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

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.

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

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.

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

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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.