NBA Playoffs - Round 2

As the NBA Playoffs first round comes to an end, there have been some surprises, at least to Joe Public:

• Chicago had its hands full, albeit in only 5 games, vs Indiana. Four out of the five games ended competitively. It may have been the best thing to happen to the Bulls, who got a taste of what NBA playoff basketball is all about - rough, tough, grind-it-out
• After being throttled last year by the Magic, the Hawks weren't given much chance to win their series, including yours truly. Atlanta did exactly what they needed to do to win the series: win one road game and hold their own at home. I think the Bulls should be happy they don't have to face Howard- considering that the Indiana bigs seemed to have their way with the Bulls
• Miami disposed of Philly in 5. Philly's fight in the series shouldn't be a surprise, but they just don't have the talent Miami has.
• Boston aimed to make my Knicks prediction to win the series an ugly guess. And ugly might be an understatement. What a bad bad guess. Boston showed its playoff pride off in fashion, setting up the best series of the young playoffs with their matchup against the Heat.
• OKC win their first playoff series in their young franchise history, edging the Nuggets in three close matchups on their way to a 4-1 series win. I feel confident in OKC making it to the conference finals even more so than before.
• Dallas win in 6 in what first appeared to be a series where the home team would win all 7 games until Dallas ruined that pattern in 6. Dallas survived a game 4 meltdown by coming out strong in games 5 and 6 to close out the series.
• Lakers don't get any style points (at least to start) in their series win against the Hornets, but luckily this isn't gymnastics. They did close out the series well after playing to a 2-2 draw to start the series, throttling New Orleans in the final two games. The Laker switch is officially on.
• Memphis looks to become the first 8 seed in about 5 years to win a series (since the Warriors upended the Mavericks in 6 games)

So all of this leads up to 2nd round predictions, which if they were anything like my 1st round predictions, will probably be horsecrap and instant fade material:

• Miami vs. Boston (Bookmaker series odds: Miami -195/Boston +165): While this series may open up the 2nd round action, in the realm of fan interest, would be the main event match/series. Boston took the season series from Miami (as every good team aside from the Lakers seemed to do), downing Miami in 3 of 4 games. My guess for Miami being a decent favorite here would haveA to do with home court, but Boston is more than capable of winning on the road against them. This has the makings of a fantastic series to watch. I say they split the first two games in Miami, then the next two in Boston. From there, I got home court playing the role in the winner. Prediction: Heat in 7 games.
• Chicago vs. Atlanta (Bookmaker series odds: Chicago -900/Atlanta +650): These odds seem too steep for the Bulls here, although they did dominate the Hawks in 5 out of the 6 halves of basketball (only bad half resulted in the Bulls' lone loss vs Hotlanta). Atlanta took care of business in all three of their home games against Orlando in the last series. The Bulls, unlike Orlando, will not lose a home game in the series and will probably steal a game in Atlanta. Prediction: Bulls in 5 games.
• Los Angeles vs. Dallas (Bookmaker series odds: Lakers -380/Mavs +320): I'm not as sold on the Lakers as I thought I'd be at this point. They did close the last series like only the Lakers can. I think the Mavs will give the Lakers problems, particularly with the depth that they have. At the end of the day, I can't fade Kobe. Prediction: Lakers in 7.
• Oklahoma City vs. Memphis/San Antonio (Series odds: N/A): Since I want to beat the clock by getting all of my series predictions out there now, I'll be forced to project each team's chances against OKC. The Spurs would be a slight favorite over the Thunder if only for home court advantage and playoff experience, whereas Memphis would be an underdog in the +225/250 for the series. Either way, nothing that I've seen from OKC in their 5 game tilt against Denver makes me change my mind about them. My only worry is that Westbrook is a chucker, so Durant better make sure to shoot, shoot, shoot (and maybe shoot more) as he always does. I believe the Thunder will take the next step (as a franchise) against whoever they play. Prediction: OKC in 6 (against either team).

