Olympic High

I'm very happy with Teams USA right now. The ladies play for gold this afternoon! That isn't much of a shock, as the US is clearly a favorite. But I think they have been playing a better team game than Canada, with sharper passing and better defensive cohesion. Yet it's hard to tell that any, one team is playing better than another when you have 12-0, 14-1, 9-0 scores. I'm still hopeful.

 

The Men's Team is another story. I am amazed at the team game they play. They stole that game against Canada, but have played well to deserve the #1 seed. They wore down a Swiss Team that's tough to score against. But 44+ shots later, and the victory was theirs last night. So, it's on to the semi-finals Friday. Announcers have looked past the Finnish Team and are announcing a Canada/USA re-match for gold. Why? Finland has been in an International final '04 and '06. The US has to go back to '02. Meanwhile, Canada tore through Germany and Russia. Germany, sure. But Russia? Wow. Maybe they took the USA loss personally. I was hoping, make that expecting, Sweden to put a stop to Canada. But they were upset by a Slovakia Team that found a way to win. As much as I want Canada to lose, I think Cindarella Slovakia won't make it to the Gold medal final.

 

The bottom line is that the games have been amazing. Latvia nearly upset the Czech Republic two nights ago, in an amazing 2-goal comeback game. The USA/Swiss and Finland/Czech Republic games were scoreless through 2 periods last night. It was good stuff. You can't ask for much more as a hockey fan.

 

I'm taking note of this now, as it may all come crashing down, if the Women settle for Silver and the Men lose to Finland. But I'm wearing my USA jersey to the gym every morning and it doesn't get any better than that.

Minor Miracle on Ice

It's only one game and it wasn't for the gold medal. But what a huge game for the US. Beating Canada in Canada.

Not to put the blame on any one player, but Marty Brodeur didn't look himself and misplayed the puck several times, leading to good scoring chances and one goal. That gave the US some life early in the game. It also kept the crowd out of it. The US played a very aggressive game, forechecking hard and creating turnovers; going to the net and causing havok in front. Basic, hardworking hockey. And what can you say about Ryan Miller? We were seriously outshot in the game. It was all about Miller standing on his head.

I think it was a great feat by the US to win the pool and get the bye into the quarterfinal round. But I hope the extra days-off allow the team to refocus. As the "real" tests begin once the elimination rounds start.

Olympic Update

Teams USA have done pretty well so far. The women have torn through their bracket, averaging 10-goals per game and 0.333 goals against. Clearly, it looks like Canada and US are the top tier teams, with Sweden and Finland a level below, and all other counties severely embarrassing. The men are 2-0. They've looked good. Good enough. The big test is Saturday against Canada. Yeah, these two teams are in the same bracket. I think a win gives them a bye, into the quarterfinals. But otherwise, these games are just for seeding and no team is getting eliminated from pool play.

 

Workout of the Day - Feb 17

Diet & Exercise. Well, I've got the exercise part down more or less. But my diet is definitely lacking. I have been making slow corrections the last 6-months or so. Less fried food, and more lean meat, fruit, veggies. I also take a multivitamin and omega 3 to supplement my poor eating habits. A more recent experiment is a post-workout amino acid pack. I've read that immediately after your workout (within 30-minutes) you should get some protein/nutrients into your body, as it is most receptive at this time.

 

So I had a vitamin fail this morning. I've had trouble with some of the capsules before. One time, I got one halfway down and stuck. I only figured this out when the capsule disolved; I felt like I had to cough, then had the nastiest taste way back in my throat. But today was the worst. I had to cough, and powder shot out of my nose. Another one of those damn capsules got stuck, broke open, then coated my sinuses when I coughed it up. It was nasty. I blew my nose to a mixture of snot and powder, like a white mud. Note to self: drink more than 8 ounces of water with the morning supplements.

NHL vs Olympics

The Winter Olympics are here! That means some really high level hockey, but also drama. By that I mean, potential injury for players that could have big impacts on NHL teams. It is also a 2-week break for NHL clubs. That's good for repairs, but bad for teams on a roll (like the Kings and Senators). So I have mixed feelings about Olympic hockey. But that won't stop me from rooting for the under-dog USA team.

