All-Decade Bulls

For the Bulls, my All-Decade team was a bit easier to come up with. The pieces started coming together 2003 when they got Kirk Hinrich. They had potential pairing him with Eddy Curry, Jalen Rose and Scottie Pippen. But it was 2004 when they really got good. They got Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng in the same year.

F: Luol Deng
F: Andres Nocioni
C: Ben Wallace
G: Kirk Hinrich
G: Ben Gordon

I felt like Deng was the most consistent at forward. Noc, although came off the bench a lot, I thought was the next best. He brought energy, commitment and tough defense to the table. In my eyes, he's easily NBA first team in defense. At center, I gave Wallace the position because he accomplished more during his short tenure than Eddy Curry (who was a great player on the Bulls). Hinrich was a tough one to choose over Rose, but I went for the years of experience over potential. Rose will likely be better in the future, but looking at 2000-2009, Hinrich is the man. For shooting guard, no one can match up with Ben Gordon. I'd take him over Jalen Rose or Jamal Crawford. Remember, those guys got traded away which resulted in the Bulls getting better. When the Bulls got Gordon, they became a playoff team.

All-Decade Yankees

To celebrate the decade of success, I put together the dream Yankees roster that would make the strongest team of the decade. This includes the starting lineup, a 5-man pitching rotation, setup man and closer.

C: Jorge Posada
1B: Tino Martinez
2B: Alfonso Soriano
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: Alex Rodriguez
LF: Johnny Damon
CF: Bernie Williams
RF: Paul O'Neill
DH: Hideki Matsui
P1: Andy Pettitte
P2: David Cone
P3: CC Sabathia
P4: Orlando Hernandez
P5: Doc Gooden
RP: Joba Chamberlain
RP: Mariano Rivera

I mostly took guys from the 2000 team because I felt that team was stronger. It was the tail end of their 90's dynasty, so many of those guys already had multiple rings. Tex probably had a better year than any of Tino's, but I went with Tino because he had more great Yankee years. Soriano is clearly better than Cano. It was tough not to include Brosius for all of the things he has done at 3B, but A-Rod is one of the best in baseball history... can't deny him a spot! With Bernie & O'Neill in the outfield, it was tight, but I was still able to get Damon in and Matsui at DH.

Sword of Azrael: Security

The terrorist isn't the only one to blame in the Detroit Christmas incident. Umar was on at least on FBI watch list, but was somehow not on the no-fly list. The terrorist's own father warned officials of his son. So many red flags and he was still able to get as far as lighting the bomb. It's only after incidents like this that we step up security. Now there's a rule about not using the rest rooms 30 minutes before landing... not really a hard one for terrorists to adjust to. I'm sure the liquids rule will go back into effect as well, which is a good start.

In the past, I also wrote about the predictable nature of the "random" security checks at subway stations. I thought the cops would've shaped up after the above incident, but it's still the same routine. Naturally, I can't publish the details in case a terrorist comes across this blog.

So airport and subway security in general have both earned my excommunication punishment. Unlike other recipients of Azrael's sword, these people need to bounce back or innocents will get hurt in future attacks.

Cached?

We've been testing one of our Intranet based applications for the past few days. One of the project managers entered the following into the bug tracking system:

I'm not seeing (one of the changes). Or maybe I'm cached?

He just answered his own question. He would do this many times on different projects. One would think he got used to it by now. When testing any kind of browser-based application, the cache always has to be cleared, especially before reporting bugs. If he had the time to think and type in, "Or maybe I'm cached," he could've just cleared his cache and reloaded. It would've prevented to unnecessary entry into the bug tracking system, causing several developers to be lead on a wild goose chase, adding up to a lot of wasted time.

Sword of Azrael: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Everyone knows about the bomb attempt on the Detroit bound flight by now. So this guy (Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab) gets my death by fiery sword honor. An attempt to take lives is the same as taking lives. The only reason why all of those passengers are alive now is because Umar didn't construct his bomb correctly. He ended up burning his own legs instead of blowing up the plane. According to laws in the US, he'll have to stand trial and go through a long process in the court system. In the end, he'll likely get out of it with a small jail sentence when the only true answer should be death. Our system is just too lenient and that's why we paid for it on 9/11.

Thomas Returns

The Bulls have turned into one of the worst teams after an uncharacteristically good start. Losing Ben Gordon over the Summer proved to be a big mistake. They've been losing games by blowout most of the time and have had trouble in the 4th quarter (their best quarter in the past several years). They did win last night's game against the Hornets in the return of Tyrus Thomas. Do the Bulls have a playoff chance? I actually think they have a slim chance, but there are a few things they need to do for the rest of the season...

1) Deng needs to keep up what he's doing and be consistent of every game. He's been playing his salary's worth so far.

2) Noah needs to keep up his largely improved performance and continue to put up double-doubles.

3) Hinrich needs to stay healthy and be the Kirk Hinrich of 2 years ago. I'd like to see him more aggressive offensively.

4) Thomas needs to put the same effort in as the other guys and put his ego aside. If he can stay out of trouble and play ball, he'll be a large piece in the team's success.

5) Salmons needs to be Ben Gordon in the 4th.

I didn't mention Rose because he's been carrying the team so far. He needs the other components to come into play for him to be a success point guard and rack up assists. He needs 1 or 2 other guys to step up so that he doesn't have to be the main man EVERY time. Of the items I listed, the least likely to happen are #4 & 5. It's in Thomas' personality to be flashy and get into trouble. Hopefully he can follow in Noah's footsteps in improving himself. And #5... well... Salmons just isn't as skilled as Gordon, so it just means more time in the gym. He doesn't have to put up the exact numbers, but if he can up hi usual, it would be a big help. That combined with the improved Deng and a healthy Hinrich can make up for no BG.

Sword of Azrael: EMT

2 EMTs let a pregnant woman die because they were on coffee break. This is typical of the American worker. A break is a break and anything out of the job description is someone else's responsibility... even if someone's dying apparently. The EMTs merely instructed the staff (of the coffee) shop to call 911 and they bounced.

"Burn out? They were sitting there having coffee, how can they be burnt out?" said the mayor. "They're human beings. Somebody's dying down the street and they say help them, and they just sat there. There's no excuse whatsoever, as far as I can see. I don't know what kind of burn out you can have."
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg

He's absolutely right. The EMT's defense was that the 2 workers on break were not trained for that kind of situation. My thinking is that they still had a lot more exposure than the anyone else in the cafe. If you're the janitor for the FDNY, you have more experience than the average guy. EMTs Jason Green and Melissa Jackson should be suspended permanently!

3 in a Row... Not

The Bulls were on their way to win 3 in a row last night. It was a given. They had a 19-point lead after the 1st quarter already. It just looked like the Kings didn't show up and it was going to be a blowout. The 2nd quarter was more of the same and the Bulls at one point had a whopping 35-point lead. Guaranteed win, right? It should be... always, but not last night. The Kings creeped up in the 3rd and the Bulls completely fell asleep in the 4th, scoring only 10. Deng had a big game with 26 and Rose followed up his career high with 24. But the totals don't matter when no one shows up for the 4th quarter.

This loss was due to a lack of discipline. This is the NBA. No lead should ever be treated as safe or guaranteed. This team lacks the work ethic of last year's team. There's no excuse for losing a 35-point lead. Tonight they have the Knicks. If they lose this one, I'm pretty sure Vinny Del Negro will get the traditional Christmas present by management.

Win Streak

The Bulls finally have a 2-game win streak. They avoided being embarrassed against the lowly Knicks on Thursday, defeating them 98-89. It looked bad in the beginning when the Knicks took a big 17-point lead. They then went on a drought and the Bulls caught all the way up. The Knicks were on fire from 3 early on in the game and then just went dead. I believe they broke some record for most 3's attempted. They're also the league leader in that category. What bothers me is when they mention that as a stat, announcers always make it sound good. However, the Knicks are amongst the worst in 3 pt percentage. That's a terrible combination... most attempts and lowest percentage. Well... that's what this game ended up being. Gallinari was just jacking them up. The Bulls did a great job all around. Scoring was lead by Deng (24), Salmons (20) and Rose (18). Deng had a double-double and Noah was just 1 rebound shy.

From one of the worst teams on Thursday, the Bulls faced and beat on of the best teams last night in the Hawks. Like a typical Bulls game, they dug a nice hole in the 1st quarter and then caught up in the 2nd. They also forced OT in the 4th quarter on a Salmons 3. Joe Johnson had a 40-point performance, but it was overshadowed by the Bulls spread out scoring. Rose had a career high 32 and they also had 4 other guys in double digits. Rose and Hinrich were clutch in the 4th. They really played to the level of their competition last night.

Power Shift

I'm not sure what the Yankees were thinking with their moves so far, but I don't think they're getting better compared to their rivals. The Red Sox, again concentrated on pitching, picking up John Lacky to complete a scary looking rotation. The Phillies really woke up after losing the World Series. They picked up Halladay AND Cliff Lee. With moves like that, they'll easily dominate the National League. If there's a bright side for the Yankees, it's the Angels loss of pitching. They lost K-Rod last year and now Lee. Maybe their dominance over NY will finally be over. If they can still beat the Yankees, then there's really something to be said about having another team's number!

