Ladies and Gentlemen your 2008 AFC East Champion Buffalo Bills!

Well, maybe that's getting ahead of ourselves here. Then again, ask the Seattle Seahawks--Buffalo looked tough. Couple that with Tom Brady's knee crumpling up like a piece of discarded toilet paper and the Toronto/Buffalo Bills look like a possible threat in the division. Or is this just one big conspiricy to make Brett Favre's season a roaring success? Hmmm.
Anyhow, I never got around to posting the predicted standings before yesterday's games (don't worry, I didn't change them--I still picked the Pats to win their division and the AFC--all bets off now). So I'll post those at the end of the entry.
Let's talk about the Pat's situation for a second. I understand that several people that read this blog are near and around my age (26)...or graduated from high school about the same year I did (2000). Well, Matt Cassell fits that criteria and guess what? I have started as many football games (college and pro)that Matt has started since graduation. Is that why the Patriots have Chris Simms and Tim Rattay coming in for workouts? Special nuggett: when the Patriots drafted Tom Brady it was between Brady and Tim Rattay. I don't know what you'd do with that information but there it is.
NFL Preview 2008
NFC North
Green Bay (10-6)

Chicago (9-7)
Minnesota (8-8)

Detroit (5-11)

NFC West

Seattle (10-6)

Arizona (8-8)

St. Louis (6-10)

San Francisco (4-12)

NFC East

Dallas (12-5)

Philadelphia (10-6)

New York (9-7)

Washington (8-8)
NFC South
New Orleans (10-6)
Carolina (10-6)
Atlanta (7-9)
Tampa Bay (6-10)
AFC North
Pittsburgh (12-4)
Cleveland (9-7)
Baltimore (7-9)
Cincinnati (3-13)
AFC West
San Diego (10-6)
Denver (8-8)
Oakland (7-9)
Kansas City (6-10)
AFC East
New England (14-2)
Buffalo (10-6)
Miami (7-9)
New York (5-11)
AFC South
Indianapolis (13-3)
Jacksonville (10-6)
Tennessee (6-10)
Houston (5-11)
MVP- Marion Barber III
OROY- Rashard Mendenhall
DROY- Derrick Harvey
COY- Mike Tomlin
Super Bowl- New England over Dallas (revised to be Pittsburgh over Dallas)

Hip Hop Hooray

Two posts in one day!? You've gotta be kidding me. Heard this song today, brought me back and figured I'd make it Music Video of the Day.
Little back story on this song. You couldn't throw a stone in 1993 without hitting a radio playing this song. Seriously, think of a hip hop hook that was more memorable than "Heeyy...hoooo...heeyy...hooo". That's right, you can't. Problem is, it got over used and it took me 15 years to like it again (you read that right--it's been 15 years).
True story about Naughty by Nature: it was because of their self titled record that my parents became aware of the parental advisory lable that was on "inappropriate" albums. You see, I was over at a relative's house in 1992 or so when the nameless relative warned my parents about this "noise pollution". Isn't that fucking great?! For the next seven year or so, I wasn't allowed to purchase music that had cussing (which led to me ripping the sticker off several Beastie Boy CDs over the next few years). Good thing I didn't have a copy of "The Chronic" when I was 11--I might have joined a street gang--oh yeah, that's right, I lived in suburbia (we don't have gangs--and this was long before it became en vogue to shoot your classmates). Really? Can't buy a CD with swear words? Thanks Mom and Dad. Instead I grow up to write angry blog entries. Nice trade off. Anyhow, I'm getting punchy, here's Naughty By Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray"...

Terrance Newman and a Rollercoaster

This video comes to us via Deadspin and The Dallas Morning News. Terrence Newman, cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys apparently has never been on a rollercoaster. Naturally, the powers that be decided to take a man that could probably kill you or I with his bare hands and videotape him riding his first coaster.
Among the highlights: Newman praying to baby Jesus. High comedy. Click on the link for the video:
http://www.dallasnews.com/video/index.html?nvid=261072

Just Plain Wrong

When I woke up today, I planned on not posting anything on this site until the first podcast was in the books. But the cutting edge radio studio we bought up here at The Reach Blog isn't quite ready. Panic.
While scrambling to find something to post, I came across this nugget of inappropriateness (sp?). Listen very closely for a line delivered by 16 year old Shawn Johnson during this commercial. There's no way someone on set didn't think "wait a minute--that's just not right". What's also amazing about the commercial, if you close your eyes and listen to the audio only, you won't be able to tell if Shawn Johnson, or the Hamm brothers.

