Clear Wireless

I had a bit of trouble with my DSL lately. I've since replaced it with Clear. They are a wireless provider that I believe have a shared network with Sprint. The technology is called 4G WiMax. I was a bit concerned about being obsolete, with wireless networks constantly getting faster/better. An even bigger concern is whether I would get a consistent and solid signal at my home. The map showed that I was within the coverage area, but you never really know...

So far it's been great! Once I plugged in the Wifi router it was working and showing full signal strength. I didn't have to point it a certain way or place it in a weird spot in the house. No problems or hang-ups at all. The speed tests out at 3 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload on average. I guess this isn't a blazing fast speed, but it's better than what I was getting before and satisfies my usage. I have been really happy with the customer service. They have communicated well. Probably a bigger point for me, is that I didn't have to contact anyone about set-up or questions or problems. The thing just worked out of the box.

I know it's a bit too early to be calling any victories. When I have consistent service a year from now, that will put this deal in the WIN column. But I have nothing but positive signs so far. (Knock on wood.) I'm just happy with everything so far and felt the need to brag about Clear.

Trade Deadline

I've read some pronostication about what the LAKings will do at the trade deadline. One wild rumor involved Stastny for Jack Johnson & Bernier. Clearly unrealistic as they just signed Johnson to a long term deal and he is arguably their most consistent young defenseman. Some of the conversation turns to bashing Lombardi for being "conservative". I would argue that having a wealth of homegrown talent is rare, so when a GM doesn't sell parts away for a quick fix it is seen as conservative? I don't second guess Lombardi. I've seen what he can do with team building in San Jose. He has rebuilt LA to respectability.

I'm not a patient Kings fan. Toward the end of the Dave Taylor Era, I would annually stop following the Kings after the New Year. But to anyone that argues the team needs a big trade right now, just remember those times. How many young players did the organization give away, to bolster the team to mediocrity?

Is it Lombardi's fault that the team has more ups and downs than a rollercoaster? I think it's part of the maturation process. Or possibly coaching. But this team, in it's current form, has played with the best in the league. Was a big trade necessary earlier in the season, when the Kings jumped out to first place?

It would be a big step backward if the Kings missed the playoffs this year. I think it is that fear, along with a very tight playoff race, that is creating this atmosphere of "make the big trade now!" It is especially difficult to watch the team struggle at a crucial junction of the season. But the way I see it, either they can do it with who they have or they can't. It sends a negative message to the team, when you second guess the roster.

On the flip side, all of Murray's current line juggling seems to be a fool's errand to get scoring out of any way possible. Is this a not so subtle, cry for help?

If any move is made, it better be a shrewd one. In Lombardi we trust.

Streaky LAKings

Well, the concerning 10-game road trip is effectively over at 9-games, with the next game against Anaheim. Not much of a trip up the road. The Kings did quite well, tying a fairly old point streak of 11-games set back in the 70's. Looking at the results so far, it wasn't much of a surprise really.

The Kings have set a pattern of win streaks, but also a pattern of losing streaks. It doesn't really coincide with home or road games. But if you look at the first 13, 10, 12, 12, and 12 games there is a definite pattern.

 

10-3-0

2-8-0

9-2-1

2-10-0

8-1-3

 

That makes the next 10-12 games important. The playoff race is way too tight for the Kings to afford a long losing streak, since their recent 19-point effort barely put them back in 8th place. They really need to buck the trend and just start winning on a consistent basis all the way into the playoffs, not just for 12 game stretches. Since 12 strong games won't win the Cup either; you need at least 16.

But the positive side is that finishing stong with the last 10-12 games is important, since over half of them are divisional games! If the current pattern contiunes the last set of games will be a strong win streak.

Workout of the Day - Feb 17

Today was Epic Fail Day at the gym. For once, the fail does not refer to my workout. I've been bonking lately, so I've scaled things back and going easier with the workouts. I'm hoping that a rest month of sorts is all I need. But back to the fail.

