tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-176535152024-03-06T19:50:39.991-08:00Eat, Sleep, Poker: The College Life and The American DreamDepending on how motivated/lazy I am, this blog site will be about my poker experiences and other aspects that are going on in my life. I will also post comments about events and try to use humor (if possible). One day hopefully, I can travel the world and live this American Dream.The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-43169353114321546392014-07-13T16:38:00.001-07:002014-07-13T17:18:40.650-07:00My 2 Cents on Richard Marx's "Beautiful Goodbye"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M23ZRfXwIZRX7sKhfEONMUgly1-bnli5LiUZHSTTrNpVrxKXAO7Gz6ZcqHWdw0Ac_Wy7it6y3zEmjT75pEQcUq7Obp_rGGvCrAWbYN-UeUVyAhinHR-TEaR9Qy2XVns_l23bzQ/s1600/BG+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M23ZRfXwIZRX7sKhfEONMUgly1-bnli5LiUZHSTTrNpVrxKXAO7Gz6ZcqHWdw0Ac_Wy7it6y3zEmjT75pEQcUq7Obp_rGGvCrAWbYN-UeUVyAhinHR-TEaR9Qy2XVns_l23bzQ/s320/BG+Cover.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I grew up listening to soft rock/pop music as a kid as that's what my mom would only have on the radio all the time during the 80's and 90's. Even though I'd drift away to different genres of music, I'd always return to listen to the great Richard Marx. From mega-classics like "Right Here Waiting", "Hazard", "Endless Summer Nights", "Should have known Better", and my personal favorite "Hold on to the Nights", I could never find a fault in the man's voice or lyrics...<br />
<br />
Fast forward 25+ years later today (damn, I feel a little old), the 50-year-young man has returned with a new spunk to his lyrics in his new album "Beautiful Goodbye" yet maintaining the same sublime voice as he did back in the 80's. Long gone are the songs of long-term commitments that have transformed into promiscuous and seductive romances. Marx describes it best as "mostly a series of songs about seduction, sex, and the mystifying sensual dance between two people." (via Billboard interview).<br />
<br />
Call me a "Repeat Offender" (Marx's 2nd Titled Album back 25 years ago in 1989), but I can't stop listening to "Beautiful Goodbye". And I'm not a chick... Does that make me weird (probably, but I'm from Portland). Luckily, I'm not the only guy as <a href="https://twitter.com/THEKevinFMiller/status/488251454625296384">this guy takes the words right out of my mouth...</a><br />
<br />
If Richard Marx wasn't the master of saying "I want to f*** you" compassionately without ever saying "I want to f*** you", then we should all declare him king after this album's lyrical art... (However, if you've seen him perform live, you know he is more than capable of dropping a few F-Bombs...)<br />
<br />
If you previously used Marx's older songs for intimate situations, get ready to pile songs like "Whatever We Started", "Suddenly", "Inside", "Like the World is Ending", "To My Senses", "Eyes on Me", and "Just Go" to the playlist!! You really can't go wrong with lyrics like:
<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>We cant stop whatever we started </i><br />
<i>Can't resist what's meant to be </i><br />
<i>Forget whatever we promised </i><br />
<i>I want you all over me </i><br />
<i>Let's do it now, don't think </i><br />
<i>Look in my eyes and don't blink...</i><br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
<i>I'll make love to you </i><br />
<i>I know you want it too </i><br />
<i>Whisper something sweet but no more questions please </i><br />
<i>Drops of sweat, </i><br />
<i>dripping wet </i><br />
<i>The taste of you all over me </i><br />
<i>You will see, It's what you need </i><br />
<i>Shut your mouth just let it be </i><br />
<i>Just let it... be</i><br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
<i>I would die and kill </i><br />
<i>Battle, beg, and steal </i><br />
<i>Baby, just to feel... </i><br />
<i>Your eyes on me... </i><br />
<i>Nothing I wouldn't do </i><br />
<i>For one more taste of you </i><br />
<i>Yeah, I'm addicted to... </i><br />
<i>Your eyes on me...</i><br />
<br />
I also <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsJoe/status/487303607822204928">tweeted</a>: to Richard that some of the songs, especially the background music are or could be used in porn in which the man himself favored. Not from uh... experience, but listen to the electric guitar in "To My Senses" and tell me what that sounds like... :-)<br />
<br />
This may be a first, but on the track "Have a Little Faith", I could have mixed up Marx for one of Savage Garden's songs. Background music and Darren Hayes' voice eeriely similar here. For once, not a Bryan Adams confusion (but in my honest opinion, Marx is way, Way, WAY better than Adams...)<br />
<br />
Personally, I thought the "Beautiful Goodbye" Album would have included more melancholy songs as Richard is coming off a recent divorce but the added positive flavor of sex and seduction was quite refreshing. Marx continues to bring his pure, flawless voice that many younger artist today don't have. Yet the damn radio stations today continue to play shit from Pitbull (thanks a lot NBA on ESPN and NBA on ABC), Selena Gomez, and Justin Bieber over Marx. If you were a previous fan or not, "Just Go" "Have a Little Faith" and buy "Beautiful Goodbye." This album is brilliant and will blow you away! Shock and wow factor alone, if I could give it a 20 out of 10, I would!! Looking forward to the "Whatever We Started Tour!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-35812653416987097542013-04-06T18:31:00.001-07:002013-04-06T18:31:56.066-07:00WrestleMania 29 PicsMore unique prop bets that I love to speculate on is (WWE) professional wrestling. Yes, it is choreographed and if you know people that work WWE that are kind enough to give you inside info, you can win some nice lunch money. But since I don't, I will have to put on my thinking cap and put it a good days work at least with this write up.<br />
<br />
5Dimes is one of the rare websites that have courteously put up wagering lines for WrestleMania 29 so enjoy or click the "x" at the top right corner...<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Tons of Funk & Funkadactyls (-1350) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars & Bellas (+650)</b><br />
<br />
This line was Team Funk (-350) a few days ago but the juice is now outrageous. I agree with the move. I don't give a damn too much about Team Funk's gimmick. I do love Damien Sandow's of Team Rhode Scholar's mic work and his in-ring ability (Can't go wrong with the name "Elbow of Disdain") and hopefully after jobbing (means losing) in the bout, WWE will break up Team Rhode Scholars and push Sandow in single's action. Pick: Tons of Funk by pinfall<br />
<br />
<b>Wade Barrett (+305) (C) vs. The Miz (-425): Intercontinental Championship</b><br />
<br />
You could have gotten The Miz under (-200) a couple days ago but now north of (-400). I don't really like Wade Barrett and ever since The Miz was turned Face, he has lost his star-quality with the company inside the ring (but was able to be main star in Marine 3). The Miz has also developed a "Nature Boy" Ric Flair Figure Four finisher but everytime I see it, he tends to botch it. That aside, I think WWE NEEDS to give The Miz NEEDS the title to make him relevant again inside the ring (or turn him heel down the line)... Pick: The Miz by submission<br />
<br />
<b>Chris Jericho (+1000) vs. Fandango (-2000)</b><br />
<br />
