Rock Star Training

If you have a child age 10 or older and/or contact with any college-aged person, odds are you either have or have heard about Guitar Hero. I puchased the game last week for my family and it is a big hit. My daughter still needs to practice some of the songs but if she does, she is able to play them after a bit. So I will most likely need to purchase a second guitar so she can rock out with someone else. My son isn't old enough to grasp it yet, but if everything holds together, the game will be waiting for him in a few more years...and who knows by then there may be even more sequels to this game.

My son calls says this game is 'Rock Star Training'. They have songs ranging from Kansas to Megadeth. It's fun to play when you get a group of people together and really rock out!

1-8-07 Headlines

Well we'lls start with the obvious....

New England beat the Jets 37-16. So they will play the Chargers Sunday at 4:30 ET in San Diego.

The early line has the Chargers at -5. It seems as if there are plenty of people on the Charger bandwagon right now.

Also yesterday the Eagles beat the Giants so they will be playing New Orleans. It was fun seeing Eli lose.

Here's the AP matchup capsule for all of the divisional playoff games.

AP announced their All-Pro NFL team today. Of course Tomlinson headlines the story. Other Chargers making it are Antonio Gates, Lorenzo Neal, Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman. The Chargers lead all teams with the most players voted All-Pro by the AP.

The Atlanta Falcons have hired their next coach. Louisville's Bobby Petrino will be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Microsoft sounds like they are gearing up to actually release a new OS. I don't like hearing that Microsoft is going to 'jazz' it up. Just tell me where the option to revert my entire desktop and usability back to the Windows 95 appearance is and I will be fine, thank you.

Plutoed is the word of the year in 2006. I've never heard of the word ever being used in the manner that won Pluto the award...so I'm not sure how it could be word of the year...but evidently this is an award that geeks hand out so whatever.

From Golden Boy To Goat

I am really not too interested in the NFC Playoffs but last night's game between the Seahawks and Cowboys was entertaining enough to keep me watching...and I'm glad I did.

I'm no Cowboys fan by any means. When earlier this season when Bledsoe was benched and Tony Romo came in and won his first few games he was the new annointed one in Dallas and some had the Cowboys as the new NFC favorite to go to the Super Bowl...I grew tired of that quickly and was glad to see the Cowboys lose to good teams and the Romo buzz quickly quieted.

All Tony Romo had to do last night was handle a snap on what would have been the go-ahead field go late in the game and he bobbled it and the Cowboys lose. So how will Cowboy fans react to his blunder? Let's face it, it was probably unlikely the Cowboys would have advanced much further in the playoffs, but with the NFC as shitty as it is this year, who knows...

1-5-07 Headlines

Few things for today's perusing...

Just a couple of NFL coaches either getting fired or quitting. Of course Art Shell getting fired after a 2-14 season isn't that big of surprise. And Cowher leaving the Steelers was talked about before Thanksgiving. It almost seemed as if Cowher and the Steelers knew this was a lame-duck year.

Jason Taylor wins the AP defensive player of the year award. Although many, including myself, think the Chargers' Shawne Merriman was probably the defensive player of the year but severely hurt his chances of winning this award because of his positive steroid test earlier this year.

Now Pittsburgh is willing to bargain. Yesterday Penguins' officials, namely Mario Lemieux, were in Kansas City checking out a potential new home after years of haggling with Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania officials and not getting anywhere. And upon his return Lemieux then met with Pennsylvania officials...who are probably going to do 1 thing extra to try and keep the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh. Screw them, they had their chance and now they are just trying to do the minimum to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Go to where you will be appreciated, it might not be Kansas City but it is clear it isn't Pittsburgh.

Reno 911 and Chappelle Show to go to syndication. At one time there use to be a 'magic' episode number that a show had to reach before it would be considered for syndication. But I guess not anymore. Yes, Reno 911 has had what, 3? 4 seasons and a person wouldn't see the same rerun constantly in syndication. But the Chappelle Show in syndication? There wasn't but 20 or so total episodes...and they have been reran to death already on Comedy Central, not sure how that is going to work in syndication.