I got to the parking lot and pulled my gym bag out of the car. It was wet. My gatorade filled water bottle had leaked. Actually, it wasn't filled. I usually only have it 1/4 or 1/8 filled with concentrated Gatorade powder & water. I've had a BIG leak before, so I purposely fill it up after getting to the gym. The bottle was empty. I got into the locker room and determined that my sweater, socks and boxers were wet with concentrated Gatorade. This is when I noticed I had forgot my towel as well.

At this point I had no dry clothes to change into and no towel. I figured things were not going my way. Maybe best to skip my workout? That's not my style. I channeled my inner Mac Gyver. I used the swimsuit centrifuge to dry out my wet clothes, but that didn't really work. Option two, was to leave the clothes in the sauna. I did my workout and came back to dry underwear, but the socks were still a little damp. For a towel, I used my sweatshirt. This is a desperation move. That sweatshirt stays in my gym bag for the most part and it stinks. I only wear it from my house in the AM, to the gym; that's it. So, I may be a bit gamey today, but I don't have any meetings scheduled. I got my workout in. In fact, the adrenaline from being a little upset got me through a solid workout. Win.

Monster Jam Anaheim

Went to my first monster truck rally this past weekend. It was the Monster Jam at Angel Stadium. Very cool. I took the family with the expectation that my son (age 4) would love it. He's currently interested in monster trucks. The Disney Cars movie recently made monster truck variants of the popular McQueen and Mater characters. My son loves playing with his monster trucks.

We spent a good portion of the day at Monster Jam. There are Pit Passes available for $5/each where you can see the trucks and drivers up close before the races and freestyle. It was great for photo-ops. Being a gearhead, I loved getting to see the trucks up close. Also, our seats were in the nose bleeds, so it gave my son a chance to get a real feel for the scale of a true monster truck. The drivers were very friendly and great at selling themselves and the sport in-general.

The Monster Jam itself started with single elimination heat races, to determine a race champion for the night. Then the judged freestyle portion of the even took place, with each truck going off the jumps and crushing cars to please the crowd. To my surprise, my daughter really loved the Monster Jam. My son found it a bit too loud, even though we came prepared with earplugs. To me it was similar in smell and sound to Top Fuel Dragsters, but had the action and carnage that appeal to a broader audience. A lot of the trucks broke down or flipped over during the freestyle event.

It was a great night. The only downer was that Jurassic Attack, the triceratops shaped truck, broke down right after the introduction laps. My son loved that truck in the Pits and we bought him the plush version of it. So, not watching the dino-truck compete was disappointing.

It was a very family friendly event and there were tons of families with younger kids. I would probably go back again and recommend it to anyone with kids age 5-8.

Strikeforce vs UFC Heavyweights

I am very interested in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament going down this year. I was hoping that it would be a one-day tounament, but that wasn't in the plans. Probably a good business decision, since Strikeforce needs to hold several events. I was surprised that Fedor and Overeem were in the same bracket, but it does make for high interest matches right out of the gate. On the other hand, Barnett will most likely make to the Finals from the other side of the draw. And that means it won't be held in California, so I am not watching it live. Damn.

I like Overeem to win it all. I think he's the top heavyweight right now. He may have shortcomings on his back or on the ground, but no one has been able to take him there and find out. The dude is built like a superhero. I am partial to fighters that employ muay thai knees and this guy has devistating knee strikes.

I hope Fedor has a good showing. All bets were off once he lost to Werdum. His mystique evaporated and the calls for Dana White to go get Fedor were gone. Talk about rats jumping off the ship (or bandwagon). Say what you will, but not losing for so long in MMA is a big deal whether you are fighting tomato cans or not.

