Friday Night Sports

Short Track Speed Skating
NBC setup a nice lineup for prime time on Friday, featuring Apolo Ohno of short track speed skating and Lindsey Vonn of slalom. Ohno had a chance to rack up 2 more medals... the 500m short track and the relay. He was looking good in the individual competition. In the qualifying race, he was in last place to start, but jumped over a spill involving the 2nd & 3rd skater. In the final, he also started out last, and then made his way to 3rd. He was just passing the 3rd skater, when the Canadian fell. Then the 2nd skater from Korea fell, allowing Ohno to come in 2nd. But the judges ruled that there was contact when he passed the Canadian and disqualified Ohno. A replay from one angle showed a light touch. From another angle, it didn't look like contact at all. But either way, it was not enough to push the skater down at all. I believe that homecourt advantage played a part in this. In the relay, Ohno provided a strong anchor in his leg of the race, allowing the US to come from behind and capture the bronze medal. So at least he walked away with something and passed the torch to his younger teammates... the future of US short track.

Alpine Skiing
After breaking her finger in a crash earlier in the week, Lindsey Vonn still opted to compete in last night's race. She already had 2 medals... a gold and a bronze. Her goal was simple a gold medal, but as a true athlete, she gave it her all until the end. She wasn't able to finish last night's race, but displayed great sportsmanship as she stayed on the hill to cheer on her friends. She was sincerely happy when interviewed after her elimination. Vonn showed great character over the past 2 weeks and like everyone says, all she needs is one medal and she'll get tons of endorsements.

Bulls
the Bulls won their 2nd straight game in an overtime thriller against Portland. The All-Star, Derrick Rose poured on the points as he lead with 33. Deng hit all of the clutch shots and pretty much everyone contributed. The new guys seemed to fit in nicely as well. I think we're good to go... no need for any more movement. This is the team we should enter the playoffs with. The Gordon issue has been solved with Rose stepping up the offense and Hinrich returning to vintage form. No McGrady... no problem!

Vonn vs. Mancuso... CAT FIGHT!

Yesterday was a tough day for the US Women's Alpine Ski team. Lindsey Vonn peeled out after a great start. Fortunately, she walked away from the crash with just a fractured pinky. The weather conditions were terrible with very low visibility, so what they did was let the next skier start before the first one reached the bottom. This of course was a hazard when the first skier crashed. Julia Mancuso, another US athlete was up next and also off to a good start when the officials stopped her because Vonn was still lying down. So Mancuso had to start her run all over. At the end of the race, she was upset with the whole event. This added to the tension between teammates as Mancuso already accused Vonn of taking up all of the team's attention.

In all this mess, I have to take Lindsey Vonn's side. A true athlete should always keep their head in the game. It doesn't matter what the media says. So Mancuso needs to block out the fact that Lindsey is getting all of the interviews and attention. This is a sports competition, not popularity contest. And they're also teammates. So they should support each other. There should also be a rule change for yesterday's incident. Mancuso should have been the last to go because she basically ran the course almost twice... more distance than any other competitor.

Just to kick Mancuso while she's down... it's obvious why Lindsey Vonn gets the attention. She's very pretty and has a great smile!

Ohno & AT&T

Here's another Ohno commercial. have a good look. This guy's gonna disappear in a few weeks!


This was well produced, clean looking commercial. It's short and to the point, but it also has nice visuals with seamlessly integrated CG.

Go Get 'Em Tiger!

US Gold Medal Olympic Skier, Lindsey Vonn joked that everyone who hugged Tiger after his public "apology" basically were telling him:

"Yeah, you're awesome. You go have that sex!"
- Lindsey Vonn

I'm not sure what the thinking of the media was publishing this. Were they trying to get on Vonn? Were they making more fun of Tiger? I support Vonn in this. Like I mentioned before, pour it on! This is all part of the many consequences he'll have to face for his screw ups. There are going to be skits, monologues, jokes, etc. And with the Internet ans social media it'll only get worse.

For Lindsey Vonn: Keep up the great work. You're a star now and you've just seen one go down. Don't make the same mistakes Tiger did. Just keep doing what you're doing!