These predictions shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who read my NBA playoff preview. I'm not one so stubborn to go against previous predictions, but everything I've seen from the teams I had in my NBA Final Four has me believing that each will continue on their current paths.

Peace out.

Ain't She Grand (The Bolek Matriarch)

Virginia Nielsen Bolek was a mother of five and a wonderful wife.
A grandma and great-grandma to many a life.
We can't judge her worth simply on her years on Earth,
But also the memories we will carry as we have since birth,

Of a wonderful woman who carried the name Bolek into what it is today.
A proud family with rich traditions that will stay
Around for milleniums to come
A family that is immense but will always be a unit of One.

While only some of us can claim her as a Grandma, great-grandma or Mom,
She was a mom who was great and grand to us all.
She will remain with us forever and ever.
She will be there with us when we rise and fall.

And rise and fall again, from beginning to end.
An angel over our shoulder when we need a friend.
She is what every family would want with its matriarch.
She led a life that left an indelible mark.

She will always be here, to make sure we are ok.
Day and night, night and day.
Let us not mourn her loss today, but rather celebrate her life.
By being the best children, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives

That we can be. Let's live out her memory.
It's the way she would want it to be.
Today, let's celebrate Virginia Bolek for what she was and what she will be-
A beacon of a Bolek & Nielsen - from now until eternity.

I'm With The Band (wagon): How Do You Know Who is Who?

The past couple of hockey playoff seasons, I've observed the sudden rise in the Blackhawks. And while most people in my position (not a hockey fan and not really part of the wagon or true Hawks fan) wouldn't give a crap, I've always wondered if there's an easy way to spot out a bandwagoner from a true fan.

Are there certain signs that I should be looking for from the bandwagoners that wouldn't be seen in a true fan? Would quizzing people on the team's past (like anything from beyond the past 4-5 years) prove anything in their status? Are there certain jerseys that bandwagoners have that are considered too trendy for a "true" Hawks fan to get? I'm actually legitimately asking these questions, because I have no clue as an outsider to observes a plethora of Hawks love on social media - and while I know some of them are true fans, I also know there are some who are following the Hawks (much like some folks following the Bulls) because it's the cool thing to do.

I'm sure you (whoever reads this as a Hawks fan) know who, among your group of friends and "friends" on facebook, is a true fan. My question to you is: how do you distinguish between a true fan and a bandwagon?

If any of you have answers to this, I'd welcome some comments on the subject.

Big sports day in Chicago Tuesday. Buckle up where ever you watch the games.

-B

Grateful Bed

I had an amazing dream about a girl who I've never met- I believe she said she was from northwest Indiana in the dream. When you're dreaming, sometimes you don't realize you're dreaming...or maybe you never really do until you wake up- I don't know. Either way, it was one of the better dreams I've had in a long while. It was a dream I didn't want to escape.

Of course, I had to wake up from it around 8am. I'm not sure if any of you have ever tried going back to sleep and recreate a dream you just had, but it never goes to plan. I laid in bed and fell back asleep, but was unsuccessful in dreaming about this mystery girl again.

Maybe it's a sign of something to come. I suppose it's better than dreaming about something gruesome.

Just gotta keep my eyes open and be at the right place at the right time. Maybe this will turn into a case of deja vu, like I've had happen before with previous dreams of mine.

Just gotta go out there and re-create it in reality.

Life of Brians: The Tale of the Tape between Me and Scalabrine



  

Brian Scalabrine (far left)

 Brian Bolek

One may think me and Scalabrine don't have much to compare to each other, but I'm ready to prove that wrong. Here's a tale of the tape between me and the red-headed Italian:

Height: Me: 5 foot 9; Scalabrine; 6 foot 9. Advantage: In hide and seek and houses with low ceilings: me; With women and everything else in life: him.

Weight: Me: about 220 right now; Scalabrine: 235. Advantage: Scalabrine wins all-around, considering that's probably a normal weight for his height and mine is obese.

Hair color: Me: Brown; Scalabrine: Gingery. Advantage: Me. Duh.