Nontheist uprising. It's good to see that a rebellion against religions is growing. In my opinion I think all religions are cults. Religion is used to manipulate people and that all religions and gods have been created by man and thus there is no validity to any of them.

Bush administration taking away more privacy. The current Bush administration has shown that it cares not about an individuals rights or privacy. They have used the 9-11 excuse the whole time to pass laws that take away an individual's freedom and privacy and continue to do so. Now they can open your mail without a warrant.

LT: AP NFL MVP

Let the award parade for LaDainian Tomlinson begin. He was just voted the Associated Press's NFL MVP for 2006.

1-4-07 Headlines

I'm off to a good start, 2 days in a row! And of course the 'headlines' I tend to comment more on will be sports and media related...

Here's headlines for Thursday, January 4th, 2007... and no, this is not a New Years resolution, I never make one.

Floyd Landis supporters start fund to clear his name. What once seemed as a clear-cut doping case against the 2006 Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis, seems to be losing momentum and public support. Now Landis has a group of supporters rallying behind him and his cause. All this will mean that cycling will be less cared about in America than it already is because of the perception of cheating and unfairness.

Tyson arrested with coke. I almost believed Mike when he said Don King took all his money...which still could be true...but I'm guessing a lot of his coin is going up his nose. Youngest person ever to be the undisputed heavyweight champion, now a coke-head.

Chargers OC - Coaching Candidate. San Diego Chargers Offensive Coordinator, Cam Cameron, is rumored to be a coaching prospect for Arizona and Atlanta. Hmmm... do either of those teams have Antonio Gates, the best tight end in the league, or LaDainian Tomlinson, the best running back in the league? Wonder how he would do without them? We will most likely find out.

Pennington, AP comeback player of the year. Chad was a quarterback I liked 3 years ago. After 2 seasons of injuries I didn't know if he could play at a high level this year but he clearly showed that he could. The Jets, who I'll get to watch in a playoff game this weekend, appear to have a fairly solid team and with Pennington healthy, are clearly a tough team to face.

Tank Johnson's locked and loaded. There has to be more to this story then we know right now. The cops find a small arsenal at Tank Johnson's pad with, of course, a small amount of drugs. Tank's bodyguard was also charged and then killed shortly afterwards. And what got Tank into so much trouble? Oh yeah, having 3 loud pit bulls barking and why not just fire off some rounds in your backyard...no one will care about that and besides, what does Tank have to be worried about? It most certainly wouldn't be all the guns and the 550 rounds of ammo he has.

Penguins to Kansas City? A story that has been well over a decade old...the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins' financial troubles. The Penguins' (most likely) greatest player ever, Mario Lemieux is part owner of the team and has tried everything to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. But after what has seemed like eternity, the city of Pittsburgh does not seem interested in keeping the Penguins in their city anymore and I do not blame Mario for seeking another home for the team.

Canada beats U.S. in marathon shootout. UND's Jonathon Toews scores the game winning goal in the 7th(!!!) round of a shootout in the Junior National Hockey Tournament. US loses 2-1.

Juiced baseball's the reason for all the homers. So now we have a company claiming the baseballs used in the '98 season, when McGwire hit 70 home runs had a design that help propel them off the bat. I have a different theory... McGwire was on steroids and so far there has been no proof to the contrary.

USA Network top cable channel in 2006. I only watched golf and tennis on the USA Network but apparently their normal programming is so good that they are the most watched cable channel. My daughter watches the Disney Channel shows which came in 2nd in prime time ratings and all the shows listed there are ones she enjoys.

Trump - O'Donnell Feud. Donald Trump, a person who relishes the spotlight and Rosie O'Donnell, a former comic that was never funny and now a loud, not-funny windbag on a daytime television show have a war of words that required Barbara Walters to intervene. What is the saddest part of this story? Walters showing that she has no credibility left by sticking up for (what?) both Trump and O'Donnell? Or myself, wasting the time to comment on this story?

