Around the horn is the worst show ESPN has, arguably, ever come out with. In the beginning, with Max Kellerman as host, all he did was try to control the entire show and not let the panelists actually debate. Looking back on the show with Max, he might have been doing the right thing. There's not an intelligent person on the panel...ever. Tim Cowlishaw is the only one who can every once in a while make a point that's based on some actual facts and not homerism. I'm pretty sure Woody Paige is actually crazy because there's no way any sane person could say and believe the pathetic dribble the comes out of his mouth everyday. Jay Marriotti is the same way, except with waxed eyebrows, something I happened to notice about a year ago and really bothers me. Tony Reali, who has replaced Max as the host, is better suited for his role as "stat boy" on PTI where he doesn't have a significant part on the show. He thinks he's all knowing but really has a very limited knowledge of sports. Although Max Kellerman was a complete asshole as host, he wouldn't even let the idiot panelists talk, a smart move. God I hate this show.

Seeing the new Harry Potter movie was one of the top events of my trip home. Being at the Senator to see it was amazing instead of a stupid small-screen generic theatre. Sorry for those not from Baltimore, but the Senator is the best movie theatre ever with a monster screen and a 900 seat auditorium. The website for it is here. I thought Goblet of Fire was going to be one of the hardest of the books to translate into a motion picture but it was very well done. The magnitude and drama of the Tri-Wizard tournament was captured with great camera work.

One other note: One of the previews before HP was for the new King Kong movie by Peter Jackson. It looks amazing. The animation is incredible in all of the scenes and this is one to look forward to.

a picture is worth a thousand words

Back in Beantown after the Thanksgiving. Here are my rankings for the best parts of the Thanksgiving day meal:

1. Canned cranberry sauce
2. Stuffing
3. Turkey
4. Apple Sauce
5. Vegetables

One glaring omission - my family unfortunately doesn't have mashed potatoes at our feast, but it was spectacular nonetheless.

Back in Bmore

It's nice to be home and have a break from school for a little while. Saw pretty much the whole family today and tonight and got some great cooking as always from my mom (shrimp).

One travel note: I acutally love the airport, I think it's a great place to waste time and people watch and such but some of the airport happenings piss me off a lot. Last night waiting in Logan, we were standing up ready to board our 7:55pm flight and the lady comes on the loudspeaker and says the flight's delayed 50 minutes. It's not so much that the flight got delayed, I pretty much expect that now when I'm flying somewhere and I just sat listening to my iPod reading magazines. It was the timing of it and the lack of reason; they always wait til the last minute and never give a reason as to why the flight's been delayed. That really grinds my gears.

So I guess that's what happens when I pick against the Ravens. Of course they beat the Steelers even though they played like crap. Luckily the defense kept them ahead most of the way for regulation and overtime. The Suggs interception was one hell of athletic play after Ward kicked the ball up. Boller and Jamal still look pretty pathetic and the offensive line needs to be dismantled, even Jon Ogden isn't blocking well. Although I'm happy they won, I'm slightly disappointed by the fact that with every win, their draft position falls. They have virtually no chance at the playoffs so they may as well go for a top draft pick. I can't really complain though, beating the Steelers always feels good.


One extra note: Yesterday I was watching Dodgeball and I came to the conclusion that the Lance Armstrong scene in the airport ranks up there with the Kareem Abdul-Jabar role in Airplane as the top 2 athlete cameos of all time. It's a priceless scene that comes off just right.

It's nice to see that Major League Baseball is moving forward with a much more serious steroid policy. Although the penalties may seem harsh, for something that can so drastically change the game, players who break these rules should face stiff consequences. Here's a quick summary of the new policy from Orioles Hangout:

The league and players union have agreed on a new steroids policy which closely resembles the one that commissioner Bud Selig proposed in April. The new policy would suspend a player for 50 games on a first positive test, 100 for a second and a life-time ban for a third; although, he could seek reinstatement after two years. Players will now be tested once during spring training physicals, another time during the season and one time in the off season, they also could be randomly tested other times. If any of the twelve players who were already suspended for steroids were to test positive again they would only be suspended for 50 games due to the major change in policy. Another big change in the policy is that players will now be tested for amphetamines, a first positive would results in an immediate follow-up, a second would result in a 25 game suspension, a third in an 80 game suspension and a fourth in a life-time ban. However, the new rules do not include testing for human growth hormones, as Selig said he doesn't believe that current blood tests are reliable enough.

By the way Pat: I'll never admit Brady Anderson did steroids...because he didn't.