Fandango will be making his in ring debut at the grand, majestic stage vs. one of my favorites Chris Jericho. Y2J will do everything he can to make Fandango look good, but that doesn't mean Fandango will win. Fandango money has made this juice unbackable, but I wasn't going to touch him anyway. For the last few weeks, Fandango has gotten the best of Jericho and given Y2J a few Guillotine Legdrops from the top rop. I can't see Jericho getting embarrassed 4 times in a row without retribution. HOWEVER, Jericho is slated to continue touring with his band Fozzy on April 11, so it is possible he jobs to the newbie. But like last year's WrestleMania, Jericho was able to beat Dolph Ziggler but then lose a "Loser Leaves Raw Match" the next night on Raw... I expect similar results here and at (+1000), it's definitely worth a shot! Pick: Chris Jericho by submission<br />
<br />
<b>Brock Lesnar (+800) vs. Triple H (-1700)</b><br />
<br />
SummerSlam rematch but this time, Triple H's "wrestling career is on the line". General rule here is in a big rematch, you back the guy that lost the 1st time. And with incentive that's face HHH being I'm sure that HHH will want to continue to wrestle on occasion means I am all over "The Game" here. Pick: Triple H by sledgehammer shots<br />
<br />
<b>Kane and Daniel Bryan (-1700) vs. Zolph Ziggler and Big E Langston (+800): Tag Titles</b><br />
<br />
Team Hell No opened a slight favorite but now almost laying -2000. Not laying that big of juice. For Big E Langston, this will be his debut match. If WWE wants to start pushing him, maybe they give him the Tag Titles. And let's remember, AJ screwed Daniel Bryan last year after kissing DB before his match with Sheamus. Does another Deja vu happen here... Pick: Dolph and Big E by cheating pinfall<br />
<br />
<b>Ryback (+450) vs. Mark Henry (-750)</b><br />
<br />
Juice has been coming in on Mark Henry. Somebody must know something that I don't. Was going to be all over Ryback! Only reason I can think is if they want to continue this feud, best thing possible might be to let Henry win. But I'll play contrarian here. Pick: Ryback by pinfall<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Shield (-4500!!!) vs. Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Big Show (+1500)</b><br />
<br />
It appears WWE is pushing The Shield to be greater than the nWo. I'm definitely not laying that juice. The way I see this playing out is either Big Show reverts back to a heel and screws his team or Randy Orton's long awaited heel turn happens in this match. Pick: The Shield by pinfall<br />
<br />
<b>The Undertaker (-7500!!!!!) vs. CM Punk (+2500)</b><br />
<br />
A few days ago, you could have gotten Undertaker (-1500 or so...) But still, everybody knows The Undertaker at WrestleManias is a give. No disrespect to CM Punk, but if they allow you to bet the house, take 'Taker...<br />
<br />
<b>Alberto Del Rio (-1700) (C) vs. Jack Swagger (+800): World Heavyweight Championship</b><br />
<br />
This Swagger and Zeb Colter gimmick has grown on me. But I think Del Rio gets vindication for Ricardo Rodriguez's "broken leg"... Pick: Del Rio by Submission<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Rock (+2000) (C) vs. John Cena (-6000): WWE Championship</b><br />
<br />
Same rule applies from Lesnar/HHH match. Cena lost to Rock at last year's grandest event. The face of the WWE John Cena held title-less for over a year along with Rock probably going back to making movies, Cena is almost as strong a lock as The Undertaker here... Which sort of scares me. Not laying that huge of juice but pick: John Cena via pinfallThe Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-71673329042395022602012-10-30T11:20:00.001-07:002012-10-30T11:20:03.544-07:00NBA Debuts Today! Fantasy Basketball at DraftKingsYou know I love the NBA and this year, I'm trying my (bad) luck at NBA Fantasy Basketball! Come beat me here: <br />
<br />
<a href="http://partners.draftkings.com/aff_c?offer_id=78&aff_id=488&file_id=1810" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://media.go2speed.org/brand/files/draftkings/78/NBADepositSteps300x250.jpg" width="300" /></a><img height="1" src="http://partners.draftkings.com/aff_i?offer_id=78&aff_id=488&file_id=1810" width="1" />The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-59258663873702004232012-09-24T08:42:00.002-07:002012-09-24T08:42:46.863-07:00Dancing with the Stars All-Stars Tonight!Alas, I've gotten off my ass to blog once again and for a good cause
too (or not)... Dancing with the Stars will be back tonight with its
first All-Star season! Since you normally read my blogs about my bad
beats in poker or other degenerate ways of gambling, I will be breaking
down the 5 Celebrities that I think have the best chance to take down
this season.
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Drew Lachey</b><br />
<br />
Drew was
arguably the best dancer in Season 2 and took home the Mirror Ball
Trophy over football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Lachey was partnered with
the popular Cheryl Burke back in the day but this time, he will be
matched with Anna Trebunskaya. Anna was Jerry's partner against Drew in
Season 2, but that was the highest place she has ever finished. Drew is
listed between +700 to +800 to win it all...<br />
<br />
<b>Helio Castroneves</b><br />
<br />
Season
5 champ Helio was IMO the best dancer in his season topping Scary Spice
Girl Mel B. Castroneves was paired with the lovely and talented and my
favorite pro dancer "America's Sweetheart" Julianne Hough but she is
long gone from the show becoming a country singer and a movie star...
This time, Helio will be paired with Chelsea Hightower. Helio opened at
+800 but has been bet down to +400 to +500. Without Julianne in this
All-Star lineup and the price already being bet down, I think you should
save your money on somebody else...
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Emmit Smith</b>
The Dallas Cowboy legend is also a former DWTS Champion from Season 3.
However, I do not think that he was the best dancer in the season. Smith
edged out the ringer of that season Mario Lopez. Really, AC Slater lost
a dance competition to a twinkle toes, big bad football player (BTW, I
may or may have not have wagered on this if you couldn't tell)? Two
logical reasons: (1) Emmit's huge fanbase of Cowboys' fans in Texas and
all over the US (though I thought Lopez had that too but maybe if he had
Zach Morris' charisma) and (2) Progression as a dancer. Smith didn't
come out guns a blazing but he definitely was the most improved and
sometimes, that's what voters look for. Smith will be paired once again
with Cheryl Burke, a former 2 time DWTS Champion and 2 time runner-up.
Emmit opened at +500 and is currently around the same price...
<b> </b><br />
<br />
Quick tangent: For those to young to know or remember AC Slater, here are some <i>Saved by the Bell</i> Slater<b> </b>classic dance moments:<br />
<br />
<i>Slater Dance</i>: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPqO-_CjIOU<br />
<i>Ballet</i>: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rbZiQpsCkM<br />
<br />
<b>Shawn Johnson</b>
Shawn is a former DWTS Champion from Season 8. She beat out Gillies
Marini (who is also back for the All-Star competition) that season, but
IMO, Marini was the better dancer. Did Gilles get docked for being
French? Her gymnast background was definitely a plus but is it just me,
she has put on a little weight since retiring from gymnastics... Shawn
was paired with Mark Ballas the first time around and if it was
impossible to get an upgrade in dancing partners, she did as she will be
dancing with the most charismatic pro dancer Derek Hough. Johnson
opened up at +550 and that is the price still tagged on her...
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Apollo Ohno</b>
A champion theme here as Ohno is also a former champion from Season 4.
IMO, Apollo was the best dancer from his season beating out Joey Fatone
(who is also back for All-Stars). Apollo was paired with the great
Julianne Hough but this time around, his partner will be Karina
Smirnoff, a former champion and runner-up. Ohno opened as the favorite
to win at +350 and is still around that price...
