Hello,
What was the message that the Magic were trying to send last night? Orlando fouled Dwight Howard purposefully so many times. They weren't even pretending that Hack A Howard wasn't their main strategy. Howard made 25 of 39 free throws, making 64% of his free throws last night. Orlando clearly went out of their way to foul him, Hack A Dwight, as much as possible. The strategy started out okay as he missed 10 of 19 free throws he shot in the first half. In the second half he made 16 of 20 free throws. Many of the fouls were ridiculously intentional. Good news for the Lakers that Howard was "on fire" from the free throw line last night. That raises his season free throw shooting percentage to. 490% for the season. $19.5 million just doesn't buy what it use to. (Thanks to espn.com.)
I'm not sure what the message was that the Magic was trying to deliver last night, but they were clearly trying to humiliate Howard. Surprisingly Howard, a notoriously bad free throw shooter, came through. He shot so well that the Magic's strategy backfired. Although the Lakers have won 8 of their last 10 games they are still in 8th place in the Western Conference. The Lakers are enjoying a little success before they get exposed and sent back to reality in the playoffs.
Yes, Howard had a good game last night, but ESPN used the word "dominates" to describe his performance. I don't know if he quite dominated. He made slightly over 50% of his field goal attempts and only scored so many points because he was fouled so many times. Let's not hype up Howard please.
The Heat continue to make the Eastern Conference a laugher as they rolled to their 19th straight win last night. How many games will they win before they finally lose. It seems that they are peaking at the right time, but it could be too early.
Two NBA games on ESPN tonight. The first one, Utah @ Oklahoma City, you can skip. As a Jazz fan I'd consider that game a success if the Jazz lose by 20 points or less. Then the second game will be much more intriguing. The New York Knicks, one of the Eastern Conference dwarves, will be visiting the speedy Nuggets of Denver. From an aesthetic viewpoint this won't be an especially pretty game. However from the viewpoint of someone who hates the overrated Knicks, I look forward to the Knicks getting their butts handed to them again. Can the Knicks score more than 63 points this game? #whyallthehypefortheKnicks?
I'm getting so very excited as March Madness is only 8 days away, the three most exciting weeks of the sports year. The NFL playoffs are great, but are only a few games. The NFL playoffs culminates in the Super Bowl but it's only one game. The NBA playoffs are a two month slog, way too long. Too many teams make the NBA playoffs that are clearly have no chance of winning the NBA title. Also in the NBA playoffs a team can lose 3 games each series and still win the NBA title!
For me March Madness is where it's at in terms of excitement. Another great thing about the NCAA Tournament is the one and done aspect of it. That aspect makes it much more likely for crazy things to happen, it's those crazy things that make it March Madness. I always look forward to March Madness every year.
Also this March Madness should be a little more special for me than usual as I'll actually be able to participate in it. I'm going to be a volunteer on Thursday, March 21st and Saturday, March 23rd helping with the tournament through the University of Utah. This year the second round of the NCAAs will be held in Salt Lake. (Officially it's called the second round, following what's called the First Four. The First Four is where the #65 to #68 teams play each other to determine where they'll be in the actual traditional brackets that everyone is used to.) I'm looking forward to being near to all that excitement and energy.
Also thumbs up to the USA World Baseball Classic team, they won again last night. They beat Puerto Rico 7-1 in what I expected to be a much tougher game than it ended up being. I thought that Puerto Rico had a good chance of beating the Americans. I'm even more worried about the USA's next opponent. That would be the Dominican Republic, they've been steamrolling teams in this tournament. The DR were down 4 runs last night, before coming back to win 5-4. (I'm surprised how little information there is on the Internet about the WBC.)
I also just want to say one thing about the USA's WBC jerseys, they are extremely good looking. I believe back in the day they would have been called fly:
themusicaddict
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Sleazy 80's Heavy Metal Classics, Part 2
Hello,
Although the title says 80s heavy metal classics, some of these songs won't fit into that exact time frame. But pretty much all of these songs ooze with 80s sleaze. Enjoy.
I'm starting off with a four pack of Poison. I think few bands epitomized 80's sleeze as much as Poison did. "I Want Action":
One of the lesser played, but better, classic 80s heavy metal songs, "Fallen Angel":
And perhaps the greatest heavy metal ballad of all-time, "Every Rose Has It's Thorn":
Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law":
Ratt's "Dangerous But Worth The Risk":
Queensryche's "Revolution Calling":
Bullet Boys "Smooth Up In Ya":
Def Leppard and Guns 'N Roses are my two favorite late 80's heavy metal bands. "Rock! Rock! 'Til You Drop":
"Rock of Ages", too bad the movie never lived up to this song:
Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills":
Ozzy Osbourne's "Over The Mountain":
Kiss' "Detroit Rock City":
"Strutter":
"Slave To The Grind":
Cinderella's "Nobody's Fool":
Great White's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy":
Tesla's "Love Song":
Here's a version of "Love Song" that starts out just a bit different:
The Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls":
Quiet Riot's "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)":
Lita Ford "Kiss Me Deadly":
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Crimson and Clover" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You":
themusicaddict
Although the title says 80s heavy metal classics, some of these songs won't fit into that exact time frame. But pretty much all of these songs ooze with 80s sleaze. Enjoy.
