Olympics and Politics

I am so proud of President Bush. I am dead serious. We need our leader supporting our athletes and he is over there. That is awesome. And plus he is posing with some beautiful women. GO USA!!!

Voting

Did you vote today in the Primaries? If so how do you go about the voting process? Do you vote your party all the time or do you mix it up? My philosophy is brilliant. I am sure I am not the first, but I like to think I am on my approach. During Primaries I always vote for the party I plan not voting for in the big election in November.

For example, if I was going to vote Republican in the big November election I would vote Democrat in the Primary. Why you ask? Okay, I do this because I want to vote for the person I think who would have the least chance of winning against the main Republican guy in the November election I want to win.

Sometimes this falls apart because i should have voted with my party in the Primary because they dont make it to the big November elections. However, generally the person I wanted makes it.

Sneaky I know!!!

Brad Paisley Concert

I am pumped for this concert tonite. Reading reviews of others he has done in the United States this year with with Julianne Hough, Chuck Wicks, and Jewel have been amazing concerts. This one tonite should be badass. I can not wait!!!

One problem is the girl I was going with backed out. So unless I find someone else I am going solo and will have to sell it. Oh well. I will have fun no doubt about it!

This concert is going to be awesome!!!! Even better if I can find someone to go with me.

+++++++

UPDATE

+++++++

Just got back and oh my gosh this concert was awesome. Julianne Hough, Chuck Wicks, Jewel, Brad Paisley. It was over a 3-1/2 hour concert tonite. I loved every second. Jewel is smoking hot. I forgot how much I lusted after her 10 years ago. It all came back tonite. Wow that woman is hot and she has some serious pipes on her.

Chuck Wicks seemed to appeal to the women. Looked like a pretty boy. Had a nice voice. He is mostly known for his hit "Stealing Cinderella". Julianne Hough, is just hot. I like some of her songs. but mostly though its her looks that does it for me.

Brad Paisley is phenomenal. 'Nuff said. What an entertainer he is. Gosh that was some good stuff tonite!

Sad part was I did not have any friends take me up on my offer to go with me. I went alone. The bad part for them was I was 10 feet from the stage and had probably the best view ever. Such an amazing time tonite. I just wish one of my friends would have went with, because that was a good memory to keep for awhile.

What do these teams have in common?

Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinatti Reds, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, and Kansas City Royals......

These teams have all been stupid enough to acquire the rights to Jose Guillen.

Look I love the fire storm he causes. It is great for the media, but its bad for the Royals Clubhouse.

I love his production. He has 69 rbi's. 14 more than any other Royal. He has 14 home runs. He is a spark that Kansas City need with his bat. On the other hand, his fielding is questionable and he does not run nearly hard enough to the ball.

I was a huge proponent when the Royals signed this guy. Why was I so excited to see this knowing that it would end in disaster like it has now? I will tell you it is because the Royals Ownership and Management took a major risk piling money on someone. Risk brings the potential for far greater Return, but sometimes the opposite happens. Like what happened now.

People make big money on the stock market because they take big risk. Guillen was a big risk for the Royals. It did not pay off, but it shows the many other talented baseball players out there Kansas City will pay extra for your services.

What will be the 10th team for Guillen if he does indeed get traded?

What have I gotten into?

The folks at 24 Hour Fitness convinced me to train and run in a 10K race. WTF!?!?!

They said they will run with me which is good. I hate running. I will work harder at it. I run 1.5 miles a day on the treadmill. Guess I need to step it up a bit.

Crap. What have I commited too?!?!?!

Chinese Food

So for lunch today I was rushed and wanted to get something as quick as possible. I went to the closest place I could find. It was a Chinese Restaurant in Kansas City. I had never been in there. The place looked okay, the people looked shady. I was starving so I ordered some food. Took about five minutes for the food to get to my table. Right about as I am mid-way through my plate of food a Kansas City Health Inspector comes rushing in to do a "routine check up". Okay lets back up a second. I have never been here before, I am eating this food, and then a Kansas City Health Inspector rushes in to do a check up. As he is going to the kitchen area I ask nicely, "couldn't you have showed up about 10 minutes ago?" He laughs. I wasn't laughing. I immediately lost interest in my plate off shrimp fried rice, threw the rest away and now probably will never go back there again. I should have stayed to see how they fared with the Health Inspector but I wanted to run and buy alot of water really quick to try to flush out my system just in case.

I guess I will never know the results, but I do know I will not go back even though I was enjoying my shrimp fried rice. Why couldn't the Health Inspector just show up before or after I was there. Not while I am consuming food from a place I had never stepped foot in before today!!!

Political Talk...

I am not one really for politics. However I am stoked that John McCain is going to go with Mitt Romney as his running mate. For the sake of the Presidential Election, I think Barrack Obama needs to pick Jim Webb. Webb has the military experience to compete with McCain. If Obama does pick Webb I might truly get excited.

However, I would much rather see McCain and Obama as the VP hopefuls and Webb and Romney as the Presidential candidates.

Oh well. Politics isn't my cup of tea, but its going to take alot of changes to fix the downward spiral our country is currently in.

In no chance in hell would I have guessed that I would still be unemployed with a Masters degree. Its horrible. I have options though; federal law enforcement, 2nd masters degree this one in theology, teacher, paramedic. The possibilities are endless. Regardless, with a MBA I should have a job by now. I blame all of the political heads. This all started long long ago and now its climaxed to what it is. OUR COUNTRY IS FALLING APART AND OUR LEADERS ARE FAILING US!

So many issues need to be fixed. Who knows where to start, but solutions in corporate america start by firing and layoffs rightly or wrongly. That should be an idea with our political leaders. We vote them in, we are shareholders we should have enough pull to yank their seat out from right under them.

I DO NOT HAVE AN OPINION ON MY PRESIDENTIAL FAVORITE, BUT WHO EVER IT IS BETTER START TRYING TO FIX THIS COUNTRY.

The Girl

So this girl i have been going out with for a month or so is pretty damn awesome. Incredibly pretty, smart, witty, all things that I look for. We both agree that due to things going on in our life at the moment and so best thing is to just stay friends for now. My head and my heart are in opposite places. My heart has this big attraction towards her, but my head says stay the course and just be friends. I'm listening to my head. For now. My attraction towards her builds though as we spend time together and talk more. Its been a long long time since I had a girl that I was close with that actually connects with me mentally, physically, and spiritually. I am definitely in no rush. I do have growing feelings towards her. But friends is okay until she wants more and I want more.

The Dark Knight

So I am the uber dork. I went to the midnite showing last night of The Dark Knight and personally I love love love this movie. Heath Ledger plays a perfect Joker. His henchmen dressed up as clowns look identical to the Cirque Du Soleil clowns I saw at Sprint Center earlier last night. Honestly, this Batman movie kicks so much ass. Its way different than Batman Begins because you do not have to introduce Bruce Wayne as Batman. We know all about Batman by now. This movie revolves around the Joker and Harvey Dent aka Two-Face.

Easy the best movie of the Summer for me.

Random Crap..

