BTW

Coco Crisp has to be the best name ever for a MLB player...

M. Williams

I've always liked this kid. Hell, he was going to be a Jayhawk before Roy left. Kansas was one of his top 3 schools. I know UNC was high up as well, but let's face it: Roy going to UNC made the decision very easy for him. I also like the fact that he's not as cocky as most McDonald's All-Americans that go to UNC (VC, Stackhouse, McInnis, Rasheed, McCants, etc). I would've at least sold the Hummer for some cash (not like he needs that either).

Jav

A RARE Positive Tarheel Article from JD

Everyone knows I jump at every opportunity to bash a Tarheel player. But I'm actually posting very positive Tarheel story today about Marvin Williams. Let's be clear about a few things.
No, I haven't lost my mind.
No, I'm not cheering for UNC next season.
And no, this probably isn't a sign of the apocalypse.

I'm just happy to see well-rounded, sensible, down-to-earth young man entering the NBA. How many top 3 picks (hell, 2nd round picks!) would return a brand new Hummer because "they didnt think they really needed it". Unlike many Tarheel alums in the NBA, I actually wish this one the best of luck and much success. Even Jav will like this kid. It still doesn't change the fact that UNC sucks donkey balls.

A Few Notes

Since I've pretty much packed it in here at the office, I've spent the last hour listening to Jay Bilas' NBA draft analysis. I like Bilas' college basketball work, but I'm not sure about his NBA knowledge. After listening to them, I' m convinced that Jay thinks all these kids will be all-stars. We'll be lucky to get 3 future all-stars out of this draft. Here are some of Jay's highlights

Andrew Bogut: “a complete player in the post…his best strength is his hands...not a great athlete nor a great shot-blocker but he has outstanding hands”
Ummm if you’re 7’0 and analysts are touting your hands over your athleticism and shot-blocking ability, there should be a rule that you can’t go #1 in the draft. Why do I get the feeling that Luc Longley (the last Australian center drafted in the top 5) and Bill Wennington got the same compliments? How did that work out for them?

Deron Williams: “will be an outstanding point guard in the NBA like Jason Kidd”
What!? Jason Kidd!? This kid isn’t a better prospect than the current 34 year old Jason Kidd who’s playing on one good knee.

Raymond Felton: “the best one-on-one defender in the ACC last year”
Jay lost me again. So, Felton was a better ball defender than Chris Paul AND Julius Hodge? Riiiight?

My thoughts:
Charlie Villenueva = his career has Danny Fortson written all over it (minus the hair of course)

Danny Granger = really liked this kid in the NCAA tournament. Not really sure what position he could play

Hakim Warrick = why can’t this kid be good in the NBA? a 6’9 forward with a 7’3 wingspan who can dunk on just about anyone and unlike Bogut can block shots.

Julius Hodge = I see him contributing on a championship caliber team much like Tayshaun Prince except he’s a better scorer than Prince.

Speaking of crazy people...

Tom Cruise has officially gone bye-bye. This time he's killed Oprah. The question is: was it Scientology or the Sith that drove him mad?

Football Video Games: 2006 Season Preview

Football season is just around the corner. Thank God! With NFL training camps set to start in the next 2 weeks (with or without T.O.) and college football practices beginging soon after, we about to be flooded with new football games. Here's run down of some of the interesting ones:

-Blitz: The League
Now that EA Sports owns the exclusive license to the NFL (Madden will be only game with official teams and players), the other gaming companies had to get creative to keep up with EA. This game may be the most creative take. Imagine a videogame based primarily on that ESPN showPlaymakers - that's Blitz: the League. There's more to this game than just playing seasons and managing a roster. Users "are put in charge of a team that is coming off of a bad season and requires some significant regrouping. Instead of a normal play schedule there are three tiers of competition that must be completed in order to reach the final game which is comparable to the Super Bowl."

"Off the field, the gamer will have to make some moral choices that will directly affect the gameplay. Considering the writers, we speculate that we'll be seeing some dirty dealings like harming rival athletes and the use of performance enhancing substances."

And here's another twist, since they can't use NFL players' names without the license. Midway can make up any name they want. So you can expect to see a lefthanded, athletic black QB for the Atlanta team by the last name "Mexico".