Yankees Player Movement

As I mentioned before, Matsui signed with the AL rival Angels in December. I thought it was a mistake letting the World Series MVP and an integral part of the Yankees since coming over from Japan. Matsui was clutch and he rocked against the Red Sox. The Yankees will certainly miss him in big games.

I was hoping things would somehow work with Damon, another essential key to the last championship. He signed a 1-year contract with the Tigers. This deal was likely screwed up by his agent, Scott Boras... the same guy that nearly ruined A-Rod's life. I wish Johnny dumped him and called up the Yankees himself. He'd still be in pinstripes. So Damon will play LF and leadoff for Detroit... essentially taking of Granderson's position. I think this is a bad swap from the Yankees' point of view. Granderson might be a better fielder, but I think Damon's bat and experience are more valuable. I always apply the Bulls way of thinking that teams should be constructed of winners.

Chien Ming Wang ended up with the Washington Nationals. I was hoping he would come back to the Yankees after shopping around, but there was a low chance of that happening. He had 3 amazing seasons. Someone was bound to pick him up and I think he'll be great in the National League. Of course he'll have to learn how to run with cleats! Over the weekend, the Yankees picked up Chan Ho Park on a 1-year contract. So that was the swap basically. If I were the Yankees, I'd take my chances that Wang would return to Cy Young caliber pitching after being injured over the OK pitching of Park.

Weekend Sports Wrapup

Bulls
The Bulls played 4 games in 5 nights, but showed no signs of fatigue as they won all of them! After they swept the Knicks, they went on to defeat the Timberwolves on Friday in a close comeback game (100-94) and the blew out the 76ers on Saturday (122-90). This puts them 2 games above .500 and keeps them in the 6th spot. They're just 2 games behind Toronto for the 5th seed. The offense has been on target for all four of these games too, scoring 100 or more. Rose looks like he's going to be a top scorer if he keeps putting up more than 25 per game.... canceling out the need for a James or Wade next year. In the blowout game, the Bulls had 7 guys in double figures again, 26 team assists and 10 steals. So the defense was there too.

Muay Thai
Friday Night Fights featured an all muay thai lineup and a star studded cast. Liam Tarrant returned after a long layoff... I think his last match may have been the loss to Osvaldo Dominguez. He jumped right into his first 5-round match and defeated Kyle Hillman (who also lost to Dominguez recently) by unanimous decision. The next 2 featured bouts were shockers to me. Chris Romulo defeated Sasha Hijazi by KO in the 5th round. And Justin Greskiewicz lost the decision to the streaking Gabe Varga who has now defeated two of the best fighters in this series (the other being Omar Ahmed).

Winter Games
I haven't been watching much of this. In fact, I keep forgetting that it's on! I did see most of the speed skating event featuring Apolo Ohno and J.R. Celski for the US. Ohno picked up his 7th medal, making him the most decorated Winter Olympian to date. These races are amazingly tight, and Ohno has so much control over his pace. It seems like he has the whole race drawn out... each lap carefully planned.

Ohno & DayQuil

During the Winter Olympics, Apolo Anton Ohno is the biggest star in the world. In his first Winter Games, his name trumped "Anna Kournikova" in Internet search engine stats. It's just amazing how big Olympians are for a month or so. Then they sort of disappear for 4 years.


The exceptions to this I'd say are Michael Phelps and Shaun White. Phelps has just become a superstar in general because his accomplishments have transcended sports. White remains in people's heads just because snowboarding has become a hot winter sport and he's the best in the world. Maybe Ohno can break into this after the 2010 Winter Games since he made history. Video games can also give these athletes a boost if they get a deal with the right company.

Tech Deals of the Week (2/21-2/27)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB PNY (swivel) @ ST for $12.99
- 8 GB Lexar (with capacity meter) @ ST for $24.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ BB for $24.99

Logitech V450 @ OD for $24.99
There weren't a lot of deals this week, but I wanted to make an entry because this item has a really good price. The V450 is a laser version of the V220 basically and this price puts it below the normal price of the basic model.

Radio Shack Deals
Anything I listed last week from RS is still on sale this week.