I go on date number 4 tomorrow night with New Girl. She is pretty rocking. Really smart, really funny, really damn cute. So far the conversations have have been wide-ranging from religion to politics to death penalty to gun control to babies to health care to favorite food to dating to pretty much anything that comes up. Its a free-sprited conversation which I fully enjoy. I'm a random guy who just talks whats on his mind. She seems to be that way too. Its pretty cool.

I hate what A-B did by selling to InBev. It does however now make the cool part of Missouri(Kansas City) have the largest brewer with Boulevard Brewing Company. I'm quite the fan of their product. Right after I finish off my Bud Light Lime brews I am calling it quits on Bud products until further notice. Microbrews will be what I drink in this house for awhile.

I am going to go back to school. I finished my Masters in Business Administration just this past May, but I am going back. I am thinking about getting in the Teaching sector or going to be a Paramedic. Paramedic schooling starts this coming August. I think that would be totally cool to get into. With my Business education and then with experience in the Medical field I think my credentials would rise drastically.

Okay well until next time...Peace =)

Exercise...

I workout at 24 Hour Fitness. I have a 3 year pass and well I want to get as much use out of it as possible. So for the past month or two I have been going 5 days a week. In my 3 year deal I got a Personal Trainer with the deal. I'm thinking sweet. I bust my butt hard enough, but what would it be like to have a trainer who knows what the hell they are doing? So i've had this trainer now for about 8 sessions. Either 2 or 3 times a week. Just varies. He really really kicks my ass. I find it ironic that I am paying someone to kick my ass, when he should be paying me since I am allowing him to kick my ass.

Either way, I definitely see results in my diet and from my exercise routine. It hurts like hell, but I can surely see some great results.

One other ironic thing. People in the parking lots driving all around trying to find a spot to park, when instead they could just drive 50 yards further to another parking lot and park there. They are going to exercise, seems logical to me to park a little further away from the entrance. That is unless you just want to save your workout for when you first step foot in the gym. If thats the case I totally understand. No, not really. Still very much confused. =)

I am working out so I can lose 40 lbs, build up my cardio, and come out looking like a top-notch guy when its all said and done. So far I've lost 10 lbs, my cardio workouts are going longer and more difficult and I am starting to get alot more definition on my body. Its the damn stomach though! I work hard at trying to lose the little pot-belly, but its not wanting to go. Waist size is going down, pounds are getting lesser, stomach is getting firmer, burning tons of calories and not taking in as many... But still got the noticable belly. Oh well.

I'm 6'9", 300 lbs. I'm not a little framed skinny tall guy. I'm a big guy. Not fat, just big. Hopefully the more I keep at it the gut will shred away. I'm nearing the 2 month timeframe. I can't wait to see what the 2-1/2 and 3 months will be bringing me.

Finally, I truly believe exercise is both a mental and physical game. I honestly believe its way more mental than physical. You have to actually push yourself to goto the gym. Once you are there, its all just simple routine. At least its that way for me. How about you?

Movies I have seen so far this Summer...

and my grade between * and *****... if you see a ***** that means the movie is totally awesome and a must see! if you see a * i will say save your money and wait for the dvd.

Iron Man- GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! BEST ONE SO FAR. ONLY ONE I CAN SEE BEATING IT IS THE DARK NIGHT. =) *****

Speed Racer- I dig the animation, but come on... are you serious? **1/2

What happens in Vegas- Stupid! DVD. No mas *

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- I saw this one before I saw The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe. Yah I know. I'm a dummie. I thought this was the first movie. Show's what I know about Narnia. Sorry CS Lewis fans. *****

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- Its Indiana Jones. 'Nuff said. Go see it!!! ****1/2

Kung Fu Panda- Very very fun movie with awesome animation! ****1/2

You Don't Mess with the Zohan- Prolly one of the best Sandler flicks in some time. ***1/2

The Happening- I ilked this movie a great deal, whereas my buddies hated it. I'll compromise with their feelings and give it a solid score. Not the best M Night Shylaman movie, but quality nonetheless. ***

The Incredible Hulk- Much better than the first Hulk movie out a few years back. Still not up to par with the Spiderman, X-Men, Iron Man, and Batman flicks. ***

Get Smart- Steve Carell has done some great movies I think. 40 year old virgin, and Little Miss Sunshine. Both great flicks and this one is right up there in my mind. Carell is known for his Office tv show, but this is a good movie to go see! ***1/2

The Love Guru- Save your money and watch on DVD. Mike Myers is funny, but its fart jokes and I can watch any Myers film for those. *

Wanted- Oh my... Great great movie! ****1/2

Hancock- Its Will Smith. What type of movie you expect? ****

______

Yes I see way way to many movies, but hey, not much more to do in the freetime except go out on some dates and go work out. The movie I am most expecting to see comes out on the 18th and that is The Dark Knight!

Yup I am a comic book dork and love love love the new Batman. Much better than that cartoonish character we saw in the 90's and on the cartoon.

I'll post some reviews later for you to check out. But oh man. The deceased Heath Ledger will win an Oscar for playing a comic book character!!! The Joker baby!!! =)

Fourth of July Festivities

and Fiasco...

Lets start with the fiasco. The Royals are getting pounded by the Tampa Bay Rays and its hard to fatham because just one or two years ago the Rays were in the cellar like the Royals. Well, the Royals continue to maintain the cellar pace, while the Rays are quite possibly the best team in baseball. They are doing anything and everything right while, you guessed it, KC is doing everything wrong. So it seems anyway. Dayton Moore is doing great as the GM and Trey Hillman is taking the talent Moore gave him and slowly making wins. Whats the deal though that the Royals progress so much slower than the Rays? Is it Royals Ownership, or lack of? David Glass promised the Royals and the Royals fans that he would pack up and move to Kansas City. That has yet to happen. He still lives in Arkansas and still is involved with Wal-Mart. What is going on? I'll tell you. Tampa Bay Rays ownership actually care wholeheartedly about their team, while David Glass and family treat the team and the city as a easy way to make millions every year. Pay cheap salaries all while collecting revenues from other major league teams. Brilliant! No. Pathetic. Oh and the Rays are currently on a 6 game win-streak and JP Howell, former Royals pitcher, is pitching fantastic.

I'm embarassed sometimes David Glass' name is on the business school that I attended at Missouri State University. Lets hope he can fix those issues with the Royals and fast!!!



now Festivities...

My mom turns another year older on July 6. Mom and Dad both are all I have and I am very excited to be able to celebrate and spend time with them on my mom's 30th (she says) birthday.

Also, I went out with a beautiful gal on the 4th of July. Incredibly smart too, much smarter than I could ever thing of being. It was loads of fun. Basically two dates in one day! Lunch and then Fireworks later in the evening. It was a great time! Hope I get to go out many more times with her.

Okay, well i'm off to drink a cerveza and see if there is anything worth watching on tv. Prolly not, but there are great flicks at the theater. Go see WallE! Its great for kids and adults. I'm just a big kid so its awesome. I highly encourage it for those who get away from their computer.

Ciao!

Your 2nd Amendment Rights...

