Things, music and some bullshit (pronounced: buuuuull-sheeeeeet).
If there is one thing I failed to do this year (among many, I guess) it is keeping this blog fresh and updated every week. There was less quantity and less quality this year. A shame. I do not post for the sake of posting. Well, you already know that. Though I haven't posted much quality stuff either.
Fuck. I've said this way too much. However, once again, I will say that I will try hard to post a lot more - quality - on this blog.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Passionless, Horse Shit, Disinterested and Lost: It's Called Bruins
Let's end this year with a bang - this blog, I mean. Something that has been itching within me lately. More aggravating than usual. Less fun and more horse shit, to be honest. Now, I'm not the one to bitch and complain about things. Those that know me, know that I am a passionate hockey fan - a Bruins fan.
I'm not biased, but I can be too faithful to my team. Let's face it, every sports fan does this. However, I am fair as much as I can be. If a bullshit penalty is given to the opponent, then I will say it is bullshit. If a goal should have counted, for the bruins or the opponent, then I will say it should have counted. Obviously, if it is the opponent I would say something like, "That is a fucking goal, but lucky for us (bruins) it didn't count. Once again, the refs and this league are inconsistent and do a fucking garbage job." Yes, I used profanity because I'm being true to you and myself. That's what I would say, more or less.
For example, last night's (Wednesday) game against the Sabres, the bruins could and should have taken the lead. Miller (Sabres goalie) purposely came out of his crease to stop the puck. Simultaneously, Thornton (Bruin played) collides with Miller. The puck did not touch Thornton or Miller, but it landed on Marchand's (bruin player) stick and he banked it in easily. The goal was called off because of goalie interference. Thornton was penalized, and this changed the momentum of the third period in favor of the Sabres who ended up winning the game. I have an enormous problem with the refs call. No way should the goal have been called off. Miller decides to be a jackass that he is and leaps out of his crease in anticipation of the shot from the blue line. The puck never reaches him. He was out of the crease - out of the crease. Sure, Thornton collides with him (no intent which is seen on the play). Once again, Miller was way out of his crease - about a foot or two. Once a goalie is out of his crease to challenge a shot, then all bets are off unless the intent is obvious - the player clearly vying to knock the goalie out. This was not there last night (Wednesday). Thornton was heading for the top of the crease - standing in front of the goalie when your team is in the offensive zone is part of hockey. However, Miller decides it would be fun to go out of his crease. Hell, he might be looking for a cookie for all I know. That's the story.
I'm sick and tired of these so-called NHL refs continuously being inconsistent. Sure, humans make errors. It's a given. But aren't you sick and tired of this excuse? I know I am. They call a penalty to one team, but don't seem to think it's a penalty when the other team does it. Then they get offended that they're being called names on the ice. Oh, shut up! If you were doing your job right, then you wouldn't be hearing players calling you out.
For example, last night (Wednesday) - yes, I'm going back to the same game - Milan Lucic (Bruins) makes a legal hit - crisp and clean as it can get - yet he is called for boarding. This is in the first period. Complete bullshit penalty. Oh, and the Sabres capitalize to tie the game on the powerplay. Then later in the third - late in the third, actually - Vanek and Myers (both Sabre players) do the exact same thing to Lucic. Exact same sort of hit. By the way, Lucic did not have the puck. Refs don't call it, so Lucic let's the refs have it. After the game, Lucic said he called the refs a "joke" and an "embarrassment." Rightfully so, if I may add. For those comments (with less than 2 minutes left in the game while the Bruins trailed by one), Lucic is assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct. What a way for a ref to look big and tough, huh? Stupid. Just stupid. Give the guy a misconduct (10 minutes, out of the game and NO power play for the Sabres), but not an unsportsmanlike conduct that put the Sabres on the power play - basically giving the game to the Sabres. Once again, let me reiterate, I'm not being biased here. Plain and simple: a ref should not penalize a player like that with less than 2 minutes for something said that did not warrant a penalty to begin with. Hell, if unsportsmanlike conducts were given for every time a player says something like that on the ice, then the game would be incredibly slow and just painful to watch. Bottom line: the ref (if he really needed too, apparently he did) should have given Lucic a misconduct. It seemed, to me at least, that the ref (O'Rourke) took it as a way to punish the Bruins and not Lucic.
On to the next one.
Tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens. Rivalry game - game that should easily pump up both teams no matter how bad they have been playing lately. How should I say this? I'll sum up the bruins performance in tonight's game in two words: horse shit. And I mean every fucking word. There is too much anger from my part towards the bruins players right now after watching this horse shit of a performance. Lack of everything - passion, compete level, heart, skating, desire. Everything. It's missing, and I am starting to wonder what goes on in that locker room. I like Zdeno Chara, but games like these make me question his leadership, his captaincy, which he got without even playing a single game for the bruins.
The first period was .... wait for it .... horse shit. Absolutely horse shit. The penalty shot awarded to the Canadiens did not exist. You are going to tell me that that entitles a penalty shot? Really? That? Should I clean your glasses because they look fogged to me. That short penalty shot, surprisingly, ended up costing the bruins the game. That's what some fans would argue. I'll take it in another direction. That penalty shot was bullshit, did not exist, but it was not what costed the bruins the game. Sure, it took away any momentum from the bruins - did they even have any? - but it was not the reason for the bruins to play like ... wait for it ... horse shit.
Sloppy everything. Sloppy passes. Sloppy skating. Sloppy energy. I would probably be more entertained watching a horse attempt to skate on ice than see this bruins team play like that again. Scratch that, I would be entertained. Hell, I'll go fucking dance with the fucking horse. I'll be the first in line.
The bruins need to pull their heads out of their asses - if it is not too deep in there - and start playing for the B-crest on the chests. Enough of the horse shit plays and lack of everything. Memo to the so-called bruins players: the third period is not fucking Christmas every fucking game! You're not going to pull comebacks every fucking game. Enough is enough. I definitely enjoyed kicking my bruins cap in frustration after the second period. Damn, did it take a beating - just like the bruins tonight.
Oh, and that power play. Don't get me started on the power play. In fact, I will cut this short before I throw this laptop into the snow. The power play is a joke. A total joke. Horse shit. Disaster. You name it - for the record, I'm calling it horse shit just like the teams performance last night and tonight (Thursday). Three power plays in the third, when you are trailing by 2 goals, and you only manage to have ONE fucking shot?!! ONE? ONE? Really? ONE fucking shot? Mind you, the Bruins scored on that lone shot (that was on their third power play in the third period). But ONE? One fucking shot? Wow, I'll tell you what, the bruins were motivated and really wanted to win the hockey game.
Fuck that shit.
I'm not biased, but I can be too faithful to my team. Let's face it, every sports fan does this. However, I am fair as much as I can be. If a bullshit penalty is given to the opponent, then I will say it is bullshit. If a goal should have counted, for the bruins or the opponent, then I will say it should have counted. Obviously, if it is the opponent I would say something like, "That is a fucking goal, but lucky for us (bruins) it didn't count. Once again, the refs and this league are inconsistent and do a fucking garbage job." Yes, I used profanity because I'm being true to you and myself. That's what I would say, more or less.
For example, last night's (Wednesday) game against the Sabres, the bruins could and should have taken the lead. Miller (Sabres goalie) purposely came out of his crease to stop the puck. Simultaneously, Thornton (Bruin played) collides with Miller. The puck did not touch Thornton or Miller, but it landed on Marchand's (bruin player) stick and he banked it in easily. The goal was called off because of goalie interference. Thornton was penalized, and this changed the momentum of the third period in favor of the Sabres who ended up winning the game. I have an enormous problem with the refs call. No way should the goal have been called off. Miller decides to be a jackass that he is and leaps out of his crease in anticipation of the shot from the blue line. The puck never reaches him. He was out of the crease - out of the crease. Sure, Thornton collides with him (no intent which is seen on the play). Once again, Miller was way out of his crease - about a foot or two. Once a goalie is out of his crease to challenge a shot, then all bets are off unless the intent is obvious - the player clearly vying to knock the goalie out. This was not there last night (Wednesday). Thornton was heading for the top of the crease - standing in front of the goalie when your team is in the offensive zone is part of hockey. However, Miller decides it would be fun to go out of his crease. Hell, he might be looking for a cookie for all I know. That's the story.
I'm sick and tired of these so-called NHL refs continuously being inconsistent. Sure, humans make errors. It's a given. But aren't you sick and tired of this excuse? I know I am. They call a penalty to one team, but don't seem to think it's a penalty when the other team does it. Then they get offended that they're being called names on the ice. Oh, shut up! If you were doing your job right, then you wouldn't be hearing players calling you out.
For example, last night (Wednesday) - yes, I'm going back to the same game - Milan Lucic (Bruins) makes a legal hit - crisp and clean as it can get - yet he is called for boarding. This is in the first period. Complete bullshit penalty. Oh, and the Sabres capitalize to tie the game on the powerplay. Then later in the third - late in the third, actually - Vanek and Myers (both Sabre players) do the exact same thing to Lucic. Exact same sort of hit. By the way, Lucic did not have the puck. Refs don't call it, so Lucic let's the refs have it. After the game, Lucic said he called the refs a "joke" and an "embarrassment." Rightfully so, if I may add. For those comments (with less than 2 minutes left in the game while the Bruins trailed by one), Lucic is assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct. What a way for a ref to look big and tough, huh? Stupid. Just stupid. Give the guy a misconduct (10 minutes, out of the game and NO power play for the Sabres), but not an unsportsmanlike conduct that put the Sabres on the power play - basically giving the game to the Sabres. Once again, let me reiterate, I'm not being biased here. Plain and simple: a ref should not penalize a player like that with less than 2 minutes for something said that did not warrant a penalty to begin with. Hell, if unsportsmanlike conducts were given for every time a player says something like that on the ice, then the game would be incredibly slow and just painful to watch. Bottom line: the ref (if he really needed too, apparently he did) should have given Lucic a misconduct. It seemed, to me at least, that the ref (O'Rourke) took it as a way to punish the Bruins and not Lucic.
On to the next one.
Tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens. Rivalry game - game that should easily pump up both teams no matter how bad they have been playing lately. How should I say this? I'll sum up the bruins performance in tonight's game in two words: horse shit. And I mean every fucking word. There is too much anger from my part towards the bruins players right now after watching this horse shit of a performance. Lack of everything - passion, compete level, heart, skating, desire. Everything. It's missing, and I am starting to wonder what goes on in that locker room. I like Zdeno Chara, but games like these make me question his leadership, his captaincy, which he got without even playing a single game for the bruins.
The first period was .... wait for it .... horse shit. Absolutely horse shit. The penalty shot awarded to the Canadiens did not exist. You are going to tell me that that entitles a penalty shot? Really? That? Should I clean your glasses because they look fogged to me. That short penalty shot, surprisingly, ended up costing the bruins the game. That's what some fans would argue. I'll take it in another direction. That penalty shot was bullshit, did not exist, but it was not what costed the bruins the game. Sure, it took away any momentum from the bruins - did they even have any? - but it was not the reason for the bruins to play like ... wait for it ... horse shit.
Sloppy everything. Sloppy passes. Sloppy skating. Sloppy energy. I would probably be more entertained watching a horse attempt to skate on ice than see this bruins team play like that again. Scratch that, I would be entertained. Hell, I'll go fucking dance with the fucking horse. I'll be the first in line.
The bruins need to pull their heads out of their asses - if it is not too deep in there - and start playing for the B-crest on the chests. Enough of the horse shit plays and lack of everything. Memo to the so-called bruins players: the third period is not fucking Christmas every fucking game! You're not going to pull comebacks every fucking game. Enough is enough. I definitely enjoyed kicking my bruins cap in frustration after the second period. Damn, did it take a beating - just like the bruins tonight.
Oh, and that power play. Don't get me started on the power play. In fact, I will cut this short before I throw this laptop into the snow. The power play is a joke. A total joke. Horse shit. Disaster. You name it - for the record, I'm calling it horse shit just like the teams performance last night and tonight (Thursday). Three power plays in the third, when you are trailing by 2 goals, and you only manage to have ONE fucking shot?!! ONE? ONE? Really? ONE fucking shot? Mind you, the Bruins scored on that lone shot (that was on their third power play in the third period). But ONE? One fucking shot? Wow, I'll tell you what, the bruins were motivated and really wanted to win the hockey game.
Fuck that shit.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Reminder
I'm going to keep this brief. Just a few things to keep in mind. I was going to write about the whole Colin Campbell - Marc Savard news - emails about Campbell's criticizing NHL refs and Savard for being a "little faker" - but decided not to. If, by chance, I decide to change my mind, then I will write about it - I'll give myself November 24th as the last day to write it.
Furthermore, the shit loads of essays and exams have clogged my preferred schedule of writing on this blog at least twice a week. It's tough, and it will be tough to do so until December 13. I haven't even posted anything on my poem/lyrics blog this month. It seems like it will be the first time ever that at least one poem/lyric is not blogged.
I have not written much on here for the last month or so. It is a shame, really. I will not abandon this blog, though. That's a guarantee. Anyways, I do want to start working on a short story - a story that will rise as I write. Or go up in smoke.
- Claudio
Furthermore, the shit loads of essays and exams have clogged my preferred schedule of writing on this blog at least twice a week. It's tough, and it will be tough to do so until December 13. I haven't even posted anything on my poem/lyrics blog this month. It seems like it will be the first time ever that at least one poem/lyric is not blogged.
I have not written much on here for the last month or so. It is a shame, really. I will not abandon this blog, though. That's a guarantee. Anyways, I do want to start working on a short story - a story that will rise as I write. Or go up in smoke.
- Claudio
November Edition *Updated*
Same as the October edition. And yes, I promise to get back to blogging stuff other than predictions.