The Deadline

The deadline came, but most of the rumors didn't follow through. The Knick did end up getting McGrady. That will certainly sell tickets, but the reality of it is... McGrady is old. The knee surgery could be a big factor. They did unload Larry Hughes & Jared Jeffries though. I'm happy with the Bulls moves, despite not picking up McGrady. Thomas went to the Bobcats. As good as he is physically, he's not a good character fit for the hardworking egoless Bulls team. Thomas is great when he shows up, but most of the time he doesn't bring his A-game. In return, they got Flip Murray and Acie Law... OK players that can be good roleplayers. They also unloaded Salmons to Milwaukee... another inconsistent player that failed to equal the missing Gordon numbers. These were mostly neutral moves, but the important thing is the core is intact. The Bulls must hold on to Rose, Hinrich, Noah and Deng to look appealing for next season. Imagine that team with the addition of Dwayne Wade? The other thing to keep in mind is that Rose is improving so rapidly that the Bulls would still be a top team without James or Wade. If you erase the mistake of letting Gordon go, I believe they'd be right up their with Cleveland now.

2-Game Sweep

The trade deadline's coming up and the 2 teams in every headline are the Bulls and the Knicks. Which team would get depleted to bring Tracy McGrady in? At the beginning of the season, I really thought the Bulls could use him because they lost their top scorer in Ben Gordon. But now, the Bulls are doing so well, I actually wouldn't risk breaking the chemistry. They really displayed this during their 2-game sweep of the Knicks... a 33-point blowout on Tuesday and a 2nd half comeback tonight. The Bulls looked like a team with rhythm... a team that plays well together and gets along. The Knicks just looked like a team waiting for the deadline. In the blowout game, the only player that gave an effort was David Lee. He was coming off a good All-Star appearance. In the first half he was just getting shot after shot. I thought the Bulls would have a tough night. Fortunately, no one else showed up. the Bulls shot nearly 70% at one point. Rose just continues to amaze me. I knew he was good, but never thought he would be so consistent. He had 29 pts & 6 asts. The team had 7... 7 guys in double figures!

In tonight's game, the Knicks started to play hard and it looked like they were going to have a payback game. Usually when you play a team 2 days in a row, they make adjustments. The Knicks led by as many as 13 in the 3rd quarter, but the Bulls made their run and kept a slight lead into the 4th. In the final seconds, Gallinari had 3 open 3's that missed. The Bulls starters dominated this game... all with big minutes and big numbers. John Salmons wasn't with the team as he was traded to Milwaukee to free up some cap space, but I'll get more into the trades tomorrow.

Subway Tales: Milk Woman

There's a reason why you're not supposed to bring food and open containers on to subways. It's just an accident waiting to happen. The trains are crowded, especially in rush hour. Seating is tight. When you're sitting down, you're shoulder-to-shoulder with other passengers. If someone moves, they're going to rub on someone else. The train is also moving and making sudden stops.


Today, this woman in front of me can in fumbling around a large half cup of milk and a bag of food. She came in while the train was already crowded and squeezed herself between 2 very nervous passengers. They kept their eyes glued onto that large cup of milk, hoping she would finish it as soon as possible! I had to get off before the 3 of them, so I don't know what happened, but when I left, there was still milk in the cup.

Take-On New York Showdown Results

I wasn't able to make this one because of All-Star Weekend, but wanted to repost the results from Saturday's TKO event:

- David Miqui def Tamasz Jorjoliani (dec.)
- Peelo Deonarain def Tamasz Jorjoliani (TKO - 3rd rd.)
- Stacy Hughes def Janet Pacitto (TKO - 2nd rd.)
- Gary Gilchris def Jessie Jimenez (unanimous dec.)
- Tony Manoharan def Eric Ruiz (TKO - 5th rd.)
- Jay Matias def Javier Vongphet (unanimous dec.)
- Nic Vaughan def Preston Baptiste (unanimous dec.)
- Eddie Martinez def Chris Minor (KO - 2nd rd.)
- Robert Zatarain def Greg Lachaga (unanimous dec.)
- Rami Ibrahim def Dave Duijn (TKO - 5th rd.)

The Gaius Ebratt vs. Brett Hlavacek fight didn't happen because Hlavacek was unable to make weight. That was the one match I would've wanted to see, so I don't feel so bad for missing this one!

