RIP WEC

Well the last WEC event went down last night. True to form, it was an action packed card with great fights. The highlight had to be a very close and exciting title fight between Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis. I had it 2 rounds a piece going into the 5th. Fairly even 5th round, and with a minute left I figured that whoever finished stronger was going to win the fight. Pettis jumped off the cage like a wall running ninja and landed a high kick to Henderson's face, nearly knocking him out. One of the sweetest moves I've ever seen and that includes fake movie action and arcade games!

What a great way to put a stamp on the WEC. But it's bittersweet. I've said it before, but the WEC consistently had the best fight cards. It has to be due to exclusively having only the lighter weight fighters. I'm a Versus guy. I only know of the channel because they had the NHL broadcast rights after ESPN dropped the NHL. So, it was sort of by accident that I stumbled on the WEC. I saw a couple fights with Brian Stann, Urijah Faber and Carlos Condit that got he hooked. The best part was that it was not pay per view!

So my loss is the UFC's gain. I'm really stoked for the fighters themselves. They will be on a much bigger stage and start to get paid bigger dollars. But the days of stacked lightweight and below cards that are not PPV are long gone. I already miss the WEC. At least they went out with a bang, not a whimper.

Workout of the Day - Dec 13

I'm currently in my longest workout layoff in two years. Due to illness, misc travel & injuries, it's been almost 8-weeks since I've had a consistent week of working out. There have been weeks with a couple days at the gym or a couple days of jogging, but always inconsistent attendance and/or lacklustre effort. I have to blame hockey. I've been dinged-up with some sort of knee, wrist, neck, groin or thumb pain the last couple months. Nothing major, but when any one of them clears up I get two more injuries in it's place. At least that's my excuse.

So I've taken this last weekend off to recover. My wrist and knee hurt as much as ever!? Which tells me that I should just continue to play through it. I will get a forced layoff during Christmas, when I can rest more than I will want. So until then, game-on!

 

 

 

Gran Turismo 5 - Review

Early Impressions - I just got GT5. I'm not the biggest fan of the Gran Turismo series. I like racing games, but favor the arcade-style racing games over the technical driving simulator. But I couldn't imagine owning a PS3 and not having GT5.

 

The game is very familiar. I think the last version I played was GT3 and the menus and even sounds of GT5 are traditional Gran Turismo. The career mode is familiar. I started with a used Miata. It was by far the best option considering the 20,000 credits available to me. I quickly won some races and got to level 3 or 4 before I knew it. After exiting back out to my Home menu, I was awarded several cars and felt like I was well on my way.

 

I didn't even get into the online lobby or try out acade mode. The track designer is also untouched. There is definitely the feeling of barely scratching the surface of the vast career mode.

 

The graphics are solid. I am a little disappointed in the vehicle damage. Also, some of the track backgrounds seems unspectacular. Yet, there is no game that could live up to the delays GT5 has gone through. There are some waits for tracks to load, but I also haven't made room for the 8 gig of memory to properly load the game.

 

I have since read that special preference is given to the "premium" cars. Graphics are better and a detailed in-cockpit view is available. The vehicle damage is more advanced for these cars as well. So, with only a couple hours of driving a "standard" car my review is lacking, but even more so until I test drive a premium car.

 

Right now the best part of the game is knowing it's scale and that I have so much to uncover. I am eager to get back to racing, winning, and advancing my skill level and garage. I might try out a premium car in arcade mode. But for the most part I'll just plod along. A great game pulls you in for hours and hours. I don't think they messed with that part of the Gran Turismo formula.

Holidaze are here!

Well, once again Christmas has snuck-up on me. The last thing I remember was trick-or-treating, now it's Cyber Monday. I haven't even begun to think about Christmas gifts. I had a business trip to Japan that stole a week of time and felt like two weeks. Then, I had a week off for Thanksgiving. And now it's practically December.
I love the holidays. There are several traditions we have been following. Decorating the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Baking lots of cookies for friends and neighbors. Building gingerbread houses with the Chans. Renting out the ice rink and playing hockey with the family. Golfing with my Dad.
With all this stuff going on, I have to remind myself to enjoy the moment and not get too caught up in the planning or expectations. It's easy to be too busy. I'm going to make a priority of taking it one weekend at a time.

SEMA 2010

I am a huge auto fan. Pretty much all things automotive. Mostly classic & muscle cars & station wagons, but trucks, vans, motorcycles, trikes, lowriders, dragsters, motorized barstools you name it. It is at the core of my being. So much so, that I don't really blog that much about it. I guess I am interested in everything, which makes finding a specific topic to blog about hard to find. On the other hand, I am probably too critical of anything about muscle cars or station wagons to feel the need to repost it here.

 

But SEMA is another thing all together. It pretty much sums up my automotive interests. I like a variety of stuff and the weird stuff is interesting to me. That's SEMA. Here's a cool highlight by Wired.

 

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/11/the-15-craziest-things-we-saw-at-sema/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher&pid=276&viewall=true

LAKings game!

CCM Quality Issues?

I have been playing a CCM U+ OCTO 05 hockey stick. I originally bought it thinking that I needed more shaft flex and I wanted to try a one-piece composite stick. I'm a pretty short guy and when you cut down a stick it gets stiffer. My transition from roller hockey hasn't been very smooth in the puck shooting department. So, having too stiff a shaft is one more problem I don't need.

After only a few games, I had chips come out of the blade around the toe. I wasn't happy with that, since these composite sticks are way more expensive than I am used to. I used some surfboard resin from my surfing days to do a makeshift repair. More recently, a guy on my team had the same type of thing happen with his CCM stick. I am starting to think it's a common problem.

I have been using aluminum shaft or composite shaft & blade combination sticks most of my life. I have very little experience with one-piece composite sticks. So, maybe it's not just CCM. But if this is standard wear for one-piece sticks, I don't have the equipment budget to handle that lifestyle. I am starting to look at buying up the old tech shaft & blade sticks, since they are built like tanks and I'm used to the heavier weight.

Trick or Treat

The kids had a moderate Halloween haul this year. I think we got a later start than usual or we walked slower. But for some reason we didn't cover as much of the neighborhood as we have in the past. There seemed to be large packs of kids roaming the streets with us while we were out.

We got home to hand out some candy of our own, and there were no more candy beggars to be found. Granted, we have a Grinchy-looking street that doesn't appear as candy generous as the blocks to the South. But I think a total of 5 kids came to the house. Things got pretty quiet by 7:45 PM. So, we ended the night with a huge supply of Tootsie rolls and Smartees.

The best costume of the night was a very large, adult Fred Flintstone. He had a beer in one hand and was dragging a cooler with the other hand. It was inspiring. I want to get a group together for next year's celebration. Why leave all the treats to the kids?

UFC and WEC Merger

The UFC incorporating the WEC was big news this week. I have mixed feelings. The WEC consistently had the best fight cards, in no small part due to their focus on the lighter weight classes. You don't see 155-pound and smaller guys gas out in the 2nd round. However, the fight cards were solid even before the likes of Brian Stann, Carlos Condit and Steve Cantwell were called-up into the UFC. But I wonder if that will translate into a better UFC?

 

The fans lose out on this one. WEC fights were FREE on Versus. Now only Bellator remains as a viable free TV alternative for MMA. And Bellator isn't quite what the WEC was. I'm happy for fighters such as Aldo, Henderson, Cerrone, Faber, Brown, getting more recongition and bigger paydays. But it sucks that I'm not going to see them without shelling out for PPV and I doubt if the WEC fighters themselves will be able to fight as often as before. I also wonder if the average UFC fan will be able to keep up with two extra weight classes?

 

At least there will be an undisputed lightweight champion for the WEC/UFC. I've always wondered where Ben Henderson stacks-up against the UFC's best lightweights, or where Varner and Cerrone stand for that matter. It's just too bad for Urijah Faber that this merger didn't come 3-years earlier. I can't even imagine how huge that guy would be if he was marketed under the UFC banner his entire career!

Shootout Kings

The Kings won their second game of the season via shootout last night. I am not a fan of the shootout. I enjoy watching the skill players vs goaltenders as much as the next guy, but anything which takes away from team play is a negative in my book. At least it gets the NHL on ESPN a little more, via Sportcenter highlights. I mostly dislike having playoff births based partly, or in rare cases entirely, on a skill contest with 3 shooters.

 

It's a good thing that the Kings are good in the shootout. Quick appears to have a good knack for stopping penalty shots. The guy has great feet and flexibility. Kopitar, Johnson, and (formerly) Frolov have the hands to be great shootout artists. In fact, it's the first time all season that I have missed Frolov. I've seen some shootout beauties by that guy. But that's where my appreciation of the guy begins and ends.

 

As long as the shootout doesn't ever make it's way into the Playoffs, I'll be a happy fan of the NHL.

UFC 121

What we learned. Diego Sanchez is not done. I had put a fork in him after he lost badly to Penn and then moved up to 170 and lost to Hathaway. He mentioned going back to 155 after this fight. Bouncing around weight classes is a bad sign, unless you are Anderson Silva. But the "Yes!" Cartwheel Guy proved me wrong and out lasted Paulo Thiago. And it's Thiago that might see his walking papers...

 

Tito Ortiz is done. I figured he might have had a tough fight, but would ultimately get Hamill in a decision. Hamill was too much for Tito. Ortiz hasn't won in years. I've heard about a "rejuvinated" Tito before each of his last 3 fights. He didn't have any injury or surgery excuses this time. Looks like the writing is on the wall. And I don't want to see him fight Liddell a 3rd time either.

 

Jake Shields can be just as boring in the UFC as in Strikeforce. I've read that the weight cut didn't do him any favors and he did look pretty lethargic. But Kampmann should have done us all a huge favor by beating Shields and keeping the UFC welterweight division from becoming Wrestlemania. It wasn't to be. And Shields looks to get a title shot. I'm not impressed.