Job title: Me: Sales Support Specialist for a consulting company; Scalabrine: Suit Model for the Chicago Bulls. Advantage: Me, because I don't have to leave the comforts of my home to work and also don't even need to wear clothes.

Salary:  Me: close to 50K; Scalabrine: $1.2 million (per basketball-reference.com data). Advantage: Scalabrine, by a landslide

Salary broken down by $ earned per minute worked: Me: 2000 hours worked, so 120,000 minutes. $0.41/minute worked; Scalabrine: 88 minutes played (18 appearances), $13,636.36/minutes worked. Advantage: Clearly me....wait, I mean him.

Chances of making the NBA Hall of Fame, per basketball-reference.com: Me: (Data not available); Scalabrine: Hall of Fame Probability Active 0.000 (181) Career 0.000 (1050). Advantage: Me. Data not available means I could have been a hall of famer if I wanted to be. I just prefer not to live in the limelight.

Chances of picking up random chicks at Chicago bar: Me: See Scalabrine's Hall of Fame odds; Scalabrine: 100%. Advantage: Scalabrine

People we hang out with: Me: degenerate gamblers, drunkards, obese people; Scalabrine: Derrick Rose, Kevin Garnett. Advantage: Sorry, Scally wins this. Nothing against you people. If any of you learn a cross-over dribble and can make $13 grand per minute worked in a year, then we'll talk. (Editor's note: It should be noted that the people I hang out with all have my traits, so you could essentially say I hang out with myself and it'd be accurate).

Final score: Scalabrine wins 6-3.

If I tried comparing myself to any of the other Bulls players, I'm sure I'd win more categories. But it's Scalabrine we're talking about here. I dare you to find a dude with a sweeter job in Chicago right now....

.......

.......

.......

.......

Yeah, that's what I thought.



#1s with Some Bullets

Some bullet points of a blog today:

• I have officially bet the entire AL Central to win the World Series. Before the season started, I threw $20 on the Sox at 21/1 odds (20 to win 420). I just checked all of the team's odds in the AL Central outside of the Sox and they were all 40/1 or over. So I threw $6 on KC (80/1 odds), $8 on the Twins (60/1 odds) and $10 each on the Indians and Tigers (both 40/1). Whether this proves to be a dumb strategy is a non-arguing point (I know it's stupid). I guess I figured if my Sox bet was gonna be shot in October, I might as well insure myself with the rest of the division at such high prices.
• Two trains of thought with the Bulls after going up 2-0 in the series: (1) Being on a double digit win streak, they're clearly doing something right, so no use in complaining on how they win, just as long as they win vs. (2) A #1 seed such as the Bulls with the supposed MVP should be destroying the Pacers on their home court, where they've shown themselves to be a dominant force, not letting them hang around (or in Game 1's sake, hold a lead the entire game up until the last minute). Both points can be argued. I don't think the Bulls can play like this against the Heat or Celtics (or even the Magic/Hawks) and expect to advance to the Finals.
• Speaking of the Bulls, I wore the Brian Scalabrine jersey again yesterday. I believe I have worn the jersey more than he has in 2011, and in about a quarter of the time.
• First day without class, so that means going to a bar of course. Well, for a friend's birthday. I don't want to make going to bars a habit, but I don't want to be trapped at home either this summer. Especially considering I work from home. So if you're reading this, GET ME OUT OF THE HOUSE!
• Just pulled the trigger on the Knicks for Game 2 tonight. I pegged them winning one of the first two games at Boston, so figured it was worth the risk at +275 for $35.
• Looks like The Playoff Stubble that I spoke of last week is about right for the Blackhawks, who are on the brink of elimination. I say they pull out a couple of wins here just to tease everyone, but then lose in Game 6.

....coming soon in the next day or two, a Scalabrine article that you will definitely want to read. Stay tuned.