I'm starting off with a four pack of Poison. I think few bands epitomized 80's sleeze as much as Poison did. "I Want Action":
One of the lesser played, but better, classic 80s heavy metal songs, "Fallen Angel":
And perhaps the greatest heavy metal ballad of all-time, "Every Rose Has It's Thorn":
Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law":
Ratt's "Dangerous But Worth The Risk":
Queensryche's "Revolution Calling":
Bullet Boys "Smooth Up In Ya":
Def Leppard and Guns 'N Roses are my two favorite late 80's heavy metal bands. "Rock! Rock! 'Til You Drop":
"Rock of Ages", too bad the movie never lived up to this song:
Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills":
Ozzy Osbourne's "Over The Mountain":
Kiss' "Detroit Rock City":
"Strutter":
"Slave To The Grind":
Cinderella's "Nobody's Fool":
Great White's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy":
Tesla's "Love Song":
Here's a version of "Love Song" that starts out just a bit different:
The Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls":
Quiet Riot's "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)":
Lita Ford "Kiss Me Deadly":
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Crimson and Clover" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You":
themusicaddict
Howard Returns: The Dbag Express Arrives In Orlando, Cowboys Continue To Befuddle!
Hello,
I'm sorry fans of the Orlando Magic as your team will be completely ignored tonight, even though your game is in Orlando. That's right the Lakers and Dwight Howard will be there tonight. This will be the first time Howard will play in Orlando since his acrimonious departure following last season. I'm expecting there to be a festive feeling in Orlando. Not only is it Spring, but the Magic can count their blessings that Howard is no longer on the Magic. Instead it's the Lakers paying Howard over $19 million to play inconsistent, uninspired basketball.
The national media is making a big deal of Dwight Howard returning to Orlando. Besides Howard and his homies, who the hell cares? Howard's leaving Orlando was so selfish, so all about him that it's doubtful there are any other bridges to burn. Sure there will be a few boos, but overall I'm expecting more of a meh response. Why will Magic fans miss a drama queen clearly already on the downside of his career?
Also can we please stop calling Howard Superman? That's such an insult to one of the greatest comic book characters. It was bad enough when Shaquille O'Fail was calling himself Superman. However at least O'Fail was able to win some NBA titles, something that Howard will never do. I've got a nickname for Howard. How about The Big Brick, especially after he missed all five of his free throws in the last game he played. The Big Brick can join the Big Stiffy and scare absolutely nobody.
I remember a couple of years ago when the Jazz didn't resign Carlos Boozer. Did I consider it a loss in anyway, um no! I'm a fan so what do I know? But I heard that the Jazz could have matched the offer that the Bulls made to Boozer and he would have stayed in Salt Lake. Thankfully Kevin O'Connor was wise enough to turn down that "deal". I'm even happier by O'Connor's decision now. Especially after Boozer's 4 for 15 from the field performance the other day. (Boozer, or as some Jazz fans called him Loozer, went on to sign what Bill Simmons calls the 11th worst NBA contract. Even in failure Boozer can't make the Top Ten.) I would have been so pissed off if the Jazz had kept him. Boozer is a lot like Howard, both of them think that they are much better than they are. They also both rely on a lot of smoke in mirrors to mask their many deficiencies.
I'm so glad that Boozer is no longer on the Jazz now and that Howard was never on the Jazz. I hope Al Jefferson joins Boozer as an ex-Jazzman in just a few weeks.
Records wise: the second "best" Eastern Conference team visited the 6th best Western Conference team last night. Guess who won? Was it the team that soared to a 63 point night? Um, no. I loved the Knicks sterling effort against the Warriors. They exploded for 35 points in the first half, then they cooled down in the second half only scoring 26 points. It was a scintillating night by all the Knicks. For the game the Knicks shot 27.4% from the field.
Carmelo Anthony had another amazing night. He missed 11 of 15 field goals and only made 6 of 9 from the free throw line. He did add 10 rebounds, however he had no assists. I don't think Anthony realizes that passing is an option, or playing defense for that matter. Also the Knicks were outscored by 29 points when Anthony was on the floor. I realize that the Knicks record isn't good when Anthony misses the game. However from the little I've seen, it just seems like the Knicks play better when he's not in their lineup. They won by 29 points in the last game the Knicks played without him. Then in his first game back the Knicks lost by 29 points to the Warriors. Now Anthony is acknowledging the fact is that he probably won't be 100% all season. Yeah Anthony is really someone I would build my team around.
Really this is the best the East can do for their second best team? Literally do the Knicks scare anyone? The Knicks play at Denver, there's another blowout loss for the Knicks. Although I never hear about Indiana, I say that the Pacers have got to be the second best team in the East. Will anyone else from the Eastern Conference join the Heat as flag bearers for the East. With the Heat finally putting all the pieces together, winners of 18 in a row, does it even matter?
The Heat continue rolling, as do the Nuggets. Don't sleep on the Nuggets, winners of 9 games in a row. The Jazz won last night, beating a pathetic Pistons team. Utah is currently back in 8th place in the Western Conference, but the Lakers will tie them when they beat Orlando tonight. I predict the Lakers will finish 8th in the WC this season, but they aren't going to catch Houston. Utah next plays at Oklahoma City Wednesday night, the Jazz are going to get stomped.
Meanwhile as King Jerry continues to fiddle away and the Cowboys continues to burn, the 49ers continue making smart moves. From recent moves these two teams continue to move in opposite directions. Let's start with the smart team first, the 49ers traded a 6th round draft choice for Anquan Bolden. Yes, the same clutch wide receiver that just helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl. Would that 6th rounder contribute as much as Bolden will, it's doubtful.
Meanwhile in Dallas, the Cowboys are making such earth shattering moves as cutting Dan Connor and Gerald Sensabaugh so that they can get under the salary cap. Of course a lot of that money they are moving into future seasons, so next year the Cowboys will have to do the same thing. But next year they'll no longer have to pay that $5 million salary cap fine. That will help, but does it matter when Jerrah is your GM? Meanwhile the Cowboys will be giving Tony Romo $18 million per year to remain a Cowboy.
