the choice to attend graduate school really worth the effort?

Loyal readers are probably telling me to remember my motto, “no complaints, no excuses,” and that’s fair, but I’m more tired now than ever and true, I’m heading towards the end of my last semester of school in the most busy part of baseball season, however, have I earned what I came here to do?

It seems like everyone that I speak to is busy. Everytime I speak to someone and ask them how they’re doing, they usually tell me some form of “I’m busy.” This wouldn’t be a major problem if I didn’t see that the people telling me this look unhappy. They will, and I do the same thing, give the smile and laugh about it but I know that they secretly are working hard towards something that they don’t want or are unsure of what they are working so hard for. I know I feel this way often.

What’s the solution? I don’t think that there is a resolution to this. I know that after I finish my stuff up here at Belmont, I think that I’m going to take some time off to dedicate to myself and acknowledge what I truly want to do with my life and I’m not talking about just the career.

I know that I will work in sports and do something professionally that helps people. However, I really need to figure out what I want personally. That’s why the posts last week about what city I should move to are a microcosm of a major transformation that I may undertake.

I’m at an age where if I really want to do things like start a family, get married, etc., I need to consider that stuff now. This doesn’t mean that I have to get in a serious relationship immediately and start churning out babies but I don’t want to be a loner for the rest of my life.

I must acknowledge that more of my friends and family are getting married, starting families of their own and I’m envious in some ways. I don’t want to be doing what I’m doing now 10 years from now. I would like to come home, kick it with the wife, shadow box and wrestle with the sons and daughters, watch my highlights on ESPN, watch that day’s episode of General Hospital and then go to sleep.

Can I achieve this stuff working in sports? Maybe or maybe not. However, either way, I need to determine some things in my life.

OK, that wasn’t meant to be that long but sometimes I get going.

Long story short, don’t let this life run you. Take moments to enjoy this journey.

-OK, that’s going to be it for tonight, I need to get some rest for tomorrow. I was going to hit on For the Love of Ray J, General Hospital, the NBA Playoffs, Fantasy Baseball, etc. but I’m pooped.

Saturday and Sunday are free for me so I’ll get to those eventually, including Part Tres of Where Should I Move To and a Show that Used to be the Business.

Until then, good fight and good night.

Sunday Reflections

Hi everyone, hope you’re well. Its time for those Sunday Reflections, so lets get to them:

Music to Listen to: Un Simple Histoire by the Thievery Corporation



Bump this in your office or home.

Crush of the Day: Shaun Robinson

I happened to see a picture of her somewhere and was reminded of how attractive she is. Shaun is an anchor on Access Hollywood. Born and raised in Detroit and a graduate of Spellman College, she has beauty and brains. I’m a fan.

-Just cam back from Stetson today with Belmont baseball. Good trip overall, the Bruins won two out of three. Its always a good time to head down to Florida for a few days, especially this time of year. The weather was perfect, the “talent” was outstanding and I was able to write my NBA Review in peace, good times all around.

-I did see UFC 97 and I was disappointed big time. This should be the end of the line for Chuck Liddell’s MMA career. He lost to Shogun in an unimpressive fashion. Speaking of unimpressive, what is going on with Anderson Silva? Is he bored or does the competition of the middleweight class not warrant good fights. Silva was involved in his second consecutive dud of a match, this time against Leites. Sure Anderson kept the belt but didn’t look good doing it.

-NBA Playoffs are in full swing. Loving it. I liked seeing the Derek Rose coming out party in game one against Boston. That kid is special. A little disappointed that the Spurs lost, I didn’t expect that. Big win by Philly over Orlando. Everything else looks to form.

-I hope all of you have had the chance to at least glance at my NBA Review from a few days ago. Even if you aren’t an NBA fan, I tried to make it accessible to everyone.

-While in Florida, I got suckered into watching the VH1 reality show, Tough Love, and I must say that I’m hooked. Its about a group of women who have been unlucky in love because of their shortcoming and are now under the guidance of a male matchmaker to improve themselves and maybe find romance in the end. The show is about dating but it translates into all aspects of the women’s lives. Furthermore, there are things that the women are doing wrong that I can kinda relate to. Unlike when I watch I Love Money or Rock of Love, Tough Love actually is entertaining and informative.

-Tapout is still going strong.

-Sorry about not doing a post about a Show that Used to be the Business. It was going to be the TV show Martin and I still may do it by the end of the week.

-The Blog post I did about what city I should move to was received very well by many of you. It gotten such a good review that I’m going to have to do a Part tres after part one and part deux. Per Mr. McMahon’s and Karst’s suggestions, I will include San Diego and Kansas City in the new review. Minneapolis and Milwaukee are guaranteed to be included as well. I’ll probably have one more city to round it out. Any suggestions?

OK, short Reflections because I’m tired. Have a good week.