World Series Bets Placed:

96124773	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11108] CLEVELAND INDIANS +4000 $10.00 $400.00
96124774	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11110] DETROIT TIGERS +4000 $10.00 $400.00
96124775	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11113] KANSAS CITY ROYALS +8000 $6.00 $480.00
96124776	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11117] MINNESOTA TWINS +6000 $8.00 $480.00

Now What: Filling a 20 Hour Weekly Void

If they only had a Brain. Now- he's gone from the Center of Illinois Broadcasting and looking for stuff to do.

What a great past couple of days to wrap up my time at school. Social events with my classmates bookended between a graduation where the school's dyslexia was in full display in the above picture (name and internship both messed up). Today was a good recovery/rest day from all of the excitement and madness that has ensued from the past week/month. But when Tuesday comes around, what will I do with the 20+ hours that I will now have to myself?

Sports: There's been some amazing basketball being played right now, which should fill some of the void. I've missed out on the majority of weekday sports since starting school. Luckily, during that time, I did pick up a CrackBerry, which allowed me to follow the scores of the games I was most interested in (i.e. the games I bet on). I had a brief early season buzz with the White Sox, but I am more interested in the NBA playoffs at this point. I'm sure I'll go to close to a dozen ball games this summer with my friends. I thought about doing the Ozzie Plan with the partial season ticket plan, but I don't like the idea of going to a baseball game with one other person for 13 games (I'd rather go to 13 games with 3-4 people). However, I don't have the cash to throw down on 39-52 tickets with the risk that I can't sell some of the tickets. Hopefully, sports will fill some of the void.

Bars/Drinks: To watch sports, I will likely go out every now and then to watch the big games and just to get out of the house. I already know of one bar having Summer Shandy on tap (Olivers), so that may be my bar for the summer. I need to go to Wild Wings more. My boneless wing craving has not been met enough this year. The question with the bars/drinks option is: Will I be able to get anyone to go out with me on a somewhat regular basis? That is the $20K question.

Bowling Leagues: More bowling leagues you say? Yes- much needed in my summer life. Last year's summer league was the highlight of what was otherwise a dull/depressing summer. And with the main league about to end in a few weeks, I'll need to keep sharp in the summer. I may look to bowl two summer leagues.

Job Searching: With school now over, it's time to put this education to use better than I did with my previous degree. I have been given some websites to use for job leads in the video editing field. I'm gonna take a week or two to myself before I start looking.  Then it'll be time to start cranking out resumes and sending out my video editing demo in hopes of securing a gig. I'd like to get a part-time video editing gig to start if possible so I can keep my current job- which I do enjoy. If I do secure a part-time gig, I could see myself being a video editor at home- which means I'll need to score me a Mac and the new Final Cut program, which comes out in June.

Trips: A trip to Vegas is already set in stone, with a trip to Minnesota and Nashville, among others, on the horizon of being planned. These trips will help fill some of this downtime that comes from the ending of school.

I'm sure there's other things I'm forgetting, but luckily, it seems like I'll have a lot of potential outlets to kill the 20+ hours I will gain from not having school any more.

While it is bittersweet that we had to say goodbye to each other, it will be worth it for all of us ICBers in the end for the experience we went through together. It will make the future "Hellos" all the more sweet.

The NBA playoffs: Where Predictability (Usually) Happens

 I wrote in my last blog about the hockey playoffs and the Blackhawks' chances in it being better than 8 seeds in NBA. While the Hawks being down 2-0 doesn't exactly prove my point, in most years, it's 10 times more likely for an 8 seed to win a series in NHL than in pro basketball. If the oddsmakers at bookmaker have anything to say about it, this point still holds true.
To open the series, the Hawks were +185 odds to win the series. Compare that to the Pacers being +2000 (that's 20/1) to beat the Bulls (-4000) in round 1, and the Spurs/Grizzles handle currently at (-370/+310) for the 1/8 matchup in the West, which is about as low of odds as I'd expect to see in a 1/8 for basketball.