I have long been a strong advocate of gun awareness, and believe wholeheartedly guns do not kill people, people kill people. Many people are scared of firearms and the subject often causes an uproar among many for and against the 2nd Amendment.

I grew up around firearms and think a little bit of education is what people need. Do not fear something you do not know. Educate yourself on the laws of firearms and by going to a gun safety class. Education is what many people lack.

If you want to know something go to a firing range and test as many firearms as possible. But before you do that, ask question after question on the firearm. Look in the phone book for a NRA certified instructor that can train and teach you on the proper use and handling of firearms. When you get to the range, do what I said and shoot as many as possible.

I believe firmly in both conceal carry and open carry. However, know the laws of each city and state you want to carry in. If you are in an open carry state, even though you are in the legal rights do not do what this guy did...



He is well within his legal boundaries, but there is also tact involved. Both him and the bearded one did neither in my mind. Everyone should be educated on the laws, but that simply is not always the case. Check this article out about open carry in Virginia. So many different stories that can help educate the individual on gun laws and gun use.

Odd that laws are different for both open carry and conceal carry. For conceal carry you need to get certified thru the state to carry. That is not always the case for open carry.

Either way, if you are for or against firearms, I highly encourage you to educate yourself in every way possible. Your outlook will change the more you know.

It is all very interesting. Exercise your 2nd Amendment right by learning them inside and out.

This is Funny...

KMBC Channel 9 needs to screen their callers a little bit better next time.



In case you were wondering why this is so funny, "baba booey" originates from the Howard Stern show. From Wikipedia, ""Baba Booey" as a term has become a mantra for fans of the Howard Stern Show and is often used as a tag for crank calls to live network television or radio broadcasts."

Hilarious!

Mixed Martial Arts on CBS

I have no real feeling for this sport, other than I really have no clue what they are talking about. I guess its like hockey when they try to tell me what icing is, but MMA is entertaining. Honestly, the fights Saturday night were really the first time I watched it all completely thru. I do not think MMA will gather very much fan support long-term. I could be wrong, but to me MMA is complete streetfighting in a cage. That is why Kimbo Slice is such a popular figure because of his brawling skills on the streets. He is enormous and has fists that can just bust thru a wall, but come for MMA to tell me he is the next big thing? I read reports comparing this guy to Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan who dominated their sport. Kimbo Slice was a homeless man who fought on the streets. Youtube has a bunch of his street fights if you want to check them out. I do not have a Youtube account that allows me to do that. Regardless, I think its fun to watch MMA and stars like Kimbo Slice, but I really do not think the general public will treat the MMA as a bigtime sport. Hell Kimbo Slice is a smoker. Who in their right mind is a big time athlete who smokes? Do not say John Daly! Kimbo Slice did say he needs to train a lot more, "I’m still a baby at the game, I’ve got a lot of room to grow. I won’t be smoking as much, because I’ve got a lot of training to do." MMA is like Professional Wrestling. It will attract a certain niche market, but not nearly the market of a real olympic sport like Boxing. Boxing still reigns supreme in my book.

Oh and I just finished watching Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup. 3 Overtime game! Amazing. I do not even need to know what icing is to love this sport. I could google "icing" to find out, but you get my point. Hockey rules! Just imagine Kansas City could have had the Pittsburgh Penguins. That was so close to becoming reality had the Pens and Mario Lemieux not struck a deal for a new arena in Pittsburgh.

Kansas City has Hockey!!!

at least for one night. st. louis blues vs. los angeles kings in september. i can't wait for it. kansas city has long showed it has interest in hockey. simply saying the kansas city scouts did not make it does not work with me. they were only here for 2 years. not near long enough time frame for a sports team. the kansas city blades have worked and every nhl exhibition in kansas city has had great attendance figures. there is no reason the nhl would not survive if given the chance.

The Funniest Comedian....

The list is debatable of who the best is. It could take a great deal of discussion. Right now instead of watching the Royals most likely extend the streak to 10, I am watching HBO. They are replaying a 1982 comedy routine George Carlin did at Carnegie Hall. The man is a damn genius. I bet a great deal of his routine is ad-lib. He is the funniest stand up comedian I have seen in a long long time.

Right now Carlin is giving the audience a list of words that sound pretty clean, but just have way to many different meanings. Hilarious stuff. Pussyfoot, woodpecker, beernuts, cottonballs, cocktail, bangkok, peacock(a female peacock...a peacunt). The man is hilarious. However, dirty and perverted. But damn funny.

Here watch this skit found on youtube. This is the same 1982 skit done at Carnegie Hall I just watched on HBO. Its on Cats.



Some others that come to mind that I love watching their acts include; Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Don Rickles ... Way to many good ones.

However I have to put Cosby and Carlin above most others, but they are both 1A and 1B in my book. Yes I am leaving off a ton of great comedians. These four are all just off the top of my mind.

So who is the funniest comedian in your book? What say you?

The Streak

I was holding off on posting for a few days hoping to post something positive about the Royals and for awhile last night I thought Kansas City might pull off. However they lost in the 12th inning to the Twins. The streak is now at nine. Yuck! Come on Kansas City Royals show the fans that the Ownership and Management want to win. Give me something positive to write about our professional sports teams.

Tonite Zach Greinke (5-2, 2.82 ERA)is pitching, so I still hold off a lot of hope. He seems to be our only chance right now. Its been 10 days or so since Joakim Soria was signed to his big contract, and I do not think he has played very much. No reason to use him when we are losing as bad as the Royals have lately. He closes games out when we are winning. I do not see much of that lately!

Maybe we should try to get Soria in the starting rotation now?

Your thoughts?

royals losing streak

What is going on with this team? The Red Sox are just way to dominant at home to win against lately. Red Sox had Dice-K on the mound today. He is now 8-0 on the season. How unreal is that? Royals even put up 8 runs against the Sox. Oh well. Royals are still in 4th place, however the Detroit Tigers are charging after sweeping their opponents. They are now just one game back! It truly is a great thing that baseball is a 162 games long. If it was like football, I would be pulling my hair out and any hair I would have left would be gray.

Am I worried about this 4 game losing streak by the Kansas City Royals? Not at all. They have proven enough through the 2 months of baseball that they are going to play with everyone for a good while. I just truly hope the bats stay hot and the pitching revives itself by leaving Boston.

Breaks Over...

So I took over a month off from writing about sports and life and just pretty much anything that pops up in my brain. From the looks of when I last posted it appeared that I took time off to celebrate the Kansas National Basketball Championship.

Breaks over...

It is fun to watch the Kansas City Royals play some ball lately. Joakim Soria is now locked up for quite some time in what appears to be a steal of a get for the Management and Ownership. 4 years at 32 million dollars, that could get much higher. From Royals Review, they listed Soria's contract as follows;

2009 $4.5M
2010 $6.5M
2011 $10M
2012 $11M
2013 $12M club option
2014 $14M club option
2015 $15M club option

Soria is a dominant pitcher who most likely will not have his arm fall off. He has quality stuff that can just leave batters looking stupid.

