I couldn't get the Rumble out of my head last night after my picks post. So, I decided I'd write up a little bit of fantasy booking for the 2008 Royal Rumble. This'll probably get pretty lengthy so bear with me...
Show opens with the traditional hype piece putting over the Rumble and all the people who've gone on to win the World Title at Mania after winning the Rumble.
Pyro and ballyhoo!
MVP vs Flair kicks off the show. It's a sprint with a lot of near falls by MVP before a ref bump. Matt Hardy runs in, Twist of Fate, Flair gets the pin to avoid having to retire in about 12 minutes.
Backstage bit with Jeff and Matt Hardy. Matt tells Jeff to take the title from Orton for him and reminds him that he gets the first shot. Jeff promises to "take it to the extreme" to win the gold. Edge walks in on the brothers and makes a few negative comments before excusing himself for his title match.
Smackdown Title Match - Edge vs Rey Misterio Jr.
This should be a great match. The story of the match should be Edge using the Edgeheads to his advantage and Rey Jr. fighting a numbers game. Vickie should also be at ringside. At a key point about 3/4 through the match, Rey should go for a big dive onto the Edgeheads... who spill into Vickie, taking her out too. The Edgeheads take Vickie to the locker room, leaving it one on one. Lots of Rey Jr. nearfalls culminate in a ducked 619 turned into a schoolboy with the feet on the ropes for an old school heel victory in about 19 minutes.
Backstage piece with Vince in Flair's locker room. Flair looks exhausted. Vince congratulates him on his win over MVP but informs him that he's signed another Career Threatening match for him for tomorrow night on Raw... against a mystery opponent. "So, I hope you're feeling up to it after tonight. Cause you see, there's still a few spots left in the Rumble... and one of them is yours. But don't worry. Your career's not on the line in the Rumble... just what's left of your body."
Backstage piece with people drawing numbers. Santino makes Maria pick for him and seems happy with his pick. Holly and Rhodes make their picks and Holly slaps him hard on the chest with a "See you out there, partner." Chuck Palumbo makes his pick, Noble charges in and jumps him. Total brawl in the picking room knocking over the number holder as we cut back to ringside.
JBL/Jericho hype piece.
Chris Jericho vs JBL
Super elaborate JBL entrance. Total brawl from the get-go. All over the place. The ref "uses discretion" to let it go. JBL gets the camera cable to "hang" Jericho again but Chris fights back, gets the cable, and gets the DQ when he won't let go of JBL. Jericho has to be dragged off of JBL to end the match in about 11 minutes.
Backstage piece with Vince screaming at the GMs about being unable to control their talent. Points out the Palumbo/Noble brawl and what just happened with Jericho as evidence. He's ranting and raving... Triple H enters. Triple H makes his pick and smirks... insulting Vince as he leaves. HBK enters, rinse and repeat. Ron Simmons makes his pick as does Foley and Batista, both who take verbal shots at Vince before the leave which gets us a "DAMN!" before we go back to the ring.
Raw Title Match - Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy
One of the most eagerly anticipated title matches in a long time should live up to the hype. We should see Orton dominate the majority of the match after a missed high-risk move. But Jeff should just keep kicking out. RKO... foot on the ropes. Head kick avoided for a rollup, etc. In the end, Jeff should hit the Twist of Fate, hit the Swanton, but Randy pops a shoulder out just in time. Jeff goes to the floor, pulls out a ladder. JR/King question the legality of a ladder being used if he doesn't hit Orton with it. Jeff leaps off the ladder for a Swanton, comes up empty. Randy throws an arm over him to barely escape with the World Title. I really want Jeff to win but I'll sacrifice it for what's to come. [SIDE NOTE: I'd have Orton declare on Raw the next night that Jeff Hardy is a menace to society and that he will never receive another World Title shot at Orton. This should lead nicely to Hardy continuing his hot streak and being the obvious top challenger but having to win Money In The Bank to get his title shot (which he would of course)]
Backstage, Vince is giving Hornswoggle a "peptalk" when Finlay enters. Finlay reminds Vince of their deal - Vince flips his shit. Khali comes to make his pick, leaves. Henry/BDV come to make their pick, Hornswoggle hides behind Finlay. Vince says it's going to be an interesting night. Finlay/Hornswoggle leave. Regal rushes in to tell Vince that "he's here... Triple H doesn't stand a chance now." Vince gets the big grin and says, "It's going to be a VERY interesting night."
RUMBLE!
Fink goes over the rules, both feet touch the floor, over the top, etc. EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF! And the man who drew #1...
#1 - Bob Holly
JR/Tazz are the announcers for it. JR puts over how tough Holly is and if anyone could go "coast to coast", it would be him. Tazz points out that people have won it from the #1 spot before.
#2 - Cody Rhodes
Cody looks exciting but a little nervous as Holly starts pacing the ring. The tag champs square off and Cody offers a handshake as the bell rings... only to get chopped down to the mat. Holly beats down Cody for a bit but Cody fires back. They trade near eliminations as the countdown starts.
#3 - The Miz
Miz walks right into a beatdown from the Raw tag champs. No offense at all from the Miz but he manages to avoid being eliminated as the countdown starts.
In The Ring: Holly, Rhodes, Miz
#4 - John Morrison
JR questions the wisdom of the slo-mo entrance when his tag partner is about to be eliminated. Morrison eventually reaches the ring and helps the Miz. A nice little squareoff between the two tag champs is a stalemate as the countdown starts up. Tazz speculates that someone will tip the balance here.
In The Ring: Holly, Rhodes, Miz, Morrison
#5 - Tommy Dreamer
Dreamer races in and true to "Every man for himself" take a shot at each of the four men in there. JR questions the wisdom of that strategy. Tommy working over the Miz in the corner as Rhodes/Holly works on Morrison, trying to push him out.
In The Ring: Holly, Rhodes, Miz, Morrison, Dreamer
#6 - Kane
The Big Red Machine hits the ring, immediately throws out Tommy and The Miz. Holly follows shortly after. Cody/Morrison working together to try and toss Kane as the countdown starts.
In The Ring: Rhodes, Morrison, Kane
#7 - Mark Henry
Henry joins the fray, tossing Rhodes/Morrison aside to beat down Kane. The two big men beat the hell out of each other as Morrison bumps all over the place making Cody look like a king.
In The Ring: Rhodes, Morrison, Kane, Henry
#8 - Big Daddy V
BDV makes an immediate impact, tossing both Rhodes and Morrison to the floor. Henry/BDV working over Kane with big power moves.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV
#9 - Ron Simmons
Simmons gets a brief power rally, even hitting the spinebuster on Henry but gets leveled from behind by BDV, gets an elbow dropped on him and tossed to the floor. Big splash on Kane as the time ticks down.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV
#10 - The Undertaker
Crowd goes apeshit for Taker as he hits the ring, working on both Henry and BDV. Kane eventually rallies to his feet and the Brothers of Destruction tee off on Striker's boys.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV, Taker
#11 - Snitzky
Snitzky joins in on the side of Striker's boys, helping work over Kane and Taker.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV, Taker, Snitzky
#12 - Ric Flair
Flair walks into the lion's den with so many big bodies in the ring. JR talks about how Flair went the hour in the past but Tazz points out how long ago it was. Flair looks weary already but he goes immediately into action with chops on any open chest. Gets caught by a big boot from Snitzky to cut off the offense as time ticks down.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV, Taker, Snitzky, Flair
#13 - Sgt. Slaughter
Slaughter gets a huge pop as he slowly makes his way to the ring, immediately hitting offense on the heels. Hooking the Cobra Clutch on Snitzky... Flair tosses them both from behind. Turns around to a goozle from Taker... Flair drops to a knee and low blows Taker.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV, Taker, Flair
#14 - Mr. Kennedy
Kennedy takes a shot at anyone standing, totally disregarding any potential allies. Suddenly, he finds himself ganged up on by all five. Kane chokeslams, Henry powerslams, BDV drops an elbow, Flair drops a knee. Taker picks up for the Tombstone as the countdown starts.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV, Taker, Flair, Kennedy
#15 - MVP
MVP sprints to the ring and goes after Flair. Everyone pairs off for a while with Henry/BDV trying to push Kane over the top.
In The Ring: Kane, Henry, BDV, Taker, Flair, Kennedy, MVP
#16 - CM Punk
Punk goes after MVP, saving Flair, some offense on MVP and Kennedy but gets caught from behind by BDV as Taker saves Kane. Taker/Kane double-up on Henry, throwing him from the ring with a double chokeslammish move.
In The Ring: Kane, BDV, Taker, Flair, Kennedy, MVP, CM Punk
#17 - Shawn Michaels
Michaels tears into action, hitting SCM on Kane to eliminate him. Hits one on MVP to knock him over the top but he skins the cat to get back in. Kennedy clips him from behind, beating him down. As the countdown starts, Taker and Punk are working on BDV, Kennedy's working over HBK, MVP and Flair are going at it.
In The Ring: BDV, Taker, Flair, Kennedy, MVP, CM Punk, HBK
#18 - Finlay
Finlay enters the ring as a house of fire, saving Flair and sending MVP out to the floor. He helps Taker/Punk with BDV as the countdown starts.
In The Ring: BDV, Taker, Flair, Kennedy, CM Punk, HBK, Finlay
#19 - Great Khali
Khali levels people with the big chop until he's standing all alone. He tries to toss HBK but Punk and Flair help. Taker and BDV working each other over again. Kennedy tries to help Khali but gets thrown aside for his help.
In The Ring: BDV, Taker, Flair, Kennedy, CM Punk, HBK, Finlay, Khali
#20 - Triple H
HHH is in a fury as he hits the ring, immediately drills everyone in the ring save HBK and Flair. HBK grabs a wobbly Kennedy and hurls him over the ropes to the floor. Triple H and Khali going at it as the countdown goes.
In The Ring: BDV, Taker, Flair, CM Punk, HBK, Finlay, Khali, HHH
#21 - Carlito
Carlito struts down the aisle, steps in, gets popped by HHH and goes back out for a super quick elimination. HBK hits a SCM on Khali to knock him back against the ropes. He sets for another one but Kennedy reaches back in, drags him over the top to eliminate. Kennedy beats down HBK very badly on the floor, smashing his knee with the steel steps repeatedly. HBK is stretchered out. HHH/Taker toss BDV and then square off. They're about to go at it when Khali hooks the vice grip on HHH from behind.
In The Ring: Taker, Flair, CM Punk, Finlay, Khali, HHH
#22 - Shelton Benjamin
Shelton struts down the aisle, springboards for a fancy entry, gets caught on the shoulders of Punk who delivers the Go To Sleep that sends Shelton back over the ropes to the floor. Flair low blows Khalit to break the vice grip. Finlay and Khali square off. Taker and Punk square off in a striking battle. Taker gets the best of it and has Punk near elimination when two masked guys [Edgeheads] hit the ring and toss both Taker/Punk over the ropes, eliminating both of them. Flair/Finlay/HHH trying to take out Khali.
In The Ring: Flair, Finlay, Khali, HHH
#23 - Chuck Palumbo
Palumbo tries to help eliminate Khali, Khali shoves them all off. Khali almost tosses Flair but he manages to stay on the apron. Khali battering Flair on the apron, trying to knock him to the floor. HHH makes the save.
In The Ring: Flair, Finlay, Khali, HHH, Palumbo
#24 - Mick Foley
Foley hits the ring as the house of fire, taking down everyone... and getting the head chop from Khali to lay him out. Khali standing tall alone in the middle of the ring.
In The Ring: Flair, Finlay, Khali, HHH, Palumbo, Foley
#25 - Hornswoggle
Hornswoggle takes his sweet time getting down the aisle as Khali is the only one standing. Eventually, Khali's translator charges out and hurls the midget into the ring. Khali towers over him, grabs him in the double choke. Foley and Finlay with a double low blow on Khali. They work over the big man... trying to eliminate with double clotheslines.
In The Ring: Flair, Finlay, Khali, HHH, Palumbo, Foley, Hornswoggle
#26 - Jamie Noble
Noble hits the ring, eliminates Palumbo, then eliminates himself chasing after Palumbo. Regal and Vince make their way down to the ring, "cheering on Hornswoggle" as he gets the chance to kick Khali a few times. Finlay goes for a running clothesline on Khali, Regal pulls down the ropes to eliminate him. Hornswoggle looks scared to death as Finlay/Regal brawl to the back.
In The Ring: Flair, Khali, HHH, Foley, Hornswoggle
#27 - Umaga
Umaga hits the ring and destroys everyone but a dazed Khali and Hornswoggle. Moving in on Hornswoggle, Khali moves in as well. The two meet in the middle with Hornswoggle cowering between them... and actually end up brawling over who gets to beat up Hornswoggle. Vince loses his shit outside the ring.
In The Ring: Flair, Khali, HHH, Foley, Hornswoggle, Umaga
#28 - Batista
JR talks about what a good position Batista is coming in at. With Umaga and Khali brawling by the ropes, Batista somehow manages to upend them both over the ropes for the double elimination. Foley and Hornswoggle are laughing at Khali and Umaga... Umaga storms back in, hits Foley with the Samoan Drop and Samoan Spikes him over the ropes to the floor for an elimination.
In The Ring: Flair, HHH, Hornswoggle, Batista
#29 - Big Show
Big Show is announced by Vince as his "guarantee" that HHH won't be in the main event of Wrestlemania. Show hits the chokeslam on HHH... hits one on Flair... hits one on Batista... Vince screams for him to grab Hornswoggle. He hooks Hornswoggle... biiiiiiig chokeslam. Dumps him over the ropes like trash. Vince is ecstatic, mocking his son... then screaming for Show to finish off HHH as well. Show picks up HHH and sets for another chokeslam... Flair with a crawling low blow to save HHH.
In The Ring: Flair, HHH, Batista, Show
#30 - Santino Marella
Santino is cocky as fuck as he strolls the aisle, slides in, and starts stomping Flair. HHH/Batista doubleteaming the Show. Santino picks up Flair... and gets poked in the eyes before being tossed to the floor. HHH/Batista/Flair working on the Show... Evolution trying to toss the Big Show.
Orton makes his way out on the stage... as does Edge and Chavo, waiting to see who will be the Rumble winner. Taker attacks Edge on the stage, Punk goes after Chavo, chasing them both off. A battered Jeff Hardy staggers out on the stage, Orton backpedals down the aisle. Taker/Edge brawling at ringside. Batista gets distracted, screaming at them both, Flair tosses him over. Batista pulls Flair out, busts open his head on the ringpost. Flair barely moving on the floor, soaked with blood. JR says he hasn't been eliminated but he can't get back in the ring.
Show/HHH working each other over. Show hooks for the chokeslam... HHH goes low, hooks for the Pedigree... gets backdropped over the top to the floor. HHH eliminated! Show's music plays, Vince celebrating in the ring with him but a bloodied Flair rolls back in, chops down Vince. Chops on the Show, backing him down... Show hooks for a chokeslam... HHH rolls back in, sledge hammer to the back of the head. Flair pulls down the top rope and heaves...
FLAIR WINS THE RUMBLE!
A bloodied Flair celebrates with HHH in the ring as Vince fumes over his unconscious "guarantee" and we fade to black with JR screaming, "RIC FLAIR IS GOING TO THE MAIN EVENT OF WRESTLEMANIA AND FOR AT LEAST ONE MORE NIGHT, HE _IS_ THE MAN!"
Fade out.
2008-01-27
2008-01-26
Rumblin' Rumblin' Rumblin' Rawhide
So, I was delaying doing this as the WWE has another five entries into the Rumble to announce but I may not get a chance tomorrow so I'm going to assume none of those five will be a surprise winner.
This year, we have a little bit of a fuzzy picture with the Orton/Hardy match. As much as I'd love to see it and will mark like a school girl if it happens, I just don't see Jeff picking up the gold. So, these picks are done assuming Orton and Edge are your champs.
Without further adieu, my annual Rumble picks...
First, my picks for the "surprise entrants." We go into Sunday morning with five open spots. I'm picking a returning Big Show for one, Legends Slaughter and Simmons, and pulling double-duty Flair and MVP. I'll include them in my breakdown.
The Bottom Of The Barrel
----
Bob Holly - he's good for a beatdown spot on Cody to put over the "Every man for himself" but he's not gonna sniff victory
Cody Rhodes - See above
The Miz - he and Morrison might do the partners beating each other up spot instead but nothing will ever match Ax and Smash beating each other up in '89.
Snitsky - I miss babykicking Snitsky
Carlito - Ahhh, how the mighty have fallen.
Santino Marella - he's got the gimmick and the character down but the ringwork won't hold up yet
Tommy Dreamer - not even sure how Tommy gets in there but he's got no chance
Chuck Palumbo - Nice angle on Smackdown but feuding with Jamie Noble doesn't line you up for the World Title
Jamie Noble - insert "Palumbo" in the sentence above
Sgt. Slaughter - do I need to explain this?
Ron Simmons - DAMN!
What's Left Of the Glass
----
Mark Henry - I think they're past the Henry as World Title contender phase. He should get a couple nice power eliminations but nothing of note.
Kane - Kane has gotten to the spot where he almost gets a World Title program every year or two but he'd never be considered as a Rumble winner unless the perfect angle came up or perhaps if he was retiring.
John Morrison - I think Morrison is a future superstar for the WWE but this year, he's just a part of a very entertaining tag team and doesn't stand much hope unless they decide to really put over ECW and let Morrison challenge for that title at Mania.