November:
(3) @ Buffalo 5-2 W Brad Marchand 1G (SH) 1A [BINGO]
4-2 W Nathan Horton 2G
(5) @ Washington 5-3 L Michael Ryder 1G 1A
3-1 W Tim Thomas 37 saves
(6) St. Louis 2-1 SOL
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G
(10) @ Pittsburgh 7-4 W Shawn Thornton GWG
2-1 OTL Tuukka Rask 34 saves
(11) Montreal 3-1 L
5-1 W Milan Lucic 3G
(13) Ottawa 2-0 L
3-0 W Michael Ryder 2G
(15) New Jersey 3-0W [BINGO]
3-1 W Patrice Bergeron 3A
(17) @ NY Rangers 3-2 W [BINGO]
3-1 W Tyler Seguin 2G
(18) Florida 4-0 W [BINGO] - Lucic 3G, Horton 3A
4-2 W Nathan Horton 2G 2A
(20) Los Angeles 4-3 SOL
3-1 L Jordan Caron 1G
(22) @ Tampa Bay 3-1 L
5-3 W David Krejci 4A
(24) @ Florida 3-1 W
3-2 L Greggory Campbell 1G (his first as a Bruin)
(26) Carolina 3-0 L
6-1 W Brad Marchand 2G
(28) @ Atlanta 4-1 L
3-1 W Zdeno Chara 2G
Home Games: 7
Road Games: 7
November Record: 4-10
Prediction Record: 8-14 (4-4)
November:
(3) @ Buffalo 5-2 W Brad Marchand 1G (SH) 1A [BINGO]
4-2 W Nathan Horton 2G
(5) @ Washington 5-3 L Michael Ryder 1G 1A
3-1 W Tim Thomas 37 saves
(6) St. Louis 2-1 SOL
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G
(10) @ Pittsburgh 7-4 W Shawn Thornton GWG
2-1 OTL Tuukka Rask 34 saves
(11) Montreal 3-1 L
5-1 W Milan Lucic 3G
(13) Ottawa 2-0 L
3-0 W Michael Ryder 2G
(15) New Jersey 3-0W [BINGO]
3-1 W Patrice Bergeron 3A
(17) @ NY Rangers 3-2 W [BINGO]
3-1 W Tyler Seguin 2G
(18) Florida 4-0 W [BINGO] - Lucic 3G, Horton 3A
4-2 W Nathan Horton 2G 2A
(20) Los Angeles 4-3 SOL
3-1 L Jordan Caron 1G
(22) @ Tampa Bay 3-1 L
5-3 W David Krejci 4A
(24) @ Florida 3-1 W
3-2 L Greggory Campbell 1G (his first as a Bruin)
(26) Carolina 3-0 L
6-1 W Brad Marchand 2G
(28) @ Atlanta 4-1 L
3-1 W Zdeno Chara 2G
Home Games: 7
Road Games: 7
November Record: 4-10
Prediction Record: 8-14 (4-4)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Schedule Predictions: October Edition *Updated Oct 31
Alright, folks. I have decided to stick with hockey for this blog post. This is going to be used for predictions (games | goal scorers) concerning the Boston Bruins only. I have written my predictions from the beginning of this season on a small piece of paper, and have now just decided to shove it here. Yes, shove it.
I will bump this blog post during and after every Bruins game. I also have zero intentions of altering the predictions in my favor; this would just defeat the purpose of having some fun. My prediction of the score, and which Bruins will have a great game, will be posted under the scheduled game. Beside the team will be the actual score.
Games from October 9 to 21 have already been played, but I will put what I thought was going to happen the day of the game.
October:
(9) Phoenix (Prague) 5-2 L Horton 2G
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G 1A
(10) @Phoenix (Prague) 3-0 W Krejci 2A [Bingo]
4-2 W Milan Lucic 1G 2A
(16) @ New Jersey 4-1 W
2-1 L Greggory Campbell 1G
(19) @ Washington 3-1 W Krejci 1G 1A [Bingo]
4-3 OTW Michael Ryder 2G (GWG)
(21) Washington 4-1 W Bergeron 2A
4-2 L Patrice Bergeron 2G
(23) New York Rangers 3-2 L Horton 1G 1A
3-1 W Blake Wheeler 1G 1A
(28) Toronto 2-0 W Seguin's 1st goal in Boston [Bingo]
5-2 W Michael Ryder 2G 1A
(30) @ Ottawa 4-0 W Tim Thomas back-to-back shutouts [Bingo]
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G
*October 23: Prediction for that game is in. So far I am 2-3 (right-wrong: terms of predicting wins/losses). There are 3 games remaining this month, and the only team that I can see us having a tough time beating is New York because of Henrik Lundqvist.
*October Record: 4-4
I will bump this blog post during and after every Bruins game. I also have zero intentions of altering the predictions in my favor; this would just defeat the purpose of having some fun. My prediction of the score, and which Bruins will have a great game, will be posted under the scheduled game. Beside the team will be the actual score.
Games from October 9 to 21 have already been played, but I will put what I thought was going to happen the day of the game.
October:
(9) Phoenix (Prague) 5-2 L Horton 2G
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G 1A
(10) @Phoenix (Prague) 3-0 W Krejci 2A [Bingo]
4-2 W Milan Lucic 1G 2A
(16) @ New Jersey 4-1 W
2-1 L Greggory Campbell 1G
(19) @ Washington 3-1 W Krejci 1G 1A [Bingo]
4-3 OTW Michael Ryder 2G (GWG)
(21) Washington 4-1 W Bergeron 2A
4-2 L Patrice Bergeron 2G
(23) New York Rangers 3-2 L Horton 1G 1A
3-1 W Blake Wheeler 1G 1A
(28) Toronto 2-0 W Seguin's 1st goal in Boston [Bingo]
5-2 W Michael Ryder 2G 1A
(30) @ Ottawa 4-0 W Tim Thomas back-to-back shutouts [Bingo]
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G
*October 23: Prediction for that game is in. So far I am 2-3 (right-wrong: terms of predicting wins/losses). There are 3 games remaining this month, and the only team that I can see us having a tough time beating is New York because of Henrik Lundqvist.
*October Record: 4-4
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
A Month Of [Heavy] Rain (Hold Onto Your Minds)!!
November, November, the month not to remember.
Indeed. In-deeeed. A surplus of shit. A tower of books to read, highlight, note and shut. Revise, crack fingers, stretch and look at notes again. Get up, stretch (again), look at the books, look at the floor, then the books again.
Open the front door. Put all the books, which are needed to complete a load of essays, on top of each other. Take a couple of steps back. Stop. Stretch neck. Stare at the tower of books. Now look outside. It's raining. Heavy rain. Thunder. You hear thunder. Get ready. Get that adrenaline pumping. Faster. Faster. Now charge and kick those books out of the freaking house.
At that moment you will wake up. A smile planted on your face. A great dream. A great idea. Yeah.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Countdown: Top T.V Shows [6-10]
A few blog posts back (I believe the one before the hockey stats) I went on sort of a tangent discussing about the Wire. I stopped, then began talking about an idea for my next blog post: my 10 favorite shows (airing and have aired). From there I do not know what the hell I was writing or thinking at the moment. I know I did not go into much, or any detail about why I like the Wire, but I decided to blog it nonetheless. Remember, the point of this blog is not to be articulate, fancy or some New York Times fucking report. Sorry about the profanity, I just had to. No, this blog is more about saying whatever comes up in my mind.
Anyways. I decided to split this in two parts. At first I though, "sure, I'll blog my top 5 favorite shows." But I decided it would be more exciting if I would blog my top 10 shows and split it in two blog posts. Suspense, I guess. If there is any. No big deal.
I figure it would be boring if I just listed the show with a number attached to it. No purposes blogging that, really. Instead, for each show I list there will be a short paragraph about why it's listed, the good/bad, ect ect. What makes the show better than the others.
Let me tell you this, it is not easy to come up with the top 10. It's even harder to come up with my 5 favorite shows. In order to be ranked in my top 10, the show must have completed at least one season. Though, I must admit that I already knew what show was my number 1. Without further blabbing, let's get this ball rolling.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm
The last of the pile; the last piece to the puzzle, but certainly not the least favorite show. Although it was not hard choosing my number 1 favorite show, choosing the tenth was a challenge. More like having one last lollipop, but two kids who want it. OK, that's not a great example, but it points out the problem. It was either 24, the thrilling, action-packed shoot-'em-up-and-ask-questions-later (OK, not really. Opposite that last point), or a comedy show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, about an arrogant, pain-in-the-ass dude who created the show Seinfeld. (24, as you already know, or should, is about Jack Bauer, CTU [Counter Terrorist Unit], who fights terrorism in ONE day!).
Fuck was this one hard. I love both shows. However, it came down to which show was more consistent throughout its seasons and which was more entertaining. Curb Your Enthusiasm won the number tenth spot; it has had seven solid and entertaining years. A show filled with stupid comedy, which always satisfies me. This is not to say that 24 is awful or not entertaining. It was to a certain point; the first three seasons were brilliant - great pace, solid story, good cast, and just enough action. However, the next 5 seasons weren't as close to the glory of seasons 1,2 and 3. Now this is not to say it wasn't a good show. The show in my view began declining by season 6. I still watched it because I liked Jack Bauer and the action, though silly at times, provided just about enough to continue watching. After a while it came to the point that I was just watching out of loyalty (this was season 7-8).
Curb Your Enthusiasm, on the other hand, had great guest stars (Ted Danson, Super Dave Osborne, and a shit load of other greats!), and very little dull moments (very rare actually). Some of the conversations Larry David (creator of Seinfeld and main character) has with other characters on the show are outright hilarious and stupid at the same time. One of the few shows that I can quote from the top of my head. Seven solid seasons, folks. Consistent.
Here's a scene from the show: Doctor's Phone.
9. Lost
Remember that show that everyone was talking about six years ago? A plane filled with passengers crashes on a mysterious island. A dozen or so survive. Then weird stuff begins to happen: smoke monster, disease/physical and mental problems are mysteriously healed, numerous hatches underground, and odd folks, a.k.a the Others, living there for many years. Yeah, that freaking show. Some followed it religiously, others tuned in to see what the fuck was happening. Others didn't give a fuck. Well, I was tuned in to find out what was happening. Luckily I never became obsessed with the show. Sure, I read message boards and had discussions about the show and what was happening, but christ I never became obsessed with it while wearing tin foiled hats.
It was a good show. Great marketing, too. For six seasons the writers enjoyed fucking with the viewers mind. Six freaking years. Take a moment to grasp that. Six. There were times where it was beyond confusing - just stupid. And there were times when the show strived and looked brilliant - i.e. developing characters in the first 3 seasons. The flashbacks were superbly done, and then they switched to flash-forwards, which was handled well, too. Although the writing and direction of the show became more shaky in the second half of the series, it was structured well enough to provide entertainment and build mystery to characters - some that never appeared again, or were never fully develop. More like lost in the smoke. Yet, it was by far one of the most entertaining shows in the last 6 years. Perhaps the most successful in building the mysterious Island.
One day I will re-watch all the seasons, but that will be a hell of a summer. Evangeline Lilly is a bonus.
8. Seinfeld
Another show that involved Larry David. Seinfeld. Classic, I must say. This will be the shorter of the bunch here. What can I say that has not been already said all these years. The show, which last aired in 1998, had eight brilliant years. Repeats are always on t.v. (check, you will see them), and watching the same episodes never get old. George's Exploding Waller, Tribute to Kramer,George's Blind Date
7. Californication
The show about sex, I mean writing. I mean sex. OK, a bit of both. Well, plenty of sex. Necessary to the writing of the story. Let me pause for a moment. Fooling around, making love with women and being a famous writer who has hit a wall - yeah, that writers block thing. That's Hank Moody (David Duchovny). Sex addict. Fiend. Mr. Wood.
There are those who get turned off by the amount of sex in a show like Californication. 'It's too much'. 'Is it really necessary?' And then you get the casual, "God damn it, Moody. Keep for dick in your pants and write a fucking book!" I find those people weird and just plain boring. Well, fortunately for viewers who enjoy a good story with great dialogue and a purpose, Hank Moody does not keep his dick in his pants all the time. But since I'm on the topic let me assure you that the show is not about sex. Sure, there is sex in the show - it is necessary. However, sex is used by Hank Moody to release stress, deal with insecurity and writers block. His life is fun and full of exotic excitement, but his family life is in most part in shambles. He's not married, but has had an on-and-off relationship with the mother of his only daughter.
It's a show that, unlike other comedies, does not focus on delivering punch lines, sex jokes or adding dumb viewers. Though it can never be tiring to hear sex jokes. It's fresh. I think that is how I can describe it best. I am sure that there have been many shows before Californication that have tried to come off fresh and put forward this sort of story and focus, but I cannot think of any that have done as great a job as Californication. It's different and fresh. There is not any laugh track (thank goodness) and the jokes aren't forced, repeated or even focused on. You need to pay attention to the witty dialogue; it demands the attention of the viewer, which is always good for a show.
Here's a scene from the first season that gives you a glimpse of what the show is about, and how sex, comedy smoothly merges into a serious situation: Hank Moody goes to Church.
6. True Blood
This could have been slotted as my fifth favorite show, but some thought and hard decisions later I came to agreement that True Blood belonged at number six. This is not your typical Vampire genre where love is displayed as some sort of emo thing, and vampires are sucking blood from every useless woman's neck. Twilight series and Vampire Diaries can take their bullshit and shove it straight up their ass. Those two shows are an embarrassment to the concept of Vampires.
Unlike the Twilight series (novels), True Blood takes pride in building characters and delivering a solid and satisfying story of vampires and other mythical creatures. Sure there are one or two annoying characters in the show, but it is not because they are badly written or because they lack acting. No. It fits what the character brings to the show and how he or she is utilized (properly of course!). For example, Jason Stackhouse, the sister of Sookie (mind reader, hot body, not the typical blond, and loves Bill, a vampire), is promiscuous. He is dumb, fucks almost every girl he lays eyes on, but has a good heart. To me, he is not annoying. But I can see how he can be annoying for some.
Like Californication, sex is part of True Blood; the good thing is that both shows do not overuse it or just put it in the show for the sake of putting it. No. I am not a passionate fan of Vampires. I am not interested in learning about Vampire history or watching a show/movie about Vampires. But, True Blood is an exception. Unfortunately, I cannot remember how I got into this show. The characters and story are better developed and far more interesting than the shows above (Californication, Seinfeld, Lost & Curb Your Enthusiasm). There are a lot of great characters that bring something different to the table: Lafayette (Cook, and part-time drug dealer), Sam (transforms into animals, and is the owner of the local bar/restaurant), Tara (troubled childhood, best friend of Sookie, and always gets stirred up in some shit), Andy (local police office turned sheriff, witty, and always looks out for the betterment of others), etc etc.
Here's a scene with another great character, Eric (Vampire): contains spoilers Eric visits the Queen.
And there you have it, my favorite shows from number ten to six. The top five will be blogged sometime this week, but I cannot promise on a certain date because I am quite busy.
Anyways. I decided to split this in two parts. At first I though, "sure, I'll blog my top 5 favorite shows." But I decided it would be more exciting if I would blog my top 10 shows and split it in two blog posts. Suspense, I guess. If there is any. No big deal.
I figure it would be boring if I just listed the show with a number attached to it. No purposes blogging that, really. Instead, for each show I list there will be a short paragraph about why it's listed, the good/bad, ect ect. What makes the show better than the others.
Let me tell you this, it is not easy to come up with the top 10. It's even harder to come up with my 5 favorite shows. In order to be ranked in my top 10, the show must have completed at least one season. Though, I must admit that I already knew what show was my number 1. Without further blabbing, let's get this ball rolling.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm
The last of the pile; the last piece to the puzzle, but certainly not the least favorite show. Although it was not hard choosing my number 1 favorite show, choosing the tenth was a challenge. More like having one last lollipop, but two kids who want it. OK, that's not a great example, but it points out the problem. It was either 24, the thrilling, action-packed shoot-'em-up-and-ask-questions-later (OK, not really. Opposite that last point), or a comedy show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, about an arrogant, pain-in-the-ass dude who created the show Seinfeld. (24, as you already know, or should, is about Jack Bauer, CTU [Counter Terrorist Unit], who fights terrorism in ONE day!).
