Jackson Signs

With the bad news comes a little good news:

After talks between the Chargers and second-round draft pick Vincent Jackson came to a standstill on Tuesday, the Bolts announced today that the two sides had reached an agreement on a five-year contract. Jackson will be at Charger Park when the Bolts begin their full-squad workouts on Friday.

(From Chargers.com)

Gates Holding Out... Not Good...

Not good news for us Charger fans, Antonio Gates has decided to hold out. There was some question on whether or not he would report to camp on time because in the offseason the Chargers did try to negotiate a long term deal, but nothing materialized.

The Charger brass need to move his signing as priority one right now. He has earned a good deal and I hope the Chargers step up and make him happy and a Charger for a long time....and most importantly, right now!

Some Libertarian Thoughts...

Not sure why I've neglected posting some of my Libertarian thoughts regarding some issues...maybe it's because down every corner all you see is more government intrusion, more freedoms and liberties being taken from us and just overall anti-liberty movements that are supported with little, if any, outrage by the people and/or the media...which in my eyes is just plain wrong.

We can start out with the highest court of the land, the U.S. Supreme Court. The institution that was to insure that the constitution is upheld as the definative law of this country. The justices of the Supreme Court, I think, have not ever heard or seen the U.S. Constitution because ruling after ruling after ruling they have most certainly ruled against freedom and liberty. This year the Supreme Court ruled that medicial marijuana is illegal regardless of state law(s). Even having this issue go to the Supreme Court, I feel, is just plain a waste of time. While most of the civilized world has come to the realization that marijuana is considerably less harmful then 90% of legalized drugs, the United States continues a hard, federal-sponsored anti-marijuana campaign. The citizens of this country, to prove that they are brain-washed, non-thinking drones to the government allows the anti-pot rhetoric and criminalization continue...and you would think in this new age of 'terrorism' that more folks would want to better prioritize the money spent on the 'drug war'. Then in June, the Supreme Court ruled that (quote from www.lp.org): "A state or local government can now seize a home or neighborhood, raze it, and allow a privately owned business to build a mall or office building or even a parking lot there -- as long as the bureaucrats in charge can claim the new project will yield higher property taxes than the land's original use did." When did I move to Nazi-Germany?

After Bush came out in a speech saying that America could be in Iraq for up to 12 more years, the Libertarian party came out with it's exit strategy of Iraq that would have the US out of Iraq in 12 months. I may not agree totally with the entire strategy, but I would gladly accept that plan over a non-descript 12 year plan.

And just some 'internal' Libertarian party politics, the national Libertarian party leaders decided to up the membership dues from $25 yearly to $50 yearly, it was done without a member or even state vote. Well, if you know anything about Libertarians you'd know the reaction that this action received...it was not pleasant. So in the latest LP Newsletter I see the articles already that are pushing for $0 membership fees. Not only is that being trumpeted, the voters of the increased dues are coming out saying that they knew a 0$ membership fee would eventually be implemented for the party. The trouble is that the Libertarian on a national level doesn't have a lot of cash. I think the $0 membership fee may not add to the cofers of the party in the short-term, I think it to be a better move for the party as a whole in the long term.

Gift Giving...

So my wife and I's 10th wedding anniversary is next week and I'm searching for a gift. In the past I have always came up with something pretty good without going bankrupt. But I'm tired of buying jewelry primarily because my wife never wears any of it... I've given her a tennis bracelet, diamond and gold earrings and necklaces and so on, but rarely is it ever worn... in fact she rarely wears her wedding ring...and no, it doesn't bother me... so I really don't want to drop a large sum of money on something that will remain in a box 99.9% of time, only worn once or twice every decade.

So that's where the dilemna then comes... the 10th anniversary is obviously a biggie, so I can't screw things up. There is no chance that we will be going anywhere alone for a special supper/meal or else I would have a little 'aid' in creating a special evening together... in fact, my initial thought(s) is to take the entire family somewhere out to eat, but with a 3 and 8 year old, all of our attention will be towards the kids. So the 'gift' then has even more importance...the problem is, I have absolutely no idea what to get her. I hate shopping and have close to no idea where to even begin to look for something that I think she would appreciate...that is other than a jewelry store. So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm 'on the clock' looking for a gift... I have Monday off and the kids will be at daycare, so I'm targeting that date as my 'do or die' day... I have to get her something on that day or else she may just be receiving a lump of cash...and I know that won't go over all that well...