Without further ado, my predictions for the basketball playoffs, series by series:

Round 1:
Bulls over Pacers in 4- Bulls have owned the Central this year. I don't see how the Pacers win more than 1 game.
Magic over Atlanta in 5- The thing to look for here is Howard getting another technical. They can't afford to lose him for future playoff games in round 2. I think the Magic coast here and lose game 3 but win the rest. Magic are -650 to win the series.
Heat over Sixers in 6- Doug Collins deserves some coach of the year votes for his ability to turn around the Sixers within the year, especially after their terrible start. I think they will be able to steal a few games at home but ultimately, the Heat prevail (and I believe the Heat's Big Three will turn their switch on towards the end of this series). The Heat are overwhelming -2050 odds to win the series, so for every dollar you want to win, you have to risk $20.50.

Knicks over Celtics in 6- This looks like the most likely upset of the 4 matchups in the East. The Celtics have lost their edge since losing Perkins. While the Knicks haven't exactly been world beaters since getting Anthony, they've been getting hot as the playoffs approach. I think they'll hold their own in their home games and steal a game in Boston. Knicks sit at +290 odds.

Spurs over Grizzlies in 7- The Spurs are a shadow of themselves compared to their start of the year success. I think the Grizzlies will scare the Spurs and create one of the more surprisingly entertaining 1st round series.
Thunder over Denver in 6- This has my vote as the first round series I am most interested in watching/following. The Thunder are one of the best 4 seeds I've seen on paper since following basketball. They will win their first series as an NBA team in Oklahoma City. OKC coming off the board as a -210, which I consider to be nice odds for them.


Lakers over Hornets in 4- This is where the Lakers turn on the switch. Regular season losing streaks are exactly that- they happen in the regular season. The Lakers won't lose more than a game in this series. Their series odds are -2100, the second biggest favorite behind the Bulls.

Mavs over Blazers in 7- This series determines the team who will lose to the Lakers in round 2. I'd put my money on the Mavs, who aren't usually playing their best basketball historically in late April/early May as a team. I think they have just enough to win here, but beyond that, forget about it. Mavs are the lowest favorites on the board at -190.

Round 2:
Bulls over Magic in 6- Rose is unguardable, but that doesn't mean he will always get the best of Dwight Howard, who will make life more difficult in this series than the Pacers will do. Ultimately, the better team will prevail, and the Bulls continue their improbable run towards the franchise's 7th title. I will guess that the Bulls go off the board at -400 or -500 for this series.
Heat over Knicks in 5- As I said before, I think the Heat's switch turns on towards the end of round 1. While the Heat are capable of playing defense, the Knicks' best defensive plays are usually on offense when they hold the ball for more than 10 seconds. Take this one to the bank. The Heat would be -500 for this series.
Thunder over Spurs in 6- The Spurs have reached their fork in the road, and unfortunately it's not a fork picking up a nice piece of steak. Rather, this fork is covered in gravel bits. Perkins being added to the team will prove to be the best move made at the deadline in the short-term.
Lakers over Mavs in 5- See first round capsules. Laker's switch: ON = Mavs: SCREWED.

Conference Finals:
Heat over Bulls in 6- Consider this blasphemy for someone who owns a Scalabrine jersey, but I have this feeling that the Heat are going to play their best basketball in May. I haven't been able to shake this feeling that the Bulls are playing over their heads and will eventually crash. That's not to say this season would be a disappointment if they finished in the NBA Final Four- far from it. What the Bulls have done this year has been nothing short of incredible. I'm gonna trust my gut on this one and say the Heat win the series, but I will definitely be rooting against this feeling.
Lakers over Thunder in 7- This will be the best series of the NBA playoffs, much like their first-round battle last year (with the Lakers victorious in 6 games). I envision Durant making that next step to becoming closer to legend status, but he will have to bow to elder legend Kobe. I see both gentlemen going off for about 35 ppg in the series, but experience playing in the favor of the Lakers in an epic series.

While Kobe's fingers may look a tad feminine and pale, don't be fooled by thinking they can't flip the switch again.