Fuck was this one hard. I love both shows. However, it came down to which show was more consistent throughout its seasons and which was more entertaining. Curb Your Enthusiasm won the number tenth spot; it has had seven solid and entertaining years. A show filled with stupid comedy, which always satisfies me. This is not to say that 24 is awful or not entertaining. It was to a certain point; the first three seasons were brilliant - great pace, solid story, good cast, and just enough action. However, the next 5 seasons weren't as close to the glory of seasons 1,2 and 3. Now this is not to say it wasn't a good show. The show in my view began declining by season 6. I still watched it because I liked Jack Bauer and the action, though silly at times, provided just about enough to continue watching. After a while it came to the point that I was just watching out of loyalty (this was season 7-8).
Curb Your Enthusiasm, on the other hand, had great guest stars (Ted Danson, Super Dave Osborne, and a shit load of other greats!), and very little dull moments (very rare actually). Some of the conversations Larry David (creator of Seinfeld and main character) has with other characters on the show are outright hilarious and stupid at the same time. One of the few shows that I can quote from the top of my head. Seven solid seasons, folks. Consistent.
Here's a scene from the show: Doctor's Phone.
9. Lost
Remember that show that everyone was talking about six years ago? A plane filled with passengers crashes on a mysterious island. A dozen or so survive. Then weird stuff begins to happen: smoke monster, disease/physical and mental problems are mysteriously healed, numerous hatches underground, and odd folks, a.k.a the Others, living there for many years. Yeah, that freaking show. Some followed it religiously, others tuned in to see what the fuck was happening. Others didn't give a fuck. Well, I was tuned in to find out what was happening. Luckily I never became obsessed with the show. Sure, I read message boards and had discussions about the show and what was happening, but christ I never became obsessed with it while wearing tin foiled hats.
It was a good show. Great marketing, too. For six seasons the writers enjoyed fucking with the viewers mind. Six freaking years. Take a moment to grasp that. Six. There were times where it was beyond confusing - just stupid. And there were times when the show strived and looked brilliant - i.e. developing characters in the first 3 seasons. The flashbacks were superbly done, and then they switched to flash-forwards, which was handled well, too. Although the writing and direction of the show became more shaky in the second half of the series, it was structured well enough to provide entertainment and build mystery to characters - some that never appeared again, or were never fully develop. More like lost in the smoke. Yet, it was by far one of the most entertaining shows in the last 6 years. Perhaps the most successful in building the mysterious Island.
One day I will re-watch all the seasons, but that will be a hell of a summer. Evangeline Lilly is a bonus.
8. Seinfeld
Another show that involved Larry David. Seinfeld. Classic, I must say. This will be the shorter of the bunch here. What can I say that has not been already said all these years. The show, which last aired in 1998, had eight brilliant years. Repeats are always on t.v. (check, you will see them), and watching the same episodes never get old. George's Exploding Waller, Tribute to Kramer,George's Blind Date
7. Californication
The show about sex, I mean writing. I mean sex. OK, a bit of both. Well, plenty of sex. Necessary to the writing of the story. Let me pause for a moment. Fooling around, making love with women and being a famous writer who has hit a wall - yeah, that writers block thing. That's Hank Moody (David Duchovny). Sex addict. Fiend. Mr. Wood.
There are those who get turned off by the amount of sex in a show like Californication. 'It's too much'. 'Is it really necessary?' And then you get the casual, "God damn it, Moody. Keep for dick in your pants and write a fucking book!" I find those people weird and just plain boring. Well, fortunately for viewers who enjoy a good story with great dialogue and a purpose, Hank Moody does not keep his dick in his pants all the time. But since I'm on the topic let me assure you that the show is not about sex. Sure, there is sex in the show - it is necessary. However, sex is used by Hank Moody to release stress, deal with insecurity and writers block. His life is fun and full of exotic excitement, but his family life is in most part in shambles. He's not married, but has had an on-and-off relationship with the mother of his only daughter.
It's a show that, unlike other comedies, does not focus on delivering punch lines, sex jokes or adding dumb viewers. Though it can never be tiring to hear sex jokes. It's fresh. I think that is how I can describe it best. I am sure that there have been many shows before Californication that have tried to come off fresh and put forward this sort of story and focus, but I cannot think of any that have done as great a job as Californication. It's different and fresh. There is not any laugh track (thank goodness) and the jokes aren't forced, repeated or even focused on. You need to pay attention to the witty dialogue; it demands the attention of the viewer, which is always good for a show.
Here's a scene from the first season that gives you a glimpse of what the show is about, and how sex, comedy smoothly merges into a serious situation: Hank Moody goes to Church.
6. True Blood
This could have been slotted as my fifth favorite show, but some thought and hard decisions later I came to agreement that True Blood belonged at number six. This is not your typical Vampire genre where love is displayed as some sort of emo thing, and vampires are sucking blood from every useless woman's neck. Twilight series and Vampire Diaries can take their bullshit and shove it straight up their ass. Those two shows are an embarrassment to the concept of Vampires.
Unlike the Twilight series (novels), True Blood takes pride in building characters and delivering a solid and satisfying story of vampires and other mythical creatures. Sure there are one or two annoying characters in the show, but it is not because they are badly written or because they lack acting. No. It fits what the character brings to the show and how he or she is utilized (properly of course!). For example, Jason Stackhouse, the sister of Sookie (mind reader, hot body, not the typical blond, and loves Bill, a vampire), is promiscuous. He is dumb, fucks almost every girl he lays eyes on, but has a good heart. To me, he is not annoying. But I can see how he can be annoying for some.
Like Californication, sex is part of True Blood; the good thing is that both shows do not overuse it or just put it in the show for the sake of putting it. No. I am not a passionate fan of Vampires. I am not interested in learning about Vampire history or watching a show/movie about Vampires. But, True Blood is an exception. Unfortunately, I cannot remember how I got into this show. The characters and story are better developed and far more interesting than the shows above (Californication, Seinfeld, Lost & Curb Your Enthusiasm). There are a lot of great characters that bring something different to the table: Lafayette (Cook, and part-time drug dealer), Sam (transforms into animals, and is the owner of the local bar/restaurant), Tara (troubled childhood, best friend of Sookie, and always gets stirred up in some shit), Andy (local police office turned sheriff, witty, and always looks out for the betterment of others), etc etc.
Here's a scene with another great character, Eric (Vampire): contains spoilers Eric visits the Queen.
And there you have it, my favorite shows from number ten to six. The top five will be blogged sometime this week, but I cannot promise on a certain date because I am quite busy.
Countdown: Top T.V Shows [1-5]
*[This has been written after the blog post above. I figured it would be best to have the top 6-10 before seeing the top 1-5.]*
As promised, I will post my favorite five television series. Some are currently airing, while others have already ended airing. Like any other topic, there will be debates on why this show is ranked higher than that show, and vice-versa. Or there won't be any debates on this post simply because people are too shy to comment (Don't be!). Either way, I still write and have fun; that is the important thing.
Keep in mind that I am not suggesting, implying or dictating that these are the best t.v shows being televised or have been televised. Simply not the case. This is just one man's opinion on what are the 10 best shows for him (yes, that is me). Then again, I have already stated this in the blog post, Countdown: Top T.V Shows [6-10].
Note: This has been around for the last 10 days, and I haven't gotten the chance to include reasons for all shows. Therefore, I excluded the reasons I did have (which was very little) and decided to post this (what you have below this). I will include my reasons shortly; I just thought it would be best to get this out there before I forget.
5. Fringe
4. Breaking Bad
3. The Wire
2. The X-Files
1. Supernatural
As promised, I will post my favorite five television series. Some are currently airing, while others have already ended airing. Like any other topic, there will be debates on why this show is ranked higher than that show, and vice-versa. Or there won't be any debates on this post simply because people are too shy to comment (Don't be!). Either way, I still write and have fun; that is the important thing.
Keep in mind that I am not suggesting, implying or dictating that these are the best t.v shows being televised or have been televised. Simply not the case. This is just one man's opinion on what are the 10 best shows for him (yes, that is me). Then again, I have already stated this in the blog post, Countdown: Top T.V Shows [6-10].
Note: This has been around for the last 10 days, and I haven't gotten the chance to include reasons for all shows. Therefore, I excluded the reasons I did have (which was very little) and decided to post this (what you have below this). I will include my reasons shortly; I just thought it would be best to get this out there before I forget.
5. Fringe
4. Breaking Bad
3. The Wire
2. The X-Files
1. Supernatural
Friday, October 15, 2010
Bruins Current & Potential Lineups
Minor changes to previous blog post (2 down posts down), Projected Stats: Boston Bruins Edition. My predictions have been finalized by October 7. However, I feel that I should add the various projected lineups here. As already stated, Marco Sturm is projected to return to the lineup in late November, while Marc Savard status is unclear. It was said that perhaps Savard may return in December, maybe in 2011. The thing with concussions and depression is that there isn't a timetable. But Savard will undergo a test or two in the next 10 days and that may help determine a sort of timeline when he might be back. Let's hope for the best.
Here are my projected lineups
Offense (To start the year) Without Marc Savard
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Jordan Caron - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille - Gragory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
There is still a good possibility that Jordan Caron is sent down; Marchand would be on the third line, Wheeler would move to the second line and Brian McGrattan would be the scratch.
OPTION A
Offense: With Marc Savard (No Marco Sturm)
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - Marc Savard - Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
Jordan Caron would be the likely candidate sent down. I can see many different combination's when Marc Savard returns. However, I do think Krejci-Horton will be a tough line to break, and Savard will need sometime to get back into the game. Eventually when Savard is back on track, he will be re-united with Lucic and possibly have Seguin on the other wing.
OPTION B
Offense: With Marco Sturm (No Marc Savard)
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Marco Sturm - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
OPTION C
Offense: With Marco Sturm & Marc Savard
Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Tyler Seguin
Marco Sturm - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
This makes for a very interesting and dominant lineup. With both Savard and Sturm back, Boston would have to shed some salary since they will be over the cap. The most likely target would be Michael Ryder and his 4 million cap hit. But who would take him? His value would be very low, but considering he will be a rental there might just be buyers early in the month. There isn't any space to have Savard, Sturm AND Ryder at the same time unless someone else gets hurt and lands on the LTIR.
I really like Option C. Stanley Cup contenders? I believe so. Boston have a great shot at winning at least one Stanley Cup in the next 4-5 years. Reason? Mainly talent, system & depth.
Here are my projected lineups
Offense (To start the year) Without Marc Savard
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Jordan Caron - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille - Gragory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
There is still a good possibility that Jordan Caron is sent down; Marchand would be on the third line, Wheeler would move to the second line and Brian McGrattan would be the scratch.
OPTION A
Offense: With Marc Savard (No Marco Sturm)
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - Marc Savard - Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
Jordan Caron would be the likely candidate sent down. I can see many different combination's when Marc Savard returns. However, I do think Krejci-Horton will be a tough line to break, and Savard will need sometime to get back into the game. Eventually when Savard is back on track, he will be re-united with Lucic and possibly have Seguin on the other wing.
OPTION B
Offense: With Marco Sturm (No Marc Savard)
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Marco Sturm - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
OPTION C
Offense: With Marco Sturm & Marc Savard
Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Tyler Seguin
Marco Sturm - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
This makes for a very interesting and dominant lineup. With both Savard and Sturm back, Boston would have to shed some salary since they will be over the cap. The most likely target would be Michael Ryder and his 4 million cap hit. But who would take him? His value would be very low, but considering he will be a rental there might just be buyers early in the month. There isn't any space to have Savard, Sturm AND Ryder at the same time unless someone else gets hurt and lands on the LTIR.
I really like Option C. Stanley Cup contenders? I believe so. Boston have a great shot at winning at least one Stanley Cup in the next 4-5 years. Reason? Mainly talent, system & depth.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Projected Stats: Boston Bruins Edition *Updated: Final!*
Projected Points:
Centers
David Krejci: 80GP 22G 66A 88PTS 28PIM
Patrice Bergeron: 78GP 19G 43A 62PTS 28PIM
Tyler Seguin: 82GP 17G 27A 44PTS 34PIM
Gregory Campbell: 80GP 6G 11A 17PTS 51PIM
*Marc Savard: 40GP 10G 22A 32PTS 24PIM
Left Wingers
Milan Lucic: 76GP 23G 28A 51PTS 137PIM
Blake Wheeler: 82GP 25G 25A 50PTS 49PIM
Jordan Caron: 22GP 3G 7A 10PTS 19PIM
Daniel Paille: 76GP 8G 12A 20PTS 26PIM
Right Wingers
Nathan Horton: 78GP 38G 38A 76PTS 69PIM
Michael Ryder: 82GP 27G 24A 51PTS 22PIM ***
Mark Recchi: 82GP 17G 28A 45PTS 46PIM
Shawn Thornton: 67GP 1G 7A 8PTS 164PIM
Scratch
Brad Marchand: 33GP 2G 5A 7PTS 48PIM
Brian McGrattan: 15GP 0G 0A 0PTS 37PIM
Zach Hamill: 8GP 1G 1A 2PTS 2PIM
*Marco Sturm: 47GP 13G 11A 24PTS 26PIM
*** If Michael Ryder gets traded when Marco Sturm & Marc Savard come back, then here's the numbers I think he'll put out:
40GP 15G 12A 27PTS 14PIM
Defense
Zdeno Chara: 81GP 15G 39A 54PTS 109PIM
Dennis Seidenberg: 76GP 5G 31A 36PTS 67PIM
Johnny Boychuk: 78GP 12G 19A 31PTS 74PIM
Matt Hunwick: 73GP 6G 13A 19PTS 41PIM
Mark Stuart: 82GP 3G 6A 9PTS 111PIM
Andrew Ference: 47GP 0G 5A 5PTS 42PIM
Scratch
Adam McQuaid: 31GP 1G 2A 3PTS 37PIM
Andrew Bodnarchuk: 15GP 0G 0A 0PTS 12PIM
Matt Barkowski: 7GP 0G 4A 4PTS 8PIM
Forwards: 220-232 Goals
Defense: 42 Goals
Total: 262-274 goals
Realistic?
* Will start the season on LTIR. Savard will miss the entire month of October; date of return is uncertain. Marco Sturm is projected to be back late November-mid December.