My NBA Postseason Review and Playoff Predictions

Its time for that NBA Review before the playoffs take place. Its been an interesting year for the league. We’ve seen some former elite teams like Detroit take a step down, new powers emerge like Cleveland and teams like the Lakers and Celtics continue where they took off from last year.
I’m going to go with my postseason awards and then go into my predictions for the first round of the playoffs.

a) Rookie of the Year

Criteria: Unlike the MVP award, which I will get to later, I usually go with the best player who is a rookie

Honorable Mention: Mario Chalmers (Miami). When you’re the starting rookie point guard for a team that made as dramatic of an improvement as the Heat did, you deserve a mention in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Preseason candidate that I expected more from: Michael Beasley (Miami) and Greg Oden (Portland). Michael turned it on in the past few weeks right before the playoffs but from what we saw in college, Beasley should have been producing more from the beginning. Oden has been a disappointment, no matter how you spin it. I didn’t see the potential people were hyping on him from when he was at Ohio State. I thought that he was too mechanical and slow to be an elite player in the NBA and I don’t see it now. Portland should have taken Durant and I said that from day one.

I hate being tough on rookies because some of them, even the elite players need time to develop.

5. Kevin Love (Minnesota). He’s rebounds very well for someone his size, nearly 10 per game. The injury to Al Jefferson actually will help him and possibly the team in the long run because Love has developed his skills.

4. Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City). I must admit that I thought that the former Sonics stretched a bit when they took Westbook with the #4 pick in the draft last year but he has formed an excellent nucleus with Durant and Jeff Green.

3. O.J. Mayo (Memphis). I wasn’t a fan of this guy in college because I let the off-the-court stuff get in the way of viewing him as a player but he’s talented. I would like to see him at shooting guard but he has shown the skill to play point out of necessity. Unfortunately, I don’t like the potential bad habits that he may form playing on a bad team.

2. Brooke Lopez (New Jersey). I was a fan of Brook at Stanford and thought that he would be a solid pro. I didn’t think that he would be the second-best rookie in this class.

1. Derek Rose (Chicago). I thought that the guy had a chance to be an All-Star talent coming into the league. We all knew that he was physical enough to get his own shot and be a solid defender. The thing that has surprised me the most has been his ability to distribute the ball and keep the team moving. The most difficult position to adjust to as a rookie is point guard because you are the leader on both ends of the floor. That’s why respect has to be given to Chalmers and Mayo, but back to Rose. He has led the team to a playoff berth with a dysfunctional bunch of average parts. If he develops a consistent jump shot and gets some talent around him (hello Chris Bosh?), he can be a Hall of Famer, seriously, the ceiling is that high for him.

b) Most Surprising Team

Criteria: You can take a cynical look at it and choose teams that surprised in a bad way, but I’ll save that for the disappointing teams. The way I do this one is to look at where I thought the team would finish at the start of the season and see where they are now.
Honorable mention: This will go to the non-playoff team that I didn’t thing would do much yet had a respectable run this season. Minnesota had a good second half of the season until Jefferson got hurt, Charlotte has shown life as a franchise, but I’m going to go with Oklahoma City. Look, I know that it’s a stretch because they won only 23 games but when I saw how they played the Spurs towards the end of the season, I didn’t expect any of that from them this year.

4) Chicago. Lets take a look at this squad. Rookie head coach, rookie point guard with the pressure of playing in his hometown, disgruntled shooting guard, inconsistent yet wildly talented power forward, benched former staring point guard, a small forward who I thought would be tremendous, has underwhelmed, signed his big contract and is still, well, underwhelming and other average pieces produce a playoff team. I know that it’s the East but I thought that the Bulls would be ok and still a year away from the playoffs.

3) Houston. I thought that the Ron Artest experiment was not going to work. I knew that McGrady would get hurt again, you have to consistently expect that from his career at this stage. What I didn’t expect was a healthy Ming to last this year and that dude has held them together this season. I still don’t think that they make it out of the first round, again, but to finish with 53 wins is impressive.

2) Orlando. I believed that they would win their division and thought that Dwight Howard would continue his evolution as a franchise player. What I didn’t expect was for Nelson to turn into an All-Star caliber player, Hedu continue to play at this level and Rashard Lewis to almost play up to his contract. All of this has been a surprise to me and I didn’t see 58 wins in this squad. Speaking of not seeing wins…

1) Cleveland. 66 wins with this bunch? You’ve got to be kidding me. We can all acknowledge that Mo Williams is a nice addition to this team but I didn’t see this coming. I knew that LeBron could elevate his play to an MVP level and I’ll get to that later but I didn’t expect this team to win 66 games. The team has made a good job of committing to becoming one unit, catering to its superstar, playing excellent defense and actually showing some offensive diversity.

c) Most Disappointing Team

Criteria: This is a tough one to indicate because do you pick a team that was supposed to make the playoffs but didn’t or do you pick a team that made the playoffs yet played at a lower level than you expected or do you pick a team that you thought would be crappy but was even worse than you thought.

Honorable mention: This will go to the playoff team that I thought would be in a better position. There’s only one team that fits this category and in fact, we’re going to save them for a little later.