Yankees Update

In about a week's time, the Yankees managed to purge all of their Asian players. First, they thought that giving Chien Ming Wang (Taiwanese) a contract was too much of a risk given his season-ending injury. He became a free agent and is said to be shopping all MLB teams. So there's a slight chance the Yankees could get him, but I'm sure one of the other teams will pick him up before it comes to that. If he's not a Yankee, I hope Joe Torre picks him up for the Dodgers.
Hideki Matsui (Japanese), the World Series MVP signed with the LA Angels earlier in the week. With the signing of Curtis Granderson, the Yankees didn't have much room left for Matsui. I believe that this is the wrong move. After the Yankees beat the Mets in 2000, they also began bringing in the heavy hitters instead of concentrating on pitching. They could be walking down the same path.

Johnny Damon (Thai-American) was next. The Yankees couldn't give him the amount he was looking for, so he'll be shopping around as well. Damon, although older is still a valuable player. He has championship experience and is clutch. I'm really hoping he doesn't end up on the Red Sox. I would've preferred the Yankees keep Damon & Matsui and not make a move for another offensive star. They should've been more serious about Lacky or Halladay.

Damon is American, but losing Wang and Matsui will take the Yankees out of the international spotlight. They won't have the entourage of Chinese & Japanese reporters around and will lose a lot of revenue from that.

Pour it On!

I keep hearing people around the office talk about how tired they are of the Tiger Woods news. Everyone wants the media to leave him alone now... give him some privacy. You know what? I want the opposite! The guy is filthy rich. He's a celebrity and sports star. He just won an Athlete of the Decade award. He's larger than life and has more money than most people. If he screws up he deserves to have the whole world collapse on him. Of course part of me thinks there's just too much information coming out out. But when I think of his salary vs mine... I tend not to give a crap. Also as an extremely disappointed fan, I just want him to keep suffering. Pour on the news!

MTA Budget Cuts

The MTA's budget cuts were announced yesterday. Keeping in mind that there will be no fare increase, here are my thoughts on each of them:

W & Z Taken Offline
The W line is terrible anyway. The N & R trains should be able to take on the extra load. The yellow line doesn't seem as packed as some of the other lines during rush hour. I don't think this one will make a big impact. Naturally, it will affect some people, but budget cuts mean losing the weakest link. And the Z train... there's a Z train? All my years in the city and I don't think I ever rode this line.

G & M Reductions
These are two other lines no one every rides. I may have been on the G like once or twice and never on the M.

Bus Line Reductions (~20)
This one is no big deal as well. We all know how unreliable MTA buses are... pretty much the complete opposite of the subway. They're slow, overcrowded and slave to the terrible rush hour traffic. As reported every year, many of these buses are slower than walking... slower than a chicken for that matter!

Students pay 50% instead of 0%
Students take up space... some more than they should. Many students add to the noise level with their video games and cellphones... especially when they come in large groups. I think paying half price is very lenient. They should pay full price just like everyone else. The only people that deserve a reduced rate are seniors.

Take-On NY Continued

As promised, here are my thoughts on some of the fights at the end of the Take-On Muay Thai event that I didn't get a chance to take pictures of:

Varga vs. Ahmed
This was Omar Ahmed's 2nd professional match in as many TKO events. I believe it was Gabriel Varga's pro debut and he came all the way from Canada for it. I knew Omar was going to have his hands full here since every Canadian fighter has proven to be formidable against our locals. Both guys were sharp in the beginning of the match. Varga suffered a cut over his eye in the first round, but didn't appear hurt. He must've been annoyed if anything. I thought it was going to end soon on a cheap stoppage by the doctor. His corner did a great job of stopping the bleeding though and the fight continued. The other thing I was afraid of was the judging. Because of the blood, Varga appeared to be losing visually, but he was staying toe-to-toe with the local hero. varga won the decision with his amazing performance in the 4th & 5th rounds, trapping Omar several times in the corner with punch combos. He even went down a couple of times. This was definitely the fight of the night. Varga didn't disappoint in his debut and Omar survived the onslaught without getting KOed. I also want to point out that Omar went over to Gabriel before the official decision and congratulated him on the win. Another example of the great sportsmanship in this brutal sport.

Emily Bearden vs. Petra Van Doorn
The main event was a WKA title defense for Emily Bearden. It was a close, but uneventful match, especially after the great show by Ahmed & Varga. This matchup consisted of a couple of punches, leading into a clinch, but not much happened in the clinch. The 2 women just battled for balance and got a couple of glancing knees in there. It was five rounds of that. The decision probably could've gone either way.

Take-On New York Showdown

Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries, so I missed the last 3 pro fights. I was conserving power as soon as I saw 1 bar left, so as you can see, this album has a lot less shots than usual. I thought it was going to last through the end. Anyway, here's what I have + some commentary on each one.

View all

Get your own

I'll talk more about the last 3 I didn't photograph in a separate post. To be continued...

Take-On New York Showdown Results

It looks like this will be a normal ongoing series after the successful launch in October. A lot of fighters from the last event participated in this one as well. I think we'll see a lot of Sitan NY, Five Points Academy and Pittsburgh in this series. Hopefully some other local schools get into the mix as well.

- Laurel Holloway def Amy Hao (unanimous dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Khaled Zeidan def Giovanny Mercado (TKO - 1st rd.)
- Sashia Azeredo def Passa Chattra (unanimous dec - 3rd rd.)
- Carlos Restrepo def Jessie Jimenez (dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Turan Hasanov def Osvaldo Dominguez (KO - 2nd rd.)
- Will Espinal def Xavi Ramos (KO - 1st rd.)
- Marcus Fisher def Preston Baptiste (dec. - 5th rd.)
- Eddie Martinez def Arthur Sorsor (KO - 4th rd.)
- Ramil Ibrahim def Hamza Ahnine (TKO - 5th rd.)
- Mark Deluca def Sheldon Gaines (dec. - 5th rd.)
- Gabriel Varga def Omar Ahmed (unanimous dec. - 5th rd.)
- Emily Bearden def Petra Van Doorn (dec. - 5th rd.)

Tech Deals of the Week (12/13-12/19)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB PNY (swivel design) @ ST for $14.99
- 8 GB PNY @ ST for $22.99
- 16 GB PNY @ ST for $39.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ BB for $12.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ BB for $22.99


LCD Sales
- 20" Dell @ ST for $129.98
- 21" AOC @ ST for $149.98
- 20" Hannspree @ BB for $119.99
- 23" Hannspree @ BB for $139.99
- 24" Samsung @ BB for $199.99

50 pack DVD-R & 50 pack CD-R @ ST for $14.99
That's right... you get both packs for $14.99.

Swiss Gear 15.4" Laptop Sleeve @ BB for $17.99
This is listed as a sleeve, but is really a thin and well-padded bag. It's much more protective than a standard slip-on sleeve.

$30 Gift Card w/ Purchase of iPod touch @ BB
This is probably the best iPod offer out there right now. There's no discount on the device itself, but the $30 will come in handy for all of the accessories you'll need for it... which are a lot cheaper at Best Buy than the Apple store.

Logitech V220 Mouse @ TG for $9.99
This is probably the best basic wireless notebook mouse and $9.99 is pretty much a Black Friday price. The regular price is as high as $30 with a normal sale price of $20.

Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target

Yankees Update

There was an article on the Daily Herald titled "Where did it all go wrong for Del Negro and Bulls?" If you've been following this blog, you know how I feel about that and that I saw what was coming this season long ago! When I saw that headline, it lead me back to baseball. So let's talk about the Yankees.

Less than 2 months from baseball season and the Yankees have been very busy already. First and foremost, they got Andy Pettitte back for another year. He's 37, but has no business retiring after the performance he just gave us. He's a prime example of why experience prevails as he clinched each round of the Yankees' championship run. He was easily the team's second best pitcher all season long, stopping the losing streaks and giving solid innings.

Next, the Yankees picked up Curtis Granderson (CF) from the Tigers in a multi-team trade that dealt away Ian Kennedy & Phil Coke. Granderson is an OK player. He's got decent power and a below average BA. His personality matches the low key Yankees... not a guy that will get into trouble. He could help the team, but the OF logjam worries me. I'm a strong believer that the team is greater than the parts that make it up. Championship teams should never be broken up. In this case, I'm talking about Damon and Matsui. They were big all of last season and in the playoffs. The Yankees should try to get them back. I'd like to see Granderson in CF, Gardner in RF, Damon and LF and Matsui in DH. I think the Yankees think too highly of Cabrera and Swisher when they put them above Damon and Matsui. Coke & Kennedy are hardly a loss though. The Yankees always try to play it up, but neither of those 2 guys has shown signs of stardom, so it was a gamble anyway. Brunei was also dealt away... the weakest link in the pen anyway. So far the Yankees haven't lost much yet.

Halladay is next on the radar!

Bulls Suck

After a good start, they fell back into the Circus Trip curse and have yet to come out of it. When they lose to the worst in the league, the Nets, it can't be described any other way. The Bulls officially suck now. Without looking at their records, I think the Bulls are actually worse than the Nets now. They never had a comfortable lead despite the numbers Derek Rose put up. Salmons and Gibson did a good job too, but there was no defense. They pretty much let Devin Harris do whatever he wants. We desperately need Hinrich back.