All-Star Weekend (Part 2)

Saturday (cont'd)
In the 3-Point Shootout, Paul Pierce got the win over the tough competition of Billups, Curry, Gallinari, Frye & Cook. You could easily tell that some players were game shooters and coming of the rack gave them some problems with rhythm. Gallinari didn't do as well, but I though he had a 50/50 shot because he's extremely streaky. Billups is more of a game shooter when he motions into the 3-point shot. I was surprised at Frye because I never knew him as a 3-point shooter... and he wasn't when the Knicks drafted him. It looks like he's just another player who unlocked potential after leaving a losing organization!

Sunday
I liked the substitutions in this game. Allen Iverson was the leading vote getter, but many were saying that he should let someone else take the spot as his numbers and playing time have diminished. He did end up stepping down because of injury. So he still got the honor of the fan's votes and let a much deserving David Lee into the lineup. Lee has been one of the best rebounders in the league over the past 2 years and he's a double-double machine. He probably should've been on the team last year, but I think a lot of his accomplishments have been overshadowed by the bad team he's on. For the West, Bryant was injured and replaced by the Jason Kidd. Any game without Bryant is one I enjoy watching. And to have him replaced by the playmaking Kidd was perfect. As a fan, I want to see great passing leading to a shot or dunk rather than a selfish player hogging the ball. This was one of the best All-Star Games in recent times because it wasn't a showboating event. The two teams actually played out every minute and it was close at the end as the East only won by 2 points... 141-139. Scoring was pretty spreadout with no player with 30 points or higher. Even picking the MVP was hard. James had 25 pts, 6 asts, 5 rebs and kept his team in the game during droughts. Bosh had 23 pts & 10 rebs, but just looked bad whenever he had to dribble. I thought that was the only sign of showboating in the game. He should've handed it over to the point guard on many occasions. Wade filled up the stat sheet with 28 pts, 6 rebs, 11 asts and 5 steals. He was also clutch at the end of the 4th, so he got the much deserved MVP. With limited minutes, the sophomore from Chicago, Derrick Rose got 8 pts, 4 asts and 3 steals. This'll be the first of many All-Star games for him!

All-Star Weekend (Part 1)

The NBA All-Star Weekend 2010 didn't feature as much Bulls coverage as I was expecting mostly because of Derrick Rose's hip injury. He was originally signed up for all 3 days... Rookie Challenge, Skills Competition and the All-Star Game. The NBA allowed him to skip the Rookie Challenge because it would've been too difficult to participate in all 3 days. Then he got injured just before the break, so he skipped the Skills Competition.

Friday
Things kicked off on Friday with the Celebrity Game, which was as terrible as always. I like the idea of this event, but they should seriously be more careful about who they choose. The fans want to see a descent game and not a bunch of clowns missing easy shots. In the Rookie Challenge, Taj Gibson played limited minutes mainly because he was also injured with plantar fasciitis. The Rooks won 140-128. Though the score was high, it wasn't a disappointing dunk contest preview. Shots were at least lightly contested and they played the game... much better than previous years.

Saturday
On Saturday, Kevin Durant successfully defended his HORSE title in a close battle with Raojon Rondo. Shooting Stars was a little different this time around, allowing teams to mix... the LA team included Lakers & Clippers. I thought the Atlanta team had the edge with Joe Johnson, Angel McCoughtry and Steve Smith, but it was Texas that won the trophy. They also had a good shooting lineup of Kenny Smith, Becky Hammon and Dirk Nowitzki. The Skills Competition is one of my favorites and it was fun even without Derrick Rose as Steve Nash took the trophy over his younger competitors. If Rose was in this, it sure would've been a close one with the veteran. Nash only made one mistake in the final round... a missed jumper.

Tech Deals of the Week (2/14-2/20)

Wow! Two weeks in a row! Maybe this is a good sign.

Flash Sales
- 8 GB PNY (New Swivel Model) @ BB for $22.99
- 4 GB HP @ ST for $9.99
- 8 GB Lexar (with capacity meter) @ TG for $21.99
- 8 GB Dane-Elec @ TG for $21.99

Logitech V220 Mouse @ BB for $14.99
I've seen this go on sale for $19.99, but haven't seen the $15 price tag in a long time. Even though it's getting old, this is still a good basic wireless mouse. There are are no extra buttons, but it has the tilt wheel that many basic models are missing.