Castillo Signs, Jackson Talks Hit Snag

It is great to hear the the Chargers got one of their top picks, Luis Castillo, signed and into camp on time. But as I wrote just yesterday, I thought Vincent Jackson would also sign fairly soon and hopefully without any issues. Well word is that talks with Jackson are, according to Charger GM A.J. Smith, "broken down" or according to Neil Schwatz, Jackson's agent, "I never characterize talks as breaking down," Schwartz said. "I never look at it that way. . . . I want to get a deal done. I truly believe they want to get a deal done."

Regardless, I would like to see Jackson in camp sooner than later and hopefully both sides haven't taken any 'hard lines' that will prevent a long hold out...

Castillo Signs

Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith announced Tuesday that the club has reached an agreement on a five-year contract with the 28th overall pick in this year’s draft, Luis Castillo.

Story here.

Charger Camp Opens Today

I don't think I have had this much optimism for a Charger team since....ah....maybe ever???? So it's time to get the preseason camp underway. Rookies are to report to Charger camp today with veterans on Friday. As of right now the top 3 Charger picks: (first rounders) Shawne Merriman, Luis Castillo and (second-round) pick Vincent Jackson were not signed...but this is standard operating procedure for the Chargers. I am hopeful that Jackson and Castillo will both sign fairly soon...Jackson, from a division 1-aa school (U. Northern Colorado) will want to get on the field and show his worth..and the buzz surrounding him has all been positive and I would hate to see a ugly contract dispute mar his image. Castillo was a late first round pick and with his admitted steroid use to recover from an injury, should also want to take the field to avoid any further controversy.

The San Francisco 49ers signed the number one overall pick, Alex Smith yesterday...for an insane amount of money I might add. But this then should cause the 'trickle down' effect and picks after him now know the going value.

The Chargers are also now having their camp at their year-round facility, the first time in 36 years that the Chargers are not at another location for their preseason practices. There seem to be both a 'good and bad' viewpoint...but compared to the last couple of years when the camp was held in 'smog city' (Carson, CA - just outside LA), I would think most players would have to enjoy the fresh air more than anything.

Anyways, I'm really excited for the upcoming season and have high aspirations...hopefully the Charger team won't let me down. Go Chargers!

Let The Cutting Begin

So it has begun...

With the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement in place, so does a new era for the NHL...the salary cap era. As a result the teams that are already over that cap need to adjust their rosters and you will see a ton of big names floating out there as free agents...

It began Saturday when the Philadelphia Flyers bought out the contracts of John LeClair and Tony Amonte. LeClair was due $6.8 million this next year and Amonte $4.26 million, it's probably very unlikely that either will make near that if they do sign with a new team this next season.

Today, word from Detroit is that the Red Wings are waiving defenseman Derian Hatcher and forwards Darren McCarty and Ray Whitney, all three quality veteran players who all will no-doubtedly land on new teams but with reduced contracts.

The trend so far...at least from these two moves...is shedding your team of the players who appear to be in their waning period of their NHL career but have substantial contracts. I think this is all good for the NHL. Theses big name veterans, with the new salary cap in place, makes them affordable to the smaller and mid-market NHL teams. I think of a team like the Minnesota Wild, a team that sells out every game but still can not muster enough scratch to land a big name/quality player, but that all changes now and I think overall will add a great deal of parity to the league, making the game as a whole that much better.

Of course the announcement of the new cba isn't the only big news for the NHL, they also are implementing some new rule changes which should also bring a whole new look to the game. Here's the low-down on them all straight from NHL.com:

DIMENSIONS OF THE RINK

• The neutral-zone edges of the blue lines will be positioned 64 feet from the attacking goal line and 75 feet from the end boards in the attacking zone. The addition of four feet in each of the offensive zones should encourage more offensive play, particularly on power-plays.


• The goal lines will be positioned 11 feet from the end boards, two feet closer to the end boards than previously.


• The size of the neutral zone will be reduced to 50' from 54'.


• The blue lines and center line will remain at 12 inches in width.

FEWER STOPPAGES, INCREASED "FLOW"

• Passes from behind the defensive blue line to the attacking blue line will be considered legal. The center red line will be ignored for purposes of the "two line pass".


• "The Tag-up Rule" will permit play to continue if offensive players who preceded the puck into the zone return to the blue line and "tag" it.

ICING THE PUCK

• Icing the puck offenses still will be penalized by a face-off in the defensive zone of the team that ices the puck.