4) Toronto. I picked them to make the playoffs and disappointed me and the entire nation of Canada tremendously. They lost their coach, their plan to incorporate Jermaine O’Neil into the rotation ended in disaster, they ended up with Shawn Marion, why, Jose Calderon made me look bad at believing that he could be an Alls-Star. Just a mess

3) New Orleans. Well, seeing how I predicted that they would win the NBA title and they’re the SEVEN seed in the West, that’s not good. I don’t care what the numbers say, the entire cast has regressed accept for Paul.

2) Detroit. They are the disappointing playoff team. I expected some slippage from the standard they’ve set the last few years but my goodness, what has happened to this bunch? The Iverson trade didn’t work out, Stuckey didn’t elevate his play at guard, Hamilton got hurt and Wallace didn’t help in any way.

1) Phoenix. That team should have made the playoffs over Dallas. I know that Amare got hurt and all but they should have had a better season.

d) Most Improved Player

Criteria: This one is unique also because its hard to quantify “improved.” Do you take someone who was terrible and became average? Do you take someone who was average and became an elite talent? You can go with either choice.

Honorable mention: David Lee and Nate Robinson, Knicks. I know that as a Knicks fan its easy for me to pick these two guys but this proves once again that D’Antoni can make darn near anyone look like a champ in his system.

4) Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City). Offensively, he had an excellent season. The coaching staff finally moved him away from shooting guard, placed him at forward and you saw what happened. We all know that he can get points, but I was more impressed with his shot selection this year, it has gotten much better. He’s also rebounding better. The defense will hopefully eventually come around but the dude is 20 years old, incredible talent.

3) Paul Millsap (Utah). His effort this season has kept Utah afloat and actually made the question of getting rid of Carlos Boozer in Utah not laughable.

2) Danny Granger (Indiana). I know that Indiana hasn’t had the best season but Granger has evolved into a complete player this year.

1) Devin Harris (New Jersey). Once again, his team didn’t make the playoffs but his jump this season gives him the award

e) Sixth Man of the Year

Criteria: This goes to the best bench player.

Dishonorable mention: I was going to do a Least Improved Player section and that would have included people like Elton Brand, Baron Davis, etc. but I came back to one guy and we will honor him.

At this stage in his career, Allen Iverson would be the perfect sixth man for a contending team. He could come off the bench, score his points, provide instant offense and a spark for the team. However, Iverson continued to act like his own selfish self and wrecked Detroit’s chances to at least be competitive this season in the playoffs. Congrats Iverson, well done.

4) Travis Outlaw (Portland). Good development of his career and the second-most clutch player on the team.

3) Chris Anderson (Denver). The Birdman has returned and how! I like the energy, especially on the defensive end. Most good sixth men come in and give the team an offensive spark. However, Anderson does the opposite and should be credited with that.

2) Nate Robinson (New York). Nate is a joy to watch and can put up big numbers but can be reckless with the ball as well. However, he does most of what a sixth man should do.

1) Jason Terry (Dallas). This was an easy choice and he really gets Dallas going.

f) Coach of the Year

Criteria: This is a tough one to do. Do you pick the coach of the best team? Do you go with the coach whose team improved the most from last year? Do you pick the coach who worked the most with the least? Any of these approaches are fine in my book.

Honorable mention: There were some legit candidates that didn’t even make the top-five. Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, Mike D’Antoni and George Karl are some.

5) Erik Spoelstra (Miami). OK, granted, having Wade come back to full form helped the rookie head coach but it takes a lot more to steer a team that was terrible last year and incorporate two rookies into the starting rotation. That’s not easy.

4) Rick Adelman (Houston). Between dealing with the injuries to Artest and McGrady along with the trading of Alston has made this one of Adelman’s better coaching jobs of the year.

3) Nate McMillan (Blazers). He did an excellent job of leading this young team through an entire season in a tough conference and even got to host a first round series.

2) Stan Van Gundy (Orlando). His constant focus on defense and the ability to transition Lewis to a solid power forward, continued development of Howard and more importantly, keeping the team at an elevated level despite the loss of Nelson to injury.

1) Mike Brown (Cleveland). This one is a little personal because I’ve talked about how bad of a coach he has been the last two years before this one. You can tell that he has improved on the job and finally has an offensive system that works for LeBron and the rest of the team. He has also gotten a lot out of Mo Williams and the rest of the parts of the team.

g) MVP

Criteria: We have finally reached the final award of importance. Oh, for Defensive Player of the Year, I’ll go with Dwight Howard.

OK, now to the MVP. You can go with the most talented player or the best player or the one most valuable to the team, meaning if you took this player out of the team’s lineup, the team would be the most negatively affected.

For reference, this is what I said before the start of the year:

“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.”

Ok, here’s my MVP ballot:

5) Dwight Howard (Orlando) and Paul Pierce (Boston): Yes, it’s a tie and I don’t like giving ties. It was tough deciding between these two guys. I had Howard a little higher in the middle of the season and he has faded some. But if you look at the overall picture, he has had an outstanding season. Pierce deserves credit for continuing to elevate the Celtics despite the loss of Garnett for the past two months. His defense has continued to improve to the point that he is an All-NBA defender, which he wasn’t three years ago.

