2010 NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers Game 4

Nothing like stirring up some old rivalry memories like bringing out the classic pic of Busty Heart a mainstay in the rivalry back in the 80s.  Tonight, the Celtics just beat the Lakers in game 4, 96-89 thanks to the Bench; Glen Grande Infante Davis, Nate Robinson and Tony Allen's great defense on Kobe.  I have been online with Scott and Skying during the games and also following ESPN's Bill Simmons who has a live game blog.  MULTI-TASKING!  Overall, this series has been pretty even, but if Lakers Center Andrew Bynum is out of the series (his bad knee flared up again) the Celtics may get an advantage.  Of course, Rasheed Wallace was great so naturally his back went out, dammit!  One of the best moments was the crowd chanting "NO-Means-NO" at Kobe as he was taking free throws and then the TV announcers trying to cover it up by coughing and casually mentioning the Boston fans trying to break Kobe's concentration.  If the Celtics really want to mess with his head, why not just fly in the girl from the Colorado assault case to sing the National Anthem?   Too soon?  Too far?  Anyway, it is past midnight and I need to get some sleep.  BEAT LA!

Random rants: Are you KIDDING ME? So many A-holes in Sports!

The picture of 'wrestling superstar' Virgil captures about how MLB umpire Jim Joyce feels right about now.  Like other baseball fans, I watched ESPN switch over to the Detroit Tigers-Cleveland Indians game as Armando Gallaraga pitched for a Perfect game and after seeing the amazing catch by OF Austin Jackson it seemed like a lock.  The last batter dribbles a grounder to Miguel Cabrera who throws to Armando ahead of the runner and the First base umpire Jim Joyce calls him SAFE and blows the call!  HOLY SHIT!  If this isn't the best reason for the ability to have instant replay in baseball, then it will never happen.  Scott and I were Skyping as we watched and we were both shocked, unforgivable...  Ken Griffey Jr retired today as his career limped to and end.  He was one of my all-time favorites and I really wanted him to break the all-time Home Run record, but injuries took that shot away from him.  Two of my favorite in-person memories of KGJ, his 200th HR landed 2 rows behind me and as everyone was cheering, security took the guy who had the ball away.  A couple of innings later he returned with a bat signed by the entire Seattle Mariners team.  The other memory is Ken botching a hot dog type catch in center field.  Hit it here Junior.     ...The Chicago Blackhawks lead the Philladelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals 2 games to none and along the way, they have kept the puck at the end of each game.  Its akin to keeping the baseball in the final out of the World Serie and its a nice tradition, but A-hole Fyler's Defenseman Chris Pronger has gone out of his way to not only take the puck off the ice with him, but he threw them away!  Pronger isn't just a sore loser, he's a petty childish dick.  Pronger, I hope the fans in Chicago greet you with a hail of pucks, you suck.  ...Nay's bachelor party is a couple of weeks away and I called an audible changing it from a fun day of paintball, food and gambling to a night of Lucha Libre and gambling!  We need more adventure in our lives and this maybe just what we need.   ...My Fantasy baseball team is chugging along at 4-3-1 in what has been a rough season, especially last week as I lost the game in the WHIP by .03, ugh!

Following LOST

I have never watched the first episode of LOST.  I got into the show when I was dating Liz and she wanted me to watch it too, so she made it so we were always together on Wednesday nights.  "Just watch it!  This is the best show."  While we didn't last as a couple, she was right, it is one of the best shows I have ever followed.  I know she has a family now and as I'm only an hour from the finale of the series, I wonder if she is as excited as I am for the end of LOST.  The combination of mystery, characters and the island was inspirational as much as it was captivating.  Good art motivates me, and LOST always gave me ideas for my own writing.  I will miss LOST and while I was never a hardcore 'msg board' LOSTIE but I appreciate the efforts and passion they shared.  My Mom became a fan of the show and it was always fun to exchange our reactions and theories of where LOST was going next.   We do that with Survivor but it is not the same interest or intensity.   Since I started following LOST I have tried to watch a better class of TV, not just mundane fluff and I've found shows like The Shield, Rescue Me, Breaking Bad and as soon as I get around to it, I'll Netflix The Wire.  I was listening to Bill Simmon's podcast with LOST's Carlton Cruz and they were talking about how TV shows may never go into the detail and effort that made LOST special.   In ten minutes the LOST finale starts, I love the feeling an anticipation and excitement.  I hope they are wrong about the future of TV, I want this feeling again...