Dallas ended this past season about $20 million over the salary cap and after their moves yesterday, they are now about $200,000 underneath the salary cap. They saved $3 million by cutting Dan Connor. They also saved money by restructuring Miles Austin's contract. But why don't they just cut him altogether? He's going to be miss games and even when he plays he's going to be battling injuries. That's what has happened in the past and there's no reason to expect anything to be different in the future.
With NFL free agency starting today, obviously the Cowboys won't be a big player in free agency. Of course even when they are, they don't have a great track record. (Thanks to ESPN Dallas.) But one move the Cowboys need to make is to cut Doug Free after June 1st, that will save them $7 million.
So again while the 49ers are trading for a solid contributer in Boldin, the Cowboys are cutting Connor just to get under the salary cap. SMH Thanks Jerry, you are sure doing a hell of a job as the Cowboys GM, I can't wait to see what you do next. #massivefail
themusicaddict
I'm sorry fans of the Orlando Magic as your team will be completely ignored tonight, even though your game is in Orlando. That's right the Lakers and Dwight Howard will be there tonight. This will be the first time Howard will play in Orlando since his acrimonious departure following last season. I'm expecting there to be a festive feeling in Orlando. Not only is it Spring, but the Magic can count their blessings that Howard is no longer on the Magic. Instead it's the Lakers paying Howard over $19 million to play inconsistent, uninspired basketball.
The national media is making a big deal of Dwight Howard returning to Orlando. Besides Howard and his homies, who the hell cares? Howard's leaving Orlando was so selfish, so all about him that it's doubtful there are any other bridges to burn. Sure there will be a few boos, but overall I'm expecting more of a meh response. Why will Magic fans miss a drama queen clearly already on the downside of his career?
Also can we please stop calling Howard Superman? That's such an insult to one of the greatest comic book characters. It was bad enough when Shaquille O'Fail was calling himself Superman. However at least O'Fail was able to win some NBA titles, something that Howard will never do. I've got a nickname for Howard. How about The Big Brick, especially after he missed all five of his free throws in the last game he played. The Big Brick can join the Big Stiffy and scare absolutely nobody.
I remember a couple of years ago when the Jazz didn't resign Carlos Boozer. Did I consider it a loss in anyway, um no! I'm a fan so what do I know? But I heard that the Jazz could have matched the offer that the Bulls made to Boozer and he would have stayed in Salt Lake. Thankfully Kevin O'Connor was wise enough to turn down that "deal". I'm even happier by O'Connor's decision now. Especially after Boozer's 4 for 15 from the field performance the other day. (Boozer, or as some Jazz fans called him Loozer, went on to sign what Bill Simmons calls the 11th worst NBA contract. Even in failure Boozer can't make the Top Ten.) I would have been so pissed off if the Jazz had kept him. Boozer is a lot like Howard, both of them think that they are much better than they are. They also both rely on a lot of smoke in mirrors to mask their many deficiencies.
I'm so glad that Boozer is no longer on the Jazz now and that Howard was never on the Jazz. I hope Al Jefferson joins Boozer as an ex-Jazzman in just a few weeks.
Records wise: the second "best" Eastern Conference team visited the 6th best Western Conference team last night. Guess who won? Was it the team that soared to a 63 point night? Um, no. I loved the Knicks sterling effort against the Warriors. They exploded for 35 points in the first half, then they cooled down in the second half only scoring 26 points. It was a scintillating night by all the Knicks. For the game the Knicks shot 27.4% from the field.
Carmelo Anthony had another amazing night. He missed 11 of 15 field goals and only made 6 of 9 from the free throw line. He did add 10 rebounds, however he had no assists. I don't think Anthony realizes that passing is an option, or playing defense for that matter. Also the Knicks were outscored by 29 points when Anthony was on the floor. I realize that the Knicks record isn't good when Anthony misses the game. However from the little I've seen, it just seems like the Knicks play better when he's not in their lineup. They won by 29 points in the last game the Knicks played without him. Then in his first game back the Knicks lost by 29 points to the Warriors. Now Anthony is acknowledging the fact is that he probably won't be 100% all season. Yeah Anthony is really someone I would build my team around.
Really this is the best the East can do for their second best team? Literally do the Knicks scare anyone? The Knicks play at Denver, there's another blowout loss for the Knicks. Although I never hear about Indiana, I say that the Pacers have got to be the second best team in the East. Will anyone else from the Eastern Conference join the Heat as flag bearers for the East. With the Heat finally putting all the pieces together, winners of 18 in a row, does it even matter?
The Heat continue rolling, as do the Nuggets. Don't sleep on the Nuggets, winners of 9 games in a row. The Jazz won last night, beating a pathetic Pistons team. Utah is currently back in 8th place in the Western Conference, but the Lakers will tie them when they beat Orlando tonight. I predict the Lakers will finish 8th in the WC this season, but they aren't going to catch Houston. Utah next plays at Oklahoma City Wednesday night, the Jazz are going to get stomped.
Meanwhile as King Jerry continues to fiddle away and the Cowboys continues to burn, the 49ers continue making smart moves. From recent moves these two teams continue to move in opposite directions. Let's start with the smart team first, the 49ers traded a 6th round draft choice for Anquan Bolden. Yes, the same clutch wide receiver that just helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl. Would that 6th rounder contribute as much as Bolden will, it's doubtful.
Meanwhile in Dallas, the Cowboys are making such earth shattering moves as cutting Dan Connor and Gerald Sensabaugh so that they can get under the salary cap. Of course a lot of that money they are moving into future seasons, so next year the Cowboys will have to do the same thing. But next year they'll no longer have to pay that $5 million salary cap fine. That will help, but does it matter when Jerrah is your GM? Meanwhile the Cowboys will be giving Tony Romo $18 million per year to remain a Cowboy.