• A team that ices the puck cannot make a line change prior to the ensuing face-off.


• "Touch" icing will remain the practice, although the Linesman will have discretion to wave off apparent icing infractions if they are deemed the result of an attempted pass. Providing the discretion to the Linesman also should have the effect of reducing the number of situations in which a race for the puck might result in an injury to a player.

INSTIGATOR RULE

• A player who instigates a fight in the final five minutes of a game will receive a game misconduct and an automatic one-game suspension. The length of suspension would double for each additional incident.


• As well, the player's Coach will be fined $10,000 -- a fine that would double for each such incident.

LIMITS ON GOALTENDERS

• The dimensions of goaltender equipment will be reduced by approximately 11 percent. In addition to a one-inch reduction (to 11') in the width of legpads, the blocking glove, upper-body protector, pants and jersey will also be reduced in size.


• Goaltenders may play the puck behind the goal line only in a trapezoid-shaped area defined by lines that begin six feet from either goal post and extend diagonally to points 28 feet apart at the endboards.

OFFICIATING POINTS OF EMPHASIS

• Zero tolerance on Interference, Hooking and Holding/Obstruction.


• Goaltenders who play the puck behind the goal line but outside the designated puck handling area will be penalized for delay of game.


• Goaltenders will be penalized for delaying the game if they "freeze" the puck unnecessarily.


• Any player who shoots the puck directly over the glass in his defending zone will be penalized for delay of game.

SHOOTOUT

• Following a scoreless five-minute overtime, three players from each team participate in the order the coach selects.


• Each team takes three shots. The team with the most goals after those six shots is the winner.


• If the score remains tied, the shootout will proceed to a "sudden death" format.


• Regardless the number of goals scored during the shootout portion of overtime, the final score recorded for the game will give the winning team one more goal than the score at the end of regulation time.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

• In addition to the minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct/diving that may be assessed by the Referee during a game, Hockey Operations will review game videos and assess fines to players who dive or embellish a fall or a reaction, or who feigns injury in an attempt to draw penalties.


• The first such incident will result in a warning letter being sent to the player.


• The second such incident will result in a $1,000 fine.


• The third such incident will result in a $2,000 fine.


• The fourth such incident will result in a one-game suspension.


• Public complaints or derogatory comments toward the game also will result in fines.

Star Trek Stars Many Talents...

With the passing of James Doohan (Scotty in the original Star Trek tv series), many a blog spent a moment to bring back some of those fond Star Trek memories of old...

My buddy Kevin from The Talk Arena had a post that showed how 'cool' Bill Shatner was in performing his rendition of Rocket Man. And of course after viewing this, there is no question of how 'cool' Shatner is...

After circulating that amongst some friends I quickly was given a link to a Leonard Nimoy video that is the EXACT opposite of what 'cool' is... The web site "Spock's Greatest Hits - The Two Sides Of Leonard Nimoy" has this little snipit to prepare you for what you will see:

"Side Two features one of the most amazing artifacts ever committed to vinyl: "The Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins". Not satisfied with his musical disembowling of the most popular sci-fi series of all time, Mr. Nimoy turned his substantial talents towards the works of an elderly British fantasy literature writer.

In the course of the 2 minutes 18 seconds of horror that follow, not only is the plot of the entire novel given away but Nimoy knowingly lets the listener in on what Bilbo is really smoking in his pipe down in that wacky hobbit-hole. There is also a bassoon solo."

Anyways, for some 100% pure corn value, here's a direct link to Leonard Nimoy's performance of "The Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins"...enjoy!

Nothing Better To Do And Stupid

So Hillary Clinton got her wish. Rockstar Games is relabeling it's pc version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from a "M" (Mature) rating to an "Adult" rating.

Ok, so let's go over this whole story again and make sure all the stupidity is clearly found...

So GTA: SA is released for the PC, but Rockstar games purposely 'locked' out nudity and/or sex scenes - with probably little doubt knowing that they would be unlocked by some 'chip-head'. I do have this game, but have yet to utilize this 'mod' yet...but I will and maybe that will change my perspective... but are they SOOOO bad that Rockstar Games knew that it would prevent the sales of this game?

Which leads me to my next point... Obviously Hillary Clinton (and other poo-poo'ers of the game) have not seen any portion of this game being played nor know anything about it. Any nudity and/or sex in the game is actually a 'nice' part of the game... a break from shooting, stealing, beating, destroying, swearing, etc... etc... To applaud that it's rating gets changed from a "M" to Adult is quite comical in its own self.

