Well, I should have known better. After writing yesterday's article, I picked the Phillies. Hottest team in baseball, 10 win streak, veteran Jamie Moyer on the mound, facing a Cubs team that's had trouble swinging the bat, that's almost a lock, right? No, Chicago lights up the Phils for 10 and my streak goes down the crapper. Didn't stop their either. The Nationals pulled a win out of their ass to take 2 of 3 from the Mets, strike 2. Finally, Manny hits a pinch hit grand slam to shatter the 3 or less runs prop in the inning and I ride a L3 into today.
Good news for me is that is stayed a perfect 7-0 at the Tour de France with Alberto Contador's time trial win, which should lock up the yellow jersey for him all the way to Paris. So I'm back at 1, but so it everyone else in the group. Although, I may be going red again, since I picked the Indiana Fever in the noon-30 WNBA game and they're currently down 14 in the 1st quarter. At least I'm not the only one going down there. But a 5-pick day is still possible with a UEFA Europa League game and both Gold Cup semis. So, basically I'll be doing whatever I can to avoid baseball today. The national pastime is quite dangerous on a streak...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Streak Speak - July 22
Well, it's been awhile since I did this but I've been on quite a run recently and there was very little to speak of in June. July has been far more kind to me, especially within the last week and a half. I've build W7 streaks twice, including the current streak. Yesterday was my best day of the competition, as I went 4-0. The big win for me was my WNBA pick. The Indiana Fever downed the Washington Mystics 82-70, giving me my first WNBA win and snapping a 4-pick losing streak. After that, I ended up staying up til about 1am to catch the end of the 2nd U.S. Open Cup semifinal between Seattle FC and Houston. It looked bad through the first 60 minutes, but Seattle scored an equalizer late in the 2nd half and then got the go-ahead goal earth in the 1st overtime to seal their trip to the finals against D.C. United and my perfect day.
Just minutes ago, I tied my longest at 8 with another Tour de France pick. Lance Armstrong hit the line 5th, taking that prop and making my cycling record 6-0. I may stay away from tomorrow' TDF pick, mostly because it's a 40km individual time trial and a lot of things can change there. Looking at the rest of today, its a toss up for the next pick between a Swiss Super League match at 1:45 and the Brewers/Pirates at 12:35. No matter what I think I'm going to take the Mets over the Nationals in the nightcap, hopefully making a big for the blue star.
So after the first round of the day, here's how the group looks:
I'm on top of the current streak at W8, Tim's right behind at W6 with a pick selected, JRo's at W1 next, then Zack who had his streak of 7 ended last night at L1, and Nikki also at L1 having lost the Armstrong prop this morning.
Tim still leads the month at 36 wins, I'm in 2nd at 34, and Nikki is back in 3rd at 19.
Looking long term, Tim still holds the longest streak in the group at last week's W10. Although I have the substantial lead in overall wins with 146. Zack is the next closest at 89. But the race that matters now is the monthly wins and with just over a week left it will be interesting. More tomorrow.
Just minutes ago, I tied my longest at 8 with another Tour de France pick. Lance Armstrong hit the line 5th, taking that prop and making my cycling record 6-0. I may stay away from tomorrow' TDF pick, mostly because it's a 40km individual time trial and a lot of things can change there. Looking at the rest of today, its a toss up for the next pick between a Swiss Super League match at 1:45 and the Brewers/Pirates at 12:35. No matter what I think I'm going to take the Mets over the Nationals in the nightcap, hopefully making a big for the blue star.
So after the first round of the day, here's how the group looks:
I'm on top of the current streak at W8, Tim's right behind at W6 with a pick selected, JRo's at W1 next, then Zack who had his streak of 7 ended last night at L1, and Nikki also at L1 having lost the Armstrong prop this morning.
Tim still leads the month at 36 wins, I'm in 2nd at 34, and Nikki is back in 3rd at 19.