Logitech Laser Mouse @ RS for $29.99
If you can't afford the Logitech MX Revolution, this one is a good alternative. It's really almost the same thing, but in a different case. It's still laser and has almost the same number of buttons.

Targus 16" Laptop Backpack @ RS for $19.99
This is the same as the Targus Groove model I keep featuring, but is a little larger. It was probably updated for the latest laptop sizes, which are slightly larger at 15.6" and 16:9 aspect ratio.

Gigaware Laptop Speakers @ RS for $19.99
This is a convenient model that clips to the top of your laptop or netbook and provides 2.0 audio... a good upgrade from the terrible built-in speakers. It's USB powered, so no bulky AC adapter.

iPod Offers
- 8 GB Nano @ RS for $149.99 + $15 Gift Card
- 8 GB Nano @ TG for $145 + $10 Gift Card
- 32 GB Touch @ TG for $295 + $25 Gift Card

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

Charles Barkley Taco Bell

Evolution XX

The Legacy
April 24, 2010 @ 19:00


Coming off a nice win against rising star Eli Madagan, John Wayne Parr is set to take on another one of Australia's prospects in Boom Boom. If he wins this one, I think he has to stop fighting in Australia. There won't be anyone left unless he just keeps beating the same guys over and over! He needs to stick with fighting Thai guys since they give him some close competition.

Also in this event, Bruce Macfie will take on Madagan in another veteran vs. rising star bout. Zidov will also fight. Hopefully he can win one. Unless I missed something, I don't think he has a win since Contender Asia.

Post-Storm Commute

It actually wasn't that bad this morning. The snow stopped last night just a little before midnight, so there was no chance of work getting cancelled. I left a little bit earlier and got in a little later, which was to be expected. Most people in the office got in over an hour later. That just makes me wonder if they used the weather as an excuse to get in late. I think an entire hour delay is a little extreme from almost any location. The city actually did a great job clearing Manhattan, the main roads of the burrows, bus routes and train tracks. As I walked around the city, I wondered what they did with the foot of snow because they sure cleared it fast.

By the end of the day, things were running at normal speed. I had no delay at all on the way home. Judging by the crowds going home, almost everyone went to work and school.

I just watched NY1's report on the storm and they were interviewing many people who thought school should've been cancelled for another day. That's the type of mentality that creates the laziness in this country. Truthfully, it's not that bad out. Just wear boots and walk slowly. Education is very important and we're behind in this country. Even if every kid makes it in late, they'll still get in almost a full day of learning. So it was a good decision by Mayor Bloomberg to open up the public schools. Tough it out kids!

Phil Was Right

It looks like Punxsutawney Phil got it right when he predicted 6 more weeks of winter. Staten Island Chuck needs some more practice! The city got slammed with snow today. They said 10 inches, but I felt like we already had more than that and it's still coming down. Fortunately, I got a day off from it. When I was a kid, I would always look forward to snow because of the time off. Now it's usually a hassle unless it's a large enough storm to cancel work. I have to give my office credit. They were prepared for this one. In the morning, when they usually evaluate whether or not to cancel, we had about 2 inches of snow... light enough for people to make it in. It was just good that they looked at the entire day's forecast and cancelled based on that. Tomorrow's commute will be a pain though!

Weekend Sports Wrap Up

Angie Parr vs. Nicole Brolan
Congratulations to Angie Parr as she won her title fight against Nicole Brolan Friday night. She looked good in this exciting match and I feel that she's back in top shape. She lost 2 in a row since her comeback (after giving birth) although the last one looked close and could've gone either way. Against Brolan, Parr was very sharp, working some nice counters and good takedowns.