Downloading movies legally. It looks like the movie industry is trying to take an alternative route than the music industry. Instead of trying to restrict downloading and focus on policing, the movie industry seems to be seeking out solutions to help people download and burn their videos legally. I think most everyone would choose to do things legally if they could choose, but right now there really aren't that many choices that make legal downloading of media very convenient.

Police reunion rumors. The band Police apparently may reunite for a tour in 2007. I liked early Police - Ghost In The Machine and that was about it. I can not STAND "Every Breathe You Take" because it was literally played on repeat on MTV during it's hey-day.

1-3-07 Headlines

Something I am going to try to do more frequently is sift out and post some comments on stories, events and other miscellaneous items that I come across the world wide web... so here's the first installment, and the listing is in no order of importance...

Iverson ejected in the first game against his former team. The 76'ers end up beating the Nuggets fairly handedly as Iverson gets ejected with 1:44 left in the game. In a game that Iverson could display just what the 76'ers gave up on, the sixers end up with the last laugh by winning on the road against Iverson's new team.

Sadam's execution video-taped, official accused. It seems that anything done to any Islamic follower, especially a leader, will bring an outcry from their supporters as well as their opponents and the video-taping and subsequent releasing of the video on the internet and television has certainly stirred the pot. The official that apparently video-taped it on his cell phone is being held in custody and will likely face some punishment.

Ford's funeral. The first president I remember as a child, Gerald Ford will be put to rest in Michigan. Dubbed by the media as a down-to-earth, simple yet smart man. Born and raised in Michigan, those in Michigan have turned out in force to pay their respects to one of their state heroes.

Nick Saban to take Alabama job. Nick Saban seems like a coach that is willing to pack up and move to anywhere that will pay him more. He didn't show much success in the NFL so maybe he is getting out while the getting is good. He may be like Pete Carroll of USC, a good college coach but not so good on the professional level. The details surrounding his departure from the Dolphins does really cloud his character. Some early reports state that Saban did not show up at the Dolphins' headquarters and told his coaching staff he was leaving via conference phone.

Matt Millen to remain Lions president. Millen took over football operations for the Detroit Lions in 2001. Since then the Lions have gone 24-72, worst in the NFL over that same span. Have had top draft picks every year under Millen and the Lions continue to suck every year. Millen has to have something on somebody to have such a dismal performance record and maintain such a lofty position in a football organization. But they hire a new defensive coordinator...that should fix things up...

Peter Forsberg is killing my fantasy team! Peter Forsberg, who just so happens to be on my fantasy hockey team, when playing is about as good a player as you could hope for on a fantasy squad. But this season Forsberg has been hurt more than skating and when you use an early pick on someone like Forsbert your team as a whole suffers.

Golf Channel to begin airing PGA events. I'm not really a huge PGA golf fan, but I do enjoy watching it when it is on, especially the majors. Having DirecTV and the Golf Channel I thought the 'Golf Channel' would be airing PGA events...but only a few select rounds and really, not that much PGA. That all changes this year. The Golf Channel will have full coverage for a few events and early round coverage of others. I always thought why even bother having Thursday and Friday coverage on one of the other cable stations (USA or ESPN) when they only air 2 hours of coverage in the afternoon. If Tiger isn't playing during that time, no one is watching and not to mention coverage would often end with players still golfing...so why even bother? Hopefully this all changes with the Golf Channel's coverage. And to make things tough on themselves, the Golf Channel plans on having a female as the lead-caster for their coverage. I will reserve judgment on her ability until I have heard her, but they could have gotten a more recognizable name/voice that may bring them more instant credibility.

ESPN/ABC trying to lure Barber. The NY Giants are in the playoffs but with word that Tiki Barber is retiring has ABC sports trying to recruit Barber for their Good Morning America show. A popular east coast athlete usually has no problem landing a television deal after they are done playing their sport.