4) Kobe Bryant (Lakers). When Phil Jackson said that Kobe was underrated, I at first dismissed it and rolled my eyes at someone once again kissing the butt of Bryant. However, Jackson is right.

Perimeter guys, especially guards, aren’t supposed to be this durable. Honestly, here are the guards in the history of the game that you can argue are better than Kobe. Magic and MJ are givens. Robertson and Jerry West are probably ahead of him right now. That’s the list. A lot of us don’t like the cocky attitude, the incident that happened in Colorado, his separation from Shaq, etc. However, in the end, you can’t deny the guys talent and his guidance of the best team in the NBA.

3) Chris Paul (New Orleans). The guy led the league in steals, assists and scored 20+ points this year. He did the same thing last year. I can stop there but look at New Orleans. West is putting up the same numbers but he isn’t the same player as last year. Chandler has regressed to the point that the Hornets tried to trade the guy. Paul has been tremendously valuable to the team but not as much as the two guys below.

2) Dwayne Wade (Miami). You read what I said above about Wade being a sleeper for this award. You can thank me later. Also, he got 44 wins out of that squad? Who on that team would you take besides maybe Beasley? Wade had to play with two rookies and not much else. Marion was a bust and O’Neil is washed up. I’m not a huge numbers guy but he led the league in scoring and placed in the top-15 in assists, steals and blocks. I don’t think this has ever been done before. When they beat Atlanta in the first round, my MVP choice needs to be concerned with the second round match up. And who is that MVP?

1) Wally Szcrbiak…who are we kidding, LeBron James (Cleveland). I understand why people are turned off by the hype that surrounds Lebron. You see him in a ton of commercials, the media heaps tons of praise on him, etc. However, he was not only the MVP of this season, he may have had one of the best seasons of the last 25 years. Its going to be hard for anyone to touch Jordan’s 1988 season when he averaged 32.5 ppg, 8 assists and 8 rebounds that year. LeBron averaged 28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and nearly two steals a game. In fact, he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for a 66 win team. Sometimes picking these things are that simple. But lets look beyond that.

His competitive nature has rubbed off on his team, especially on the defensive end. It gotten to the point where I could argue for him to be the Defensive Player of the year along with MVP. Only two other guys have done that, Hakeem Olajuwon and you know who.

Three moments stand out for me from this season. The first one was when Cleveland was playing like crap at the Clippers, down double digits in the fourth quarter and he willed that team to a victory. The second one is below.

They’re playing an average Bucks team, sleepwalking through the contest and then LeBron goes off to start the second half. He finishes with 55 points and gives them the win. If Cleveland lost any or both of those two games, they may not own the top seed in the East.

Finally, the triple-double in New York with 52 points.

Those are my award winners, lets get to the playoffs, rapid fire style because I know this has been a long read for some of you:

Boston vs. Chicago: Garnett being hurt will harm the Celtics in the playoffs, but not in this round. Chicago just doesn’t have enough to hang. If the Bulls had frontcourt scoring, maybe they win two games. The Celts will just key in on Rose. Celtics in five.

Cleveland vs. Detroit: Because it’s the Pistons, I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and have Detroit winning one game. Cleveland is a machine right now and are beatable, but not in this round. Cleveland in five.

Orlando vs. Philly: Philly can run a bit but in the end but Orlando is too deep. Orlando in six.
Miami vs. Atlanta: This is a solid matchup. I can go either way but in the end, I’ll take the best player on the floor. Miami in seven.

Los Angeles vs. Utah: This is going to be a tough go for Utah. They will give the Lakers an effort because Jerry Sloan will make the Jazz but the Lakers are looking too tough. Lakers in five

Portland vs. Houston: This is an excellent series that can go either way. Both teams will play defense but I like Portland’s scoring a little more. This will be the time for Oden to provide some positive minutes for the Blazers defending Ming. Portland in seven.

Denver vs. New Orleans: Another excellent series. The x-factor for this series and for the Nuggets for the entire season is J.R. Smith. If he gets going, look out. Carmelo will do his thing. However, I’ll take Paul in the end to at least get the Hornets past Denver. New Orleans in six.

Spurs vs. Mavericks: Wow, the first round of the West is looking solid. I can see either team winning. If I subscribe to the best player on the floor theory, I guess I could go with Dallas with Dirk or even the Spurs with Parker. Duncan is an all-timer but in his current state, he’s hobbled. However, I’m going to go with the more experienced team with the veterans to win one more series. San Antonio in seven.

OK, that’s it. I want to get some comments from you NBA fans out there, I know you exist. Until then, enjoy the playoffs and hear from you during the Conference semis.

Where Should I Move To, Part Deux

Its time to continue with Part Deux of Where Should I Move To?

This has been fun to write and I’ve learned a tremendous amount about each city. Once again, here’s the criteria and the question that I posed to myself on Sunday:

“Is it time for me to move away from Nashville? I’m not married, don’t have a girlfriend, completely single, no children and no major commitments here besides some friends. Should this be a time for me to move away from here. Atlanta would be the easy solution, especially with my mother, brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephews, aunts, uncles, you get the idea living there. However, if I’m going to make a major move, this is the time.”