Chicago Bulls
The Bulls split over the weekend, so they didn't end up totally undo the 5-game win streak. On Friday, they played a poor game against the Hawks, losing 81-91. But then they bounced back on Saturday against Miami 95-91. It seems like they still own the Heat even though they got rid of Shaq and his slowness. Without Noah (plantar faciitis) and Thomas (suspended by team), they lost the rebound war. But the Bulls won the game with good plays and smart basketball. Deng went to the line 11 times. Rose's scoring streak continued. With the win, the Bulls slid into the 6th spot! Hopefully with games like this, Dwayne Wade is thinking, "if I can't beat 'em... join 'em!" It's his rightful place. He's from Chicago, just bought a house there over the Summer and got accepted into Team Jordan.

NBA Misc
The Nets just can't seem to win a game. They got rocked by Boston on Friday and then lost a close one to Detroit. The Boston loss is acceptable, but in the Saturday night game against Detroit, I felt they should've won that one. They were playing better than the Pistons, but then just looked terrible at the end of the 4th quarter with turnover after turnover. It's like they don't know how to win anymore. This year for them has been a bizarre turnaround. True... there's no Carter, but moves they made over the summer weren't bad either. The Knicks also lost both of their games... 114-107 to Milwaukee and 113-106 to Cleveland. So much for making Nate Robinson the starter!

Super Bowl
OK... I didn't care too much about this, but felt I had to flip to it every now and then just because the rest of the world is into it. I would've only watched if there was a NY team in the mix. In the beginning of the game, The Indiana Colts were playing well. They looked like they had good defense, but the New Orleans Saints were better at the end of the game. They had the lead and were able to extend it out of reach on an intercepted Manning pass. Commercials were nice, but nothing really blew me away.

Tech Deals of the Week (2/7-2/13)

This is only the first time in 2010 I'm posting deals. Time flies and prices are not really dropping. OK... let's see if I can get through this:

Flash Sales
- 8 GB SanDisk @ RS for $24.99
- 8 GB Geek Squad @ BB for $24.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ ST for $6.99 ($6 Rebate)

Targus Portable Card Reader @ RS for $12.99
This is a 32-in-1 portable card reader that's a great accessory for your laptop or netbook. Many other models are much larger.

Gigaware Sales & RS
- 1.3 MP Webcam (black, red or blue) for $24.99
- Wireless Optical Mouse (black, red or blue) for $19.99
- 4-Port Retractable USB (black, red or blue) for $12.99
- Optical Lighted Mouse for $14.99
- Cordless Desktop for $29.99
- USB Notebook/Netbook 2.0 Speakers for $19.99

None of these prices are spectacular, but they're still lower than normal. Because of the recession, there hasn't really been a price drop in technology. Everything is about the same price as last year.

Thailand vs Challenger

Contender Asia when from a series with a lot of potential to zero due to bad marketing of the 2nd season. As far as I know, it never took off and they just failed to capitalize on the popularity of season 1. Here's a good one to keep your eye on though...

I Hope They Kill Each Other

Mace Ryan: Serrano is at war with Tau

Jake Lo: Great... I hope they kill each other!

Mace Ryan: I could not be that lucky.

That was from a martial arts classic, Rapid Fire starring Brandon Lee. And that's what comes to mind when I hear about stories like Mineo/NYPD incident that's been all over the news lately. Michael Mineo was caught smoking marijuana and decided to run from the cops. He ran because he was on parole for a gang assault. 3 cops chased him down, beat and sodomized him. That was great! First we have a criminal getting chased down and then the cops crossing the line. We basically have scum vs. scum in this case. "I hope they kill each other!"

2-Game Streak

Knowing the Bulls, they're probably doing to drop 5 games in a row. Last night, they dropped their 2nd in a row against a losing ball club. Rose was great and the scoring was there, but there were too many jump shots taken and too many turnovers. Thomas and Hinrich got off to good starts in the first half, but then disappeared after that. Noah, probably bothered by a foot injury did not put up his normal double-double.We got nothing out of Taj Gibson. Only Rose (30 pts/9 ast), Deng (17 pts/11 reb) and Salmons (17 pts - 4 threes) really showed up. The had the lead at the end of the game, but the Sixers behind a great performance by Igoudala were able to force overtime. In the extra period, the Sixers looked a lot better as the Bulls just could hit their shots. This was a tough loss not only because it was close, but because it was against a sub-500 team with Allen Iverson out of the lineup.