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>MY PICK</b><br />
<br />
Bet the field
at your own risk, but it looks like the theme here is if you're an
athlete from football, gymnastics, race a car, or a speed skater, you
can dance. Although Emmit Smith is probably the weakest dancer from the 5
celebs I listed above, don't be surprised if he repeats. We just saw a
similar season with current Green Bay Packer Donald Driver who beat out
IMO, two better dancers than him (the lovely Katherine Jenkins and
William Levy) and with the past history of football players doing well
on DWTS, I say the trend continues...<br />
<br />
Winner: Emmit Smith, Runner-up: Drew Lachey, Third: Shawn Johnson
P.S. (Hedge Drew and Shawn with your bets, and yes, fill free top rip me if this doesn't come close).<br />
<br />
Good luck,<br />
<br />
---<br />
JoeyThe Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-35016607160964187942010-05-30T13:16:00.001-07:002010-05-30T13:48:32.082-07:00Hedo Turkoglu Giving "Eff You" to Toronto... Kevin Pritchard Dodges Another Bullet...It's been a while since I've had a good long piece of writing/rant probably because of me being lazy and that I usually summarize my stuff just on <a href="http://twitter.com/SportsJoe">Twiiter</a>, but I thought this deserved my two cents...<br /><br />Blazer fans (and Kevin Pritchard) have to be ecstatic that they don't have to worry about Hedo Turkoglu and his shenanigans for the remaining 4 year contract with the Toronto Raptors. "Turkeysoup" as I have previously nicknamed him, is <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5232738">quoted with these remarks from ESPN</a>, "When the circumstances turned against me, I lost my enthusiasm for this city. My lawyers have talked to the front office recently. Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto. My lawyers talked to Mr. [Bryan] Colangelo and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon." The larger than life turkey must be delusional if he hasn't thought the Raptors haven't made any pitches to Turkeysoup. Who wants an aging, soft, declining big man that has already given up on his team, had his best season 2 years ago, and is due $43.8 million in four years?! Not even Chris Wallace of the Griz is that moronic to take that on...<br /><br />Video of that assclown Hedo Turkoglu being an asshole to once of the Raptor's play-by-play commentators: <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/56GL0ayF9Fs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/56GL0ayF9Fs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object><br /><br />Hedo quote continued, "I promised him that whether he starts me or not, I will do my best on the court. However, if I had a more temperamental personality, I would have left the team. Yet, I did exactly the opposite. I did my best. I told him that I have no problems with him. I am not a young player, so it's not a big deal for me to come off the bench." Of course you don't care if you come off the bench or not... You've given up!! Get the big contract and then take a dinosaur size turkey dump...<br /><br />Blazer fan's lost in this debacle of course was Kevin Pritchard offering this jackass a <span style="font-weight:bold;">5 years and $55 million contract before Turkoglu HIMSELF bolted last minute to the Raptors</span> thankfully. Blazer fans don't seem to get why Pritchard's head is on the chopping block but I don't blame management for making KP sweat... <br /><br />First of his downfall was that he drafted Oden over Durant, but I guess he gets a pass for that because "everyone" would have done that except me and Bill Simmons. <br /><br />Second, he overpaid soft forward, I LaMarcus Aldridge 5 years for $65 million!! With the salary cap coming down after this season, there is a <span style="font-weight:bold;">chance that Aldridge could make more money than franchise player Brandon Roy!!</span> WTF?! You don't pay your second best player more than your best player AND you don't pay somebody that much money for being such a soft player. Look at the Orlando Magic... They won't win a championship because they <span style="font-weight:bold;">paid a max contract to their 4th</span> best player in Rashad Lewis (#1 Howard, who is still somewhat soft, #2 Nelson #3 Carter), and he is the definition of soft!!<br /><br />Third, he retained Coach McMillan and probably will after this bizarre season of injuries which alone will save his job. McMuffin is just like Coach Brown... great talent on team that can win tons of game but held back in reality because of the coach... When will Blazer management realize this??<br /><br />And finally, and luckily for KP, this Turkeysoup curve ball. Technically, the saying is "three strikes and your out..." This is #4... Don't be surprised if Kevin Pritchard gets the boot. I liked what he did at the beginning getting rid of Zach Randolph, trading for Roy and Aldridge in the 2006 draft, and trading for Rudy Fernandez (until this year... dammit Rudy!!)... Your only good as your last impressions and so far, the only thing Pritchard has nailed these last 2 seasons was the Camby trade... Thank you KP!! It was fun while it lasted...The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-26468429157559413812010-01-12T08:29:00.001-08:002010-01-12T08:30:21.677-08:005 Things I Learned or that were Reinforced from GamblingThe next time you go to Vegas to blow your money at the casinos, here are some things that I learned or things that were reinforced that I was taught before:<br /><br />1) Never sit at a table that has an (uptight) Asian dealer. I'm not a racist and I am saying a lot here because I am Chinese. This was the case for my dad and I on numerous occassions at either Blackjack tables or Pai Gow Poker tables. Somebody that just deals the cards and doesn't mutter a word for the entire session is a serious downer and for some reason, it rubs on you and the cards you get as well. Pay close attention to this next time. If you stay too long, there will be a hole in your wallet. This also applies to the fat bitch that probably is stuck up because she has been on shift too long and hasn't eaten in 3 hours...<br /><br />2) In handicapping a sports game, when in doubt, take the points. I avoided the Ravens/Pats Wildcard game because I was "in doubt". The Patriots were undefeated at home in the reg. season and hadn't lost a home playoff game in over 30 yrs, but w/Wes Welker out, would that be their downfall... For the Ravens, they had previously lost a game @ New England in the reg. season and shot themselves in the foot in numerous games this season (i.e. missed FG vs. Vikings, the 2 Bengals game, the game vs. the Steelers to name some). So I figured the best thing was to stay away even though after weighing all these decisions out, I thought the Ravens would have been the best bet...<br /><br />3) If a line moves too much before a game, you should bet the other way. I knew this and put this to use on the Packers/Cards game. The original line for this game was Cards (-3). By game time, the line was Cards (+2.5) and was as high as (+3). Although this game almost gave me an ulcer as it looked like the Cards would choke this game away, the rule of going the other way by the Vegas gods played out and Vegas and I raked in the money.