Shelton Benjamin - He's getting a pretty good push but unless ECW is in for a big push, not going to happen this year.
Getting Closer
----
Mick Foley - I suppose it's always possible that we might see Foley challenge for a big title again but most likely he's there for a comedy spot, add some star power, and possibly set up a Mania match if there's one to be done [I vote Foley/Umaga Street Fight.]
Finlay - The only thing that gives Finlay an outside chance is the Vince angle but I can't imagine Finlay/Orton or Finlay/Edge main eventing Mania. His purpose in the Rumble is to do most of the work for Hornswoggle to set up whatever angle that's going to develop.
Mr. Kennedy - If he hadn't had the suspension, I would say it might be possible. But he got sidetracked so badly because of it, he still hasn't recovered.
Great Khali - He's there for the giant spots. Nothing more. Some big elims. A lot of Finlay/Hornswoggle interactions. But he's not getting the World Title match on the big show.
Big Daddy V - See above minus the Irishmen.
MVP - I think MVP is destined to finish the Matt Hardy angle at Mania so this isn't his year... maybe next year.
Big Show - if he's in this, I'd say he's Regal and Vince's attempt to eliminate HHH from the match. He might be there at the end but he's not winning it.
Almost There
----
Umaga - The only chance he has is if Rey or Hardy pull off wins. Hardy's his best chance but even with that, I can't imagine they'd run this match again already. It'd be a great one but not likely.
CM Punk - Again, unless ECW is getting a huge push with the Rumble winner picking an ECW Title shot, I just don't think Punk is there yet. A couple more years under his belt, perhaps.
Hornswoggle - I just can't see it. I can imagine Vince finding it funny as shit to do but I can't imagine it happening. He'll get pretty deep I'd imagine but he'll get eliminated in some screwy fashion... maybe Vince doing it himself for "tough love"
The Top 5
----
In the end, there's really only five guys who seem like they stand a chance.
The Undertaker - winner last year... readymade revenge match with Edge for the ultimate undefeated at Mania showdown. It just seems to fit perfectly. I'm not fond of back-to-back Rumble wins though.
Triple H - Triple H vs Orton? Check. HHH vs Hardy? Check. HHH vs Edge would actually be pretty incredible but I don't think they're going that way. HHH has to be the odds-on-favorite to be in the RAW title match at Mania.
Shawn Michaels - There's a chance. I'd say it's slim. I really think we're heading all the way to Mania with HBK/Kennedy. I'd expect those two to eliminate each other. Maybe Kennedy lays in a post-elim beatdown that puts HBK on the shelf for six weeks or so to give a break before the heatup. But HBK/Edge, HBK/Rey, HBK/Hardy would all work for me. And they never really did finish HBK/Orton. Not a bad option but I don't think it'll happen.
Batista - I don't really want another Batista/Edge match. Batista/Orton could be possible, I guess. Batista turning heel on his "best friend" Rey would work for me too. He's got a decent chance.
Ric Flair - I know, I know. It's the sentiment in me. If Flair's last match is going to be at Mania, how could it be any better than for it to be a World Title match. If it's me, I have Flair win the World Title in the last match at Mania in a bloodbath, give a tearful retirement speech, and have a tournament over the next month leading to Backlash for the gold. I mean... it's Ric Flair, dammit. He's going into the HOF at Mania hopefully so Rumble win, HOF entry, title win at Mania. Have him announce he's retiring at Mania win-lose-or-draw. It's just too perfect.
Who Will Win: The Undertaker
Who Should Win: Ric Flair
Those are my picks and I'm stickin' to it!
This year, we have a little bit of a fuzzy picture with the Orton/Hardy match. As much as I'd love to see it and will mark like a school girl if it happens, I just don't see Jeff picking up the gold. So, these picks are done assuming Orton and Edge are your champs.
Without further adieu, my annual Rumble picks...
First, my picks for the "surprise entrants." We go into Sunday morning with five open spots. I'm picking a returning Big Show for one, Legends Slaughter and Simmons, and pulling double-duty Flair and MVP. I'll include them in my breakdown.
The Bottom Of The Barrel
----
Bob Holly - he's good for a beatdown spot on Cody to put over the "Every man for himself" but he's not gonna sniff victory
Cody Rhodes - See above
The Miz - he and Morrison might do the partners beating each other up spot instead but nothing will ever match Ax and Smash beating each other up in '89.
Snitsky - I miss babykicking Snitsky
Carlito - Ahhh, how the mighty have fallen.
Santino Marella - he's got the gimmick and the character down but the ringwork won't hold up yet
Tommy Dreamer - not even sure how Tommy gets in there but he's got no chance
Chuck Palumbo - Nice angle on Smackdown but feuding with Jamie Noble doesn't line you up for the World Title
Jamie Noble - insert "Palumbo" in the sentence above
Sgt. Slaughter - do I need to explain this?
Ron Simmons - DAMN!
What's Left Of the Glass
----
Mark Henry - I think they're past the Henry as World Title contender phase. He should get a couple nice power eliminations but nothing of note.
Kane - Kane has gotten to the spot where he almost gets a World Title program every year or two but he'd never be considered as a Rumble winner unless the perfect angle came up or perhaps if he was retiring.
John Morrison - I think Morrison is a future superstar for the WWE but this year, he's just a part of a very entertaining tag team and doesn't stand much hope unless they decide to really put over ECW and let Morrison challenge for that title at Mania.
Shelton Benjamin - He's getting a pretty good push but unless ECW is in for a big push, not going to happen this year.
Getting Closer
----
Mick Foley - I suppose it's always possible that we might see Foley challenge for a big title again but most likely he's there for a comedy spot, add some star power, and possibly set up a Mania match if there's one to be done [I vote Foley/Umaga Street Fight.]
Finlay - The only thing that gives Finlay an outside chance is the Vince angle but I can't imagine Finlay/Orton or Finlay/Edge main eventing Mania. His purpose in the Rumble is to do most of the work for Hornswoggle to set up whatever angle that's going to develop.
Mr. Kennedy - If he hadn't had the suspension, I would say it might be possible. But he got sidetracked so badly because of it, he still hasn't recovered.
Great Khali - He's there for the giant spots. Nothing more. Some big elims. A lot of Finlay/Hornswoggle interactions. But he's not getting the World Title match on the big show.
Big Daddy V - See above minus the Irishmen.
MVP - I think MVP is destined to finish the Matt Hardy angle at Mania so this isn't his year... maybe next year.
Big Show - if he's in this, I'd say he's Regal and Vince's attempt to eliminate HHH from the match. He might be there at the end but he's not winning it.
Almost There
----
Umaga - The only chance he has is if Rey or Hardy pull off wins. Hardy's his best chance but even with that, I can't imagine they'd run this match again already. It'd be a great one but not likely.
CM Punk - Again, unless ECW is getting a huge push with the Rumble winner picking an ECW Title shot, I just don't think Punk is there yet. A couple more years under his belt, perhaps.
Hornswoggle - I just can't see it. I can imagine Vince finding it funny as shit to do but I can't imagine it happening. He'll get pretty deep I'd imagine but he'll get eliminated in some screwy fashion... maybe Vince doing it himself for "tough love"
The Top 5
----
In the end, there's really only five guys who seem like they stand a chance.
The Undertaker - winner last year... readymade revenge match with Edge for the ultimate undefeated at Mania showdown. It just seems to fit perfectly. I'm not fond of back-to-back Rumble wins though.
Triple H - Triple H vs Orton? Check. HHH vs Hardy? Check. HHH vs Edge would actually be pretty incredible but I don't think they're going that way. HHH has to be the odds-on-favorite to be in the RAW title match at Mania.
Shawn Michaels - There's a chance. I'd say it's slim. I really think we're heading all the way to Mania with HBK/Kennedy. I'd expect those two to eliminate each other. Maybe Kennedy lays in a post-elim beatdown that puts HBK on the shelf for six weeks or so to give a break before the heatup. But HBK/Edge, HBK/Rey, HBK/Hardy would all work for me. And they never really did finish HBK/Orton. Not a bad option but I don't think it'll happen.
Batista - I don't really want another Batista/Edge match. Batista/Orton could be possible, I guess. Batista turning heel on his "best friend" Rey would work for me too. He's got a decent chance.
Ric Flair - I know, I know. It's the sentiment in me. If Flair's last match is going to be at Mania, how could it be any better than for it to be a World Title match. If it's me, I have Flair win the World Title in the last match at Mania in a bloodbath, give a tearful retirement speech, and have a tournament over the next month leading to Backlash for the gold. I mean... it's Ric Flair, dammit. He's going into the HOF at Mania hopefully so Rumble win, HOF entry, title win at Mania. Have him announce he's retiring at Mania win-lose-or-draw. It's just too perfect.
Who Will Win: The Undertaker
Who Should Win: Ric Flair
Those are my picks and I'm stickin' to it!
2008-01-24
Fight Night Picks In Review
Ahhh, much better.
Final results?
Out of nine fights, I picked 7 out of 9 winners correctly for a .778 score. Not too shabby.
Moneywise, I was perfect on the night betting $100 and getting a profit of $67.
Picks Average For This Show: .778 (7 out of 9)
Picks Average For The Year: .500 (9 out of 18)
Money For This Show: +$67
Money For The Year: +$57
Next show is the big PPV with Brock Lesnar's debut against Frank Mir and Noguiera vs Sylvia for the interim heavyweight title. Should be an interesting show coming up on Super Bowl weekend. Check back a couple days before for all the picks.
Final results?
Out of nine fights, I picked 7 out of 9 winners correctly for a .778 score. Not too shabby.
Moneywise, I was perfect on the night betting $100 and getting a profit of $67.
Picks Average For This Show: .778 (7 out of 9)
Picks Average For The Year: .500 (9 out of 18)
Money For This Show: +$67
Money For The Year: +$57
Next show is the big PPV with Brock Lesnar's debut against Frank Mir and Noguiera vs Sylvia for the interim heavyweight title. Should be an interesting show coming up on Super Bowl weekend. Check back a couple days before for all the picks.
2008-01-23
Random randomness
Got nothing big to write about today so here's a few random observations just to keep me active.
** The weather forecast is calling for rain every day until next Tuesday. And they say it never rains in Southern California. Well, Toni Tony Tone does anyways. Whatever happened to them?
** Bobby Lashley apparently requested to be released from his WWE contract today. No big loss as he never developed into the worker they thought he would. I suppose he still could but it's probably not likely. He's rumored to be looking into MMA as a new career option. Good grief.
** Rumors run wild that Brock Lesnar is penciled into headlining UFC 86 in a few months. Seriously? Talk about counting your chickens. I'm rooting for Brock against Mir just in hopes of seeing Lesnar vs Cro Cop but the sadist in me would like to see Lesnar submitted in 30 seconds just to punish him for his lack of gratitude to the WWE.
** Royal Rumble's this weekend. I'll be doing my annual Rumble predictions whenever the final lineup is released... hopefully soon.
** Lakers are leading the Spurs after one quarter as I write this. It's gonna be a two month dogfight for them to stay in a good playoff position as they wait for Bynum and Ariza to recover. Such a shame. They were really looking good.
** Don Mattingly is out already as the Dodgers hitting coach. Apparently he's having some family issues so he was re-assigned to a "special assignment" coach. So much for being the heir apparent, I guess. Hard to be groomed by Torre for the manager's job when apparently you won't be in the dugout most of the year.
** Good review for Rambo on AICN today. I've never seen any of the Rambo movies but I may have to change that in the near future.
** AICN also confirmed that Heath Ledger completed all his post-prod work on The Dark Knight so it'll be the final film to have a full Ledger performance in it. The autopsy came back inconclusive so they have to dig a little deeper [no pun intended.] We're thinking of having a Ledger movie night just to pay a little respect.
** Finished the second book in the Eragon trilogy the other day. It was okay. I was slapped across the face about 3/4 of the way through by how much of a Star Wars backbone it has. Almost too much. I suppose it's difficult to write a sci-fi/fantasy without either ripping off Star Wars or LOTR but man... this guy is blatant in a lot of ways. You have to be impressed that he was published so young but still... annoying.
** Almost time to reserve rooms for Comic-Con. The past year or so it has become increasingly hard to duck out of the Hollywood panels to some of the smaller comic panels even though there's always stuff I want to see. This year might not be so hard though as I haven't bought comics in probably six months. And after reading some of the stuff going on in Spidey, I'm pretty happy about that.
** The weather forecast is calling for rain every day until next Tuesday. And they say it never rains in Southern California. Well, Toni Tony Tone does anyways. Whatever happened to them?
** Bobby Lashley apparently requested to be released from his WWE contract today. No big loss as he never developed into the worker they thought he would. I suppose he still could but it's probably not likely. He's rumored to be looking into MMA as a new career option. Good grief.
** Rumors run wild that Brock Lesnar is penciled into headlining UFC 86 in a few months. Seriously? Talk about counting your chickens. I'm rooting for Brock against Mir just in hopes of seeing Lesnar vs Cro Cop but the sadist in me would like to see Lesnar submitted in 30 seconds just to punish him for his lack of gratitude to the WWE.
** Royal Rumble's this weekend. I'll be doing my annual Rumble predictions whenever the final lineup is released... hopefully soon.
** Lakers are leading the Spurs after one quarter as I write this. It's gonna be a two month dogfight for them to stay in a good playoff position as they wait for Bynum and Ariza to recover. Such a shame. They were really looking good.
** Don Mattingly is out already as the Dodgers hitting coach. Apparently he's having some family issues so he was re-assigned to a "special assignment" coach. So much for being the heir apparent, I guess. Hard to be groomed by Torre for the manager's job when apparently you won't be in the dugout most of the year.
** Good review for Rambo on AICN today. I've never seen any of the Rambo movies but I may have to change that in the near future.
** AICN also confirmed that Heath Ledger completed all his post-prod work on The Dark Knight so it'll be the final film to have a full Ledger performance in it. The autopsy came back inconclusive so they have to dig a little deeper [no pun intended.] We're thinking of having a Ledger movie night just to pay a little respect.
** Finished the second book in the Eragon trilogy the other day. It was okay. I was slapped across the face about 3/4 of the way through by how much of a Star Wars backbone it has. Almost too much. I suppose it's difficult to write a sci-fi/fantasy without either ripping off Star Wars or LOTR but man... this guy is blatant in a lot of ways. You have to be impressed that he was published so young but still... annoying.
** Almost time to reserve rooms for Comic-Con. The past year or so it has become increasingly hard to duck out of the Hollywood panels to some of the smaller comic panels even though there's always stuff I want to see. This year might not be so hard though as I haven't bought comics in probably six months. And after reading some of the stuff going on in Spidey, I'm pretty happy about that.
2008-01-22
Heath Ledger found dead
Man, that's a bit of a surprise. I mean... there are certain deaths you expect to come at any moment. I've been expecting Britney to either OD or kill herself for a few months now so I'm prepared for that one. This one surprises me.
And yes, as the comic book guy, my immediate curiosity is how it affects The Dark Knight. That probably shouldn't be my reaction that quickly but I'll be honest and admit that it is. From AICN, it sounds like all the initial shooting is done but it's unclear how much post is done. Not sure what his role in the planned third movie [if any] was planned to be either. From all accounts, Ledger may have knocked this role out of the park so it's always sad to see a talented actor on the verge of even greater superstardom crash and burn.
Oh, and of course, there are drugs on the scene. Read into that what you will, I guess.
Never saw Brokeback or A Knight's Tale so until The Dark Knight hits the screen, the first Ledger scene that will always come to mind is him singing and dancing in the football stadium in 10 Things I Hate About You.
Anyways... just a few quick thoughts on the matter.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger
And yes, as the comic book guy, my immediate curiosity is how it affects The Dark Knight. That probably shouldn't be my reaction that quickly but I'll be honest and admit that it is. From AICN, it sounds like all the initial shooting is done but it's unclear how much post is done. Not sure what his role in the planned third movie [if any] was planned to be either. From all accounts, Ledger may have knocked this role out of the park so it's always sad to see a talented actor on the verge of even greater superstardom crash and burn.
Oh, and of course, there are drugs on the scene. Read into that what you will, I guess.
Never saw Brokeback or A Knight's Tale so until The Dark Knight hits the screen, the first Ledger scene that will always come to mind is him singing and dancing in the football stadium in 10 Things I Hate About You.
Anyways... just a few quick thoughts on the matter.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger
Picks Again
Alright, let's try this again...
UFC Fight Night 12
Date: Jan. 23, 2008
Location: Las Vegas
Venue: The Palms
Broadcast: Spike TV
MAIN CARD
* Josh Burkman vs. Mike Swick
* Patrick Côté vs. Drew McFedries
* Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson
* Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino
* Gray Maynard vs. Dennis Siver
* Cole Miller vs. Jeremy Stephens
* Corey Hill vs. Joe Veres
* Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman
Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman
Odds: No action being taken
My memory sparks at Matt Wiman's name. A quick look shows him at 8-3 with nothing really impressive on his record. He's coming off two wins in a row. Bucholz is 7-1 with nothing really standing out for him either. Four straight wins for him. Not much to on on here.
MY PICK: Justin Bucholz by TKO in Rd 1
Corey Hill vs Joe Veres
Odds: No action being taken
Corey Hill was that lanky mofo from TUF. Veres is 4-2 with his last loss being a 9 second KO to Gray Maynard.