To make things worse, they dropped tonight's game against the Hawks in blowout fashion. There are some games I don't expect the Bulls to win, but their record wouldn't be so bad if they won the easy ones.

Tiger Woods is beating the Bulls too as he upped his number to 10 and counting

eReaders

Amazon has been very successful with their Kindle product line, defining the specs of what an eBook reader should be. It has an appealing, simple design much like Apple's products. It's light and easy to carry. Most importantly, the screen does a great job of mimicking paper. Many people complain that it doesn't have color and is overpriced for a black and white product. But the point is... it's supposed to get as close as possible to a paper texture. All of the development went into this. While color is a next step, it's still far away.

I just read today that some of the major magazine publishers are working on an eMag reader. The one thing they have to get right is the screen. If they rush this, all they're going to release is a dumbed down netbook. Hopefully they really spend their time making the screen easy on the eyes. It has to work in low light and sunlight environments.

Tiger & Knicks Tied

The Knicks beat the Nets in a battle of the cellar teams, foiling the chance for NJ to start up a winning streak. The Knicks now have 6 winds for the season, tying Tiger Woods' affairs. The Nets had a good lead in the beginning of the game, but they let the Knicks make several runs to comeback and take a double digit lead themselves. Larry Hughes was hot from 3-point land. NJ did make a few runs, but not enough to take back the lead. They'll have to wait until Tuesday for a chance to get another win. That's when they'll face the Bulls. It might seem like an easy win for the Bulls, but remember, they have a tendency to drop to the level of their competition. Also, the Nets are a team with their back against the wall. So the Bulls can't take them lightly.

Things got worse for Tiger Woods over the weekend as 3 more women claim affairs, making a total of 6 "wins." Worse, all of them claimed he was into S&M. This is all very surprising as Tiger was always a symbol of class. This is about as weird as Marv Albert dressing in women's clothing... though Marv did nothing morally bad. I'm sure there's going to be more to come.

Bulls' Weekend

After a possible bounce-back from the Circus Road Trip, the Bulls failed to turn their win against Detroit into a much needed winning streak. They fell to the Cavs last night and then to the Raptors just a few minutes ago. The Cleveland loss can't be all attributed to lack of a 4th quarter guy. The defense was also pretty bad as they let James get 23 points and 11 assists. Hinrich, the usual guy defending James was still injured. The Bulls struggled to score as no player even got 15 points. When the rookie Gibson has a team high of 14, it all adds up to a Bulls loss. This was probably the worst I've seen them play against a Shaq "powered" team. No Hinrich and Gordon means no speed and confusion. The Toronto game was a blowout. Again... no offense as Salmons had a team high 13 (tied w/ Pargo). Chris Bosh had a big game, scoring 25 for the Raptors.

We have the Nets on Tuesday. It's very important that the Bulls don't take them lightly. It would be embarrassing even for them to let a team with 1 win come in and get another. Yup... the Nets have 1 win now as they defeated the Bobcats last night.

Bad Kitty

Things aren't looking good for Tiger Woods right now. I had a feeling something was fishy, but like many other fans was in denial and hoping it would get cleared up. Now all the dirt is coming out with women claiming to have slept with him. A voicemail message from Woods was played publicly on many stations. It had him telling a woman to take his number off her phone because his wife was going to start calling up numbers from his phone. The voice was clearly Woods. It's amazing how fast someone can go down. One of history's greatest athletes one day and it's all crumbling fast.

I just don't understand why athletes can't learn from past mistakes of previous stars. One simple mistake and it can all get thrown away in a matter of days. I was telling a friend the other day that sports starts should just not get married until they're long retired. The money and fame must do something to them mentally and make them think they can get away with everything.

BG Returns

The much anticipated return of Ben Gordon ended in a Bulls win, snapping a 5-game losing streak. There was a lot of hype leading up to the game as it would be BG's first return to the United Center in a uniform other than the Bulls that we're used to. He was nursing a sprained ankle, but made an effort to recover and play against his former team. He had a typical game, scoring 18... 6 in the 4th quarter as Detroit nearly mounted a comeback. I was actually hoping he'd have a 50 point game to stick it to the Bulls. But in the end, the Bulls just had a better team. Salmons and Rose had big games, scoring 22 & 19 respectively. The Bulls had a light bench, which usually makes them step up their game. Brad Miller scored 16, which really helped out. Noah was quiet on the offensive end, but did his job with 14 rebounds.

"Honestly, I didn't like that at all. When BG was here, he played hard and really committed to the game. I know he's not here. But he didn't do anything bad to the organization. I thought they were going to cheer for him. He played hard. I was disappointed in that. He should've got a better reception."
-Luol Deng

Ben Gordon, as expected was greeted with a mixture of applause and boos. I really don't think any of the fans should boo him. It was the Bulls organization that messed up. They've always been cheap and it will continue to cost the team playoff appearances. As Ben Gordon said in a recent interview, he doesn't think he's been replaced. So true! It's why the Bulls are struggling. Last year, they had 2 go-to guys in the 4th... BG & Rose. So they took pressure off each other. There's just so much weight on Rose this year. Also, they're losing a lot of fast break opportunities. Rose would make it down the floor and have no one to pass to. It's the reason why Rose is struggling this year.

"I think he deserves all the respect in the world. He's one of the best scorers that ever wore the jersey. We wouldn't have been in the position we were in last year if it wasn't for that guy hitting big shot after big shot."
-Joakim Noah

Tiger Woods Uncut

The Tiger Woods car crash was all over the news the past few days, but this report from a Chinese station was the most complete. They took the liberty of filling in the missing visuals with a 3-D animated reenactment of the accident. Check it out:

End of the Circus

The Bulls had their chance to close it out with a win, but fell to the Bucks 99-97, making their Circus Road Trip a pitiful 1-5. If you look at the stat sheet, this one should've added up to a win. Rose had 19. Noah (16-17) and Deng (22-14) had double-doubles. Salmons had 23. How did they lose? The game was close most of the time and the Bulls had their chances to tie or take the lead. The defense just wasn't there. It's always a step back without Hinrich on the floor of course. At least the Circus Trip is over. Hopefully the circus gameplay is over as well.

The next game will be very interesting... the first meeting of the season with Ben Gordon's Pistons! Both teams are at the bottom of the Central right now.

Weekend Sports Wrapup

JWP vs. Maddog
John Wayne Parr closed out the year with a win in another Australian Muay Thai event. He defeated rising star Eli "Maddog" Madagan. It doesn't air on Fox 25 until later in December, but from what I've read, JWP made it look good too. Maddog had a pretty good year and was always in shape, but JWP keeps getting stronger and few surpass him as far as experience... probably no one in Australia.

NBA
The Bulls lost their game, dropping another one of the Circus Road Trip. As usual, they dug a hole and couldn't get out of it. They have Milwaukee tonight, so it's a chance to end the trip with a win. The Bucks are a beatable team and a division rival. As bad as the Bulls are, the Knicks are still worse. There was a lot of news around an improved Curry who lost 30+ pounds, but I'll believe it when I see it. He's still going to be rusty and far from the shape he was in during his tenure with the Bulls. And worse than the Knicks this year is the NJ Nets. They broke the record for worst start in NBA history last night by dropping their 17th straight! That's just unbelievable!

Yankees
Not much baseball news, but over the weekend, Roy Halladay said he would OK a trade to the Yankees if the Jays were looking to trade. That got Yankees fans drooling. Imagine a rotation of CC, Halladay, Pettitte, Wang and AJ! Then Hughes would get the 7th, Joba the 8th and Mariano the 9th. That would be one of the strongest pitching staffs in history! From Halladay's point of view, he totally wanted to be in CC & AJ's shoes after they won the World Series.

Tiger
Tiger Woods got into trouble over the weekend and it had nothing to do with golf. One report had him backing his SUV into a hydrant. The car got smashed and he was stuck. Then his wife tried to get him out by smaching a window with a golf club. Another report says it was a domestic dispute and she chased after him with a golf club, causing the crash. Hopefully tiger's report turns out to be the truth because someone of his stature going down with bad news like this would hurt the sport a lot.

Black Friday Results

As I expected, Black Friday didn't do that great. I heard on NY1 that it did slightly better than last year... which wasn't a good year. So a little bit better isn't going to do much for the economy. I noticed that the electronics and computer deals weren't great, but was hoping other departments would do well. There were huge lines at Best Buy, but it didn't seem like that had an effect. Maybe people were buying lower priced items rather than TVs and appliances.

So for another week, I have no deals to list. But definitely tune in to the Online stores on Monday for Cyber Monday. It's our last hope!

Allen Iverson

Last week, Allen Iverson officially left the Grizzlies and "retired." I have "retired" in quotes because I really don't think it'll be that long until he comes out of retirement. He's not that old and is still one of the league's best scorers. He's been the best scorer in the NBA since Michael Jordan retired. So while all of the cameras were on Kobe, it was AI that was filling up the stat sheet. There were talks of him going to the Knicks and the most recent news was him going back to Philly. I think he'll at most have a year off if someone doesn't pick him up now. Like I've been saying, this whole season is a dead one with teams waiting for the power (James, Anthony & Wade) to shift. After those 3 guys sign, then other stars will be considered. It's almost like a lottery, but with pro players instead of college.