Something Something Gold Medal

For those of you who stayed up to watch the US defeat Spain in the gold medal game in the wee hours of Sunday morning, how did that work out for you? Personally, I just woke up and cannot get back to bed because my fantasy football draft is in a few hours and, well, the excitement is getting to me.

Let's talk about this "Redeem Team" for a few moments. If you watched the game (or expanded highlights like me), one thing probably caught your attention over everything else, and that were the players standing up on the bench for most of the second half jumping around with every basket like they were Chaminade getting ready to topple Ralph Sampson and Virginia (I don't believe that reference is too dated). Talk about a team proud to be in Beijing representing the US. Hell, I'm proud to have them represent us.
There have been articles written discussing how this team would do versus the orginal Dream Team, as there are everytime America selects twelve NBA players to take on the world. How would this team fare? It's an in depth analysis that we'll be tackling this week. Stay tuned.

Random Posts and Podcast News

Ok, a few things since it's been a few days since we last checked in. First off, I have received emails (mainly negative...wait, all negative) about the Bernie Mac post from a few months back. I'm not going to go back and erase it. It was written two months before he died. I don't feel it needs to be changed since it was obviously not written in a very serious tone.

Secondly, in case you missed it last night, Josh Hamilton was walked intentionally with the bases loaded. Only the second time in 68 years that has been accomplished.

As for the "The Reach Blog Podcast"--be ready, it's coming. A few more pieces of equipment are still needed and we'll be good to go (figure late this week or early next week...stay tuned).

As for the Olympics--I hope you're enjoying the coverage. I'll do a longer post in conclusion of the games. An overview, wrapup if you will.

Finally, the Reach Blog offices appear possibly moving from the Twin Cities to New England. Yet another thing that New England is claiming from Minnesota (KG, Big Papi, Randy Moss...now this very blog?). Details to come. Thanks for the patience.

P.S. Name the mustache above. Is it A. Freddie Mercury or B. Mark Spitz?

20 years ago...

It's weird to think that it's been 20 years since the Cubs played the first night game at Wrigley Field. Well here we are in 2008 and as the calender would have us believe...sure enough, it's been 20 years.

The Cubs only play about 25 home night games or so each year, which understandably, send the ticket prices skyrocketing. Naturally to get the full Wrigley experience an afternoon game might be the way to go--but a cool summer breeze under the stars isn't bad.

So what are the Cubs doing to celebrate this historic anniversary? Why an afternoon game against the Cardinals of course.

The sick fact of the day: a bleacher seat on 8/8/88 was only $6. I paid $50 for my ticket earlier this year off eBay. How the times change.

The wonderful folks at Democraticcentral.com have a great historic review of the first night game at Wrigley. Check it out here.

Mass Suicides in Wisconsin

Ok, now that the trade has been made, I'll talk about the big yellow gorilla in the room. If you read this site with any regularity you've probably noticed that Brett Favre hasn't been mentioned too much recently. This would be normal, if the rest of the media under the sky hadn't been on the "Favre Beat" for the last month and a half.
I made a decision when this whole thing began not to talk about it. Why? Because it was this summer's "There isn't much else going on--so let's talk the shit out of this" story. Last year it was Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron. Guess what? Both stories peaked on August 7.
If you ask me, this is just one great big conspiricy to detract attention fron Sidney Crosby's 21st birthday binge tonight (yeah--he's only 21!).
In all seriousness, this story has gotten real old real quick. In the end, what is this trade do to each team? It makes the Packers take a step back and more than likely only adds one or two victories to the Jets this year bringing their projected total to...six wins! Hell yeah!
Does anyone really believe this move makes New York a playoff contender? Or do you see this as one great big marketing plan to sell PSLs to Jets fans? Honestly, I'll tend to believe the latter before I believe the former.
So to recap: Favre is on the cover of Madden 09...the Madden curse sends Favre to New Jersey. Touche John...touche.