Random rants: TV, Movies, RPGs and Comedy!

I have been busier than usual, started a new job, started the p90x workout system (its a good thing I like that sore as hell feeling) and doing more comedy which is just a pain for the audience.  We held our latest UNregularRadio Comedy Show at the Bell in Hand Tavern a couple of weeks ago and tomorrow night it returns to the Varsity Club in Quincy, MA.  The shows is a mix of advanced open mic sets of 10 minutes each and one headliner who goes 20 plus.  They have been very well received and the addition of Ian Cohen playing live acoustic music for an hour before the show goes up has really added a touch of class.  The shows at the Varsity Club have no cover charge and have had strong audiences so keeping my fingers crossed and adding new comics to each show...  I will do a stand alone piece about my forays into fantasy wrestling but i recently returned to the IWA's BRL with (Badd Co. Rick Riley, Victor Von Snapp and Fatty the Butcher) and Badd Co. returned in the e-fed, A1E so those two will eat up some time as I get back in the groove.  The best-side effect has been the way the writing has rekindled the creative juices in my mind that seemed stuck in a rut for a while there.  I'm teaming with Frank Snow to do the Commissioner's Report in the BRL and after all those years of doing it (89-95) it feels good to be back...  TV thoughts; South Park (best season in years) and Breaking Bad the best show since The Shield, have been great, but so many shows have just flat out shit the bed.  Heroes ran out of steam, Survivor All-Stars was so-so, 24 has become a Soap Opera with explosions and How I Met Your Mother became that kid in class who made funny cracks but then decided to try to be funny all the time and now it is just lame.  Its bad enough that Family Guy nailed the shows glaring error (let's have a girl in NYC who wishes she could meet the right one while having fun with her quirky pals and make it a guy instead!) but now they took the only entertaining character, Barney, and made him into a goofball.  Why does Hollywood always decide to take what makes something different and focus on it until it bores the viewer.  Maybe I should just watch Intervention from now on...  The Asylum on UNregularRadio.com is getting better as we have had great guests like musicians (Tricade360, Ian Cohen), comics (Rob Welch, Brian Clark) and pro wrestler The Unequaled One Todd Sople and on June 12th, we will be broadcasting live from the NWA's Liberty States Wrestling!  We called the action at their last show and it was a blast so this should be another fun show...  Our 4th edition D&D campaign has reached the 11th level and we are on the Paragon path that means better skills and abilities.  While I enjoy my Ranger, I know my next character will be a Sorcerer of some sort.  We play once a month and I never get to play enough when I do play...  Red Dead Redemption comes out at midnight and that means another game I will own and never play.   At least this game seems to have a lot more to offer than just shooting civilians randomly...  The Bruins choked (my sports torhettes was in full effect), the Celtics turned it on (the chants of NY Knicks @ SheBron James were great, thanks Bill Simmons!) and the Red Sox have been sluggish and old.  I'm hoping for another Celtics-Lakers series but if not, I am rooting for the Suns and Steve Nash's busted eye...  my Nephew's U-10 Soccer team got their first win, so my Brother-in-Law and I were happy to get our first win too...  Fantasy Baseball wise Sexual Napalm is in the mix of after a rough 0-2-1 start, I am now 3-2-1 so I'm getting there.  Broxton's lack of saves (thanks Dodgers for sucking!) and slow starts from Howard and Holliday haven't helped.  I need to pick up some OF power and a couple of strong strike out pitchers.  Its funny when I don't draft guys like Ted Lily or Carlos Zambrano or drop a player like Wandy Rodriguez and other managers are surprised.  I'm loyal to the players who produce, but winning in this game is about finding the hidden gems first and more importantly, knowing when to drop the guys who have lost it.  Right now Andrew Jones is available and no one is biting.  Hell, David Ortiz just got picked up after being undrafted...  Our home Run Derby league is fine, weekly roster moves, and I'm on top, but most people haven't touched their teams very much...  When is the Football draft???  