Next the Royals have to sign Alex Gordon and Zach Greinke to long term deals. Greinke, I feel is a 5 year/ 60 million dollar pitcher. He is by far the best player on the team and they need to sign him now before it is to late. Waiting just forces the price to skyrocket. Gordon, on the other hand is not the George Brett calibur phenom (yet) that fans had hoped. Still just in year two he is showing he is the best athlete the Royals have. Lock up Greinke and Gordon now and show fans you are with this team for the long term.

Kansas City sports are getting better. The Chiefs had an amazing draft. Easily the best one since Carl Peterson drafted Derrick Thomas with the 4th pick in the NFL Draft early in his multi-title role (general manager/president/ceo). The Royals will be flirting with a .500 record all year long. Good things will happen. The Owners, Management, and Players just need to keep working and getting better day to day. We as fans can not do anything but just to not give up and keep believing. Hope is all we can cling to right now.

Keep the faith!

Champions

a KU alum sent this to me...

I love Roy

He is forgiven... Unless you are a North Carolina fan...HaHa. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!

The Mario Miracle!!!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!! LEW PERKINS BETTER BACK THOSE BRINKS ARMORED VEHICLES INTO BILL SELF'S OFFICE AND PAY HIM WHAT HE DESERVES!!! GO KU!!! ROCK CHALK BABY!!! THIS IS AWESOME! SIMPLY AMAZING! I GREW UP A KANSAS FAN AND LOVE THE JAYHAWKS AND ALWAYS WILL. THIS WAS BIG. THIS GAME WILL BE AN INSTANT CLASSIC AND POSSIBLY THE BEST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME EVER. ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!! THANKS FOR CHOKING ON THE FREE THROWS MEMPHIS! GO KU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUPER MARIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KU gave Tyler & UNC a big knock-out punch

What an awesome game last night for Kansas and its fans! Maybe people will ease up on Roy Williams now? Tomorrow night's Memphis/Kansas final will be epic and will be extremely high scoring. I predict a Jayhawk victory that has waited 2 decades since the last one. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!

Lock Tennis Players Away

before they hurt you, me, and themselves any more... what a bloody mess. ouch!

Elite Eight Matchups...

Louisville/North Carolina--- I'll give the edge slightly to UNC, but this is going to be a barn burner!

UCLA/Xavier--- Xaviers run will be done and the Bruins will Advance to the Final Four!

Texas/Memphis--- This game is a toss up. I have Texas winning, but this match and UL/UNC will be two of the best games in the Elite Eight!

Davidson/Kansas--- Kansas is way to deep. Stephan Curry is a Stud though and major props to him. But he alone can not beat the Jayhawks.

My Final Four Predicition after this weekend:
North Carolina/Kansas
Texas/UCLA

I will be the first to admit...

I can not keep up with posting everyday as I would hope. I had full intention of writing and contemplating kansas city sports day in and day out on here, but I just have not had the chance too. I have not followed my NCAA picks as much as I was hoping. I sure hope Kansas and North Carolina get to face each other in the Final Four next week. Anyway, I'm ready for Wizards Soccer to get going. It all starts this Saturday evening! Its in the Dotte at the CAB (Community America Ballpark). Should be a helluva lot of fun! Check out this article. It compares the Ownership style of the KC Wizards to that of my favorite Owner in professional sports Mark Cuban!

By the way, my alma mater hired Cuonzo Martin as the Missouri State Bears Basketball Coach replacing Barry Hinson. Martin was a stud player in college ball and spent the past 8 years or so as an Assistant Coach at Purdue. I love my Bears and hope they do well next year in the Missouri Valley Conference! Go Bears.

burned....

oh the memories of 1995

Bracketology 101---Lesson One

You are now enrolled in Bracketology 101 and your instructor is Me, Big Russ. During the next several weeks this class will debate and challenge ideas and potentially entertain the possibility that anything can happen. It is after all March. March is Madness.

Lesson One: Breaking down the brackets.

East Region

North Carolina in my mind has a tough road to the National Championship game. Odd being that they were the best Number One seed, yet they have to face potentially the best number two and three seeds in Tennessee and Louisville to get there. Tennesee and Louisville could have easily been One and Two seeds which just further shows how tough this region is.

Its my belief that North Carolina will stub its toe at some point. Whethter they overcome it or not remains to be seen.

Potential Upsets I am picking: (11)St Joes OVER (6)Oklahoma

Midwest Region

Kansas being the One seed in this bracket had some people miffed as to why Kansas got the One seed over Tennessee or Texas. I think Kansas being the One seed just further proves how important conference tournments are. Kansas played brilliantly in the Big 12 Tournament, and I see one challenge for them and that will come in the Sweet 16 against Clemson.

Kansas State fans should be excited how they they lucked into the Midwest region and should hope Kansas fans cheer loud for the Wildcat fans in Omaha Thursday. A Mike Beasley vs OJ Mayo matchup in the first round is all about television ratings and what a better time for CBS than to put the game in the evening session when everyone is sitting in front of the television sets. I am really hoping to see a Kansas vs Kansas State matchup in the Elite 8. I doubt it will happen though. Wildcats most likely will stub their toe in the Sweet 16 against Georgetown. Hoya bigman Roy Hibbard is a tough match up for anyone.

Potential Upsets I am picking: (10) Davidson OVER (7) Gonzaga
(11) Kansas State OVER (6) Southern California

South Region

I think Memphis is going to be the first One seed to lose. Texas in my mind is far Superior a team than Memphis. Maybe I have a Big 12 bias, but John Calipari is giong to get destroyed in the Elite 8. The Regional is in Houston afterall.

One of my favorite coaches and now broadcasters is picking the winner of the NCAA Tournament to come from this region. His pick? Four seed Pittsburgh. For that to happen, Pitt would have to have some serious luck on their side. I could see that happening as opposed to Digger Phelps having all One seeds in the Final Four.

Potential Upsets I am picking: (10)St Mary's OVER (7) Miami

West Region

This could be the easiest Region for any One seed as UCLA should cruise. I could see Duke losing in the Second round to West Virginia. I am not sold on the Two seed Dukies. Watch out for Drake and their sharp shooters. They love the Three pointers and since I went to a Missouri Valley Conference school in Missouri State I am picking Drake to make the Sweet 16. Drake's Adam Emmenecker went from walk-on to league MVP. I see no reason why Drake can't keep their hot shooting going.

Poor Mark Turgeon. He always has bad luck. Texas A&M is going to be trounced by UCLA in the Second round.

Potential Upsets I am picking: (13) San Diego OVER (4) UCONN
(11) Baylor OVER (6) Purdue

The Maverick

Everyone has someone they would like to meet for personal or professional reasons. For me, that person is Mark Cuban. He is a genius. I've mentioned him before, but his blog is awesome. I check his blog out once a week or so to see what he has posted. Most recently, he did a blog on start-up companies.

If you have a dream or goal for your professional career and want to be run your own company eventually read it. He may be a free spender and his Mavericks have the largest payroll in all the NBA, but he wants to win and will do anything to make it happen. He is like that in the real world as well with all the companies he has ran.

Seriously good stuff.

Basketball is here....

And I am in my buddy's wedding this weekend. I won't get to see much hoops action during the Big 12 Tourney. I will have my cell on and checking scores often. Hopefully I will be able to watch Sunday's game.