NFL PICKS:

Pittsburgh d. Baltimore
Atlanta d. Tampa Bay
Carolina d. Chicago
Miami d. Cleveland
Dallas d. Detroit
Jacksonville d. Tennessee
St Louis d. Arizona
New England d. New Orleans
NY Giants d. Philadelphia
Washington d. Oakland
Seattle d. San Francisco
Indianapolis d. Cincinnati
Denver d. NY Jets
San Diego d. Buffalo
Kansas City d. Houston
Green Bay d. Minnesota

Last Week: 9-5
Season: 49-21 (.700)

So apparently James is now a big shot writer. One of his FreeP articles is on the USLIA website here. Googling once again proved useful in finding interesting things as James had no idea his article had been picked up. It's true though, a varsity lax team would be beneficial to BU.

So a couple of us just returned from a CampCo trip and returned with some great snacks, but some important questions arose. Why does Hot 'n Spicy Chex Mix only come in the small bag instead of the large bag. Hot 'n Spicy Chex Mix is my snack of choice and it's always bothered me that there's only the small bag when there's a bigger bag for almost all of the other flavors. General Mills please take note - the 3.75 ounce bag of Hot 'n Spicy Chex Mix does not always satisfy my noshing needs; a larger bag would be greatly appreciated.

Also, my top 5 CampCo drink choices:
1. Nantucket Nectars Nectar Fizz (blackberry fizz)
2. Nantucket Nectars Half and Half
3. Orangina
4. Snapple Raspberry Iced Tea
5. Dole Apple Juice

Watching BU play Duke on Monday night has really gotten me excited about the beginning of the college basketball season; particularly this year's Maryland team. Coming off a mediocre '04/'05 year, the Terps seemed poised to do some damage in the ACC this season. Bringing back some great talent, the Terps are led, in my opinion, by 2-guard Chris McCray. Named the ACC's most underrated player by the Sporting News in 2005, McCray returns for his senior year with hopes of going deep into the NCAA Tournament. His great defense and timely shooting provide a great base for the rest of the team to build off of. In the Terps' final preseason game, McCray went 4-5 from 3-point range. He has improved every year at UMD and this season should not be any different. The other senior in the starting lineup is Nik Caner-Medley; he's the top returning scorer and has done a good job over the past two years at the 3 spot. DJ Strawberry will be at the point after missing almost all of last season with an injury. He's a great defensive player and is careful with the ball, something that's needed in ACC play. Down low I really like Ikene Ibekwe and James Gist. Neither has much size but they're both extremely athletic and should bring down a ton of rebounds. Gist scored 17 and had 10 rebounds in the final preseason game. The frontcourt will be helped off the bench by Travis Garrison who been disappointing thus far in his Maryland career, but hopefully this year he can step up and produce off the bench. My favorite player on the team is Mike Jones, who is ready for his breakout season. One of the best shooters in the ACC, Jones will be called on to score in the clutch. The '05/'06 season should be an exciting one for the Terps, tipping off on the 18th against Fairleigh Dickinson in the Maui Invitational.

What's Really Been Grinding My Gears:

1. Poorly wrapped burritos: Is it so hard to wrap a burrito that doesn't fall apart when you put it down. This has been a very poor development at Caprito Burrito due to the hiring of an incapable staff, except for Elba, she keeps the whole team together.
2. My iPod batter: For some reason my iPod battery has been dying quickly these days. I'm going to be really pissed if the thing is dead; it's only about a year and a half old.
3. The weather in Boston: Over the weekend it got down into the 30's, but today was amazing and over 60. I'm glad that the weather was warm, but these radical fluctuations are toying with my mind. I know it's going to be crappy out soon, these nice days are only here to tempt me.
4. Laundry: It's just a pain in the ass. Having my dad do my laundry at home is right up there with my mom's cooking as things I miss from Baltimore.
5. Arrested Development being taken off the air: Similar to the way Bill Simmons declares a 5 year grace period on any team that wins a championship, shouldn't TV shows that win Emmy's be exempt from being cut. The show, although without a huge viewing population, is hilarious.


Things I'm Looking Forward To In The Near Future

1. BU playing Duke tonight in basketball tonight: Granted we're going to lose by 40 points, but we're still on national TV playing at Cameron. It'll be a fun game to watch as JJ Redick kicks off his senior year by dropping 3's on the outmatched Terriers. We're starting as many freshmen (2) as they are preseason first team All-Americans.
2. The new Harry Potter movie: Goblet of Fire was one of my favorite books thus far and I'm really looking forward to see what they can do with it as a motion picture.
3. Sleeping in my own bed for a week: It's not that my bed at home is anything that special, but it's a nice feeling to be back in my old room just the way I left it.
4. Thanksgiving: My second favorite meal of the year (to break-fast of course) is something I'm extremely excited about. My family's cooking is amazing and not only am I looking forward to the main meal itself, but the day after sandwich is probably the best sandwich known to man.