Dallas ended this past season about $20 million over the salary cap and after their moves yesterday, they are now about $200,000 underneath the salary cap. They saved $3 million by cutting Dan Connor. They also saved money by restructuring Miles Austin's contract. But why don't they just cut him altogether? He's going to be miss games and even when he plays he's going to be battling injuries. That's what has happened in the past and there's no reason to expect anything to be different in the future.
With NFL free agency starting today, obviously the Cowboys won't be a big player in free agency. Of course even when they are, they don't have a great track record. (Thanks to ESPN Dallas.) But one move the Cowboys need to make is to cut Doug Free after June 1st, that will save them $7 million.
So again while the 49ers are trading for a solid contributer in Boldin, the Cowboys are cutting Connor just to get under the salary cap. SMH Thanks Jerry, you are sure doing a hell of a job as the Cowboys GM, I can't wait to see what you do next. #massivefail
themusicaddict
Monday, March 11, 2013
RockStars, Sleazy 80s Heavy Metal Classics
Hello,
My drive music today is Milli Vanilli's first, and only?, CD. I realize they were later revealed to be a fake band. However that doesn't take away from how great of a CD it is.
On Facebook I'm in a very cool group dedicated to music called RockStars. This group mainly revolves around rock music. However any genre of music is welcomed. I've posted videos from everything from Reba McEntire to Led Zeppelin to Milli Vanilli to anywhere in between. People post videos of songs they like and ask questions that lead to spirited discussions. After hanging out there this morning I was in the mood for some sleazy 80s and 90s heavy metal music. I have a ton of that on my iTunes, but it's not organized in a playlist.
At this point I just wanted to listen to this music and not create a playlist. I went over to Spotify, which I absolutely love, and searched by "80s heavy metal music". I stumbled across an excellent playlist by Steffen Martin Kjaerulff and listened to that playlist. We share very similar tastes in classic heavy metal music. Not only does his playlist have a lot of songs that I'm very familiar with, it also introduced me to some great songs that I somehow missed back in the day.
The following videos are from and inspired by his excellent "80's and 90's Heavy Metal" playlist. Rock on! Thanks Steffen! I also highly recommend Scott Marcoly's "80's Heavy Metal: Best Music Ever"
playlist. Thanks Scott! I'm starting with Kjaerulff's playlist as a jumping off point. His songs make me think of other songs. Game on!
Here we go, enjoy:
I don't recall ever hearing White Lion's "Broken Heart" before today, but how did I miss this song?
I'm also not sure how I missed Europe's "Prisoners In Paradise":
Clearly Kjaerulff is a Bon Jovi fan. I can't say I'm a big Bon Jovi fan, but they aren't terrible either. I saw them in concert when they were at their peak and I wasn't that impressed. The first CD I bought was Bon Jovi's "New Jersey". I've been going through a Bon Jovi phase lately for some reason. Bon Jovi's "Shot Through The Heart" (not to be confused with "You Give Love A Bad Name"). This was clearly still when Bon Jovi was working on their sound. A few years later Bon Jovi fleshed out these ideas to multi platinum glory.
From Bon Jovi's mid 80's classic "Slippery When Wet", "Without Love":
Jon Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory":
Bon Jovi's "Runaway":
Although this song is kind of sweet, the sound is as sleazy as it gets. I mean sleazy as a compliment.
Firehouse's "When I Look Into Your Eyes":
Another sleazy heavy metal classic Megadeath's "Angry Again":
Metallica's "Ride The Lightning":
Another Metallica classic, "One":
From Ozzy's (I don't need to write his last name do I?) mid-80's classic CD "The Ultimate Sin" comes "Shot In The Dark":
Skid Row's "Monkey Business":
One of the best power ballads ever, Skid Row's "I Remember You":
themusicaddict
My drive music today is Milli Vanilli's first, and only?, CD. I realize they were later revealed to be a fake band. However that doesn't take away from how great of a CD it is.
On Facebook I'm in a very cool group dedicated to music called RockStars. This group mainly revolves around rock music. However any genre of music is welcomed. I've posted videos from everything from Reba McEntire to Led Zeppelin to Milli Vanilli to anywhere in between. People post videos of songs they like and ask questions that lead to spirited discussions. After hanging out there this morning I was in the mood for some sleazy 80s and 90s heavy metal music. I have a ton of that on my iTunes, but it's not organized in a playlist.
At this point I just wanted to listen to this music and not create a playlist. I went over to Spotify, which I absolutely love, and searched by "80s heavy metal music". I stumbled across an excellent playlist by Steffen Martin Kjaerulff and listened to that playlist. We share very similar tastes in classic heavy metal music. Not only does his playlist have a lot of songs that I'm very familiar with, it also introduced me to some great songs that I somehow missed back in the day.
The following videos are from and inspired by his excellent "80's and 90's Heavy Metal" playlist. Rock on! Thanks Steffen! I also highly recommend Scott Marcoly's "80's Heavy Metal: Best Music Ever"
playlist. Thanks Scott! I'm starting with Kjaerulff's playlist as a jumping off point. His songs make me think of other songs. Game on!
Here we go, enjoy:
I don't recall ever hearing White Lion's "Broken Heart" before today, but how did I miss this song?
I'm also not sure how I missed Europe's "Prisoners In Paradise":
Clearly Kjaerulff is a Bon Jovi fan. I can't say I'm a big Bon Jovi fan, but they aren't terrible either. I saw them in concert when they were at their peak and I wasn't that impressed. The first CD I bought was Bon Jovi's "New Jersey". I've been going through a Bon Jovi phase lately for some reason. Bon Jovi's "Shot Through The Heart" (not to be confused with "You Give Love A Bad Name"). This was clearly still when Bon Jovi was working on their sound. A few years later Bon Jovi fleshed out these ideas to multi platinum glory.