Football Begins

That was pretty cool last night wasn't it? The NFL is back as of last night when Indy and Washington squared off for four smashmouth quarters (and with the exception of Mike Hart and Colt Brennan, you didn't know who anyone was from the middle of the second quarter on). And by four smashmouth quarters I really mean--it was a glorified practice with pads played in a stadium that is home to a high school team during the fall.

Anyhow, for those in an NFL Preseason office pool: The Redskins won the game 30-16. That's it! The Colts' reign as a powerhouse is over. One note that I found rather funny was the Colts pulling Jim Sorgi after one drive--were they afraid he was going to get hurt? Gotta feel bad for Sorgi, he probably had 200 family members in the stands figuring it would be the most playing time he's seen in the pros and they go and sit him down after one possession?! What the hell.

Speaking of QB controversies...the race for the Colt's number 3 QB is between Quin Gray and Jared Lorenzen. It promises to be a tightly contested battl---zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Trade Deadline In A Few Hours

Look at that headline. Can you think of a more exciting sentence in sports? Sure, sure, the games themselves are exciting. As a Cubs fan, I nearly wet myself over the last few days as the Cubs have won 3 or 3 from Milwaukee at Miller Park. The only thing more exciting than winning is someone getting your hopes up with trade scenarios...even though we know damn well that Superstar X isn't going to be traded to your team at the deadline for two or three midlevel minor league prospects.
Does anyone really believe for a second that Manny Ramirez is going anywhere today? The only way Manny heads to South Florida this year is if the Sox meet the Marlins in the World Series. There, I said it! So go to ESPN.com today and read about how close Boston is to trading their best offensive player since Ted Williams--they're in a tight race with the Yankees and Rays--sure, it'll happen.
But we do have a little activity this morning. The outfielder formerly known as Ken Griffey Jr. is heading to the White Sox (pending approval). I'm not sure what this does to the White Sox, or even where they'll play Griffey. This trade opens up the door to the possibility that Griffey goes from "greatest baseball player in a generation" to platooning with Brian Anderson in just under nine years. If nothing else, this trade will allow the White Sox to move Nick Swisher to 1B full time.

Another great thing about the trade deadline is being able to see a headline that on any other day would seem compleatly ridiculous such as "Will Ohman in High Demand".

There you have it. Teams trying to get in their final positions before the stretch run over the next two months.

*Speaking of Griffey...the card pictured is his rookie card from the 1989 Upper Deck collection. If you collected baseball cards between 1985-1995 you recognize this card as the holy grail of cards. So, do you have any guesses how much it's worth today? $25. You can find it on Ebay for anywhere between $11 and $25. Maybe it was a good thing your mom threw all your baseball cards out.

Logjamming With The AARP

I have to give credit to a friend's roommate for something he said a while back about coffee. To this day, it's one of the truest things anyone has ever told me. He said, "coffee is a great reason to get up. If life sucks and I'm lying in a comfortable warm bed, I can always take solice in the thought that there's a cup of coffee waiting for me. Because, life is hard...but there's always coffee". Honestly, truer words never spoken.

Now, I'm not one of those obsessive coffee drinkers where I cannot start my day until I have coffee. Not one bit. Just a fan of coffee. Black. Strong. Insert joke here.

The Reach Blog began as something to do while I drank coffee in the mornings. It turned into something that I loved doing and began to take on a personality of it's own--mainly sports. But today is one of the most important days in the history of the site.

Why is that you ask?

Because I am finally going to post the story I was born to post. A story about Japan's 73 year old porn star Shigeo Tokuda.

Nothing that I could possibly type could be funnier than the actual story itself. So why try? Don't worry about watching this at work--it's a CNN clip. They aren't allowed to show nudity, but they'll unleash Glenn Beck on their guests (see video below). Go figure.