<br /><br />4) A team with a major injury in the NBA or NFL that plays their next game without their superstar always covers or wins as an underdog its next game. I learned this about a couple years ago when I stumbled upon the then new South Point Casino. I happened to see this juicy line between the Sacramento Kings (then one of the worst teams in the league) hosting a pretty good Orlando Magic team. The line started out at Magic (-4) in the early morning. I did my homework and found out that not only would their best player Kevin Martin would be sitting out of this game after playing the previous, but so was Fransisco Garcia (arguably their 2nd best player at the time). I jumped on the Magic in a nanosecond when I heard about this and was lucky enough (or so I thought) to get the Magic at -4. As for the Tip 3 above, the line moved too much as by game time, it was Magic -8. Easy money right... The Kings grab an almost 30 point lead in the 1st half and although the Magic come back, they fall short. Everybody was pissed off but I noticed one young kid that looked no older than me celebrating with glee. I approached him and asked him, "So you got the points right" and he said, "No are you crazy, I had the Moneyline!!" Holy shit!! I thought he was plain retarded or drunk and got lucky so to make sure he wasn't, I asked for his logic on making this bet and ever since I heard this, I've paid attention to this advice and you know what, it's probably the best way to make easy money. This year alone, I can recall the Mavs beating the Cavs after Dirk got his teeth knocked out in the game before; Brandon Roy missing a game and then the Blazers playing as a (+13) dog @ San Antonio and winning at a place that they rarely win at; Carmelo missing a game vs. the Cavs as well and the Nuggets pulling it out to name a few. <br /><br />I also found a pro handicapper this time when I was at the Venetian and told him this very intriguing fact that I heard and he justified it. Teams play hard after a superstar gets injured. Other teams think they can walk over them and don't play hard. People get the misconception that oh, Team A has no shot without all-star against good Team B so the public jumps on Team B's bandwagon making the line jump for Team B, when in essence, this is an easy bet on Team A. I spent the longest typing about this one. What does that tell you? Try it next time your in Vegas! <br /><br />5) Bill Simmons makes his weekly football picks, but for some reason, he not very accurate with them until the Championship rounds. Just look at his picks this week: Bengals win, Cowboys win BUT Eagles cover, Patriots, and Packers... 0 for 4!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-33084189467602434652009-06-07T17:42:00.001-07:002009-06-07T17:47:15.994-07:00$24 90 Man SnG Final Table<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoDmu0Q9wtvZdnmoazOuiQlqDtPgRNsTS2-NwIb_BLAUogOnfM6tECkNSO0yY-g0ZQKfn2QmmzH5vdGXO0fg6roW7UZK_vqMgoYDf0oMoy2Bvxoyt1OFVOeGInwfMAsVBdm2csQ/s1600-h/FT+KO.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoDmu0Q9wtvZdnmoazOuiQlqDtPgRNsTS2-NwIb_BLAUogOnfM6tECkNSO0yY-g0ZQKfn2QmmzH5vdGXO0fg6roW7UZK_vqMgoYDf0oMoy2Bvxoyt1OFVOeGInwfMAsVBdm2csQ/s320/FT+KO.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344751378635126546" /></a><br /><br />My Catalyst hand that got me to the final table with about 13 peeps left:<br /><br />Full Tilt Poker Game #12681665352: $24 + $2 KO Sit & Go (94394100), Table 7 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:04:05 ET - 2009/06/07<br />Seat 2: yellowhammers (10,384)<br />Seat 3: TheStudent3 (14,307)<br />Seat 4: raz0rF1sh (6,305)<br />Seat 5: OUPhiDelt27 (7,845)<br />Seat 6: Learn me poker (5,212)<br />Seat 7: bruskone94 (14,265)<br />Seat 9: mad21784 (48,712)<br />yellowhammers antes 75<br />TheStudent3 antes 75<br />raz0rF1sh antes 75<br />OUPhiDelt27 antes 75<br />Learn me poker antes 75<br />bruskone94 antes 75<br />mad21784 antes 75<br />yellowhammers posts the small blind of 300<br />TheStudent3 posts the big blind of 600<br />The button is in seat #9<br />*** HOLE CARDS ***<br />Dealt to TheStudent3 [Th 9c]<br />raz0rF1sh folds<br />OUPhiDelt27 folds<br />Learn me poker folds<br />bruskone94 has 15 seconds left to act<br />bruskone94 folds<br />mad21784 folds<br />yellowhammers raises to 1,800<br />TheStudent3 calls 1,200<br />*** FLOP *** [As Ad 6d]<br />yellowhammers bets 1,800<br />TheStudent3 raises to 9,525<br />yellowhammers folds<br />Uncalled bet of 7,725 returned to TheStudent3<br />TheStudent3 mucks<br />TheStudent3 wins the pot (7,725)<br />*** SUMMARY ***<br />Total pot 7,725 | Rake 0<br />Board: [As Ad 6d]<br />Seat 2: yellowhammers (small blind) folded on the Flop<br />Seat 3: TheStudent3 (big blind) collected (7,725), mucked<br /><br />Went into the Final Table 2nd shortest in Chip and ended up coming up short. Stole some hands w/RR but in the end, I tried to do the same thing and had to fold some hands PF and with these blinds, they really massacre you. I finished in 5th for $144.<br /><br />Time to watch the Magic/Laker game (or is it with a 15-15 1st quarter?)...The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-5484456019174960372009-03-08T15:39:00.001-07:002009-03-08T15:49:35.074-07:00Final Table Crock<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb1T-M6AR2JP4pbGl3ibKafw0RCe2lyLBh8mDE4unCmcZjN3vA6WWlD44EQJdUiblPst4pzchXUoxdD2Jkk8-_m2jPOd0f21v9a-C1I6LyQM8ONohq2rGHXvQ7bs5LNWhwkOQkg/s1600-h/Final+Table+BS.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb1T-M6AR2JP4pbGl3ibKafw0RCe2lyLBh8mDE4unCmcZjN3vA6WWlD44EQJdUiblPst4pzchXUoxdD2Jkk8-_m2jPOd0f21v9a-C1I6LyQM8ONohq2rGHXvQ7bs5LNWhwkOQkg/s320/Final+Table+BS.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310951772588324354" /></a><br /><br />Final table at Full Tilt (as you can see, they like to pimp out their Final Table settings sort of like the World Poker Tour), short stacked, I pick up Q-Q and shove all in and then this clown decides to try to give me a gift by calling more than $10K with with K-6o with 3 other people behind him... If I win this pot, I would have had about 28,000TC left with 8 people to go (6th out of 8th but who knows what else would have happened)...<br /><br />Full Tilt Poker Game #11036079194: $24 + $2 KO Sit & Go (83028904), Table 10 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:36:17 ET - 2009/03/08<br />Seat 1: TheStudent3 (11,099)<br />Seat 3: BABAR6 (25,964)<br />Seat 4: CJ Legacy (35,094)<br />Seat 5: UAINTREAL (28,156)<br />Seat 6: abulamushi (33,250)<br />Seat 7: MookieBlaylock1 (49,497)<br />Seat 8: birdbomber (72,260)<br />Seat 9: HeikoD75 (14,680)<br />TheStudent3 antes 300<br />BABAR6 antes 300<br />CJ Legacy antes 300<br />UAINTREAL antes 300<br />abulamushi antes 300<br />MookieBlaylock1 antes 300<br />birdbomber antes 300<br />HeikoD75 antes 300<br />UAINTREAL posts the small blind of 1,200<br />abulamushi posts the big blind of 2,400<br />The button is in seat #4<br />*** HOLE CARDS ***<br />Dealt to TheStudent3 [Qc Qd]<br />MookieBlaylock1 folds<br />UAINTREAL: had AQ...<br />UAINTREAL: nh<br />UAINTREAL: lol<br />CJ Legacy: no didnt<br />birdbomber has 15 seconds left to act<br />CJ Legacy: no u didnt, u wouldve called<br />UAINTREAL: ok J2 then<br />birdbomber folds<br />HeikoD75 folds<br />TheStudent3 raises to 10,799, and is all in<br />BABAR6 has 15 seconds left to act<br />BABAR6 calls 10,799<br />CJ Legacy folds<br />UAINTREAL folds<br />abulamushi folds<br />TheStudent3 shows [Qc Qd]<br />BABAR6 shows [6s Kh]<br />*** FLOP *** [Kd 2c Ts]<br />*** TURN *** [Kd 2c Ts] [2h]<br />*** RIVER *** [Kd 2c Ts 2h] [7s]<br />TheStudent3 shows two pair, Queens and Twos<br />BABAR6 shows two pair, Kings and Twos<br />BABAR6 wins the pot (27,598) with two pair, Kings and Twos<br />TheStudent3 stands up<br />*** SUMMARY ***<br />Total pot 27,598 | Rake 0The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-10440339259494067142009-03-01T21:37:00.000-08:002009-03-01T21:38:02.629-08:00Blazers Surprise Me and the SpursLooks like the Blazers remembered what happened in San Antonio earlier this week and took this one personally. Not only did the Blazers beat this Spurs, they embarrassed them. AND with Tim Duncan coming back, this makes it even more shocking and thus makes my head spin and hurt.