 

The UFC heavyweight division is a crowded place. Much like the merry-go-round title holders in light heavyweight. Jon Madsen and Brendan Schaub are a part of the future contenders club after their respective wins. I see Velasquez, Carwin, Dos Santos, and Lesnar battling for that belt the next few years. I like Roy Nelson for his mix of toughness, boxing, jiu jitsu and fatness. Also, Stefan Struve for his toughness, jiu jitsu and tallness.

 

It's funny how everyone jumped off the Lesnar bandwagon once he got his face smashed in the last two events and played turtle. Lesnar clearly doesn't handle getting punched in the face very well. Prior to that, Lesnar was a one-in-a-million heavyweight (nearly super heavyweight) that could move like a lightweight. His pure power and wrestling would overcome anybody. I think reality is a mix of both. Lesnar's size and natural athleticism allow him to beat most heavyweights out there, despite limited training. But two consecutive power punchers with wrestling skill were able to thwart Lesnar's wrestling and make him strike. Don't get me wrong, I hate the guy's persona. I don't like that a guy can come in with little-to-no experience and get the title right away. Lesnar's greatest gift to the UFC is not fringe fans, crossover marketability, or bigger PPV. Pushing the heavyweight ranks to overcome this guy and creating a stocked heavyweight division worth watching is what I thank Lesnar for!

 

 

Snow Angels

The only reason I read Puck Daddy is for the occasional, more obscure happenings around the hockey world. This definitely qualifies...

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-The-most-adorable-youth-hockey-goal-celeb?urn=nhl-278724

NG Fighters: Game Recap

Once again, I can't help myself from blogging about our last game. This time we didn't have a goaltender. The entire locker room was sort of in denial about it up until the last minute. "He said he was coming." was said about ten times. Well, after the Zamboni got off the ice it was clear that we didn't have a goalie. We played the first 10-minutes or so with a defneseman standing in net. Later, we threw leg pads and a catch glove on our defenseman do play net. It was a bold effort and we almost came back, but fell just a tad short at 5-6. Damn. Winning streak over due to roster issues. That sucks.

Mid-life Hockey

Some guys get a 20-year-old girlfriend, others a sportscar or hair implants. But I've decided to start playing ice hockey as part of my mid-life crisis. It's been great, but also very busy and tiring. It seems like the family is always at the hockey rink on the weekends and typically very late at night. My son has a mid morning gymnastics class that we barely wake-up for. But I wouldn't have it any other way. It's not just being busy for the sake of being busy. I am also at the point where I don't have to ice down my ankle/knees/wrists after every game. I am loving this.

Welcome Back NHL!

The NHL 2010-11 Season is finally here! It seems like it has been an extra long summer. Maybe because my teams didn't do much? Anyway, it's great to have games that "mean something". That's is obviously compared to the pre-season. It's a pretty long 82-game season. The first half is mostly a warm-up. Teams can certainly put themselves out of the playoffs by starting too slowly and yet are not guaranteed a playoff spot by starting fast either.

 

I'm just excited to see some of the new players on the Kings: Shenn, Loktionov, Bernier, Mitchell. Seems like the Kings are the sportwriters' pick for another step forward in development. A young and improving team that's easy to like. A few predict them winning the Pacific Division. As a fan, I feel pressure to live up to those expectations. Lombardi's patient building has been showing signs of paying-off for the last 2-years. If this were still the pre-salary cap era, I think more moves could have been made to speed the re-build. But a mistake made nowadays can hurt you for a long time.

 

Meanwhile, the Senators are a total crapshoot. Some guys have them winning their division, others have them out of the playoffs all together. But, it's a balance. The only reason I even follow the Senators is because 1.) I happened to get Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson on my fantasy hockey team one year, 2) they are an Eastern team and I can DVR the games and watch them quickly after dinner (unlike west coast games that are watched live) 3.) the Kings went through a brutal phase where their season was over by January & it gave me a team to follow. Nothing would make me happier than having the Kings succeed at the Senators expense (somehow).

 

 

NG Fighters: Game Recap

I'm not into the habit of writing a review for every game the Fighters play. But this one was noteworthy. It had the Fighters starting the season 2-0-0, and also scoring 11 goals. Both are nice accomplishments.

 

First off, the fact that the game was an 11-9 track meet was largely my fault. I can't play defense to save my life or a goal. My positioning was always too aggressive and I got beat back to the net repeatedly. When I stayed back I was too far back. It was a mess. Luckily, our top line of Virags was "on". After the first game I thought that we had ringers on our team. After matching up with a mid-level team from last year, I think we are just fine. We traded goals and lead changes all game. I believe that we came back from 2-goals down, twice. It was a ton of fun, yet also miserable. But a very big lesson for me about playing defense. I suck at it.

B-Sens Shootout Masterpiece

In some pre-season action, Binghamton Senators' player Kaspar Daugavins' scored this creative wonder. I haven't seen anything like this in a while. Most of the "newer" moves involve picking-up the puck and/or hitting it out of mid-air. This one is pretty easy to defend with a poke check, so I doubt that any copycats will be successful. Most of all, as a Senators prospect, I hope that Kaspar has highlights in the NHL and not just 15-seconds of YouTube fame for his entire career.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Kaspars-Daugavins-instant-hockey-legend-?urn=nhl-274370

Red Dead Redemption

I'm still on a bit of a gaming kick. I got Red Dead Redemption about a month ago. It seemed like a risky acquisition, as I also bought the last Grand Theft Auto game and didn't like it much. GTA was highly touted with great reviews but it didn't seem all that great to me. I got bored with it very quickly. This game is basically the same thing set as a western. Yet, I love it. Why?

 

I have to think that the hunting of animals makes the game. That's pretty much all I did at first was try to get the hunting badges. Also the treasure hunting feature is cool. The main storyline and quests start to get repetitive. I say that, yet the last couple of quests involved stealth, a train, and explosive charges. So, right about when I was getting bored, they changed-up the gameplay.

 

I'm a fan of western movies and the music in the game is very Spaghetti Western inspired. That's kinda cool.

 

There's also mini games of poker, blackjack, horseshoes, liars dice, arm wrestling and 5 finger fillet. Those are intersting for a while.

 

Overall, I have had fun with this game and recommend it. Right when I started to get bored, it got better and drew me back in. I think I may just see this thing to the end, unlike GTA. There's an unlocked area of the map I have yet to open up. I think I'll play it up to that point at least. But I'm also eyeing that Dead Rising 2 game. Zombies + makeshift weapons + multiplatform release = my next game purchase?

Bauer Supreme One 80 - Review

I mentioned getting new skates a few posts ago. My new Bauer Supreme One 80's are very different from the used Graf skates I had. First of all the fit was undoubtedly better. The Grafs were not baked to fit my feet and were a cross between Japanese foot binding and a Medevil torture device. Hardly a fair comparison. It was an admittedly dumb move to buy cheap, used skates. I am not the person to even be "reviewing" skates, since this is only my second season of ice hockey. But I will say that these skates feel great.

 

I've skated in them twice this weekend. I felt a little "pressure" in the arch of my right foot. Not sure what that's all about. But I'm so used to my feet aching and my ankle swollen, that the Bauers are night and day. From my roller hockey days, I've always felt that Bauer skates were too narrow for my feet. I have small, wide feet with a pretty high arch. When you think short and wide, you think Barney Rubble feet. Yet, I still have a high arch and bony ankles. Very odd. Getting the Bauer skates in a wide width made for a great fit. The toe box is the narrow area, but it doesn't bother me.

 

I think the Graf skates had a wicked rocker. At least compared to the Bauer's it feels that way. I feel a lot more stable, but not as nimble on the Bauers. I think it may just be a matter of cutting a little more rocker. I don't mind the skates the way they are, but future fine tuning might be possible? There is definitely a forward lead built into the Graf skates. I kinda liked that. It seemed to fit my stride. Yet, stopping in those skates was very tough for me. I've had much better stopping ability in the flatter Bauers. Yes, I'm attempting to give my opinion on skates and have yet to master stopping on ice.

 

So, if you are a rookie player using someone's old Graf skates and they are killing your feet I encourage getting some Bauer Supreme One 80 skates.

 

 

NG Fighters get reinforcements

Well, it was a much better off season than I had expected. I got to the rink only to find a packed locker room. We had apparently picked-up a few new players. There was a rumor of us getting several new guys "from Canada", but I didn't put much stock in it. Yet, we started the game with 3 forward lines. A new defenseman and new goalie.

 

The new guys made all the difference. We came back from 0-2, to win the game in overtime 3-2. The downside is that our new defenseman will probably not play anymore games with us, since he already plays in an upper division at TSC. The new forwards are probably well beyond the Novice division as well. I know that ringers are a part of all rec sports, but I don't think that makes it right. It is an interesting personality for guys that sandbag and play well below their skill level. Isn't a person that picks out inferior competition to insure victory, a bully?

 

 

 

 

Samsung Captivate GPS Fix/Update

Samsung announced a GPS fix today (the link below is via Engadget). This is great news. As one of my chief complaints about the phone is the GPS acquisition time and reliability. Apparently, the fix will be pushed out to customers over the next few weeks via a notification on the phone. Nice. If the "fix" works, I will be one happy Captivate owner. I have some mixed feeling about this, however. As I hope it doesn't mean that the Froyo 2.2 upgrade will be pushed back...

 

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/22/samsung-captivate-gets-gps-fix-other-galaxy-s-versions-wait-pat/

Training Camp

NHL Training Camp opened last Friday. My rec league training camp was also open. Since we missed playoffs, I had a few weeks off from playing. Which was nice. I got a chance to rest my feet and ankles. But it is time to start getting back into playing shape.

I had been using some poorly fitting, used skates. The intent of these skates was to use them a couple times per year at best, when my family got together to play hockey around the holidays. So, they didn't cost much and it didn't matter that they killed my feet for one or two days out of the year. But weekly use was not good. I have some pretty weird shaped ankles. Sharp ankle bones which stick out to the sides, don't fit well in skates. I had developed a bone spur of sorts on my left ankle and it was only getting more and more swollen as the weeks went on.

At the end of the regular season I invested in some new skates. It turns out that one of the benefits of having baby feet, is that I border on the sizing between senior and junior skates. So, I got a much better model of skate than I would have been able to afford at senior pricing. And one of the only skate models that didn't hurt my feet were on the higher end of the price scale (go figure).