Projected Lines
Offense (To start the year)
Line 1: Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Line 2: Jordan Caron - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Line 3: Blake Wheeler - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Line 4: Daniel Paille - Gragory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
Note: This is all speculation, but the third line will certainly consist of a rookie (in my opinion, it will be a battle between Hamill [center], Jordan Caron [left wing] and Joe Colborne [center]). Brad Marchand winning a spot on the third line seems like a long shot. Expect Hamill (21 years old) to get the spot, at least for the month of October. Caron is making a case for himself, though. Hamill doesn't deserve a spot on the third line, but him being there will allow the Bruins more time to carefully develop the young players. (September 27 2010)*
Lineup will change once Marco Sturm and/or Marc Savard come back. Expect a young player (Hamill or whoever wins the spot on the third line) to be sent down, and a possible trade (most likely involving Michael Ryder). But, what happens if Ryder begins the season by tearing it up, popping goals right and left? I cannot see Sturm or Ryder on the fourth line while Shawn Thornton, Greggory Campbell or Daniel Paille sit out. It will be interesting to see what unfolds. (September 27 2010)*
Notes (October 2): Zach Hamill was sent down to the AHL this past week, which left the two remaining spots (second line forward and 13th forward). Brad Marchand, Jordan Caron & Brian MaGrattan are now fighting for the remaining two spots. It does seem that Jordan Caron will win a spot on the second line. Caron has been skating a ton with Bergeron & Recchi, while Tyler Seguin has been centering Wheeler & Ryder this past week.
Defense
Line 1: Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg
Line 2: Johnny Boychuk - Matt Hunwick
Line 3: Mark Stuart - Andrew Ference
Scratch: Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Centers
David Krejci: 80GP 22G 66A 88PTS 28PIM
Patrice Bergeron: 78GP 19G 43A 62PTS 28PIM
Tyler Seguin: 82GP 17G 27A 44PTS 34PIM
Gregory Campbell: 80GP 6G 11A 17PTS 51PIM
*Marc Savard: 40GP 10G 22A 32PTS 24PIM
Left Wingers
Milan Lucic: 76GP 23G 28A 51PTS 137PIM
Blake Wheeler: 82GP 25G 25A 50PTS 49PIM
Jordan Caron: 22GP 3G 7A 10PTS 19PIM
Daniel Paille: 76GP 8G 12A 20PTS 26PIM
Right Wingers
Nathan Horton: 78GP 38G 38A 76PTS 69PIM
Michael Ryder: 82GP 27G 24A 51PTS 22PIM ***
Mark Recchi: 82GP 17G 28A 45PTS 46PIM
Shawn Thornton: 67GP 1G 7A 8PTS 164PIM
Scratch
Brad Marchand: 33GP 2G 5A 7PTS 48PIM
Brian McGrattan: 15GP 0G 0A 0PTS 37PIM
Zach Hamill: 8GP 1G 1A 2PTS 2PIM
*Marco Sturm: 47GP 13G 11A 24PTS 26PIM
*** If Michael Ryder gets traded when Marco Sturm & Marc Savard come back, then here's the numbers I think he'll put out:
40GP 15G 12A 27PTS 14PIM
Defense
Zdeno Chara: 81GP 15G 39A 54PTS 109PIM
Dennis Seidenberg: 76GP 5G 31A 36PTS 67PIM
Johnny Boychuk: 78GP 12G 19A 31PTS 74PIM
Matt Hunwick: 73GP 6G 13A 19PTS 41PIM
Mark Stuart: 82GP 3G 6A 9PTS 111PIM
Andrew Ference: 47GP 0G 5A 5PTS 42PIM
Scratch
Adam McQuaid: 31GP 1G 2A 3PTS 37PIM
Andrew Bodnarchuk: 15GP 0G 0A 0PTS 12PIM
Matt Barkowski: 7GP 0G 4A 4PTS 8PIM
Forwards: 220-232 Goals
Defense: 42 Goals
Total: 262-274 goals
Realistic?
* Will start the season on LTIR. Savard will miss the entire month of October; date of return is uncertain. Marco Sturm is projected to be back late November-mid December.
Projected Lines
Offense (To start the year)
Line 1: Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Line 2: Jordan Caron - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Line 3: Blake Wheeler - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Line 4: Daniel Paille - Gragory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand
Note: This is all speculation, but the third line will certainly consist of a rookie (in my opinion, it will be a battle between Hamill [center], Jordan Caron [left wing] and Joe Colborne [center]). Brad Marchand winning a spot on the third line seems like a long shot. Expect Hamill (21 years old) to get the spot, at least for the month of October. Caron is making a case for himself, though. Hamill doesn't deserve a spot on the third line, but him being there will allow the Bruins more time to carefully develop the young players. (September 27 2010)*
Lineup will change once Marco Sturm and/or Marc Savard come back. Expect a young player (Hamill or whoever wins the spot on the third line) to be sent down, and a possible trade (most likely involving Michael Ryder). But, what happens if Ryder begins the season by tearing it up, popping goals right and left? I cannot see Sturm or Ryder on the fourth line while Shawn Thornton, Greggory Campbell or Daniel Paille sit out. It will be interesting to see what unfolds. (September 27 2010)*
Notes (October 2): Zach Hamill was sent down to the AHL this past week, which left the two remaining spots (second line forward and 13th forward). Brad Marchand, Jordan Caron & Brian MaGrattan are now fighting for the remaining two spots. It does seem that Jordan Caron will win a spot on the second line. Caron has been skating a ton with Bergeron & Recchi, while Tyler Seguin has been centering Wheeler & Ryder this past week.
Defense
Line 1: Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg
Line 2: Johnny Boychuk - Matt Hunwick
Line 3: Mark Stuart - Andrew Ference
Scratch: Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, October 4, 2010
Notes From The Other Side: An Unfinished Thought
It's been a while. It has. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I sat here and took my time to write something on this blog other than predicting Bruins stats. I haven't written anything down besides numbers. Well, that is if you don't count school work. So, the question is what the fuck have I been doing lately.
I'll tell you what the fuck I've been doing lately, the Wire. Not humping it or anything like that. Fuck no. I've been watching it, you dirty minded ass. Back to the magnificent drama t.v series called the Wire. A show that began in 2002 and ended in 2008. A show that not many heard or watched until it was coming to an end. That's partially because it aired on HBO. It focused more on developing characters and the story properly.
It is rare for a show to have an abundance of characters that are all properly developed, and none left behind to rot and slowly disappear like other shows (i.e. Lost, Smallville, and all those bullshit Vampire shows not named True Blood). 5 seasons, each focusing on a particular institution (School, politics, newspaper, port) and drugs, all the while tying every loose end.
All this talk and thought about the Wire has made me think about what are my top 5 favorite shows. I can seriously have some fun with that. In fact, my next blog will be dedicated to my top 5 shows. However, it will not just be a list of the 5 shows. Nope. I will briefly describe what the show is about, why it is in my top 5, and why you should be watching it. Fuck, that is a splendid idea.
I'll tell you what the fuck I've been doing lately, the Wire. Not humping it or anything like that. Fuck no. I've been watching it, you dirty minded ass. Back to the magnificent drama t.v series called the Wire. A show that began in 2002 and ended in 2008. A show that not many heard or watched until it was coming to an end. That's partially because it aired on HBO. It focused more on developing characters and the story properly.
It is rare for a show to have an abundance of characters that are all properly developed, and none left behind to rot and slowly disappear like other shows (i.e. Lost, Smallville, and all those bullshit Vampire shows not named True Blood). 5 seasons, each focusing on a particular institution (School, politics, newspaper, port) and drugs, all the while tying every loose end.
All this talk and thought about the Wire has made me think about what are my top 5 favorite shows. I can seriously have some fun with that. In fact, my next blog will be dedicated to my top 5 shows. However, it will not just be a list of the 5 shows. Nope. I will briefly describe what the show is about, why it is in my top 5, and why you should be watching it. Fuck, that is a splendid idea.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
It's Gold, Baby, It's Gold!
It's been a while, hasn't it? It sure has. I didn't miss the internet, I can tell you that much. It's better to spend one day as a lion then a hundred years as a sheep. I'm paraphrasing. Don't ask me why I have written what I have written. Meh.
Alright. Oh, almost forgot. I've been in Italy and Switzerland from 15th August to 5th September. The only regret was that I wish I could have stayed longer. Oh, and McDonald's better start selling beer with their hamburger trios. That's right, beer. It's how it's done in Europe.
Switzerland. Magnifique. I can never get bored of seeing mountain after mountain. Such beauty. And the french in Geneva - french from France of course - is romantic, and better than this so-called french here in Quebec. Fuck that. It is so much cleaner, and more enjoyable than here. But shit is expensive. Oh yeah. Zurich too, but it, too, is magnifique. More German, though, since it's near the border of Germany. I stayed in Lugano, too. South of Switzerland, near border of Italy. Sweet. Surrounded by a great big lake (forgot what it's called. Specific name, I think).
I love Switzerland. And the women there too.
Italy. I went to a bunch of places. Florence: the art of love. Beautiful architect, and lovely history (though not as eye-opening as the history of Rome. Sorry Florence). Padova: their passion for Sant' Antonio. Religious, but a lovely and passionate city. Venice: You need to see it to believe it. Panni: Great town on a mountain. Homes crammed together, seeing the same people every day, and feeling like one big family. Roccamonfina: the little brother of Panni (in my eyes). Rome: aaahh, Rome. Ancient history. Ruins. Romans. Colosseum. Roman Forum. Fountain of Trevi. The list goes on.
That's all for now. I know you're disappointed in the lack of detail, but life isn't fair is it?
Alright. Oh, almost forgot. I've been in Italy and Switzerland from 15th August to 5th September. The only regret was that I wish I could have stayed longer. Oh, and McDonald's better start selling beer with their hamburger trios. That's right, beer. It's how it's done in Europe.
Switzerland. Magnifique. I can never get bored of seeing mountain after mountain. Such beauty. And the french in Geneva - french from France of course - is romantic, and better than this so-called french here in Quebec. Fuck that. It is so much cleaner, and more enjoyable than here. But shit is expensive. Oh yeah. Zurich too, but it, too, is magnifique. More German, though, since it's near the border of Germany. I stayed in Lugano, too. South of Switzerland, near border of Italy. Sweet. Surrounded by a great big lake (forgot what it's called. Specific name, I think).
I love Switzerland. And the women there too.
Italy. I went to a bunch of places. Florence: the art of love. Beautiful architect, and lovely history (though not as eye-opening as the history of Rome. Sorry Florence). Padova: their passion for Sant' Antonio. Religious, but a lovely and passionate city. Venice: You need to see it to believe it. Panni: Great town on a mountain. Homes crammed together, seeing the same people every day, and feeling like one big family. Roccamonfina: the little brother of Panni (in my eyes). Rome: aaahh, Rome. Ancient history. Ruins. Romans. Colosseum. Roman Forum. Fountain of Trevi. The list goes on.
That's all for now. I know you're disappointed in the lack of detail, but life isn't fair is it?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Goin', Goin', Gone: (Paradise)
As of today, I hand in my resignation. This blog will be put to sleep for a good while. I haven't taken the opportunity to come up with anything witty, intelligent or tear-jerking. I saved you whatever that may be - unless you are a cold hearted bitch, then well, I saved you nothing. What can I say? I'm not going out with guns blazin' or whippin' shit, and whatnot.
If you have read this far, then you are most likely jumping for joy, pumping your fist, or just so drunk that you stumbled upon this blog thinking, for some odd reason, it's about porn. Meh. Well, you know, the Entertainment Factor and all.
Farewell, followers of all types, and those invisible, not wanting to show they are following. A sweet hearty laugh. I need to stretch - my legs, arms .... actually, after this I'll have to get off my ass.
I'm going to go find my November Rain, my Sweet Child O' Mine, My Michelle, and my Maria. It'll be a journey. A fun one at that. For sure, for sure. Write a bundle of poems/lyrics, drink champagne, soak myself in the water, and find what it is I find.
The lost is not forgotten. The found is not memorable. Love is a journey within a journey. Silence can be violence. Noise can be a man's best friend.
Pause. OK. Pause. I have a confession to make. I am not resigning. This is not my last blog post on this blog. But I will be away for some time. Away. Goin', Goin', Goin', Gone.
For now, this is the end .... for a while.
The end.
If you have read this far, then you are most likely jumping for joy, pumping your fist, or just so drunk that you stumbled upon this blog thinking, for some odd reason, it's about porn. Meh. Well, you know, the Entertainment Factor and all.
Farewell, followers of all types, and those invisible, not wanting to show they are following. A sweet hearty laugh. I need to stretch - my legs, arms .... actually, after this I'll have to get off my ass.
I'm going to go find my November Rain, my Sweet Child O' Mine, My Michelle, and my Maria. It'll be a journey. A fun one at that. For sure, for sure. Write a bundle of poems/lyrics, drink champagne, soak myself in the water, and find what it is I find.
The lost is not forgotten. The found is not memorable. Love is a journey within a journey. Silence can be violence. Noise can be a man's best friend.
Pause. OK. Pause. I have a confession to make. I am not resigning. This is not my last blog post on this blog. But I will be away for some time. Away. Goin', Goin', Goin', Gone.
For now, this is the end .... for a while.
The end.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Short Story: On Hold
This is going to be short, I promise. Remember the short story I talked about writing in my last blog post? Of course you don't. Well, go remind yourself by reading, Fuck! Where's The Motivation blog post.
It will be done. It will. But not right now due to being too busy at the moment. I'll be honest, I don't have a clue what it will be about. Though, that will change.
More tomorrow. That is a guarantee.
It will be done. It will. But not right now due to being too busy at the moment. I'll be honest, I don't have a clue what it will be about. Though, that will change.
More tomorrow. That is a guarantee.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Fuck! Where's The Motivation?
This is going to be a short one, I tell you.
I want to stray away from sports - hell, this isn't a sports blog, but I have talked about it in previous blogs. I won't chatter about how there is one month left before another year in University either. No. That's too boring, and irrelevant to talk about now - simply because school should not be the focus of summer. Well, at least not for me. I'll put it this way. When summer arrives (say, from May to end of August), the last thing I want surfacing on my mind is school. End of August, early September is different though. Yes, I know Summer ends September 21.
No. Today I will talk about bagel with cream cheese. Yes. Run, god dammit, run! OK. Don't. Gotcha. As if I'm going to bore you to death (as always) by writing about freaking bagels with cream cheese. Mind you, it's pretty damn good to have for breakfast. Not the healthiest of foods, but I believe it's great to have once, twice (hell, three!) times a week. OK, have it every single day for breakfast, lunch and supper. See if I care! Yes, yes I do care. Don't do it, just don't.
I have been thinking about writing a short story and blogging it here just for fun. I do not know what it would be about - some ideas here and there - but it would be a splendid side project introduced to Reality: Moment of Clarity. I will ponder a bit more, and see what I can come up with. I will blog about this in the next few days, should I choose to write a short story. Again, no promises just an idea. A side project.
I want to stray away from sports - hell, this isn't a sports blog, but I have talked about it in previous blogs. I won't chatter about how there is one month left before another year in University either. No. That's too boring, and irrelevant to talk about now - simply because school should not be the focus of summer. Well, at least not for me. I'll put it this way. When summer arrives (say, from May to end of August), the last thing I want surfacing on my mind is school. End of August, early September is different though. Yes, I know Summer ends September 21.
No. Today I will talk about bagel with cream cheese. Yes. Run, god dammit, run! OK. Don't. Gotcha. As if I'm going to bore you to death (as always) by writing about freaking bagels with cream cheese. Mind you, it's pretty damn good to have for breakfast. Not the healthiest of foods, but I believe it's great to have once, twice (hell, three!) times a week. OK, have it every single day for breakfast, lunch and supper. See if I care! Yes, yes I do care. Don't do it, just don't.