Talk has shifted to the lack of UFC heavyweights. I disagree. The UFC is as deep as it has ever been in that weight class. I would argue that the UFC would have great matchups in a Strikeforce vs UFC Heavyweight Brawl. Strikeforce has: Overeem, Fedor, Werdum, Silva, Barnett, Kharitonov, Rogers & Arlovski. UFC has: Velasquez, Dos Santos, Lesnar, Nelson, Mir, Carwin, Struve, Nogueira/CroCop/Congo/Schaub.

 

Overeem vs Velasquez. Have the respective champs go at it. No brainer.

Fedor vs Nelson. Yes. I am serious. Roy is tough as nails. Weight advantage Big Country. It would be interesting, trust me.

Barnett vs Mir. The trash talk alone between these two would be monumental.

Werdum vs Dos Santos. It's been done and Dos Santos won.

Silva vs Struve. Battle of the trees.

Rogers vs Carwin. Big boys, big punches. Someone goes to sleep.

Kharitonov vs Lesnar. No reason, these guys are what's left.

Arlovski vs Nogueira/CroCop/Congo/Schaub. I don't think Arlovski has much game left. Let him fight an over the hill legend or whatever.

 

Whaddaya think?

Mr. Fisherwood Goes to Nashville

In my mind, the final nail in the Ottawa Senators coffin is moving Mike Fisher to the Predators. The team is currently battling for the #1 draft pick, but I mean the "end" in a different way. I started following the Senators shortly before their run the the Cup Finals. Coming out of the lockout, I didn't have much to root for. My LA Kings were deep in the Dave Taylor Era, a time I'd like to forget. I happened to pick Heatley and Spezza in my fantasy pool. I just picked-up a flat screen TV and HD service. I started watching Ottawa. They were a high scoring team and fun to watch. I liked the roster version with Alfredsson, Vermette, Schafer, Spezza, Heatley, Fisher, Neil, Meszaros, Volchenkov, Phillips. Now, most of that roster is gone. As players were traded away, my interest in the Senators went along with it. And with the trade of Fisher, my interest in that team is nil.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Alfredsson is/was one of the best players in the league. Watching full seasons of that guy gave me a new appreciation for what he could do. And that was pretty much everything. He could play every situation and had a scorer's touch with defensive responsibility. Very rare. But with his career winding down, I'm done with the Senators.

Why Mike Fisher? He's one of my favorite players. I appreciate everything Fisher brings to the game. He plays for his team, not himself. The guy plays a hard, speedy game. I'd like to think I've patterned my play after him. Unfortunately, I'm just as snakebitten in the goal scoring department.

It's not a coincidence that Fisher is playing in Nashville and is now closer to his wife. But it's cool that this deal was done. I give Brian Murray props for that. Although Nashville loses a first rounder and gets Fisher's relatively high salary. The Predators also get Carrie Underwood to attend games, which has some marketing value.

Too bad the Kings don't play Nashville at home anymore this season (unless it is in the Playoffs).

LAKings Time is Now - Update

Things have gone well since my last LAKings post. They finished off the homestand with two wins, then went 2-0-1 on the road so far. I'm happy, but cautious.

 

There is still a lack of scoring despite getting much needed points. The game against the Wild featured a 0-0 score, that was lost in the shootout. And the last game against Calgary almost got away, after a blow 3rd period lead was salvaged by a 7-round shootout win! I'm stoked the boys are getting it done, but maybe the margin for error could be improved.!?

 

There are 5 days between games and the Kings will be at home a few days to practice before wrapping up the 7-games left on the roadtrip. Actually, 6 games. The last game is on the road against Anaheim, but not much travel involved.

 

On the trade front, there are currently way too many teams that consider themselves playoff bound. I think the Devils, Senators, Oilers and Isles are probably seller as of today. I wonder what Kovalchuk thinks of his decision to join New Jersey today? I'm glad that LA didn't sell the future to get him, but scoring is lacking right now. I have to think something happens for the Kings at the trade deadline.