I'm pretty excited about getting back to playing hockey. The fact that the NHL is starting back up at the same time, only adds to my anticipation. It will be cool to spot a few of the Kings players at the rink, since I play at the Kings practice facility. I'm anxious to try out my new skates. I'm ready to start fresh with a new season.

On the downside, we didn't make many roster adjustments over the off season that I know of. I was hoping that a few on my friends were joining the team, but that didn't work-out. It's pretty common to get a lot of people wanting to play, but getting signed-up is a whole other story. I don't think we have a goaltender finalized. I'm a bit concerned. We were a pretty bad team last season. Another season of playing together will help, but the bottom line is that we need to add a little more skill to be competitive. i don't know what to expect until I walk into the dressing room and see who we have.

Bring Back the Gamer Addiction - Batman: Arkham Asylum

I've made-up with the PS3 lately. We have a rocky, on-again, off again relationship.

The latest use of my non-work, non-family, non-sleeping time has been Batman: Arkham Asylum. What a great game! I've had it on my radar for a year now. Finally got it, at a bargain basement used price. I liked the gameplay. The use of Batman gadgets in the game was obviously required, but also well done. I think there could have been more intricate gameplay, but I liked it as-is. I'm a bit of old-school gamer. By that I mean all thumbs with modern controllers. Going from a single stick and single button, ala Atari 2600, has been a long, slow process. Yet, it is still difficult for me to work 10-buttons, 2 sticks, and a d-pad very effectively. Even I could play Batman without much button confusion.

Graphics were solid. There is such high expectation on graphics these days. I am easily impressed, but to me the integration of gameplay with the graphics is what matters. Being able to shoot a Bat-cable, in a full run, from a great distance and seeing Batman zoom up to the top of a tower is pretty cool. Also, the animation of gliding around with the Bat cape is very satisfying. The boss battles were a bit boring. But again, if any more intricate, I probably wouldn't have the skill level to do it. The game seemed long and yet short. Some of the stealth attacks seemed to get repetitive. But just as I was starting to complain, the game was over. After finishing the main story, I went back to find all the hidden Riddler trophies. That sort of thing is irresistable to me. I love that aspect of this style game. At least the length of the game or overall game time, had me thirsty for more. Which a game rarely does.

Batman II is in the works. I'm stoked. If they can build slightly on this game it should be a hat trick (I was going to use home run, but don't like baseball). I will definitely by the sequel.

End of an Era

I'm a bit sad to say that all of my grandparents have officially passed on. On the positive side, most of them broke the 80-year-old barrier. Hardy stock. I'm feeling more relieved than sad at this point. My grandmother had a bad case of Alzheimer's disease. She started to not know who I was 20-years ago. Within 5-years, she was fairly un-recognizable as the Grandmother I knew. Largely because she could not recognize me or anyone for that matter. It seemed that everyone was a new acquaintence to her and that had to get frustrating and confusing. Her personality had obviously changed because of that.

I now understand the phrase, "You are dead to me." By not being able to regularly communicate and experience a person in your life, they are effectively dead. At least in the case of my grandmother it wasn't by her choice. I am relieved for my grandmother. I can't believe that her quality of life was ever the same after Alzheimer's. When my grandfather died a few years ago, I'm not sure she even understood what was going on. It was heartbreaking.

So the actual passing of my grandmother's body is not as shocking or saddening as it could be. It is really her mind that made her the person I remember and that was lost a long time ago.

 

I put the ice in novice.

My first season of ice hockey is over. The final outcome was a 3-11-0 record for the team. We didn't make the playoffs and finished near the bottom of the standings. Unfortunately, offense is a big problem. We were shutout in almost half of those games. I didn't help all that much. When I did manage to score, we won or had a close game. But, I really have to finish my changes at a higher rate.

The bright side is that the team remains upbeat. I'm excited about playing again next season. The "new-ness" of ice is still there for me. It's a challenge to just get out there and skate. But another long season like this one, might kill my enthusiasm.

I am not sure where our reinforcements are coming from. Ryan isn't going to be able to play after all. I guess I don't blame him with a new mortgage and all. The ladies are probably staying in the women's league. We really need to improve the team in order to have a chance. I don't know what to expect. I'm blindly hoping for the best.

Samsung Captivate: 1 Month Later

I am pretty much fully integrated with the Samsung Captivate. I love the phone. The bottom line is that I can live with it's shortcomings. It is a good size, very thin and light. Maybe too light? I've juggled it several times. It could be shorter to fit in a pants pocket better, but losing screen size would not be worth it. It's pretty much useless in direct sunlight. I use the phone indoors most of the time and keep the screen brightness set very low to save battery. Direct sunlight washes out the screen. If you had to use the phone outside all day, I don't think the battery will last long with the screen set at full brightness. Battery life is pretty low. I've read that it is one of the best Android phones for battery life, that's seems scary to me. Part of the problem is that I don't have an extra charger yet; and sometimes I run the battery out before I get home to charge it at night. Once I get a car/work charger it shouldn't be a problem.

That leads me to another problem. Accessories. I've had difficulty getting a rubber case/cover for the phone. It's always out of stock at the AT&T stores and the mall kiosk-type stores don't have it. They have every flavor of iPhone 4 case you could dream of, but that's part of the territory with this phone. One day I will have a cover and charger for this phone, just not yet.

The main things for me are texting, social media apps, browser, navigation/maps, & call quality. I was out of town and relying on the Navigation last weekend and it came through for me. Call quality isn't as good as my Nokia, but it's good. Signal strength is strong at work and at home. The phone performance is snappy. I haven't had the lag that some blogs have reported. I am using the Opera browser and it works well.

I can't say this is the phone for everyone, but it's solid and it works well for me.

 

Cow Town Tournament - Recap

It was a bit of a black eye for USA Hockey this weekend. Long story short, the innaugual Vacaville Adult Women's Wine Tasting Classic Tournament wasn't run very well. The guidelines for planning your team's skill division were based on men's hockey and didn't suit the women very well. As a result, the Cluck in' Omegas were too skilled for the Bronze Division. Several teams got scared and complained after seeing such a display of skill put on by the Omegas, in their first game. We were greeted with USA Hockey representatives accusing us of cheating and threatening us to forfeit games for illegal players.

I will be the first to say that the Omegas should have been in the Silver Division, but it's a tough call. Having just played in San Jose a few months back, the team didn't even make the playoff (Top 4). So, stepping down a division in NorCal hockey seemed like a logical call. Through a roster snafu, several players dropped out and were replaced by more talented players. But that happened a week before the tournament.

The Omegas played-out the qualifier round, basically demolishing the teams. There was some incentive to lay down and keep the games close, in order to stay in the tournament. These girls couldn't do that. They respected the teams they played and didn't run up the score, but sandbagging wasn't ever part of the plan.

In the end, the tournament organizers got what they wanted. The Omegas had all their games forfeit. In return, they were going to send them tournament winner duffle bags in the mail. The Omegas had won the un-official Bronze Division Championship. While the remaining teams actually played a playoff to decide the championship.

Basically, the Omegas got screwed for entering the wrong division. No Sunday playoff games.

In hindsight it worked-out for all involved. One of the players got the leave early and meet her family in Hawaii. We got to sleep-in and enjoy the rental house. That place made the weekend. What a difference from going back to a hotel! Instead, it was jump in the pool or Jacuzzi and have BBQ or homemade Thai food. As a team bonding event, it couldn't have gone any better. The other couples were great and we all got along well. Yet we all had our own sleeping quarters and bathroom space. I wouldn't be surprised to see this group rent out that place as a vacation home next year, without the hockey tournament. It was just a cool place to hang-out, with cool people.

Tournament from Hell avoided!

Orange County Fair 2010

There was a bit of doubt in my mind whether or not the last trip to the OC Fair would be my last, and not from the food I ate. I believe that the fairgrounds are owned by the State and are in the process of being sold. Yet, the OC Fair is being held again this year. I love going to the Fair.

It's become a bit of a tradition to take the family there and a great excuse to take a day-off of work, to go during off-peak, weekday hours. We went on a Sunday, but the crowds weren't that bad. I blame the economy.

What a great experience the OC Fair is! There's something there for everyone. My wife loves the trinket vendors. The late night infomercial TV show presentations are performed live: Slap Chop, Shamwow, Ginzu knives, have all been there at one time or another. We always go to the reptile house and take a picture in from of the T-Rex statue out front. The kids love the rides. They are pretty young and don't meet the size requirement for "real" theme park rides yet. So, having scaled down roller coasters is amazing for them.

My real reason for going is the food. There's a place that specializes in deep fried food, called Chicken Charles. Last year I had deep fried Spam. (Also, chocolate covered bacon, but a different vendor.) Two years ago, was the deep fried Snickers bar. This year featured the Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich and deep fried Klondike Bar. The donut + chicken patty mashup was the worst thing I've eaten without a dare or bet being involved. You take a refrigerated Krispy Kreme jelly-filled donut and cut it in two; that's your "bun". Add a deep fried chicken patty, heavily processed and prefectly round. Viola! That what I ate. It was probably the mix of temperatures, textures and flavors that makes it so vile. The deep fried Klondike Bar, on the other hand, was great. About what you would expect. A warm breading, with melted chocolate and a frozen ice cream center.

I can only hope that the OC Fair is around again next year. What will those crazy carnies think up for me to try?

UFC 117 - Monday Morning Cornerman

I love the shake-up following any MMA event, but especially the UFC. The adage that "you are only as good as your last fight" is too true. No fighter is allowed to have an off night. In order to be a champion or contender you have to win and the more spectacular the victory, the better. Lose one fight, and you are a bum.

The biggest shake-up for the weekend was seeing Anderson Silva as mortal. Sonnen pretty much backed-up his words and was well on his way to grinding out a decision, when he fell into a triangle. That's exactly the result I expected, but not with 2 mins left in a 25 minute fight.