Will Favre retire? Just like winter turns to spring Brett Favre will likely do the same song and dance routine he did last year. He will hold off making an announcement about whether he is returning to play for the Green Bay Packers or will retire until god knows when. What is just plain stupid about Brett Favre is that he truly doesn't give a shit about the Green Bay Packers. If he did what he did last year by not telling the team his status before the draft, after the draft and then hold a press conference to tell everyone that he still doesn't know what he is going to do is just plain bullshit. I think he likes to make sure he remains a story in the off-season but I'm just plain sick of Brett Favre. You got your record and that is all I think he cares about now, is padding his consecutive start record.

The Wheel and Jeopardy signed through 2012. All these new game shows during prime time all SUCK, yes they all SUCK. They are lame and all about filling a time slot. The best game show has always been Jeopardy. Lots of questions, and tough ones at that, with a simple game play. The reason Jeopardy wouldn't last in prime time is because intelligent television viewers are clearly in the minority.

Teens Binge Drink

Here's a wild one for you... a completed U.S. government study found out that nearly 50% of American teens recently consumed alcohol illegally and that most are binge drinkers...that is drinking 5 or more drinks in one sitting.

O.K., I admit that the study to find that 1/2 of America's kids are drinking is noteworthy...but to go on and determine that most are binge drinkers...well, no shit! I have yet to know or meet a teenager that would get home from school and crack open a nice cold beer and relax for a bit. Why? Because their parents would beat them, for starters. And then most teenagers don't even know why a person would consider drinking alcohol to not get wasted, I mean why would you drink alcohol to just drink alcohol and not get wasted?

When I was in high school any Friday or Saturday evening that we could find a location to drink was awesome but that oftentimes was the easy part. You then needed to find someone of age to buy for you and many times that meant you bought for them as well. Which leads to the final obstacle...money. Working a part-time, minimum wage job meant that you were lucky to have $10 at all on any given weekend, let alone enough to spend on liquor. So, if you got lucky, you would grab your warm case of Keystone beer and go out and party like a rockstar. If you were unable to finish all of the beer you purchased it was almost always left at the site because you can't take it home...your parents would find it and/or drink it which is no good to you.

Teenagers binge drinking? Wow, one would never have guessed...

Playoffs Set, Chargers Wait For Opponent

The Chargers, clinching a first-round bye and home field advantage for the entire playoffs, will have the luxury of watching the games this weekend and see who they get to play. If Indianapolis wins then they will play the winner of the Patriots-Jets game. If Kansas City wins, they will play the Chiefs.

I think out of the 3 teams the Chiefs would be the most beatable. They haven't looked good down the stretch. Regardless, I think the Chargers should be able to defeat whichever team they face in their first playoff game.

The Baltimore Ravens have the other first round bye, but will face the Colts in their first game if Indy beats KC...a tough first game.

The AFC is certainly the better side of the playoff bracket and I think that whichever AFC team goes to the Super Bowl, they will defeat the NFC team.

Vacation Over

After close to 2 weeks off, I'm back to work, the kids are back at school and life needs to return to normal. Hopefully everyone had a good holiday season and a happy new year. I was able to hang with the kids all of last week, we even went back to visit my parents and family. It was a nice time.

The Path To The Super Bowl Goes Through San Diego

I've been on vacation so haven't been posting much, but I have to take a break from relaxing to post that the Chargers conclude the 2006 season with the best record in the AFC, the best record in team history, 14-2.

Which means the obvious...the Chargers will have home field advantage until the Super Bowl...

Don't fuck this one up Marty....

8 Chargers Make Pro Bowl

When your team does well, many are recognized and rewarded. The Chargers, who will at least tie the team record for wins in a season (12), will send 9, yes, NINE players to the Pro Bowl which is more than any other team.

Of course the Pro Bowl is a boring, non-game that I will probably not watch as in past years, but being selected to go is an honor in itself.

Charger Pro Bowlers are:

LaDainian Tomlinson, Phillip Rivers, Lorenzo Neal, Antonio Gates and center Nick Hardwick. Jamal Williams and Shawne Merriman get selected on the defensive side of the bowl and Nate Kaeding and Kasim Osgood both go to their first Pro Bowl as special teamers.