Bauer Supreme One 80 - Review 2.0

Part 2.  My Bauer Supreme One 80's are holding up well after 4 months. The fit is still great and I think it has to do with the stiffness of the boot. I don't think there's much break-in on these skates. They fit great after being baked and have stayed that way. I don't think there is any shifting, stretching or settling going on after the initial fit. So, if you don't like them out of the gate, they probably won't "break-in" much. The upside of that is having a consistent fitting skate every time you put it on.

 

Durability is fair/good. There is a spot on one skate that looks like the skate could be de-laminating. But closer inspection shows that it is structurally fine, just something well under the surface layer. Otherwise the skates are holding up very well with moderate use (two games a week). Boot, eyelets, & skate runner are all solid.

 

I would still buy these skates all over again, if given the choice.

UFC 126

I used to post something before each UFC fight, but not so much anymore. I guess the fight cards don't interest me as much. The exception is that I have been looking forward to this card (UFC 126) since it was taking shape last year. Title fight of Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort. I'm a big Silva fan, but not sure where his head has been at in recent fights. He also received his biggest beatdown to date by Chael Sonnen. I'm hoping that a big fight will be what's needed to motivate Silva to be back in full Spider-man form. It's a bit suspect that Belfort is getting a title shot. His resume speaks for itself, but his last fight was at a catchweight (195) and he's yet to even fight at middleweight in the UFC. Still, I'm eagerly awaiting this one.

Two of the most popular UFC fighters faceoff in Griffin vs Franklin. I never bet against either of these guys. Both are extremely tough. I have this pegged for Fight of the Night. Going with Franklin.

Jon Jones and Ryan Bader are the top two up and coming light heavyweights in the UFC. I LOVE Jon Jones. The guy reminds me of the dynamic striking of early Anderson Silva. I think Bader, while powerful, will be outclassed by Jones. I hope for yet another spectacular KO.

Also on this card are several WEC mainstays: Miguel Torres, Antonio Banuelos, Donald Cerrone, Chad Mendes. Most of these fight are on the prelims, but these guys don't disappoint. Should a couple of the main cards be short and sweet, these guys will definitely make great filler.

And my favorite walkout music-guy Kyle Kingsbury is on the undercard. What else could you ask for?

All Star Break Musings

My interest in the NHL All Star Weekend has steadily waned over the years. Maybe that's the way it is supposed to be. I always saw it as a vehicle to draw in new fans or casual hockey fans. I'm neither of those. Even with the new format of picking teams ala fantasy hockey style, I wasn't totally drawn-in. I have to give Shannahan credit though, as it seemed like a great idea. I think they could do it again for another year or two.

The skills contest is still interesting to me. I think giant players and high tech sticks have made Al Macinnis' and Al Iafrate's 100 mph slapshots a much more common sight. I do enjoy the breakaway challenge with no-rules and lacrosse-style attempts. It highlights the skill and creativity these guys have. My idea is to have a game of "horse" like in basketball. It would be "goal" or "puck" and players would take turns matching feats of scoring/shooting on an empty net.

But it's time to get back to business. The Kings won their last 3 games and start the 10 game road trip tonight in Minnesota. A lot rides on this trip. I believe that there is still only 6 points separating 4th from 12th place in the West. This road trip coupled with the trade deadline, makes for a very interesting stretch run!

Vegas

Vegas trip was great. The Cluck'in Omegas didn't have a great showing this year. They went with an upgraded roster and expectations to match, but the team didn't make the playoffs for the first time in 3 years! It's a bummer. They won their division two years in a row, then made the finals last year. I was expecting a rebound year, but it wasn't to be.

I'm not even sure why I like this Vegas trip. I'm not a gambler or partier. I don't react well to smoke filled casinos. I have yet to see any of the shows or concerts. I just enjoy having a routine vacation each year and it's fun hanging out with the ladies on the team. It was a great weekend. So much so that it's really hard to get back in the swing of things here at work. Back to reality...