Anyway my new favorite website, Hot Chicks with Douchebags.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Mathematics and Basketball

My high score the first time I took my ACT to get in college was...drum roll please... 18! Thinking I could improve and do better the second time I got a...17! Yes ladies and gentlemen, tests do not mix well with me. I really did bad on the Math portion of my ACT when I took it long ago. Not sure how I graduated and got a business degree from one of the best business schools in the midwest. Oh well miracles do happen. Just ask the 1980 USA Hockey team.

So I found this website that is lots of statistics. I love stats, but I suck at doing the math. I can understand them and interpret them, but that is about it. Ask me to calcuate statistics is basically the equivalent of asking me to find the cure for AIDS globally. Not happening anytime soon, but there is progress. I could play with formulas trying forever to figure it all out, but its pointless.

Baseball statistics are the worse to decipher. There are way to many damn calculations for me. The website above and the table below are just basketball percentages. Easier to understand than some might think.

Team Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Champ
1 Texas 100% 75.71% 51.96% 22.46%
8 Texas Tech 52.5% 13.1% 5.31% 1.21%
9 Oklahoma St 47.5% 11.2% 4.31% 0.92%
4 Oklahoma 100% 54.36% 21.13% 6.16%
5 Baylor 78.07% 40.6% 16.41% 4.99%
12 Colorado 21.93% 5.05% 0.88% 0.1%
2 Kansas 100% 84.16% 67.16% 50.3%
7 Nebraska 55% 9.27% 3.97% 1.47%
10 Missouri 45% 6.57% 2.54% 0.84%
3 Kansas St 100% 54.43% 14.57% 6.36%
6 Texas A&M 76.7% 39.88% 11.16% 5.06%
11 Iowa St 23.3% 5.69% 0.6% 0.13%

Ok so lets figure that table out together. The website used stats. I could not find what they used to come up with these percentages, but it looks like to me that the percentages show the likelyhood of each team to advance to the next round. Kansas has a 67.16% probability to make it to the finals with Texas 51.96%. Seems like the popular opinion of media and fans proves out mathematically as well.

Kansas looks to be the winner too at 50.3%. Ok i'm sold. I would take forever to figure out calculations like that. But teamrankings dot com did a good job putting it all together so people like me don't have to look stupid.

Well, not true. I will look really stupid once baseball comes here in a few more weeks.

Hey Tiger and Jayhawk fans...

nope, not a basketball post. just a way for you college football fans to get your school more exposure. check it out an vote for your mascot!

Royals Tix

Royals Single Game Tickets went on sale at 9am this morning. I made a mental note and put it on my calender so I would not forget. Well I forgot, slept in and did not get my ass out of bed. So no chance to buy home opener tix against the Yanks! Actually there is, I just will have to fork over big money to get them. Crap!

I have an urge to hit golf balls...

I am the biggest animal lover there is. I am not sure what to take of a person taking aim at a bird on a golf course. Of course there is the occasional person who tries to take up golf and by mistake wastes a bird.

Now ok lets get some bad ass Professional Golfer who can basically hit anything he wants, where he wants it. When a Pro goes golfing for birdies this happens. If I was to take up golf and hit some balls, no chance I would ever be able to hit a birdie, much less a bird.

So animal cruelty or just damn good luck? Either way PETA is going to have a field day.

Tournament Championship Week Begins Tuesday!!!

I get more excited for the month of March than most anything. I love basketball and the passion and drama it brings with it. I am thinking about going to St. Louis this weekend for the Missouri Valley Tournament that starts Thursday evening. Missouri State University plays that evening. It is my Alma Mater. I love my basketball and my school more than many things. I know that might seem trivial, but sports are my passion. Basketball is my love in life. Nothing better than March Madness. My school has struggled this year for various reasons mostly being injuries which is the reason for the play in game on Thursday night.

Championship week though starts Tuesday for some of the lower-major conferences. Mid-Majors mostly start Thursday and all the BCS Conferences will start up next week.

Lasting memories begin in March.

Michael Beasley

The kid is amazing. But he is just one person. One person who just might be the best college player when all is said and done. 39 points and 11 rebounds tonite against Kansas in Lawrence. Seems like someone did this last year against Kansas. Some guy named Kevin Durant. Shades of Durant fill my head as Beasley scorched Kansas tonite. Its not one team though that can defeat a team as great as Kansas...

Just as Durant last year in one of the best half of basketball I have personally witnessed by one person...


The better TEAM won no matter what Durant put up...

Beasley felt the pressure tonite as the better TEAM won. Bill Walker and Jacob Pullen were no shows. If Beasley had been in greater foul trouble Kansas would have pounded Kansas State by far greater.

I never thought though I would see another guy with Durants talent and yet one year later Beasley matches if not surpasses it. Who will be the guy in college basketball to amaze me next year?

Remember though ladies and gentlemen. Basketball is a TEAM game. Even Michael Jordan needed quality stars along side to win those World Championships for the Chicago Bulls. If Kansas State had a decent squad with it to help Beasley out, no reason Kansas State wouldn't be a contender for the National Championship. Right now though, Kansas State is playing just to make the big dance.

Poor Beasley can't do it all for the Wildcats!

brigade football!

I can't wait to see the opener tonite with a friend of mine who had a spare ticket. I always enjoy listening to the Brigade games on the radio, but this is my first Arena Football game to see in person. Should be lots of fun with a big win. And to top it off KU and KSU tonite!!!

Does not get much better. Oh wait, yes it does. Two weeks from not. Big 12 Tourney!!!

shameless plug for a great play

I saw a play tonite at avila university. it is called marisol. i have a few friends involved with the play. very entertaining. i highly encourage people in the kansas city area to go see this play. it is very non-traditional in my mind because it is kind of chaotic and hard to follow. but that is what kept my interest. there is a lot going on. it is not meant for kids because of the language and violence. but its higly recommended by me. i do not remember the last play i went to, but i was glad i went tonite. lots of fun. go check it out.

funniest movie ever...

Ok so I get lots of forwarded emails from friends and from people I have no freaking clue who they are. Usually my pops will forward me some really funny emails and then I get some that make me wonder if someone hacked into my dads email and stole his identity. Today I get a fowarded email from a close friend. The title says "This has a very good chance...." Immediately red flags pop up in my mind. Is this a work safe email? Are their dirty pictures? Should I even bother to open this or could someone have stolen my buddies email and password like I think happened to my dad.

So since I am not an "employee" of anyone at the moment. I am just a my own boss and "employee" until some company believes in my education and background. Right now I am a salesman. Being a salesman I can open any email without fear! I opened the forward and it asked the question of this being the funniest movie of all time.

Wow, are you serious? Granted most movies in todays society suck because there is no creative thought. It all stems from pornographic words, thoughts and images that somehow audiences in theatres laugh at. Seriously there are some very disgusting movies that are awarded the "comedy" title and it makes me barf. Maybe the writers should have stayed on strike a little longer because if movies and shows have to resort to sex to get a "laugh" then our society has gone to "hell in a handbasket" as my dad would say.