Even several days later, I still feel this way.Here’s the criteria for the potential city of choice:

a) I would prefer that it’s not in the Northeast. Grew up there, love it, need something different.

b) At least two professional teams and/or solid college sports scene. I do work in sports management after all.

c) The majority of my family lives in New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and South Carolina. I love my family and would like to be near them but I’m also a loner so moving across the country away from them doesn’t concern me greatly.

d) I’ve never been to any of the places that are going to be listed accept Baltimore and San Antonio, so I have no personal experiences with any of them.

e) Grew up in New York but that was too big, like the size of Nashville even though it feels too small at times and Atlanta is slightly too condensed.

f) I want it to be a known place but not cliché. That’s why you won’t see Dallas, LA, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, etc. on the list. Those are nice cities but I want to go with something different.

g) I don’t like the Eastern Time Zone. I have my reasons so that going to be a factor.

Now, here are the ratings so far of cities that I’ve done so far:

Vancouver- 2 out of 10
Toronto- 6 out of 10
Denver- 7 out of 10
Baltimore- 7 out of 10

Some places didn’t make the cut but will definitely be considered in the future. Those are:

-Milwaukee
-Minneapolis
-Omaha
-Portland, Ore.
-Salt Lake City
-Charlotte
-Tampa
-Oklahoma City

Ok, time to get to the rest of the cities:

1) Oakland

Sports scene: For professional sports, they have the A’s, Warriors and Raiders, so three out of the four major North American sports leagues are here.

You also have to remember that San Francisco is right there as well, so I could theoretically include the Giants and 49ers as well to the professional sports. If I stretch it out a little further, San Jose is a little bit of a drive, but not impossible, so that gives me the Earthquakes of MLS and the Sharks of the NHL.

I would have strong college sports representation from Stanford and Cal as well as some other mid-major schools in the WAC and Big West. Excellent sports scene.

Nickname: Its an OK list. “Oaktown” is catchy. “O-Town” confuses me with Orlando, so that’s out. “The Town” doesn’t make sense. And according to the Wiki, “The moniker ‘Oaksterdam’ sprang up in 2003 in association with the opening of several medical marijuana clubs in Uptown and on the north side of Downtown.” I don’t know if that’s a good or bad sign.

City Motto: It’s “There’s No There There.” That makes no sense.

Cultural scene: I like the makeup of the city. There is some solid cultural diversity there and I have plenty of options for activities.

Weather: I don’t have to bring my winter coat but a light jacket will do.

Odd fact: Oakland is considered a major port city and is home to Keiser Permanente, Clorox, Dreyer’s and Cost Plus World Markets. So if I want to get some fruit or clean my dirty white shirt, I know the city to move to.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: The music scene is solid. I can listen to some En Vogue, dabble in some MC Hammer or get down with the Hyphy movement or even go old school with some Too Short. Let’s take a look at who I can kick with in the Bay Area…

First, RIP to Bruce Lee, respect. Mark Curry, Clint Eastwood, Mark Hamill, Tom Hanks, Drew Gooden, Ricky Henderson, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Jimmy Rollins, Angela Davis, Sly Stone, and finally, I can kick it with the musical group, the Lovemakers. Never heard a song of theirs but the name alone gets my approval.

Keyshia Cole gets some love from the eye candy side.

Population: The city itself has around 400,000 people, however, the Metro population is around 7 million, which is a big jump. I don’t know which one is more accurate.

Likelihood of moving here: I’m going to say 8 out of 10. There are no weaknesses on paper accept for it being far away from my family and maybe being too big, so it gets docked at least one point for that.

2) St. Louis

Sports scene: Its decent. The main team is the Cardinals, which I’m not a fan of because of my loyalty to the Mets. I’m still old school and remember growing up despising the Cards in the NL East. Granted, I dislike Philly more but I can’t root for the Cardinals. I do like that it’s an excellent baseball town, so that’s a plus. The Blues are OK. Having the Rams there is nice from a football prospective.

It lacking somewhat in the college department with St. Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Nickname: I like both “Gateway City” and “Gateway to the West.” I don’t like “Mound City” and “The Lou.”

Motto: I couldn’t find one

Cultural scene: Seems like there a lot of churches there, which can be both a good and bad thing. I do like that there are a lot of parks and walking areas, this is something that I miss from being in New York.

Weather: It is the Midwest so cold winters are probably to be expected. However, when doing my research, the average temperatures are surprisingly high, even in January where the highs are usually at 40 and the lows are at 20, which isn’t great, but not awful.

Odd Fact: Before the city was founded, it was an open forest area maintained by Native Americans through burning. Currently, you may find an urbanized coyote or whitetail deer roaming the streets. Sign me up for that.

Another odd fact, it’s a border city so do I live on the Missouri or Illinois side. This may be a factor in my decision.