Which leads right into the next point... the rating is changed from Mature to Adult...let me repeat that...from Mature to Adult. So the retailers that are pulling this game from it's shelves now are doing so because of this... so prior to the rating change you had to be 18 to purchase the game...now, because it is an Adult rated game means what? You have to go to a adult video store to get it? I mean come on... again, it was fine for the Wal-Marts and Best Buys to carry the game when it only involved carjackings, baseball beatings, drive-by shootings and such but now that you have some nudity and/or sex involved, that's over the line...pull it from the shelves. Am I the only one confused about where the bar is set in terms for this rating? And how you can then legitimize stocking the game when it only had the "M" rating, but now the Adult rating is just too much. My brain is on the brink of exploding in trying to decipher any of those components of this story.

I do believe though that in the end Rockstar Games is getting what it secretly desired...lots more press to sell even more games. The game is/was one of the biggest selling games and now that it is on the brink of being 'illegal' it only increases it's desirability amongst gamers...and who are these gamers? Teen-agers who will no-doubtedly be the number one consumers for this product. So Hillary Clinton will pat herself on the back for getting Rockstar Games to 'bend' and change their rating...but the reality is that all she did was probably sell untold millions more of this game to America's youth by trumpeting the 'evils' of this game... so in the end, everyone comes out a winner...

ESPN Accelerating It's Decline

It's funny how some of these cable channels try so desperately to shed themselves of the very product that made the channel popular to begin with.

Just like MTV (Music Television) and VH-1 no longer show music videos - at least during any time period a normal person is awake, and even when they do, you would be fortunate to see one video every half-hour crammed in-between endless promos for their 'shows' and commercials. ESPN looks like it will be carrying less 'sports programming' and more on the 'entertainment' side...

ESPN already created and has a lame award show, The ESPY's... which gives awards to athletes that have already won more than their share of awards. It looks like ESPN is going to obtain the rights to the Contender. They have 2 movies in the works (Codebreakers and 4 Minutes), but the most glaring move towards lamesness in the article detailing the upcoming movies is ESPN Hollywood. Which is (and I quote):

"ESPN Hollywood" will be an "Access Hollywood"- or "Entertainment Tonight"-style show but focused squarely on the intersection between Hollywood, celebrity and sports stars.

My interpretation: ESPN just giving over-hyped athletes another avenue to be 'over-hyped'. ESPN already has a show devoted totally to Shaq, enough lame game-shows hosted by Stuart Scott and street ball, you'd think that their suckiness couldn't suck much more...but NO, the brain trust at ESPN has grander plans and I am sure won't be satisfied until all 'real' sports are no longer aired on ESPN - they'll move them to Deportes (or whatever the spanish version is) just to try and get you call your cable company to order it - and instead ESPN will be fully devoted to airing this crap... movies, lame game-shows hosted by Stuart Scott, street ball, ESPN Hollywood and the assorted 'reality' series' that they come up with.

Good job ESPN...with the exception of Monday Night NFL, I don't think I'll be watching much else on that channel...that is until MNF is moved to exclusively on Deportes...

Hurricane Emily Damage

The wreckage of a small aircraft leans against a storage house of the airport after Hurricane Emily hit the area in Playa del Carmen, Mexico July 18, 2005. Hurricane Emily lashed beach resorts on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)

Aftermath Of Hurricane Dennis

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a ship passing in front of BP's listing semi-submersible oil platform, Thunder Horse, Tuesday, July 12, 2005, in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles southeast of New Orleans. The platform was found listing after Hurricane Dennis, and BP spokesman Ronnie Chappell says a cause has not been determined. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Robert M. Reed)

Alworth's Number To Be Retired

In tribute to the accomplishments of legendary wide receiver Lance Alworth, the first American Football League player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and one of the most popular athletes in San Diego history, the San Diego Chargers will formally retire jersey number 19 in a halftime ceremony during the Chargers-Bills game on November 20.

Alworth's famous number 19 will join Dan Fouts' number 14 as the only two retired numbers in the team's 46-year history. Fouts' number was retired in 1988.

Planet With 3 Suns

A NASA-funded astronomer has discovered a world where the sun sets over the horizon, followed by a second sun and then a third, as pictured in this artist's conception released by NASA July 13, 2005. The new planet, called HD 188753 Ab, is the first known to reside in a classic triple-star system. The astronomer, Dr. Maciej Konacki of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, found the planet using the Keck I telescope atop Mauna Kea mountain in Hawaii. The finding, reported in this week's issue of Nature, suggests that planets are more robust than previously believed. NO SALES REUTERS/NASA/Handout

Game On!