Thanks Drew Gooden: Winning the 2010 Fantasy BasketballTitle by 1pt

So I'm Skyping with Scott as the Red Sox rally to beat the Yankees on opening night and we also watch the NBA scoreboard since today is the final day of our Fantasy Basketball season.  I had a strong team this season until Chris Paul went down with an ankle injury and then many more joined him.  AK-47, Richard Hamilton and Baron Davis all fell apart in the final week so I had to scramble to pick through the waiver wire.  Jarrett Jack, CJ Watson, Kevin Love and Drew Gooden were out there and it seemed like destiny for me to lose.  My opponent, Nay and his Ball Jugglers (2x former champs) were a power house with D-Wade, Nash,Dwight Howard Troy Murphy being surrounded by solid contributors and despite my massive lead going into the weekend, he tied the categories up (Pts, RB, Ast,Stls & Blks) and took the lead in scoring!  I thought my team was done and he had a 3pt lead.  Just then, Scott said I forgot about Drew Gooden the Clippers Center who managed to score 17pts to give me a 1pt lead as time ran out.  Nay's player, Rasual Butler took the pass, lined up and launched a 3pt shot as the buzzer sounded...  (holding my breath) clang!   Phew!  Wow.  Last year's 2nd place finish was washed away and at long last I took the elusive Home Court Title in our 4th season of play.  The funny part is I had thought I lost, so I started thinking of a T-Shirt design for Nay's Ball Jugglers, but now I have to think of a way to commemorate the win in way that is humble, classy and affordable... 

PAXeast & Wrestlemania: Weekend Geekdom!

A quick review of PAXeast from my Saturday venture in the Boston.  I liked the set up, the vendors great freebies and the live dungeon delve was a blast.  I did have to wait nearly 4hrs in lines to get into certain events, so that was not fun, but I would suggest either more tables/events or quicker times.  Next time I will do a 3 days pass for sure.  There is just WAY too much to try and see in one day...

Wrestlemania 26 was a pretty good show, but they again missed some great opportunities to book the show better.  Yay: Cena/Batista being watchable, Punk/Mysterio and Undertaker/Michaels.  Boo: The booking.  Here's how I would have booked it;  Money in the Bank: Instead of Jack Swagger the winner is Christian.  Later after Edge beats Jericho to win the World title, Christian comes down to praise his old tag team partner and inform him that he will be challenging him at the next PPV.  Shameus should have beat HHH to rebuild his momentum and put him back as a legit threat.  Where does he go now?  Batista should have beat Cena in order to cement him as a legit heel champ, instead we get Hulk Cena crushing the win and killing the heel's heat.  This gives you a series of matches where Cena 'just can't beat Batista' which leads to a Summer Slam match where he finally topples Batista.  I often hear people tell me how wrestling fans don't have the attention span to follow a storyline, really? Is that why EVERY wrestling fan I know tells me how they long for the old days when story lines were worth paying attention to?  maybe if they writers at WWE and TNA could string together a storyline worth paying attention to, the fans would watch.  Hell the main event was a rematch from ONE YEAR AGO!  Speaking of, lets say HHH had lost to Shameus and was pissed, so later on during the Undertaker - Shawn Micheals match, say after the Tombstone piledriver outside the ring, HHH comes to the ring and tells Shawn to get up and win the match.  "You've got to win this match!"  Shawn gets up and shoves HHH aside telling him he doesn't need him to win this match.  The match goes on, minor ref bump, long enough for HHH to conk Shawn in the head and 1-2-3, Taker wins.  HHH is now THE  most hated man in wrestling (again) Shawn has to retire.  Eh, whatever.  Overall a fun show, but I was little bewildered why Comcast ran a promo for a series of adult PPV films sandwiched between the end of the first show and the repeat.  Kudos to Cena for not dying after the spike-DDT... 

Comedians hit the stage in Quincy - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

Comedians hit the stage in Quincy - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

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2010 Draft result: Sexual Napalm!