I would love for the Bulls to get AI now. The desperately need a true scorer. Trying to groom Salmons into that role is going to cost them precious games and it might be too late by the time he improves.

Black Friday Deals (Part 2)

NewEgg
LG Black WH08LS20K Blu-ray Burner for $129.99
LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM SATA Internal 4X Blu-ray Disc Reader for $49.99
Rosewill USB 2.0 External Slim 8X DVD Burner for $39.99
Logitech G11 keyboard for $43.99
Logitech V550 Nano laser mouse for $9.99
Acer Netbook (Atom N270, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD) for $189.99

CompUSA
Sony BDPS360 Blu-Ray Disc Player for $127.99
Patriot 8 GB SD Card for $19.99
I-inc 28" LCD for $249.99
Patriot 8 GB Flash Drive for $19.99
Patriot 32 GB Flash Drive for $74.99
Transcend 16 GB Flash Drive for $39.99

Amazon
Wacom Intuos3 6x8" Pen Tablet for $199.99
Samsung BD-P1600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player for $149.99

Black Friday Deals (Part 1)

There are tons of deals out there for the craziest shopping day of the year. As usual, I'm just going to list the realistic ones... the ones that are possible to get without waiting on line all night long.

Apple.com
Apple isn't going to release their prices until Friday, but according to rumors, most will be online only (very weird). Supposedly it will be 10-25% off the computers. The 25% would be very hard to believe.

Best Buy
SanDisk 8 GB SD Card for $19.99
Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc Player for $149.99
Samsung BD-P1600 Blu-Ray Disc Player for $149.99
Logitech Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote for $39.99
Western Digital 1.5 TB External Hard Drive for $119.99

Staples
Logitech V450 Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse for $14.99
SanDisk 8 GB microSD Memory Card for $14.99
SanDisk 8 GB SD Card for $14.99
Coby 7" Portable DVD Player for $49.99
Acer 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $139.98

Office Depot
Height-Adjustable Mobile Laptop Cart for $17.99
SanDisk 8 GB SD Card for $14.99
Seagate 1.5 TB External Hard Drive for $99.99
Seagate 2 TB External Hard Drive for $179.99

Radio Shack
Gigaware 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System for $10.00
Gigaware Folding Notebook Cooling Pad for $10.00
Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo for $19.99
Acer 11.6" Netbook (Atom Z520, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB HDD) for $249.99
Samsung BD-P1600 Blu-ray Disc Player for $149.99

Joker's Mom

An old lady across from me in the subway was wearing a green leather jacket, which I thought was a little bright for the usual New York black & gray. She also had on neutral colored pants and a hat. The green was a little loud, but still normal. Then after a few stops, she was adjusting her hat and I noticed that she dyed her hair... of all colors... purple! That along with the green jacket make up Joker's palette! Of course Joker has the opposite... green hair and purple jacket. Maybe it was his mom.

Another Blown Lead

After 2 losses in a row to Western teams, this is starting to look like the traditional Circus Road Trip. Last night, the Bulls looked great in the beginning of the game as they were blowing out Denver in the first quarter. The Nuggets slowly gained ground in the 2nd and made it a close game by halftime. Then they slowly took the lead and pulled away in the 4th. In this game, pretty much only Deng (22 pts), Rose (28 pts) & Noah (9 pts/12 rbds) showed up. The rest of the team went into a scoring slump.

Last year, when the Bulls picked up Salmons, the front office was already preparing to let Ben Gordon go. BG might be a streaky shooter, but he would never put up 5 points in 28 minutes! On Detroit, Gordon continues to do an excellent job filling up his stat sheet. Yesterday, he had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Who said this guy can't play point? He's been doing this almost every game.

Black Friday (Preview)

There were a bunch of circulars this week, but nothing good. Traditionally, this is the weekend to ignore the sales because Black Friday is just around the corner. Based on trends in the computer world, here are some things I think we'll see:

Laptops
Laptops and netbooks have seen very large price reductions over the past few years. For Black Friday, expect to see very low prices on many netbook models, especially the ones that are still running N270 processors. On the laptop side, there will probably be huge deals on the Celeron-based machines.

Movies
The recent Blu-ray machine price drops, spearheaded by the slim PS3 means more people are making the move to hi-def. Expect some very great deals on DVDs and even Blu-ray titles. I'm predicting DVDs for $2-5 and Blu-rays around $10 for the older titles. DVD players will also see significant price drops. It doesn't make sense to buy one, but the portables are still useful as there are no Blu-rays yet.

LCDs
This will be a last ditch effort to get rid of the 720p LCDs. For the right price, these TVs make great bedroom models or large scale computer displays. Also expect old model LCDs to drop lower than the usually weekly sale prices. Keep your eye on the usual Acer, Asus and AOC as well as Samsung.

Apples
This is the most predictable one. It's the only day of the year where Apple discounts its computers and iPods.

Need 1 More

While the Bulls are off to one of their best starts since the 80's (yes... including the Jordan Years), I just don't think they'll have the same overall success as last year. They're not deep enough. If just one guy has an off night, they're going to lose. John Salmons isn't Ben Gordon. He's a good player, but not at the same level in my book. So with BG in Detroit, the Bulls still need to get someone to make up for that spot. Right now, Allen Iverson is floating out there as a free agent and Tracy McGrady is unhappy with the Rockets. I would love for the Bulls to get one of those guys. I think either one is a good fit. Personality-wise, they're probably too high profile for the Bulls, but I think they would be happy in Chicago. These 2 guys are generally good teammates when the team does well. The Bulls work hard and have a lot of role players. AI or T-Mac paired with Derrick Rose would be awesome. Unfortunately, I don't think it will happen. The Bulls are probably one of those teams waiting for 2010. Whatever they do, it better be worth it. For me, they can only make up for losing Gordon by doing whatever it takes to get LeBron or Wade.

Bulls vs. Lakers

I didn't really expect a win going up against one of the best in the West without Ben Gordon, so I'll just skip to some good things I picked up during the game. The defense against Bryant was relatively good. We got in his face for every shot and limited him to just 21 points. Unfortunately, we did nothing against Gasol, who had a big night. That's OK... as long as Kobe doesn't get the glory! Noah continued to be solid. I'm really feel like he's improved a lot so far this year. He's leading the league in rebounds and is actually scoring 10+ per game. My heart still stops when he dribbles, but I'd still trade that in for his current performance. Derrick Rose got back on track after a slow first quarter. He finished with 20. Hopefully this game breaks him out of his offensive slump. I also saw some good stuff from Brad Miller and John Salmons. We needed more from Deng & Hinrich for a win though. Steals and rebounds were there. Assists were good and turnovers were limited. We also did a good job forcing turnovers... pretty much the opening the Lakers had.

Bulls Win Again

The Bulls kept up their winning record by downing the team they swapped parts with last year. Andres Nocioni didn't get to play due to injury though. On the Bull's side, John Salmons had a big game, leading his team with 23 points. Deng had another double-double (16/10). The scoring was spread out with 6 guys in double figures. Defense was the story though. The team had 7 blocks and 12 steals and they kept the hot shooting Kings from reaching the century mark.

Last night's game was the type of games the Bulls need to play with their current team to be successful. The scoring needs to be spread out. If they have 5 guys score 10 and one guy score 20 and play tough defense, they can shutdown even the best teams. Guys who weren't scoring last year need to step it up. Noah has answered the call so far. They can't afford the entire team falling into a slump. Deng has made it a point to build his inside game. So they just need to keep all of this up.

Ear Buds

Electronic gadgets have made many manners get worse. I wrote about this with cellphones in the past and people answering them mid-conversation. Today I witnessed something odd with MP3 players. I was on the train and a guy across from me was listening to his music. A couple of stops later, a friend of his boarded the train, also listening to his own music. They noticed each other and at first just nodded to each other. A few minutes later, they started talking... just short one-sentence conversations. neither one turned their MP3 players off. They just took out one ear bud and took turns saying "what?" and then repeating themselves while the other had an ear bud off. Does it hurt to just turn the MP3 player off for a while!? These guys just needed to keep listening non-stop even if it meant making the conversation less efficient and totally broken!

Flood

On my way home from work, I was standing on the train, reading the paper. All of a sudden, I heard a loud splash followed by a lot of water pouring. I thought some idiot spilled a gallon of something. But when I looked over, it was some little kid throwing up... a lot. Liquidy brown stuff gushed out 3 times. It looked like more than his stomach could possible hold, defying the laws of physics. It must've flooded a good third of the train car. I've never seen a section of the car clear out so quickly. There was a little girl next to him and she got out of there the fastest and fortunately untouched! When we hit the next stop, the kid's mother quickly dragged her son out and jetted. He was still going too. Very gross!

Weekend Sports Wrap Up

Pacquiao vs. Cotto
The talk of the town was Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto and it was well worth the money for PPV buyers. It was an entertaining fight that almost went the full distance. Aside from the first round, it was very one-sided, but Cotto kept getting back up and even had a second wind in the 5th. Pacman is just on another level though. His speed was amazing and too hard for Cotto to overcome. The referee stopped the match in early in the 12th round as Cotto wasn't really doing much but concentrating on standing up... only to get more punishment.