The Olympic break also means trades. The trade deadline is a few days after the break, and a roster freeze is in effect during the break, so a few trades already went down today. The Senators got Matt Cullen from Carolina. That's not the biggest news, but the bigger impact was trading away defenseman Alex Picard and putting Cheechoo on waivers. That meant calling-up two defensemen from the AHL. I am interested to see how they perform. Cheechoo was given more than a fair chance to impress. It didn't happen. He had premium ice time and linemates, but little results to show for it. I don't think he can complain about his treatment.

50

Going to a good friend's 50th birthday party this weekend. Looking forward to a good time. Wow. 50. I'm sure I will be hitting that mark myself, in what seems like the blink of an eye. All the more reason to live it up everyday and yet keep the body maintained enough to last that long. It's a fine line.

It's great to have an excuse to express some appreciation for a good friend. In my advancing age, I've learned that many things come and go in life. So, it's nice to give a little recognition to a long lasting friendship, while it's still active. I've lost way too many friends lately, I must have mentioned that in an earlier post; but my surfing buddy and gamer friend had to leave town. It's not that I took them for granted, but I never had a day to celebrate their friendship, either.

So, with that in mind, I'm really looking forward to this trip.

Video Game Review: Dead Space

So I'm a bit hooked on gaming again. Much like any addiction, it's best if I never get started otherwise I can't stop. First it was Uncharted 2 and a little GTA 4. After finishing Uncharted 2, I was looking for a "new" game to play. If you didn't catch my earlier posts, "new" is a pretty relative term for me and the PS3. I hardly ever get games at launch timing, as I am more of a used game section guy.

 

I stumbled upon Dead Space last week. It's a horror genre game. I love these types of games. Mutant monsters jumping out at you. Generally having underpowered weapons and scavaging ammo. But this one is set in space. It's a lot like the plot of Alien/Aliens. You go to help a space station that is in trouble, get shipwrecked, try to figure out why there are weird monsters running around, and finding a way to escape. One of the twists is that decapatating and dismembering the monsters is the best way to slow them down and kill them. I love me a good headshot. Shooting a monster's arms off from across the room is very satisfying and hasn't gotten old yet. (Does that ever get old?)

 

So far it's really fun. I think I have been spoiled by the graphics and playability of Uncharted 2, however this game is much older and I expect different things from a horror game. I've only gone through 3 levels, but the story and gameplay have been engaging so far. Getting this game off the used game rack is a no-brainer.

UFC 109 - How'd I Do?

Once again, if you want to do well in Vegas, just bet the opposite of my picks especially on the undercard. I went 5-6. Sonnen pulled the biggest upset. Phil Davis made a solid showing in his debut, Rolles Gracie not so much. I probably wouldn't have bet on the undercard anyway, but I definitely would have lost money on Marquardt.

 

So Randy expects a title shot? Hmmmm. Why not? He's a big money maker for the UFC; and they are going to ride his popularity as long as he wins. I'm not saying that beating Vera and Coleman makes you a contender, but Couture gets special treatment. It's not fair, but the UFC is still about marketing it's popular fighters, every promotion is. That's why they are called "promotions".

 

This is also why Chael Sonnen has such a bright future. He was talking smack before and after his fight. He gives the press plenty to write about. His performance was dominating. Marquardt did more damage with an elbow from the bottom that split Sonnen's forehead open; and nearly choked out Chael with seconds left in the fight. But Sonnen smothered Nate into ineffectiveness.

 

Main Card: (4-1)

Light Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman

Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen

Welterweight bout:  Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago

Middleweight bout:  Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller

Welterweight bout:  Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg

 

Preliminary Card (Spike TV) (1-1)

Lightweight bout:  Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz

Lightweight bout:  Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres

 

Preliminary Card (0-4)

Lightweight bout:  Phillipe Nover vs. Rob Emerson

Light Heavyweight bout:  Brian Stann vs. Phil Davis

Heavyweight bout:  Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Heavyweight bout:  Rolles Gracie vs. Joey Beltran

 

 

UFC 109 - Who'd ya like?