MY PICK: Corey Hill by TKO in Rd 2
Cole Miller vs Jeremy Stephens
Odds: No action being taken
Miller is 13-2 with 4 straight wins. Stephens is 12-2 with 2 straight and his last loss coming to Din Thomas. This looks pretty close actually. Miller has a lot of submission wins, Stephens has a lot of TKOs.
MY PICK: Cole Miller by decision
Gray Maynard vs. Dennis Siver
Odds: No action being taken
Siver is 11-4 with nothing of note in his record. Maynard's 3-0 with no big wins either. This could go either way. I always thought Maynard looked like he should be a badass so I'll go that way.
MY PICK: Gray Maynard by TKO in Rd 2
Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Odds: No action being taken
Crane is 8-1 with the loss coming to Huerta back in August in his UFC debut. No shame in losing to Huerta. Pellegrino is 10-3 with losses to Joe Daddy and Drew Fickett. Both are coming off losses.
MY PICK: Kurt Pellegrino by submission [armbar] in Rd 2
MAIN CARD
Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Odds: No action being taken
Omigawa is 4-5. Pretty rare that someone with a losing record pops up on a UFC show. He does have a win in the past over Aoki though and is a Yoshida student. Tavares is 12-1 coming off a loss to Tyson Griffin.
MY PICK: Thiago Tavares by submission [armbar] in Rd 1
Nate Diaz vs Alvin Robinson
Odds: Diaz at -165, Robinson at +135
Robinson is 9-2 coming off a win over Jorge Gurgel. Nate Diaz is 7-2 coming off a two win streak incl. the TUF Finale.
MY PICK: Diaz by decision
BETTING: $10 on Diaz to win $6
Patrick Côté vs. Drew McFedries
Odds: Cote at -125, Drew at -105
Cote is 11-4 on a three fight win streak and coming off a win over Kendall Grove. McFedries is 6-2 with the losses coming to Nate Quarry and Martin Kampmann.
MY PICK: Cote by TKO in Rd 2
BETTING: $40 on Cote to win $32
Josh Burkman vs. Mike Swick
Odds: -175 for Swick, +135 for Burkman
Burkman is 9-4. His biggest win is probably over Drew Fickett. Swick is 10-2 and was on a 5 fight win streak before the decision loss to Okami. This is Swick's first fight in his new weight class as well.
MY PICK: Swick by TKO in Rd 2
BETTInG: $50 on Swick to win $29
Cross your fingers, folks!
UFC Fight Night 12
Date: Jan. 23, 2008
Location: Las Vegas
Venue: The Palms
Broadcast: Spike TV
MAIN CARD
* Josh Burkman vs. Mike Swick
* Patrick Côté vs. Drew McFedries
* Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson
* Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino
* Gray Maynard vs. Dennis Siver
* Cole Miller vs. Jeremy Stephens
* Corey Hill vs. Joe Veres
* Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman
Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman
Odds: No action being taken
My memory sparks at Matt Wiman's name. A quick look shows him at 8-3 with nothing really impressive on his record. He's coming off two wins in a row. Bucholz is 7-1 with nothing really standing out for him either. Four straight wins for him. Not much to on on here.
MY PICK: Justin Bucholz by TKO in Rd 1
Corey Hill vs Joe Veres
Odds: No action being taken
Corey Hill was that lanky mofo from TUF. Veres is 4-2 with his last loss being a 9 second KO to Gray Maynard.
MY PICK: Corey Hill by TKO in Rd 2
Cole Miller vs Jeremy Stephens
Odds: No action being taken
Miller is 13-2 with 4 straight wins. Stephens is 12-2 with 2 straight and his last loss coming to Din Thomas. This looks pretty close actually. Miller has a lot of submission wins, Stephens has a lot of TKOs.
MY PICK: Cole Miller by decision
Gray Maynard vs. Dennis Siver
Odds: No action being taken
Siver is 11-4 with nothing of note in his record. Maynard's 3-0 with no big wins either. This could go either way. I always thought Maynard looked like he should be a badass so I'll go that way.
MY PICK: Gray Maynard by TKO in Rd 2
Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Odds: No action being taken
Crane is 8-1 with the loss coming to Huerta back in August in his UFC debut. No shame in losing to Huerta. Pellegrino is 10-3 with losses to Joe Daddy and Drew Fickett. Both are coming off losses.
MY PICK: Kurt Pellegrino by submission [armbar] in Rd 2
MAIN CARD
Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Odds: No action being taken
Omigawa is 4-5. Pretty rare that someone with a losing record pops up on a UFC show. He does have a win in the past over Aoki though and is a Yoshida student. Tavares is 12-1 coming off a loss to Tyson Griffin.
MY PICK: Thiago Tavares by submission [armbar] in Rd 1
Nate Diaz vs Alvin Robinson
Odds: Diaz at -165, Robinson at +135
Robinson is 9-2 coming off a win over Jorge Gurgel. Nate Diaz is 7-2 coming off a two win streak incl. the TUF Finale.
MY PICK: Diaz by decision
BETTING: $10 on Diaz to win $6
Patrick Côté vs. Drew McFedries
Odds: Cote at -125, Drew at -105
Cote is 11-4 on a three fight win streak and coming off a win over Kendall Grove. McFedries is 6-2 with the losses coming to Nate Quarry and Martin Kampmann.
MY PICK: Cote by TKO in Rd 2
BETTING: $40 on Cote to win $32
Josh Burkman vs. Mike Swick
Odds: -175 for Swick, +135 for Burkman
Burkman is 9-4. His biggest win is probably over Drew Fickett. Swick is 10-2 and was on a 5 fight win streak before the decision loss to Okami. This is Swick's first fight in his new weight class as well.
MY PICK: Swick by TKO in Rd 2
BETTInG: $50 on Swick to win $29
Cross your fingers, folks!
2008-01-21
UFC Picks Results
Well, that blew.
The fights weren't very good for the most part but I had a good time watching the show. But man oh man, were my picks all fucked up.
The final results?
Out of nine fights, I picked two winners correctly for a .222 score. I'll keep a running total throughout the year but this is a bad, bad way to start.
Moneywise, I did okay. I started with $100 in bets. I lost $80 on Gonzaga and Stevenson. The $20 that I bet on Rivera as an upset pick landed me $70. So, I total out at $90 for the show, losing only $10.
Picks Average For This Show: .222 (2 out of 9)
Picks Average For The Year: .222 (2 out of 9)
Money For This Show: -$10
Money For The Year: -$10
Next show is Wednesday for Fight Night so check back tomorrow or Wednesday morning for the next batch of picks.
The fights weren't very good for the most part but I had a good time watching the show. But man oh man, were my picks all fucked up.
The final results?
Out of nine fights, I picked two winners correctly for a .222 score. I'll keep a running total throughout the year but this is a bad, bad way to start.
Moneywise, I did okay. I started with $100 in bets. I lost $80 on Gonzaga and Stevenson. The $20 that I bet on Rivera as an upset pick landed me $70. So, I total out at $90 for the show, losing only $10.
Picks Average For This Show: .222 (2 out of 9)
Picks Average For The Year: .222 (2 out of 9)
Money For This Show: -$10
Money For The Year: -$10
Next show is Wednesday for Fight Night so check back tomorrow or Wednesday morning for the next batch of picks.
2008-01-18
Speaking of comic book movies...
According to the folks at Comics2film.com:
"Fox, Evans, Tatum Duke it out for 'G.I. Joe'
According to the report Chris Evans, Matthew Fox and Channing Tatum are the short list for the role in Stephen Sommers' super-toy-to-comics-to-film adaptation."
I've been following the casting of this pretty closely and they seem to have a decent job so far.
Chris Evans is the Human Torch in the far-better-than-expected Fantastic Four movies. He seems kinda young to play Duke to me but I'm not really sure what age they're looking to slot people in for this. I'm not really sure why Duke is in this one at all actually as he seems better to introduce in a sequel. I want Hawk, Snakes, Scarlett, Stalker... really, that'd satsify me for a first movie. Maybe add in Gung Ho or Rock And Roll or something like that. Put in Cobra Commander and the Baroness on the other side, I'd be happy. Of course, being a comic film they'll cast every character they can think of and run the Serpentor story in the opening credits.
Anyways... got off track. Chris Evans? I vote no. Matthew Fox? Hrmm... an interesting choice. I might buy that one. Channing Tatum... no idea who this guy is but he was born in 1980 and was in Step Up.
Fuck that guy.
Matthew Fox... got to get tough... Yo Joe!
"Fox, Evans, Tatum Duke it out for 'G.I. Joe'
According to the report Chris Evans, Matthew Fox and Channing Tatum are the short list for the role in Stephen Sommers' super-toy-to-comics-to-film adaptation."
I've been following the casting of this pretty closely and they seem to have a decent job so far.
Chris Evans is the Human Torch in the far-better-than-expected Fantastic Four movies. He seems kinda young to play Duke to me but I'm not really sure what age they're looking to slot people in for this. I'm not really sure why Duke is in this one at all actually as he seems better to introduce in a sequel. I want Hawk, Snakes, Scarlett, Stalker... really, that'd satsify me for a first movie. Maybe add in Gung Ho or Rock And Roll or something like that. Put in Cobra Commander and the Baroness on the other side, I'd be happy. Of course, being a comic film they'll cast every character they can think of and run the Serpentor story in the opening credits.
Anyways... got off track. Chris Evans? I vote no. Matthew Fox? Hrmm... an interesting choice. I might buy that one. Channing Tatum... no idea who this guy is but he was born in 1980 and was in Step Up.
Fuck that guy.
Matthew Fox... got to get tough... Yo Joe!
2008-01-17
Fight!
Saturday night is the latest and greatest in UFC PPVs. While I was a casual observer of MMA shows [mostly Pride] in 2005, I never would have imagined it would become the new "it sport" and involve my friends gathering every month to watch. It's a cool phenomenon to behold... especially the influx of people who suddenly become experts on MMA because they can identify a full mount.
Well, I'm about to reveal my level of bullshit expertness as I look over the card and give you my sure-to-be-horrific predictions. I'm also going to run a little experiment with myself by checking the gambling odds, using some faux money, and seeing how badly I would have won or lost my fundage. We'll use a fair amount of $100 to work with.
I'm going to go ahead and really be a jackass and pick the method and round of victory but to get the point for getting the prediction right, I only have to pick the winner!
DISCLAIMER: While I feel I have a decent amount of MMA knowledge, I'm pretty bad at picking winners and I'm lacking the familiarity of a lot of MMA fighters. So, you're going to get a lot of picks based off whatever info I can find on the Interweb. DO NOT take much stock in these picks. Enjoy!
Here's the card thanks to our friends at MMAJunkie:
UFC 80
Date: Jan. 19
Location: Newcastle, England
Venue: Metro Radio Arena
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View
MAIN CARD
* B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (for vacant lightweight title)
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
* Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin
* Jason Lambert vs. Wilson Gouveia
* Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson
* Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor
* James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara
* Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout
Blue's picks:
Per Eklund vs Sam Stout
ODDS: No action being taken
Crikey. First match and already someone I've never heard of. This will be a trend. I have no idea who Eklund is and only vaguely recall Stout. A quick researching online shows Eklund at 12-2-1 with a lot of pretty good wins in decent sized promotions. Stout is 12-3-1 with a lot of TKOs but seems like he might be susceptible to submissions [totally hoping I'm not talking out my ass here]
PREDICTION: Per Eklund via submission (Kimura) in Rd 2
James Lee vs Alessio Sakara
ODDS: No action being taken
Uh huh. I recall Sakara's name but nothing springs to mind one way or the other. Lee is 13-2 with a ton of submission wins. He's only had one fight go past the first round and that was a loss to Vernon White seven years ago. His last fight was a triangle choke win in 41 seconds which is pretty impressive. Sakara is 11-6 and fights with Brazilian Top Team. He's got losses to Houston Alexander and Dean Lister recently. Seems to have some heavy hands though. He's got the puncher's chance.
PREDICTION: James Lee via submission (RNC) in Rd 1
Paul Kelly vs Paul Taylor
ODDS: No action being taken
Riiiiight. No clue who either guy is. Kelly is 6-0 with 4 TKOs against... no one I've heard of. Taylor is 8-2-1 with a mixed bag of opponents. This is the "hometown" fight as they're both from the UK. This makes up for Bisping not being on the show? Total crapshoot here.
PREDICTION: Paul Kelly via TKO in Rd 2
Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson
ODDS: No action being taken
Hardonk sounds familiar. He's 5-4 with two losses to Frank Mir and Justin McCulley last year which is a bad sign for him. Colin is 9-3 with one of the losses coming in the UFC to Eddie Sanchez last year. Sanchez didn't look horrible against CroCop so I'm gonna guess Colin's respectable.
PREDICTION: Colin Robinson via TKO in Rd 1
MAIN SHOW!
Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
ODDS: BoDog's got Kendall at -500 and Jorge at +350
Holy shit! Two guys I know! Jorge is 14-6 and has lost to some pretty average fighters. Kendall's 8-4 with most of the losses way in the past but he's coming off a shitty loss to Cote. The question will be how Kendall responds to a shitty loss. I'm going to say Kendall rises to the challenge and takes this one but with the odds so high, this would probably be a good sleeper pick.
PREDICTION: Kendall Grove via submission (Triangle) in Rd 2
BETTING: $20 on Jorge for the upset with a $70 payoff if he pulls it off
Jason Lambert vs Wilson Gouveia
ODDS: No action being taken
More guys I know! Lambert's 23-6 with his last win coming over Babalu and his last loss to the human blanket, Rashad Evans. He also fights out of Apple Valley which makes him a bit of a sentimental favorite for me. Gouveia is 9-4 with his last loss to Jardine in '06. He's riding a four fight win streak into this one.
PREDICTION: Jason Lambert via TKO in Rd 1
Marcus Davis vs Jess Liaudin
ODDS: No action being taken
Uhhh. Who? Davis is on a roll. 13-3 record with a 10 fight win streak and the last loss coming via cut stoppage. Of course, wins against Shonie and Spratt don't exactly set the world on fire. Liaudin's 12-8 with a 5 fight win streak. Something's gotta give!
PREDICTION: Marcus Davis via submission [armbar] in Rd 1
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
ODDS: BoDog has it at -280 for Gonzaga and +220 for Werdum
More guys I know! Although I can't recall a lot about Werdum other than he had some decent hype coming out of Pride. Werdum comes in from Cro Cop's fight team at 9-3-1 with a loss in his UFC debut to Arlovski (that I vaguely recall.) Looking at his record, he seems to only lose to big names (Arlovski, Kharitarov, Noguiera) but hasn't beaten many of note. He does, however, have a win over Gonzaga from 2003 in Jungle Fight. Just a fun fact to consider. Gonzaga, of course, has the big KO highlight reel win over Cro Cop but came up short against Randy Couture in his heavyweight title shot. Gonzaga is 8-2 with his only losses coming to Randy and Werdum. This is a very definite pick 'em.
PREDICTION: Gabriel Gonzaga vis decision
BETTING: $30 for GG which would give a return of $11
MAIN EVENT: BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson for the vacant lightweight title
ODDS: BoDog has Penn at -285 and Stevenson at +225
Whew. This is a tough one. I've liked Stevenson ever since his Ultimate Fighter challenge where he had to climb around his teammate's body without touching the ground... you know the one! But I've always had a soft spot for BJ Penn because he's such an absolute prick and he really should have beaten Matt Hughes before he gassed out. Going off records, BJ is 11-4-1 coming off a win over Jens Pulver after back-to-back losses to Hughes and GSP. The Pulver fight was BJ's only fight in 2007 due to some legal troubles. Joe Daddy is 28-7, trains at Cobra Kai for christ's sake, and is riding a four match win streak. He doesn't quite have the star power on his resume that BJ does though. Joe is prone to the bizarre loss though when he dropped a decision to Neer in '06. Hrmm. Honestly, I think this is going long and that tends to be BJ's area of trouble. He's known for bad conditioning and Joe Daddy is known for great conditioning. I haven't decided who I'm rooting for yet but I think my pick is solid.
PREDICTION: Joe Stevenson via decision
BETTING: $50 on the under dog which would give a return of $113
That's it, baby! Everyone tune in on Saturday night or check back here next week to see how right [or horribly wrong] I was.
Well, I'm about to reveal my level of bullshit expertness as I look over the card and give you my sure-to-be-horrific predictions. I'm also going to run a little experiment with myself by checking the gambling odds, using some faux money, and seeing how badly I would have won or lost my fundage. We'll use a fair amount of $100 to work with.
I'm going to go ahead and really be a jackass and pick the method and round of victory but to get the point for getting the prediction right, I only have to pick the winner!
DISCLAIMER: While I feel I have a decent amount of MMA knowledge, I'm pretty bad at picking winners and I'm lacking the familiarity of a lot of MMA fighters. So, you're going to get a lot of picks based off whatever info I can find on the Interweb. DO NOT take much stock in these picks. Enjoy!
Here's the card thanks to our friends at MMAJunkie:
UFC 80
Date: Jan. 19
Location: Newcastle, England
Venue: Metro Radio Arena
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View
MAIN CARD
* B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (for vacant lightweight title)
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
* Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin
* Jason Lambert vs. Wilson Gouveia
* Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson
* Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor
* James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara
* Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout
Blue's picks:
Per Eklund vs Sam Stout
ODDS: No action being taken
Crikey. First match and already someone I've never heard of. This will be a trend. I have no idea who Eklund is and only vaguely recall Stout. A quick researching online shows Eklund at 12-2-1 with a lot of pretty good wins in decent sized promotions. Stout is 12-3-1 with a lot of TKOs but seems like he might be susceptible to submissions [totally hoping I'm not talking out my ass here]
PREDICTION: Per Eklund via submission (Kimura) in Rd 2
James Lee vs Alessio Sakara
ODDS: No action being taken
Uh huh. I recall Sakara's name but nothing springs to mind one way or the other. Lee is 13-2 with a ton of submission wins. He's only had one fight go past the first round and that was a loss to Vernon White seven years ago. His last fight was a triangle choke win in 41 seconds which is pretty impressive. Sakara is 11-6 and fights with Brazilian Top Team. He's got losses to Houston Alexander and Dean Lister recently. Seems to have some heavy hands though. He's got the puncher's chance.