Bulls vs. 76ers
Finally... a legitimate win by a respectable margin as the Bulls down Philly 94-88. They built a lead in the 3rd and were consistent for the entire 2nd half. This one was headed by the 2 leaders of the team... Hinrich and Deng who had 19 a piece. Deng had 9 rebounds and Hinrich also had 7 assists. This is exactly what the Bulls need from these 2 guys to be successful without BG. Miller, Salmons, Rose & Noah all had 14 points each. So it was a well-rounded effort... a typical Bulls game.

NJ Nets
This must be one of the worst starts in Nets history... 0-10. They lost Carter over the Summer, but the makeup of the team shouldn't add up to the bottom of the cellar. They got one of the better big men in Najera and an OK point guard in Alston. It just doesn't make sense sometimes. They're actually 1 loss worse than the lowly Knicks too. It's hard to deny that both teams threw the season in the trash long ago in anticipation of the potential power moves in 2010. I'm pretty sure these aren't the only teams with that in mind either.

Tech Deals of the Week

The items in the weekly circulars continue to be lame as we approach Thanksgiving Weekend. Many items listed aren't really even sale prices. Staples and Radio Shack have been releasing very thin circulars lately. So right now it's best to hold out on buying anything. We just have 2 more weeks to go until the Holiday Season.

Silver & Gold

Earlier this week, both Derek Jeter & Mark Teixiera were given gold glove awards... something that we've become accustomed to. It's Jeter's 4th and Teixiera's 3rd. The 35 year old Jeter is the best shortstop out there. I see every night a different SS trying out Jeter's patented play running towards 3rd and snapping the ball in the opposite direction to take away a base hit. But it doesn't happen. The ball arcs too much and the runner is safe by a mile. Only Jeter can do that consistently. And Tex... his defense at 1st has made the highlight reel every night. He's a great compliment to Jeter & A-Rod in the infield because all of these guys move and react fast. Cano is even solid when he doesn't fall asleep. He has potential to be a lefty Jeter.

It was also just announced that both of these guys won the Silver Slugger award in each of their positions. This is Jeter's 4th as well. I have to once again draw comparison to Michael Jordan. Both guys showed no decline in stats as they got older. They just adjusted their games. Jeter still bats over 300 each year... a whopping 334 this year. Along with that, 100+ runs, 18 homers, 60+ RBIs and 30 SBs. He surpassed Gherig in hits, taking over the top spot in Yankees history and is quickly coming up on the 3000 mark! Tex had an amazing 1st year in NY, very unusual considering the history of power hitters that made the move. He lead the league in homers with 39. This is his 3rd Silver Slugger.

In my book, nabbing both of these awards puts them up top for the MVP since Gold Glove highlights the best defense and Silver Slugger honors the best offense. These are the 2 most complete players in the MLB!

A Typical 4th Quarter?

Last night's game was a good example of where I see the Bulls going this year. It was a close game all throughout. They were mostly losing, but made some runs. In the end, they fell short and let Toronto pull away. They went cold in the last couple of minutes. This is a world without Ben Gordon. Rose can be clutch at times and once in a while Deng or Salmons can get the 30 points, but subtracting BG and not adding anyone back reduces the chances of winning significantly.

I've been complaining about that move a lot, but the numbers back me up. Ben Gordon is putting up great numbers at Detroit... 24 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4 assists. They have the same record as the Bulls at this point because the rest of their team isn't as good. Let's put it this way... if you take BG away from both teams, the Bulls are better. So the Bulls with BG this year would definitely be at the top of their division.

Recession

We've been hearing about the recession every day for over a year now. It's always bad news... big companies going down, mass layoffs, more stress, etc. There is however an optimistic point of view. We can view the recession as a rebirth... starting over and doing things right. If a large company is forced to cut costs, they can really evaluate the situation and cut the high paid people who don't really do much. If they play it right, they'll end up saving money and increasing productivity. Let's face it, in many companies and industries, people used to move up or hop jobs so often that they would get massive salary increases each year... to the point where they became overpaid. Things usually balance out during recession. Those people have to take pay cuts or lose there jobs.

The recession can also favor the hardworking independent worker. Because companies are trying to cut costs, they may drop the expensive service firm and opt to hire a freelancer who would do a better job anyway. The company I work for used to use an expensive design firm for the public facing web pages and another for some print materials. They now use freelancers. The cost is several times lower and we get more personal attention and no additional politics.

To survive the recession, we all need to work hard and cut out the bs. When it's all over, we will have created a better business world.

By a Hair's Width

The Bulls just lost a close one to Denver... so close that the officials spent a good amount of time reviewing the final shot. They were out there looking at the replay for more time than an OT session! Denver had a slight lead the whole time... by 2-7. Bulls made a 7-2 run. Things were tied for a while. Billups was fouled with .6 seconds left. He made one shot and missed the second on purpose in hopes that a bounce would burn enough clock. Noah got the rebound fast enough... .3 left on the clock. The Bulls threw it in and Miller tapped a 2-ball in for what looked like the win. From some angles, it looked like it was out of his hands and from others, it did not. The officials gave it to Denver much to the dismay of the hometown crowd.

It's a tough loss, but the Bulls are still at the top of their division and are still off to a good start given their history. This is the type of loss where they miss Ben Gordon though. The Bulls have been terrible with 4th quarter freethrows this year despite the winning record. Gordon shot 90% consistently. They just don't have that security now. The positive is Rose did hit 2 clutch freethrows to tie the game, but it shouldn't have come to that. They had many opportunities to put some distance in the last quarter.

Wrong Metal!

I was talking to a coworker who was planning to buy a new iMac. He went on and on about the design and materials. One thing I had to stop him at was when he mentioned that the case was made of titanium. It's ALUMINUM!!! Apple just calls it titanium because of the color and now everyone is brainwashed into thinking that. If it was really titanium, the Apple computers would actually be worth the price!

Tech Deals of the Week

This is just a note that I still am doing the Tech Deals of the Week segment. I just haven't found any good ones lately. Like last year, I'm expecting it to be slow for the next 2 weeks in preparation for Black Friday. I'm also anticipating a stretched Black Friday again this year, meaning stores are going to start the sales about a week early to try to stimulate the economy. Definitely start looking around the week of Thanksgiving. The Online stores will likely kick things off first. CompUSA already has a sale, but the prices aren't great. It's just their standard sale prices with a Black Friday marketing label. Stay tuned for more!

Surprisingly Good Start

Who would've thought the Bulls would start out 4-2? They took out Cleveland last Thursday too, so no one can say they had an easy schedule. I have to admit, I thought they had no chance against the Cavs without Ben Gordon, but Deng really stepped up and Rose was excellent down the stretch with a key blocked shot. He also had 2 1-0n-5 plays. He took one shot coast to coast and another he just mesmerized his defender with his ball handling. Noah did a great job defending LeBron James on his final shot. There was a lot of contact, but every replay showed that it was not foul.

After playing one of the best teams, the Bulls beat one of the worst teams last night. They defeated the Bobcats 93-90. That was a lot closer than it should've been and the Bulls were actually losing at halftime. It was a big 3rd quarter that got them the win. Salmons did his job in this game, scoring a team high 27. Noah has also been stepping up this season as he scored 21 and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Hopefully a good start doesn't mean they'll bomb the 2nd half. If that's the case, I'd rather have it the other way around!

27

It was already written and it happened last night. The Yankees finally won their 27th World Championship! It wasn't a perfect looking game, but I felt the whole time that it was just a formality. There was no way they were going to lose this one. The hometown crowd was pumped and ready for the celebration. Starting for the Yankees was Andy Pettitte, the hero, the champ. His opponent was the Red Sox, Pedro Martinez, long time villain. It was their first season in the new stadium and a great way to break it in. Pettitte was solid and pitched better than he gave himself credit for. Catching him was of course Jorge Posada, who called a great game. Jeter had 3 hits and scored a couple of time. Mariano Rivera slammed the door and had another excellent playoff run in the closer spot. So the 4 champs played big roles in this final game. It was Hideki Matsui who took care of the offense though, batting in 6 of the RBI's definitively earning the World Series MVP.

The MVP was a tough one though. So many players did well and it was a such a big team effort. Jeter was the most consistent across the 6 games. A-Rod & Damon were clutch. Pettitte won 2 games. Rivera prevented any late inning comebacks. But Matsui deserved it, showing off his power hitting and 600 ball.

Hopefully Matsui & Damon earned new contracts after this. This team needs to be kept intact if there's going to be a run at a dynasty. Hopefully the organization realizes this. I've seen all too often championship teams that get broken up the year after. This team has chemistry and potential for a repeat and three-peat.

Go Yankees!

The New Macs

I few weeks ago, Apple updated their low end machines... no keynote or special event, but expected because they were at the end of their average cycle. These models are a little more realistic than the Pro models as far as price and they're not that far off with power.

MacBook
The MacBook is basically a plastic version of the Pro. It's now built out of a unibody mold, but is white plastic instead of "titanium." Because it's plastic, it's significantly lighter than the 13" MacBook Pro. I've used the Pro version before and it's pretty heavy for a 13" laptop... felt like a 15.4" PC. They improved the battery as with the Pros a couple months ago. It also has the multitouch trackpad. The screen is glass, so graphics look crisper. It also has an NVidia graphics card. With all of this, there's no reason to get the Pro... unless you need the 15" or 17" models... which are no longer portable in my book.