From Bon Jovi's mid 80's classic "Slippery When Wet", "Without Love":
Jon Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory":
Bon Jovi's "Runaway":
Although this song is kind of sweet, the sound is as sleazy as it gets. I mean sleazy as a compliment.
Firehouse's "When I Look Into Your Eyes":
Another sleazy heavy metal classic Megadeath's "Angry Again":
Metallica's "Ride The Lightning":
Another Metallica classic, "One":
From Ozzy's (I don't need to write his last name do I?) mid-80's classic CD "The Ultimate Sin" comes "Shot In The Dark":
Skid Row's "Monkey Business":
One of the best power ballads ever, Skid Row's "I Remember You":
themusicaddict
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Blow Up The Utah Jazz! (Updated March 11th, 2013)
Hello ,
The Jazz recently completed a four game Eastern road swing. They finished 0-4 including a humiliating 29 point loss to the slightly above average Knicks. After this latest debacle and all the other games the Jazz have given away it's time to blow this Jazz team up. The Jazz lost the first three games on this road swing by a total of 5 points, losing 3 games they could have won. Just based on percentages, the Jazz should have won at least one of those three games. So why didn't they? Because of poor coaching and the Jazz's inability to stop a three pointer in the clutch yet again.
The Jazz gave up 3 big clutch three pointers in their loss to Milwaukee last Monday. They also gave up a big three pointer to Marco Bellinelli in their loss Friday at Chicago. How many times will the Jazz get burned by the three pointer before they change their strategy? Of course they've been using this stupid strategy since Jerry Sloan was Jazz coach. I still remember Danny Ainge hitting a big three pointer when he was playing for the Portland Trailblazers that killed the Jazz in the playoffs.
If the Jazz have a 3 point or more lead, simply foul someone before they can shoot. Even if they make both free throws, the Jazz will still lead by at least one point. The Jazz usually try to play tough defense and weakly give up the three pointer. I'd even prefer the Jazz to foul the three pointer shooter, as long as he's not allowed to make the basket. The player would have to make 3 very high pressure, clutch 3 pointers. I'm so frustrated by the Jazz's dim witted strategy and the Jazz's overall choke job this season.
Then as if those three close losses/ chokes weren't bad enough, the Jazz then went out and played with no heart against the Knicks. The Knicks played without both the highly overrated Carmelo Anthony and the oft injured Amare Stoudemire. (In Grantland's Bill Simmons article about "The Worst Contracts In The NBA", Stoudemire finished second. This stumblebum is still owed $65.1 million for 3 years! This list was released before it was announced that he would be missing 6 weeks to his latest injury. Is his latest injury enough to move him into first place?) I stupidly thought because of those absences the Jazz had a chance to win the game. No, not only did they not win, they didn't even try. Losing by 29 points to a depleted mediocre Knicks team is simply unacceptable.
What do the Jazz need to do? Right now they need to completely go to the youth movement. Play Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors as many minutes as they can play. Also let Paul Milsap play a lot of minutes. If the Jazz can make the playoffs based on the youth movement, then making the playoffs would be great. If the Jazz somehow stumble into the playoffs using their current strategy, that would be of no value at all. The Jazz would get destroyed by the Thunder or Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz stumbled into last season's playoffs and were embarrassingly swept by the Spurs. What benefits have the Jazz received from that? None at all and in fact were hurt by it. Since they made the playoffs, they had a worse draft pick.
Then in the offseason it's time to unload Al Jefferson, Mo Williams, Marvin Williams (#19 in Simmons Worst NBA Contracts Two Years, $15.8 million), Jamaal Tinsley, Earl Watson. I know what you are thinking that the Jazz won't have a point guard. No they'll still have Alec Burks, let's see what he can do. Throw him into the fire and let him become a great point guard or not. Also I'm glad that the Jazz finally released Raja Bell.
Then as for the rest of the players on the roster, DeMarre Carroll, Jeremy Evans, Randy Foye, well they do need players to fill out the roster. Also who in the hell are Kevin Murphy and Travis Leslie? Yes, I realize that Leslie was signed yesterday and fills Bell's roster spot. Of course that's about all that Bell was filling this season. I wish I could get almost $3.5 million dollars to do very little.
The Eastern Conference playoff race shapes up to be Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, obviously the Knicks are one of the dwarves. In this analogy Miami is Snow White, they are now 47-14 and lead the second place Knicks by 8.5 games. How weak is the Eastern Conference when the Knicks have the conference's second best record? For hell's sake 8th seeded Milwaukee leads the 9th place Toronto by 8.5 games. Again this shows how weak and irrelevant the Eastern Conference is, besides Snow White of course.
Look for the Knicks to continue being exposed even more as they start a 5 game road swing tonight. The Knicks play Golden State, Denver, Portland, the Clippers and then close the road trip with a rematch with the hopefully fired up Jazz on Monday. The Knicks play at least 3 teams that better than them in the Warriors, Nuggets and the Clippers. Tonight New York will lose to the Warriors. Will Carmelo Anthony be back? Does it matter?
Following the Lakers win yesterday over the Bulls, the Lakers are now 8th place in the Western Conference. That means if the NBA playoffs started today the Lakers would get crushed by the Spurs in the first round. I love how ESPN mentioned that Dwight Howard grabbed 21 rebounds against the Bulls, but lightly touched on him missing all 5 of his free throw attempts. Again no team is going to win a NBA Championship with either Howard or Anthony as a key player.
themusicaddict
The Jazz recently completed a four game Eastern road swing. They finished 0-4 including a humiliating 29 point loss to the slightly above average Knicks. After this latest debacle and all the other games the Jazz have given away it's time to blow this Jazz team up. The Jazz lost the first three games on this road swing by a total of 5 points, losing 3 games they could have won. Just based on percentages, the Jazz should have won at least one of those three games. So why didn't they? Because of poor coaching and the Jazz's inability to stop a three pointer in the clutch yet again.
