My First Vlog

Now to clarify one thing (I didn't feel like doing it again), I'm not advocating either crime, and I'm not trying to say Stallworth doesn't deserve a second chance once he serves his time. I just don't see how one crime can make you hated by the entire US, but one doesn't really matter to the general public. Leonard Little got away with killing someone while drinking and driving during Paul Tagliabue's tenure with only an 8 game suspension. I think Roger Goddell can be a douche sometimes, but he made the right call here.

Last point, I've said this for a while, if the Orioles were in the NL West they would have won at least 4 division crowns, and probably gone to at least 1 World Series. However, they play in the evil AL East, where great teams go to die. As much as I hate Peter Angelos, I can't blame him for not trying to outspend the Yankees and Red Sox every year. He finally got a GM that has a long term plan, and a coach that has developed young players for the first time since Davey Johnson. Hopefully this little winning pattern continues when they go back to playing the AL.

Just for fun

French Open

So I promised a friend I would do some more discussion on non-American sports, so since the French Open is most recent international happening, that seems too appropriate. First, I was happy to see Roger Federer finally win the French and capture his 14th Grand Slam event. He has officially put his name right near the top of tennis' all time greats. But let's stop all the talk of greatest ever. He lucked out in not having to play Rafael Nadal, who has shown the ability to dominate Roger on clay. Federer has played in an era in which he was the only great player until 2001 when Nadal appeared on the pro scene when he was 15. Had Federer played at the same time as Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, or any of the other greats, I don't think he gets more than 8 or 9. He is the best hard court player in the world, and has been for a long time, and he is still in the top 5 of clay court players, but we live in a world in which specialization has prevented some of the best athletes from experimenting with other sports. Guys don't play every sport under the sun and pick the one they're best at, they go for one sport and train vigirously for it year round in hopes of making it big. While this has created some advantages, it has left a void in the sports world that used to be filled with the Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders types of guys. Nowadays it's too much to ask for a pitcher to hit, or a RB to return a kick. But I digress, tennis seems to be one of the hardest hit sports due to this specialization because when football, baseball, basketball, track, and wrestling are finished plucking the high school talent pool, tennis is left to the fat kids and gays. Not saying there is anything wrong with that, but unfortunately its a trend, especially in smaller schools where there aren't enough male athletes to go around. And even though I love watching Roger Federer play tennis, and believe that he is the best player of his generation by more than most have been, he isn't the greatest of all time because his only test has come while he's on his way out the door, not when he was truly at his peak.

Updates Galore

So a lot has happened since I last posted on here, so I figured I would give you all what you want, ranting and raving about nothing special.

First, Vitamin Water and Nike, Fuck You! Sorry for the language, but really, how awful are those commercials. Although I would have preferred it to be Kobe, thank God one of them missed the finals so we can stop seeing them. The puppets looked nothing like Kobe or LeBron, and the commercials just made me want to ban Vitamin Water and Nike products forever. Eventually I just started changing the channel every time they came on, but then I would start to miss parts of the game because I wouldn't get back in time. So I do believe it's official, I won't be buying any Vitamin Water or Nike for a while to teach them a lesson.
And for you Beav, here is a sample if you haven't seen it

The Stanley Cup Finals are officially marginalized by moving from NBC to VS. The series is tied 2-2, and the NHL seems desperate to make the Penguins win by having the first five games played in 8 days. The older Red Wings are having trouble keeping up with the younger Penguins, which is exactly what Gary Bettman wants considering he's commisioner of a failing league that isn't available in 50% of households. Ever since the Boston-Carolina round 2 game I've finally come back to hockey because it's back to the hard nosed style they used to have in the playoffs, but without as much trap and clutching. Well I believe in the NHL, which is why I'm writing about them before the actual NBA playoffs.

So on to the NBA Finals, where it's already a foregone conclusion that the Lakers are going to win, probably in 6 once the series returns to LA. As much as I hate watching them win, they really showed they were a better team last night. I could hardly stand to watch some of it because they made the Magic look like they were a college team. They did the smart thing by fouling Howard when he went up strong and forced him to make his FTs. With Bynum, Gasol, Odom, and Trevor Ariza they have 24 fouls between their big guys to throw at Howard, and then they have the speed to step out and contest the 3 that the Sixers, Cavs, and Celtics didn't. It's too bad because I'd really like to see anyone but LA or Boston win this season, but it doesn't look likely.

That's about it for now, but hopefully once I get into a better routine with work updates will be more frequent again.