-Madden NFL 06
Blah blah blah. New year, same quality Madden game. Here's a trailer. Comes out in August. One new feature will be Superstar mode. You take an NFL prospect from the college ranks, perform at the scouting combine before NFL scouts, get drafted, sign an agent and play/guide his career choices.

-Arena Football 06
This is the most intriguing new game. In addition to the NFL, EA scooped up the exclusive license to the Arena Football League. If you've ever been to one of these games, they're pretty damn cool to watch. High scoring, hard hitting. Here's the trailer, though EA may not release it until 2006.

- NCAA Football 06
This game will be awesome. As if Dynasty mode wasn't cool enough, now there's Heisman mode (second part here- I love how the girlfriend gets more attractive as your stats/popularity improve). Here's a preview of Heisman mode. Comes out July 15.


JD

Shavlik is an idiot...

A little old news, but I still can't believe he's staying in the draft...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2005/news/story?id=2091750

Shag gets his MBA

Props to Shaq for getting his MBA through the University of Phoenix. Would have been cool to be in one of his groups. Good article on ESPN...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/news/story?id=2094588

Javy

To all the doubters (and haters): ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

Luckiest guy on the planet - sucks all series and still gets the trophy AND the girl in the end. 

Uh, 'Sheed, you can leave the belt in San Antonio. Thanks buddy. 

My absence

Sorry for my (Javier's) absence. I just got back in from Costa Rica. Jorge's wedding was cool. It was a lot of fun, and it was cool seeing some family members I wouldn't have seen otherwise. After that it was off to the beach for a few days. We found a dig called Bat Cave, but I couldn't pull out the camera fast enough (sorry Dickson). They had no problems ripping off the logo; it was pretty cool. My "Ticos" finally got back on track in World Cup qualifying (which I completely agree with Joey about Germany), they still have not failed me when I'm in attendance which begs the question, "why don't they give me a free ticket to every game?" I saw many movies down there; it's less than $3 each, and thank you piracy for encouraging global releases.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - was actually pretty okay until the ending. For those who haven't seen it, skip this paragraph. Why/how they don't die is beyond my comprehension. It would have made for a much cooler ending (and more plausible). Also, I wouldn't be down with getting it on with anybody (not even Angelina) if they kicked me in the nuts that many times. Vince Vaughn was okay and not overused as the "funny" sidekick, but he really didn't add much.

Batman Begins - while I don't share Joey's enthusiasm for this movie, it was still very good. The movie drags at times with the whole character arc, but the acting was good, the plot was interesting, and the action scenes weren't over the top effects wise. However, the fight scenes didn't need all the close ups (poor editing here made it impossible to tell who was punching who and what was going on). All the fast-paced MTV-style cutting made it hard to see any actual fighting. Bale was awesome as Bruce Wayne, Cain was an even better Alfred. Freeman and Oldman were not used to their full potential but still provided the movie with much better acting than the O'Donnell/Silverstone/Arnold combination Joey has erased from his memory.

Madagascar - I saw this one in Spanish, but it was much better than I expected. I was very happy that the damn animals did NOT break out into song every ten minutes, and the computer graphics are much improved from Ice Age, etc. This is a good movie if you're taking younger siblings, cousins, kids, etc. (at least in Spanish)

Finally, I'll be back in Atlanta on Sunday. I mentioned to some the possibility of doing something for the 4th of July at my place, and for those I haven't told yet, you're welcome to come. The place isn't completely unpacked, but there is more than enough room. I'll check to see what's going on in Atlanta that weekend, but you guys are more than welcome to come on down and celebrate my last weekend of vacation before I begin working (again).

The Fab Five Reunited (minus JC of course) 

JC weighs in

1. I agree with you Joey, Rasheed gets the "What the f@ck?" award for leaving Horry wide open like that.

2. Batman Begins: Amazing! Even better than the Michael Keaton original. Bringing in Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine added a real touch of class to the movie that not even Katie Holmes could wreck. (She was the worst part of the movie, and due to the TomCruise thing they aren't signing her to the sequel.) Thankfully, Bale, Freeman, and Caine have all signedfor a sequel.