Looking long term, Tim still holds the longest streak in the group at last week's W10. Although I have the substantial lead in overall wins with 146. Zack is the next closest at 89. But the race that matters now is the monthly wins and with just over a week left it will be interesting. More tomorrow.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Missing the Hill
There is a hill in Bowling Green, really the only hill in Bowling Green, on the BG golf course at the far corner of campus. It's an anomoly in the ridiculusly flat Wood County and was obviously man-made. In fact the green for the 15th is nestled into the one side. This hill and I have some history. Back in high school, the hill was the centerpiece of the league cross country meet. Yes, there was a time when my knees and ankles worked well enough for me to compete. And, I wasn't as out of shape as I currently am. The peak of this hill was the 2.5 mile marker of the course, a rather evil thing to do we thought. We just ran the last two and a half miles on flat football practice fields and gold course roughs and now when the finish line is in sight, you give us a sharp left turn and charge us up this kinda steep hill. Bit a of a dick move I thought. But I digress.
Darrow Hall is relativly close to the hill, within about a 10-minute walk directly across the IM fields and around the Doyt. I rediscovered the hill my freshmen year one late March night. My girlfriend and I at the time had recently broken up, it had been a really really really busy week between school and work, and I was kinda bummed at the excess weight I had gained while laid up with an ankle injury. So, after a lot of beer, I went walking. There were about 8 of us hanging out in someone's room, getting sloshed as was the normal Friday night ritual by then. I just rememeber being hammered and everything kinda hitting me at once after trying to hold it in for the past few weeks and I just got up and left the room, trying not to actually cry. I'm not sure that anyone else saw that, but I just kinda disappeared, grabbed a sweatshit from my room, and went wandering. I walked away from main campus towards the overflow parking lot where most of the kids in our quad ended up parking. I was passing the last of overflow and working my way around the stadium when I remembered that hill. We weren't exactly friends from high school, but I decided it wouldn't be a bad place to head for.
Climbing the hill, I just stood at the top, staring out. I-75, a darkened golf course, and some buisnesses across the highway is not exactly the most scenic of outlooks, but it did it for me that night. I let myself cry for the first time in about a month, letting weeks of frustration out. The good thing about the hill is that it is far enough away from campus and the city that the lights don't blur out the stars. I laided down on that hill and just stared up at those stars. I can't remember how long I was up there, but the party was over when I got back and almost everyone had passed out. But I felt better and I found my place.
I kept going back to the hill over the next 5 years whenever I needed a time and a place to get away from everything and everyone and just think. That's where I decided to change majors. The whole mistaken process of getting back with said HS girlfriend and the fallout of that one drove me there a lot. I figured out a couple of different situations at work there. I managed to talk myself down off the ledge so to speak there once as well. I toasted from the top of the hill the weekend that I finally graduated. I wrote my best man's speech on that hill. Long story short, almost all the serious thinking that I had to do, I did on that hill.
The last time I was on the hill was the night I before I moved home, before I officially left Bowling Green. I went up there to reflect on the last 6 years, on who I am, and who I was when I got there. Now, I find myself missing that hill as I sit between years in a master's program. I want that place to be able to push everything else out of the way and think deeply. And try to cope and understand and figure things out. There is no place like that out here. Granted, I spend plenty of time alone in my apartment but there's more destructive than constructive thinking there. More mourning memories that trying to put memories and feelings in perspective, coping, and hopefully healing. There's a very good chance that I'll find my way back to the hill this weekend. I think more than anything else that's really what the brain and heart need right now.
Darrow Hall is relativly close to the hill, within about a 10-minute walk directly across the IM fields and around the Doyt. I rediscovered the hill my freshmen year one late March night. My girlfriend and I at the time had recently broken up, it had been a really really really busy week between school and work, and I was kinda bummed at the excess weight I had gained while laid up with an ankle injury. So, after a lot of beer, I went walking. There were about 8 of us hanging out in someone's room, getting sloshed as was the normal Friday night ritual by then. I just rememeber being hammered and everything kinda hitting me at once after trying to hold it in for the past few weeks and I just got up and left the room, trying not to actually cry. I'm not sure that anyone else saw that, but I just kinda disappeared, grabbed a sweatshit from my room, and went wandering. I walked away from main campus towards the overflow parking lot where most of the kids in our quad ended up parking. I was passing the last of overflow and working my way around the stadium when I remembered that hill. We weren't exactly friends from high school, but I decided it wouldn't be a bad place to head for.