Finals: Lakers over Heat in 6- The NBA, ESPN, ABC and any other 3/4 lettered sports channel provider gets the finals they wanted to see since LeBron made The Decision and the matchup they've been craving since the Cavs were the 1 seed in back-to-back years in Bryant vs. James. One thing that could play in the Heat's favor is that they'd have home-court advantage in this one should they face each other (Heat have 1 more regular season win than the Lakers). While I think Kobe is nearing the twilight of his status of an elite player, there isn't a single player in the game who has the talent and determination to win than he does. There are others in the game with more talent than him at this point, but Kobe's will to succeed is so much higher than everyone else's. His legs with millions of miles on them are attached to the body of a man whose appetite for championships is that of a starving fat guy left alone at an All-You-Can-Eat fish fry.

An aside: A couple weeks ago, I mentioned to my friend Nick that I think Bryant's draft position in the 1996 draft in the #13 slot is the biggest steal of any draft in NBA history, even moreso than Jordan "falling" to the Bulls at 3 the year he came out. Consider the two players drafted ahead of Jordan- Hakeem and Sam Bowie (can't blame the Rockets for selecting a 7 foot athletic guy who can do everything) vs. the last 6 guys who were picked ahead of Bryant in 1996: Lorenzen Wright (of course to the Clippers), Kerry Kittles, Samaki Walker, Erick Dampier, Todd Fuller (who the hell is he? - here is who "he" is, in case you are interested.) and Vitaly Potapenko. When Erick Dampier is the best player picked in the same range of a draft, you know you're talking about a disasterously fantastic deal the Lakers got to get Bryant- traded to LA after being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets.

Back to the point. With this being Phil Jackson's supposed last hurrah, I think Bryant and company will send Phil out a winner.

This above series would be being played while I am in Vegas for my Vegas VI trip. I hope to see the beginning of what could be an amazing Finals matchup. I hope I'm wrong about the Bulls not making it this far.



 

From Playoff Beard to Playoff Stubble: The Hawks' Short Journey through the Playoffs?

How thick will the Hawks' beards get this year? Beard season starts today.

Everyone who knows me knows I don't follow much hockey, but there's one thing that I love about hockey: the playoff beard. Last year's Hawks squad had a variety of playoff beards growing throughout their Stanley Cup run:

One of the thicker beards last year, as worn by Adam Burish

This beard, proudly worn by Antti Niemi

 
And then, there are the not-so-pretty beards:

My cousin Tony grew better facial hair at the age of 12 than Kane did at 21.
$20 says Kaner punched the cabbie because cabbie said Kane's beard looked like "my wife's lower region".

I guess being talented and having a good beard don't go hand in hand.

From what I hear about the Hawks' inconsistency this year, fans of childish beards grown by adult men will be disappointed when Kane and Toews (among others) get eliminated early by the President Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks.

The one thing I do know about hockey (and baseball) compared to basketball is that playoff series are a lot more unpredictable and home ice/field does not mean as much when compared to NBA. Seems like every year or every other year, a 1 seed loses to an 8 seed in hockey in at least one of the conferences. The Ducks almost won the Cup less than ten years ago as an 8 seed and the Flyers made it all the way to the Cup as a 7 seed last year against the Hawks.

Also, if history is any indicator, making the playoffs in the last week/game isn't necessarily a bad sign for the Hawks. Some recent sports examples of teams who squeaked into postseason play:

NHL- Flyers (2010): made the playoffs in the last day of the season last year and were two games away from winning the Stanley Cup.

MLB- San Francisco Giants (2010): They squeaked into the playoffs after winning in game 162 (last game of the regular season) vs. the Padres, who helped the Giants get back into the NL West race by losing 10 straight games in September. The Giants went on to win the World Series after besting the Braves, Phillies and Rangers in October.

NFL- Green Bay (2010-11): won their last two regular season games, including an ugly affair against the Bears on the 2nd day of the year, then won the Super Bowl after winning three straight games on the road, including at Chicago.