The Jazz gave up 3 big clutch three pointers in their loss to Milwaukee last Monday. They also gave up a big three pointer to Marco Bellinelli in their loss Friday at Chicago. How many times will the Jazz get burned by the three pointer before they change their strategy? Of course they've been using this stupid strategy since Jerry Sloan was Jazz coach. I still remember Danny Ainge hitting a big three pointer when he was playing for the Portland Trailblazers that killed the Jazz in the playoffs.
If the Jazz have a 3 point or more lead, simply foul someone before they can shoot. Even if they make both free throws, the Jazz will still lead by at least one point. The Jazz usually try to play tough defense and weakly give up the three pointer. I'd even prefer the Jazz to foul the three pointer shooter, as long as he's not allowed to make the basket. The player would have to make 3 very high pressure, clutch 3 pointers. I'm so frustrated by the Jazz's dim witted strategy and the Jazz's overall choke job this season.
Then as if those three close losses/ chokes weren't bad enough, the Jazz then went out and played with no heart against the Knicks. The Knicks played without both the highly overrated Carmelo Anthony and the oft injured Amare Stoudemire. (In Grantland's Bill Simmons article about "The Worst Contracts In The NBA", Stoudemire finished second. This stumblebum is still owed $65.1 million for 3 years! This list was released before it was announced that he would be missing 6 weeks to his latest injury. Is his latest injury enough to move him into first place?) I stupidly thought because of those absences the Jazz had a chance to win the game. No, not only did they not win, they didn't even try. Losing by 29 points to a depleted mediocre Knicks team is simply unacceptable.
What do the Jazz need to do? Right now they need to completely go to the youth movement. Play Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors as many minutes as they can play. Also let Paul Milsap play a lot of minutes. If the Jazz can make the playoffs based on the youth movement, then making the playoffs would be great. If the Jazz somehow stumble into the playoffs using their current strategy, that would be of no value at all. The Jazz would get destroyed by the Thunder or Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz stumbled into last season's playoffs and were embarrassingly swept by the Spurs. What benefits have the Jazz received from that? None at all and in fact were hurt by it. Since they made the playoffs, they had a worse draft pick.
Then in the offseason it's time to unload Al Jefferson, Mo Williams, Marvin Williams (#19 in Simmons Worst NBA Contracts Two Years, $15.8 million), Jamaal Tinsley, Earl Watson. I know what you are thinking that the Jazz won't have a point guard. No they'll still have Alec Burks, let's see what he can do. Throw him into the fire and let him become a great point guard or not. Also I'm glad that the Jazz finally released Raja Bell.
Then as for the rest of the players on the roster, DeMarre Carroll, Jeremy Evans, Randy Foye, well they do need players to fill out the roster. Also who in the hell are Kevin Murphy and Travis Leslie? Yes, I realize that Leslie was signed yesterday and fills Bell's roster spot. Of course that's about all that Bell was filling this season. I wish I could get almost $3.5 million dollars to do very little.
The Eastern Conference playoff race shapes up to be Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, obviously the Knicks are one of the dwarves. In this analogy Miami is Snow White, they are now 47-14 and lead the second place Knicks by 8.5 games. How weak is the Eastern Conference when the Knicks have the conference's second best record? For hell's sake 8th seeded Milwaukee leads the 9th place Toronto by 8.5 games. Again this shows how weak and irrelevant the Eastern Conference is, besides Snow White of course.
Look for the Knicks to continue being exposed even more as they start a 5 game road swing tonight. The Knicks play Golden State, Denver, Portland, the Clippers and then close the road trip with a rematch with the hopefully fired up Jazz on Monday. The Knicks play at least 3 teams that better than them in the Warriors, Nuggets and the Clippers. Tonight New York will lose to the Warriors. Will Carmelo Anthony be back? Does it matter?
Following the Lakers win yesterday over the Bulls, the Lakers are now 8th place in the Western Conference. That means if the NBA playoffs started today the Lakers would get crushed by the Spurs in the first round. I love how ESPN mentioned that Dwight Howard grabbed 21 rebounds against the Bulls, but lightly touched on him missing all 5 of his free throw attempts. Again no team is going to win a NBA Championship with either Howard or Anthony as a key player.
themusicaddict
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Happy Days, Happy Music and Steve Soelberg
Hello,
Don't worry this will never become a personal blog, I couldn't think of anything more boring than my life. However in passing I'll mention something once-in-a-while. Last night I went out with a very lovely lady. We went and ate at Olive Garden and then went to the local comedy club, WiseGuys. We saw three comedians, headlined by SNL alum Kevin Nealon. His set lasted about a hour and he broke out Subliminal Guy and other funny things. He comes off as a very amiable guy. He stayed afterwards and took pictures and signed autographs for those who wanted it.
While Nealon was funny, the best comedian of the night was the one that opened the show. That was the hilarious Steve Soelberg. His set was absolutely hilarious. He made jokes about working in the ER, his freakishly close resemblance to Kevin Bacon, being a long distance runner and his adventures on Facebook. Now you know a person is funny if he can spin comedy gold out of being a long distance runner. Tonight Soelberg will be the headliner at the West Valley City Wiseguys. I highly recommend you go check out his set tonight, it will be well worth your time. It's also relatively inexpensive, you definitely get your money worth.