Chargers Avenge Loss, Beat Chiefs

The Chargers beat the Chiefs 20-9 but the game was close throughout.

Phillip Rivers had probably his worst game of the season, throwing for under 100 yards and had 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. But the Charger team is well balanced...the defense played well, not giving up any touchdowns and of course, the story of the year for the Chargers and the NFL, LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns...breaking even more records in doing so, including the 46 year old scoring record previously held by Paul Hornung. Tomlinson currently has 186 points.

Both the Colts and the Ravens won, so the pressure is still on the Chargers. Losing a game now may still cost the Chargers home field and/or a first round-bye and after playing so good all season there is no time to take any games off. Next up is the Seahawks who failed to clinch their division last week and if they win they are in. That will be in Seattle and the Chargers end the season against Arizona at home. I'd like to see the team come out and finish up strong and stay sharp for the playoffs.

Happy Holidays

Just got done putting up the Christmas tree...

Here's a couple of the decorations...

Chargers - Chiefs: Some Motivation For Both

So this weekend's game between the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs - the NFL's Sunday night prime time game - may have lost a little spice since the Chargers wrapped up the AFC West last week. But not so... The Chargers currently hold the best record in the AFC but if they were to falter and fall into a tie with Baltimore, the Ravens hold the tiebreak and thus, the Chargers lose home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There is also some hard feelings held amongst many of the Charger players. After the Chargers lost to the Chiefs (their last and only 2nd loss of the year) in October, Chiefs rookie De Tamba Hali came out saying that the Chargers were 'soft'. This still is not sitting well with many Charger players and it sounds like the Chargers are coming out to prove that they are not only the best team in the league, but that they most certainly are not soft.

On the other side of the coin, the Chiefs are still in the playoff hunt. A loss now could mean the end of their season. And to give the Chiefs even more motivation, their owner, Lamar Hunt, may soon pass away from his bout with cancer. Lamar Hunt founded the AFL and gave the Super Bowl it's name. Truly an instrumental figure in the history of the NFL and will be missed by all.

The Past Is Paying Off

One more reason I really like the current Charger organization is their front office. I think it is just silly the amount of money first round picks get, especially the top picks. The Chargers, who (in the recent past) have had top picks have not been shy about trading them away and of course the draft day analysts are quick to judge the Chargers move(s) in the now....but let's take a look at a couple of big draft day moves...

First, in 2001 the Chargers traded the top pick to Atlanta, they pick Michael Vick. Every year since then Vick (when healthy) makes some fantastic plays every week but Atlanta, as a team, doesn't do much. This year was the same. Who did the Chargers trade down to pick? Well, you guessed it, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Fast forward to the 2005 draft. Eli Manning, the whining cry-baby, picked by the Chargers wouldn't even put the Charger hat on his head. Traded on draft day to the NY Giants and the Chargers get Phillip Rivers and use the Giants 1st round pick to get Shawne Merriman. I wonder if NY Giant fans are happy with that deal? I certainly know us Charger fans are.

I am the first one to admit that the draft is a crap shoot and that is why I think it is absurd to dump a bunch of money on a player that has yet to take a snap in the NFL...ie: Ryan Leaf. The draft tactics John Bulter and A.J. Smith (Charger GM) have used has proven itself to be productive for the team as a whole. Don't mortgage your future off on one player in the hopes they work out because there is always some other team desperate enough to do so. The end result is that instead of the 'big' college name your squad will in return get more picks that have the potential of becoming an important factor on your team.

Chargers Throttle The Broncos, Clinch AFC West Title

Chargers scored 4 touchdowns in the first half. A turnover and no offense in the third had the Broncos closing the game and going into the 4th quarter the Chargers had an 8 point lead. But the Broncos try twice on fourth down to convert in the final quarter and failed both times. The Chargers put 20 points up in the fourth quarter and the final has the Chargers destroying the Broncos convincingly, 48-20. Chiefs lost earlier in the day so the Chargers have officially won the AFC West and are in the playoffs. The Colts also fell earlier in the day so the Chargers also now possess the best record in the AFC and if that holds, the road to the Super Bowl goes through San Diego.