So the NHL and the player's union (NHLPA) have tentatively agreed to a collective bargaining agreement (cba) that will allow the league to start back up and play a full schedule of games for the 2005-06 season.

Looking at the early reports it is clear that after the long lockout the player's caved the most. A 24% rollback on all player salaries to start out with, and then a $39 million cap for all teams with a $21.5 million minimum floor is the basic framework. And then the 'salary cap' for each season will be determined on league revenues, thus, linkage to income and salaries. So it will be interesting to see if the $39 million cap holds for next season, which is based on $1.8 billion of revenue, with disgruntled fans and an ever declining fan base.

I still like hockey. I've mentioned numerious times that I felt the player's union was in the wrong. They seemed to think that the NHL teams were holding out on them and when the facts began to surface were clearly wrong. They could have agreed to some last minute deals to save last season, instead they chose to agree to nothing and further hurt the entire league. The players will probably feel more pain (from their pocketbook) then the owners both short-term and long-term due to their actions...

Vacation Recap

My 'spur of the moment' vacation has ended... I hadn't intended on taking all of last week off from work, but because of other factors, I decided to take a week off...here's the highlights...

Vacation starts on Friday, July 1st...

Saturday the entire family travels to Bismarck to see our family. Had a good time, went to the zoo and I saw a couple of buddies. Also traveled up to Lake Sakakawea/Garrison Dam for a brief spell. The water level has been really low on the Missouri and Lake Sakakawea due to several year drought in Montana and downstream needs...really it is the Army Corps. of Engineers that manages the river that is most to blame...only now, after water levels are at an all-time low do they begin implementing water saving techniques.

Returned home on July 4th, watched fireworks with the kids.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was home with the kids. Had some quality 'bonding' time with them.

Thursday I traveled to Minneapolis to go to the Sounds Of The Underground Tour to see Clutch. Clutch was awesome, as always...I didn't go for the entire day of music (I'm not 18 anymore) but we did happen to catch 3 bands prior to Clutch and why are they on this tour? With the exception of Clutch, these bands are all in the 'death metal' type genre, whereas Clutch is clearly not...an odd lineup, but a good show...beers were too expensive though...Traveled back home on Friday.

Saturday went to Fort Ransom State Park. Never been there. Temperature was well into the 90's and Fort Ransom State Park is literally in the middle of nowhere. My grandmother had never seen my 3 year-old son and there was an informal reunion on my mother's side, so we made the journey there and back so my son could meet his great-grandmother.

All-in-all it was a pretty good vacation...of course, as with all vacations, it was too short...

Enjoying Slacking

So I'm "officially" on vacation, but reality has been I've been not working (or doing work related activity) since June 11th... it will be tough to get back into the groove, but that will be a later development.....Unfortunately it is "feast or famine" in my occupation, so the slow time is much enjoyed for I will end up working 8 months in a row come September......but until then, I'm enjoying it... drinking too much and having way too much fun then I should have for my age....

Observation:

I don't normally watch ESPN because it sucks, but on vacation, there is nothing else on TV so that's what I have the TV on... and how bad does Danica Patrick have to suck so I don't see a 3 minute feature on her? Last I checked she sucked and no one cared about the IRL but ESPN continues to hype this... but oh yeah, they have a vested interest in it and want me to watch... to date I haven't watched a single IRL race since......... EVER...

I would rather see a feature on Lance Armstrong and the Tour De'France... here's a guy that is going for an unprecedented 7th win and that gets barely 30 seconds of coverage on ESPN and instead they have a 3 minute piece on Danica Patrick for the 36th day in a row.... is she that good looking???? Well, to race-heads, maybe.... but to a 'sports geek' that I am.... no..... ESPN sucks.... if Fox Sports didn't suck as much - when not covering live sports (same as ESPN), then I'd have an option....at least they don't have Stuart Scott, but that's all they got going for them right now...

Another Cool Tomlinson Pic

Again, some really die-hard Charger fans on the San Diego Tribune Forums...that's why I frequent it!

Here's another cool Tomlinson picture...

The Holiday Weekend Descends

So the 4th Of July Holiday weekend is underway. I hope everyone has a safe and good holiday. I'll be on hiatus until next week...