Fans are calling for a re-match. I have a problem with re-matches in general. I don't like them. So much is made of #1 contender status, careers are built around it. The loser of a title fight should be dropped down the contender mountain, and have to win a few fights to get another crack at it. Yet, if the popular guy that was "suppposed" to win doesn't get it done, he now gets a re-match? Since when? Didn't Florian have to wait 2-years to get another crack at the belt?

The UFC has set a bad precident lately. I think it started with Machida vs Hua. Hua lost via "controversial" decision, so he got a re-match. I saw that fight live and thought it was close, but I gave it to Machida. So, basically Dana White and Co are allowed to question a judges decision and make a re-match. Talk about not giving the judges any merit. What about Penn vs Edgar? Granted, BJ has been champ for awhile and should be given certain courtesys. I like BJ. But I still think he is required to have at least one fight before getting a title shot. I don't think Chael should get a re-match. He lost without question, not a bad decision. The only bad decision was to fall into a triangle the last minutes of the fight. I love Shane Carwin. It's relatively controversial that the fight wasn't stopped, after repeated warnings by the ref, but only warnings. I don't think Shane deserves an immediate re-match and it wasn't even discussed. Why? Because the popular guy won.

Fans run the sport because Dana White has an ear to the ground about what fights the "fans" want to see. Apparently, I am not a fan. 'Cause I don't like re-matches. Take the loss for what it is. Not that it was close, so give him a do-over.

Cow Town Tournament

I just found out that the hockey tournament this weekend, is the innaugual Vacaville Adult Women's Wine Tasting Classic Tournament. Seeing as how there is wine tasting involved, I figure that gives the Cluck n' Omegas an edge. Unless it is just a misleading name for the tournament. Accomodations will be not be the usual hotel stay, as a rental house was found that holds 8 people. Looks like a pretty cool place; fully furnished with a pool & jacuzzi. So, it will really be like a vacation. Now I just have to count down the work days until we leave...

Hockey Tournaments

The Cluck n' Omegas are playing again! This will be the third tournament of 2010 for my favorite ladies hockey team. I'm not sure what to expect. The ladies are a bit of an anomaly, as most of the girls do not routinely play together on the same team. Chemistry is everything in hockey. But somehow they get things together after one game and are able to win tournaments. The Omegas have played several years-in-a-row at the Vegas Invitational each January. They were going for a 3-peat this year, made the Final, but came up short.

The first time playing outside of Las Vegas, was a late Spring tournament in San Jose. Things did not go so well. The team never really came together and didn't make the playoffs; looking a bit disorganized and over matched at times. They got it together by the last game, but it was far too late. I think that the lack of Vegas nightlife was actually a negative factor. Maybe the ladies need the distraction?

We'll find out this month. The Omegas are playing in NorCal once again. It was a bit of a struggle to get a full team together. Confirmed players dropped out, replacements were non-committal, the usual last minute drama. But a workable roster was pieced together. Hopefully the ladies can get their mojo going in a place not named Las Vegas.

Either way, I'll be along for the ride. I won't have to watch the kids, as they will be with the Grandparents! It's a great vacation for me. Not sure what there is to do in Vacaville, but the team has fun together regardless of the locale. I can't wait.

Samsung Captivate: Week 1.

I'm becoming a Samsung/Android fan. The Captivate is easily the best AT&T phone I've ever had. But honestly, that's not saying much as I don't change phones very often. And I've hated the AT&T branded phones so much, that I would pay extra for an unlocked phone. The Captivate has grown on me. I'm not much of a multimedia guy, but I do use several social media apps: Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare. I also like being able to take pictures in a pinch. The Captivate is up to the task.

The phone is snappy between menus, doesn't seem to lack processor speed. (A disclaimer is that I don't require a lot of multitasking.) I like the Android keyboard, with predictive text. I've never liked predictive text before, but it works with a touchscreen. The camera has a ton of options and is very adjustable. A nice and wide lens.

The downsides: I don't like the camera layout. The zoom is on the bottom, and my left hand fingers are always over the lens. It's not a one-hand use camera, as the shutter button is on the touchscreen. So, the one-arm outstretched, self portrait is tough. I'm also losing the volume settings for the ringer and system volume. I think it's from using the task manager to kill background running programs. But I just haven't figured this out yet. Speakers sound a bit tinny, especially at the high volumes I run the speakerphone. GPS takes forever to connect.

The upsides: The apps I use have more functionality than the last phone I had. (Nokia N95) I'm using Foursquare more now, since it's simpler to check-in. The customizable widgets are great. I loaded a movie onto the phone and it looks great. (Haven't experienced the pseudo-5.1 surround with headphones yet). Battery life seems better than that first day. But I'm still getting a charger for work, home & car. A big plus is the Google Navigation. It's worth the long satellite link-up, as there is spoken word streets and accurate aerial view for turns and merges. It's worth it, since the app and service is free.

The pending: There's a OS update that should be coming in September. Supposed to add flash support to the browser. That would put me over the top as far as recommending the phone. Also, Samsung has their own "Media Center" which may be a plus. Right now the Android store is good emough for me. I'm only scratching the surface with so many apps out there waiting to be used/tested.

I don't regret buying this phone.

Samsung Captivate: Initial Impressions

A beauty of a screen. The Captivate is indeed a good looking phone. It didn't take me long to get used to it. Longer and wider than what I'm used, but thinner and much lighter. Fits in the hand well. Performance was quick and the touch screen very responsive. I've had a few mis-keys with the keyboard; but that might be solved by using a different keyboard setting. It's pretty intuitive. Setting were easy to find.

I'm still getting used to the UI. It features 7 windows that can hold widgets. Very easy to navigate. I like the interface. It can show social updates from Facebook & Twitter, without going into the actual application. And there's a weather, stock, & news widget. All fully customizable, so I'm still working with what widgets I need and where to put them.

My early complaints? Battery life. The jury is still out, since I'm basically going non-stop with the phone, downloading apps, tweaking settings, testing apps. But I'm going through battery quickly. I have a charger at home and at work, but my old chargers won't work this time. Note to self: get a charger for work and in the car.

 

Samsung Captivate: Initial Impressions

A beauty of a screen. The Captivate is indeed a good looking phone. It didn't take me long to get used to it. Longer and wider than what I'm used, but thinner and much lighter. Fits in the hand well. Performance was snappy & quick and the touch screen very responsive. I've had a few mis-keys with the keyboard; but that might be solved by using a different keyboard setting. It's pretty intuitive. Setting were easy to find.

I'm still getting used to the UI. It features 7 windows that can hold widgets. Very easy to navigate. I like the interface. It can show social updates from Facebook & Twitter, without going into the actual application. And there's a weather, stock, & news widget. All fully customizable, so I'm still working with what widgets I need and where to put them.

My early complaints? Battery life. The jury is still out, since I'm basically going non-stop with the phone, downloading apps, tweaking settings, testing apps. But I'm going through battery quickly. I have a charger at home and at work, but my old chargers won't work this time. Note to self: get a charger for work and in the car.

I'm pretty happy so far. Definitely no dealbreakers. However, I have yet to test my reception at home. But I get a solid signal at work, where I spend 40-hours of my week.

1 week, 3 games

The Toyota Sports Center Hockey administrator, must love having to schedule the rec games during the Summer; 'cause it can be quite wacky at times. I think it's because of all the clinics that are held there. Once again, my "Friday" league has a game on Monday. It doesn't seem as quick a turnaround as last time. I think this is because it doesn't take me 3-days to recover from playing anymore. Now, I have more of a residual soreness that never really goes away. I played last Friday, will be on the ice again tonight and this Friday. I like getting a more regular playing pace going, as it helps my game. I need ice time, more than anything. The best part is that it's the Summer and the family comes to watch my games. It's still new and fun for everyone involved, so I'm soaking it up. A few years back, going to my roller games got old pretty fast for them.

I'm pretty stoked, as I am starting to learn how to stop on ice. In warm-up, I can kinda stop while turning to the left, and moving pretty slow. I have been unconsciously slowing myself to make stickhandling moves around people. It's encouraging, but slow progress...

Samsung Captivate: Coming Soon!

So I am currently on day #5 of cell phone withdrawls. It's not so much that I talk on the phone a lot, but I'm addicted to the wireless interweb access. Also, I had several good photo-ops that were blown, since my always-with-me-camera was gone. Add to that the need to make sure I wore my watch everyday. Usually my watch is decorative; with my phone-in-hand I've worn a watch that didn't have a working battery only to notice it at the end of the day. Finally, my alarm clock is my cell phone. I woke up late this morning, since I forgot to set my iPad alarm. All of this should be fixed by this afternoon according to FEDEX tracking.

I ordered a Samsung Captivate. It's from their Galaxy S line of phones which runs Android. I'm a bit of a Google fanboy, so I think I will be able to integrate with this phone quite easily. Most phone companies and providers have gone with an exclusivity model, not Samsung. They launched a Galaxy S model of phone on all four major carriers at the same time! It seems like a solid piece of hardware by the reviews. So, regardless of which major carrier you are on, you can run a model of this phone, with the respective carrier putting their spin on the phone.

The AT&T version is the Captivate. It's got a great screen, is mid-sized (bigger than iPhone but smaller than Droid X). Seems a bit iPhone-esque, but I guess that's a good thing. One feature is HD video. (I'm not a big video shooting guy, though) Regardless of the features, I'm just excited to get my wireless life back. I will probably of review posts in the coming days, weeks...

New Phone!

I have a bad habit of leaving stuff on the roof on my car. I'll pull out of the driveway, look for my coffee and realize that it's still sitting on the roof. 10-years ago, I did this with my cell phone, but didn't remember it was on the roof. Apparently, 35 mph is about the speed that a phone will finally have enough wind resistance to jump off the roof of a moving vehicle. That phone broke apart with pieces all over the road. To my surprise, the phone still worked once I got it all back together! I've been a Nokia fan ever since. But electronics are getting more and more fragile. The next phone didn't survive the impact of 40 mph, but maybe it was the cars behind me had run over the phone pieces. Now, I'm on the 3rd phone that's jumped off the roof of my car. It didn't survive either, but it was such a bad phone-splosion, that the sim card stopped working! Needless to say, I am currently looking into getting a new phone.