I'm pretty much in a state of euphoria right now with 2 fresh boxes of Berger cookies in my room. Thank God for my mom's care packages, or else I wouldn't be able to enjoy, without a doubt, the best cookie ever. A true Baltimore delicacy, the Berger cookie is pretty much ecstasy in cookie form. A soft cookie part covered in thick dark chocolate = amazing. Anyone who thinks these cookies can be recreated by anyone by the Berger brothers are mistaken, everyone I know who's tried them is immediately obsessed. I need to go eat.

NFL Picks:

Baltimore d. Jacksonville (I'm well aware of how foolish this is but i'm making the pick nonetheless)
Kansas City d. Buffalo
Chicago d. San Francisco
Detroit d. Arizona
Indianapolis d. Houston
New England d. Miami
NY Giants d. Minnesota
Denver d. Oakland
Carolina d. NY Jets
Atlanta d. Green Bay
Seattle d. St Louis
Washington d. Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh d. Cleveland
Dallas d. Philadelphia

Last Week: 9-5
Season: 40-16 (0.714)

With the major basball awards being given out and over the next week the MVP debate seems to be starting up again with regards to the AL winner. Being in Boston, all the local coverage is for David Ortiz, who is a great player, but it's clear that Alex Rodriguez is the most valuable player in the American League. Everyone should read James' article as to why this race isn't as close as everyone is making it seem; the article can be found here. But since the Free Press website sucks and you have to register to see articles I'll post the text here:

Who is the American League Most Valuable Player? You've probably heard anyone and everyone offer up their opinion on this question, and in the end, I'm sure only two names have been mentioned: David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.

When we look to the statistics these two have put up, we see pretty similar players. David Ortiz leads A-Rod in RBI (148 to 130) and walks (100 to 91). On the other hand, A-Rod leads Ortiz in home runs (48 to 47), runs scored (124 to 118), batting average (.322 to .300), on-base percentage (.440 to .395), slugging percentage (.613 to .604), on-base plus slugging (1.036 to .999) and - obviously - stolen bases (21 to 1).

Clearly, these two players' offensive stats are too close to definitively say that one is better than the other. If you had to give one player the nod for overall offensive greatness, it would have to be Rodriguez, who leads in the most telling category of a great hitter, OPS (on-base plus slugging). But there are other factors that must be considered when trying to determine who should be the MVP, and these factors clearly point to Rodriguez.

In order to understand why A-Rod is the MVP and Ortiz is not, you have to understand the nature of each player's respective position. Ortiz is a designated hitter, unarguably the easiest position in baseball, because anyone can play it as long as he can hit. Rodriguez, meanwhile, plays third base, a moderately difficult defensive position.

So obviously Rodriguez has the edge in the defensive department because he actually plays defense. But the real reason being a third-baseman is more beneficial in the MVP race is spelled out below.

A good way to measure the value of a player is to compare him to all possible replacements. For Ortiz, this comparison is easy, since every slugger in Major League Baseball could, in theory, replace him position-wise. Therefore, the next best player to fill Ortiz's shoes would actually be Rodriguez. And as the stats show, this is hardly a drop-off. Don't get me wrong, Ortiz is much better than the average power hitter, but there are other players that could match his production in the DH spot.

On the other hand, Rodriguez is head-and-shoulders above all of his possible replacements. Even his closest competition at third base in both leagues, Morgan Ensberg of the Houston Astros, pales in comparison. Ensberg hit 36 home runs, had 100 RBI and had a .945 OPS. Good stats - until you compare them to the 48 homeruns, 130 RBI and 1.036 OPS of Rodriguez.

This drop-off is the true reason why Rodriguez is the AL MVP and David Ortiz is not. While Big Papi is not easily replaceable, the Red Sox could find someone with similar numbers to be their DH if given the choice of any major league ballplayer. The Yankees, however, would have to settle for a notably less productive player to play third base.

There are many other reasons that support why Rodriguez should be the MVP and many of them come from in-depth statistics. Win shares, perhaps the most complicated statistic in baseball (but also perhaps best at showing the value of a player), shows a big gap between Rodriguez and Ortiz.

While I won't explain exactly what win shares are in this article, (It would likely take up this whole page, so if you're interested, Google it.) I'll just say it measures how many wins a player earns for his team. This stat, therefore, is the best way to choose who should be MVP. Rodriguez leads the American League in win shares, while Ortiz doesn't even lead his own team, trailing Manny Ramirez.

So is Ortiz's timely hitting enough to overcome this huge disadvantage?
Consider that although clutch hits are exciting, in the long run, a solo homer in the third inning is just as meaningful as one hit in the eighth. In the end, baseball is all about scoring more runs than your opponent. And even if you still think his "clutchness" is enough to carry him through the MVP voting, remember the game-saving defensive plays A-Rod has come up with in the last few weeks to rescue the Yankees, not to mention his own string of hits under pressure. They may not be as numerous as Big Papi's, but they do exist.