Go Long...Get Open...I'll Throw It To You

Tough day here in The Reach Blog offices. I think the correct term is "food poisoning" but I prefer the technical term, "fucking misery". Ever throw up 15 times in the span of 15 hours? Fun stuff. 15 is just a rough estimate--I lost count at 3am. It takes me back to my days as a socially outcast cheerleader--the pressure to be thin.
Anyhow, speaking of getting sick. Imagine being a defensive coordinator and having to face this offense. It's called The A-11--go long...all of you and I'll throw it. A better description can be found here. The offense involves two quarterbacks, one center and eight receivers. Somhow, perhaps thanks to an airtight group of lawyers--the offense is legal. How about seeing some video you ask? Well now. Try this on...

Josh Childress Heads To Greece

What is the best word to describe this summer's free agency period in the NBA? I tend to lean towards "perplexing". It all started with Baron Davis blindsiding the Warriors and signing with the Clippers--which led to his Los Angeles teammate for all of 30 seconds, Elton Brand to opt out of his contract and head east to Philadelphia.

Then the Clippers were left with all this extra money and the rumors had linked Charlotte's Emeka Okafor or Atlanta's Josh Smith to possibly being brought in to replace Brand. Then things got weird.

Three days ago, a story broke and suggested that Atlanta's Josh Childress was considering an offer to play in Greece for the club Olympiakos. Initially, the reports seemed to be dismissed by most because why would anyone leave the NBA for Europe when they're logging big minutes on a playoff team? Turns out, Childress was serious about jumping the pond and proceeded to sign the richest contract in Euroleage history. Thanks Europe! It turns out that Josh Childress was the "player to be named later" in the whole David Beckham trade. They must like the afro. Strange business in the NBA.

Steve Nash and Baron Davis: Fill In The Headline

Imagine if you and your friends were the ones riding the tandem bike dressed like a couple of goons. What are the chances someone would wedge a large stick into your spokes? 75%? 90%? Let's face it, you're just not that cool. Atleast not cool enough to pull it off. Two time NBA MVP Steve Nash? Well, he's cool enough. And the Los Angeles Clipper who did those commercials with Adam Sandler? Apparently he's cool enough (although, between being a Clipper and doing those commercials, you'd think he'd have some humility). Here's the scene from Santa Monica this past weekend. From Barstool Sports:

"You want to know why the Clippers and Suns will never beat the Celtics? Because Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are in the gym doing box squats, shuttle runs, and plyometrics until they puke - then they do some more. Baron Davis and Steve Nash, on the other hand, are busy renting a tandem bicycle and cruising around Santa Monica pier together while dressed up like extras from the Cosby Show and Weekend at Bernies. I don't even know where to begin with this picture I just took. Someone help me make sense of this ridiculousness...the only explanation I'm willing to accept is that they were participating in some sort of performance art project. Even still, this is worse than the prospect of seeing Paul Pierce rollerskating down Storrow Drive rocking neon Vaurnet wraparounds, a Lycra singlet, and a fannypack."

Update: Ladies and gentlemen...we have video. It's creepy.

Someone Joey Harrington is Related to Wins Again

Padraig Harrington won his second conseceutive Britis--er, Open Championship yesterday defeating the feel good story that was Greg Norman (on an ugly bleek looking course). Actually, Norman beat himself again in the final round of a major. The Norman story was a great story while it lasted. As we've heard a million times this weekend, he got married to Chris Everett three weeks ago and came to The Open immediatly following his honeymoon. What does this teach you kids? That's right. Poon will make you a better golfer...even at age 53. I just threw up in my mouth.

On a historic note, it was the first major championship that didn't involve Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods since 1961. I can't wait until next month's PGA Championship when it will be the first major championship that didn't involve Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods since yesterday. Ah, starting off the week with a lame joke. Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

Justin Morneau Wins Home Run Derby, Everyone Else Disagrees

Seriously, next year...the year after, five years after that, will anyone remember that Justin Morneau won the Home Run Derby? After the hitting display that Josh Hamilton put on, he only lost because he was so tired from lapping the field twice.

It was a special night. It wasn't even the ammount of home runs that Hamilton hit that was impressive, it was how each Home Run seemed to go farther than the one before it. It was the way that Yankee Stadium seemed to embrace Hamilton (who apparently had a drug problem) as one of theirs by chanting his name, almost willing him to hit 30 in the first round.