3. X3 Update: Kelsey Grammer to play the Beast! Oops?!?!?! But Vinnie Jones as the Juggernaut was a decent choice.

4. Earthquakes are weird. And scary. According to FOX news "the big one" is on the way; maybe after I'll be able to afford a house out here.

5: GTA: San Andreas: I am addicted to this game.

You were cold as ice, Robert Horry! 

Big Shot Rob

If I had a vote for Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, Robert Horry would have earned my vote last night. “Big Shot Rob” lived up to his name and absolutely bailed out the Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals. I hadn’t watched any of game until the end of the third, but just in time for the Robert Horry Show. While Tony Parked was busy turning over the ball and Duncan was busy missing free throws (BEND YOUR F*CKING KNEES!), Horry waited until crunch time to deliver everything and anything San Antonio need to win.

The stat line will say Horry scored 21 of SA’s last 35 points but it doesn’t tell the whole story. He was grabbing HUGE offensive rebounds. His help defense was instrumental in keeping the Pistons out of the lane. He nailed some clutch 3s and NEVER hesitated to fire them up there (how many role players have balls like that?). And maybe most impressive is that he played all of overtime with 5 fouls. Horry put an epic performance and certainly vaulted himself into legendary status in my mind. Seriously, the guy will have won his sixth ring by Friday (from 3 different teams: Rockets/Lakers/Spurs). He’s been vital to each of those teams. Who wouldn’t want to be this guy? Multimillionaire sixth man who is forever remembered for his playoff heroics in crunch time and not a superstar so there no pressure to carry the team to a title. Aside from Shaq is there another player you’d rather be?

And it wouldn’t be me, if I didn’t point out a Tarheel and magnify their faults/weaknesses. If the Rasheed Wallace trade helped Detroit win the title last year, he damn well may have cost them a title this year. I mean my God! How do leave Robert Horry open in crunchtime…in a playoff game...to double team GINOBOLI?? Not just open, WIDE OPEN. Are you kidding me? I know Larry Brown or one of the coaches was smart enough to tell him in the timeout not to leave Horry. “Don’t let Horry beat us?” Didnt he realize Horry had just hit 4 threes and scored 18 point in an 17 minute span? Rasheed’s brainfart has to be up there with Sleepy Floyd and Chris Webber on the all time boneheaded plays. Ironically, he almost pulled a Webber before overtime. He tried to call timeout before the buzzer sounded to end regulation. Only problem is they didn’t have any left. Luckily time had barely expired. Unfortunately though, he’ll have to endure a lifetime of Finals highlights/montages where he’s shown double-teaming Manu Ginoboli to set up probably the championship wining three. The bigger question now is: does this mean he has to hand over his championship belt to Horry and Duncan?

More Bullshiznit

Some new links for today:

* While I'm looking forward to spending 4th of July in HOTlanta at Jav's new crib, if I see a Jayhawk on my burger, I'm driving my ass right back to Nashville. Luckily, Cassidy doesn't check this very often so he won't be tempted to brand Jeff Gordon 24 onto his ass cheek.

* For those of you who didn't see Will Ferrell's suprise musical appearance on SNL from a couple of weeks ago, a reprise of the famous "More Cowbell" sketch. Below the video are links to the Celebrity Jeopardy from the same night and the original More Cowbell sketch.

* I think we should have our class reunion in Germany next summer during the World Cup. Apparently there will be plenty of lodging available and there would be lots of entertainment unrelated to soccer. Two words: "sex hut". I know Tim is in, who else is with me?

* "Where's Padme?" Funny webpage, particularly if you've seen Episode III. Just refresh the page to watch it again.

JD's Film Review: Batman Begins

As I wrote on Saturday I was fortunate enough to see an advance screening of the new Batman movie while I was in LA. To be clear, this movie is a complete restart to the franchise and it ignores the previous Burton/Schumacher films (Schumacher's never happened anyway). It’s an origin story.

Quite simply Batman Begins is fantastic. Easily better than the 1989 version and that's saying a lot because I LOVED that movie. If you're expecting something like the Spiderman/X-Men films, you will be very disappointed. This movie is a) not for the kiddies and b) very lite on special effects. They pushed the envelope for a PG-13 rating because this movie is pretty damn scary. Batman is a f*cking badass and Scarecrow’s gas-induced hallucinations were trippy. From the beginning scenes to the finish, fear is a major theme. The special effects were used sparingly and well placed when they were used. No wires, no bullet-time just realistic action and clever editing. And Jav, there is no driving up walls this time.