One more for the road, literally, the Greyhound Bus Lines offer more than six national routes from St. Louis. Valuable information.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While listening to my Nelly or Wilco CD (ney to Nelly and yea to Wilco), I can kick it with the following people...

Chuck F’n Berry, Bob Costas, John Goodman, Ryan Howard, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Randy Orton Jr. and Sr. They lack some in this department.

Kimora Lee Simmons is the best eye candy that I could come with and she’s not bad but there’s always been something not completely right with her.

Population: Actual city population is around 400,000 and metro population is around 3 million, good number.

Likelihood of moving here: 5 out of 10. It seems like a nice town and being able to attend Cardinals games constantly is an attractive feature. It would be fun to be a part of a solid baseball town.

3) Houston

Sports scene: Its solid but you would expect that from the fourth most populated city in the USA. I was surprised by that fact. Anyway, you have the Astros, Texans and Rockets representing three of the major North American sports leagues. There’s also the Dynamo of the MLS, something that I enjoy.

For the college scene, there is Rice and the University of Houston, so if I need my fill of college athletics, I can do that. Furthermore, I’m in Big 12 country, so all of the Texas schools may be accessible at moments for me.

Nickname: “H-Town” is the most popular one but we can do better. I like “Bayou City” and “Space City” better. This place has a lot of nicknames. Here’s a partial list:

-Magnolia City
-Capital of the Sunbelt
-Hustletown
-City of Syrup

Motto: I couldn’t find one.

Cultural Scene: A city of that size has to be a fun time. It has a theatre district, places to see a show or a concert, etc. The thing that I would look forward to the most is the Houston Livestock and Show and Rodeo. I’ve never been to a rodeo before and this would be an excellent chance. Its held over 20 days in February and March.

Weather: It’s a warm climate so the winter coat can stay in the closet.

Odd fact: Houston is the largest city in the U.S. without formal zoning regulations. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While listening to my Geto Boys, Paul Wall and ZZ Top CDs, I can kick it with the following people…

A.J. Foyt, Craig James, Debbie Allen, Mark Callaway aka The Undertaker, Walter Cronkite, all of Destiny’s Child, the Quaid brothers, both Randy and Dennis, King Booker T. and Joel Osteen.

I show both Brooke Valentine and Jaclyn Smith as eye candy because its deserved.

Population: The city itself is around 3 million and the metro population is near six million. That may be a little too big for me.

Likelihood of moving here: 6 out of 10. Everything is a positive for this place accept for the size. That may be a little too much for me.

4) Seattle

Sports scene: Excellent. We have the Seahawks and Mariners, solid institutions in that part of the country. Hopefully they get an NBA team back there, I’m still pissed about the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City. Stuff like that makes me not want to work in sports. The sleeper pro team there is the Sounders FC of the MLS. That area loves soccer and that can be a strong franchise. On the collegiate side, its all about U. of Washington with the Pac-10 action.

Nickname: “Emerald City” is good. “Seatown” and the “206” are not good in my opinion. I like three others, “Rain City,” “Gateway to the Pacific” and “The City in the Clouds.”

Motto: “The City of Goodwill.” It’s a little too positive for me but it works I guess.

Cultural Scene: It’s a culturally diverse area, especially in the music and arts side of things. Slam poetry is also popular in this area. However, the music scene is big here.

I first truly starting getting into music in the early 1990’s and that was a big period for Seattle music. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, even Sir Mix a Lot were huge at that time. Even now, Band of Horses, the Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie reside from this area. If you want to go a little older, I can throw at you Nevermore, Queensryche, Heart, Jimi Hendrix and even Quincy Jones.

Weather: Its all about the rain. I will definitely need to get a rain coat and a winter coat.

Odd fact: Of the city’s population over 25, more than 51% have a bachelor’s degree or higher and 93% have a high school diploma or the equivalent of it.

Also, here are the following shows/movies based on the city…Frasier, Grey’s Anatomy, Dead Like Me (awesome show), The Ring, Say Anything…, Singles, Mad Love, WarGames and Dark Angel. That’s a stout list.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While listening to any of the excellent music choices that I mentioned above, here’s who I could kick it with in the city…

Paul Allen, Josie Bissett, Carol Channing, Erica Christensen, Bill Gates, John Olerud, Rainn Wilson, Anna Faris, Brendan Frazier, Kenny G (yeah, I said it), Gary Lawson and Joel McHale.

Bianca Kajlich is sadly underrated. Plus, she’s married to Landon Donovan so you know she’s down with soccer.

Population: Around 3 million, perfect.

Likelihood of moving here: 9 out of 10. This move is happening at some point in my life.

6) Cincinnati

Sports scene: Solid. You have the Reds and the Bengals representing the major sports leagues. You have the Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League as well.

For college, you have Cincinnati, Xavier and even Miami of Ohio to fulfill those desires.

Nicknames: Two excellent ones. You have “Queen City” and “the Natti.”

Motto: Juncta Juvant, which means Strength in Unity in Latin. I like that.

Cultural Scene: The Fountain Square area seems to be the hot spot for the cultural scene in the Natti. They seem to have a lot of festivals there as well.