 

Nocturnal Weekends

With both the Wife and myself playing hockey, we have been logging long hours at the Toyota Sports Center during the last few weekends. Not just that, but very late nights there. One night I had a 8:15 game, while she had a double-header at 10:00 & 11:15. My last game was 10:45, her's the night before was 10:15. Occasionally, the kids come with us. They love being out of the house when it's dark outside, much less midnight. So, we have had a habit of going noctural on the weekends; getting up mid to late morning each day. This makes for a brutal Monday morning. Of course the Wife and kids are not in school and get to sleep-in. I have to get up for work and factoring in the morning workout, my Monday afternoons are a real struggle.

But it's a great problem to have. I'm sure the kids won't care less about our hockey games soon. I don't think we will be playing hockey at the same rink on the same night for much longer either. It's an equally exhausting and unique Summer situation. Good stuff.

Kovalchuk to LA Kings: Epilogue

Well, it's official. The Kings will not have Ilya Kovalchuk on the roster next season. He officially re-signed with New Jersey today. That deal set a few other dominoes falling as Simon Gagne was traded to the Lightning, clearing cap space for Philly. I would have liked to have either guy on the Kings, barring any locker room issues. Hockey is very much a team sport, and even a player as talented as Kovalchuk can do more harm than good in the wrong setting. Gagne would have been less of a locker room risk and more of an injury risk. If Justin Williams has taught us anything, it's that an injured player does you no good.

What now? The Kings still have some cap room. The big fish was not landed. There are rumors about Marc Savard being traded from Boston. I think it's crazy-talk. Savard would be awesome to acquire, but I don't put it in the realm of possibility. The Kings just signed 5 young players to one-year deals, so maybe that gives them some extra trade bait? Time for Lombardi to get creative.

Workout of the Day - July 16

I have had mixed results in the gym lately. Or rather, mixed effort. I added more cardio to the mix about 4-weeks ago, in an effort to get in better shape for rec ice hockey. But, lately I don't have the energy for the cardio or weights. This has led to lackluster efforts. Also, I've noticed that I skip a workout a week. I don't think I'm overtraining, but still feel burned-out. I keep asking Pinchy to be my workout partner, but most people can't fathom a morning workout.

I have been more careful about planning my leg workout. I made the mistake of doing one too close to a hockey gameday and didn't have any jump in my legs. So, planning is of the essence. It's further complicated by the fact that Fridays are not always gameday. I've had a random Saturday and Tuesday thrown in there.

But today I was feeling pretty good for once. So it was heavy leg press, regardless of having a game tomorrow night. I am addicted to maxing out the leg sled. I just found out that the team is going to be shorthanded and our best player can't make the game. Tomorrow is going to be interesting...

Blacklake Golf

Took a random Tuesday off of work and drove out to Nipomo. Golfed 36-holes at Blacklake. I don't remember ever golfing 36. I've done 27-holes a couple times. Swing was pretty rusty. But it was a good time. Lost a few too many balls, but there were quite a few waiting for me in the bushes. So it was a matter of recycling balls all day. Weather was great. No typical morning fog/haze to burn off, just sunshine and a little breeze. Perfect.

I am a Gearhead

..and pround of it. Here is just another example of why Jalopnik is awesome. Coming straight from the Question of the Day - "What makes a Gearhead" with 10 great answers. I represent all examples except the wacky Alfa Romeo ownership, and collecting car magazines. 1.) I'm not that much of a Euro-car guy and 2.) there's a thing out there called the interweb which saves the $6 magazine cost and/or I just browse car magazines at Borders/Barnes Noble.

 

http://jalopnik.com/5581995/

Kovalchuk to LA Kings

Update: So I've read this morning that Kovy is back at the bargaining table with the Kings. Turns out that Lombardi might have read Ilya's interest in LA as well as his market value better than previously thought. Do the Kings really want this guy after all? I can appreciate getting the most out of free agency and the fact that it's a huge career decision. But Kovalchuk is obviously trying to get more money out of the Kings or Devils. Could this be a warning sign? His signing with New Jersey was all but a done deal 3 days ago, then he had a decision to announce yesterday; that came and went. Now he's back to talking to the Kings.

 

If nothing else, his strategy is dizzying.

Fallen Heroes

I had a bit of a rough sports weekend. Shane Carwin couldn't close the deal after smashing Lesnar for 5 minutes. I love Carwin for his ability and more for his demeanor. Calm, confident and respectful. I was sure that the anti-Lesnar was taking home that belt. But, he'll be back and I'm still behind him. Kobayashi wasn't even in the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest this year. Contract dispute? Without Takeru there was no contest and Chestnut coasted to victory with 14 less dogs than last year. To make matters worse, Kobayashi was arrested trying to go on-stage after it was over. The whole situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Lastly, I got word that Bob Probert passed away. What a great pugilist and team guy. He had some epic battles on the ice. I have him way up there with my favorite fighters of the NHL: McSorley, Grimson, Domi. These were the baddest guys around in my mind. But the bittersweet news was that Probert had finally beaten some substance abuse demons. R.I.P. Bob Probert.

 

Kovalchuk to LA Kings

I don't know what he's waiting for... Kovy should accept that Los Angeles will be his home. I see it as a pretty good fit. A young and hungry team, good talent, & solid organization. He would be a marquee guy in a big city. LA has the nightlife and weather that can't be beat. Yet enough distractions, that he could go about his business practically unnoticed if he wanted to.

 

If Kovy wants big dollars, he should stay in Atlanta or go to the Islanders. I've heard that both teams are willing to throw money his way. As far as winning? That's not quite as guaranteed at these locales.

 

If Kovy wants a more established team, take New Jersey. They always contend. I don't think he was the greatest fit as a Devil, but that's going by the stat sheet. In my mind, the Devils are trending downward as much as the Kings are trending upward.

 

I don't think Lombardi is playing hardball, but I do think he's smart. He has an idea of what he can afford to pay Kovy, while still putting together a roster around him. This is a team looking for a finisher to put them over the top, not establish a team around a scorer. Take it or leave it. I don't want Kovalchuk on the Kings at any cost. If it doesn't work, it's for the best. If he can't see past his nose, it's his loss...

NG Fighters Update

My first season of novice men's ice hockey has been a rollercoaster ride. We lost the first few games, but were competitive for the most part. Just a little over-matched; getting beat by the other team's high skill players. Game #3 saw our first win! It was a tight game. We had a two goal lead early, then trailed, and finally puled ahead for a 5-4 win. We followed this up with a nightmare game.

 

Our goaltending has been very good. We tend to spend far too much time in our own zone, but we get bailed-out by the guy between the pipes. So, we tend to look respectable in games that could be blowouts. Well, our luck ran out. It was to the tune of 0-13. To make matters worse, I missed 3 breakaway attempts to break their shutout. It was a humbling experience.

 

We bounced right back last night. Due to the 4th of July holiday, we played on a Tuesday night and only 3-days after our last game. It takes 2-days for my legs to stop hurting; so I was concerned with the quick turnaround. But our goalie stole the show once again. I think he had 40+ saves. Zone time was heavily in their favor. But we squeezed out a 3-2 win! The Fighters tend to fade as the game goes on, but we seemed to play better each period in this game.

 

The best part of playing with these guys is that it is fun. No big egos in the locker room. It's been a blast so far. Now if I could just learn to stop on ice...

4th of July

It's that time of year again! When fireworks are in the air and hot dogs are being dunked in water and shoved down throats. Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest! I'm as American as the next guy, but I still pull for Kobayashi to take the title back. The problem is that there are contract issues; or so I have read. I don't think Takeru will be there this year. That's quite a downer. I am hoping that's it just drama to buildup the event. But as with any professional sport, it's all about the money. FAIL.

2010 NHL Entry Draft

So, the NHL Entry Draft is hosted by the Kings and marks the first time in the 46-year history, that it will be in California! That's pretty cool. A good reason to go check it out. Well, that and the fact that the tickets were free.

 

Hockey is one of the few sports where the drafted players don't go straight to their pro teams. NBA players have guys coming straight out of High School, and NFL players jump straight from college. The NHL is somewhere in-between. A few superstars make the jump straight to the NHL, which is sort of the NBA high schooler equivalent. But most take time to develop and play college, major junior and/or some minor pro time in the American Hockey League (AHL) or ECHL.

 

Because of this, the draft is a bit of an non-event. There is no instant gratification. Some GM's may not even be around to see a drafted player finally make the NHL roster. It makes little sense to go see this event live.

 

But I'm interested. I want to take in the event. It will be interesting to see the emotions of these young players and their families when their name gets called. I do follow the prospects within the Kings and Senators organizations. But most of all it's a matter of checking off another item on the Bucket List. NHL All-Star Game? Check. NHL Stanley Cup FInal Game? Check. NHL Entry Draft? Check (in about 5 hours)

Father's Day Thoughts

With Father's Day approaching, I found this to be a very appropriate and thought provoking question. What did your Dad drive and how did it change your life?

 

http://jalopnik.com/5566030/what-did-your-dad-drive-and-how-did-it-change-your-life

 

I frequent Jalopnik quite often, as it represents the mindset of automobiles that I share. Not overly serious, with a nice dose of repair fails, car crashes, eBay finds, license plate messages, overly customized rides and the ridiculous. The mutants that comment on the posts are your typical acid tongued, opinionated, but passionate car geeks.

 

With that said, this question really hit home for me. I am a "car guy". I tend to favor muscle cars, station wagons, and 50's-'75's GM. I enjoy working on cars and am always on the lookout for my next project vehicle. But I can appreciate all cars and the weirdos that love them. The European, Asian, jalopy, collector, lowrider, hot rod, rat rod, trucker, off-roader, vintage, you name it. I love cars. It has led me to a job in the auto industry and helps to keep food on the table. Looking back, I owe most of this to my Dad.