I have been thinking about writing a short story and blogging it here just for fun. I do not know what it would be about - some ideas here and there - but it would be a splendid side project introduced to Reality: Moment of Clarity. I will ponder a bit more, and see what I can come up with. I will blog about this in the next few days, should I choose to write a short story. Again, no promises just an idea. A side project.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Bad Habits Die Hard
So, the other night I decided to drink Rum - a grand total of 6 glasses (with Orange juice). Well, at least 6 glasses that I remember. Instead of opening the delicious bottle of Cuban Rum, Havana Club, that my parents bought me last year when they went to Cuba, I opted for Appleton Estate. That, my friends, is some good Jamaican Rum.
I don't drink to get drunk - those who do are simply idiots and crave for stupidities. I'm not the type. I drink to expand my alcoholic expertise (Ha!). Really, I will drink to enjoy the booze, to chill out with friends, and so on. It's tough to enjoy, say a particular rum, when you're drinking to get drunk, to feel that buzz.
My favorite alcoholic beverage is whiskey. Irish. Jameson. However, I haven't had any in 2 years. I even remember the last time I drank some Jameson. March 17, 2008. St. Patrick's day. I drank 3/4 of a Jameson bottle (along with other drinks I don't remember). Let's just say I was heavily drunk and passed out on the couch. Now, I didn't decide to quit drinking Jameson, whiskey or any alcoholic beverage. In fact, I am not a heavy drinker - I will have a drink or two every once in a while (say, every 2 weeks). Hell, I might go a month or two without touching wine, beer or whiskey. But that was the last time I had Jameson. The main reason was because I began working the nightshift throughout the entire summer and barely had any time to drink wine, beer or whiskey. Time went by, and I decided to only have Jameson on special occasions - same goes for smoking Cigars. Soon. Soon.
OK. Back to wherever I was trying to go. So, the other night I drank Rum & orange juice. A lot. In my room while listening to music (LCD Soundsystem <- boy, is that shit dope). Getting to the point where you're tipsy/drunk is a tricky thing. It's different for everybody. For me, I have a bad habit of texting and calling friends. Unfortunately, my cousin received a shit load of texts & emails. I won't even get into the details (Ha!). I am a fun tipsy/drunk guy - at least that is what friends and cousins have told me. Fun to be around. And I like that a lot. I also blanked out from 1am to 4am. Must have fallen asleep ... that is what I keep telling myself. Yes, drinking can be a tricky thing. Anything can happen. Sometimes I feel and know what I am doing, but I choose to be loose and see where it takes me. Now, that doesn't happen all the time. I forget a lot. And if I'm drunk/tipsy there's a very good chance I won't remember most of what happened. That is why I always check my phone for texts sent, email, and so on. There is a sense of freedom, feeling loose and content. But I do not drink because I feel the need for freedom or to be happy. You do not need to drink to feel loose, content or free. Though, it does come with the territory of drinking.
I like my wine, too. Bitter & strong. Not sweet. When I'm drinking red wine I don't want to feel like I'm drinking passion fruit (Oasis) - disgusting. I hate sweet drinks, then again the term sweet differs to everyone. Speaking of which, I don't dig girls who drink hard stuff - heavy drinkers. Not a white wine guy, either. Red, red wine.
Where was I? I actually wanted to see what lyrics/poems I could come up with while drunk/tipsy. Yes, yes this contradicts what I have been talking about above. I'll admit, I wanted to get that buzz to see what I could come up with (lyrics/poems). Unfortunately, the experiment failed as I did not write any bloody poem/lyric. Yeah, and I am not trying this again anytime soon. OK, maybe in a few weeks. Yes?
I don't drink to get drunk - those who do are simply idiots and crave for stupidities. I'm not the type. I drink to expand my alcoholic expertise (Ha!). Really, I will drink to enjoy the booze, to chill out with friends, and so on. It's tough to enjoy, say a particular rum, when you're drinking to get drunk, to feel that buzz.
My favorite alcoholic beverage is whiskey. Irish. Jameson. However, I haven't had any in 2 years. I even remember the last time I drank some Jameson. March 17, 2008. St. Patrick's day. I drank 3/4 of a Jameson bottle (along with other drinks I don't remember). Let's just say I was heavily drunk and passed out on the couch. Now, I didn't decide to quit drinking Jameson, whiskey or any alcoholic beverage. In fact, I am not a heavy drinker - I will have a drink or two every once in a while (say, every 2 weeks). Hell, I might go a month or two without touching wine, beer or whiskey. But that was the last time I had Jameson. The main reason was because I began working the nightshift throughout the entire summer and barely had any time to drink wine, beer or whiskey. Time went by, and I decided to only have Jameson on special occasions - same goes for smoking Cigars. Soon. Soon.
OK. Back to wherever I was trying to go. So, the other night I drank Rum & orange juice. A lot. In my room while listening to music (LCD Soundsystem <- boy, is that shit dope). Getting to the point where you're tipsy/drunk is a tricky thing. It's different for everybody. For me, I have a bad habit of texting and calling friends. Unfortunately, my cousin received a shit load of texts & emails. I won't even get into the details (Ha!). I am a fun tipsy/drunk guy - at least that is what friends and cousins have told me. Fun to be around. And I like that a lot. I also blanked out from 1am to 4am. Must have fallen asleep ... that is what I keep telling myself. Yes, drinking can be a tricky thing. Anything can happen. Sometimes I feel and know what I am doing, but I choose to be loose and see where it takes me. Now, that doesn't happen all the time. I forget a lot. And if I'm drunk/tipsy there's a very good chance I won't remember most of what happened. That is why I always check my phone for texts sent, email, and so on. There is a sense of freedom, feeling loose and content. But I do not drink because I feel the need for freedom or to be happy. You do not need to drink to feel loose, content or free. Though, it does come with the territory of drinking.
I like my wine, too. Bitter & strong. Not sweet. When I'm drinking red wine I don't want to feel like I'm drinking passion fruit (Oasis) - disgusting. I hate sweet drinks, then again the term sweet differs to everyone. Speaking of which, I don't dig girls who drink hard stuff - heavy drinkers. Not a white wine guy, either. Red, red wine.
Where was I? I actually wanted to see what lyrics/poems I could come up with while drunk/tipsy. Yes, yes this contradicts what I have been talking about above. I'll admit, I wanted to get that buzz to see what I could come up with (lyrics/poems). Unfortunately, the experiment failed as I did not write any bloody poem/lyric. Yeah, and I am not trying this again anytime soon. OK, maybe in a few weeks. Yes?
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Summer of Reading 2.0 *Updated August 11*
This is another edition of summer reading for me. Last year I read 9 novels during the summer while at work. For those of you who don't know, last summer I worked the graveyard shift at Home Depot. I spent my 2 breaks (15 minutes) and lunch (30-45 minutes) reading.
Here's what I read last summer:
Shutter Island
White Noise
The Road
Cannery Row
The Winter of Our Discontent
Telex From Cuba
The Grapes of Wrath
We The Living
The Bourne Supremacy
Here's what I would like to read this summer:
Underworld
The Lost City of Z
The Closers
The Secret Agent
End of the Affair (currently reading)
Bright Shiny Morning
Atlas Shrugged
October Country
The Regulators
Sold As A Slave
House of Sand & Fog (My third attempt)
*I may be adding and/or subtracting from this summer's list.
Here's what I read last summer:
Shutter Island
White Noise
The Road
Cannery Row
The Winter of Our Discontent
Telex From Cuba
The Grapes of Wrath
We The Living
The Bourne Supremacy
Here's what I would like to read this summer:
Underworld
The Lost City of Z
The Closers
The Secret Agent
End of the Affair (currently reading)
Bright Shiny Morning
Atlas Shrugged
October Country
The Regulators
Sold As A Slave
House of Sand & Fog (My third attempt)
*I may be adding and/or subtracting from this summer's list.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Pictures on the Coasters
Still reading Underworld, and still editing lyrics. It's been two weeks since I started a fresh lyric, and that one's still not done. I would not necessarily say I've hit a wall, but I do think I should take a short break from writing. Perhaps stray completely away from it all for a while. Do something else. Continue biking and help my brother become a better soccer player.
Soccer. Speaking of which, I have thought long and hard about getting back into the sport. I have not played in an actual team, or in any sort of game for a little over two years. The reason? My knees. I would not say I'm slower in defence, but I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be. I played an aggressive style, and I would say I intimidated my opponents. The stories I have, the injuries I have caused (by accident. Not done on purpose, but it comes with the territory), and the thrash talk on the field. I miss it. Kind of. I have been thinking about getting back to playing soccer in a team or with friends again. I do become quite competitive as well.
Back to reading. I am eager to finish Underworld. I've been reading it since May! I rarely take this long on a book, even though it's 832 pages. I am very close to finishing it - about 160 pages left. I am not sure which novel I should begin once I'm done Underworld. Either finish Regulators by Stephen King (Never finished it last summer. Half way through), or start The Lost City of Z by David Grann, which seems really interesting.
Well, time for me to change my Miss Caribbean Tan International calender to July. Who will be the lovely Miss?
Soccer. Speaking of which, I have thought long and hard about getting back into the sport. I have not played in an actual team, or in any sort of game for a little over two years. The reason? My knees. I would not say I'm slower in defence, but I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be. I played an aggressive style, and I would say I intimidated my opponents. The stories I have, the injuries I have caused (by accident. Not done on purpose, but it comes with the territory), and the thrash talk on the field. I miss it. Kind of. I have been thinking about getting back to playing soccer in a team or with friends again. I do become quite competitive as well.
Back to reading. I am eager to finish Underworld. I've been reading it since May! I rarely take this long on a book, even though it's 832 pages. I am very close to finishing it - about 160 pages left. I am not sure which novel I should begin once I'm done Underworld. Either finish Regulators by Stephen King (Never finished it last summer. Half way through), or start The Lost City of Z by David Grann, which seems really interesting.
Well, time for me to change my Miss Caribbean Tan International calender to July. Who will be the lovely Miss?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Boston Bruins: Brief Notes/Updates
OK. The Boston Bruins. A complete surprise to see them thriving at this point of the year. Let's face it, the Boston Bruins should not have made it this far (second round, and possibly Eastern Conference Finals) with the way they played int he regular season and the never ending list of injuries. In fact, the only this consistent in the Bruins 09-10 season was the injuries. They beat the Buffalo Sabres without 2 of their top 4 D (Seidenberg & Stuart) and their top offensive threat (Savard).
Second round against the Philadelphia Flyers seems to be a complete Bruins domination. However, the Bruins have not been as dominating as the numbers show. The Bruins lead 3-0, but the series could have gone either way. Krejci is gone for the season with a dislocated wrist obtained last night from a Mike Richards (yes, that punk) hit (clean hit, by the way). Adam McQuaid also left last night's game with a lower body injury - he will not play Friday. Mark Stuart may return for game 4, but nothing is certain. As of now, the Bruins need to fill the void in D, and 1 more spot in the offense.
My prediction: Brad Marchand is inserted on the fourth line, while Mark Stuart makes his 2010 playoff debut tomorrow (Friday).
Second round against the Philadelphia Flyers seems to be a complete Bruins domination. However, the Bruins have not been as dominating as the numbers show. The Bruins lead 3-0, but the series could have gone either way. Krejci is gone for the season with a dislocated wrist obtained last night from a Mike Richards (yes, that punk) hit (clean hit, by the way). Adam McQuaid also left last night's game with a lower body injury - he will not play Friday. Mark Stuart may return for game 4, but nothing is certain. As of now, the Bruins need to fill the void in D, and 1 more spot in the offense.
My prediction: Brad Marchand is inserted on the fourth line, while Mark Stuart makes his 2010 playoff debut tomorrow (Friday).
Summertime Rolls
Ah, the beautiful month of May has arrived. The sun shining, flowers begin to bloom, plenty of blue in the sky and playoff hockey. Oh, and lots of rain, too. Splendid. As I am typing this, I cannot emphasize enough how dirty my MacBook keyboard is. Damn, it looks filthy. A good chunk of the keys (and I am talking about 85%) have lost three-quarters of their whiteness. Damn. OK, back to the summertime blues ... errr ... I meant to say, the summertime delight. That sounds corny, but I'll stick to that for now.
At home feeling exuberant and relaxed. Sometimes bored and wishing for the Boston Bruins games to start. Other times, reading novels (well, trying too) and making lists of things to do even though I know I won't do them. Yeah, the summertime is here. Who really wants to sit indoors and do nothing? Look at the ceiling and asking yourself, what if? Staring at your dirty keyboard and yelling out load, what the fuck? Or staring at a book you really want to need, but keep procrastinating and telling yourself, "when the time is right." Well? I've spent most of my days this past week hibernating inside ... OK, well, no. I've watched t.v., stood in-front of a mirror with my eyes closed, rolled on the floor laughing hysterically until I didn't know what I was laughing at anymore, and threw the occasional 60-70 pitches (baseball, people!) in my back yard, using my catcher/home plate/batters as the hockey net. It is a pleasure.
At home feeling exuberant and relaxed. Sometimes bored and wishing for the Boston Bruins games to start. Other times, reading novels (well, trying too) and making lists of things to do even though I know I won't do them. Yeah, the summertime is here. Who really wants to sit indoors and do nothing? Look at the ceiling and asking yourself, what if? Staring at your dirty keyboard and yelling out load, what the fuck? Or staring at a book you really want to need, but keep procrastinating and telling yourself, "when the time is right." Well? I've spent most of my days this past week hibernating inside ... OK, well, no. I've watched t.v., stood in-front of a mirror with my eyes closed, rolled on the floor laughing hysterically until I didn't know what I was laughing at anymore, and threw the occasional 60-70 pitches (baseball, people!) in my back yard, using my catcher/home plate/batters as the hockey net. It is a pleasure.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The National: A Must for Music Lovers
I don't normally do this, but at the end of this blog post there is a link to a fantastic New York Times articles on the band The National. The best band I have heard in the twenty-first century, and definitely in my top five. It's an indie-rock band that blends rock, catchy rhythms, inspiring and dazzling lyrics, and a voice that grabs your attention like no other.
This is the New York Times article, "The National Agenda," written by Nicholas Dawidoff. You can find the entire new album, High Violet (comes out May 11, 2010), streaming on the left side of the article.
Read About The National
This is the New York Times article, "The National Agenda," written by Nicholas Dawidoff. You can find the entire new album, High Violet (comes out May 11, 2010), streaming on the left side of the article.
Read About The National
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A Whole Lot of Nothing: Part X
Are you ever in the mood to write, but not sure what to write about? I am in that mood this minute. Rambling about this, rambling about that. Nothing to ramble about that would be anywhere near entertainment. But is this really a blog to entertain or to be entertained? The former. Or can it be the latter? Who knows. This is not some sort of clusterfuck or whatnot. Nor should it seem like one. Hell, I don't even know what I am talking about right now - I'll just keep on writing.