In honor of the ugliness of the draft I have put one of the least fortunate pictures in baseball card history, Don Mossi.  I was impressed that the girl at Hong Kong Express lit up when I mentioned the order was for the draft and she said 'ohhh baseball draft!' excitedly.  I'd guess they get this a lot or perhaps she is the secret oracle that I may have to consult all season long in order to win. I have updated my roster to the right, but my biggest change was my team name.  Yes the Super Soakers were great, but when a name comes up that is both topical and sweet, you have to make the change to Sexual Napalm.   This is year, I take my title back...

Tonight You! The Varsity Club Comedy Showcase

The first Varsity Club Comedy Showcase was a big hit, so tonight we roll out the sequel.  I'm heading down at 6ish to set up the stage, stool and sound check then at 7pm Ian Cohen will begin a one hour set of live music.  At 8pm the Comics begin and we have a lot of talent at this show starting with Jay Geary, Kelly Tabbut, Will Smalley, Brian Henchey, Brian Clark, Rob Welch, Matt DeVasto and more as well as our headliner, Bigg Nez.  There will be prizes to give away via the Bingo-like RILEY game on the back of every flyer.  Rather than B-4 or I-69, you have topics the comics may touch on like work, family or sports. If an audience member gets five in a row, they will win a prize that will promoted the St. Patty's Eve Varsity Club Comedy Showcase on March 16th.

No Limits Pro Wrestling: Solid Show

I took in the No Limits Pro Wrestling Show at the McCarthy Elementary school in Peabody,MA (I grew up a couple of miles from there) and it was a really solid show.  The sound in there was great for the ring, but holy SUPER LOUD speakers.  The entrance music was so loud that no one could hear who the wrestlers were, but for the most part they were very good.  It opened with the anthem and a six-man match as B.A. Tatum, Cameron Blaze and The Vampire Sethoran d. "The Guido Torpedo" Dominic Simone, Justin "The Hammer" Tunis, and Joey Rockstar...   NLP Heavyweight Championship Match "The Strut" Sonny Goodspeed upset "Brutal" Bob Evans...  Maverick Wild (w/ "Tough Talk" Tony Spencer) d. Billy King... "Fabulous" Johnny Vegas d. Steve "The Turtle" Weiner in a sloppy match that may have been due to the mask giving the Turtle trouble...  "The Sports Illustrated Legend" Robbie Ellis d. Julian Starr in the high light of the night as then 67 year old wrestler rocked.  Check out his website, the picture to the left is his finisher...  "The Doom Crew" (Rocco Abruzzi and Slash Sullivan) vs. "The Granite State Destroyers" (Cpl. Gunz and Chuck Nugent)...  The Main Event was for the Vacant NLP New England Championship as "The Unequaled One" Todd Sople was finally defeated by "The Instant Star" Matt Taven in a match with a lot of 2 counts.  The crowd was pretty hot for a small show and the matches reflected the energy.  They will return in February and I will be there...  Before the show I spoke to the Booker about the show and my own mission with wrestling, so cross fingers.  Super Exploder 3 is coming...

Conan vs. Leno inside the Steel Cage!

I want recognize the greatest screwjob since the Montreal Screwjob as NBC Executives and Jay Leno conspire to usurp Conan O'Brien as the host of The Tonight Show.  I have watched Conan from the beginning in 1993 when I was living in Georgia with Scott and trying to make it as a pro wrestler.  The beginning was awkward and full of trial and error and numerous mistakes, but I'm not writing this to talk about my wrestling career.  No I'm here to say how much I have enjoyed the process and watching Conan, Andy and Max over the years and that it really pisses me off that some arrogant a-holes who panic and pull a power play that gives the shaft to the nice guy.  If Leno had any class, he would have stepped aside as he promised, but what I look forward to isn't just when Conan emerges on FOX or Comedy Central, I'm looking forward to Jay flopping and whithering in his return.  What I wonder is if we fast forward 5-10 years and Leno really is ready to retire, who would ever take the offer to replace him?  Eat a dick NBC and worst of Luck Leno...  I'm with Coco!