 

My Dad is an auto mechanic. That pretty much tells the story. I have long considered black dirt and oil under the fingernails a badge of honor. Growing-up I would hang out at my Dad's shop, because of this I am very confortable around or under any car. Hoses, belts, motor oil and wrenches are familiar thing to me. My Dad drove a '66 Ford Falcon Pickup, affectionately know as the Crash Mobile. There wasn't a straight body panel on this thing. It was a delivery truck, part runner, stump puller, firewood hauler, boat tow-er, and battering ram. It was the perfect vehicle for learning a manual transmission at age 14. This is pretty much the only car my Dad owned while I lived at home. He had a '55 Chevy pickup that my younger brother took to restoring, and a lowered Chevy S10 once I was out of college; but none of those had the same effect as the Crash Mobile.

 

I have never really aspired to owning a new car. Working in the auto industry I get to drive new cars. I rarely drive anything with more than 20K miles on it. It's great since I don't worry about any breakdowns or problems that go with an aging vehicle. But all I've ever know are aging vehicles, that my Dad would fix everyday and give new life to. A real car was one that you kept going. Not some new shiny thing. An older car meant that you were getting full and often unimagined use out of it. My job allows me to lease a new car for my wife & family, but any car I have purchased has been at least 20-years old. Cars are for working on and improving.

 

I have a soft spot for station wagons. I've owned two and am looking for the next one. I have to think that the multi-functionality of Crash Mobile made the station wagon a perfect vehicle in my eyes. I like being able to carry a surfboard or the family or both. While I probably won't be ramming trash cans or pulling out any tree stumps with my wagons, the impression of Crash Mobile runs deep.

 

I take my kids in the GTO and get Rite Aid ice cream. Rite Aid carries Thrifty ice cream, which my Dad got when we rode in Crash. We would drive behind the store to the loading dock that featured a huge dip. My Dad would take it Dukes of Hazzard style, bottom out and then launch Crash of the opposite ramp. At age 8 it felt like the truck was flying, but more likely the suspension was just at full travel. There are no loading docks to hoon where I now live. But I am generous with the high speed accelerations on our Rite Aid, ice cream runs. I figure it is the least I can do for the proper development of my children.

 

Father's Day

I love Jalopnik. They share my same feelings about cars. Cars are awesome, serious, funny, ridiculous and Americana. I noticed a great Father's Day post or two, that they did this week. This one is 10 things a Dad should teach his kid about cars. I can say that my Dad taught me almost everything I know about cars. Some stuff I have learned by hard earned experience. But my love of cars comes from my Dad fully immersing me in the automobile from a young age. I am in the auto industry and feeding my family based on this interest. Thanks Dad. I am well on my way to teaching my kids about cars, oil changes, & smoky burnouts. The legacy lives on...

 

http://jalopnik.com/5566976/ten-things-every-dad-should-teach-his-kid-about-cars/gallery/

Lakers Bandwagon

So with a win last night, the Lakestars tie up the series and force a game #7. All of the closet Laker fans were in full effect today. But, there are true fans out there, like Clipper Darrell. I don't read this guy's blog regularly, but it was a redirect from the Yahoo! front page that drew me in. A crazy Clipper fan who dropped $12K to customize his car?

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Clipper-Darrell-s-12-000-custom-car-is-just-the?urn=nba,248602

 

Well, I saw a crazy red/blue paint job cruising the 405 last week. At first, I thought it was one of those bail bonds advertisment cars. I couldn't believe it when it was a Clippers paint theme. I've shared the LA freeways with Clipper Darrell.

He shoots, he scores!

Well, I finally scored in my rec hockey league. It was a relevant goal at the time of the game. We were trailing 0-2, I picked off a pass to the point, and took off on a breakway. Later in the first period we scored on another breakaway to tie it 2-2. Final score? 2-7. We got killed. The other team had way too much depth and at least two players that could skate through my team at will. Our goalie got peppered with shots, as it was in our end most of the game. I need to get better at breaking out of our zone, or it's going to be a long season.

JR is a crybaby

It was pretty clear that Jeremy Roenick was conflicted with two of his former teams in the Stanley Cup Final. The guy is not that far removed from playing, but his best was years ago. I picture JR with 3 teams, the Blackhawks, Coyotes, and Flyers. The stays with LA and San Jose do not count. His best & most productive days were the early years with Chicago. I loved those early years with Chelios & Co. Coyotes were fun, but never a real playoff threat. The Philly days were a return to the playoffs. I was always an early Gretzky Oilers/Kings fan. But it was JR that had me watching the Blackhawks, Coyotes & Flyers as I followed JR from team to team.

Known more now for being opinionated and animated, JR was always a warrior in my mind. Not shy about playing the body. A guy that stepped-up in the playoffs. Would play with a broken jaw and his mouth wired shut, to not miss a playoff game.

With that kind of competitive spirit, it wasn't a surprise that Roenick got emotional on National TV after his first pro team won the Cup. Naturally, I've taken all kinds of heat being a Roenick fan. And plenty of people thought it was a great opportunity to give me some flak. But I will gladly take the heat on this occasion. JR got emotional simply because he gave his heart and soul to hockey and the teams, coaches and players he played for. I think the problem is when guys don't care enough.

Christmas in June

It's like Christmas waiting for hockey equipment and supplies to show up at my house. I've ordered from Hockey Giant before and never had problems. All of my orders were delivered within California and got to my house super quick. This time, I've have some backorder problems. Multiple packages coming from all over the US. While it is fun to track packages and see the daily/hourly progress from city to city, I didn't expect my order to take so long. I had 3-weeks to get my jersey and socks in time for this Friday's game. So, procrastinating as usual, I waited a week before placing the order. Today, I have two packages waiting for me on my porch. There is another box in Connecticut. And another somewhere between Arizona and California. Having delays and multiple packages kinda sucks, but I will be the first to admit that the anticipation of receiving the stuff is fun.

Let go 'Hawks!

I really want to see the Stanley Cup tonight. Well, not just see it, but watch a team win it and skate around with it overhead. As cool as it would be for Chicago to win it at home for the sake of their fans. It would be that much more satisfying for me to see Pronger not win the Cup in his building. After puckgate, I have a new understanding of this guy's mind. What's he gonna do, grab the Cup from Bettman and hide it from the Blackhawks? I picture a Happy Gilmore style ending where he gets chased down by a mob of people.

PS3D

So I've read that several 3D games will be launching on PS3 tomorrow. Very cool. Except that I don't have a 3D compatible TV. I'm not in a rush to get one either. I might have stated already that I'm not the biggest fan of 3D movies. But the ideal platform for 3D, in my mind, is gaming. I don't think 3D does live action film any justice, but animation and gaming are another story. Most games are meant to be immersive and often don't change in viewing angle, where 3D would be really cool. Ultimately, my gaming habit will force a 3D-TV purchase before TV and movies do.

Training Camp Update

Ok. Last night I realized I have wasted most of the last two weeks doing the wrong thing. Sure, the extra cardio will come in handy and was much needed. But I was really obsessed with my weak & weenie shot. I started shooting pucks in the back yard almost immediately. Late last week, part of my Hockey Giant order came in. I got my practice stickhandling puck. (I could have used a tennis ball, but didn't) So, I lost some time working on my stickhandling. But the eye opener was putting on the inline skates last night.

Wow. I have not used any core skating muscles in a long time. I had assumed most of my issues were from ice skating, but I am weak at skating period. I was tired at the end of each day from my cardio workouts, and just kept putting off any skating. I should have been skating more than anything.

Well, I still have this week. I can get several nights of skating in. I don't want to get too used to inline skating anyway. But I can really stand to strengthen the overall skating.

Bring on the Cup!

I was a bit worried after the Hawks 2-0 lead dropped to 2-1, then 2-2. So far, each team has won on home ice. I could talk about officiating or goaltending or line juggling or players stepping up or whatever. But with Chicago one win away from glory, the Stanley Cup will be in the building. Say what you will about hockey, but almost any other sports fan will agree that the best trophy in all of pro sports is the Stanley Cup. What other sport has a trophy that books have been written about it? Is there a guy that guards and polishes the silver football trophy of the NFL? Can you drink out of any other pro sports trophy? Damn, the Stanley Cup is cool.

Weakend

Great weekend from the holiday standpoint! Iron Man 2, Alcatraz Brewing Co., Hockey Giant, UFC 114, Stanley Cup Finals games, BBQ, repaired a fence, changed the oil in my car, washed cars, laundry, BBQ #2. I couldn't ask for more as far as both a fun and productive weekend.

The only downside was that I made no time for Training Camp. So, I missed 3 days of training. I did manage to shoot a couple hundred pucks, which I really needed. But I also need to ramp-up the cardio. That didn't happen. At least I increased the resistance I will face while training this week. It has to be harder when you are pulling an extra 5-7 pounds of BBQ around.

Hawks lead 2-0

I missed Game 1. Was watching the Laker game and UFC fight. Well, the Laker game was not by choice. When you are in a SoCal Sports Bar, you have to watch the Laker game. The fact that bars have to pay big money to hold the UFC fight guarantees that they are going to show it, Laker game or not. So, at least 1/2 of the TVs had the UFC fight until the Laker game was over. But the Stanley Cup final game was no where to be seen.

I did see Game 2, while BBQing at a friend's house. It was more what I expected from the series. I'm still pulling for Chicago.

The funny/horrible thing was having Roenick, Milbury, and Macguire out on the ice to re-inact plays from Game 1. Pierre didn't even have gloves on, so he wasn't taking it too seriously. But they should just use the telestrader like everyone else. It's just as dumb when other sports do it. Don't fall into that trap NHL, PLEASE! I'm calling it an NHL production FAIL.

 

3-week Mini Camp

By some scheduling snafu, a combination of bye-week and Memorial Day holiday; I don't have another ice hockey game for 3 weeks. I'm pretty bummed to not be able to get back out there this week, or even next. But I'm planning to put the time to good use. I have to be able to shoot the puck and not be gassed in the third period. I have 3-weeks. Go.

Welcome to Ono's 3-week Hockey Training Camp. My plan is to shoot a ton of pucks, work the core for balance/strength, and get some cardio in. Rode the bike this morning. My cardio shape is really lacking. That's sad. But even more sad is that the legs are still sore from my game last Friday. I'm thinking that this break is a good thing.