There is no argument that Ortiz has been the most feared late-inning hitter this season, but this award is for the Most Valuable Player. And this year, that player has been Alex Rodriguez.

My Top 25 Classic Rock Bands (with favorite song for each band):

1. The Who (Substitute)
2. The Rolling Stones (Beast of Burden)
3. The Beatles (Hey Jude)
4. Led Zeppelin (tie...Over The Hills and Far Away/Ramble On)
5. Guns N Roses (Civil War)
6. Simon and Garfunkel (The Boxer)
7. Journey (Don't Stop Believing)
8. Boston (Piece of Mind)
9. U2 (I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For)
10. Creedance Clearwater Revival (Lodi)
11. AC/DC (Shook Me All Night Long)
12. Cream (White Room)
13. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (Carry On)
14. Pink Floyd (Comfortably Numb)
15. The Allman Brothers Band (Melissa)
16. Foreigner (Cold As Ice)
17. Van Halen (Right Now)
18. Lynyrd Skynyrd (Free Bird)
19. Queen (Fat Bottomed Girls)
20. Aerosmith (Sweet Emotion)
21. Jefferson Airplane / Jefferson Starship (Jane)
22. The Eagles (Tequila Sunrise)
23. Fleetwood Mac (Go Your Own Way)
24. Def Leppard (Pour Some Sugar On Me)
25. The Doors (LA Woman)

I'm pissed off. The power is out in our building and it's been out for a decent while now. My computer is down, luckily I can use James' laptop for 5 minutes while he doesn't need it. I hate this bullshit, the weather is perfectly fine right now; this is unexplainable. Everything is out fridge is going to shit. Thank God this never happens in our house at home or I'd burn down Baltimore.

Fuck.

I don't even know what to say about the Ravens at this point but this about sums it up:

I hate to say it, but this is the first year in Ravens history that apathy has set in for me. I expected to lose today, so my usual gameday tension was non existent. After the final gun I went, "O well. That went about how I thought it would." Apathy is worse then losing.

My emotional investment has gone belly up.

I'm no bandwagon bitch, and I'll be there til the end, but football is much more fun when the final score means something. Eek. Sigh.

link to entire FanHome post here

The only thing keeping me mildly interested is to see if Kyle Boller can do anything to turn this team around.

Weekend Football Picks

Baltimore d. Cincinnati
Tennessee d. Cleveland
Kansas City d. Oakland
Atlanta d. Miami
Detroit d. Minnesota
San Diego d. NY Jets
Tampa Bay d. Carolina
Jacksonville d. Houston
Chicago d. New Orleans
Seattle d. Arizona
NY Giants d. San Francisco
Pittsburgh d. Green Bay
Philadelphia d. Washington
Indianapolis d. New England

Last Week: 10-4
Season: 31-11 (.738)

If you haven't heard about the proposed changes in the PGA Tour, you can read about them here. Although this will make for an slightly more exciting end to the season, the chase for the FedEx Cup isn't what the PGA needs to rival football on these fall weekends. The only way to make the players care about the FedEx Cup is by attaching a huge pay-day to the winner, something I have not seen in the proposal. For the golfers that are the most marketable for the Tour, they're only attracted to the majors and other tournaments with big checks involved. There's also the issue of if a player wins all four majors, it would not guarantee him the championship. This is absolutely ridiculous , no one in their right mind could think this makes sense. If Tiger or Phil wins all four majors next season, there's no way he wouldn't be player of the year. I understand that the PGA needs to make great strides to increase popularity in golf, especially this time of year, but revising the end of year system to be like NASCAR just won't work.

Other quick sports note: Arsenal won today against Sparta Prague to remain undefeated in Champios League play and hold firm grasp atop Division B. The game winner was scored by Thierry Henry, who is back to starting for the Gunners.

Last night was amazing...sitting front row for Kanye at his show in Amherst. Thank God for eBay, which is where I got the tickets, for not very much above face value. Sitting front row was amazing, the energy was crazy the whole night. He brings more to the table in his performances than do a lot of people. If I remembered correctly as I was recounting the show today, he played 17 of his full songs; in no particular order:

All Falls Down
Get Em High
Jesus Walks
Spaceship
Workout Plan
Through The Wire
We Don't Care
Gold Digger
Touch The Sky
Drive Slow
Crack Music
Diamonds
We Major
Hey Mama
Late
Addiction
Roses

He also performed multiple one-verse-and-chorus versions of songs including:

Numb/Encore
Diamonds On My Neck
Slow Jamz
Overnight Celebrity

The stage and lights were amazing. The whole show was incredible and everyone should make an effort to see Kanye in concert.