PREDICTION: James Lee via submission (RNC) in Rd 1
Paul Kelly vs Paul Taylor
ODDS: No action being taken
Riiiiight. No clue who either guy is. Kelly is 6-0 with 4 TKOs against... no one I've heard of. Taylor is 8-2-1 with a mixed bag of opponents. This is the "hometown" fight as they're both from the UK. This makes up for Bisping not being on the show? Total crapshoot here.
PREDICTION: Paul Kelly via TKO in Rd 2
Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson
ODDS: No action being taken
Hardonk sounds familiar. He's 5-4 with two losses to Frank Mir and Justin McCulley last year which is a bad sign for him. Colin is 9-3 with one of the losses coming in the UFC to Eddie Sanchez last year. Sanchez didn't look horrible against CroCop so I'm gonna guess Colin's respectable.
PREDICTION: Colin Robinson via TKO in Rd 1
MAIN SHOW!
Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
ODDS: BoDog's got Kendall at -500 and Jorge at +350
Holy shit! Two guys I know! Jorge is 14-6 and has lost to some pretty average fighters. Kendall's 8-4 with most of the losses way in the past but he's coming off a shitty loss to Cote. The question will be how Kendall responds to a shitty loss. I'm going to say Kendall rises to the challenge and takes this one but with the odds so high, this would probably be a good sleeper pick.
PREDICTION: Kendall Grove via submission (Triangle) in Rd 2
BETTING: $20 on Jorge for the upset with a $70 payoff if he pulls it off
Jason Lambert vs Wilson Gouveia
ODDS: No action being taken
More guys I know! Lambert's 23-6 with his last win coming over Babalu and his last loss to the human blanket, Rashad Evans. He also fights out of Apple Valley which makes him a bit of a sentimental favorite for me. Gouveia is 9-4 with his last loss to Jardine in '06. He's riding a four fight win streak into this one.
PREDICTION: Jason Lambert via TKO in Rd 1
Marcus Davis vs Jess Liaudin
ODDS: No action being taken
Uhhh. Who? Davis is on a roll. 13-3 record with a 10 fight win streak and the last loss coming via cut stoppage. Of course, wins against Shonie and Spratt don't exactly set the world on fire. Liaudin's 12-8 with a 5 fight win streak. Something's gotta give!
PREDICTION: Marcus Davis via submission [armbar] in Rd 1
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
ODDS: BoDog has it at -280 for Gonzaga and +220 for Werdum
More guys I know! Although I can't recall a lot about Werdum other than he had some decent hype coming out of Pride. Werdum comes in from Cro Cop's fight team at 9-3-1 with a loss in his UFC debut to Arlovski (that I vaguely recall.) Looking at his record, he seems to only lose to big names (Arlovski, Kharitarov, Noguiera) but hasn't beaten many of note. He does, however, have a win over Gonzaga from 2003 in Jungle Fight. Just a fun fact to consider. Gonzaga, of course, has the big KO highlight reel win over Cro Cop but came up short against Randy Couture in his heavyweight title shot. Gonzaga is 8-2 with his only losses coming to Randy and Werdum. This is a very definite pick 'em.
PREDICTION: Gabriel Gonzaga vis decision
BETTING: $30 for GG which would give a return of $11
MAIN EVENT: BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson for the vacant lightweight title
ODDS: BoDog has Penn at -285 and Stevenson at +225
Whew. This is a tough one. I've liked Stevenson ever since his Ultimate Fighter challenge where he had to climb around his teammate's body without touching the ground... you know the one! But I've always had a soft spot for BJ Penn because he's such an absolute prick and he really should have beaten Matt Hughes before he gassed out. Going off records, BJ is 11-4-1 coming off a win over Jens Pulver after back-to-back losses to Hughes and GSP. The Pulver fight was BJ's only fight in 2007 due to some legal troubles. Joe Daddy is 28-7, trains at Cobra Kai for christ's sake, and is riding a four match win streak. He doesn't quite have the star power on his resume that BJ does though. Joe is prone to the bizarre loss though when he dropped a decision to Neer in '06. Hrmm. Honestly, I think this is going long and that tends to be BJ's area of trouble. He's known for bad conditioning and Joe Daddy is known for great conditioning. I haven't decided who I'm rooting for yet but I think my pick is solid.
PREDICTION: Joe Stevenson via decision
BETTING: $50 on the under dog which would give a return of $113
That's it, baby! Everyone tune in on Saturday night or check back here next week to see how right [or horribly wrong] I was.
Justice League DOWN
Rejoice! The first good news to come out of the writer's strike is that the JLA movie just got the brakes slammed on it.
What, you ask?! Blue is AGAINST a comic book movie coming out.
The script sounded bad, y'all. Real bad. Real, real, real bad. If we have any luck, when it comes back online, someone will give it a nice thorough rewrite.
Anyways... UFC predictions still to come later today but I wanted to share the good news that you can read for yourself from the good folks at AICN... here!
What, you ask?! Blue is AGAINST a comic book movie coming out.
The script sounded bad, y'all. Real bad. Real, real, real bad. If we have any luck, when it comes back online, someone will give it a nice thorough rewrite.
Anyways... UFC predictions still to come later today but I wanted to share the good news that you can read for yourself from the good folks at AICN... here!
2008-01-16
BJ Penn - Motivated?
Cripes. The awesome folks over at MMAJunkie.com just posted a pretty swank article about BJ Penn getting ready for his UFC Lightweight Title fight against Joe Stevenson this weekend. I usually pick fights on a little research and a lot of gut instinct because I have a lot of gut to spare [wocka wocka wocka!]
I was leaning towards picking Joe Daddy for this weekend but this article is giving me pause. BJ's motivated? BJ realizes he's never in shape? BJ wants to win the title in every division?
BJ wants a rematch with GSP?
Ahhh... there's the BJ I know. Completely capable of dominating but always looking beyond the person in front of him.
I think my pick may be safe after all... but the Penn fan in me almost hopes I'm wrong.
SIDE NOTE: EliteXC signs Ken Shamrock. That could be interesting.
UFC picks post to come tomorrow.
I was leaning towards picking Joe Daddy for this weekend but this article is giving me pause. BJ's motivated? BJ realizes he's never in shape? BJ wants to win the title in every division?
BJ wants a rematch with GSP?
Ahhh... there's the BJ I know. Completely capable of dominating but always looking beyond the person in front of him.
I think my pick may be safe after all... but the Penn fan in me almost hopes I'm wrong.
SIDE NOTE: EliteXC signs Ken Shamrock. That could be interesting.
UFC picks post to come tomorrow.
2008-01-15
2008-01-08
Wasting posts
You know, when you haven't written more than 3 blog postings in a calendar year, you really should probably save them when you get ideas for them. But I'm still awake and I was ranting about this earlier so...
My new UFC dream match is Mirko Cro Cop vs Brock Lesnar.
Now, why in the world would I be dying to see a guy who has lost two fights in a row take on a guy who hasn't even fought yet?
I love Mirko Cro Cop. Watching Mirko Cro Cop in Pride is one of the first things that got me hooked on MMA. And if you follow back the history of Cro Cop, you discover that one of the things that made him famous was his absolute domination of Japanese pro wrestlers who attempted to cross over into MMA. The Pro Wrestler Hunter-Killer. So, fast forward a bit and you've got Cro Cop struggling to adjust to the UFC with people saying he should hang them up.
Enter Brock Lesnar. Lots of hype, lots of potential. If he gets past Mir with any sort of good showing, I say book him against Cro Cop. If he wins, your big new project just knocked off one of the biggest name heavies in the world. If he loses, well, he was expected to lose and you get Cro Cop some credibility back.
And the cherry on top? Make this the main event for a UFC PPV in Japan!
Sure, it's a logistical nightmare but dammit, the Japanese LOVE Cro Cop. If you saw the vid clip of Cro Cop's pro wrestling appearance for HUSTLE on NYE, you saw them go apeshit for him and all he had to do was throw one kick.
Now imagine these same fans getting one more chance to see their hero knock off the biggest pro wrestling name to make the MMA jump ever.
Mirko Cro Cop vs Brock Lesnar in the Octagon... in Japan.
Make it so, Dana White. Make it so.
My new UFC dream match is Mirko Cro Cop vs Brock Lesnar.
Now, why in the world would I be dying to see a guy who has lost two fights in a row take on a guy who hasn't even fought yet?
I love Mirko Cro Cop. Watching Mirko Cro Cop in Pride is one of the first things that got me hooked on MMA. And if you follow back the history of Cro Cop, you discover that one of the things that made him famous was his absolute domination of Japanese pro wrestlers who attempted to cross over into MMA. The Pro Wrestler Hunter-Killer. So, fast forward a bit and you've got Cro Cop struggling to adjust to the UFC with people saying he should hang them up.
Enter Brock Lesnar. Lots of hype, lots of potential. If he gets past Mir with any sort of good showing, I say book him against Cro Cop. If he wins, your big new project just knocked off one of the biggest name heavies in the world. If he loses, well, he was expected to lose and you get Cro Cop some credibility back.
And the cherry on top? Make this the main event for a UFC PPV in Japan!
Sure, it's a logistical nightmare but dammit, the Japanese LOVE Cro Cop. If you saw the vid clip of Cro Cop's pro wrestling appearance for HUSTLE on NYE, you saw them go apeshit for him and all he had to do was throw one kick.
Now imagine these same fans getting one more chance to see their hero knock off the biggest pro wrestling name to make the MMA jump ever.
Mirko Cro Cop vs Brock Lesnar in the Octagon... in Japan.
Make it so, Dana White. Make it so.
Insomnia = Inspiration
What do you do at 3:30 AM when you can't sleep?
Count sheep? Drink warm milk? Drink warm vodka?
Lessee... I played video games [the "new" Fire Pro Wrestling for PS2] until about 1:30 AM. The game just plain smokes the majority of wrestling games out there. And the addition of the MMA characters and fighting system just makes it that much cooler. I spent the last 30 minutes with the CRITICAL frequency on high using Cro Cop and trying to see how long it would take to KO people. Cro Cop via high kick CRITICAL Andre The Giant in 1:08. That... fucking... rules.
I watched Mitt Romney speaking at the Timberland corporate offices on CSPAN for about 20 minutes. I didn't vomit so that's a good thing. There must be good in him since Chuck Norris is a supporter but I haven't found it yet. He spent a few minutes answering a question about the environment where he tried to sell that people who want the government to invest in clean, green technologies because they were trying to save the planet had the same ultimate goal as people who want us to invest in them because they want us to be energy independent. Not sure I buy that. He did a lot of shilling of nuclear energy [which scares me] and some kind of "clean coal" which to be perfectly honest, I know nothing about.
After he finished, they showed Barack Obama's speech at some opera house in New Hampshire. In all honesty, the night before the Iowa Caucuses, I had a similar sleeping issue. That night, I stumbled upon an Obama speech in Iowa that literally gave me goosebumps. The man is an eloquent, inspiring speaker and there's no surprise on my end that he's motivating people to vote who generally don't. For quite some time, I've been leaning my support in his direction and I've yet to see anything to change my mind on that. The speech tonight was sounding very similar to the Iowa speech so I turned it off to try and go to sleep.
I gave up after about fifteen minutes and decided it was a good time to try to write. My lovely wife [still not used to writing that] bought me Final Draft for X-Mas in hopes that it would kickstart my lazy ass into finally writing. So, after two weeks of procrastinating, I decided to attempt it tonight. I'm a few pages in... better than nothing, right? Decided to post on here as well to try and keep the momentum going.
In case anyone was wondering, I did actually make it to the PWG show on Sunday night. Very good show. It's odd because every time I leave a PWG show, I think it was completely worth my money. However, this show was the first I'd been to in a year and probably only the fourth or fifth I'd been to in two years. They're getting ready to start running shows a little closer to home so hopefully I'll get to a few more this year.
Nothing new on the job hunt front. I went into the week before Christmas thinking I had a good chance at getting two jobs. One of them I know was given to someone else and the other one... well, the HR person who was setting up my second interview has gone off the grid. No clue on that one.
Golden Globes got canceled. As an aspiring writer, I get a little bit of joy out of seeing the corporations get fucked by the strike. It's their own fault so I have no pity for them. I feel bad for the creative folks who won't get their very public credit for their work over the past year but not for the network who won't be able to cash in on them showing up to get that credit.
How's that for a wide variety of topics? Until next time.
WRITING: A screenplay based off a song - an idea I've been cultivating for almost a year
DRINKING: Water as I feel like I'm battling a sore throat
PONDERING: Volunteering for the Obama campaign
Count sheep? Drink warm milk? Drink warm vodka?
Lessee... I played video games [the "new" Fire Pro Wrestling for PS2] until about 1:30 AM. The game just plain smokes the majority of wrestling games out there. And the addition of the MMA characters and fighting system just makes it that much cooler. I spent the last 30 minutes with the CRITICAL frequency on high using Cro Cop and trying to see how long it would take to KO people. Cro Cop via high kick CRITICAL Andre The Giant in 1:08. That... fucking... rules.
I watched Mitt Romney speaking at the Timberland corporate offices on CSPAN for about 20 minutes. I didn't vomit so that's a good thing. There must be good in him since Chuck Norris is a supporter but I haven't found it yet. He spent a few minutes answering a question about the environment where he tried to sell that people who want the government to invest in clean, green technologies because they were trying to save the planet had the same ultimate goal as people who want us to invest in them because they want us to be energy independent. Not sure I buy that. He did a lot of shilling of nuclear energy [which scares me] and some kind of "clean coal" which to be perfectly honest, I know nothing about.
After he finished, they showed Barack Obama's speech at some opera house in New Hampshire. In all honesty, the night before the Iowa Caucuses, I had a similar sleeping issue. That night, I stumbled upon an Obama speech in Iowa that literally gave me goosebumps. The man is an eloquent, inspiring speaker and there's no surprise on my end that he's motivating people to vote who generally don't. For quite some time, I've been leaning my support in his direction and I've yet to see anything to change my mind on that. The speech tonight was sounding very similar to the Iowa speech so I turned it off to try and go to sleep.
I gave up after about fifteen minutes and decided it was a good time to try to write. My lovely wife [still not used to writing that] bought me Final Draft for X-Mas in hopes that it would kickstart my lazy ass into finally writing. So, after two weeks of procrastinating, I decided to attempt it tonight. I'm a few pages in... better than nothing, right? Decided to post on here as well to try and keep the momentum going.
In case anyone was wondering, I did actually make it to the PWG show on Sunday night. Very good show. It's odd because every time I leave a PWG show, I think it was completely worth my money. However, this show was the first I'd been to in a year and probably only the fourth or fifth I'd been to in two years. They're getting ready to start running shows a little closer to home so hopefully I'll get to a few more this year.
Nothing new on the job hunt front. I went into the week before Christmas thinking I had a good chance at getting two jobs. One of them I know was given to someone else and the other one... well, the HR person who was setting up my second interview has gone off the grid. No clue on that one.
Golden Globes got canceled. As an aspiring writer, I get a little bit of joy out of seeing the corporations get fucked by the strike. It's their own fault so I have no pity for them. I feel bad for the creative folks who won't get their very public credit for their work over the past year but not for the network who won't be able to cash in on them showing up to get that credit.
How's that for a wide variety of topics? Until next time.
WRITING: A screenplay based off a song - an idea I've been cultivating for almost a year
DRINKING: Water as I feel like I'm battling a sore throat
PONDERING: Volunteering for the Obama campaign
2008-01-06
The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly On The Plain
It's crazy outside right now. We could hear an insane amount of rain pouring down and when we opened the balcony door, it looks like we were trapped in a huge storm with rain pounding down and the wind blowing really hard.
I love the rain as long as I'm not stuck in it. I used to think I even loved the rain when I had to walk around in it until last year in Rome. Our first day out and about in Rome was absolutely miserable as we got drenched in rain, blown around by gusty wind, and generally got made cold and miserable by it all. So, yeah... now I think I love the rain as long as I don't have to walk around in it.
I hope it lets up some because I was planning to go to my first Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show in a year tonight. Driving in to LA through this mess doesn't sound like my idea of fun either so I really hope it lets up before I have to make a decision. The forecast is calling for "light rain" this afternoon so I hope it's right.
Rain, rain, go away... come again some other day.
Watching: Giants/Bucs NFL Playoff game [I'm addicted to football in HD. I've never watched as much football as I have this year.]
Wondering: If the person who was going to PWG with me is going to flake.
Reading: Just finished "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx and haven't started anything else yet
I love the rain as long as I'm not stuck in it. I used to think I even loved the rain when I had to walk around in it until last year in Rome. Our first day out and about in Rome was absolutely miserable as we got drenched in rain, blown around by gusty wind, and generally got made cold and miserable by it all. So, yeah... now I think I love the rain as long as I don't have to walk around in it.