Mini
The Mini, which is always rumored to be discontinued is actually the best bang for buck. It's been seriously upgraded too with a faster processor, up to 4 GB RAM, 802.11n... and a server version (w/ 2 hard drives instead of a DVD burner). It also has a real graphics card so it can go toe-to-toe with the larger models.

iMac
Of the lowend models, I thought the iMac got the least upgraded. Besides the processor upgrade, the screen actually got smaller because they went to 16:9 instead of 16:10. I thought that was a little odd because the extra space is useful for computing. By going to 16:9, they're selling this as an HTPC. I guess that could work. My personal taste is just 16:10 for computers.

Magic Mouse
This is probably the best product of the release. It's a multitouch mouse! Why didn't anyone thing of this before!? The mouse has a smooth surface with no buttons, but the top of the mouse has touch sensitive buttons and supports finger gestures.

Deng 20-20

The Bulls were able to scrap up a clutch win after a sloppy 1st quarter where they shot 25% and only scored 13. The Bucks lead by as many as 18. The Bulls might be without Ben Gordon, but the Bucks didn't have Michael Redd either, so that made this a winnable game! Deng was really the only consistent player. He had 8 points and 11 rebounds by halftime and finished with 24 and 20 (career high in rebounds). It was a different Luol Deng than we were used to. He got inside and banged into the big guys. Hopefully he can do that more often and be the missing inside presence. The rest of the guys need to step up on offense as they need to make up for the 20+ points per game Gordon used to give them. I actually see some improvements in Noah. Thomas has the talents, but still has attitude issues.

When I break this down, a close game against the Bucks is not a good thing. This was a team they owned last year and now they barely got a win? If Redd was active, it surely would've been a loss.

Low Priority

All office emails are either unmarked or have the red exclamation point for high priority. The most unused option is the low priority button. In a world run by politics and big egos, nothing is ever low priority. In fact, the high priority button is used so often that it's really lost meaning. Most of the ones I get aren't really important at all. It's usually a salesperson just saying, "My work is the most important! It's all about me!" So I tend to put those aside based on the sender. I rarely use the high priority button unless it truly is high priority because I don't want to be the boy who cried "wolf." On occasion, I have used the low priority button. And oddly enough, that button gets a better response. When I send a message with that on, I tend to get an immediate response... the opposite effect. I think this is due to 2 factors. The icon stands out because it's very rare, so it's more likely to be noticed and not ignored. Also, because it's labeled as low priority, there's less pressure.

Rollins Was Wrong

I was hoping the Yankees would finish the series last night in Game 5. That would've made Jimmy Rollins' prediction half right at least. Cliff Lee was great again, though I thought the the Yankees did a better job of wearing him out. They didn't swing at the first pitch like they did in Game 1. By the 7th inning, he was starting to get tired as the Yankees started hitting and almost mounting a comeback. The pitching just wasn't there last night as AJ was already taken out in the 3rd inning .

On the bright side of things, stretching to a Game 6 means the Yankees have a chance to close this out at home where they're used to winning. The city's going to go nuts if they do it. It's also a storybook matchup between Andy Pettitte, the man with the rings and Pedro Martinez, the enemy. Both guys are veterans and have pitched in big games.

One More to Go!

Last night's game is going to be a classic if the Yankees can finish this thing off. It was a close game throughout. The Yankees scored first in what looked like a great start in the first inning (2-0). CC was shaky from the beginning though and already gave one run back in the bottom of the inning (2-1). The big guy didn't pitch a nice looking game, but he was still able to keep the runs down and got himself out of jams with his strikeout skills. The Yankees had a 4-3 lead into the 8th, but the Phillies chipped away and got one off of Joba with 2 outs left. Joba was looking good until that one mistake, as he easily struck out the first 2 batters. But the Yankees came up big in the 9th... also with 2 outs. Damon had a great at bat, fouling off pitch after pitch until he got one to hit. He then stole 2nd and to everyone's surprise ran ahead and also took 3rd! It looked like a little league play, but it was heads-up base running by a veteran. He took advantage of the defensive shift. The Phillies had all players beefing up the right side of the field to prepare for Teixiera. A-Rod eventually knocked Damon in from third for yet another game winning RBI. Posada gave them 2 more insurance runs, but that was all they needed as Rivera came in and closed out the 9th.

Game 5 will be tough as Burnett will be matched up against the almost unhittable Lee. Also, if he gets into a jam, I'm sure the Phillies will have everyone available as their back is against the wall.

Fake Express

For the past couple of weekends, the MTA has been doing massive track work on almost all of their lines. I was in the Times Square taking some friends around and we had so much trouble finding a train that didn't have a changed schedule. Track work often screws some people, but helps others. Some lines were going express only, which could be an improvement if you're trying to go far fast. We hopped on an express thinking we'd get there fast, but this series of repairs is only yielding fake express trains. These are trains that run on the express track, but aren't operating at normal express speeds. They're slowing down and stopping at almost all of the local stops... just not opening the doors. So the fake express trains ended up being slower than the rush hours locals!

At least the tracks are being repaired and our money is going somewhere!

Home Opener

The Bulls started their season last night with a strong win against the Spurs. It was a typical victory with spread out scoring. Derrick Rose, coming off a preseason ankle injury looked like he was in top shape as he pulled off some impressive ankle breakers. The seasoned Tony Parker looked bad against the future great point guard. They outrebounded and outdefended one of the best in the West. On a night like that, there was no need for Ben Gordon.

However, right now, they're getting killed by the Celtics. Last year when the Bulls had a big halftime deficit, I wasn't worried at all. They always made an amazing run, usually behind Gordon's hot shooting. He's the best 4th quarter player in the league and proved it in last year's playoffs. I guarantee that they're not going to make a run tonight. Who would do it... Salmons? NOT!

Who's Your Daddy, Pedro?

The Yankees dropped Game 1 behind a pretty good performance by CC Sabathia. Game 1 ia always the most painful loss because both teams throw in their best pitcher. In this case, both CC & Cliff Lee were former Cy Young winners... both guys were supposed to win the first game. It felt like a missed opportunity as a Yankees fan because Game 2 was a toss up with AJ Burnett not being very consistent.

Game 2 was actually the same type of game with both pitchers doing well. Pedro Martinez, in his return to NY continued where he left off with the Sox. But AJ Burnett was that much better. Pedro had his typical strong innings, but the Yankees got his pitch count up... something they failed to do against Lee the day before. Like with the Sox, Pedro was strong, but tired out and gave up a lot of hits in his last inning. Much to the delight of Yankee fans, he was tagged with the loss as Tex & Matsui went deep.

Now it's off to Philly for Game 3. If the Yankees win one more game, Jimmy Rollin's fat mouth prediction will be wrong!

October Sports

One of the great things about the Yankees getting into the World Series besides a chance for a 27th Championship and all of the Yankees baseball aspects of it is that there's more to watch during the dead month. Especially this year because I'm still pissed at the Bull's organization for letting Ben Gordon sign with Detroit. I've been ignoring all preseason basketball and Bulls news headlines. I honestly don't know what's going on in basketball right now. The other day, I was on YES and saw part of a Nets game. I was surprised to see Rafer Alston on the team as I haven't paid attention to any player movement. The past couple of years when the Yankees were eliminated early, October was so boring and I was looking forward to the NBA season. There were like 3 weeks with no sports to watch!

CC = ALCS MVP

I posted last night just before they announced the ALCS MVP. It was no surprise that CC Sabathia got the MVP. He had 2 of the 4 wins in the series and they weren't just wins. He pitched like a Cy Young winner. A-Rod & Mariano Rivera had to have been considered also for their clutch play as well, but I felt CC deserved it. He's had an amazing year and has adjusted better than any other star making the move to the city. He may have had a slow first month, but finished the season with 19 wins and put himself in position for another Cy Young. He came into the playoffs with no jitters and pitched great games in both rounds.

Usually a pitcher with 2 wins secures it as long as he didn't give up too many runs. If there's no pitcher with 2 wins, it usually goes to a position player.

ALCS Champs!

The ALCS was probably one game longer than it should've been, but at least the Yankees are finally back to the World Series again. They were able to bounce back and win Game 4 convincingly 10-1. It was another great outing for CC. A-Rod homered again. So those are the 2 guys that could likely get the ALCS MVP. Game 5 should probably have been the last game of the series as the Yankees had a 6-4 lead into the 7th, but AJ blew it and gave it all back in the bottom of the inning. Game 6 was mostly a close game. Pettitte was solid again. He should be the #2 guy in the World Series... not the shakey Burnett. The Yankees took a 3-1 lead into the 8th with Rivera set to pitch 2 innings. The Angels actually scored one off him to make it 3-2... still winable for either team. But the Angels definitely got the jitters in the bottom of the 8th, committing 2 errors and allowing 2 insurance runs for the Yankees... very uncharacteristic as they've been a solid defensive team all year long. It was a terrible time for them to break that pattern.

They did it... got past their nemesis! It was also fitting that they finished off at home with the familiar Pettitte/Rivera combo.