<br /><br />The Blazers almost led almost wire to wire. Although I am a big fan of Greg Popovich's coaching, I thought he made a mistake early that probably cost them this game. Normally, Greg Popovich would start Bruce Bowen and have his first-class defense harass Roy. Roy normally struggles against the Spurs and Bowen is the main catalyst for that. Bowen is one of the dirtiest and most hated players in the NBA, or at least, IMO. BUT, Popovich now starts Roger Mason over Bowen. Mason did have a great game, but because he had to check B-Roy, Brandon was on FIYAHH early and never cooled off. Five minutes into the game, the Spurs are already trailing double digits and Popovich calls timeout to bring in Bowen, but the Spurs never recovered and drifted further away.<br /><br />Aldridge ate up (Fabricio) Oberto Jerky and Matt Bonner. LA's and Roy's point totals combined in the first half was just about equivalent to all of the Spurs scoring!!<br /><br />I still can't figure this one out. Mind-boggling. But early in the day when the have the Pistons pounding the Celtics in Boston (and on a Sunday, which their record on Sundays have been abysmal), the Suns beating the Lakers, and the Pacers coming back to beat the Nuggets, it shouldn't have been that surprising to me as this truly was Upset Sunday.The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-48163886893060207702009-02-25T23:21:00.001-08:002009-02-26T08:01:57.771-08:00Outcoached... Once AgainA depleted San Antonio Spurs team going into a back-to-back missing two of their "Big 3" players of the great Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, the Blazers had their best shot in two decades to escape the Alamo Dome, errr, I mean the AT&T Center with a dubya... And with the Blazers depth, that should have made the task more reasonable to accomplish....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkABUN-U5cmi5zjwnXJ9lnykr9QApmMsu64xbX20OQhqGJ7zhStoi-x5JaJ0claYG0x7NA_bnm33wTTIuWnDsu85hKhKEJXocbjdJASDAjZD2OAVZFOqHu4UbdU_6funyQPqoM/s1600-h/NoToNate.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkABUN-U5cmi5zjwnXJ9lnykr9QApmMsu64xbX20OQhqGJ7zhStoi-x5JaJ0claYG0x7NA_bnm33wTTIuWnDsu85hKhKEJXocbjdJASDAjZD2OAVZFOqHu4UbdU_6funyQPqoM/s320/NoToNate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307001991331110498" /></a><br /><br />BUT... their is a thing called an "x-factor" that I factor in and that my blog followers is <span style="font-weight:bold;">COACHING</span>! In one corner, the Spurs arguably have the best coach in the game today in 4-time champion Greg Popovich. And in the Blazer's corner, you probably have the MOST OVERRATED coach today in Nate McMillan, errr, I mean McMuffin. A man before last season had one great season and that was his CONTRACT season in Seattle where he miraculously and somehow led the Sonics into the 2nd round of the Playoffs.<br /><br />McMuffin said the game plan was to stop Tony Parker (uh... duh when Duncan and Ginobili are missing), yet he couldn't figure out how. Parker only finished with 39 points on 17 of 27 FGs (63%), 9 dimes, and 5 boards. Parker played last night too, but that didn't stop him from dissecting Nate's incompetent scheme. Nate left Blake and Sergio to guard Parker for most of the game in whom the All-Star blew by them both with relative ease. <br /><br />Oh, did I mention Blake went an incredible 0-9 tonight and only managed 1 assist, which was worthy of 24 minutes according to Nate...<br /><br />As the 4th quarter ticked down, Nate ended up in desperation and tried putting Travis Outlaw on Parker. Every Blazer fan watching this game on TV was probably yelling at their TVs to put Batum back in... Unfortunately, we have a coach that is a blithering idiot.<br /><br />The best options IMO for stopping or at least slowing Parker down were probably Nic Batum and Bayless. I recall the few times that the Frenchman guarded his fellow Frenchman, Nic was effective in slowing Tony down... BUT then there's Nate's motto of "If it works, ignore it" went into effect as Batum would get his commonly (1st quarter) 3rd quarter sub out and not return in the (2nd qtr) 4th quarter. For the 2nd night in a row, Batum was very efficient in 8 points on 3-7 FGs (2-3 from distance) and of course, the intangibles on the defense, yet McMuffin somehow inexplicably thought he was only worthy of 16 minutes, which was the least amount of minutes for any Blazer that did not have a DNP by his name...<br /><br />J-bay, on the other hand, didn't see a second on the floor... <br /><br />I still am mind-boggled in what Kevin Pritchard sees in Mr. Sonic...The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-54319593821893213042009-02-25T07:42:00.000-08:002009-02-25T07:55:45.239-08:00Free Shavlik!!Shavlik Randolph has played two straight games and I must say, I've been impressed with him. He even got some "non-garbage" time against a top Western Conference team Houston Rockets (only b/c Aldridge picked up 2 quick fouls and Frye who picked up a quicker 3 fouls).<br /><br />Against the Clips on Sunday, Shav played 8 minutes in garbage time, but managed to score 9 points on 4-8 FGs (1-1 from distance) and grabbed 7 boards. Pretty efficient don't you think. If he plays 10 minutes, I think he gets a double-double in David Lee like manner.<br /><br />In his short stint vs. the Rockets, Randolph played a mere 4 minutes. He hit one FT and grabbed 3 rebounds and a floor burn from diving for a loose ball. I love the energy and hustle this guy brings. At times, I wonder why this guy doesn't get minutes over Frye or Outlaw. <br /><br />I also remember Mike Barrett saying that Shavlik was once a guy who started for a 76er team that made the playoffs. Shavlik is no fluke. If a particular player coming off the bench is struggling, I think Randolph would be a great energy sub-guy off the bench. So McMuffin, if your boy Outlaw stinks it up, deattach from him and give Shav the opportunity dammit!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-1728505386170079702009-02-15T22:28:00.000-08:002009-02-15T22:36:43.877-08:00Phoenix Fires Terry Porter!!To borrow a line from Marv Albert, "YESSSSSSSS!! And it Counts"<br /><br />Terry Porter totally ruined this the Suns. Basically the same roster as the previous year and Porter's change of style disgruntled his players and thus, they gave up on him. Sort of like the Clippers giving up on Mike "Dudleavy" for the past two + years (Only they aren't smart enough to fire their Coach/GM).<br /><br />If you don't know by now, go through my achieves to see the story of Porter and my father. This will probably put a dagger in Porter's hope to ever become a head coach again as he couldn't manage a team with 3 All-Stars. I mean seriously, how can somebody coach a team and have Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire UNDERPERFORMand QUIT on you?? One word comes to mind now Porter... KARMA!