I hope it lets up some because I was planning to go to my first Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show in a year tonight. Driving in to LA through this mess doesn't sound like my idea of fun either so I really hope it lets up before I have to make a decision. The forecast is calling for "light rain" this afternoon so I hope it's right.
Rain, rain, go away... come again some other day.
Watching: Giants/Bucs NFL Playoff game [I'm addicted to football in HD. I've never watched as much football as I have this year.]
Wondering: If the person who was going to PWG with me is going to flake.
Reading: Just finished "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx and haven't started anything else yet
A New Year!
So, it's a new year and as I look back to find I only did 3 posts on this blog in 2007, I'm a little annoyed. What a waste.
I also decided to let my web hosting lapse this year as I was barely using it so hopefully you managed to find your way back here.
For those who haven't "heard" from me lately, I'm unemployed once more having gotten laid off in November. So, you would think I'd be posting up a storm but I haven't just yet. I did just discover that I can post via my new Blackberry though so that's promising, right?
Ah well. No big New Year's Resolution to keep posting but I shall do what I can.
Happy New Year, all.
I also decided to let my web hosting lapse this year as I was barely using it so hopefully you managed to find your way back here.
For those who haven't "heard" from me lately, I'm unemployed once more having gotten laid off in November. So, you would think I'd be posting up a storm but I haven't just yet. I did just discover that I can post via my new Blackberry though so that's promising, right?
Ah well. No big New Year's Resolution to keep posting but I shall do what I can.
Happy New Year, all.
2007-08-02
Bored
So, I'm bored.
Yes, yes... what else is new, I know.
I'm a week removed from Day One of Comic-Con, my yearly half-week to indulge my inner geek and pretend the world revolves around Batman, the X-Men, and mostly what movies look sweet.
It also tends to be a source of great inspiration for me. A couple of years ago, I sat in on a panel where Brad Meltzer said that when he first starting writing, he made a commitment to himself to write at least an hour every day no matter what... no matter how tired, how hungry, how much he wanted to go out, whatever... an hour a day at minimum. I pledged on the spot to follow the same plan.
I'm pretty sure I lasted a day.
It's no secret that my career goal for several years has been to go back to school, get a teaching credential, and become a writer while teaching... yet I never seem able to get there. There's lots of easy targets to blame... getting old, too busy at work, don't want to look at a computer when I get home, wedding planning to do, blah blah blah.
Is this the year that I snap out of it?
The amount of people on panels this year who are probably just a few years removed from being where I am is astonishing. It truly does inspire someone to reach for the stars.
But those grounded feet always seem to get in the way.
Oh, side note... I also pledged to start using this as an entertainment blog to see if I could get into the Con next year as Media. Cross your fingers!
Yes, yes... what else is new, I know.
I'm a week removed from Day One of Comic-Con, my yearly half-week to indulge my inner geek and pretend the world revolves around Batman, the X-Men, and mostly what movies look sweet.
It also tends to be a source of great inspiration for me. A couple of years ago, I sat in on a panel where Brad Meltzer said that when he first starting writing, he made a commitment to himself to write at least an hour every day no matter what... no matter how tired, how hungry, how much he wanted to go out, whatever... an hour a day at minimum. I pledged on the spot to follow the same plan.
I'm pretty sure I lasted a day.
It's no secret that my career goal for several years has been to go back to school, get a teaching credential, and become a writer while teaching... yet I never seem able to get there. There's lots of easy targets to blame... getting old, too busy at work, don't want to look at a computer when I get home, wedding planning to do, blah blah blah.
Is this the year that I snap out of it?
The amount of people on panels this year who are probably just a few years removed from being where I am is astonishing. It truly does inspire someone to reach for the stars.
But those grounded feet always seem to get in the way.
Oh, side note... I also pledged to start using this as an entertainment blog to see if I could get into the Con next year as Media. Cross your fingers!
2007-01-28
Let's Get Ready To Rumble!
So, I did this last year and even though my WWE interest may be at an all-time low [I even gave up watching Raw since it conflicts with Heroes and 24]... I stick by my belief that even if I had given up watching wrestling altogether I'd still watch the Rumble and Wrestlemania every year.
And with that... my predictions based on the 30 wrestlers listed on WWE.com as participants:
No Chance... That's What You Got
---
Tommy Dreamer - Such a shame. You coulda been a contender, Tommy.
Chavo Guerrero - If you can't draw heat off your dead relative, you can't main event Mania.
Matt Hardy - No luck. He's gone right back down to the bottom of the barrel.
Gregory Helms - Nope. Not even JBL's hype job gets him a win here.
Chris Masters - Kinda a shame. He showed some potential before the Wellness Program kicked him down South. Since coming back, he's been booked like a joke.
The Miz - God no.
Sandman - Hopefully he gets to come in with the kendo stick. That'll make for a fun spot at least.
Kevin Thorn - Not even the curveball of the winner taking the ECW title shot makes him a contender here.
Viscera - King Mabel maybe. Viscera no.
Super Crazy - Only if Heyman gets brought back to book it.
Shelton Benjamin - Maybe a few months ago he'd be up one category... but not anymore.
Kenny Dykstra - In a couple years, perhaps... but not yet.
Slim Shot
--------
Carlito - Again, a few months ago I'd say he might have stood a shot. But I don't see him at the main event level yet... even in ECW.
Hardcore Holly - Could be, right? A fluke Royal Rumble winner for all those naysayers who say things are too predictable. Is Holly/Lashley for the ECW Title at Mania that unimaginable? Not really.
Kane - Not likely but always possible. Kane vs Batista would be alright. Kane vs Lashley would probably be fun.
MVP - Too soon for the rookie, I think but he's been getting a pretty big push so it's not completely impossible.
Sabu - I just can't see it. Gotta imagine a Money In The Bank is in his future.
Odds Are Slightly Better
---
Chris Benoit - Benoit being in a WM main event means it'll be worlds better than anyone else being in it. But I don't see it this time around as too likely.
Finlay - See above.
Jeff Hardy - Someone must have noticed that Jeff's been worlds better since his return, right? He just doesn't have a good match with any of the current champs. Turn on "Extreme Rules" and I can see a Lashley/Hardy match being fun. Do the title switch and Jeff vs Umaga would be fun as hell but probably not Mania main event material.
CM Punk - This is another one that would've been much more likely a few months ago. Now it seems like Punk is on the booking team's shitlist which makes it unlikely he'll get the green light yet.
Some Real Contenders
---
King Booker - No one wants another Booker/Batista match... but Booker/Cena? I'd buy that for a dollar. Booker jumping to Raw would give him an entire new slate of characters to run against. I don't see it as likely as much as I'd like to see it happen though.
Johnny Nitro - A real dark horse. I would love to see Nitro pick up the shocking win to reveal K-Fed as his trainer heading into Mania. K-Fed was a fun heel during his run and having him be part of the main program heading into Mania against Cena wouldn't hurt at all. Another one I'd really like to see but is super unlikely.
Ric Flair - With Rocky Balboa fresh in everyone's mind, it's the perfect year to run one last Flair For The Gold program. Especially if it was against Umaga. I'd love to see it but it seems to not be in the cards sadly.
Rob Van Dam - Rumor is that Vince is trying to keep RVD from jumping to TNA when his contract is up. Could a Rumble win and Mania match for the title keep him around? RVD/Cena would be fun again... not so fond of RVD/Lashley though.
The Great Khali - Khali/Cena would be a good way to pay tribute to Hogan/Andre but will they trust Khali to perform on that big of a stage. A guy who got pulled from one major PPV because of a lack of confidence in his skill seems unlikely to get the ball here.
The Cream Of The Crop
---
Edge - The MVP of Raw for 2006. He was robbed from his Mania main event last year and basically carried the entire brand as thanks. He was in almost every interesting program throughout the year. So, if you want to use the Mania main event as a "thank you", he'd be your guy. Edge vs Batista does nothing for me. Edge jumping to ECW with the title shot would boost that show a ton but would seem odd. Edge vs Cena has been seen a ton so there'd have to be a major twist to make it worthwhile again. I really like Edge so I'd love to see him win it but I don't know where you go with it.
Randy Orton - My fear. I like Orton to an extent but I have no desire to see him in any of the three title matches... nor do I have a desire to see Team RKO split up. Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling that he'll be your winner.
Shawn Michaels - Michaels vs Cena would be great. Michaels vs Batista would be... eh. Michaels vs Lashley... not so much. Michaels/Umaga would be a lot of fun though. He's gotta be an odds on favorite since the Rumble is in San Antonio and he's coming off the great performances on Raw lately. Probably who I would like to see win as there's the most possibilities of where to go with it.
Undertaker - All buzz shows Taker/Batista as the Smackdown main event so giving Taker the Rumble win he's never gotten would set that up perfectly. Can't say that I mind to see him winning here as long as he's winning at Mania as well.
Final results
---
Who should win: Shawn Michaels
Who will win: Randy Orton
And with that... my predictions based on the 30 wrestlers listed on WWE.com as participants:
No Chance... That's What You Got
---
Tommy Dreamer - Such a shame. You coulda been a contender, Tommy.
Chavo Guerrero - If you can't draw heat off your dead relative, you can't main event Mania.
Matt Hardy - No luck. He's gone right back down to the bottom of the barrel.
Gregory Helms - Nope. Not even JBL's hype job gets him a win here.
Chris Masters - Kinda a shame. He showed some potential before the Wellness Program kicked him down South. Since coming back, he's been booked like a joke.
The Miz - God no.
Sandman - Hopefully he gets to come in with the kendo stick. That'll make for a fun spot at least.
Kevin Thorn - Not even the curveball of the winner taking the ECW title shot makes him a contender here.
Viscera - King Mabel maybe. Viscera no.
Super Crazy - Only if Heyman gets brought back to book it.
Shelton Benjamin - Maybe a few months ago he'd be up one category... but not anymore.
Kenny Dykstra - In a couple years, perhaps... but not yet.
Slim Shot
--------
Carlito - Again, a few months ago I'd say he might have stood a shot. But I don't see him at the main event level yet... even in ECW.
Hardcore Holly - Could be, right? A fluke Royal Rumble winner for all those naysayers who say things are too predictable. Is Holly/Lashley for the ECW Title at Mania that unimaginable? Not really.
Kane - Not likely but always possible. Kane vs Batista would be alright. Kane vs Lashley would probably be fun.
MVP - Too soon for the rookie, I think but he's been getting a pretty big push so it's not completely impossible.
Sabu - I just can't see it. Gotta imagine a Money In The Bank is in his future.
Odds Are Slightly Better
---
Chris Benoit - Benoit being in a WM main event means it'll be worlds better than anyone else being in it. But I don't see it this time around as too likely.
Finlay - See above.
Jeff Hardy - Someone must have noticed that Jeff's been worlds better since his return, right? He just doesn't have a good match with any of the current champs. Turn on "Extreme Rules" and I can see a Lashley/Hardy match being fun. Do the title switch and Jeff vs Umaga would be fun as hell but probably not Mania main event material.
CM Punk - This is another one that would've been much more likely a few months ago. Now it seems like Punk is on the booking team's shitlist which makes it unlikely he'll get the green light yet.
Some Real Contenders
---
King Booker - No one wants another Booker/Batista match... but Booker/Cena? I'd buy that for a dollar. Booker jumping to Raw would give him an entire new slate of characters to run against. I don't see it as likely as much as I'd like to see it happen though.
Johnny Nitro - A real dark horse. I would love to see Nitro pick up the shocking win to reveal K-Fed as his trainer heading into Mania. K-Fed was a fun heel during his run and having him be part of the main program heading into Mania against Cena wouldn't hurt at all. Another one I'd really like to see but is super unlikely.
Ric Flair - With Rocky Balboa fresh in everyone's mind, it's the perfect year to run one last Flair For The Gold program. Especially if it was against Umaga. I'd love to see it but it seems to not be in the cards sadly.
Rob Van Dam - Rumor is that Vince is trying to keep RVD from jumping to TNA when his contract is up. Could a Rumble win and Mania match for the title keep him around? RVD/Cena would be fun again... not so fond of RVD/Lashley though.
The Great Khali - Khali/Cena would be a good way to pay tribute to Hogan/Andre but will they trust Khali to perform on that big of a stage. A guy who got pulled from one major PPV because of a lack of confidence in his skill seems unlikely to get the ball here.
The Cream Of The Crop
---
Edge - The MVP of Raw for 2006. He was robbed from his Mania main event last year and basically carried the entire brand as thanks. He was in almost every interesting program throughout the year. So, if you want to use the Mania main event as a "thank you", he'd be your guy. Edge vs Batista does nothing for me. Edge jumping to ECW with the title shot would boost that show a ton but would seem odd. Edge vs Cena has been seen a ton so there'd have to be a major twist to make it worthwhile again. I really like Edge so I'd love to see him win it but I don't know where you go with it.
Randy Orton - My fear. I like Orton to an extent but I have no desire to see him in any of the three title matches... nor do I have a desire to see Team RKO split up. Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling that he'll be your winner.
Shawn Michaels - Michaels vs Cena would be great. Michaels vs Batista would be... eh. Michaels vs Lashley... not so much. Michaels/Umaga would be a lot of fun though. He's gotta be an odds on favorite since the Rumble is in San Antonio and he's coming off the great performances on Raw lately. Probably who I would like to see win as there's the most possibilities of where to go with it.
Undertaker - All buzz shows Taker/Batista as the Smackdown main event so giving Taker the Rumble win he's never gotten would set that up perfectly. Can't say that I mind to see him winning here as long as he's winning at Mania as well.
Final results
---
Who should win: Shawn Michaels
Who will win: Randy Orton
2007-01-06
Back In... Blue?
So, I'm back again for another year of trying to do this blog thing right. I just renewed my website for another year so hopefully I can contribute a bit more to society with it! Apparently I made 56 blog posts in 2006... wow... that really sucks. Let's try and get that higher for '07, shall we?
Here's an easy waste of time...
Go to iTunes... do a Smart Playlist to show songs added in 2006... sort by play count and see your favorite songs that you listened to in '06. In true Casey Kasem tradition of keeping my feet on the ground and still reaching for the stars, here's my [our] Top 200 of 2006...
(NOTE: This does have a margin for error as some songs may be artifically inflated by merging two files into one play count.)