Going Yard... Stick

Luckily it wasn't rush hour for this woman I saw on the train today. She clumsily walked in and her stuff was all over the place. She had 2 bags, a yard stick and was fumbling around a hardcover book. As she tried to sit down, all of her items just dropped and took up a span of 2.5 seats. She struggled mightily to put her yard stick down, but it kept sliding all over the place. She tried to multitask and failed miserably. She was attempting to balance the yard stick on top of her bag (genius), which was on the seat next to her, but it kept sliding off. She wasn't looking because she was flipping through her book. She caught the yard stick a few times, swinging it around aimlessly. If it had been a crowded train, she would've taken out at least 3 passengers. Of course she acted calm the whole time like she was in control.

It's been well documented that those who are overly confident are more likely to screw up. They just never see their own actions as screwing up.

Take-On New York Showdown

Evolution 19 (Australia)

Muay Thai Heroes
November 28, 2009 @ 19:00


This one will be highlighted by John Wayne Parr as usual. This time, he's returning from a loss and missing the Evolution 18 because of an eye injury. His opponent will be Eli Madigan, a rising Australian star. It should be interesting... experience vs. energy. There's also a Contender Asia matchup as Soren Monkongtong will face off with Preacher... the 2 guys that got KOed by JWP!

New Train Tantrum

I was taking the B/D train this morning and also on the platform was a mother and 2 children. An F train passed by on the opposite side of the platform. It was one of the new cars... bright lights and shiny metal. The younger kid... maybe 3 years old really wanted to ride the new train. They would never make it to their destination if they took the shiny new F, but that wasn't important. The kid starts throwing a tantrum and shouting "new train... new train!" The B arrived... one of the old, dirty trains! We all got on and the tantrum continued. In an effort to calm him down, his mother said they were going to switch to the new train. It didn't matter. He wanted it now... even if he had to jump off the B! I had never seen anything like it. Since when did kids get sensitive about what train model they ride!?

Same Length... Different Result

Game 3 of the ALCS was another extra inning marathon... better weather and not quite as long. It just felt long because the game started during the work day at 4pm. It ended about 8:30pm! The outcome was just the opposite though as the Angels pulled off the walkoff in the bottom of the 11th. Posada tied the game in the 8th with a homer. Then they used up Hughes and Rivera. Robertson came in in the 11th to get the first 2 outs. Then Aceves gave up 2 hits to lose the game. It was a weird decision by Ghirardi because as the commentator said, there was no history to backup using Aceves over Robertson. Both were first year players with no data against the opposition. Robertson did a great job with the first 2 outs and showed no signs of bad stuff. Aceves was shaky in his last appearance. But the broadcast showed Ghirardi looking at a binder just before he made the decision. So he must've has a reason for it... it just didn't work this time.

Pie for the Other Team?

Last night's game was really an improbable victory. It was a close game all throughout... the whole 5 hours. I was following it on the radio as I watched the fight event and was still able to catch the extra innings on TV whe I got home!

Ghirardi took a chance by bringing in Rivera to get 7 outs... and unusually long outing for the ace closer. In a game this important, it was the right decision. Bring in the closer and try to win the game. It didn't play out as planned though as the game extended into extra innings. The Angels took the lead in the 11th off Aceves. Things looked grim at that moment since the rest of the bullpen is worse than Aceves... after Mo, Aceves was the only hope. But A-Rod, who has been clutch the whole year hit a game tying homer to right. Both clubs threatened with hits in each inning, but nothing happened until the 13th. Hairston got a leadoff base hit. They walked Cano. Melky hit a ground ball and the 2nd basemen took a chance and went for the force at 2nd, but over threw it. Hairston scored on the play and earned the pie. It was the first walkoff coming from an error, so I was wondering who would get the pie. Hairston got the hit and did some great baserunning, but the opposing 2nd baseman deserved some pie too!

Take-On New York Showdown Results

It was a little out of the way this time, but there was a pretty good Muay Thai event in Queens. Sitan NY hosted a loaded fight card at the 7 Train Theater in Flushing. It consisted a lot of regular Friday NIght Fights names and was of course regulated by the WKA. Here are the results.

- Mike Manousakakis def Chad Fitzgerald (TKO - 1st rd.)
- Greg Lachaga def Nicholas Hainea (unanimous dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Marcus Fisher def Mike Lavera (unanimous dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Turan Hasanov def Arthur Sorsor (unanimous dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Gaius Ebratt def Elijah Clarke (split dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Matt Embree def Clifton Gross (unanimous dec. - 5th rd.)
- Hiro Perera def Pascal Jean-Michel (TKO - 2nd rd.)
- Jay Matius def Mohammed Lemjerdine (unanimous dec. - 5th rd.)
- Eddie Martinez def Tony Flores (unanimous dec. - 5th rd.)
- Omar Ahmed def Borzoo Honorgohar (unanimous dec. - 5th rd.)

Details & photos coming soon!

Yankees Take Game 1!

Both teams sent out their best pitchers... CC vs. Lackey. If you really analyzed the game it was the pitcher's duel that was expected. The score was 4-1 because the Angels made 3 errors. CC was the ace, pitching 8 innings and looking strong. The Yankees pretty much had the win in the first inning already with a couple of base hits from Jeter & Damon. A-Rod got a sac fly that scored Jeter (who was at 3rd because of the first error). Matsui hit a fly ball that drew another error, scoring Damon. Without the errors, the score would've been 2-1. So this game was really a lot closer than it turned out to be. Which means the Yankees can't let their guard down. The Angels will bounce back in Game 2. Hopefully AJ can control his nerves the way CC did. It's his first ALCS, so he's going to have butterflies.

Dodging Flails

I've written before about walking to the right in subway stations if you're slow. Some people get their bodies to the right correctly, but still take up the left lane with their flailing left arm. It's very frustrating to have one of these in front of you when you're trying to go up the steps. It's like there's enough space visually to pass, but it's being blocked by that swinging arm. There is a way though! You have to treat it like a video game and time your dash correctly. Wait until the left arm is at its forward most point and make a run before it starts swinging back again. It takes practice, but keep trying!

Evolution 18 Results

There was another Muay Thai event in Australia over the weekend. I couldn't watch any of it, but have an idea of some of the fights based on message boards and photos. Angie Parr had a draw against Nicole Brolan. From what I read, it was a close match that most people thought Parr won. I guess a draw is OK. She lost her last 2 on her road back to fighting (from being pregnant). Hopefully she can keep it up. Parr looked like she was in great shape for this one. She really got herself back to a few years ago. Naruepol fought Soren and that one wasn't hard to predict... KOed him in the first round with a roundhouse to the head. Soren is a good fighter, but I don't think he can beat any Thai fighter.

Other Results:
- Paul Slowinski def Ben Edwards (KO - 3rd rd.)
- Prasert def Dane Daddy Cool (KO - 2nd rd.)
- Super Boi def Andy Colgrave (TKO - 4th rd.)

It must've been a short event with all of those KOs. Only Angie's fight went the distance!

High Volume Car

Subway cars are always loud with people talking, but I was on an extra loud one this morning. There was the usual person on the cellphone at the end of the train. Then another guy did the same thing at the opposite end. If the stereo effect wasn't enough, another guy was playing music on his cellphone without headphones. It seemed like he was under the impression that no one was hearing it either. There's nothing in the rules against any of this, but something to keep in mind when turning up the volume is... what if everyone did that?

Round 1 Complete

The Yankees answered the Angels sweep of the Red Sox by wrapping up their series against the Twins last night. The game started out as a pitcher's duel between Andy Pettitte and Carl Pavano. Neither one gave up a run until the 6th inning. The Twins scored first, but the Yankees came back in the same inning with a couple of homers from A-Rod & Posada. They added 2 more insurance runs in the 9th.. off Nathan again to secure the victory. So the 1st round curse is gone! No it'll be a tough series against the Angels.

Conflicting Feelings

The Angels wrapped up their ALDS series against the Red Sox this afternoon to complete the 3-game sweep. As a Yankees fan, I wanted the Red Sox to win just because historically, the Yankees have had an easier time with them while the Angels are like their kryptonite. However, because I hate the Red Sox, I found myself getting excited at times as the Angels mounted a comeback from 5-0. They slowly chipped away and were down 6-4 in the 9th with 2 outs... no one on base. Aybar hit a single. Figgins got walked and then former Yankee, Bobby Abreu brought LA to within 1 with a double. Hunter was walked to get to the slumping Guerrero... big mistake. We hit a 2-run single to put LA in the lead for good. This was all off of the hated Papelbon, who never given up a postseason run before. He gets tagged with a blown save, the loss and a fishing trip for his team! See what I mean? It's hard not to get excited!

I'm watching the Yankees game now. Hopefully they can wrap it up today also... don't want to give LA extra rest time.

Tech Deals of the Week (10/11-10/17)

Flash Sales
- 8 GB PNY @ BB for $24.99
- 4 GB HP @ ST for $9.99
- 8 GB HP @ ST for $17.99
- 16 GB HP @ ST for $ 29.99

Samsung Blu-ray Player @ BB for $199.99 + $50 Gift Card
This is even better than the Sony deal from a couple of weeks ago because of the $50 gift card.

HP Wireless Laser Mouse @ ST for $9.99
There are no fancy features on this model, but $9.99 is a great price for any wireless laser mouse. So if you have a small business and would like to go wireless on multiple computers, stock up on this one!