Because of a great night I woke up this morning and knew a great workout would only add to my good mood. I was listening to my iPod at a ridiculously loud level. After a great night and a great workout I was in an amazing mood. I listen to my iPod on shuffle and I noticed it played songs that matched my happy mood. Although I noticed an interesting phenomenon. A song like Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" matches my mood when I'm both happy or sad. (Note: I think Nickelback is one of the worst bands out there now and they are terrible in concert. Chad Kroeger is the Dwight Howard of rock music, nowhere near as cool as he thinks he is. However they do have a couple of great songs.)
Here are a few of the songs that added to my happiness and effectiveness of my workout this morning.
Let's start off with that Nickelback song:
I never considered The Who's "Eminence Front" a classic rock song, until it was cranked up last night at Wiseguys. But this song kicks butt:
Apparently Wiseguys only has the budget to pay for the rights to only a few songs. So they played "Eminence Front" and Mumford & Sons "I Will Wait" a couple of times. Fortunately both are great songs.
England Dan and John Ford Coley's "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight":
I especially love the following lines:
I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing the stars around,
And I'd really love to see you tonight.
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/d/dan_seals/
Jimmy Buffet's "Fins":
Can't you feel 'em circlin', honeyCan't you feel 'em swimmin' aroundYou got fins to the left, fins to the right And you're the only bait in town
Read more: JIMMY BUFFETT - FINS LYRICS
Lonestar's "With Me":
Carrie Underwood's "Good Girl":
Rooney's "Sorry Sorry":
Styx's "Heavy Metal Poisoning": "Sex and drugs and Rock and Roll"
Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock":
Jackyl's "I Stand Alone":
Lady Gaga's "Show Me Your Teeth":
Adele's "Rolling In The Deep":
Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car":
themusicaddict
Don't worry this will never become a personal blog, I couldn't think of anything more boring than my life. However in passing I'll mention something once-in-a-while. Last night I went out with a very lovely lady. We went and ate at Olive Garden and then went to the local comedy club, WiseGuys. We saw three comedians, headlined by SNL alum Kevin Nealon. His set lasted about a hour and he broke out Subliminal Guy and other funny things. He comes off as a very amiable guy. He stayed afterwards and took pictures and signed autographs for those who wanted it.
While Nealon was funny, the best comedian of the night was the one that opened the show. That was the hilarious Steve Soelberg. His set was absolutely hilarious. He made jokes about working in the ER, his freakishly close resemblance to Kevin Bacon, being a long distance runner and his adventures on Facebook. Now you know a person is funny if he can spin comedy gold out of being a long distance runner. Tonight Soelberg will be the headliner at the West Valley City Wiseguys. I highly recommend you go check out his set tonight, it will be well worth your time. It's also relatively inexpensive, you definitely get your money worth.
Because of a great night I woke up this morning and knew a great workout would only add to my good mood. I was listening to my iPod at a ridiculously loud level. After a great night and a great workout I was in an amazing mood. I listen to my iPod on shuffle and I noticed it played songs that matched my happy mood. Although I noticed an interesting phenomenon. A song like Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" matches my mood when I'm both happy or sad. (Note: I think Nickelback is one of the worst bands out there now and they are terrible in concert. Chad Kroeger is the Dwight Howard of rock music, nowhere near as cool as he thinks he is. However they do have a couple of great songs.)
Here are a few of the songs that added to my happiness and effectiveness of my workout this morning.
Let's start off with that Nickelback song:
I never considered The Who's "Eminence Front" a classic rock song, until it was cranked up last night at Wiseguys. But this song kicks butt:
Apparently Wiseguys only has the budget to pay for the rights to only a few songs. So they played "Eminence Front" and Mumford & Sons "I Will Wait" a couple of times. Fortunately both are great songs.
England Dan and John Ford Coley's "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight":
I especially love the following lines:
I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing the stars around,
And I'd really love to see you tonight.
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/d/dan_seals/
Jimmy Buffet's "Fins":
Can't you feel 'em circlin', honeyCan't you feel 'em swimmin' aroundYou got fins to the left, fins to the right And you're the only bait in town
Read more: JIMMY BUFFETT - FINS LYRICS
Snap's "I've Got The Power":
Lonestar's "With Me":
Carrie Underwood's "Good Girl":
Rooney's "Sorry Sorry":
Styx's "Heavy Metal Poisoning": "Sex and drugs and Rock and Roll"
Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock":
Jackyl's "I Stand Alone":
Lady Gaga's "Show Me Your Teeth":
Adele's "Rolling In The Deep":
Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car":
themusicaddict
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Happy Things, Great Songs
Hello,
Someone pointed out to me the other day that I was negative. Although I didn't agree with her 100%, she did have a point. While I was exercising this morning I thought about that and compiled a list of many things that I'm happy about. For this blog I'll list something that's one of the many happy things in my life. I'll then post a song rocking my world now. The song or video may or may not have something to do with the happy thing. Enjoy.
1) Great music. Although Queensryche has fired their lead singer, Geoff Tate, they still leave behind a lot of great music. Just recently I was reminded how great this song is, "Empire". I especially love the blistering guitar solo that starts at the 3:45 mark.
2) I'm so excited that March Madness is right around the corner. I'll be cheering for North Carolina to knock off the Duke White Devils on Saturday is get fired up.
I love me some Foxy Shazam and "Holy Touch" is one of my favorite of their songs:
3) My kids, although they certainly cause their difficulties.
One of the most heartbreaking beautiful songs of all-time. This song so perfectly captures the innocence of childhood.
Peter, Paul and Mary's "Puff The Magic Dragon":
4) The fact that I'm going to go see Kevin Nealon tomorrow night with a beautiful friend.
5) I love that Spring is almost here.