Streak Ends

The Bulls streak ended at 5 with last night's loss to the Clippers. It actually ended the Clippers' losing streak as well. So the Bulls won their 5 against all good team and then end up losing this one against a sub-500 team. During the 5-game streak, the Bulls' shooting was just phenomenal. There was no way they were going to keep that up forever. They just don't have the depth to do that. Even the core players ran out of gas as Deng had 18, Rose 16 and Hinrich 10. Those were the only players in double-figures.

Still, they came off a good streak. The important thing is that their confidence is up. They have the Sixers tonight and very little off time in the coming week. So they have a chance to redeem themselves right away and put some distance from Milwaukee in the standings.

Rose Does it All
On a side note, Derek Rose was allowed to pull out of the Rookie Challenge because he's also set to participate in the All-Star Game and Skills Challenge. So he was a nominee for all 3 days during the All-Star weekend! We still have Taj Gibson in the Rookie challenge though.

More FNF Previews

It looks like there's going to be 2 more great fights I'm going to miss this month at Friday Night Fights.

Justin Greskiewicz vs. Gabe Varga
It's another main event for Justin Greskiewicz! He's one of the best fighter I've seen in this series. He fights nearly every month and I've never been around for one of his losses. I only saw him get a draw once. He's got a tough opponent in Gabe Varga though. This was the guy that took out one of our local heroes, Omar Ahmed in December. Varga is also a former amateur world champion. While I give the edge to the Purple People Eater, you just never know when these Canadian fighters are involved. They often show up with worse records than the locals, but have been great against us. This is definitely worthy of the main event.

Liam Tarrant vs. Kyle Hillman
I haven't seen one of Liam's fights in a long time, so it really hurts that I'm missing this one. Both of these fighters lost to Osvaldo Dominguez. Tarrant lost in May 2009 and Hillamn lost last month. So that would make them event if you apply simple logic. Both guys went the distance and Dominguez clearly won each one. However, I sensed that something was wrong with Tarrant in his fight though. He came out to the ring a bit late and something just didn't seem right with him... he wasn't moving like himself. I think he was either injured or something was bothering him. I feel like Tarrant in top form could beat Dominguez... I'm talking about the Tarrant that gave us the exciting KO against Marcus Fisher.

Ultimate Laptop

I get asked about laptop recommendations all the time. I always have to answer with several other questions. What's your budget? What are you looking to do? Do you need something basic? Do you need gaming power? With Alienware's new M11x, I don't have to do that anymore. It's truly one laptop that combines the best features of every other model and type.

Affordable Price
The most shocking thing about this is the price. Alienware is known for their expensive systems, so I was most shocked by the tag on this... $800. That can be considered high at first glance, but it's a bargain after you look at all of the feature, which I'll get into below.

Portability
People buy netbooks because they're easy to carry around... 10 inches and 2 lbs encourage users to bring them around everywhere. The M11x can fit in with this class as far as size. The screen is 11.6", which is a little bigger, but it allows a step up in resolution to 1366x768... or 720p HD. Battery life at 6.5 hours is between the older Atom N270 (3-4 hours) and the newer N280 (9 hours). So it's comparable.

Computing Power
This is several times more powerful than an Atom... it's 1.3 Ghz. Core 2 Duo. That's right... there's a Core 2 Duo stuffed into this little form factor! It has 2 GB RAM and a 160 GB HDD... same as any other netbook.

Graphics
The graphics are far beyond any netbook... and regular laptop for that matter. There are 2 video systems... the integrated VRAM when using the LCD built-in. It auto-switches to a discreet 1 GB NVidia video card when used via VGA, DisplayPort or HDMI. That's more than capable of goign 1080p full HD with an external display!

Misc
Other common things in modern laptops are a webcam, SD card reader, stereo sound, audio input/outputs. The keyboard is backlit like a Macbook. 3 USB ports are standard. There's a Firewire too!

So this thing basically takes the power of a gaming PC and stuffs it into the body of a netbook for $800. This is the only laptop I need to recommend now because it truly fits every purpose. People shopping for a netbook should splurge a little for more power. Gamers no longer need to carry around a 20 lbs weight and be in constant search of a power outlet. And Mac user who get scammed into blowing money for good looks... the system is the best looking laptop out there!