LaDainian Tomlinson ends the day with 3 touchdowns, breaking the single season scoring record set last year by Shaun Alexander. Tomlinson has 29 touchdowns and there is still 3 games left to go...he has an opportunity to set a mark that may last for while...but the scoring record has been broken almost every year (or other year) since 2000.

A big win, a big day and what makes the whole result even more satisfying was the Chargers gave a beat down to the Broncos to cap it all off...

HOF'ers Deserve The Scrutiny

One of the class acts of baseball, Cal Ripken Jr. probably sums up my feelings best about these Hall Of Fame baseball players that either were on steroids or suspected of doing so...

Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't want the steroid scandal that has tarnished Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame chances to do the same to his own inevitable induction.

"The Hall of Fame run, it should be a celebration of the player's career," Ripken said Tuesday at the baseball winter meetings. "I hope, if that happens with me, that it would be a celebration."

It will be a sad day when baseball writers begin to vote in roid boys, but the bright side is that their induction will have the cloud of suspicion hanging over the entire ceremony...unfortunately, it won't do much to the player that will more than likely revel over their accomplishments.

Chargers Win And Their In

The Chargers, riding a six game win streak, meet the Denver Broncos for the second time this season and within the past 3 weeks. The Chargers beat the Broncos in Denver to become the outright AFC West leader. The Broncos proceed then to lose their following 2 games and now are sitting 3 games out of the division lead. So the Broncos will be bringing their 'A' game this Sunday because a lose will most certainly hurt their playoff hopes and would secure the Chargers in the playoffs and (I do believe) the AFC West title.

Of course the news from Denver the past 2 weeks is the benching of Jake Plummer and the beginning of the Jay Cutler era in Denver. The Seahawks tried everything they could to lose to Denver this past Sunday but managed to eek out a win. I like to think the Chargers will be some stiffer competition for the Broncos and that Cutler would have a tough time against the Charger defense.

Of course the big story to watch will be whether or not LaDainian Tomlinson will break Shaun Alexander's touchdown mark. Currently Tomlinson needs 2 td's to tie and 3 to break the record. With 4 games to go -Broncos, Chiefs, Seahawks, Cardinals- he should have no problem doing so barring any injuries.

Chargers: Life Is Good

Wow... being a Charger fan where there are no other Charger fans is weird... the "home team" where I'm at is the Minnesota Vikings and I shouldn't have to say much more about that if you follow football at all... and in case you don't, my father's advice, since I was young...and yes, he is a Viking fan.. and if I would continue with those stories would prove it amongst the hardest-core Viking fans.. but his words, after following the Vikings for their entire NFL history has said, always said and (I'm waiting for him to say different) never pick the Vikes.

And, do the research... you're winning a lot of money if you never pick the Vikes... today, like most Sunday's puts the 'home town' in a gloom, yet, I'm a Charger fan up at noon watching football... normally the Vikes fans are filing out shaking their heads before I even have 3 beers in me...so I will only say that my glee is not fully expressed in my environment...yet, wearing my Charger gear around these parts is pretty fun... because getting Charger gear (up until this year) has been fairly tough... so I basically knew the other 5 Charger fans in this town. This team is fun to watch...

O.K. I'll say the referees, and Ed Hochuli as the head ref (who I think is very anti-Charger), gave more than 1 favorable call to the Chargers.

The end result... LaDainian Tomlinson continues to be the shit. Over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone! Merriman returned and was a definate presence. Rivers didn't make any glaring mistakes but the past 2 games hasn't looked as good as earlier this year but the defense will hopefully be as close to 100% in the next week or two in time for the playoffs.

And to make things even better, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos and that gives the Chargers a 3 game lead over both the Broncos and the Chiefs and currently tied for the best record in the NFLat 10-2.

If the Chargers can beat the Broncos next week, that could/should all but clinch the AFC West Championship... and if not, when the Chargers throttle the Cheifs the following week would do that... both games in San Diego...

Chargers beat the Bills 24-21...

Go Chargers!