Unlike the other Bat-films, the star is Batman/Bruce Wayne, not the villains. We get to see why he chose a Bat in the first place, why he’s so damn angry, how he honed his skills and how he ended up with the costume and all the gadgets. Story is a fantastic character piece and a great story. The film goes into great detail to explain how each piece of Batman’s where they came from. And the Batmobile is awesome think part Hummer/part Ferrari.

Speaking of Batman, Christian Bale was perfect in the role. He displayed the rage and vengeance Batman of the comics always had. He made you believe Batman was willing to use any means necessary to fight crime, just short of killing (another Burton misstep). And best of all, he portrayed Bruce Wayne as the costumed figure and Batman as the real person underneath. I can’t imagine anyone else ever playing Batman now.

Aside from Bale, there were some other standout performances: Alfred (Sir Michael Caine) was played as an indispensable ally and father figure to Batman and much deeper than some witty one-liners (though he did have some good ones); Gary Oldman as Sgt. Gordon was great (not one of his typical over the top roles) and plays a huge role in Batman’s early career – you’ll see that there’s no need for any Robin in future films. Liam Neeson plays Wayne’s mentor (what else does he play nowadays?) but he shows more depth than I expected. You can also tell that Tom Wilkinson had a lot of fun playing mob boss Carmine Falcone.

And not to give anything away, the movie sets up perfectly for sequels. You’ll see what I mean but I think the audience could have sat through another 2 hours to see the next movie.

I HIGHLY recommend seeing this movie. And if anyone thinks I have a biased opinion because I’m a Batman fan (ok, geek), this is first time I’ve ever seen an audience give a standing ovation after a movie. Still don’t believe me, check out the reviews

Ebert/Roper – “best film of 2005”, “the definitive Batman movie”
NBC/Lyons – “brilliant”
BBC – 5 stars
Rotten Tomatoes – average review 9.2/10
Newsweek – 5 stars

Final Report on Kristin's Wedding

Sorry I've been slacking in my duties this week. Work's been shit. So bad I had to fly to California to get a break (LA - sorry Cullen). But anyway, I'm back to report on Kristin's wedding.

* Kristin looked great, Lauren and Mollie looked very good and Jared looked tall.

* Very disappointed by the number of single women at the reception. It's like they went to the wedding and then went to bed.

* Bethel had to steal spotlight by proposing to Ashley at the reception. Good form B. She respectfully declined an answer. Could have been the timing? Could have been the fact that B had already admitted earlier in the night that he had seen Episode III TEN times and was planning on seeing it again last Sunday?

* Eugenia looked g#ddamned fine. Damn her fiancee for being there while she was drunk.

* Britney Hoopengardner ("the Hoop"). Her husband's pretty cool and may be a good addition to fantasy football if necessary.

* Todd is still the biggest sucker I know. And I told him as much. You oughtta see the size of the rock he bought her. This is KERRI for godsake! At least smart enough not to move back to W-S for her. So he has that going for him.

* Heaton's fiancee was cute. To quote Episode VI, "he was wise to keep her from me". (That ws for you B)

* Gil had the game working on all cylinders at Black Bear (no thanks to my wingman skills). Too bad the chick had two kids and a gap that would make even David Letterman blush.

* Wendy looked as "Wendy" as ever. The skin tight lime green dress she was wearing kept inching up her legs. It screamed "Fuck me now". Too bad she forgot (again) that Jav is married. Sometimes I wonder if she tries these things on before she buys them. I love her though.

* Mollie may have hooked up with Kristin's cousin who she used to babysit. Weird. More weird?Mike still has first dibs though.

Overall I give this wedding a solid "B". Too bad there are no more this year. But it looks like there will be at least three possibly four next summer.

I'll post some pics when I get back on Monday. Also, I'll have a full review of Batman Begins. I saw the WB premiere last night! One word: awesome. Later bitches

Mother Gets Stripper for Son's Birthday

God I love Nashville. Here the highlights:
* "Once the bottoms came off, mom left the room and had her 14 year old son document the action."
* "Everyone was there, even grandpa."