NCAAB- Butler/VCU (2011): Some say that Butler may not have made the tournament if they did not win their conference tourney; everyone said that VCU did not deserve to be in the play-in game of the newly-expanded 68-team NCAA tournament. Both teams made the most of their opportunities. Butler won a pair of last second victories in the first two rounds, then proceeded to the Final Four after victories against Wisconsin and Florida. Meanwhile, VCU was the first team to need 5 wins to advance to the final weekend, capping off their amazing run by dominating against highly-touted and top-ranked Kansas. While Butler (who beat VCU in the national semis) ended up looking terrible against Uconn, they definitely went further than 99.999% of people thought they would.

So will the Hawks (or another team) join this list? It's much more possible in NHL than NBA. Whereas I could name the 5 teams that even have a shot at the NBA title (no particular order: Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Heat, Spurs), hockey always presents series upsets that allow for any and all teams to have a shot at the title.

Good luck to the Hawks to advance beyond the playoff stubble stage. From what I hear, they'll need all the luck they can get.

Four Seasons, One Summer Shandy

Awesome signs of the summer ahead in the past 6 hours:

-Walking dog around the block: This may not sound like much, especially to those of you who walk your dog for a mile or more. But getting to walk the old dog for at least one more season, one more time, made my day worthwhile. It took about 6 minutes to walk around the block, since Buddy wanted to sniff every tree and urinate on about half of them.

-Summer Shandy commercial: arguably my favorite seasonal beer. I'll need to remember to store up on this when they phase it out in September. I think I'm gonna buy a couple of 12-ers and watch some sports and movies tonight. I hope to find a good bar for the summer that serves this on tap and calling that place my home.

-Donning the shorts: This is always a landmark day of any year- the first day of wearing shorts. This wouldn't mean much to my brother and Tim Wolf, who wear shorts all year round. While the shorts phase is by no means a staple throughout the year, its introduction into the wardrobe makes the pants prepare for their nearing hibernation.

-Softball/baseball/betting: While my mom was misinformed about my pre-teen cousin's softball game being today (it is tomorrow), the sign of games being played is a true sign of summer. Also watching the annually hyped Red Sox/Yanks game on the annually over-rated Joe Buck and Tim McCarver broadcasting network and betting on it (I bet the over, it came in with 4 1/2 innings to spare- first baseball bet won of 3 bets placed this year). And currently, watching the Sox winning with the slimmest of margins through 5.5 innings. Maybe this is the year I get back into baseball, because it's been slowly waning in my consciousness ever since I started watching/betting on NFL. I think going to 10-15 games (my goal) will help with that. If you are reading this, you are encouraged to get me off my ass to go to a game.

Feel free to share your own personal signs of summer.

I can't wait till the above scenarios are all in alignment with each other like an eclipse: a Summer Shandy on an 80 degree day, getting the 15 year old dog to sip the Fountain of Youth for a 5 minute walk, and ending the day at the ball park with a White Sox winner.

Time to buy the beer and get the Summer (Shandy) unofficially started.

Haters Gonna Love Hating

I hate haters. Does that make me no better than them for hating?

Actually, I don't hate haters. I just don't understand the mind of a hater. Before I delve into the subject further, for the 2 of you who read this who would like the cultural definition of hater, here it is, courtesy of urban dictionary:

A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.

Hating, the result of being a hater, is not exactly jealousy. The hater doesnt really want to be the person he or she hates, rather the hater wants to knock somelse down a notch.

This would be definition #1 (thusly, the most culturally relevant definition) for "hater" out of the 116 entries, so let's just use this one.

I came across a facebook link a friend posted of someone who posted a youtube video on behalf of her friend, who supposedly closed her channel and deleted her videos because of some haters.

As you can see by this chart, which I totally did not just make up on the fly to prove my point, shows a sharp rise in hating as technology has become more rampant in the United States from 2001 thru 2010:



Hater % amongst the population has gone from around 12% in 2001 to 70% in 2010, according to the latest data provided by Bolek Statistical, Inc. (BS, Inc.). Data suggests the lure of anonymous/faceless hating through the use of Internet has brought out the inner-hater in much of America.


Don't believe the graph? That, my friend, makes you a hater. Welcome to the 70% of the population.