I feel like I should write three to five times a week on this blog, but something else always comes out or stands in the way. Meh. I have debated about writing movie reviews on this blog, but I find it would signify the meaning of this blog. Random. Excitement. Anything Goes. About Nothing. Maybe I should just get drunk and see what I end up writing. What if?
Actually, I should point out (because, you know, I got nothing much more to say) that I have been working a lot on writing lyrics/poems these last few months. Maybe too hard. I barely posted any on my lyrics blog. More raw, heavy and anger. The stuff that brings out the best in me.
I feel like I should write three to five times a week on this blog, but something else always comes out or stands in the way. Meh. I have debated about writing movie reviews on this blog, but I find it would signify the meaning of this blog. Random. Excitement. Anything Goes. About Nothing. Maybe I should just get drunk and see what I end up writing. What if?
Actually, I should point out (because, you know, I got nothing much more to say) that I have been working a lot on writing lyrics/poems these last few months. Maybe too hard. I barely posted any on my lyrics blog. More raw, heavy and anger. The stuff that brings out the best in me.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Season Begins
Baseball season has started and that means many more distractions for me. I follow several sports with a deep passion - hockey, soccer and baseball - but none are as deep for opening day baseball. Sure, you think it's boring, stupid and pointless. For some it is, for others it's about statistics, dueling, strategy and intense entertainment. It's also about watching young players develop and make their way into the big club - rotation and starting lineup. Then again, you need to like the sport. However, I hate it when people say "it's boring, stupid and pointless" when they don't try to understand it or even watch it.
I always get excited for baseball's spring training (month of march) even if the Boston Bruins are having a tremendous hockey season - e.g. last season. I am a Boston Red Sox fan. Surprised? Unlike the many morons who wear the red sox caps and say they're fans, I have followed the sox for a good 14 years. These fans I call "morons" only wear the cap and "follow" the team because they won their first World Series in 86 years (2004).
I always get excited for baseball's spring training (month of march) even if the Boston Bruins are having a tremendous hockey season - e.g. last season. I am a Boston Red Sox fan. Surprised? Unlike the many morons who wear the red sox caps and say they're fans, I have followed the sox for a good 14 years. These fans I call "morons" only wear the cap and "follow" the team because they won their first World Series in 86 years (2004).
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Will Justice Be Served Tonight? *Update* [My Response Is In The Comment Section]
The Boston Bruins vs. The Pittsburgh Penguins
Everyone knows what happened to Marc Savard earlier this month. If not, then let me remind you. Matt Cooke, a dirty Penguin player (has a history of dirty hits), decided to K.O Marc Savard in the late third period. Cooke aimed for Savard's head - blindspot! - and successfully accomplished it. Penguins won the game 2-1.
Marc Savard suffered a grade 2 concussion, which is very similar to the concussion Patrice Bergeron had 2 years ago. It's been eleven (11) days since the hit and Marc Savard is still feeling tired and weak. Many of his teammates have said that Savard is not doing well.
Here are some quotes from Joe Haggerty's article, "Bruins Notes: Wheeler, Wideman and Boychuk Questionable:"
When asked about the possibility of Colin Campbell or an NHL representative talking to the Bruins players in the dressing room prior to the game
The Best Quote
David Krejci on Matt Cooke:
From James Murphy's article, "Colin Campbell Not Welcomed in Bruins' Dressing Room:"
Mark Recchi:
Will the Bruins retaliate tonight and get the justice Marc Savard deserves? Every hockey fan knows that Colin Campbell, Gary Bettman & Co. are full of shit. Complete fucking assholes who continue to make the NHL look like a joke. A mockery!
I do not think there will be a brawl, but I do hope to see the Bruins play with passion tonight. I want to see the fire in their eyes tonight.
Everyone knows what happened to Marc Savard earlier this month. If not, then let me remind you. Matt Cooke, a dirty Penguin player (has a history of dirty hits), decided to K.O Marc Savard in the late third period. Cooke aimed for Savard's head - blindspot! - and successfully accomplished it. Penguins won the game 2-1.
Marc Savard suffered a grade 2 concussion, which is very similar to the concussion Patrice Bergeron had 2 years ago. It's been eleven (11) days since the hit and Marc Savard is still feeling tired and weak. Many of his teammates have said that Savard is not doing well.
Here are some quotes from Joe Haggerty's article, "Bruins Notes: Wheeler, Wideman and Boychuk Questionable:"
When asked about the possibility of Colin Campbell or an NHL representative talking to the Bruins players in the dressing room prior to the game
"I just found a couple of minutes ago that somebody is going to talk to us," said Krejci. "I'm probably going to play with the soccer ball outside. Just warm up a bit."
The Best Quote
David Krejci on Matt Cooke:
"Tonight If there's a chance to finish that guy. We're not going to hesitate. We're going to do it."
From James Murphy's article, "Colin Campbell Not Welcomed in Bruins' Dressing Room:"
Mark Recchi:
"No, no, no. No interest in having him in our dressing room."
Will the Bruins retaliate tonight and get the justice Marc Savard deserves? Every hockey fan knows that Colin Campbell, Gary Bettman & Co. are full of shit. Complete fucking assholes who continue to make the NHL look like a joke. A mockery!
I do not think there will be a brawl, but I do hope to see the Bruins play with passion tonight. I want to see the fire in their eyes tonight.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Nothing, Absolutely Nothing
It's been way to long since my last blog post. Time to write about something, then again if you've read my blog I tend to ramble on all kinds of things. Most of the time I start writing without having a topic in mind. Just write. Shit happens, stuff may come out on their own. Take this post as example. I have no idea what exactly I'm going to say or do, but I do know something interesting (to say the least) will appear.
No "school or essay" bullshit here. Not the time, nor the place to talk about that. No need to preach either, hell I know I don't. See what I did there? Not really creative or like pulling a rabbit out of my ass ... I mean hat. Words tend to slip, I guess.
OK. I got something. Yeah, I do. Check out a band called Streetlight Manifesto. Awesome punk (some would put it in the ska punk genre) band. Even if you do not like punk, I highly recommend it to you. Trust me. Click HERE to listen to Keasbey Nights by Streetlight Manifesto.
A'ight, I'm out of here.
No "school or essay" bullshit here. Not the time, nor the place to talk about that. No need to preach either, hell I know I don't. See what I did there? Not really creative or like pulling a rabbit out of my ass ... I mean hat. Words tend to slip, I guess.
OK. I got something. Yeah, I do. Check out a band called Streetlight Manifesto. Awesome punk (some would put it in the ska punk genre) band. Even if you do not like punk, I highly recommend it to you. Trust me. Click HERE to listen to Keasbey Nights by Streetlight Manifesto.
A'ight, I'm out of here.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Boston Bruins: Trade Deadline Edition
That special time of year for all NHL fans. That zealous feeling. Something sweet in the air. Mysterious - one word to describe the day. That is the Trade Deadline, folks. Sometimes too much clatter and little results. Other times, there is an equal amount of clatter and results (trades). What do fans look for? Sure, every fanbase wants their team to acquire a player - some sort of impact player. Any player, really. OK, maybe not just any player, but someone. This feeling, this need lies within every hockey fan. You cannot hide it and you should not feel guilty to speak about it. This rumor, that rumor. Did you hear (insert team) is interested in (insert player)? That Piece of shit (insert a player from your favorite team) better be traded - overpriced assface! You know how it goes, right? The Trade Deadline.
That being said, let's move on to what I intended to write about - the Boston Bruins. What did they need? Well, there were two things they needed: 1) (high priority) scoring, 2) puck-moving defenseman. Boston is dead last in scoring - these offensive players cannot buy a freaking goal. Seriously, quite pathetic. The offensive players on the Bruins team should be scoring. There shouldn't be any struggle for scoring. Really, there should not be. However, the fact is Boston lack scoring. Marco Sturm leads the team with 19 goals in 55 games, second is Michael Ryder with 15 in 61 games. Marc Savard doesn't have a winger that can put the puck in the net. In fact, Savard has played with Dan Paille, Miroslav Satan, Michael Ryder, Blake Wheeler, Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz on the right wing. Nothing, nothing worked. Trade Deadline came and went. Boston did not get a scorer. Quite surprising considering how awful the Bruins offense has been this year. Should the fans be upset? Damn right they should be. I am definitely angry (though I cannot say I am surprised considering Peter Chiarelli's record on Trade Deadline day). Before I write about that let's look at what the Bruins did do.
Derek Morris was dealt to Phoenix. Yup, I was very shocked at that. I cannot say I was surprised about where he is going (quite ironic though), but I was surprised that he was dealt. His number were fine in Boston: 58 GP 3G 22A 25PTS -2 26PIM and 12 PPP. Responsible in his own end and one of the very few defenseman who actually played well so far. The other good defenseman so far is Mark Stuart (only 40 games) and Johnny Boychuk (only 31 games). Not good when you have Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman. Morris signed with the Boston Bruins this off-season: 1 year at 3.3 million. I thought that was a fair deal, and like I said he played pretty well with the Bruins. It was confirmed by Peter Chiarelli that the trade sending Derek Morris to Phoenix for a 4th round pick was made for the purpose to dump salary. Ok, fine. Boston were very tight against the salary cap and at that time I thought "maybe they will make a stronger push for Danny Hamhuis." However, what bothered me the most was the little return Boston got for Derek Morris. Now, that 4th round pick will turn into a 3rd round pick if Phoenix re-signs Morris. That is good, but considering Islanders got a 2nd round pick for Andy Sutton and Carolina got a 3rd round pick for Andrew Alberts, Derek Morris should have easily gotten a 2nd round pick. Easily. Terrible.
The Derek Morris deal means that Boston were going to make another trade - they needed to fill the empty spot in defense. Who did they get? Dennis Seidenberg and a prospect D for Byron Bitz, a prospect and a 2nd round pick (Tampa Bay's). Seidenberg is a good solid defenseman, but he is also an unrestricted free agent who gets a 1.25 million dollar bonus on June 30. Yes, you read that right. Boston could very well lose him. If they do, then they have just given away a 2nd round pick for 20 games of Seidenberg. Not good. Is Seidenberg an upgrade over Morris? I cannot say it is. Sure, Seidenberg is cheaper but he doesn't have Morris' passing and vision. If the Bruins wanted Seidenberg that bad (and Peter Chiarelli said he did) why didn't they sign him instead of Derek Morris? They would have easily saved money. Eh, it's called Bruins.
The Seidenberg deal was made at noon. Now, I'm thinking that the Bruins are not done - hell they should not be - and would acquire a scorer. Who would be gone from the Bruins roster? Well, top of the list would be Michael Ryder and his 4 million dollars. I have stuck behind him since the day he was signed, not many Bruins fans did. Ryder was great last year, but so was every other Bruin. He had 27 goals in the regular season and he manhandled the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. This year? 15G 10A 25PTS. Not the numbers you're sniper should have by the 61st game of the season. Oh, and did I mention he gets paid 4 million dollars? Ouch. I have stuck by him and continued to stick by Michael Ryder. But if someone has to be dealt to improve this offense, it's Michael Ryder. That's what happens when you have a GM that gives out an ample amount of bad contracts (I will get to that shortly). Scoring is an issue. Did the Bruins fix it? Did they acquire a scorer? The answer is no. Plain and simple, and it says a lot. Peter Chiarelli said in his press conference today at 4:30pm that the price for the forwards he was interested in were too high. But how high? Raffi Torres went to Buffalo for a 2nd round pick and defenseman Paetch. And you are telling me the Bruins couldn't give Columbus a similar offer? That is bullshit. By the way, there is a high possibility that Raffi Torres was one of the 8 players Chiarelli was interested. I say 8 because Chiarelli stated so during the press conference, but he did not say who. The rumored players he was interested were: Keith Tkachuck, Erik Cole, Ray Whitney and Raffi Torres. Oh yeah, we need more older players (Tkachuck and Ray Whitney). Come on. Erik Cole would have been nice.
Chiarelli failed to get a scorer. Tomorrow nights Boston Bruins will be the same as those of last night. Pathetic. The Bruins rarely score more than 2 goals. Hell, it seems like it's a miracle for them to score 3 freaking goals. It's really sad. But, you see, the Bruins would have never been in this situation had Peter Chiarelli not given bad contracts. Here is what I am talking about:
Milan Lucic: 3 years 12 million dollars (4 million dollar cap hit). Great potential, but not worth that much right not. Could have easily been signed in the 2-3 million dollar range.
David Krejci: almost identical contract as Milan Lucic. Sure, Krejci will be an awesome center, but after having one good year that is a huge raise.
Tim Thomas: 4 years 20 million (5 million dollar cap hit) with No Movement Clause. Terrible, just terrible. 5 million dollars for this aging goalie. Really? Tim Thomas could have easily agreed to 3-3.5 million dollars. Over-payed.
Matt Hunwick: 2 years 3.5 million (1.75 cap hit). Too much for a defenseman that played his first full year in the NHL. Oh, how awful he has been this year.
Marco Sturm: 2 years left (including this year) 7 million (3.5 million dollar cap hit) with No Trade Clause. Not worth the NTC. Nope.
How much will Peter Chiarelli pay Blake Wheeler, who is set to be a restricted free agent this year? 5 million? Ya, why not. Oh, and don't forget the tradition No Trade Clause attached to the contract. Sign on the dotted line, alright?
That being said, let's move on to what I intended to write about - the Boston Bruins. What did they need? Well, there were two things they needed: 1) (high priority) scoring, 2) puck-moving defenseman. Boston is dead last in scoring - these offensive players cannot buy a freaking goal. Seriously, quite pathetic. The offensive players on the Bruins team should be scoring. There shouldn't be any struggle for scoring. Really, there should not be. However, the fact is Boston lack scoring. Marco Sturm leads the team with 19 goals in 55 games, second is Michael Ryder with 15 in 61 games. Marc Savard doesn't have a winger that can put the puck in the net. In fact, Savard has played with Dan Paille, Miroslav Satan, Michael Ryder, Blake Wheeler, Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz on the right wing. Nothing, nothing worked. Trade Deadline came and went. Boston did not get a scorer. Quite surprising considering how awful the Bruins offense has been this year. Should the fans be upset? Damn right they should be. I am definitely angry (though I cannot say I am surprised considering Peter Chiarelli's record on Trade Deadline day). Before I write about that let's look at what the Bruins did do.
Derek Morris was dealt to Phoenix. Yup, I was very shocked at that. I cannot say I was surprised about where he is going (quite ironic though), but I was surprised that he was dealt. His number were fine in Boston: 58 GP 3G 22A 25PTS -2 26PIM and 12 PPP. Responsible in his own end and one of the very few defenseman who actually played well so far. The other good defenseman so far is Mark Stuart (only 40 games) and Johnny Boychuk (only 31 games). Not good when you have Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman. Morris signed with the Boston Bruins this off-season: 1 year at 3.3 million. I thought that was a fair deal, and like I said he played pretty well with the Bruins. It was confirmed by Peter Chiarelli that the trade sending Derek Morris to Phoenix for a 4th round pick was made for the purpose to dump salary. Ok, fine. Boston were very tight against the salary cap and at that time I thought "maybe they will make a stronger push for Danny Hamhuis." However, what bothered me the most was the little return Boston got for Derek Morris. Now, that 4th round pick will turn into a 3rd round pick if Phoenix re-signs Morris. That is good, but considering Islanders got a 2nd round pick for Andy Sutton and Carolina got a 3rd round pick for Andrew Alberts, Derek Morris should have easily gotten a 2nd round pick. Easily. Terrible.