Climbing the hill, I just stood at the top, staring out. I-75, a darkened golf course, and some buisnesses across the highway is not exactly the most scenic of outlooks, but it did it for me that night. I let myself cry for the first time in about a month, letting weeks of frustration out. The good thing about the hill is that it is far enough away from campus and the city that the lights don't blur out the stars. I laided down on that hill and just stared up at those stars. I can't remember how long I was up there, but the party was over when I got back and almost everyone had passed out. But I felt better and I found my place.
I kept going back to the hill over the next 5 years whenever I needed a time and a place to get away from everything and everyone and just think. That's where I decided to change majors. The whole mistaken process of getting back with said HS girlfriend and the fallout of that one drove me there a lot. I figured out a couple of different situations at work there. I managed to talk myself down off the ledge so to speak there once as well. I toasted from the top of the hill the weekend that I finally graduated. I wrote my best man's speech on that hill. Long story short, almost all the serious thinking that I had to do, I did on that hill.
The last time I was on the hill was the night I before I moved home, before I officially left Bowling Green. I went up there to reflect on the last 6 years, on who I am, and who I was when I got there. Now, I find myself missing that hill as I sit between years in a master's program. I want that place to be able to push everything else out of the way and think deeply. And try to cope and understand and figure things out. There is no place like that out here. Granted, I spend plenty of time alone in my apartment but there's more destructive than constructive thinking there. More mourning memories that trying to put memories and feelings in perspective, coping, and hopefully healing. There's a very good chance that I'll find my way back to the hill this weekend. I think more than anything else that's really what the brain and heart need right now.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
R.I.P. Mitsuharu Misawa
Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa passed away Friday night in the ring of an apparent heart attack. Misawa was a 5-time All-Japan Triple Crown champion, 6-time AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champion, and 3 times was the GHC Heavyweight Champion in the company he left All-Japan to found, Pro Wrestling NOAH.
The Sun's story is here: Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa dies in ring.
For more about the career of Misawa: Misawa's Wikipedia Page.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Vick gets released by the Falcons
Michael Vick released by the Falcons
I had thought they had already done this. Although, I think he should get the opportunity to play again should he meet the requirements, whatever they be, set forth by Commissioner Goodell. I know Goodell wants to be seen as the tough guy who will clean up football and the best way to do that may be to hold Vick up as a sacrifice and he may play out the next could of years in the CFL. Was what Vick did despicable? Yes. Should he have spent time behind bars? Absolutely, although part of me thinks that the jail time was more for all the illegal income that was coming with the dog fighting as much as the dog fighting itself. But in the pantheon of sports crimes committed, this is not the worse and probably will not be. Taking Benoit out of the picture, there are guys that did far worse and didn't even go to jail but should have. If he they you or me, Steven Jackson, Ron Artest, and Jermaine O'Neal would have spent months behind bars. Hell, Todd Bertuzzi never went to jail (although he may still be on probation) after breaking Steve Moore's neck. Which has to beg the question: If Michael Vick had committed a crime against another human being would the punishment (legally and professionally) have been as severe? I know there's more to the question than I've covered here, but it seems to me that one of two things happened. Either A. dog fighting is a much larger problem amoung NFL players than once thought and taking down a figure as large as Vick may have been a way to attempt to control that, or B. the NFL is terrified of PETA and the negative press that comes with the abuse and killing of animals because for some reason, we as a society seem to be used to people beating on each other to the point that the only people that ever make an uproar are the victim and their families. Now when similar treatment is given to animals, there are nationwide protests staged. Now before you get the wrong impression and label me a horrible person (and I am, just for many other reasons) for not caring about the horrible actions of Vick, let me say that his actions were horrid. I really have to question what type of person could do what he did to his dogs. And I know that he personally killed dogs. So don't think there is no moral outrage here against Vick's actions, there is. But what I question is a the attitude of PETA and other animal rights groups holding animals above humans and whether that societal attitude doomed Vick here where other athletes have been able to get out of serious trouble for doing similar things to people. I was going to mention how Ty Cobb literally got away with murder, but that's still kind of considered legend. Although he did go into the stands and beat a heckler stupid. And now that I've gotten this far, I've forgotten what triggered this rant initially, or even what the point was...