If all you spend doing in a given day is disliking videos on youtube and talking crap in Internet forums, get a life. Really. You have less of a life than me- this coming from a guy who engulfs himself in social media and who has 10 people regularly read his pointless blog of non-hatred material.

I wish Facebook could have a dislike button for you haters just to be able to identify you better, but they don't. Wait, forget a dislike button. A hate button.

"Hate the player hater, don't hate the game". Don't mind if I do.

Flipping the Script: From DumbPhone to Smartphone

I shun fancy things like electricity.

Sorry, Weird Al was stuck in mind for a second. Actually, the thing I shunned for the longest time was having a modern, more expensive than $20 type of cell phone. Previous phones, which usually expired on me in about a year's time, were all of the flip variety. One out of the 5 or 6 previous ones had a camera phone (none of the pictures which I ever transferred, by the way), and only had one phone where I used Internet on a trial basis (cancelled it right before the free trial ended).

Left to right: The functionality of my picture phone pre-2010 ----> its functionality now. Some might argue the extra technology did a disservice. That argument is still pending.

Meanwhile, others around me (i.e. 98% of society) were advancing their phone selection to that of the highest standards of the time- the BlackBerrys, I-phones, etc. While my friends would be looking up the latest stats to the games I'd bet on, I'd be thanking them for checking those scores for me. In the land of phones, mine would always feel like how my dad would feel like at a computer convention- completely lost. By the way, this article is not about great analogies, so I'm leaving the previous statement in just because I can.

Anywho, fast-forward to 2010, and my new job come July is working from home as a Sales Support Specialist for a consulting company. The company agrees to pay for my phone bill on a monthly basis. Suddenly, the cheap-phoned mindset that has plagued me for years on end slowly escapes through my pores. A few months later, when my rebate for a new phone kicks in, I get a Blackberry Curve, the newest model of BC that they have. It's so new, in fact, that I conveniently get screwed out of a case for it because apparently they design the phone for it and then release the case design months later- which removes it from the accessory bundle package that I bought.

Five months after the purchase, I couldn't tell you how much I use the phone for purposes outside of work calls. I find myself as addicted to the phone as the very people that I privately (and sometimes publicly) mocked for having a techie disease I'll call modern cellulitis (patent pending).

Can't even keep my phone away from me on the company trip to Puerto Rico.

I send BBMs (a messaging system for Blackberry-to-Blackberry texting), texts and pictures, place bets and statuses on Facebook, and do various other things with my 21st century phone that I could only have dreamed of doing before this year. I must say, it can be technology-overload and there may be sometime in the future where I need a break from all of this.

For now, unfortunately, I have become something (yes, something, not someone- because I've lost part of my humanity here) that I never thought I'd ever be- a droid hooked on his Crackberry.

April Fooled: An MLB Opening Day Edition

Selig to allow Pirates, Royals to start season with 30 wins

New York-- In a move that surprised no one, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig stated in a press release that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals will start the season with a 30 game advantage on their opponents. Selig cited the move as "a necessary one for competitive balance" that stems from the fact that no one can even remember when these two teams last made the playoffs. Selig's message continues:

"The fan bases of these teams need a reason to follow their team throughout the season. Now August and September will hold some meaning to these franchises aside from the annual September call-ups of minor-league studs who will become future stars on the Yankees and Red Sox."

In his company's database of over 17,000 MLB players throughout history dating back to 1871, baseball-reference.com founder Sean Forman said he cannot recall the last time the Royals or Pirates were any good. He applauds Selig for taking the initiative to give the perennial losers a fighting chance.

"With this 30 game advantage, I fully expect the game of baseball to be given the opportunity to send below-average teams to the playoffs, as basketball and hockey have been able to do throughout the years," Forman said. "I think history will look at this as a wise move by the commissioner that will rank right up there with the blind eye to steroids and making a useless All-Star game carry homefield advantage in the World Series for the winner."

Washington Nationals owner Ted Lurner filed a protest to be among the teams to receive 30 wins, but Selig cited its previous history as a Canadian franchise in Montreal as a nullifer to the win stimulus.