Ok so you tell me, does this movie have the potential to be the funniest movie ever?

I'll go out on a limb and venture "no" even if Will Farrell is in the movie and I think he is one of the funniest guys in America right now. But to say the funniest movie ever. I will laugh at anything and everything. I think laughing makes people live longer. I want to live to a healthy old age and the best way to do that is laugh.

But come on film industry, give me something really funny to laugh at that does not involve sexual words, actions, and thoughts. Yes I know you will probably have to fire the writers that you just pulled back off the strike, but do something will you!

Men listen up....

and take notes! Bruce Pearl knows how to take hold of an opportunity and not look back. Lucky Bastard!

Erin Andrews is a hottie!

Chris Berman Antics...

Have you seen this video yet? If not, you need to see this first before reading further...

That video was originally posted by an ESPN employee who I would assume no longer works for ESPN. I have not a clue how old the video is, if you do please tell the author of this blog (myself). I have seen it multiple times and it just proves my belief that Chris Berman is a complete asshat.

Recently The Miami Herald wrote a column that interviewed Berman regarding these comments. Berman says these comments were made about 9 years ago. Personally I don't buy it nor do I care. You act like an asshat at least one time to your producers and camera crew, it is going to most likely happen again and again. So yeah I said above I have no clue how old the video is, but ESPN says, they "supported Berman, noting the off-air videos are now nearly a decade old and don't reflect his typical workplace demeanor." Who cares. It happened. Berman in my eyes, before the video surfaced was an asshat just proves it further with this video.

I love the fact Berman acknowledges his mistake. I have made many mistakes in my young life. I can only dream that one day my stupidity in my life will make it to the stature of Chris Berman.

All people make stupid mistakes they wish they could forget, yet only a handful of the worlds population will ever get to have their dumbass remarks broadcast on the internet for all to see.

One thing Berman does say though, "you're being watched whether you're on TV or not. Everyone is very brave when they're anonymous, and that's very disturbing to me, whether it's about me or anyone else. I'd like to think people would be more productive with their time."

Well Mr. Berman, I agree. If people want to reach me my name is Russ Poush and my email is russpoush@yahoo.com. And as a further counterpoint, with a faltering economy I am out of work due to layoffs. I wish I was more productive than I am, but I am not, so other than looking for work 50 hours a week, I spend my time posting blogs, eating, meeting new people, and working out.

Tim Weiser out at K-State

Tim Weiser is leaving a good job at K-State to take a position with the Big 12. Kansas State reported that in Weisers new role with the Big 12 he "will assist the Commissioner as a staff liaison to the Board of Directors, oversee the day-to-day operation of the Conference office and coordinate activities in the Commissioner’s absence."

Weiser has made some questionable hires and fires at Kansas State. He hired Jim Wooldridge which in did not lead to many great wins and many u Wooldridge had 83 wins and did a decent job. However after a flop in the 2006 Big 12 tourney Weiser fired Wooly. Wooly's big win was at Allen Fieldhouse in 2006 when his Wildcats came in and won for the first time in a long long time against the Jayhawks. After Wooly's departure and Bill Snyder retirement earlier in the year, there have been questionable hires.

Ron Prince, who has never been a head coach was brought on to lead KSU Football and Bob Huggins the animated coach who does not graduate kids was brought on to lead KSU Basketball.

Weiser looked like a fool after Huggins left for West Virginia. Huggins did however bring some top level coaches and athletes to KSU win him. He did get the Wildcats to a 23 win season. Weiser though looked bad after Huggins left after one season. It was a black eye.

Weiser might have another black eye with Ron Prince too, unless Prince can come up with some big North division wins. Yes wins over Texas are nice, but they mean nothing when K-State football is not able to beat Missouri and Kansas constantly.

Tom Osborne came out of "retirement" to take over Nebraska Athletics, I wonder how many times Bill Snyder is going to be propositioned to take over the Athletic Department at Kansas State.

Sprint Cup runneth over...

So I find it disappointing that Sprint has had to lay off 5600 full time employees and contractors. Sprint has had some serious bad luck lately. They have been stuck in third place in the Telecom industry for some time now. The Sprint merger with Nextel also hurt. Both corporations had different technologies that did not come together as smoothly as one would hope. When Sprint merged with Nextel, Sprint also took control of a deal that Nextel worked with NASCAR in 2003. The deal was for the naming rights for 10 years at $700 million.

Okay so to add to the bad luck....

The Daytona 500 was won by Ryan Newman. His Sponsor... Alltel. Newman broke an 81-game winless streak to win the biggest race in NASCAR's Sprint Cup.

The ugly gets uglier.

Bye Bye Omaha, Hello...???

So, yesterday Omaha took a hit while discussing the College World Series. I am a huge fan of the CWS and would hate to see it move to another city, but it just might happen. The Omaha-World Hearld reports that, "an independent seven-member stadium review committee unanimously concluded that the best way to keep the CWS in Omaha is not to renovate Rosenblatt Stadium, but rather to build a new stadium on the grounds of the Qwest Center Omaha."

That SUCKS! So basically they want to tear up parking lots used for the Qwest Center and put a downtown baseball stadium in there. Real bright there fellas!

There still is the chance the CWS will stay in Omaha, but there are serious issues to be worked out.

I have personal reasons to keep the CWS in Omaha. Its close, and its a good road trip during June. I can't think of a better area for it. Of course there are doubters of Omaha, but shame on them if they live in the Midwest.

Big 12 Football Spring game

Seems like football is never ending. It has literally turned into an annual event. Rivals has listed all 120 Division 1 teams right here. The local Big 12 Football schools all start around the middle of March.

Missouri starts the earliest and will go the longest of all the local Big 12 schools.

-Mizzou starts March 11 and goes till April 19. The Spring game is April 19.
-Kansas start March 12 and goes till April 12. The Spring game is April 12.
-Kansas State starts March 29 and goes till April 19. The Spring game is April 19.
-Nebraska starts March 26 and goes till April 19. The Spring game is April 19.

The earliest Big 12 team to start Spring Practice will be Texas which gets going February 22.

Already lots of hype for Mizzou on message boards. Preseason hype for the Tigers both LSU and Missouri is insane.

Arrowhead is gonna be rocking again i'm sure for Mizzou especially with their preseason rankings. Regardless it is going to be a typical Kansas/Missouri football game. Only once again its at Arrowhead Stadium. Stubhub.com has tickets going for between $175 and $775 already for this game. No chance of e teams living up to the hype again this coming year like they did in 2007 can they?

OVER-RATED!!!

Being a Kansas Citian I flat out hate east and west coast NCAA schools with a passion. Especially those 4-letter one's like UCLA and DUKE. Sunday night ACC rivals Wake Forest and DUKE, the Demon Deacons forced 31 fouls from the Blue Devils. Wake has a +13 free throw advantage over that 4-letter curse word. Know what happened next that I just am blown away by? All of Duke's five starters fouled out! First time ever in Blue Devil history for that to happen! I love it! The curse of Skip Prosser is alive against the Dukies!


Duke is my most hated school. By FAR!!! What is yours?