Yzerman GM, but not of the Red Wings.

Word on the street is that Stevie Y is taking a GM position with the Tampa Bay Lightning. I have mixed feelings about it. Yzerman is 100% Detroit. Drafted, Captained, Cupped, Retired, HOF'd you name it, he did it with Detroit. The organization was grooming him for management, and he did a solid job with Team Canada at the Olympics. (Really, you can only fail at that job and good on him for even taking it) But Ken Holland is not going anywhere. The reality is that Yzerman had to leave Detroit to be a GM. It might be for the best. Can you really expect anyone to surpass what Holland has done? Yzerman can carve out his own GM legend in a different town, but his place in Detroit is already set in stone.

Nostradamus with a mullet

Barry Melrose successfully predicted the Staney Cup Final of Chicago and Philly. I am disappointed that the Habs couldn't continue, but they really couldn't get things done against Philly. 3 shutouts? Ouch. The bottom line is that Washington and Pittsburgh don't have the defense or physical play that Philly does. It turned out to be a bad matchup for the Canadiens. When you don't score, you can't win. I am going with the Blackawks in the Final. I like their younger players and hate Chris Pronger.

Rookie Game

My first "real" league game is in the books. The NG Fighters dropped a 2-4 decision. For me personaly, the stat sheet reads 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 PIM, -2 +/-, 2 scoring chances. Not exactly a Mario Lemieux-like beginning. But my first game is in the books without injury or extreme embarrassment.

The good thing was that I was fairly comfortable with the overall skill level. Granted, we were playing a team that sat as low in the standings as us, so it was expected. We came out hard and had a 2-goal lead into the 2nd period! I was stoked. They answered with 2-goals in the second. Their ringer defenseman went end-to-end to score late in the third, while an empty net goal sealed it for them.

The good. Even though my skating is marginal, I got by. I can't stop to save my life, and while my forward acceleration is OK, reverse is not and cornering is suspect. I played wing, where I figured I would do less damage. I could loop around, forecheck, and slow down enough coming back into our zone to cover the points.

The bad. I play an aggressive style, but quickly gassed-out. I'm in no kind of hockey shape. The whole team seemed to fade with me as the periods went on. Maybe the other players know better than to chase the puck around? While my skating didn't get me into that much trouble, my shot and stickhandling did. Way rusty with the stickhandling, and also not overly confident. That's a bad combination. My shot sucks. Bad. I'm used to shooting a roller puck which weighs less than half as much. I was dribbling shots on net. It was very frustrating. I'm pretty sure my shooting mechanics, which may get me by in roller hockey, are simply not cutting it. I already knew that I was going to have to re-learn how to skate, but the shooting is a disappointment.

Sharkbait

Sharks got swept away by Chicago. Rather than look at the great preformance the Blackhawks turned in, let's jump all over the Sharks. Are the Sharks playoff chokers? Only one team wins the Cup every year, so it's not exactly fair to pin that all on San Jose or is it?

 

The Sharks needed more scoring after last season's playoff ouster. As an Ottawa fan, I can't help but enjoy that the big acquisition of Dany Heatley didn't deliver. Sure, the guy will get you 40+ goals in the regular season. But most of those will be one-timed, powerplay goals. The guy is a tremendous floater and that is a total waste of a big guy's frame. Don't get me wrong, Dany's blessed with a scorer's touch that few are given. But he was clearly given that skill, 'cause he doesn't work hard for anything else. Playoff hockey is not his bag. You won't see him go to the tough areas of the ice.

 

I'm not sure if making the Conference Finals, makes the Sharks playoff chokers by any stretch. That's a pretty good season for any team. The getting swept part really bites; though I wouldn't call their season a failure. But, I do know that Heatley has further solidified his reputation as "soft". I dont' think too many hockey players want that label.

 

 

Warning!

I found a letter that was addressed to the Canadiens.

 

Dear Canadiens,

 

To whom it may concern, but mostly Gionta and Cammalleri or anyone of smaller stature than 6' tall. Beware of Pronger's playoff elbows. It could mean a game, series or your career. And don't expect any justice if you do fall victim to them.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dean McAmmond

Habs almost back in it.

Glad that the Canadiens gave a good old fashioned beat down to the Flyers. I'd say they are right back in it, but that won't happen till the series is tied at 2-2. I'm a bit bummed that Halak didn't get the shutout. It would have been fitting to see the Habs blank Philly two times to even the series.

Huge game for the Sharks tonight. There's blood in the water and hopefully the 'Hawks put a quick and decisive end to San Jose. I'm basically rooting against Heatley and the team that bounced the Red Wings. Was I pulling for them recently, when JR was playing on the 5th line? Yes. This means that I don't really care for the Sharks either way. All I know is that they make great poster boys for playoff disappointment. And the Kings have Dean Lombardi now, that's all that matters.

The 37 year-old rookie...

Most of my friends realize that I love hockey and that I have played many years of roller hockey. But, I realized today that my attempts at playing ice hockey are seen differently by some casual acquaintances here at work. "I've always wanted to try playing ice hockey" has come across as "I've always wanted a convertible sports car" or "I've always wanted a 22-year old girlfriend." Apparently, I sound and look like I'm going through some sort of mid-life crisis.

Old Dog, New Tricks

I've been offered a spot to play on a beginner, adult ice hockey league, on several different occasions. But for whatever reason, it just didn't work: childcare, league fees & recession, you name it. It looks like I got a pretty solid lead last Friday. It is a beginner league where my wife already plays, team sounds casual enough, no childcare scheduling conflicts... this may just happen.

 

My hockey experience consists of watching hundreds of hours of NHL gameplay, and playing lots of roller hockey. Actual ice time? Not so much. I usually skate once a year, when my family rents out a rink during the holidays for some informal play. I've got a solid 8-10 hours of skating under my belt over the last 12 years.

 

So, when my friend offered to go play some pickup with me, I figured it was a good idea. It wasn't. It was an open pickup and the skill level varied. But it didn't vary much on the extreme low end. I was clearly the worst skater out there and my linemates, while better than me, were not good either. Overly-serious-pickup-guy had a stick throwing tantrum after 4-5 shifts of playing defense behind my line. It wasn't exactly the confidence boost I was looking for.

 

 

 

 

Energy Drinks

I have sad news today. I have lost all taste for Monster Lo-Carb. Once my favorite of the energy drinks, it's lost all appeal to me and turned to a slight dislike. It could be the sore throat I have been nursing for about a week, but I doubt it. While my overall consumption of energy drinks is way down, the last few years have me opting for the Rockstar (diet) over anything else. 

A more recent resurgence is for the Rockstar Recovery drink. It's basically Gatorade meets energy drink. Rehydration + caffiene + 'energy blend'. It was only a matter of time. Beer companies had tried to jump on the energy bandwagon; that doesn't seem to have worked out. So why not a sports-type drink? Recovery is not carbonated, and pretty much tastes like lemonade. It's what I was looking for when I only saw the Monster Lo-Carb at the market. Give it a try.

iPad Review: Initial Thoughts

I got my iPad yesterday! I was waiting anxiously for the last 5 days, as I watched FedEx tracking of the shipment of my iPad from China, to Tennessee, to California, to my work. First thing it asks is to dock with iTunes, so I did that and found a bunch of free apps to try out.

 

It is heavier than I remember. Robust heavy. It didn't seem that heavy in the store, but was attached to a huge security cord; and my buddy's iPad had a case on it, making it justifiably heavier. Love the screen. At stock setting it was bright and clear, wasn't too bright when used in the dark, must be a well calibrated light sensor or I'm not that sensitive.

 

I spent most of the evening signing up and setting up. No fault of the iPad. But all that new software required a sign-in. Even just visiting my usual websites, I had to sign-in. Had to set-up the Wi-fi and email accounts. This was a good opportunity to test out the polarizing keyboard. No problems for me, and I actually liked it better than my iMac keyboard. I tend to fat finger the iMac keys. But laying on the bed, iPad in landscape orientation, in my lap, it worked good. I actually got pretty fast at switching between letter/number mode. Inputting your email address over and over can do that. I'm not saying I want to write a novel or long, rambling blog post like this one. But I figured for status updates, searches, and the short general text entry I plan on doing, it is fine. (I might upgrade it to good or downgrade to annoying, just need more time with the keyboard)

 

Holy apps Batman! I downloaded only popular, free apps. I didn't get through them all in 3 hours. Granted, I got sidetracked all evening. Changing settings, tweaking icon placement, etc. Some apps were clearly junk and got immediate delete. Others had competitors like paint and weather, so like any playoff, the loser got deleted. I still have a dozen apps to go through yet, haven't bought a thing.

 

The iPad is very focused on media consumption. News websites, books, video, music. But the bigger surprise is the creation aspect. My kids were playing around on it with me. The drawing programs were popular. We made several dozen drawings and it was a blast. I think because kids naturally want to touch the screen. The computer and laptop have smudges from little hands all over them. It drives me nuts. With the iPad, that's the point. The screen is bigger than other "personal" devices: phone, Nintendo DS, iPod; so it can be very interactive with multiple people. The only downside is several hands trying to do something at the same time.

 

My inital thoughts are positive. Is it just a big iPad touch? Absolutely. But I love it so far...

Les Habitants

YES! Hearing about the Canadiens victory last night made my day/week/month and salvaged the Cup Playoffs for me. I cannot remember EVER rooting for Montreal. I think that has to do with the lingering ties to Patty Roy, but I guess I'm over it since they haven't mentioned that guy (surprisingly) on the telecast. I TIVO'd the game, since I wasn't home until 8:00. But I had the scoring updates going on my phone. My dream of #1 & #2  in the West along with #7 & #8 in the East is taking shape. Philly is one win from coming back 0-3. That's pretty crazy in itself.