Friday, May 15, 2009
I Survived... I think...
One year of grad school down. I'm thinking I'll walk away with an A and 2 B's this semester. Fingers crossed there, because I really don't want to retake any classes. Especally ethics. I just don't get it but apparently to understand professional ethics, you have to have some personal ones, and well...
Anyway, it is going to be weird to be able to read for myself for the first time in a long time. I don't know where to start. I've got plenty of things to look over.
I'm registered in the fall for a class called "The FM DJ" and I'm very curious about this one. I don't know if it will be a how-to production class or more of an intellectual examination of what the FM DJ does and how they learn to become a personality that people what to listen to. Does it fit into my plan? Hell no. But it seems interesting and the other 2 management classes I need aren't being offered in the fall. I'm hoping this doesn't mean I get to stay over an extra semester. I'm already clueless enough when it comes to my Master's project.
And if you haven't, run out and get the new record from Kings of Leon "Only By The Night". Bleeding awesome stuff.
I suppose I should get back to work and find something productive to do for the next 45 minutes. As much as I'd like to call it so, checking up on the Milton Keynes Dons v. Scunthorpe United game sin't really vital to our newsroom activites...
Anyway, it is going to be weird to be able to read for myself for the first time in a long time. I don't know where to start. I've got plenty of things to look over.
I'm registered in the fall for a class called "The FM DJ" and I'm very curious about this one. I don't know if it will be a how-to production class or more of an intellectual examination of what the FM DJ does and how they learn to become a personality that people what to listen to. Does it fit into my plan? Hell no. But it seems interesting and the other 2 management classes I need aren't being offered in the fall. I'm hoping this doesn't mean I get to stay over an extra semester. I'm already clueless enough when it comes to my Master's project.
And if you haven't, run out and get the new record from Kings of Leon "Only By The Night". Bleeding awesome stuff.
I suppose I should get back to work and find something productive to do for the next 45 minutes. As much as I'd like to call it so, checking up on the Milton Keynes Dons v. Scunthorpe United game sin't really vital to our newsroom activites...
Friday, May 8, 2009
So close and yet...
Almost done with a year of grad school. I still have one more project that's due on Thursday and I'm sure I'll be up till all hours Wednesday night trying to get it in. Because that's how I roll. But I'm spending the next 4 days in BG and I'm not touching anything related to that site.
This weekend will literally be the last big bash in BG for everyone. Susie and Tim are moving to El Paso at the end of the month, (I get to drive a Uhaul to Texas!) leaving Lew as pretty much the only member of the VOS inner circle still in the area. I mean, he just bought a house. Knowing my luck I'll end up back there after they toss me the hell out of here, but that's besides the point. Anyway, its going to be fun as hell and a needed break from this place. But at the same time, it will be very emotional. I made a VOS power hour last night and ended it with Leave The Memories Alone by Fuel. And the chorus is pretty much my refusal to let the last 6 years just fade away, and almost is a refusal to move on, which I've been trying to overcome for most of the last few months.
So leave the memories alone, I don't want to see
The way things are, as to how they used to be
Leave the memories alone, don't change a thing
And I'll just hold you here in my memory.
This weekend will literally be the last big bash in BG for everyone. Susie and Tim are moving to El Paso at the end of the month, (I get to drive a Uhaul to Texas!) leaving Lew as pretty much the only member of the VOS inner circle still in the area. I mean, he just bought a house. Knowing my luck I'll end up back there after they toss me the hell out of here, but that's besides the point. Anyway, its going to be fun as hell and a needed break from this place. But at the same time, it will be very emotional. I made a VOS power hour last night and ended it with Leave The Memories Alone by Fuel. And the chorus is pretty much my refusal to let the last 6 years just fade away, and almost is a refusal to move on, which I've been trying to overcome for most of the last few months.
So leave the memories alone, I don't want to see
The way things are, as to how they used to be
Leave the memories alone, don't change a thing
And I'll just hold you here in my memory.
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