The Derek Morris deal means that Boston were going to make another trade - they needed to fill the empty spot in defense. Who did they get? Dennis Seidenberg and a prospect D for Byron Bitz, a prospect and a 2nd round pick (Tampa Bay's). Seidenberg is a good solid defenseman, but he is also an unrestricted free agent who gets a 1.25 million dollar bonus on June 30. Yes, you read that right. Boston could very well lose him. If they do, then they have just given away a 2nd round pick for 20 games of Seidenberg. Not good. Is Seidenberg an upgrade over Morris? I cannot say it is. Sure, Seidenberg is cheaper but he doesn't have Morris' passing and vision. If the Bruins wanted Seidenberg that bad (and Peter Chiarelli said he did) why didn't they sign him instead of Derek Morris? They would have easily saved money. Eh, it's called Bruins.
The Seidenberg deal was made at noon. Now, I'm thinking that the Bruins are not done - hell they should not be - and would acquire a scorer. Who would be gone from the Bruins roster? Well, top of the list would be Michael Ryder and his 4 million dollars. I have stuck behind him since the day he was signed, not many Bruins fans did. Ryder was great last year, but so was every other Bruin. He had 27 goals in the regular season and he manhandled the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. This year? 15G 10A 25PTS. Not the numbers you're sniper should have by the 61st game of the season. Oh, and did I mention he gets paid 4 million dollars? Ouch. I have stuck by him and continued to stick by Michael Ryder. But if someone has to be dealt to improve this offense, it's Michael Ryder. That's what happens when you have a GM that gives out an ample amount of bad contracts (I will get to that shortly). Scoring is an issue. Did the Bruins fix it? Did they acquire a scorer? The answer is no. Plain and simple, and it says a lot. Peter Chiarelli said in his press conference today at 4:30pm that the price for the forwards he was interested in were too high. But how high? Raffi Torres went to Buffalo for a 2nd round pick and defenseman Paetch. And you are telling me the Bruins couldn't give Columbus a similar offer? That is bullshit. By the way, there is a high possibility that Raffi Torres was one of the 8 players Chiarelli was interested. I say 8 because Chiarelli stated so during the press conference, but he did not say who. The rumored players he was interested were: Keith Tkachuck, Erik Cole, Ray Whitney and Raffi Torres. Oh yeah, we need more older players (Tkachuck and Ray Whitney). Come on. Erik Cole would have been nice.
Chiarelli failed to get a scorer. Tomorrow nights Boston Bruins will be the same as those of last night. Pathetic. The Bruins rarely score more than 2 goals. Hell, it seems like it's a miracle for them to score 3 freaking goals. It's really sad. But, you see, the Bruins would have never been in this situation had Peter Chiarelli not given bad contracts. Here is what I am talking about:
Milan Lucic: 3 years 12 million dollars (4 million dollar cap hit). Great potential, but not worth that much right not. Could have easily been signed in the 2-3 million dollar range.
David Krejci: almost identical contract as Milan Lucic. Sure, Krejci will be an awesome center, but after having one good year that is a huge raise.
Tim Thomas: 4 years 20 million (5 million dollar cap hit) with No Movement Clause. Terrible, just terrible. 5 million dollars for this aging goalie. Really? Tim Thomas could have easily agreed to 3-3.5 million dollars. Over-payed.
Matt Hunwick: 2 years 3.5 million (1.75 cap hit). Too much for a defenseman that played his first full year in the NHL. Oh, how awful he has been this year.
Marco Sturm: 2 years left (including this year) 7 million (3.5 million dollar cap hit) with No Trade Clause. Not worth the NTC. Nope.
How much will Peter Chiarelli pay Blake Wheeler, who is set to be a restricted free agent this year? 5 million? Ya, why not. Oh, and don't forget the tradition No Trade Clause attached to the contract. Sign on the dotted line, alright?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
That Time Of Year
Well, it's that time of year again. The following month may very well be one of my favorite months of the year (October a close second). March is something sweet and oh-so fulfilling. It's not the "March Madness" (not a fan of basketball) or even spring that compels me the most. No, it's baseball's spring training. Yes, you read that right. Baseball. One of my favorite sports along with hockey and soccer. It doesn't take a genius to know that I am a Boston Red Sox fan, and have been for a dozen years. I'm not one of those fucking bandwagon jumpers who began to call themselves "Red Sox fans" once they won their first World Series in over 86 years in 2004. They piss me off. I am not only a Red Sox fan; I also follow Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins.
Instead of rambling on and on about baseball, I will only say a few things about it. If there are any questions or if you want to carry on the discussion, then please feel free to leave a comment. For the entire month of March a surplus of players (40 or so) of every baseball team (MLB, 30 teams) head south of the USA to practice, play exhibition games, while some will try to make the team. It's similar to hockey's pre-season, but with more sunshine, more positions to fill and more exhibition games (25-30). I am pretty sure a lot of people, especially non-Americans, hate the sport simply because they deem it "long" and "boring." The one thing I hate about that opinion/arguement is that baseball is not the only sport that can be "long" and/or boring. Hockey can be very boring if you watch to teams playing the trap. Soccer can be very boring (and long!) if both teams play defensively or don't have enough talent to score goals. However, the length of each baseball game (nine innings minimum, extra innings if game is tied) averages close to three hours. That may be very long to some, but to others time is not important. Personally, I don't look at how long a game is or how long it may be. I don't watch games thinking about it. Sure, there are some games that feel long, but what sport doesn't have that? I am more interested in the technique of the sport. The pitching. I love pitching. That is one of the reasons why I am a huge Red Sox fan, and also follow the Braves and Marlins.
I am not a die hard fan of the Braves or the Marlins - far from it - but I would like to think of myself as a real (die hard) fan of the Boston Red Sox. Sure, Boston's payroll is around 130 million (top 5 in the league, but far from New York yankees #1 with 200+ million) but they do develop a lot of good prospects. The reason I like the Florida Marlins is because of their ample young players with massive potential - not many teams have this. The ironic part is that the Marlins have the lowest payroll (if not lowest, then certainly very very close). They cannot afford to buy star players, but they do develop many of their players into stars. As soon as a Marlin player begins to get near star status the Marlins trade him for younger prospects. The reason? Money. They simply cannot afford to sign them to long deals worth a lot of money. That, or they just don't want to. Then again, hardly anyone comes to watch their games.
To give you an idea of what the Marlins produced before shipping away to other teams: Miguel Cabrera (3B, traded to Detroit), Josh Beckett (SP traded to Boston), Brad Penny (SP traded to LA - he isn't good now, but he certainly was in 2004), Jeremy Hermida (OF traded to Boston - not a star, but a pretty good young player), etc etc.
That said, I am very excited for the Red Sox this year. Arguably the best rotation (Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka & Clay Buckholtz) and defense entering this season. However, our offense is a question mark. Oh, and I love the addition of John Lackey - a real fucking bulldog on the mound.
Instead of rambling on and on about baseball, I will only say a few things about it. If there are any questions or if you want to carry on the discussion, then please feel free to leave a comment. For the entire month of March a surplus of players (40 or so) of every baseball team (MLB, 30 teams) head south of the USA to practice, play exhibition games, while some will try to make the team. It's similar to hockey's pre-season, but with more sunshine, more positions to fill and more exhibition games (25-30). I am pretty sure a lot of people, especially non-Americans, hate the sport simply because they deem it "long" and "boring." The one thing I hate about that opinion/arguement is that baseball is not the only sport that can be "long" and/or boring. Hockey can be very boring if you watch to teams playing the trap. Soccer can be very boring (and long!) if both teams play defensively or don't have enough talent to score goals. However, the length of each baseball game (nine innings minimum, extra innings if game is tied) averages close to three hours. That may be very long to some, but to others time is not important. Personally, I don't look at how long a game is or how long it may be. I don't watch games thinking about it. Sure, there are some games that feel long, but what sport doesn't have that? I am more interested in the technique of the sport. The pitching. I love pitching. That is one of the reasons why I am a huge Red Sox fan, and also follow the Braves and Marlins.
I am not a die hard fan of the Braves or the Marlins - far from it - but I would like to think of myself as a real (die hard) fan of the Boston Red Sox. Sure, Boston's payroll is around 130 million (top 5 in the league, but far from New York yankees #1 with 200+ million) but they do develop a lot of good prospects. The reason I like the Florida Marlins is because of their ample young players with massive potential - not many teams have this. The ironic part is that the Marlins have the lowest payroll (if not lowest, then certainly very very close). They cannot afford to buy star players, but they do develop many of their players into stars. As soon as a Marlin player begins to get near star status the Marlins trade him for younger prospects. The reason? Money. They simply cannot afford to sign them to long deals worth a lot of money. That, or they just don't want to. Then again, hardly anyone comes to watch their games.
To give you an idea of what the Marlins produced before shipping away to other teams: Miguel Cabrera (3B, traded to Detroit), Josh Beckett (SP traded to Boston), Brad Penny (SP traded to LA - he isn't good now, but he certainly was in 2004), Jeremy Hermida (OF traded to Boston - not a star, but a pretty good young player), etc etc.
That said, I am very excited for the Red Sox this year. Arguably the best rotation (Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka & Clay Buckholtz) and defense entering this season. However, our offense is a question mark. Oh, and I love the addition of John Lackey - a real fucking bulldog on the mound.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Olympics: Men's Ice Hockey
This is not going to be about how well/awful a country is doing in the men's ice competition, but more-so about the roster each country has. Now, let me say this: I do not assume everyone will agree with me. Also, I would like to add that it is also hard to imagine Canada's Men's Ice Hockey team without so many bloody NHL star players.
For the purpose of whatever argument I bring up, I will focus on Canada's team. Their roster is pretty damn disgusting and terrifying. Their team is built to win Gold and nothing less - hell, a silver or bronze would seem like the greatest disappointment in Canadian sports history. Believe me, it would be to Canadians. As I said, Canada's roster is disgusting and terrifying. Every player on that roster is a star (to a certain extent) for their NHL team. The thing about Canada is that they lack real role players like they used to with Draper and Maltby (I cannot remember others at this point). No matter how much offense a team has, no matter how big and strong the defense is, every team needs role players (hard workers who simply finish their check, create motivation, may play better two-way hockey, etc etc). Canada doesn't really have that. Correct me if I am wrong, but they don't really have forwards that play good two-way hockey other than Patrice Bergeron and somewhat Jonathan Toews; no real role players. Sure they're powerful and should score plenty of goals, but they can't just rely on that because it will hurt them badly when they play countries like the US, Russia, Sweden and Finland.
The next thing I wanted to mention is Canada's roster compared to other countries. They're stacked everywhere, but I already briefly touched upon that. They have everything. As for other countries such as Germany, Latvia (what are they doing there, seriously?), Norway and Belarus .... well, they really cannot compete. They can't. Each of those countries has maybe a handful of NHL players, while the rest of the roster is more european and somewhat lesser talented. Now, don't get me wrong. I am NOT trying to say that the NHL is better and far superior than any other league (well, maybe it is), but talented players do come from other national leagues. What I am saying is that it seems that when Canada, Russia, United States (even though they are not as good) play Germany, Latvia, Norway and Belarus the viewers are watching the NHL players vs. AHL players; experienced players vs. inexperienced players. You get my point. You start feeling bad for these countries when they play Canada, Russia and the USA. It's more unfair then them being a terrible team. It's like having a baseball team like the New York Yankees (payroll ++ 200 million dollars) against the Florida Marlins (practically tied for lowest budget, 30-45 million.
I saved this point for last because it's about Patrice Bergeron. There was this article by John Grigg of The Hockey News. I think it just speaks for itself on how fucking stupid John Grigg is. The Ironic part, this is a guy that vowed for Alexander Burrows to be on the team. I encourage you to read it.
Link
Hopefully I made myself clear on these points. As I have mentioned within this blog, I am not trying to bash countries other than Canada, USA and Russia. What I am saying is that it's unfair
For the purpose of whatever argument I bring up, I will focus on Canada's team. Their roster is pretty damn disgusting and terrifying. Their team is built to win Gold and nothing less - hell, a silver or bronze would seem like the greatest disappointment in Canadian sports history. Believe me, it would be to Canadians. As I said, Canada's roster is disgusting and terrifying. Every player on that roster is a star (to a certain extent) for their NHL team. The thing about Canada is that they lack real role players like they used to with Draper and Maltby (I cannot remember others at this point). No matter how much offense a team has, no matter how big and strong the defense is, every team needs role players (hard workers who simply finish their check, create motivation, may play better two-way hockey, etc etc). Canada doesn't really have that. Correct me if I am wrong, but they don't really have forwards that play good two-way hockey other than Patrice Bergeron and somewhat Jonathan Toews; no real role players. Sure they're powerful and should score plenty of goals, but they can't just rely on that because it will hurt them badly when they play countries like the US, Russia, Sweden and Finland.
The next thing I wanted to mention is Canada's roster compared to other countries. They're stacked everywhere, but I already briefly touched upon that. They have everything. As for other countries such as Germany, Latvia (what are they doing there, seriously?), Norway and Belarus .... well, they really cannot compete. They can't. Each of those countries has maybe a handful of NHL players, while the rest of the roster is more european and somewhat lesser talented. Now, don't get me wrong. I am NOT trying to say that the NHL is better and far superior than any other league (well, maybe it is), but talented players do come from other national leagues. What I am saying is that it seems that when Canada, Russia, United States (even though they are not as good) play Germany, Latvia, Norway and Belarus the viewers are watching the NHL players vs. AHL players; experienced players vs. inexperienced players. You get my point. You start feeling bad for these countries when they play Canada, Russia and the USA. It's more unfair then them being a terrible team. It's like having a baseball team like the New York Yankees (payroll ++ 200 million dollars) against the Florida Marlins (practically tied for lowest budget, 30-45 million.
I saved this point for last because it's about Patrice Bergeron. There was this article by John Grigg of The Hockey News. I think it just speaks for itself on how fucking stupid John Grigg is. The Ironic part, this is a guy that vowed for Alexander Burrows to be on the team. I encourage you to read it.
Link
Hopefully I made myself clear on these points. As I have mentioned within this blog, I am not trying to bash countries other than Canada, USA and Russia. What I am saying is that it's unfair
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Just around the corner
Honey, I can feel it. I can feel it. Right around the corner! Itching for a break. For some relaxation. Itching, just itching. Spring break. Soon. Begins Thursday afternoon for me. I can feel it. Damn. Not the right moment for me to sound all poetic. You know what makes this feeling even better? A music band with a specific name. Do you know who I am talking about? No, not Guns N' Roses or Rage Against the Machine. Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen, that's who. Such great music for this time of year.