Photo Paper @ ST for $1
This is a pretty rare deal as you can see it's the first time I have photo paper in this series. You can't beat $1! It's a 50 pack of matte finish paper. The in-store price is $12.98 with an $11.98 rebate.

1st Postseason Pie

As usual, the Twins had the lead, but I was never worried in this game... not even down 3-1 in the 9th. You have to factor in how well the Yankees played this year under pressure. Also, the way the Twins were stranding runners all night (17 I think)... I just never felt they would win. The first Yankees run was another Jeter-A-Rod combo like in Game 1. Hughs got into trouble in the 8th. Rivera came in and held things together. Teixiera got a hit in the 9th and A-Rod homered to tie the game. This was all off Joe Nathan, one of the best closers in the league. Aceves pitched a pretty good 10th.

I thought the Yankees would win it in the 10th because Jeter was up 3rd. Cabrera got out. Posada got a hit, pinch hitting for Molina. Naturally, Gardner pinch ran for Posada, stole a base and made it to 3rd on an error. To my disappointment, they walked Jeter. Damon got a good hit, but the Twins played it well defensively and doubled up Gardner. Ghirardi gambled for the win and lost... can't blame him for that. It was the right decision. The Yanks got into trouble in the top of the 11th... bases loaded and no outs, but great defense by Teixiera got them out unscathed. Then in the bottom of the 11th... a walkoff homer by Tex! It's nice being up 2-0!

A Good MTA Post

If you've read enough of this blog, you know that I don't have much to say that's nice about the MTA, but what I experienced today was totally different. It felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. I ran into some bad luck. As I was packing up to go out, I must've grabbed an expired MetroCard sitting on my desk instead of the fresh new one. It was a rare occasion that I had to use the bus (so I couldn't swipe on the test machine). Anyway, the driver let me in anyway.

I thought that was a rare act, but today was really weird. On the subway ride home, I witnessed another kind act by an MTA employee. A passenger was trying to get into a train that he just came out of because the conductor kept flip-flopping the signs. The passenger missed the train because they changed the sign, changed it back and shut the doors on him. After the train left, the customer was visibly upset. Another conductor came by and listened to what happened. Instead of fighting back or ignoring the customer, she went to the control room to file a complaint. I was shocked by that! Maybe some recent cuts really weeded out the crap!

Strong Start

The season record is long forgotten, just days after its ending as the Playoffs began last night. The Yankees had a winning record against both the Twins and Tigers, but none of that matters now. The Twins defeated the Tigers the day before in a tie-breaking 1-game playoff for the final spot. That was one of the most exciting games of the season, filled with great plays, awesome defense and extra innings. I win like that pumped up the Twins.

Although they had little rest, they played great against the Yankees early on, scoring first with a 2-0 lead in the 3rd. That was quickly quieted by a 2-run homer from the Captain. CC settled in nice after that and became dominant. He didn't give up any more runs. The Yankees kept tacking on runs they way they've done all year long. Swisher doubled in Cano in the 4th. A-rod singled Jeter in twice. Matsui ripped a 2-run homer in the 5th. It was a good combination of the Yankees offense.

Though it was a 5-run lead, Ghirardi would take no chances with the very important 1st game. He had Joba come in from the bullpen. Hughes & Coke came in as well and Rivera closed it out. Correcting the previous 1st round exits, the Yankees did not take the Twins lightly at all.

Coffee and Piss

It's probably all psychological, but I've always thought it was gross to bring food and beverages into the restroom. People in the office seem to do it all the time though. Today, I went to use the urinal and noticed a semi-circular coffee puddle right on top of it. There's a ledge by the door where we can put stuff down. Bringing coffee in is bad enough, but to place it right on top of the urinal. I think that juxtaposition of coffee and piss is too close for comfort! I hope the coffee drinkers aren't the same people who don't wash their hands afterwards!

Repeated Survey ?'s for 2009-10-03

A repeat of 2009-02-20, but with new answers...

1. When was the last time you took a nap? yesterday
2. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Tim
3. To text you? UNIX server
4. What are you doing tonight? surfing & shopping
5. What are you listening to? Bernie Williams
6. What did you do over the weekend? catch up on DVDs
7. What did you have for breakfast? whole grain cereal
8. Last book you read? a science dictionary
9. Last thing you bought? parts for Batman gauntlets
10. Last movie you saw: X-Men Origins: Wolverine DVD

Maria vs. 5 Japanese Players

This is a funny video of an exhibition match in Japan with Maria Sharapova facing off with 5 players at once.

More Than Redemption

When the Yankees went down 0-8 to the Red Sox in the beginning of the season, no one would've ever guessed that they would end up splitting the season series. But if you look at the two teams' records, it was meant to happen. One team never really dominates the other in the big picture. Throughout history, the 2 clubs have had amazingly close records, which is why they're considered the greatest rivalry in all sports.

Game 1 on Friday was a nice comeback for Joba, who has been shaky of late. He got his 9th win and only gave up 3 runs... not great, but average. I don't know if that wins him a post season spot or not. Beyond CC, AJ & Pettitte, there really isn't anyone else, so he still has a good chance. The offense gave Joba a lot of run support with classic small ball. They ran on the Sox every time, stealing 7 bases!

Game 2 was a great team pitching performance as CC, Hughes & Rivera combined for a 2-hitter! The no-hitter ended in the 5th, but no one should really start paying attention until the 7th anyway. Damon got the game winning RBI in the 8th when he got a 2-run single of former Met, Billy Wagner.

Game 3 was another close game as the Yankees completed the sweep, obtained their 100th win and secure the best record in baseball and homefield advantage throughout the post-season with a 4-2 victory. This is the way it should be! Last year was such a bust when they got eliminated! Now they just need to staty on target and get past the "1st round curse." There have been several years where the Yankee finished strong and flopped in the first round... even when they had the so-called Murderer's Row! They've been eliminated from the playoffs when they had the 2nd best record in baseball as well. So getting in is just the first step... to get back to where they were 2 years ago. Now they need to go back to being the 2000 Yankees.

Friday Night Fights

Tech Deals of the Week (9/27-10/3)

Flash Sales
- 8 GB SanDisk @ BB for $24.99
- 4 GB Ativa @ OD for $7.99

Sony Blu-ray Player @ BB for $199.99
Remember not too long ago when these things were $500 and up? Prices dropped rapidly over the past year and are even lower now because of the lower PS3 prices. The PS3, which is one of the best Blu-ray players is just $299, so any non-gaming player must fall below that price.

Targus 15.4" Laptop Bag @ BB for $19.99
This is advertised as a sleeve, but one of my friends has this model and it's a lot more protective than a sleeve. It's nice and thin, but has just as much padding as a full bag. It's great for those new thinner laptops.

Gigaware Wireless Desktop @ RS for $29.99
This is a good basic model. It's sale price is the same as the basic Logitech one (@ OD this week), but this set both looks better and is more responsive.

Rosewill 802.11n Router @ NE for $29.99
This beats any wireless N model out there. The DLink one goes on sale often for $39.99. This beats it by $10 and there's no tax or shipping. It works well too. I have this one and don't have trouble connecting any devices. [click here]

Friday Night Fights Results

Last night's Friday Night Fights featured 10 muay thai matches with just 4 boxing "breaks," so it felt like and all-muay thai event. Here are the results...

Muay Thai
- Jeff Ciervo def Andy Hillstad (dec. - 3rd rd.)
- James Mahoney def Lou Gonzalez (dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Dwight Grant def Joshua Kasubaski (TKO - 2nd rd.)
- Andy Singh def Andrew Moy (dec. - 5th rd.)
- Dan Corchado def Etienne Stadwick (KO - 3rd rd.)
- Chris Kwiatkowski def Daryl Marin (TKO - 2nd rd.)
- Tim Amorim def Brandon Mickens (dec. - 5th rd.)
- Eric Utsch def Sascha Hijazi (dec. - 5th rd.)
- Sean Hinds def Doug Edwards (TKO - 3rd rd.)
- Justin Greskiewicz def Marc DeLuca (KO - 3rd rd.)

Boxing
- Peter Dobson def Justin Walker (dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Dave Thompson def Joel Shogreen (dec. - 3rd rd.)
- James Clark def Kevin McCormack (dec. - 3rd rd.)
- Angel Garcia def Tyrone Luckey (dec. - 3rd rd.)

Pictures and analysis coming soon!

October Baseball

It wasn't pretty, but the Yankees got past their toughest test... their arch nemesis, Angels. The dropped the first game despite an OK pitching performance from Pettitte. The offense only produced 2 runs off 7 hits. The 2nd game was close... one that would normally have been expected to be a loss. They had a 5-0 lead that quickly dwindled. Since it was against the team that has given them the most problems, it looked like they were on their way to a loss, but Gardner's speed and A-Rod's sac fly got the job done in the end. With the Texas loss, the Yankees actually clinched a playoff berth before their victory. But homefield advantage in the ALCS is still important, so the win against the Angels was a major turning point. A loss would've put them in a position to get swept and look bad going into the Boston series. The Yankees toughed out another win in the 3rd game, 3-2. So they'll go into Boston with a lot of confidence. They can't take their rivals lightly though because many of their players started coming back from injury and their starting rotation is a lot stronger than at the beginning of the season.