What do the Penguins do now? Why did they collapse? Did Crosby pull a LeBron? I heard all the questions while browsing the NHL related websites last night. How about giving the Canadiens a little credit for limiting Crosby and Halak doing the rest. I'm not saying that it wasn't an upset. But it wasn't any Miracle on Ice, either. (The series against the Caps was more Mission Impossible, in my mind) The fact that the Senators pushed the Pens, despite weak goaltending, was a sign that all was not perfect in Pittsburgh. The Sens blew 3rd period leads and had OT losses. Ottawa lost the first round match-up as much as the Penguins won it. I love my Senators, but a high performing Championship team should not have had close games with a banged-up Alfredsson & Co.

Bob Gainey now has a bit or redemption for signing the smallest free agents out there over last summer. Gionta & Cammalleri? They may be small but are gamers. Gomez and Gill? I like all these guys individually, but wouldn't necessarily throw them on the same team. Bottom line is that they all performed in the post-season.

The good news for Cinderella is that Halak is the best goaltender left in the playoffs. It's not unrealistic for the dream to continue. I'm pulling for them. Well, that and the Sharks to lose to Chicago...

 

 

 

Halak Attack

Big game tonight. I'm really pulling for the Habs to upset the flightless birds. Again, Halak is key. I'm really gonna lose interest if the Pittsburgh wins. I guess I could still root against them for another round, and/or watch the Sharks come up short again. As much of a hockey fan as I am, it's kinda painful to watch teams I'm only half-heartedly interested in.

Right now, the West is set with San Jose facing Chicago. Sportscenter mentioned something about how long it's been since #1 faced #2 in the Conference Finals. In the East, its still possible for #7 to face #8. That would be interesting.

Speaking of dis-interest, I'm considering dropping the NHL Center Ice Package for next season. What?! Blasphemy for a hockey fan! True. But, the Kings have given me sufficient hope this year, that the team is worth watching next year. So, I don't have to follow some other Eastern team after December, like I have been. Plus, the Fox Sports HD coverage is excellent. Some of the best announcers, cameras, and interviews in the game. I can get that local feed for free. It sucked to pay for grainy Senators games that were rarely in HD. Plus, my family will get my full attention back for the equivalent of 80+ games. I call it the recession hockey package.

Halak, Boucher & Leighton

A crazy night. Halak & Cammalleri lead the Habs to a 4-3 win over the Pens. And pretty much anything can happen once a series gets to game 7. (See: Capitals, Washington - 2010 Playoffs, Round 1) Probably the Penguins worst nightmare. Boy will it suck for Pittsburgh to lose at home. Boucher and Leighton teamed up for the first tandem, playoff shutout since something like 1975. My wife listens to XM Home Ice and told me that the word this morning is MCL tear. Not sure where they heard this since injury reports during the playoffs are harder to crack than a bank vault. Looks like Leighton got his job back. I think it's only fitting, since the Flyers went through what seems like a dozen goaltenders this season. But I feel for Boucher. That guy will never get his due. He's been great this post season, if the injury report is true, that's a tough end for his season.

 

Sharks pull the upset!

Did I just say that the Sharks upset the Red Wings? Yes I did. But, the Sharks were the #1 seed in the West. True. But as an organization, Detroit is a winner until proven otherwise. I doubt that the Sharks would have made the playoffs, had they faced the injury adversity the Red Wings did. Excuses? Maybe. Detroit lost those close games that they should have won, and got down 0-3. Howard wasn't good enough against San Jose. Maybe that's not fair, but you have to get quality goaltending in the playoffs. Time to look at where the Big Red Machine went wrong.

 

I think it stems back to last summer. Patrick Eaves was an acquisition. I thought it was a golden opportunity for Eaves. I'd seen a lot of him with Ottawa. Thought he had a good all around game, attitude, and grind-ability. A smart player. Your basic interchangeable Red Wing type player. I don't think he panned out. Bert should not be in the NHL based on his skating alone. He did better than I expected, but it's not enough. Franzen was off for too long from his injury. Didn't really get his normal playoff groove. Zetterburg played like he was nursing an injury. The Wings needed more from Fillpula. Hudler and Hossa were missed. Howard was good. They needed Howard to be great.

 

Is this the end of the Red Wings era? It might be fair to the other organizations if that is the case. More than likely, Detroit will make some minor tweaks to the roster over the Summer, players will rebound, some rookie will improve the team. I know this because that's what usually happens. Unlike most other teams that only wish for this to happen. It is expected from Detroit. I'm not ready to throw away the octopus quite yet.

Bellator, JT Money, & UFC 113

Stoked for the Bellator Season 2 lightweight semi-final tonight. In my eyes, they are the next WEC. A small organization, that is putting together quality events without PPV. I like the tournament style set-up that they use, like the Dream/Pride Grand Prix tournaments. It's great for building a fighter's exposure. For the finalists, you get to see the same guy fight three times in under 6 months. The best part is that they are on Fox Sports Net. Not as obscure as Versus or ESPN Deportes. I don't know how Bellator got such a good TV deal, but it's best to not question free programming.

 

Roger Huerta and Toby Imada are fighting. And lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez faces Josh Neer. It's not a title fight, however, at a catchweight of 160. That's 3 of the better lightweights, not in the UFC, on one fight card.

 

Also, Jesse Taylor fights Thales Leites on Friday in Maximum Fighting Championships (MFC). Yeah, pretty obscure. I've only seen a few MFC highlights on Inside MMA. JT Money is interesting to follow, as life without the UFC can be tough.

 

UFC 113 in Montreal this Saturday. It's the much hyped Shogun vs Machida rematch. I'm not a fan of re-matches. I saw the first fight live at Staples Center, and it was close. I had it 48-47 Machida. I think the commentators sway the viewing audience quite a bit. Seeing a fight live is totally different. I don't argue that the judges should also have video monitors. MMA judging is inconsistent at best.

 

Koscheck vs Daley and Kimbo vs. Mitrione are also hyped fights. Don't care too much about these guys. I kinda like Daley as a KO artist with a bit mouth. A smart Kos will wrestle out a win, though.

 

Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stevens and Cote vs Belcher round out the card. These fights could be good. I'm a Stout fan. He always brings it. Cote and Belcher are a battle of guys you haven't seen in a while. Cote is coming off a knee injury. Still, I think these lesser hyped fights will probably be more entertaining.

Sharks on verge of sweeping old Red Wings team.

0-3. Wow. I didn't expect the Wings to be down 0-3 to anybody in the playoffs. But they lost way too many faceoffs in the first two games, Bertuzzi looks impossibly slow, Howard needs to be better, the defense looks old and over matched at times. The Sharks top line is finally doing something. They are getting contributions from depth players. It looks bad for Detroit.

 

All I can say is that if the Red Wings don't have it this year, so be it. By far the most injury plagued season, yet they still got things together in time to make a playoff push. They beat a tough Coyotes team. Maybe the long seasons of making the Cup final the last two years are catching up to them. But the glass is still half full. Howard needs to stop a low angle, five hole goal in the 3rd to tie it. But the Thornton shot, redirected two feet in front off of Ericksson's stick was pretty impossible to stop. Lidstrom's stick breaking giving the go-ahead goal in game 2 was tough to swallow. The Sharks are making their own luck right now.

 

But when the winged wheel is at its best, even fans of other teams will begrudgingly appreciate the team skill. The Sharks are choke artists and will remain such, until they break through and win a Cup. Nabby's game can turn on a dime. He was horrible in the Olympics when the pressure was on. I'm not ready to count this team out. They have no room for error now, but I see it as an opportunity. We are potentially on the verge of the biggest Sharks collapse in history. When they had the mighty Red Wings on the ropes 0-3, only to fold like a origami.

 

iPad

So what's the big deal with the iPad? Isn't it just a big 'ole iPod Touch? A watered down netbook? It doesn't even have a camera for webcasting or chat! If I wanted an e-reader, doesn't Kindle have a vasty superior library? I never jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, so I'm not an app-buying fool. No Flash ability or printing? I don't get it....

 

Well, that was before test driving one. It's definitely an Apple product 'cause it's sleek and solid, while being minimalist and simple. Still, a big iPhone without the phone. But, I never realized how cool that would actually be. First off, I'm not a laptop fan, never was. I don't like the layout. Keyboard is too small, but more importantly the mousing is IMPOSSIBLE. The battery burns your lap and that's especially bad if you have gonads. It's best feature is playing movies, but you can get that from a portable DVD player costing hundreds less. The iPad fixes these problems. The touch screen eliminates the ineffectiveness of laptop mousing. Finger navigating through web pages shouldn't seem revolutionary, but to this laptop-hating-guy, it is. You basically hold the iPad, so it doesn't heat your junk. My buddy had a cover on his, so I'm just assuming that it would be heat-free on your lap.

 

Bigger apps? So what? Well, I tried the bigger version of several games and it makes a world of difference. Not a scaled-up bigger, but iPad optimized versions. Totally different experience and that means better, in this case. I can see board games being very cool on this thing. I don't have an e-reader, but the iPad version was cool; and I heard you can get the Kindle reader to work on it to further open-up the availability of books. The note taking and drawing apps seemed very cool as well. I'm an artsy-fartsy guy at heart and this appealed to me. Ironically, this is where a stylus would really be best (sorry Steve Jobs, I know that's heresy). My iPad buddy said a "finger" replicating stylus is out now. I'm nearly sold.

 

Flash seems a huge downer as well as no-multitasking. I like having Twittter going in the background when I'm browsing the web. I'm not really sure how many of my sites use Flash, but for sure that would be Hulu. Bummer. Apple's need to make you buy all content is at heart and that's disappointing and yet understandable from a greedy capitalistic sense. Are these hurdles too much to overcome?  Hmmm.

 

At the end of the day, my desire to get one of these bad boys is party because my buddy has one and I'm jealous. It's a cool device. I'm not crazy about spending as much money in apps and I do on hardware (like the iPhone morons), but that's the Apple business model. And that's the appeal. Entrepreneurs saw the potential in the iPhone, and TONS of people made apps. I gotta believe the cash hungry developers will do the same for iPad. The apps out now are cool, but limited.  However, I know for a fact that even cooler apps will come out. And it's this promise of future coolness, which tips the scales for me.

 

I want one.