200. The Distance - Travis
199. The Beautiful Occupation - Travis
198. Happy - Travis
197. Re-Offender - Travis
196. Gigolos Get Lonely Too - The Time
195. If I Ever Fall In Love - Shai
194. Steady As She Goes [Acoustic] - The Raconteurs
193. Three Or Four - The New Pornographers
192. Sing Me Spanish Techno - The New Pornographers
191. I Wish I Had An Evil Twin - The Magnetic Fields
190. Enterlude - The Killers
189. I've Changed [Alternative Version] - Josh Joplin Group
188. Fawkes The Phoenix - John Williams
187. Happy (Reprise) - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
186. Holiday From Real - Jack's Mannequin
185. Heaven Adores You - Earlimart
184. 1st Instant/Last Report - Earlimart
183. Stable Song - Death Cab For Cutie
182. Brothers On A Hotel Bed - Death Cab For Cutie
181. Stop! - The Bens
180. Fired - Ben Folds
179. The Wrong Girl - Belle And Sebastian
178. All I Want To Do Is Rock - Travis
177. Why Does It Always Rain On Me - Travis
176. Of Montreal - The Stills
175. Pick A Part That's New - Stereophonics
174. Solitary - Skye
173. Wildwood Flower - Reese Witherspoon
172. Army Reserve - Pearl Jam
171. Wasted Reprise - Pearl Jam
170. Song Beneath The Song - Maria Taylor
169. The River Is Wild - The Killers
168. Bones - The Killers
167. Melt Your Heart - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
166. Speed Trials - Elliott Smikth
165. I Wasn't Prepared - Eisley
164. The Crane Wife 3 - The Decemberists
163. The New Year - Death Cab For Cutie
162. Marching Bands Of Manhattan - Death Cab For Cutie
161. Hang On To Yourself - David Bowie
160. Hey Now Now - The Cloud Room
159. Suspended From Class - Camera Obscura
158. Cross-Fire - The Bens
157. Carrying Cathy - Ben Folds
156. Sleep The Clock Around - Belle And Sebastian
155. A Century Of Fakers - Belle And Sebastian
154. I Fought In A War - Belle And Sebastian
153. Cherry Blossom Girl (Hope Sandoval Version) - Air
152. The City Lights - Umbrellas
151. Sing - Travis
150. Square One - Tom Petty
149. Still In Love Song - The Stills
148. Love & Death - The Stills
147. Whatever's Left - Snow Patrol
146. Gleaming Auction - Snow Patrol
145. Just You And Me - Rie Sinclair
144. Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
143. Hey There Delilah - Plain White Ts
142. Come Back - Pearl Jam
141. Comatose - Pearl Jam
140. Mexico - Jump, Little Children
139. Bruised - Jack's Mannequin
138. Feel So Free- Ivy
137. Fire Island - Fountains of Wayne
136. Brightly Wound - Eisley
135. Hold On, Slow Down - Earlimart
134. Bruised - The Bens
133. Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds
132. Roy Walker - Belle And Sebastian
131. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor - The Arctic Monkeys
130. Everywhere [cover] - Yellowcard
129. Allison Krausse - The Stills
128. Break Your Mama's Back - Slow Runner
127. This Mess We're In - PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke
126. Parachutes - Pearl Jam
125. Time Bomb - Old 97s
124. Bling (Confessions Of A King) - The Killers
123. Is It Any Wonder? - Keane
122. Jackson - Joaquin Phoenix
121. Run Devil Run - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
120. Bright Future In Sales - Fountains of Wayne
119. Got You Where I Want You - The Flys
118. My Lovely - Eisley
117. Munich - Editors
116. Live And Learn - The Cardigans
115. Annie Waits - Ben Folds
114. Step Into My Office, Baby - Belle And Sebastian
113. Wrap Your Love Around Me - The Village Green
112. Side - Travis
111. Flowers In The Window - Travis
110. Elevator Love Letter - Stars
109. Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking - Snow Patrol
108. Grazed Knees - Snow Patrol
107. False Alarm - Sloan
106. Fidelity - Regina Spektor
105. Use It - The New Pornographers
104. My List - The Killers
103. The Big Guns - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
102. La La Lie - Jack's Mannequin
101. I'm Ready - Jack's Mannequin
100. Hung Up On You - Fountains of Wayne
99. Steadier Footing - Death Cab For Cutie
98. Summer Skin - Death Cab For Cutie
97. Shine Like A New Pin - Camera Obscura
96. Blackout - British Sea Power
95. Sundress (acoustic) - Ben Kweller
94. I'm Waking Up To Us - Belle And Sebastian
93. Asleep On A Sunbeam - Belle And Sebastian
92. Rubber And Soul - Arie Brun
91. Marker In The Sand - Pearl Jam
90. These Are The Fables - The New Pornographers
89. Polyester Bride - Liz Phair
88. Exitlude - The Killers
87. When You Were Young - The Killers
86. Cocaine Blues - Joaquin Phoenix
85. Dark Blue - Jack's Mannequin
84. Trolley Wood - Eisley
83. Memories - Eisley
82. Red Hot Drops - Chad Van Gaalen
81. This Modern Love - Bloc Party
80. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
79. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
78. World Wide Suicide - Pearl Jam
77. Like U Crazy - Mates of State
76. I Don't Believe You - The Magnetic Fields
75. Lift Me - Madrugada feat. Arie Brun
74. Sam's Town - The Killers
73. Scratch - Kendall Payne
72. It Ain't Me, Babe - Joaquin Phoenix
71. Sgt. Major - Jet
70. You're Beautiful - James Blunt
69. Everyday Is a Holiday - Esthero w/Sean Lennon
68. The Hidden Track - Earlimart
67. Your Heart Is An Empty Room - Death Cab For Cutie
66. The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
65. Sometimes Always [cover] - The Brakes
64. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian
63. Hoppinpolla - Sigur Ros
62. Across The Universe - Rufus Wainwright
61. Get Through - Mark Joseph
60. I Think I Need A New Heart - The Magnetic Fields
59. Handle With Care - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
58. You Are What You Love - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
57. Rise Up With Fists!!! - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
56. MFEO: Part 1 - Jack's Mannequin
55. OLE! - The Bouncing Souls
54. Losing Lisa Ben Folds
53. Gone - Ben Folds
52. The Model - Belle And Sebastian
51. Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle And Sebastian
50. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle And Sebastian
49. Blood And Peanut Butter - Camplight
48. Somewhere Across Forever - Stellastarr*
47. Are You True? - The New Amsterdams
46. Sometimes The Sun - The Lashes
45. Why Do I Keep Counting? - The Killers
44. For Reason's Unknown - The Killers
43. Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
42. Golly Sandra - Eisley
41. How To Be Dead - Snow Patrol
40. Who I Am Hates Who I've Become - Relient K
39. From California (acoustic) - The New Amsterdams
38. Uncle Jonny - The Killers
37. The Charging Sky - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
36. Maybe Tomorrow - Goldenhorse
35. Baby's Been Bad - Goldenhorse
34. The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
33. I'm A Rocker - Bruce Springsteen
32. Wrapped Up In Books - Belle And Sebastian
31. You Don't Send Me - Belle And Sebastian
30. You Only Live Once - The Strokes
29. In The Sun - Michael Stipe w/Chris Martin
28. Hip Teens Don't Wear Blue Jeans - The Frank Popp Ensemble
27. Zak And Sara - Ben Folds
26. Rescued - Jack's Mannequin
25. Beautiful World - Colin Hay
24. I Hear The Bells - Mike Doughty
23. Read My Mind - The Killers
22. Sukie In The Graveyard - Belle And Sebastian
21. I Dare You - Shinedown
20. We Will Become Silouhettes - The Postal Service
19. High - James Blunt
18. Am I Just One - Carey Ott
17. We Are The Sleepyheads - Belle And Sebastian
16. Stay Loose - Belle And Sebastian
15. Forever Lost - The Magic Numbers
14. Jessica - Adam Green
13. Little By Little - Oasis
12. All You Need Is Hate - The Delgados
11. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts - Sufjan Stevens
10. Flying High - Jem
9. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Jayhawks
8. Kiss The Girl - Get Set Go
7. Drinking For 11 - The Mad Caddies
6. Crooked Teeth - Death Cab For Cutie
5. Why Does It Always Rain On Me - Travis
4. Adelaide - Old 97s
3. The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin
2. Precious - Depeche Mode
1. Sunset Soon Forgotten - Iron And Wine
And it's right HERE that I realize iTunes fucked me by including 16 songs tied for #200 at the bottom of the list. So. uh... well, you do the math!
15. Kill The Messenger - Jack's Mannequin
14. If You Find Yourself Caught In Love - Belle And Sebastian
13. Butterfly - Weezer
12. Peace - Weezer
11. It Must Be Summer - Fountains of Wayne
10. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (cover) - Elefant
9. Defying Gravity - Wicked Soundtrack
8. Saint Simon - The Shins
7. Hackensack - Fountains of Wayne
6. Lord Anthony - Belle And Sebastian
5. Mi Mancherai (Il Postino) - Josh Groban
4. Crown of Love - The Arcade Fire
3. The Luckiest - Ben Folds
2. Telescope Eyes - Eisley
1. If She Wants Me - Belle And Sebastian
Here's an easy waste of time...
Go to iTunes... do a Smart Playlist to show songs added in 2006... sort by play count and see your favorite songs that you listened to in '06. In true Casey Kasem tradition of keeping my feet on the ground and still reaching for the stars, here's my [our] Top 200 of 2006...
(NOTE: This does have a margin for error as some songs may be artifically inflated by merging two files into one play count.)
200. The Distance - Travis
199. The Beautiful Occupation - Travis
198. Happy - Travis
197. Re-Offender - Travis
196. Gigolos Get Lonely Too - The Time
195. If I Ever Fall In Love - Shai
194. Steady As She Goes [Acoustic] - The Raconteurs
193. Three Or Four - The New Pornographers
192. Sing Me Spanish Techno - The New Pornographers
191. I Wish I Had An Evil Twin - The Magnetic Fields
190. Enterlude - The Killers
189. I've Changed [Alternative Version] - Josh Joplin Group
188. Fawkes The Phoenix - John Williams
187. Happy (Reprise) - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
186. Holiday From Real - Jack's Mannequin
185. Heaven Adores You - Earlimart
184. 1st Instant/Last Report - Earlimart
183. Stable Song - Death Cab For Cutie
182. Brothers On A Hotel Bed - Death Cab For Cutie
181. Stop! - The Bens
180. Fired - Ben Folds
179. The Wrong Girl - Belle And Sebastian
178. All I Want To Do Is Rock - Travis
177. Why Does It Always Rain On Me - Travis
176. Of Montreal - The Stills
175. Pick A Part That's New - Stereophonics
174. Solitary - Skye
173. Wildwood Flower - Reese Witherspoon
172. Army Reserve - Pearl Jam
171. Wasted Reprise - Pearl Jam
170. Song Beneath The Song - Maria Taylor
169. The River Is Wild - The Killers
168. Bones - The Killers
167. Melt Your Heart - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
166. Speed Trials - Elliott Smikth
165. I Wasn't Prepared - Eisley
164. The Crane Wife 3 - The Decemberists
163. The New Year - Death Cab For Cutie
162. Marching Bands Of Manhattan - Death Cab For Cutie
161. Hang On To Yourself - David Bowie
160. Hey Now Now - The Cloud Room
159. Suspended From Class - Camera Obscura
158. Cross-Fire - The Bens
157. Carrying Cathy - Ben Folds
156. Sleep The Clock Around - Belle And Sebastian
155. A Century Of Fakers - Belle And Sebastian
154. I Fought In A War - Belle And Sebastian
153. Cherry Blossom Girl (Hope Sandoval Version) - Air
152. The City Lights - Umbrellas
151. Sing - Travis
150. Square One - Tom Petty
149. Still In Love Song - The Stills
148. Love & Death - The Stills
147. Whatever's Left - Snow Patrol
146. Gleaming Auction - Snow Patrol
145. Just You And Me - Rie Sinclair
144. Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
143. Hey There Delilah - Plain White Ts
142. Come Back - Pearl Jam
141. Comatose - Pearl Jam
140. Mexico - Jump, Little Children
139. Bruised - Jack's Mannequin
138. Feel So Free- Ivy
137. Fire Island - Fountains of Wayne
136. Brightly Wound - Eisley
135. Hold On, Slow Down - Earlimart
134. Bruised - The Bens
133. Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds
132. Roy Walker - Belle And Sebastian
131. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor - The Arctic Monkeys
130. Everywhere [cover] - Yellowcard
129. Allison Krausse - The Stills
128. Break Your Mama's Back - Slow Runner
127. This Mess We're In - PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke
126. Parachutes - Pearl Jam
125. Time Bomb - Old 97s
124. Bling (Confessions Of A King) - The Killers
123. Is It Any Wonder? - Keane
122. Jackson - Joaquin Phoenix
121. Run Devil Run - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
120. Bright Future In Sales - Fountains of Wayne
119. Got You Where I Want You - The Flys
118. My Lovely - Eisley
117. Munich - Editors
116. Live And Learn - The Cardigans
115. Annie Waits - Ben Folds
114. Step Into My Office, Baby - Belle And Sebastian
113. Wrap Your Love Around Me - The Village Green
112. Side - Travis
111. Flowers In The Window - Travis
110. Elevator Love Letter - Stars
109. Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking - Snow Patrol
108. Grazed Knees - Snow Patrol
107. False Alarm - Sloan
106. Fidelity - Regina Spektor
105. Use It - The New Pornographers
104. My List - The Killers
103. The Big Guns - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
102. La La Lie - Jack's Mannequin
101. I'm Ready - Jack's Mannequin
100. Hung Up On You - Fountains of Wayne
99. Steadier Footing - Death Cab For Cutie
98. Summer Skin - Death Cab For Cutie
97. Shine Like A New Pin - Camera Obscura
96. Blackout - British Sea Power
95. Sundress (acoustic) - Ben Kweller
94. I'm Waking Up To Us - Belle And Sebastian
93. Asleep On A Sunbeam - Belle And Sebastian
92. Rubber And Soul - Arie Brun
91. Marker In The Sand - Pearl Jam
90. These Are The Fables - The New Pornographers
89. Polyester Bride - Liz Phair
88. Exitlude - The Killers
87. When You Were Young - The Killers
86. Cocaine Blues - Joaquin Phoenix
85. Dark Blue - Jack's Mannequin
84. Trolley Wood - Eisley
83. Memories - Eisley
82. Red Hot Drops - Chad Van Gaalen
81. This Modern Love - Bloc Party
80. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
79. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
78. World Wide Suicide - Pearl Jam
77. Like U Crazy - Mates of State
76. I Don't Believe You - The Magnetic Fields
75. Lift Me - Madrugada feat. Arie Brun
74. Sam's Town - The Killers
73. Scratch - Kendall Payne
72. It Ain't Me, Babe - Joaquin Phoenix
71. Sgt. Major - Jet
70. You're Beautiful - James Blunt
69. Everyday Is a Holiday - Esthero w/Sean Lennon
68. The Hidden Track - Earlimart
67. Your Heart Is An Empty Room - Death Cab For Cutie
66. The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
65. Sometimes Always [cover] - The Brakes
64. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian
63. Hoppinpolla - Sigur Ros
62. Across The Universe - Rufus Wainwright
61. Get Through - Mark Joseph
60. I Think I Need A New Heart - The Magnetic Fields
59. Handle With Care - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
58. You Are What You Love - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
57. Rise Up With Fists!!! - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
56. MFEO: Part 1 - Jack's Mannequin
55. OLE! - The Bouncing Souls
54. Losing Lisa Ben Folds
53. Gone - Ben Folds
52. The Model - Belle And Sebastian
51. Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle And Sebastian
50. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle And Sebastian
49. Blood And Peanut Butter - Camplight
48. Somewhere Across Forever - Stellastarr*
47. Are You True? - The New Amsterdams
46. Sometimes The Sun - The Lashes
45. Why Do I Keep Counting? - The Killers
44. For Reason's Unknown - The Killers
43. Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
42. Golly Sandra - Eisley
41. How To Be Dead - Snow Patrol
40. Who I Am Hates Who I've Become - Relient K
39. From California (acoustic) - The New Amsterdams
38. Uncle Jonny - The Killers
37. The Charging Sky - Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins
36. Maybe Tomorrow - Goldenhorse
35. Baby's Been Bad - Goldenhorse
34. The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
33. I'm A Rocker - Bruce Springsteen
32. Wrapped Up In Books - Belle And Sebastian
31. You Don't Send Me - Belle And Sebastian
30. You Only Live Once - The Strokes
29. In The Sun - Michael Stipe w/Chris Martin
28. Hip Teens Don't Wear Blue Jeans - The Frank Popp Ensemble
27. Zak And Sara - Ben Folds
26. Rescued - Jack's Mannequin
25. Beautiful World - Colin Hay
24. I Hear The Bells - Mike Doughty
23. Read My Mind - The Killers
22. Sukie In The Graveyard - Belle And Sebastian
21. I Dare You - Shinedown
20. We Will Become Silouhettes - The Postal Service
19. High - James Blunt
18. Am I Just One - Carey Ott
17. We Are The Sleepyheads - Belle And Sebastian
16. Stay Loose - Belle And Sebastian
15. Forever Lost - The Magic Numbers
14. Jessica - Adam Green
13. Little By Little - Oasis
12. All You Need Is Hate - The Delgados
11. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts - Sufjan Stevens
10. Flying High - Jem
9. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Jayhawks
8. Kiss The Girl - Get Set Go
7. Drinking For 11 - The Mad Caddies
6. Crooked Teeth - Death Cab For Cutie
5. Why Does It Always Rain On Me - Travis
4. Adelaide - Old 97s
3. The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin
2. Precious - Depeche Mode
1. Sunset Soon Forgotten - Iron And Wine
And it's right HERE that I realize iTunes fucked me by including 16 songs tied for #200 at the bottom of the list. So. uh... well, you do the math!
15. Kill The Messenger - Jack's Mannequin
14. If You Find Yourself Caught In Love - Belle And Sebastian
13. Butterfly - Weezer
12. Peace - Weezer
11. It Must Be Summer - Fountains of Wayne
10. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (cover) - Elefant
9. Defying Gravity - Wicked Soundtrack
8. Saint Simon - The Shins
7. Hackensack - Fountains of Wayne
6. Lord Anthony - Belle And Sebastian
5. Mi Mancherai (Il Postino) - Josh Groban
4. Crown of Love - The Arcade Fire
3. The Luckiest - Ben Folds
2. Telescope Eyes - Eisley
1. If She Wants Me - Belle And Sebastian
2006-12-12
2006-12-11
2006-11-22
Can't Be Witty Today
My friend who passed away earlier this year would have turned 30 yesterday.
...
I can't even begin to wrap my brain around that. It still seems completely unreal at times... almost impossible that someone I've known all my life is gone.
It's odd the things that'll spark him to memory though. Almost anything can do it.
I sat at the Bridge School Benefit watching Pearl Jam with a tear in my eye thinking how much he would have loved to be there.
I get e-mails from Master Replicas about their latest Star Wars collectible coming out and smile thinking how quickly he would have ordered it.
I see the Harry Potter trailer online and feel a bit of sadness that he'll never get to see how that story wraps up.
It's been a tough year for me... lots of changes personally and professionally. Turning 30 myself in about a month so that's always a... well, I guess "milestone" is a word to use.
But we continue to live. We smile, we cry... we perservere and live our lives the way we think is best. And hopefully the way he would have liked it.
We'll be getting together on Saturday night to play some poker and drink a whole hell of a lot, I'd imagine.
Just the way he would have liked it.
We miss you, buddy... and we'll never forget you.
...
I can't even begin to wrap my brain around that. It still seems completely unreal at times... almost impossible that someone I've known all my life is gone.
It's odd the things that'll spark him to memory though. Almost anything can do it.
I sat at the Bridge School Benefit watching Pearl Jam with a tear in my eye thinking how much he would have loved to be there.
I get e-mails from Master Replicas about their latest Star Wars collectible coming out and smile thinking how quickly he would have ordered it.
I see the Harry Potter trailer online and feel a bit of sadness that he'll never get to see how that story wraps up.
It's been a tough year for me... lots of changes personally and professionally. Turning 30 myself in about a month so that's always a... well, I guess "milestone" is a word to use.
But we continue to live. We smile, we cry... we perservere and live our lives the way we think is best. And hopefully the way he would have liked it.
We'll be getting together on Saturday night to play some poker and drink a whole hell of a lot, I'd imagine.
Just the way he would have liked it.
We miss you, buddy... and we'll never forget you.
2006-11-17
Think He'll Have Buyer's Remorse?