Will Ferrell

He performed at K-State on February 4th where nearly 8000 fans packed into Bramlage Coliseum. He is starting a comedy tour and it all started in Manhattan, Kansas. When asked why Ferrell decided on K-State he said, “We knew we wanted to bring this tour to a part of the country that maybe wouldn’t get a chance to see something like this, and K-State totally fit the bill.” Ferrell said. “Some of our promoters were like ‘No it’s a great place to go. Take something like this, and people will respond.’ It’s fun to get to do this kind of thing—for myself and the other comedians—and know that this crowd is going to be so fired up.”

Recently he took his tour to Michigan State where Ron Burgundy sat down and interviewed Spartan Mens Basketball Coach Tom Izzo...


I would pay top dollar to see Will Ferrell perform on stage. Any comic you would pay good money to see today?

Tony G is nice looking man...

Tony Gonzalez did an interview on MAXIM that i found from TKC its pretty entertaining. I think he is a pretty boy everywhere but the football field. A future NFL Hall of Famer talks about anything and everything to MAXIM. Of note from the interview. Tony says he has been in 17 fights only losing 2. Very impressive, but if I was on camera I would have said I had a perfect fighting record going something like 38-0! Call me the Champ!

NBA ALL STAR GAME

The NBA All Star game is one of my favorite things to watch. I can care less for the NFL Pro Bowl or the NHL All Star game. The MLB All Star game is fun for the fact that it means something to the winner. The NBA All Star events though just have been a ritual of mine to watch since I was a kid. I know the Slam Dunk competition does not mean nearly as much now as it once did but I still get excited when I see some ridiculously amazing dunks.

Remember the 2000 Slam Dunk Competition with Vince Carter? Some of the best dunks I have seen.

Of local interest the NBA All Star Game has just one fairly local name. Former #34 of the Kansas Jayhawks and current Celtic legend Paul Pierce. I didn't see any Mizzou guys on the NBA All Star Roster this year. Maybe next year!

Kind of a slow day today so I just was reading over some other noted blogs. This story is quite entertaining if you are the Worlds Smallest Weightlifter!

EDIT: I had someone ask me to find Jordans dunk over Larry johnson. I could not find that exact one. I found these 10 best dunks though by him. By far my favorite NBA player, possibly Athlete ever.

The Duals at Daytona

I am not the biggest NASCAR fan out there. I do have lots of spare time on my hands since I was recently laid off from my work so I was at a sports bar watching SPEEDtv and the Duals all while applying for work. Yes I am a multi-tasker! With NASCAR I can definitely appreciate the speed and power these cars reach. I root for Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer because of the Missouri and Kansas ties, but what really keeps me watching the Duals today is Krista Voda. She is a reporter in the pits for FOX and Speed TV. She is smoking hot! http://www.kristavoda.net/

Dale Jr. is on a roll this year so far at Daytona. Freaking hilarious if you consider all that went on with him on his old team DEI to his new team Hendrick Motorsports. From the way things shook out over this weekend Carl Edwards starts in the 11th position while Clint Bowyer will go 31st. This is going to be fun. Oh yeah its called the Sprint Cup this year. Its going to take awhile for me to remember that.

Happy Valentines Day!

To Buy or Not To Buy...

That is the question for owners of NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL teams. The stagnant economy has caused many sports fans to put their money away for safe keeping instead of possibly going to a game like might have been an option a few a few years back. Owners of teams are seeing that and are now starting to think that maybe purchasing a team might not be in their best interest. Look at the values of some NFL teams. We are talking billion dollar franchises. In years past, team owners would purchase a team because it was a hobby. It was fun to do. Teams were much cheaper to purchase and the blow would not hurt nearly as bad if teams were not making much money. That is just not the case anymore. The billionaire hobby of purchasing teams does not happen as much anymore as it once did.

Remember the Nashville Predator rumors about coming to KC? Check this out from the Wall Street Journal. Mr. William "Boots" Del Biaggio says,

"Hopefully, attendance will pick up," Mr. Del Biaggio says. "We're going to be really dependent on improving corporate sales. Anyone who is doing this to make money is doing it for the wrong reasons." There's been speculation Mr. Del Biaggio might want to move the team to Kansas City, something he doesn't rule out. "If expansion or relocation became a possibility in several years,
Kansas City would be an awesome location," he says. "But at this point, I'm committed to Nashville." The Predators haven't been profitable in recent years. Mr. Del Biaggio says he hopes to get to break-even or better on stronger ticket sales and perhaps the NHL's eventual ability to win a national television contract again. Still, he says, "I would never want more than 10% of my net worth to be in sports."

So with the sagging economy, could the Predators be headed this way, and even moreso could Kansas City support another Professional team when Sprint, H&R Block, and so many others laying off people right and left.

Whats going to happen to the Billionaire Owner? Who really cares I think, when we have people with many more serious issues to consider.

Throw the Ref out...

Many times as a fan in the stands watching some college basketball game I would yell about how crappy the officiating is and scream at the top of my lungs how bad they stink at their craft. Take for example the Referee who officiated the Georgetown - Villanova game and he called a stupid foul on Villanova that should have been a no-call with one-tenth of a second to play. It was a tie game! Georgetown goes to the other end of the court and calmly puts 2 free throws in to win it! The Referee deserves to be punished severely for calling a horrible end of a great game.

Fast forward to this the front page of the February 13, 2008 Kansas City Star. A Referee does not get to officiate a boys high school basketball game. Why? Because the Referee is a female. How pathetic is that. St. Mary's Academy officials told the woman she could not Referee the game. Now i'm sorry, but what exactly did this lady do wrong that she somehow can not officiate a game? St. Mary's officials told Steve Rock of the Kansas City Star, "That would be putting a woman in a position of authority over boys."

Doesn't the school have female teachers? The write up in the Star says "yes", which makes this whole thing much more confusing to me. I have seen plenty of high quality female Referees officiate boys and mens basketball games. There should be times when Referees need to be punished for things, like say making a bad call during the Villanova - Georgetown game. But punish a Referee because she is female?

This is just ridiculous. What year are we in? Did St. Mary's Academy somehow revert back in time to when women had no rights? I'm in graduate school finishing my MBA right now and I will tell you there are some very smart women in that room. I'd like to see St. Mary's Academy tell those women they have no authority. It would not end pretty for St. Mary's thats for sure.

Here is the link to the KC Star article!

Futbol

It will never catch on here in the United States like I wish it would. I enjoy soccer a great deal. I used to play as a kid, but as I got older some sports just came more natural for my giant frame. I hope that the Wizards succeed with this youth movement that they are trying. Shipping Eddie Johnson via FedEx to some place in Europe hopefully will not hurt the Wizards long term.

Watch this YouTube video. Many people are saying this goal by Andres Vasquez of Peru is the best ever. Andres ran to the edge of the penalty area and, as the ball rolled, moved his left leg behind his right. With the outside of his left foot he then kicked the ball into the corner of the net.

Is this the greatest goal ever... Is it?



Watch this free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Pretty sweet!

the number one top selling NFL jersey goes to...