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-40310692400785709532009-02-15T09:48:00.000-08:002009-02-15T10:00:54.518-08:00Rudy Fernandez Gets the Cold Shoulder from Dunk JudgesOur man Rudy Fernandez totally got the shaft by those Phoenix Suns alum where I have a conspiracy theory that their owner Sarver told them to "readjust" his scores. Remember, Sarver is the guy that made a HUGE mistake (one of many as you see their team self-destructing as I type this) of selling Rudy to the Blazers for a mere $3 million...<br /><br />There are also conspiracies of the contest being rigged for a "Krypto"Nate Robinson and a "Superman" Dwight Howard final like in the movie... but only this time, the Kryptonite... I mean KryptoNate would come up on top. <br /><br />Seriously, Dwight Howard's first two dunks should NOT have gotten him 50's and Nate Robinson's dunk off Wilson Chandler's back was unspectacular that should have gotten him 6's or 7's...<br /><br />Say whatever conspiracy you want, but let me say this... Tom Chambers, Dan Ma-jer-le (still don't know why it's pronounced "Marley"), Kevin Johnson, Cedric Ceballos (and your see-through blindfold, and Larry Nance... You guys can kiss my ass for that piss-poor shitty judging of yours!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-80640635176511114812009-02-14T12:27:00.000-08:002009-02-14T12:29:29.536-08:00DUUUUUURAAANNNTT!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWslpTzWtYNSoYu0UlPaNOJ3xutsMd9J7mRArkcqXRHInlrLwdXluUIYSJqViCvYSuC6d3fWTI5qFlws2liI5IcPV9iR9lFRvZ0NfLbJxxhyphenhyphenjQ-pQPeTq1oYCydc0hWknq_1m/s1600-h/Durant.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWslpTzWtYNSoYu0UlPaNOJ3xutsMd9J7mRArkcqXRHInlrLwdXluUIYSJqViCvYSuC6d3fWTI5qFlws2liI5IcPV9iR9lFRvZ0NfLbJxxhyphenhyphenjQ-pQPeTq1oYCydc0hWknq_1m/s320/Durant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302752813541766882" /></a><br /><br />Remember when Kevin Pritchard said Kevin Durant is going to be an assassin? Well, not only is Durant sniping teams for 25+ point a game along with 7 rebounds. While Greg Oden, the person drafted in front of him, is racking up the injuries, KD is racking up the points and with the assistance of All-Star Weekend showcasing Durant in not only the Rookie/Sophomore game, but also the H.O.R.S.E. competition tonight (Since his team is atrociously bad, they don't get any National TV exposure, <span style="font-weight:bold;">BUT<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> they are young and showing signs of the Blazers from a few years ago). Oh, did I mention, he was the MVP of the Rook/Soph game with a record 46 points on 17 of 25 FGs (4-8 from distance) and grabbed 7 boards and 4 dimes... <br /><br />Greg Oden, on the other hand, sat out the game because of yet another injury... <br /><br /><a href="http://eatsleeppoker.blogspot.com/2007/04/one-time.html">Remember, before the 2007 draft, I was one of the few that said we should take Durant</a> <br /><br />And keep this in mind for those of you that think Greg Oden was still the right choice for Portland... I've been saying it since the beginning of 2009, "In 5 years, Kevin Durant will be the 2nd best player in the league behind LeBron James... With Greg Oden's injury and slow progress thus far, where do you think he'll be ranked at?"The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-48126879082448693642009-02-08T23:00:00.000-08:002009-02-08T23:10:54.834-08:00Knicks Deserved Win vs. Blazers but ChokeAfter falling behind by as many as 17 during midway through the 3rd quarter, the New York Knicks made a dramatic comeback that made it look effortlessly thanks to the piss-poor coaching of Nate McMuffin's zone defense by the Knicks's from long distance by Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson, and yes, Tim Thomas. Thomas was luckily guarded by Travis Outlaw who alone gave up at least 3 three pointers to Thomas and had at least 2 more open looks that wouldn't fall. New York was able to turn the 17 point deficit into a lead in the 3rd but would settle for a tie going into the 4th.<br /><br />Momentum had turned and the Knicks would build a 13 point lead in the 4th thanks to once again Nate's continuation of the zone defense on the shooters mentioned above. Luckily for McMuffin', the Knicks started to miss <span style="font-weight:bold;">WIDE OPEN</span> shots, which left the door open for the Blazers and somehow, managed to pull off the buzzer beater eek out the win.<br /><br />The Knicks definitely deserve this game as they once had a 30 point turn around as D'Antoni outcoached Nate, but I guess I'll take this (undeserving) win that'll keep us in 5th place.The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-56642256793106799072009-02-03T17:52:00.000-08:002009-02-03T17:56:57.486-08:00Adam Carolla in ActionOf course, on occasions I like to do my own version of "This Week in Rage" inspired by Adam Carolla so I thought I'd post a video of the man himself at what he does best in his, <span style="font-weight:bold;">This Week in Rage<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> from January 30, 2009. My personal favorite rant from last week about Steve Miller's song "Abracadabra"<br /><br /><object id="WNVideoCanvasDEFAULTdivWNVideoCanvas" width="425" height="344"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="wmode" value="windowless"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="movie" value="http://cbsrla.cbsradio.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf"></param> <embed src="http://cbsrla.cbsradio.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="windowless" width="425" height="344" allowFullScreen="true" FlashVars="isShowIcon=true&affiliate=CBSRLA&affiliateNumber=786&backgroundAlphas=100,100,100,100&backgroundColors=333333,330000,990000,FF3300&backgroundRatios=0,25,130,255&backgroundRotation=270&borderAlpha=100&borderColor=212121&borderWidth=1&clipId=3401877&playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDobject&closecaptionPaneLabelText=&closePaneLabelText=&commercialHeadlinePrefix=Commercial&controlsBackgroundAlphas=100,100&controlsBackgroundColors=212121,676767&controlsBackgroundRatios=0,255&controlsBackgroundRotation=270&controlsBorderColor=212121&controlsBottomPadding=8&controlsButtonLeftBorderColor=616161&controlsButtonRightBorderColor=232323&controlsHeight=40&controlsOffFaceColor=9c9c9c&controlsOverFaceColor=ffffff&controlsSidePadding=8&defaultStyle=dark&disableTransport=false&domId=WNVideoCanvas1586divWNVideoCanvas1586&emailErrorBorderColor=ae1a01&emailErrorMessageFaceColor=ae1a01&emailFormFieldAlphas=80&emailFormFieldColors=212121&emailFormFieldRatios=0&emailFormFieldRotation=90&emailInputFaceColor=9c9c9c&emailMessageLabelText=&emailPaneLabelText=&emailSentConfirmationMessage=&errorMessage=&fullScreenControlType=none&hasBevel=true&hasBorder=false&hasBottomBorder=true&hasFullScreen=true&hasLeftBorder=true&hasRightBorder=true&hasTopBorder=true&helpPage=http://cbsrla.cbsradio.com/WNFlashHelp.html&hostDomain=cbsrla.cbsradio.com&idKey=1586&imgPath=http://CBSRLA.images.worldnow.com/images/static/video/flash/&invalidRecipientFieldMessage=&invalidSenderFieldMessage=&isAutoStart=true&isMute=false&landingPage=&loadingMessage=&offFaceColor=afaeae&overFaceColor=ffffff&overlayBackgroundAlphas=92&overlayBackgroundColors=676767&overlayBackgroundRatios=0&overlayBackgroundRotation=90&overlayOffFaceColor=9c9c9c&overlayOverFaceColor=ffffff&pauseButtonText=&playAtActualSize=0&playButtonText=&playerHeight=344&playerWidth=425&recipientEmailLabelText=&sendEmailButtonText=&senderEmailLabelText=&senderNameLabelText=&shareListItemHighlightBorderColor=767676&shareListItemOffFaceColor=afaeae&shareListItemShadowBorderColor=3c3c3c&shareListListItemOverFaceColor=afaeae&sidePadding=3&smoothingMode=auto&staticImgPath=http://CBSRLA.images.worldnow.com&summaryGraphicMessage=&summaryGraphicScaleStyle=stretchToFit&summaryPaneLabelText=&tabBackgroundAlphas=100,100&tabBackgroundColors=888888,383838&tabBackgroundOverAlphas=100,100&tabBackgroundOverColors=595959,212121&tabBackgroundOverRatios=0,100&tabBackgroundRatios=75,255&tabBackgroundRotation=90&tabBackgroundSelectedAlphas=100&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderAlpha=100&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderColor=595959&tabBackgroundSelectedBorderWidth=1&tabBackgroundSelectedColors=595959&tabBackgroundSelectedHasBevel=true&tabBackgroundSelectedHasBorder=false&tabBackgroundSelectedHasDropShadow=true&tabBackgroundSelectedRatios=0&tabBorderAlpha=100&tabBorderColor=212121&tabBorderWidth=1&tabFontSize=10&tabHasBevel=true&tabHasBorder=false&tabHasDropShadow=true&tabHeight=26&tabLeftBorderColor=a7a6a6&tabOffFaceColor=dcdbdb&tabOverBorderAlpha=100&tabOverBorderWidth=1&tabOverFaceColor=ffffff&tabOverHasBevel=true&tabOverHasBorder=false&tabRightBorderColor=404040&tabShadowColor=333333&topPadding=3&videoSliderBackgroundColor=828282&videoSliderKnobBackgroundAlphas=100,100&videoSliderKnobBackgroundColors=828282,828282&videoSliderKnobBackgroundRatios=0,255&videoSliderKnobBackgroundRotation=90&videoSliderKnobBorderColor=5a5a5a&videoSliderKnobOffFaceColor=444444&videoSliderKnobOverFaceColor=212121&videoSliderKnobShadowColor=5a5a5a&videoSliderLoadIndicatorColor=b2b2b2&videoSliderProgressIndicatorColor=212121&volumeSliderOffColor=5a5a5a&volumeSliderOverColor=828282&" ></embed></object>The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-16978951840380109502009-01-27T22:08:00.001-08:002009-01-27T22:08:37.819-08:00B-Roy Gives Cheikh Samb a FacialSmile Cheikh Samb... You've been posterized by Brandon Roy!!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZsMAAWQoepg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZsMAAWQoepg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-78343619538239346422009-01-07T23:16:00.000-08:002009-01-07T23:17:19.839-08:00UNREAL Comeback vs. DetroitI have to admit, the Blazers deserved to lose the game tonight vs. Detroit. And it was all because of Nate McMuffin'. McMuffin' did everything possible in the 4th to TRY to lose that game. I'm not joking...<br /><br />A VERY stellar Jerryd Bayless tonight and to not see him in the final 8 minutes or so in the game was unexplainable. Did Nate not see the FIRE and PASSION J-Bay displayed out there? Did Nate not see us turn a 14 point deficit into a lead with J-Bay or is he blind or that moronic?<br /><br />The fact that McMuffin' tried to sub in an uninspiring Greg Oden during the final minutes of the game with a 2 point lead that eventually turned into a 3 point deficit before resubbing Joel Przybilla back in (probably because somebody in the front row yelled that to him because Nate doesn't normally like to resub Joel for some idiotic reason)...<br /><br />AND, let's just ignore Travis Outlaw's game winning bucket... If Travis wasn't playing in the 4th quarter at all, the Blazers run away with this one. Just look at the dozen (or more) points he surrendered to Tayshaun Prince and the numerous rebounds he failed to box-out or got out-hustled on... McMuffin', didn't Nicolas Batum's performance vs. Lakers earn him those 4th quarter minutes you gave to Outlaw?? Not to mention Batum is probably the best forward poistion defender on the team that would have a great chance at stopping Prince...<br /><br />BUT because the Blazers won, the media will praise McMuffin' on the comeback win when all he did was make the game more exciting to (ignorant) fans along with giving me an ulcer and gray hairs, and this will also cover up Outlaw's horrific flaws on anything but his act of taking insanely difficult shots...The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-22522630354844577692008-12-31T21:56:00.000-08:002008-12-31T22:05:25.555-08:00More of Kevin Garnett's Dirty Antics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zaMj_7f8ZJlMADgEOQ6dYjEh1VrR9s3IGDkNAIMIE-6ApK7ZuhXwKVnPtquyO6kVYOXbsceelpij0-_hrSrahur2hodAoYX1461UYeIRHDMYkT7yYeGpq_bhafCr2v2xcG-f/s1600-h/Vince.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zaMj_7f8ZJlMADgEOQ6dYjEh1VrR9s3IGDkNAIMIE-6ApK7ZuhXwKVnPtquyO6kVYOXbsceelpij0-_hrSrahur2hodAoYX1461UYeIRHDMYkT7yYeGpq_bhafCr2v2xcG-f/s320/Vince.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286202375566147762" /></a><br /><br />Remember the days in the WWE "Attitude" era where evil boss Vince McMahon got the reserved "ass-hole" chant from the fans... We'll the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett is doing is best to receive those infamous chants (well deserved may I add), but instead, he gets the predictable, but I guess never too old "Garnett sucks" chant. Courteously from <a href="http://basketbawful.blogspot.com/">Basketbawful</a>, here are just a couple of KG's asshole-like tactics:<br /><br />(1) After getting a facial from Travis Outlaw, KG tries to give Outlaw a facial with his elbow. Watch closely on the replay at the 1:02 mark<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EbcRx9_X92c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EbcRx9_X92c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />(2) Two elbow attempts at LaMarcus Aldridge and then to have the audacity to put your filthy hands up and then do the hands out and say, "What did I do wrong" look after the refs copped out and gave a double technical (in which both the T's should have gone to KG)...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zS8DDzedrts&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zS8DDzedrts&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-27771077374146660872008-12-30T22:34:00.001-08:002008-12-30T22:36:02.728-08:00Nate's Greatest Offensive Scheme: 6 on 5!!You may be laughing now about that call/play/outcome at the end of the first half, but if you look at it, it played a vital role for the entire game.<br /><br />Now, you all know that its suppose to be 5 on 5. Once the refs realized (after Kevin Garnett pointed that out) that the Blazers had 6 players on the court after an Outlaw dunk, the refs huddled together and decided to give the Blazers a technical foul BUT they also counted the bucket. Shouldn't they have waived off the bucket and then gave Boston the technical free throw?? <br /><br />That's a 3-point swing and with 22 seconds left in the game, Paul Pierce connected on a driving runner and was fouled and hit the FT to make the score 87-86 Portland. Subtract two from Portland and Boston has the one point lead and who knows what happens at the end (probably Nate would have found some way to lose)...<br /><br />All in all, I really can't complain. The Blazers won and Nate really did one hell of a job tonight. I especially like the twin tower lineup of Oden and Przybilla together (although I would of liked to see more of that in the 4th)...The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-50484710416902269642008-12-30T12:02:00.000-08:002008-12-30T12:03:04.398-08:00Bill Simmons on Mike D'Antoni and Don't Forget to Vote 4 Rudy!!For the 1st time in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the NBA fans will get to vote the for the final entrant into the contest and Portland's Rudy Fernandez is one of three players on the ballot. Watch the clip below and then vote for Rudy!!