And no, I didn't Photoshop this. This was a legit eBay page at around 7 AM PST this morning.
2006-10-16
Tracy Morgan Is A Jedi!
So, I've got a few extra minutes in the day suddenly as I find myself working a 6AM-3PM shift for the next two weeks. Whatever shall I do with all that extra time at home.
...
Which brings us here.
Lots of stuff I could write about... lots of topics "in the news."
The Dodgers' season is tragically over... and I've got no real excuses for them other than, "Damn, the Mets are pretty good."
The Lakers' season is about to start... and half the team is injured already including the coach. Not a good sign.
Cinemax is showing all six Star Wars movies in order... AND IN HD! That's definite cause for celebration and likely a sick day if I had my druthers.
Kurt Angle in TNA? Weird.
Rich Franklin destroyed? Neat!
Ahhh... the new TV season. That seems Post-Worthy.
My viewing schedule is pretty cramped this season thus far... even without a few early drops [Smith, Jericho, Justice].
Monday is crazy... take a look...
How I Met Your Mother is off to a great start for their second season. You have to wonder in the back of your mind how long they can really go before introducing the mother but as long as NPH is there in his brilliant greatness, I'm along for the ride to find out.
The Class - What's this? A second CBS show on my viewing slate?! This one is... interesting. I haven't decided how much I like it yet but it's been good for a few laughs in the first few weeks.
Heroes - Sodding brilliant! I'm enjoying the hell out of this one so far. Curious to see where it leads.
Studio 60 - My absolute favorite new show of the season. It's a damn shame that the ratings suck because this truly is Sorkin's return to brilliance. It seems to be one of those "too smart for the mass populace" shows that die a painful and regretful death [see: Arrested Development] because the people who watched Everybody Loves Raymond for ten years can't keep up with it. Tis a shame. I think it's not long for this time slot at minimum... maybe not long for this world which will make me angry.
Weeds - Love it. Love, love, love it. I adore Mary Louise Parker to no end. Showtime could put on 30 minutes of her doing her nails and I'd be riveted. And in HD? Ohhhh, lawd have mercy.
And somewhere in there, I still manage to find time for Raw. When 24 comes back? We may have a problem. I'm running out of TVs. Oh, and I forgot What About Brian which made its return last week. A fun show but I'm going to have trouble squeezing it into the viewing pattern every week.
Tuesday
-------
Damn all of you! All of you fuckers not watching Veronica Mars religiously and making me afraid someone's going to rip it off my TV! WATCH! PLEEEEEEEASE! You so won't regret it. I promise. I swear. Would I lie?
Other than that, Tuesday is my "catchup" night to watch everything that I couldn't on Monday.
Oh, and ECW gets squeezed in there somewhere too usually to be watched in fast forward on the weekend.
Wednesday
---------
I watched 30 Rock last week. I was surprised at how funny it was. It bombed in the ratings though so I probably shouldn't get attached but any show that had an underwear-clad Tracy Morgan running through traffic with a lightsaber screaming "I AM A JEDI!" gets my support for the moment.
I DVRd 20 Good Years... haven't watched it yet. Don't know if I will.
LOST!! I'm still a Lost junkie. The first five minutes of this season absolutely floored me. I adore this show and a curse on all of those haters talking it down. If you're not watching Lost, you should be... you still should be.
The Nine has been DVRd twice... and hasn't been watched yet. Not sure it will either.
Thursday
--------
After giving up on Earl three eps in last season, I've decided to try it again. I haven't been disappointed so far. It's a funny bone tickler that warms me up for...
THE OFFICE! Whereas The Office won the "Funniest Show on TV" title last season sorta by default when AD went belly-up, it really earned it towards the last half of the season. This season has been great so far as well and is easily one of my most eagerly anticipated shows of the week.
Ugly Betty. Eh. It's okay.
Gray's Anatomy. Not really feeling this season of this. It's too much of a downer.
Six Degrees. This one's okay. It doesn't make me want to turn the TV off so that's a good thing, right?
The Ultimate Fighter. Oh, this season blows but Matt Serra makes me tune in every week for his comedy-filled cornerwork.
TNA Impact. Taped for a very, very, very fast forward later in the week.
Friday
-----
I tape Smackdown out of habit. I usually visually skim it very quickly on the weekend... but sometimes just end up deleting it. Lately, it seems like I've been watching wrestling out of force of habit moreso than any kind of enjoyment of it.
Saturday
-------
Nothing! It's catchup day.
Sunday
------
Desperate Housewives is it. It's been better than last year. Pretty entertaining.
And that's that!
...
Which brings us here.
Lots of stuff I could write about... lots of topics "in the news."
The Dodgers' season is tragically over... and I've got no real excuses for them other than, "Damn, the Mets are pretty good."
The Lakers' season is about to start... and half the team is injured already including the coach. Not a good sign.
Cinemax is showing all six Star Wars movies in order... AND IN HD! That's definite cause for celebration and likely a sick day if I had my druthers.
Kurt Angle in TNA? Weird.
Rich Franklin destroyed? Neat!
Ahhh... the new TV season. That seems Post-Worthy.
My viewing schedule is pretty cramped this season thus far... even without a few early drops [Smith, Jericho, Justice].
Monday is crazy... take a look...
How I Met Your Mother is off to a great start for their second season. You have to wonder in the back of your mind how long they can really go before introducing the mother but as long as NPH is there in his brilliant greatness, I'm along for the ride to find out.
The Class - What's this? A second CBS show on my viewing slate?! This one is... interesting. I haven't decided how much I like it yet but it's been good for a few laughs in the first few weeks.
Heroes - Sodding brilliant! I'm enjoying the hell out of this one so far. Curious to see where it leads.
Studio 60 - My absolute favorite new show of the season. It's a damn shame that the ratings suck because this truly is Sorkin's return to brilliance. It seems to be one of those "too smart for the mass populace" shows that die a painful and regretful death [see: Arrested Development] because the people who watched Everybody Loves Raymond for ten years can't keep up with it. Tis a shame. I think it's not long for this time slot at minimum... maybe not long for this world which will make me angry.
Weeds - Love it. Love, love, love it. I adore Mary Louise Parker to no end. Showtime could put on 30 minutes of her doing her nails and I'd be riveted. And in HD? Ohhhh, lawd have mercy.
And somewhere in there, I still manage to find time for Raw. When 24 comes back? We may have a problem. I'm running out of TVs. Oh, and I forgot What About Brian which made its return last week. A fun show but I'm going to have trouble squeezing it into the viewing pattern every week.
Tuesday
-------
Damn all of you! All of you fuckers not watching Veronica Mars religiously and making me afraid someone's going to rip it off my TV! WATCH! PLEEEEEEEASE! You so won't regret it. I promise. I swear. Would I lie?
Other than that, Tuesday is my "catchup" night to watch everything that I couldn't on Monday.
Oh, and ECW gets squeezed in there somewhere too usually to be watched in fast forward on the weekend.
Wednesday
---------
I watched 30 Rock last week. I was surprised at how funny it was. It bombed in the ratings though so I probably shouldn't get attached but any show that had an underwear-clad Tracy Morgan running through traffic with a lightsaber screaming "I AM A JEDI!" gets my support for the moment.
I DVRd 20 Good Years... haven't watched it yet. Don't know if I will.
LOST!! I'm still a Lost junkie. The first five minutes of this season absolutely floored me. I adore this show and a curse on all of those haters talking it down. If you're not watching Lost, you should be... you still should be.
The Nine has been DVRd twice... and hasn't been watched yet. Not sure it will either.
Thursday
--------
After giving up on Earl three eps in last season, I've decided to try it again. I haven't been disappointed so far. It's a funny bone tickler that warms me up for...
THE OFFICE! Whereas The Office won the "Funniest Show on TV" title last season sorta by default when AD went belly-up, it really earned it towards the last half of the season. This season has been great so far as well and is easily one of my most eagerly anticipated shows of the week.
Ugly Betty. Eh. It's okay.
Gray's Anatomy. Not really feeling this season of this. It's too much of a downer.
Six Degrees. This one's okay. It doesn't make me want to turn the TV off so that's a good thing, right?
The Ultimate Fighter. Oh, this season blows but Matt Serra makes me tune in every week for his comedy-filled cornerwork.
TNA Impact. Taped for a very, very, very fast forward later in the week.
Friday
-----
I tape Smackdown out of habit. I usually visually skim it very quickly on the weekend... but sometimes just end up deleting it. Lately, it seems like I've been watching wrestling out of force of habit moreso than any kind of enjoyment of it.
Saturday
-------
Nothing! It's catchup day.
Sunday
------
Desperate Housewives is it. It's been better than last year. Pretty entertaining.
And that's that!
2006-10-07
2006-10-06
Some Things Just Don't Need An Intro
Much love to ya, Markus.
"So I am watching the Yankees/Tigers game tonight and they have Ernie Harwell on the TV being interviewed. He used to be one of the broadcasters for the Brooklyn Dodgers and is the Tigers radio broadcaster.
As the interview goes on, they talk about the times when he broadcasted when Jackie Robinson was on the team and they mention a few other players.
During this time, Joe Morgan had to interject, "That was when they were the REAL Dodgers."
Now I know why you dislike all that is Joe Morgan. And that is why Joe Morgan is a Buttfucker."
"So I am watching the Yankees/Tigers game tonight and they have Ernie Harwell on the TV being interviewed. He used to be one of the broadcasters for the Brooklyn Dodgers and is the Tigers radio broadcaster.
As the interview goes on, they talk about the times when he broadcasted when Jackie Robinson was on the team and they mention a few other players.
During this time, Joe Morgan had to interject, "That was when they were the REAL Dodgers."
Now I know why you dislike all that is Joe Morgan. And that is why Joe Morgan is a Buttfucker."
2006-09-27
New Beginnings
I've gotta admit... this whole blogging thing never quite panned out as I had expected. I pictured myself posting everyday, enlisting a legion of shee- err, readers who would wander the earth to carry out my most evil of plots.
...
Or something like that.
But between the new job and other recent events, I just seem to push off my "writing hour" every night.
Yes, I'm supposed to have a "writing hour."
At Comic-Con this year, I went to a panel called "Fans Turned Pro"... supposed to be some kind of inspirational talk designed for inspiring writers to somehow glean something of great brilliance in a 60 minute panel.
What did I take away from it?
Brad Meltzer, while working a "day job", promised himself that no matter what he'd write an hour a night, just to keep sharp while working towards publishing his first novel. I really like Meltzer's comic work... his novel that I read wasn't too shabby either... so I thought this was a hell of an idea.
I adopted his plan, determined to spend at least sixty minutes writing every night. Be it on here... something more creative... whatever.
But so go the best laid plans of mice and men.
I think I've written one hour total since then maybe. Of course, I could give you the excuses... crazy project at work... really busy weekends... umm... uhhh...
Eh... I'm just lazy.
Go Dodgers!
...
Or something like that.
But between the new job and other recent events, I just seem to push off my "writing hour" every night.
Yes, I'm supposed to have a "writing hour."
At Comic-Con this year, I went to a panel called "Fans Turned Pro"... supposed to be some kind of inspirational talk designed for inspiring writers to somehow glean something of great brilliance in a 60 minute panel.
What did I take away from it?
Brad Meltzer, while working a "day job", promised himself that no matter what he'd write an hour a night, just to keep sharp while working towards publishing his first novel. I really like Meltzer's comic work... his novel that I read wasn't too shabby either... so I thought this was a hell of an idea.
I adopted his plan, determined to spend at least sixty minutes writing every night. Be it on here... something more creative... whatever.
But so go the best laid plans of mice and men.
I think I've written one hour total since then maybe. Of course, I could give you the excuses... crazy project at work... really busy weekends... umm... uhhh...
Eh... I'm just lazy.
Go Dodgers!
2006-09-24
2006-09-11
In Remembrance
A little over a month since my last post and unfortunately for those looking for something a little brighter in tone, this one's going to be a bit depressing.
When Brian called me to tell me about our friend's funeral, we had the same thought at the same time...
"What if they want us to say something?"
It's a reasonable concern. They say that people fear public speaking more than death itself. At one time, that probably would have been me as well... hasn't been that way for a long time though. I wasn't worried about that.
What freaked me out was the modern day trend of "open mic" eulogies... those funerals where they turn over the mic to the crowd and offer time for anyone who wants to say something.
Not that I was afraid to get up there really... I was concerned that I couldn't do it... that I'd be physically unable to get the words out.
But my greatest fear was no one doing it... was everyone sitting and staring. People don't like public speaking... there'd be no shame and not getting up to say your part on an emotional day.
But I wouldn't let it happen. Brian and I pledged we'd have something in our head... something to say if we needed to. Something to say... just in case.
It turned out not to be needed. They had one person speak and that's it. They didn't need to hear our words.
But somehow I've continued to keep mine in my head... somehow I think I need to "say" it.
So, in the hopes of one more step towards closure, I give you my eulogy to the best of my recollection.
***
I've known Danny for over twenty years... and yeah, I'm going to call him Danny. I never got used to the whole "Dan" thing. It's hard to change someone's name in your own head after such a long time.
Danny's been my friend for over twenty years... something that not a lot of people can say these days. These days most people change friends every few years... calling them "accquaintances" to make it somehow better. But Danny was my friend.
In a lot of ways, none of this seems real to me yet. For the past week, I've felt like that any second I'd snap out of it... that I'd wake up and find out it was all a really bad dream. I keep thinking I'll wake up and find myself back in high school, Danny rocking back and forth in a chair, beating me senseless in his latest video game he'd bought... or sitting in his living room getting mad at me for reading comics quicker than him. That's the Danny I'll remember.
But being here today, it's kind of a reality check. This really is all happening. This isn't going away. It's something we all have to find a way to deal with.
To me, Danny will always be the friend who was ready to do anything at anytime. I'm sure every group of friends has one... Danny was ours. He was the guy who would be driving around the desert in the morning, hear an ad on the radio, and drive all the way to San Diego for a concert that night. He didn't argue about it. He never had "better things to do." That wasn't Danny.
To me, Danny was the friend who was always there for me. I may not have realized it a month ago... but I do now. He was the one who I shared a locker with in high school... the one who offered to share his locker with me even though he'd gotten up early to get one and I had gotten there too late. He didn't care. He offered it and didn't hesitate. He was the one who I spent every Wednesday after school with for almost two years, racing down Main Street to the comic store, then going to his house to read everything we'd bought. He helped me move when we'd barely talked in months. He'd call to offer concert tickets when we hadn't seen each other in ages. No matter how many days, weeks, months it had been... he'd be there and he wouldn't hesitate to do it.
In my life, I was never lucky enough to have a sibling. I've always been a little jealous of that bond. But what I was lucky enough to have is a group of friends that I can't imagine being closer to if we were blood. Danny was one of those friends.
So, to me... today, I feel like I lost more than a friend. In a lot of ways, I feel like I lost a brother.
I was fortunate enough to see Danny a couple weeks ago while he was in the hospital. It was only for an hour and a half or so... but it felt like we'd never skipped a beat. We could just as easily have had the same conversation one day after high school... or on the way to a Pearl Jam concert... or hanging out around his dining room table playing poker. It wasn't the conversation you'd expect to have with someone in his situation. He was full of hope... his spirits were high. We talked about going to the Star Wars convention next May he wanted to go to so badly.
And just like that... it was over. Like I said, it just doesn't seem real.
One of the last things Danny said to me that day before I left was, "I hope if nothing else... what I'm going through makes you guys really live your lives."
And I believe he meant that. Even with all the pain he was in... with how afraid he must have been inside, he was thinking of us. He was hopeful that we'd see what he went through and realize that it really could have been any of us. I'm about one month younger than Danny... and trust me, that fact has not been lost on me over the past few weeks. It really could have been any of us.
So, I hope... I really hope that if you are going to take something away from this service today, I hope it's that. I hope that you take hold of that hope... that wish that Danny had. I hope you go home tonight and look at your life... and find that thing you've always wanted to do... that place you've always wanted to go. Find it... and do it. Go on that trip. Write that novel. Get married. Have kids. Whatever it is that you've been pushing off til later, do it... because if we've learned anything in this past month, there may not be a later.
I think the greatest gift... the greatest tribute that any of us could pay to Danny's memory would be to sit back a year from now... one year from today and examine your life. I hope that you all find something... anything... that you did that Danny inspired you to do. Something you wouldn't have done without that wish that we would all go and live our lives like every day is the last. I think... I believe that's the least we can do for someone who meant so much to all of us.
I'm going to let someone else come up here now and share their memories... but before I do, I've got one thing left to say to Danny... and a lot of people will laugh... but I do it because I know Danny would have loved it.
The Force will be with you, my friend... always.
***
When Brian called me to tell me about our friend's funeral, we had the same thought at the same time...
"What if they want us to say something?"
It's a reasonable concern. They say that people fear public speaking more than death itself. At one time, that probably would have been me as well... hasn't been that way for a long time though. I wasn't worried about that.
What freaked me out was the modern day trend of "open mic" eulogies... those funerals where they turn over the mic to the crowd and offer time for anyone who wants to say something.
Not that I was afraid to get up there really... I was concerned that I couldn't do it... that I'd be physically unable to get the words out.
But my greatest fear was no one doing it... was everyone sitting and staring. People don't like public speaking... there'd be no shame and not getting up to say your part on an emotional day.
But I wouldn't let it happen. Brian and I pledged we'd have something in our head... something to say if we needed to. Something to say... just in case.
It turned out not to be needed. They had one person speak and that's it. They didn't need to hear our words.