I used to run down my picks for each MMA event. But I've proved to be way too partial to my favorite fighters. I'm a fan, not a betting house. There are fighters that I want to see win and pull for. Or there are guys that I want to see get destroyed, since I think they are asshats. Here are my biased picks...

 

Main Card:

Light Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman

I'm a big Couture fan. I want to see him win. However, this fight is underwhelming to me, as I don't really care about Coleman. Both guys are Hall of Famers, but I don't see this as a main event fight. Yeah, it almost happened 92 UFC's events ago, that doesn't mean it should happen now. I think both guys are losing relevance in the UFC, does a winner of this match change that?

 

Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen

To me Chael Sonnen is a well rounded gamer. At first I didn't like this match-up, as I didn't think Chael deserved to fight Marquardt. But considering Sonnen took out Dan Miller and Okami, it a fair reward. That said, I think Marquardt is better in all areas of the game. I would not be surprised to see Marquardt overwhelm him.

 

Welterweight bout:  Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago

I think it would be easy to pick Swick, but Paulo Thiago is intriguing. I think he has some submission skills that remain to be displayed in the Octagon. Swick is probably the smarter pick, but I'd like to see some new faces rising in the UFC.

 

Middleweight bout:  Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller

Some of the sickest Jitz in the UFC. I love to watch Maia. I'm gonna say Maia via sub, 'cause that's what he's all about. It's great to be well rounded, but some of my favorite fighters are one-dimensional, and this guy could sub-out a 25' anaconda. Excited to see a master at work.

 

Welterweight bout:  Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg

I don't care about this one either. I like Serra. I think Trigg is done after this loss.

 

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Lightweight bout:  Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz

Danzig's had a rough go in the Octagon. 3-straight losses. I think the luxury of winning TUF has kept him from getting cut by the UFC. But it might be win or leave for Danzig this time. I'll say Mac by RNC.

 

Lightweight bout:  Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres

I've heard a little about Torres. Apparently another Brazilian up-and-comer. I'll take him, on a leap of hype.

 

Preliminary Card

Lightweight bout:  Phillipe Nover vs. Rob Emerson

Nover has yet to live up to the immense hype. He has troubles with fainting. I'm still pulling for the guy. But he better impress...

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Brian Stann vs. Phil Davis

Stann was one of my WEC favorites, before the heavier weights got merged into the UFC. Tough as hell. I love the tough brawler-types. A feel good story as a Silver Star decorated Marine. The guy is actually getting "real" training now. I think he will only get better. I'm pulling for a big win.

 

Heavyweight bout:  Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Don't really know these guys. Both are big and tip the scales at legit heavyweight. I hope that doesn't equal a boring fight. Hague is a highlight reel knockout for Todd Duffee, but he also upset Pat Barry. I'll go Hague.

 

Heavyweight bout:  Rolles Gracie vs. Joey Beltran

Hidden on the undercard is a heavyweight Gracie. Unproven, he deserves to be there. Yet, I'm sure any fan of the sport is interested by the mystic of a Gracie fighting, much less a heavyweight. I am hoping for mad Jiu Jitsu to be on display in a large package. (Not named Frank Mir)

 

10 and counting

The Senators hit a 10-game win streak mark last night. Awesome. Even
bigger was the fact that the win was over division leading Buffalo;
bringing Ottawa within 3 points of the division lead, which was all
but impossible to even think about a month ago. The Capitals, who are
currently on an 11-game win streak of their own, are helping to keep
the Senators under the radar. There's something about a double-digit
win streak that is extra impressive. This streak shows that the Sens
are indeed a decent team, with a full roster. Injuries to key players
will hamper a team, just ask the Red Wings. But, with all cylinders
firing and good goaltending, Ottawa is a threat.
I wonder how much of it is indeed due to goaltending? I believe that
Elliott is riding a 1.00 GAA over the win streak. Any time your goalie
is allowing only one goal, you have a good chance at winning. Elliott
has won back-to-back NHL star of the week awards. I give him the
lion's share of credit. Second, would be Cory Clouston. He's kept this
team together. Let's not forget that the Sens opened the year with
5-straight losses. During that time, the coach kept a steady hand
while the goaltending was imploding, defense erratic at times, and no
one scoring.