Tony Romo. I would have never thought Tony Romo would bring such attention. I don't think it is as much him bringing the attention as it is the woman he is currently dating. A Jessica Simpson. Ever hear of her? Yeah me neither. Either way I would venture to say that more womens Romo jerseys are flying off the shelf quicker than the guys. That Jessica gal. Something stands out about her, but I can't put my finger on it.

Listed are numbers 1 thru 5 per Darren Rovell. Find all the top selling jerseys here.

1. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys--Not a surprise given the size of the Cowboys faithful. 2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots--Every New England fan HAS to have a Brady jersey.
3. Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers--Amazing Favre is so high given that the Packers jersey has never changed.
4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts--Probably most boring/generic jersey in the NFL.
5. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers--Good running backs are always in top 10

Breath of fresh air...Underdogs win!

This is a sports blog but I had to write something about this tonite, because Underdogs do not just come from behind in sports to win like the New York Giants did to the New England Patriots last week, they also come from behind to win a major Grammy Award. Let me just say though that when the the 2008 Album of the Year was given out and it went to Herbie Hancock I got up and danced a bit. Seriously this man has some serious skills and it is amazing that he won. I am so thankful that there is still great jazz music out there that gets recognized. Hancock beat out a drugged out Amy Winehouse, a loser of a guy in Kanye West, a bad rock band in the Foo Fighters, and another guy I was rooting for Vince Gill. Gill and Hancock were my two favorites and I am very very happy Hancock won the 2008 Album of the Year for "River: The Joni Letters."

Hancock has been fighting for the longest time to be recognized like this. Im sorry I just get sick and tired of seeing so many strung out musicians on drugs (Winehouse) and rappers (West) who act like they are so far superior to other musicians. Its just great to see the Underdog win! Lets keep rooting for more big upsets as the days, weeks, and months go on. Just makes for a whole lot better discussion than the same everyday stuff! :-)

Optimism is a killer

This is the worst time of year for me. Its the start of something new. Baseball is just around the corner and I am very very optimisitc that great things can happen. When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals I always root hard for them win or lose. They are my team. Lately though, there just is not much winning. But its a brand new year and well all reasoning and judgement goes out the window when dealing with these two teams. Before any Royals or Chiefs season I get overly excited and look over the teams schedule and make very unrealistic predictions.

Last year I picked the Chiefs to finish with 10 wins. Why on earth did I think that the Chiefs could truthfully finish with 10 wins? Chiefs were just brutal and I knew it too, but any rational thought goes out the window when it comes to my teams. I should have stuck with what all the so-called experts were saying.

2007 was not the best year for betting, I also lost $100 to one of my close friends that the Royals would finish with a .500 (81-81) record. Didn't exactly turn out in my favor. Maybe this year! This is the year the Royals turn the corner and start to turn the corner and compete for the division.

New seasons bring new hope and optimism. Oh who am I kidding! I say it every year! :-)

Regardless...Royals 2008 win/loss record.....drum roll please.... 84-78!!!

what YOU the people watch

Well I will stand at the front of the line and say my favorite sport is College Hoops without hesitation. I grew up a Big 8 fan. I used to watch and listen to MU and KU games regardless of the time of day. Stormin' Norm Stewart and Roy "gosh darnit" Williams had some great battles on the hardwood against their opponents. While I grew up watching and listening to hoops like it was religion, America was falling in love with the NFL. It all started with the huge following of the Cowboys and Packers in 1990's. Meanwhile in baseball, fans everywhere were forming a sour attitude because of the 1994 MLB Players Strike. That strike could have KO'd baseball and did for many people.

The NFL flourished because of the MLB strike and the start of a slow demise of the NHL. College football and basketball along with the NFL were the big time sports. They still are. The NFL is the most favorite sport, but the popularity is lagging behind. From a Harris Interactive Survey,

"Professional football continues to be the most popular sport among U.S. adults who follow more than one sport, although its popularity has dropped slightly from 2005’s high. In 2006, twenty-nine percent of adults who follow more than one sport say pro football is their favorite, down four percentage points from 2005’s thirty-three percent. Baseball remains unchanged at 14 percent, with college football coming neck-in-neck again (13%, unchanged from 2005) and auto racing, which is down two points at nine percent. Professional basketball has increased by three percentage points, with seven percent of adults who follow more than one sport saying it is their favorite."

Regardless what the surveys show, college basketball and just college athletics as a whole will always be numero uno. Its just so much more pure. The college game anyway. The whole NCAA is a whole other matter to be discussed at a later time.

I can't wait for the Big 12 Tourney! Oh yeah. My best friend has a wedding on the Saturday of the Big 12 Tourney! He's a huge baseball fan. I notice he and his fiance didn't schedule it for around the start of baseball season!!!

Herm Edwards

Ok I have never been a fan of Herm Edwards coaching style. To me he has always seemed to be just a very average Head Coach. Granted the Chiefs defense has improved considerably since he took over, but the offense has regressed. It is a shame. The defense finished just 3 slots higher in defense from 16th in 2006 to 13th in 2007. The offense well that is a whole other story. In 2006 the offense was 16th and dropped to a woeful 31st in the NFL. Pathetic. Is Herm the right coach to turn this squad into a Super Bowl team? Sure doesn't look like.

Hey Herm? Do you really play to win the game? Sure did not look that way.

You better make all the right draft picks this year!!

My Favorite Blogging Sites

Ok I am a huge fan of reading and will be the first to admit I spend way to much time on the internet reading stories and blogs from people when I probably should be spending that extra time doing work. Regardless, these are just a few of the many blogging sites I will waste extensive time on.

http://www.deadspin.com/

http://www.badjocks.com/

http://www.fanblogs.com/

http://ericmcerlain.com/offwingopinion/

http://www.nfl-draft-site.com/

http://www.nflgridirongab.com/

http://www.mymockdraft.com/

http://www.drunkathlete.com/

http://rushthecourt.wordpress.com/

http://collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadnes

http://www.royalsreview.com/

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/

http://www.robneyer.com/robrany.html

To many more great bloggers out there that I don't have time to post about right now. =)

Larry Larry Larry

Maybe its a good thing LJ has his huge contract if what one of my favorite blogs is saying turns out to be true. Tony who has one of the best blogs in KC, says that there are some rumors about LJ possibly having a kid soon. Check out the site. Very interesting stuff.

Inside The NFL

One of my favorite TV shows growing up was Inside The NFL. I did not always have HBO, but this show was simply one of the very best, and it held to form for so long. Personally though Cris Carter, Cris Collinsworth, Bob Costas, and Dan Marino can not hold a candle to what Len Dawson did when he was with the show. Lenny was the man and still is! You can hear Len Dawson every Monday morning at 9 a.m. during Crunchtime on Sports Radio 810WHB in Kansas City.

If you got a minute check out this video. Hilarious!

Your the best Lenny!

The KC Sports Blog

This is my first real chance to officially blog something. This will be lots of fun I believe though as I hope to peek under the covers of the Kansas City sports scene. I hope to talk about sports and the impact they have on fans, the impact they on athletes, and the impact they have on business, and finally the impact they have on culture.