Weather: Its Ohio, time to get the warm clothing.

Odd fact: I have three of them:

1) In 2008 Cincinnati was ranked the 10th most walkable city in the United States, and the most walkable in Ohio.

2) There were some race riots in 2001. That’s not good for all parties involved.

3) In 2008, Forbes magazine named the Natti tenth in a list of America’s Hard-Drinking Cities.
Eye candy/celebrity factor/food: While blasting my 3 Doors Down, Bootsy Collins and Isley Brothers CDs and paying my respects to Brian Pillman, RIP Flyin Brian, these are the people I could kick it with…

Jerry Springer, Thom Brennaman, George Clooney, Dan Patrick, Woody Harrelson, Steven Spielberg, Amy Yasbeck, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin, Oscar Robertson, Tom Jackson and Rich Franklin

Carmen Electra, big fan.

Population: The actual city has over 400,000 and the metro population is just over two million. Nice number.

Likelihood of moving here: Six out of ten. Race riots aside, tts in a convenient location for me, there are job opportunities and it fits a lot of my requirements. The race riots aren't a good thing but hey, what's a little infighting amoung the locals? All kidding aside, that wouldn't be the reason for me to not move to a city.

Conclusion: OK, lets look at the ratings of all of the cities profiled.

Vancouver- 2 out of 10
St. Louis- 5 out of 10
Toronto- 6 out of 10
Houston- 6 out of 10
Cincinnati- 6 out of 10
Denver- 7 out of 10
Baltimore- 7 out of 10
Oakland- 8 out of 10
Seattle: 9 out of 10

Well, it looks like I’m either heading out west or to Baltimore. That’s what I expected before I did the breakdown. This has been a fun process and I learned a lot about each city. I know that in the end, my job will determine where I will go.

What are your thoughts on my analysis? I would love to get your opinions.

Where should I move to, Part 1

Hey everyone, hope you had a good day or are about to have one.

Music to listen to: Mama by Genesis




I told y’all that I got the greatest hits by Genesis over the weekend and have been playing it hard since then. By the way, Phil isn’t singing about the type of Mama that you may be thinking of.

Crush of the Day: This is going to be done differently this time around, you will see.

I asked in my Reflections yesterday if it was time for me to move away from Nashville. I stated that:

“Is it time for me to move away from Nashville? I’m not married, don’t have a girlfriend, completely single, no children and no major commitments here besides some friends. Should this be a time for me to move away from here. Atlanta would be the easy solution, especially with my mother, brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephews, aunts, uncles, you get the idea living there. However, if I’m going to make a major move, this is the time.”I still thing a day later that this is true.

Here are the criteria for the potential city of choice:

a) I would prefer that it’s not in the Northeast. Grew up there, love it, need something different.

b) At least two professional teams and/or solid college sports scene. I do work in sports management after all.

c) The majority of my family lives in New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and South Carolina. I love my family and would like to be near them but I’m also a loner so moving across the country away from them doesn’t concern me greatly.

d) I’ve never been to any of the places that are going to be listed accept Baltimore and San Antonio, so I have no personal experiences with any of them.

e) Grew up in New York but that was too big, like the size of Nashville even though it feels too small at times and Atlanta is slightly too condensed.

f) I want it to be a known place but not cliché. That’s why you won’t see Dallas, LA, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, etc. on the list. Those are nice cities but I want to go with something different.

g) I don’t like the Eastern Time Zone. I have my reasons so that going to be a factor.

Ok, that’s the criteria. Let’s get to the cities

1) Denver

Nickname: The Mile High City is solid. I don’t like The 303 or D-Town

Sports scene: Very solid. You have the Rockies, Avalanche, Nuggets and the Broncos, all four major North American sports represented. Furthermore, you have the Rapids, so MLS is represented as well.

College scene is ok with Colorado about an hour away and the University of Denver in the Sun Belt Conference. I can see MTSU play once in a while. Also, good hockey with the Pioneers.

Social/cultural scene: Denver seems like a chill place, not too big, not too small. One thing that I would like to do more of is get involved with nature and I think that I can go on a lot of hikes if I wanted.

Weather: I haven’t been through a solid winter in a while and Nashville doesn’t count. I would have to get used to shoveling snow.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/music: Denver is lacking in this department.



Eve Torres of WWE fame is from there, which is nice.

Other celebrities that I could kick it with there include India.Arie, Carmelo Anthony, LenDale White, 2 Cold Scorpio, Don Cheadle and the band The Fray.

Food known for: I’m not really sure what type of food Denver is known for.

Population: City population is around 600,000 and Greater area is around 2.5 million. OK number.

Famous sports icon: John Elway. I approve.

Likelihood of moving here (1 out of 10): A solid 7

2) Vancouver

Motto: By Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper. Respect.

Sports scene: Its all about hockey. The Canucks are the main draw. They also have an excellent USL team in the Whitecaps who will soon become part of the MLS. They also have the BC Lions, which is the CFL team. That would take some adjusting not being near an NFL team.

I’m not familiar with their college scene.