<br /><br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3797805">Bill Simmons has a great article up on Mike D'Antoni's "Seven seconds or less" offense</a> relating to that of past PG Steve Nash and current PG Chris Duhon with the Knicks. A very good read making me once again wonder what the Blazers would have been like with this genius using Sergio and Rudy who are built for his system rather than McMuffin's slow and (at times) sloppy pace... Just look at all the Knicks from last season and you couldn't find a reliable fantasy basketball player other than Zach Randolph... Now D'Antoni has people like David Lee, Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler, and even Quentin Richardson putting WAY above average numbers than they are accustomed to and they are no longer a joke and fun to watch. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/57llfhV1l_s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/57llfhV1l_s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-69602994980704783472008-12-16T06:56:00.001-08:002008-12-16T06:56:52.550-08:00Nate's Pitiful Excuse to John HollingerMcMuffin gives his <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERdiem-081215">lame-ass excuse</a> for the Clipper debacle from ESPN's John Hollinger:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I talked to McMillan about the decision afterward, and he said he didn't believe in fouling in that situation. Among other things, he pointed out that the only way you can lose is by fouling, because the player can get a four-point play.</span><br /><br />Um... did he not see the final score???<br /><br />(Repost of last paragraph from last entry):<br /><br />And the fact that the Clips had 8 seconds to get a final shot off where Mike Dunleavy was dumb enough to milk the whole clock so that if the Clips were to miss, they wouldn't get a second chance. Barron Davis was probably 10 feet away from the three point line milking the clock and the Blazers had ALL the time in the world to foul and make the Clips do IMO the more improbable thing of making the first FT and then having to miss the second and then get the rebound and score... Doesn't that sound a lot harder than LETTING B-Diddy having a nice look at a three McMuffin'? <br />It was a double overtime classic game indeed of two most god-awful coaches of today in the NBA... <br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen: Mike "Dunleaky" and Nate "McMuffin"!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-40670061270179506392008-12-15T09:10:00.000-08:002008-12-15T20:23:22.436-08:00What the Blake Was That?!Edited: 8:20 PM on 12/15/02 (scroll down to final paragraph)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1UyJHZ5OG6QFdfXqaJ5sFzZZz1YtGHSafikzr3lHoZbSMBC84N_cK0MochPMpzNlt30EtFqBrtk7oh_eHDLi12muWfKi_BZehLf3Mb7bSzhSHFmfu7cVM1NJcr5RLRSIy_l-/s1600-h/BlakedUp.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1UyJHZ5OG6QFdfXqaJ5sFzZZz1YtGHSafikzr3lHoZbSMBC84N_cK0MochPMpzNlt30EtFqBrtk7oh_eHDLi12muWfKi_BZehLf3Mb7bSzhSHFmfu7cVM1NJcr5RLRSIy_l-/s320/BlakedUp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280101551805172962" /></a><br /><br />Or more like What the (Bleep) was that?! Steve Blake, a CAREER 77% FT shooter shoots five FT at the end of the 4th quarter and goes 1 for 5 and the Clippers are able to force a tie and end of beating the Blazers. If you can't make your FT's, you don't deserve to win the game. My beef is still with McMuffin'... When you have Rudy Fernandez who is about 93% who had already missed his "one", why not Rudy? <br /><br />And once again, what about the bad timeout management by McMuffin'. You even had Mike Rice saying on TV commentary that he'd save a timeout because you know what you're going to run and you might need it later... Well, once again, McMuffin' ignores the thought of saving timeouts and out of the timeout, the Blazers run an iso-Roy... Really?! You needed a timeout for that?!<br /><br />And the fact that the Clips had 8 seconds to get a final shot off where Mike Dunleavy was dumb enough to milk the whole clock so that if the Clips were to miss, they wouldn't get a second chance. Barron Davis was probably 10 feet away from the three point line milking the clock and the Blazers had ALL the time in the world to foul and make the Clips do IMO the more improbable thing of making the first FT and then having to miss the second and then get the rebound and score... Doesn't that sound a lot harder than LETTING B-Diddy having a nice look at a three McMuffin'? <br />It was a double overtime classic game indeed of two most god-awful coaches of today in the NBA... <br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen: Mike "Dunleaky" and Nate "McMuffin"!!The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-45302955393113339642008-12-09T22:01:00.001-08:002008-12-09T22:01:27.095-08:00The Taste of McMuffin'... Bitter!!Feels like a Bill Simmons's like diary... cue Adam Carolla... (Dear, Online diary...),<br /><br />Remember Mike Dunleavy's timeout in the 2000 Western Conference Finals vs. the Lakers after the Blazers built a 15 or 17 point lead in the 4th quarter after Phil Jackson refused to call a timeout going down as the "Worst timeout called in Blazer history..." You all know what happened and I'll leave it at that... Well, number "# 2" happened tonight:<br /><br />With a 5 point lead with 53 seconds left DRIBBLING past halfcourt, McMuffin' calls a 20 second timeout leaving the Blazers with one 20 left... Now, I can maybe understand a timeout if you're behind a bucket or two, or even up one, two, or three points.... but 5. (I notice McMuffin' loves to do these timeouts which is pure stupid and also, his calling 20 sec. timeouts after one FT so you can't advance the ball to halfcourt). I immediately told my dad that that was a terrible timeout for those reasons I mentioned above the parenthesis. Then, when the Blazers had to call a second timeout, I knew we had a great possibility of losing the game... Then, cue Mike Rice on you want to have one of these timeouts down the stretch in case of a f*** up and then a really Kevin Pritchard mind-boggled face... And what happens off the timeout... you guessed it... a turnover that turned into 3 points for Orlando to cut the lead to 2 with 29 seconds left and NOW with no timeouts, we get off a corner prayer three by Roy with a hand in his face that airballs and now Oralndo calls timeout... I tell my dad that YES, we are gonna lose this game now and low and behold... Turkoglu hits the 3 to give Orlando the one point win...<br /><br />Not even with all the bloggers and forums out there that have expressed their (smart) opinions of playing Joel in the 4th quarter (McMuffin' failed to realize this until after mid season last year), to playing Sergio more, starting Batum or Rudy over Travis at the start of the season, whatever it may be... I still can't get the bitter taste of McMuffin' out of my mouth after this one...The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653515.post-21763313524447940722008-12-06T10:53:00.000-08:002008-12-06T10:54:04.698-08:00KG vs. Jose CalderonAnother reason to hate (the most underrated asshole in the NBA) Kevin Garnett and love (the most underrated PG today) JOSE CALDERON!! I'll tell you what, if this was Rasheed Wallace taunting, not only would he have been ejected in a nanosecond, but probably fined and suspended as well...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Arh5bmAsWb0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Arh5bmAsWb0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Average Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02483024112566336094noreply@blogger.com0