Anyone going to watch the Olympics? Hockey (not the NHL)? I guess I should blog about the pros and cons about hockey (with NHL players) in the Olympics. Maybe later this week when I have ample time.
Anyone going to watch the Olympics? Hockey (not the NHL)? I guess I should blog about the pros and cons about hockey (with NHL players) in the Olympics. Maybe later this week when I have ample time.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Usual Shit: Fuck, I Need A Cigar!
This is not about hockey. There, happy? However, as usual, I don't fucking know what I will be writing about. Again. Don't worry, nothing pornographic. A chuckle here, a chuckle there. Nothing school related since I do not believe this blog should be a tool for it. I'm sure I mentioned something related to school way back when, but that was then. This is now. So, no school related shit.
I guess I can write something briefly about my lyric/poem blog, which is limited to a handful of people. I think 2010 will be a quite year for the blog only because I won't blog just about anything I write - not that I have in the past, but I tend to notice some lyrics/poem don't belong in the blog yet. The last one I blogged, Start of Something, is probably one of my worst ones I have written in a while. Not because of a friend's "critique" of the poem/lyric, but more due to the fact that despite the message being clear, it doesn't give me much of a vibe. Hard to explain, I know. That said, I will not take it out. You got to take the bad with the good.
Moving along. I cannot wait until spring break arrives. February 18th being my last class of the month. Feels like it is just around the corner. I plan to keep busy; other than writing fucking essays and studying for an exam, which takes place the first day back, I plan to go skating, relax, hang out with friends/cousins, sleep more and I'm sure other stuff will come to mind.
Oh, and just like the title says. I haven't had one since last September. Cuban cigars are amazing. Soon, soon.
I guess I can write something briefly about my lyric/poem blog, which is limited to a handful of people. I think 2010 will be a quite year for the blog only because I won't blog just about anything I write - not that I have in the past, but I tend to notice some lyrics/poem don't belong in the blog yet. The last one I blogged, Start of Something, is probably one of my worst ones I have written in a while. Not because of a friend's "critique" of the poem/lyric, but more due to the fact that despite the message being clear, it doesn't give me much of a vibe. Hard to explain, I know. That said, I will not take it out. You got to take the bad with the good.
Moving along. I cannot wait until spring break arrives. February 18th being my last class of the month. Feels like it is just around the corner. I plan to keep busy; other than writing fucking essays and studying for an exam, which takes place the first day back, I plan to go skating, relax, hang out with friends/cousins, sleep more and I'm sure other stuff will come to mind.
Oh, and just like the title says. I haven't had one since last September. Cuban cigars are amazing. Soon, soon.
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Boston Bruins (and Ilya Kovalchuk trade): Season Down the Drain (Part faux Deux)
OK, I said I would have a part two concerning my frustrations on the Boston Bruins, who lost for the ninth (9) straight time last night. But I decided to back off and bury my frustrations on the team for now. Yes, it took a lot in me to keep away for a while. That's all I wanted to say.
Well, since I'm on the subject I guess I'll briefly talk about the Ilya Kovalchuk trade that took place last night. He is, of course, one of the few players in the league along with Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and (yes, him too) Evgeny Malkin that can be called a superstar. Ilya Kovalchuk. Yup. Sniper. Yup. Well, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils. Who would have thought the Devils of all teams would trade for him? I certainly didn't. Not many did. In my opinion, Don Waddel (Atlanta's GM) once again failed to achieve a substantial return for Kovalchuk - just as he failed to get anything for Hossa two years ago.
New Jersey sent Atlanta the following: this years first round pick, Niclas Bergfors (FW), Johnny Oduya (D) and Patrice Cormier (NJs second round pick last year). Bergfors has potential to be a second liner at best; Johnny Oduya is a solid defenseman who is having a tough season; Patrice Cormier could be a bust like Angelo Esposito (part of the return from Pittsburgh for Hossa two years ago) and the first round pick (looks like it will be somewhere between 25-30) can be a toss up. Now, I understand that Kovalchuk is considered a rental player as far as anyone is concerned. And I can also understand Waddel desperation to trade Kovalchuk now before the Olympics to avoid any possibility that Kovalchuk gets hurt (if that were to happen than it is safe to assume Atlanta was fucked), however, Waddel did not get any player that would generate any excitement from Atlanta fans to attend home games. Lets face it, a good chunk of Atlanta fans, or any hockey fan attending a Trashers game, went because they wanted to see Ilya Kovalchuk. Now who do they go watch? Certainly none of the New Jersey players coming to Atlanta. That's a safe bet. Rich Peverley? Hmm, OK. Good hands, but who will he pass to? Maxim Afinigenov? That's a charm *sarcasm*. Nik Antropov? lol.
Not much there. That's not to say Atlanta will suck for the next couple of years. Oh, no. They won't be great or as entertaining, but they will be an OK team in the mist of developing their D and offense. What puzzles me is that Waddel stated that New Jersey's offer was the best. Why didn't Waddel pry Travis Zajac from New Jersey. I know I would have. Maybe he tried, and he most certainly failed. Despite all of this, Don Waddel is still one of the worst active GMs in the league. Oh, yes he is.
Well, since I'm on the subject I guess I'll briefly talk about the Ilya Kovalchuk trade that took place last night. He is, of course, one of the few players in the league along with Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and (yes, him too) Evgeny Malkin that can be called a superstar. Ilya Kovalchuk. Yup. Sniper. Yup. Well, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils. Who would have thought the Devils of all teams would trade for him? I certainly didn't. Not many did. In my opinion, Don Waddel (Atlanta's GM) once again failed to achieve a substantial return for Kovalchuk - just as he failed to get anything for Hossa two years ago.
New Jersey sent Atlanta the following: this years first round pick, Niclas Bergfors (FW), Johnny Oduya (D) and Patrice Cormier (NJs second round pick last year). Bergfors has potential to be a second liner at best; Johnny Oduya is a solid defenseman who is having a tough season; Patrice Cormier could be a bust like Angelo Esposito (part of the return from Pittsburgh for Hossa two years ago) and the first round pick (looks like it will be somewhere between 25-30) can be a toss up. Now, I understand that Kovalchuk is considered a rental player as far as anyone is concerned. And I can also understand Waddel desperation to trade Kovalchuk now before the Olympics to avoid any possibility that Kovalchuk gets hurt (if that were to happen than it is safe to assume Atlanta was fucked), however, Waddel did not get any player that would generate any excitement from Atlanta fans to attend home games. Lets face it, a good chunk of Atlanta fans, or any hockey fan attending a Trashers game, went because they wanted to see Ilya Kovalchuk. Now who do they go watch? Certainly none of the New Jersey players coming to Atlanta. That's a safe bet. Rich Peverley? Hmm, OK. Good hands, but who will he pass to? Maxim Afinigenov? That's a charm *sarcasm*. Nik Antropov? lol.
Not much there. That's not to say Atlanta will suck for the next couple of years. Oh, no. They won't be great or as entertaining, but they will be an OK team in the mist of developing their D and offense. What puzzles me is that Waddel stated that New Jersey's offer was the best. Why didn't Waddel pry Travis Zajac from New Jersey. I know I would have. Maybe he tried, and he most certainly failed. Despite all of this, Don Waddel is still one of the worst active GMs in the league. Oh, yes he is.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Boston Bruins: Season Down The Drain (Part One of Two)
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Guns N' Roses Concert: Axl Leaves a Longlasting Memory
Going to make this short and sweet. The Guns N' Roses concert was electrifying and an additional boost of adrenaline throughout the body. The two opening bands (Danko Jones & Sebastian Bach) provided energy (as if there really needed to be with Guns N' Roses playing later that night) and an extra dose of anxiousness (if that is even possible) for Guns N' Roses. By the time both musicians finished it was almost 9:30pm. If there was any flaw that came with Guns N' Roses it was waiting. Then again, waiting/delaying the concert has been part of Axl Rose since he began thrashing and rocking the music business in the early 1980s.
The concert was indeed electrifying; numerous explosions and effects. Fire! You name it. One song after another for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Well, of courses in between some songs Axl Rose spoke to the audience (you can read some of his quotes in the previous blog post. Right under this one). And for those who called (and still do!) Axl fat, let me just say that he was running (as usual) around the stage throughout the concert. Sure he has gained weight. Fuck, he's 48 years old!! He's bound to put on some weight. However, I would not say he is "fat." I would say he is bigger, but more in shape than "fat," if you know what I mean. As for his voice, it was remarkable. Almost as good as he sounded in the early 90s - and that is saying a lot. Sure he is older and his voice is different, which is common. But he still sounds phenomenal and breathtaking. If there truly is a heaven, then this was it. The best night of my life.
A scarf was thrown at him at the beginning of the concert, followed by a bra in the latter part, and finally a Quebec flag during the last song of the concert (Paradise City). Yes, he did take the Quebec flag and wrapped it around himself while singing the last part of Paradise City. He ended the concert with a bang (no, not by having sex on stage). He tossed his beloved microphone into the crowd (those on the floor), was encountered by two lovely women who brought a handful of shots (not sure what alcohol); he then shared the shots to several people in the crowd, the women and himself ... and well, you guessed it - he saluted the fans, the city and drank. His last words were:
*Keep in mind that I might write more on this in the future.*
The concert was indeed electrifying; numerous explosions and effects. Fire! You name it. One song after another for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Well, of courses in between some songs Axl Rose spoke to the audience (you can read some of his quotes in the previous blog post. Right under this one). And for those who called (and still do!) Axl fat, let me just say that he was running (as usual) around the stage throughout the concert. Sure he has gained weight. Fuck, he's 48 years old!! He's bound to put on some weight. However, I would not say he is "fat." I would say he is bigger, but more in shape than "fat," if you know what I mean. As for his voice, it was remarkable. Almost as good as he sounded in the early 90s - and that is saying a lot. Sure he is older and his voice is different, which is common. But he still sounds phenomenal and breathtaking. If there truly is a heaven, then this was it. The best night of my life.
A scarf was thrown at him at the beginning of the concert, followed by a bra in the latter part, and finally a Quebec flag during the last song of the concert (Paradise City). Yes, he did take the Quebec flag and wrapped it around himself while singing the last part of Paradise City. He ended the concert with a bang (no, not by having sex on stage). He tossed his beloved microphone into the crowd (those on the floor), was encountered by two lovely women who brought a handful of shots (not sure what alcohol); he then shared the shots to several people in the crowd, the women and himself ... and well, you guessed it - he saluted the fans, the city and drank. His last words were:
"You deserve the truth, but not tonight."-referring to the decade-long controversy with former GNR member, Slash.
*Keep in mind that I might write more on this in the future.*
Thursday, January 28, 2010
A Small Preview: Review of GNR Concert Underway (posted later this week)
I think I recognize some of you ... That's right!!!- Axl Rose referring to the riot 17 years ago - the last time GNR were in Montreal.
I remember a few years back we did the MTV awards and people said I was out of breath!"- Axl proceeds to tell the story of how he ran from the cops to be on stage for the VMA's (MTV).
They thought I was Kid Rock!- Axl Rose referring to the people he "ran" by while being "chased" by the cops.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
January 27, 2010
I am debating if I should write some sort of review next week on the upcoming Guns N' Roses concert. The reason I am debating is based on time, which I may not have in the next few weeks, lack of memory of the songs played (yes! It is important if I am going to be expressing vocals/riffs of certain songs, and so on.), etc. Editing, too. But I guess I can list some songs I wish to hear next week.
The songs that will certainly be sung are: Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, November Rain, Chinese Democracy, Better and You Could Be Mine. 100% certain. However, these are the songs (not always sung, if ever) I would like to hear as well:
Estranged (it would leave me breathless!)
Prostitute (from new album, but only played 2-3 times live during this tour)
There Was A Time (same as Prostitute)
Locomotive (would be fucking intense)
Garden Of Eden (I HIGHLY doubt this will ever be played live again. Hard to imagine Axl pulling it off live anyways)
Breakdown (same as Estranged)
I shall see ...
The songs that will certainly be sung are: Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, November Rain, Chinese Democracy, Better and You Could Be Mine. 100% certain. However, these are the songs (not always sung, if ever) I would like to hear as well:
Estranged (it would leave me breathless!)
Prostitute (from new album, but only played 2-3 times live during this tour)
There Was A Time (same as Prostitute)
Locomotive (would be fucking intense)
Garden Of Eden (I HIGHLY doubt this will ever be played live again. Hard to imagine Axl pulling it off live anyways)
Breakdown (same as Estranged)
I shall see ...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Fuck You Kovalev! (hahahaha)
Not sure what to say really. This isn't some sort of diary where I keep secrets. Therefore, do not think I will reveal anything spicy. Or will I. Hmmm. Nothing adventurous today folks. Well, tonight I will be seeing the Habs take on the Senators.
FUCK YOU Kovalev, you better do NOTHING tonight because you no longer belong to me in the hockey fantasy pool!!
Anyways, as I was saying. My friend invited me to go watch the game. Hopefully this time I give the habs some bad luck. There was one condition for coming to the game: my friend asked me not to wear anything Boston Bruins related. Sadness. How can I support my team when I enter the Hab land? Sad. That said, I will cheer on the Sens!
And seriously, Kovalev you better do NOTHING. NOTHING. Plain and simple. Actually, it shouldn't even be hard for Kovalev since he shows up to play 10% of the year. What a lazy bum.
FUCK YOU Kovalev, you better do NOTHING tonight because you no longer belong to me in the hockey fantasy pool!!
Anyways, as I was saying. My friend invited me to go watch the game. Hopefully this time I give the habs some bad luck. There was one condition for coming to the game: my friend asked me not to wear anything Boston Bruins related. Sadness. How can I support my team when I enter the Hab land? Sad. That said, I will cheer on the Sens!
And seriously, Kovalev you better do NOTHING. NOTHING. Plain and simple. Actually, it shouldn't even be hard for Kovalev since he shows up to play 10% of the year. What a lazy bum.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Two More Weeks
Two weeks until I lose most of my voice. Yup. Guns N' Roses is coming to the city !!! And I will be singing all night loooooooong. I have been filled with adrenaline and excitement ever since I got my tickets early November. I have been listening nothing but Guns N' Roses lately. To those who I haven't bugged yet (about GNR), you're about to be bugged and hear nothing but Guns N' Roses. :P
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Winter Classic Game
First and foremost, happy new year to everyone. May 2010 be better than 2009. For me it was an OK year, but that is to be discussed another time. Well, now that I got your attention let me direct you to the Winter Classic Game that is taking place today - right now as I type this.
Well, I had forgotten to continue this blog post yesterday. I guess I was too excited watching Marco Sturm (Boston LW) score the game winner in OT. woooooooo. And now I have a headache.
Well, I had forgotten to continue this blog post yesterday. I guess I was too excited watching Marco Sturm (Boston LW) score the game winner in OT. woooooooo. And now I have a headache.
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