Social/cultural scene: I’ve heard good things about the Canadian town. I like that its in the northwest so it shares the same common aspects of Denver. It seems like a culturally diverse area, which is welcomed by me after growing up in New York.

Weather: Better bring a thick coat.

Odd fact: Vancouver is home to the longest running Ukrainian radio program, Nash Holos. Good to know.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/music: This city is pretty loaded.



My girl Sarah Chalke is from this city. Granted she was born in Ottawa but raised in Vancouver.



Yeah, Kristin Kreuk is from there too.

If I visit the city, I could also hang out with Bryan Adams, Pam Anderson, Michael Buble, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Chong, Hayden Christensen, Justin Morneau…

Grace Park is from there as well. This is ridiculous.

Jason Priesley, Seth Rogan, Missy Peregrym, Larry Walker, this list goes on.

Food known for: I’m blank on this one

Famous sports icon: I guess you could go with Trevor Linden. I have no beef with him.

Likelihood of moving here: 2 out of 10. It would be a tough go for me to not only move to that part of the country but to Canada nonetheless. However, I think the next city may have a better chance.

3) Toronto

Nicknames: T-Dot is not good. T.O. reminds me of that certain NFL receiver. The Queen City is ok. The Big Smoke is my favorite.

Motto: Diversify our Strength. Positive thinking.

Sports scene: The Raptors, Blue Jays and Maple Leafs represent three out of the big four. Furthermore, you have the Argonauts, the tremendous CFL team. The Hockey Hall of Fame is there. Toronto FC is a good MLS team. This is a complete professional sports town.

The college sports may be lacking.

Social/cultural scene: I’ve heard that this is a fun town to live in. I like the international diversity of the city.

Weather: Warm coats once again.

Odd fact: Toronto has one of the lowest crime rates in North America. Its homicide rate was 1.9 per 100,000 people. For reference, compared to Atlanta (34.5), Boston (5.5), New York City (7.3), Vancouver (2.8), and Washington, D.C. (45.5). However, the city “has concerns regarding gun violence, gangs, and racial profiling by Toronto Police against minorities.” Well that can put a pickle in your sandwich.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/music: While listening to my Rush, Neil Young and Nelly Fertado albums and paying my respects to Peter Jennings, RIP, I can hang out with…

Neve Campbell, Jim Carrey, Anson Carter, Deborah Cox, Kris Draper, Edge and Christian, Norm McDonald, Jay Manuel, Rachel McAdams, Keanu Reeves, Snow (the musician), Trish Stratus and finally….

XXXXX

Tamia. You are one lucky man Grant Hill.

Population: Its pushing six million, that may be too much.

Sports Icon: It has to be Gretzky, he was born near there. Can’t find anything wrong with that.

Likelihood of moving here: 6 out of 10. I can actually see this happening.

4) Baltimore

Sports scene: You have the Ravens and Orioles as far as the major professional teams, a little lacking. I would like to be in a city with an NBA team again and Baltimore doesn’t have that. They have some colleges there.

But lets go back to the Orioles. I’ve always admired that franchise from afar and to actually get to follow them on a daily basis would be fun.

Nicknames: Charm City is solid.

City Motto: “The Greatest City in America,” that’s a little pompous. Another one is “Get in on it.” I will do that.

Weather: Typical seasonal weather. Nothing too spectacular.

Odd fact: According to crime statistics there were 276 homicides in Baltimore in 2006, the second-highest homicide rate per 100,000 of all U.S. cities of 250,000 or more population. I saw the TV show, The Wire, we all know what’s up.

Actually, this allows me to go on a quick tangent. It used to annoy me as a New Yorker when TV shows would portray my city as the center of crime. Sure, crimes would go down in New York but it wasn’t all the time. I’m sure that residents of Baltimore feel the same about The Wire.

Eye candy/celebrity factor/music: These two women were born there.


Stacy Keibler and Jada Pinkett Smith. Two winners.

I could also kick it with Tori Amos, Mike Bloomberg, Muggsy Bogues, Toni Braxton, David Byrne, Ben Carson…

Ok, David Byrne was in the Talking Heads which all of you know I love and Ben Carson, his book Gifted Hands was life changing. I’m warming up to this city.

DMX, Charles “Roc” Dutton, Mel Kiper, Jr., Frank Deford, Eddie Murray, Ed Norton, Jim Palmer, Travis Pastrana, Bucky Lasek, Pat Sajak, John Waters and finally, he may be dead, but props to Frank Zappa.

That may be the best collection I’m going to find out of all the cities.

Population: Metro population is around 3 million, nearly perfect number.

Likelihood of moving here: Solid 7 out of 10. This one is unfair becasue I like this city a lot. I used to go there every summer for our church youth camps and enjoyed everything, especially the Harbor. Its an underrated city.

That’s Part One. I’ll get to Part Two at some point this week, but here are the cities for your anticipation.

6) Oakland
7) St. Louis
8) Kansas City
9) Houston
10) Seattle
11) Cincinnati
12) San Antonio

Until then, have a good fight and a good night.