But somehow I've continued to keep mine in my head... somehow I think I need to "say" it.
So, in the hopes of one more step towards closure, I give you my eulogy to the best of my recollection.
***
I've known Danny for over twenty years... and yeah, I'm going to call him Danny. I never got used to the whole "Dan" thing. It's hard to change someone's name in your own head after such a long time.
Danny's been my friend for over twenty years... something that not a lot of people can say these days. These days most people change friends every few years... calling them "accquaintances" to make it somehow better. But Danny was my friend.
In a lot of ways, none of this seems real to me yet. For the past week, I've felt like that any second I'd snap out of it... that I'd wake up and find out it was all a really bad dream. I keep thinking I'll wake up and find myself back in high school, Danny rocking back and forth in a chair, beating me senseless in his latest video game he'd bought... or sitting in his living room getting mad at me for reading comics quicker than him. That's the Danny I'll remember.
But being here today, it's kind of a reality check. This really is all happening. This isn't going away. It's something we all have to find a way to deal with.
To me, Danny will always be the friend who was ready to do anything at anytime. I'm sure every group of friends has one... Danny was ours. He was the guy who would be driving around the desert in the morning, hear an ad on the radio, and drive all the way to San Diego for a concert that night. He didn't argue about it. He never had "better things to do." That wasn't Danny.
To me, Danny was the friend who was always there for me. I may not have realized it a month ago... but I do now. He was the one who I shared a locker with in high school... the one who offered to share his locker with me even though he'd gotten up early to get one and I had gotten there too late. He didn't care. He offered it and didn't hesitate. He was the one who I spent every Wednesday after school with for almost two years, racing down Main Street to the comic store, then going to his house to read everything we'd bought. He helped me move when we'd barely talked in months. He'd call to offer concert tickets when we hadn't seen each other in ages. No matter how many days, weeks, months it had been... he'd be there and he wouldn't hesitate to do it.
In my life, I was never lucky enough to have a sibling. I've always been a little jealous of that bond. But what I was lucky enough to have is a group of friends that I can't imagine being closer to if we were blood. Danny was one of those friends.
So, to me... today, I feel like I lost more than a friend. In a lot of ways, I feel like I lost a brother.
I was fortunate enough to see Danny a couple weeks ago while he was in the hospital. It was only for an hour and a half or so... but it felt like we'd never skipped a beat. We could just as easily have had the same conversation one day after high school... or on the way to a Pearl Jam concert... or hanging out around his dining room table playing poker. It wasn't the conversation you'd expect to have with someone in his situation. He was full of hope... his spirits were high. We talked about going to the Star Wars convention next May he wanted to go to so badly.
And just like that... it was over. Like I said, it just doesn't seem real.
One of the last things Danny said to me that day before I left was, "I hope if nothing else... what I'm going through makes you guys really live your lives."
And I believe he meant that. Even with all the pain he was in... with how afraid he must have been inside, he was thinking of us. He was hopeful that we'd see what he went through and realize that it really could have been any of us. I'm about one month younger than Danny... and trust me, that fact has not been lost on me over the past few weeks. It really could have been any of us.
So, I hope... I really hope that if you are going to take something away from this service today, I hope it's that. I hope that you take hold of that hope... that wish that Danny had. I hope you go home tonight and look at your life... and find that thing you've always wanted to do... that place you've always wanted to go. Find it... and do it. Go on that trip. Write that novel. Get married. Have kids. Whatever it is that you've been pushing off til later, do it... because if we've learned anything in this past month, there may not be a later.
I think the greatest gift... the greatest tribute that any of us could pay to Danny's memory would be to sit back a year from now... one year from today and examine your life. I hope that you all find something... anything... that you did that Danny inspired you to do. Something you wouldn't have done without that wish that we would all go and live our lives like every day is the last. I think... I believe that's the least we can do for someone who meant so much to all of us.
I'm going to let someone else come up here now and share their memories... but before I do, I've got one thing left to say to Danny... and a lot of people will laugh... but I do it because I know Danny would have loved it.
The Force will be with you, my friend... always.
***
2006-08-09
The Fragile
This one's gonna be a little different.
They say that creative people use their respective outlets as a way to express their emotions... a way to shine their happiness, to rage with their anger, to engage in war with their frustrations.
And I would imagine... to cry with their sorrow.
What do you do when you can't speak without your voice cracking... you can't blink without tears covering your face? When your heart is breaking apart and all the glue in the world couldn't stand a chance of healing it?
I can't speak. I can barely think. I feel like the entire world is crashing down all around me. It just doesn't seem real. It seems like I'm gonna get a jab in the ribs from B and told to stop talking in my sleep.
It seems impossible... that the day will simply shrink away and everything will be right again.
A friend has died.
It comes like a thunderstorm. A call from another friend... the ringtone alone sending chills down my spine. It was just a few short weeks ago that my friend sent a text "In the hospital. Have leukemia."
In a day when you read of people getting fired through texting, it seems almost unreal to use that medium to tell your friends that you've got cancer... but that was my friend. Always unique. Always doing things the way they shouldn't be done. My heart fell to my knees when I read it but there was still the gimmer of hope. The thought that maybe it wasn't as cold and chilling as it sounded. Leukemia.
It's the thing you always hear about with kids... never someone your own age. And then the feeling sets in. He's 29... he was months from turning 30. Just like me. And he's got cancer. Your entire perspective on reality shifts. "If it can happen to him then..." You start counting up the things you haven't done... the things you wish you hadn't done... the things that you've been pushing off "for later" and then it sinks in.
What happens when there's no more later?
It's selfish, I know... to drown in your own mortality while your friend is battling for his life in a hospital bed. But it's unavoidable. First, you feel frightened... then comes the guilt.
Why wasn't I a better friend? Why do I have to admit that we barely spoke outside of e-mails and text messages? Why do I have to freely admit that he was frequently the butt of jokes? It doesn't seem fair. It's some kind of cruel twist of fate.
A few days before we got the news, another friend of ours got engaged saying, "We needed a reason to all get together again." Upon parting that night, he commented that we only all get together at weddings anymore. I flippantly replied, "Soon it'll be funerals."
I've hated myself for that for three weeks now. It's that superstitious nature in us all that says somehow we contributed... somehow we said the wrong thing... we tempted fate and made someone else suffer for it. I know it's a ludicrous thought but I can't fight it off.
I was sick when I got the news. Emotionally sick, sure. But physically as well. I had a cold and couldn't risk making the situation worse by dragging my diseased self into his room. I called, of course... we all called. But somehow it just didn't feel like it was enough.
He sounded fine... great. I had a better conversation with him than we'd had in years. He was talking about future plans... about going to this event... going to do this and that. He was in high spirits even though he'd started chemotherapy. They told him they thought they caught it early... they told him that he had an eighty percent chance. It all sounded great. The glimmer grew stronger... a beacon of hope to keep us all from losing ourselves.
I finally got to see him a week or so later. Almost exactly a week ago. I'd heard from others who had gone. "He looks great... strong as can be." "He looks pretty bad but he seems in good spirits." You have to see it for yourself. I felt twisted inside. His parents were there... so full of high spirits. They were talking about him getting out this week... about buying him a new car... about having a poker night for him at their new house. It all seemed to be almost past us... like we had almost creeped over the darkness and all that was beyond us was light.
But it just wasn't right. He looked so pained... so uncomfortable. He wasn't him... but I kept thinking that he would be. That everything would be fine once he got back into the real world. He was a fighter... he's a tough son of a bitch. All the comforting words that people tell each other... I started to buy into it. I thought everything was bright and shiny. He talked a lot about things he wanted to do... about places he thought we should go. He wanted nothing more than to go to the Star Wars convention in LA with me next year. He was so excited about it... so enthused.
I left that day without a worry... without a drop of concern. Somehow I'd managed to convince myself that we were all going to be fine. It was just a blip on the radar... a hiccup in the game of life. He was going to be fine... we all were.
Another week went by. A few calls from friend to friend... asking if we'd heard anything... if we'd spoken to him. The calls grew a little more concerned by the end of the week when it seemed like no one had for a few days.
Then our world got rocked on Sunday. He had taken "a turn for the worse"... a phrase that I'll never be able to hear the same way again. All the joy was ripped out of me. I couldn't believe it. He was in intensive care and "it didn't look good." I couldn't understand... I couldn't wrap my brain around it. "But he was fine on Saturday! They were going to let him out this week!" No one could understand what had happened but we knew... we just knew.
I think I've been prepared since then. The optimist in me held out hope. A call on Monday morning from yet another friend made things darker as he believed they'd put him on life support. It was darkness. Total darkness.
Yet you try to live. You still have to work... you still have to live. The guilt hangs heavy throughout... like you shouldn't be laughing... hell, you shouldn't even be smiling. You batter yourself emotionally. "How the hell can I be laughing at some sitcom while my friend is fighting for his life?" I don't know. I can't answer that. It's just... somehow you have to. If you don't, you'll drown in the darkness. You just... you have to.
No word yesterday. Which almost seemed encouraging to me. I dreaded my phone ringing. I dreaded the news it might bring. Work-related calls brought me joy because they couldn't be what I feared.
And today? The gunshot to the heart.
"He passed away last night."
It rings... echoes through your brain. How? Why?
Especially why.
In a world so dominated by religion, belief, and fate... someone tell me why? Someone explain to me how this fits a divine plan... a holy vision.
How does it make sense for someone not even thirty with a family and friends who loved him... with nephews who adored him...
It's just not right.
I mocked him... relentlessly at times... but I always knew he was a good person. He had his moments where I wanted to strangle him... but never because he was a thoughtless, souless being.
He cared. He loved. He helped.
It's not... it can't be right.
This day can't be happening... it just can't.
Nothing in the world makes sense to me. Nothing stands up right. Everything is broken... twisted... shattered.
Mortality. Friendship. Belief. Emotion. Guilt. Love.
Nothing is the same as it was yesterday. Nothing is right.
The tears continue to roll. My eyes sting as I try to type. My mom was concerned about me... thought I was going to make myself sick as I could barely talk when I spoke to her. I was more concerned about her. Now she has to live with the thought that someone my age... someone she's known for most of his life has died. How can she spend the day not wondering what his parents must be feeling... what it must feel like to lose a child?
I had to call one of our friends to tell him. He sounded shocked... stunned. Like he couldn't believe it. And then he asks if I'm okay. My voice is cracking... I can barely think... my world is crashing and burning...
"Yeah, I'm okay"
I am, I suppose. Like I said, you have to... you just have to live.
Brain. Heart. Soul. It all hurts... and it probably will for a long, long while.
But you just have to live.
One of the last things he ever got to say to me is, "I hope if nothing else... what I'm going through inspires you guys to really live your lives."
You got it, my friend. For you... and all you meant to all of us... it's the least we can do.
We love you, man.
Rest in peace.
They say that creative people use their respective outlets as a way to express their emotions... a way to shine their happiness, to rage with their anger, to engage in war with their frustrations.
And I would imagine... to cry with their sorrow.
What do you do when you can't speak without your voice cracking... you can't blink without tears covering your face? When your heart is breaking apart and all the glue in the world couldn't stand a chance of healing it?
I can't speak. I can barely think. I feel like the entire world is crashing down all around me. It just doesn't seem real. It seems like I'm gonna get a jab in the ribs from B and told to stop talking in my sleep.
It seems impossible... that the day will simply shrink away and everything will be right again.
A friend has died.
It comes like a thunderstorm. A call from another friend... the ringtone alone sending chills down my spine. It was just a few short weeks ago that my friend sent a text "In the hospital. Have leukemia."
In a day when you read of people getting fired through texting, it seems almost unreal to use that medium to tell your friends that you've got cancer... but that was my friend. Always unique. Always doing things the way they shouldn't be done. My heart fell to my knees when I read it but there was still the gimmer of hope. The thought that maybe it wasn't as cold and chilling as it sounded. Leukemia.
It's the thing you always hear about with kids... never someone your own age. And then the feeling sets in. He's 29... he was months from turning 30. Just like me. And he's got cancer. Your entire perspective on reality shifts. "If it can happen to him then..." You start counting up the things you haven't done... the things you wish you hadn't done... the things that you've been pushing off "for later" and then it sinks in.
What happens when there's no more later?
It's selfish, I know... to drown in your own mortality while your friend is battling for his life in a hospital bed. But it's unavoidable. First, you feel frightened... then comes the guilt.
Why wasn't I a better friend? Why do I have to admit that we barely spoke outside of e-mails and text messages? Why do I have to freely admit that he was frequently the butt of jokes? It doesn't seem fair. It's some kind of cruel twist of fate.
A few days before we got the news, another friend of ours got engaged saying, "We needed a reason to all get together again." Upon parting that night, he commented that we only all get together at weddings anymore. I flippantly replied, "Soon it'll be funerals."
I've hated myself for that for three weeks now. It's that superstitious nature in us all that says somehow we contributed... somehow we said the wrong thing... we tempted fate and made someone else suffer for it. I know it's a ludicrous thought but I can't fight it off.
I was sick when I got the news. Emotionally sick, sure. But physically as well. I had a cold and couldn't risk making the situation worse by dragging my diseased self into his room. I called, of course... we all called. But somehow it just didn't feel like it was enough.
He sounded fine... great. I had a better conversation with him than we'd had in years. He was talking about future plans... about going to this event... going to do this and that. He was in high spirits even though he'd started chemotherapy. They told him they thought they caught it early... they told him that he had an eighty percent chance. It all sounded great. The glimmer grew stronger... a beacon of hope to keep us all from losing ourselves.
I finally got to see him a week or so later. Almost exactly a week ago. I'd heard from others who had gone. "He looks great... strong as can be." "He looks pretty bad but he seems in good spirits." You have to see it for yourself. I felt twisted inside. His parents were there... so full of high spirits. They were talking about him getting out this week... about buying him a new car... about having a poker night for him at their new house. It all seemed to be almost past us... like we had almost creeped over the darkness and all that was beyond us was light.
But it just wasn't right. He looked so pained... so uncomfortable. He wasn't him... but I kept thinking that he would be. That everything would be fine once he got back into the real world. He was a fighter... he's a tough son of a bitch. All the comforting words that people tell each other... I started to buy into it. I thought everything was bright and shiny. He talked a lot about things he wanted to do... about places he thought we should go. He wanted nothing more than to go to the Star Wars convention in LA with me next year. He was so excited about it... so enthused.
I left that day without a worry... without a drop of concern. Somehow I'd managed to convince myself that we were all going to be fine. It was just a blip on the radar... a hiccup in the game of life. He was going to be fine... we all were.
Another week went by. A few calls from friend to friend... asking if we'd heard anything... if we'd spoken to him. The calls grew a little more concerned by the end of the week when it seemed like no one had for a few days.
Then our world got rocked on Sunday. He had taken "a turn for the worse"... a phrase that I'll never be able to hear the same way again. All the joy was ripped out of me. I couldn't believe it. He was in intensive care and "it didn't look good." I couldn't understand... I couldn't wrap my brain around it. "But he was fine on Saturday! They were going to let him out this week!" No one could understand what had happened but we knew... we just knew.
I think I've been prepared since then. The optimist in me held out hope. A call on Monday morning from yet another friend made things darker as he believed they'd put him on life support. It was darkness. Total darkness.
Yet you try to live. You still have to work... you still have to live. The guilt hangs heavy throughout... like you shouldn't be laughing... hell, you shouldn't even be smiling. You batter yourself emotionally. "How the hell can I be laughing at some sitcom while my friend is fighting for his life?" I don't know. I can't answer that. It's just... somehow you have to. If you don't, you'll drown in the darkness. You just... you have to.
No word yesterday. Which almost seemed encouraging to me. I dreaded my phone ringing. I dreaded the news it might bring. Work-related calls brought me joy because they couldn't be what I feared.
And today? The gunshot to the heart.
"He passed away last night."
It rings... echoes through your brain. How? Why?
Especially why.
In a world so dominated by religion, belief, and fate... someone tell me why? Someone explain to me how this fits a divine plan... a holy vision.
How does it make sense for someone not even thirty with a family and friends who loved him... with nephews who adored him...
It's just not right.
I mocked him... relentlessly at times... but I always knew he was a good person. He had his moments where I wanted to strangle him... but never because he was a thoughtless, souless being.
He cared. He loved. He helped.
It's not... it can't be right.
This day can't be happening... it just can't.
Nothing in the world makes sense to me. Nothing stands up right. Everything is broken... twisted... shattered.
Mortality. Friendship. Belief. Emotion. Guilt. Love.
Nothing is the same as it was yesterday. Nothing is right.
The tears continue to roll. My eyes sting as I try to type. My mom was concerned about me... thought I was going to make myself sick as I could barely talk when I spoke to her. I was more concerned about her. Now she has to live with the thought that someone my age... someone she's known for most of his life has died. How can she spend the day not wondering what his parents must be feeling... what it must feel like to lose a child?
I had to call one of our friends to tell him. He sounded shocked... stunned. Like he couldn't believe it. And then he asks if I'm okay. My voice is cracking... I can barely think... my world is crashing and burning...
"Yeah, I'm okay"
I am, I suppose. Like I said, you have to... you just have to live.
Brain. Heart. Soul. It all hurts... and it probably will for a long, long while.
But you just have to live.
One of the last things he ever got to say to me is, "I hope if nothing else... what I'm going through inspires you guys to really live your lives."
You got it, my friend. For you... and all you meant to all of us... it's the least we can do.
We love you, man.
Rest in peace.
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