Tesla's "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)":
6) Another sporting event that I'm getting excited about is Major League Baseball is right around the corner. Three weeks from Monday the regular season starts:
Mark Chesnutt's "I Just Wanted You To Know":
7) I went and had a physical the other day. Although I don't take care of myself as well as I should, he gave me a clean bill of health.
Moby's "Porcelain":
8) I'm looking forward to the new "Star Wars" movie that will be coming in 2015. I'm excited that much of the original cast will be involved in making the films. I especially love that Harrison Ford will be reprising the role of the swashbuckler Han Solo. I'm so glad that we don't have to worry about seeing Hayden Christensen or Jake Lloyd again, although I would love to see Natalie Portman again.
"Star Wars" Main Theme Song:
9) There's not many things better than a great book. For some reason that made me think of Elvis Costello's "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding":
10) The home "gym" I have. It's not much of a gym, just an exercise bike and some light weights. There's also a small TV that I can watch ESPN as I rock out to my iPod. Many mornings the bike has kicked my butt and gave me a great start to the day.
Just a tremendous song, INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart":
11) Many times on that small TV in the "gym", the lovely Hannah Storm graces the TV. Seriously she's one of the most gorgeous women in the world, for any age.
12) I own stock in one of the coolest companies in the world, Apple. I'm writing this on my Mac laptop.
Why I'm glad I don't have a Windoze machine:
For you Windoze users: "Count down, count down, count down to the disappointment. I'm yours tonight":
13) Let's go with a baker's dozen. I'm also so very thankful to live in a nice warm house and for my religious beliefs, don't know where I would be without either today. So I'm thankful for a lot more than 13 things. But as for this blog today, the last thing I'm thankful for is that I'm coming up on the three year mark of having the same job. Other than I wish it would pay a bit more, it has nearly everything I'd ever want from a job. Just a rhetorical question, what are some things you are thankful for?
Pat Benatar's "We Live For Love":
Thanks to my brother for introducing me to the quirky band Chromeo. This is "Don't Turn The Lights On":
Sugarcult's "Dead Living":
Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock":
Definitely one of the Top 500 songs of all-time, Dido's "Hunter":
The following song I heard this morning in my home gym. In Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" there's a line that hits way too close to home, "Keep me searchin' for a heart of gold and I'm getting old".
themusicaddict
Someone pointed out to me the other day that I was negative. Although I didn't agree with her 100%, she did have a point. While I was exercising this morning I thought about that and compiled a list of many things that I'm happy about. For this blog I'll list something that's one of the many happy things in my life. I'll then post a song rocking my world now. The song or video may or may not have something to do with the happy thing. Enjoy.
1) Great music. Although Queensryche has fired their lead singer, Geoff Tate, they still leave behind a lot of great music. Just recently I was reminded how great this song is, "Empire". I especially love the blistering guitar solo that starts at the 3:45 mark.
2) I'm so excited that March Madness is right around the corner. I'll be cheering for North Carolina to knock off the Duke White Devils on Saturday is get fired up.
I love me some Foxy Shazam and "Holy Touch" is one of my favorite of their songs:
3) My kids, although they certainly cause their difficulties.
One of the most heartbreaking beautiful songs of all-time. This song so perfectly captures the innocence of childhood.
Peter, Paul and Mary's "Puff The Magic Dragon":
4) The fact that I'm going to go see Kevin Nealon tomorrow night with a beautiful friend.
5) I love that Spring is almost here.
Tesla's "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)":
6) Another sporting event that I'm getting excited about is Major League Baseball is right around the corner. Three weeks from Monday the regular season starts:
Mark Chesnutt's "I Just Wanted You To Know":
7) I went and had a physical the other day. Although I don't take care of myself as well as I should, he gave me a clean bill of health.
Moby's "Porcelain":
8) I'm looking forward to the new "Star Wars" movie that will be coming in 2015. I'm excited that much of the original cast will be involved in making the films. I especially love that Harrison Ford will be reprising the role of the swashbuckler Han Solo. I'm so glad that we don't have to worry about seeing Hayden Christensen or Jake Lloyd again, although I would love to see Natalie Portman again.
"Star Wars" Main Theme Song:
9) There's not many things better than a great book. For some reason that made me think of Elvis Costello's "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding":
10) The home "gym" I have. It's not much of a gym, just an exercise bike and some light weights. There's also a small TV that I can watch ESPN as I rock out to my iPod. Many mornings the bike has kicked my butt and gave me a great start to the day.
Just a tremendous song, INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart":
11) Many times on that small TV in the "gym", the lovely Hannah Storm graces the TV. Seriously she's one of the most gorgeous women in the world, for any age.
12) I own stock in one of the coolest companies in the world, Apple. I'm writing this on my Mac laptop.
Why I'm glad I don't have a Windoze machine:
For you Windoze users: "Count down, count down, count down to the disappointment. I'm yours tonight":
13) Let's go with a baker's dozen. I'm also so very thankful to live in a nice warm house and for my religious beliefs, don't know where I would be without either today. So I'm thankful for a lot more than 13 things. But as for this blog today, the last thing I'm thankful for is that I'm coming up on the three year mark of having the same job. Other than I wish it would pay a bit more, it has nearly everything I'd ever want from a job. Just a rhetorical question, what are some things you are thankful for?
Pat Benatar's "We Live For Love":
Thanks to my brother for introducing me to the quirky band Chromeo. This is "Don't Turn The Lights On":
Sugarcult's "Dead Living":
Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock":
Definitely one of the Top 500 songs of all-time, Dido's "Hunter":
The following song I heard this morning in my home gym. In Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" there's a line that hits way too close to home, "Keep me searchin' for a heart of gold and I'm getting old".
themusicaddict
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