Funny thing about Justin Morneau though (by the way, did he ever say the right things after the event), he won the MVP two seasons ago and I bet casual baseball fans still don't know who he is.

Two more notes about last night's derby: 1. Rick Riley is god awful. If ESPN keeps using him during these events--I'm going to get fat Elvis on my television and fire a couple of rounds into the screen. As good as his writing has been in years past, I hope ESPN kept the receipt. But he wasn't nearly as bad as...

2. Joe Morgan. I used to wonder why people seemed so down on the guy. But apparently I wasn't listening close enough. The man was openly rooting against Morneau (not rooting for Hamilton--against Morneau) in the final round.

As for tonights game? I have a good feeling about the National League. Stay tuned.

My Medicine

I have no idea how long this song has been around (only a few months though). Anyhow, it's from Snoop Dogg's new album "Ego Trippin'". Truth be told, I haven't listened to an entire Snoop Doog album since "Doggystyle" (hell, I knew every word to every song on that album in sixth grade...suburban white kids from Minnesota are hard as hell).
Anyhow, this song is unexpected to say the least. It features Everlast (who was the lead singer of House of Pain--remember them?) and Willy Nelson. Snoop and Willy Nelson. You might want to worry about a possible contact high from just listening to this song. I suppose it was just the right ammount of 'medicine' for Snoop to successfully record a country song.
Enjoy "My Medicine"...

Hey, F*** You David Stern

This could turn out to be a landmark moment in the one year breeding ground that is college basketball. Brandon Jennings, the number one ranked point guard prospect in the nation has decided to pass college ball entirely and head to Europe for one season before entering the NBA Draft (and also brought the flat top fade back--so the kid can't be all that bad). The headline says it all. Jennings is encouraging NBA Commish David Stern to forcibly insert his age limits into his anus.

Now, Jennings (who originally signed with Arizona) is yet to sign with an agent who will help him get set up with a contract in Europe (How would the bidding go? Do European leagues have drafts? Is it like when the Yankees signed Jose Contrares). Jennings and his family are going to consult with Sonny Vaccaro (how could this possibly go wrong?) before hiring an agent.

The fade. Word. Seriously, word to Kid.

*UPDATE*: ESPN's Jemele Hill (who can be over the top at times) has an article that's a pretty good read regarding Jennings' decision. If you have a chance, it can be found here.

About That Interview Last Night...

Well, after a little bit of a delay, The Reach Blog made it's radio debut last night, thanks again to Josh for having me on. I ended up calling in and doing a prerecorded interview. The lovely people in Deadwood will be able to hear the interview play in portions throughout the rest of the week. As for this site...well, I'm still working on figuring out how to post the audio so give it some time. If you'd like a copy of the interview emailed to you, contact me and I'll set you up.
As for the interview itself, well, I suppose it went OK. Not bad for a first time. We talked midseason baseball and Brett Favre (again, this is the only mention of the supposed comeback by #4 you'll get--I'm done with that story).

Cubs Answer Brewers, Land Harden

So the Chicago Cubs have answered back to the Milwaukee Brewers and landed former Oakland pitcher Rich Harden. That sound you're hearing is a collective gasp from Cubs fans when they realize that Harden has been on the DL six times in six seasons. But why should the Cubs get nervous? Their pitchers get hurt after they land in Chicago...not before. There's no way this ends up like Mark Prior--(sorry, it's not my intention to sound this bitter).

Harden has been viewed as a second tier pitcher (with Sabathia being the only true first tier pitcher) this trading season but his numbers have been great when he's pitched (5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts this season). The Cubs gave up Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, Matt Murton and Josh Donaldson to aquire Harden who has not won more than 11 games in a season in his career.

Two blockbuster deals in three days? I suppose the trading season is officially on. Fasten the seatbelts.

UPDATE: The Cubs also get pitcher Chad Gaudin in the trade. Gaudin is 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA.

Reach Blog On The Radio

For those of you in South Dakota area, I will be interviewed on Josh Nguyen's radio show on KDSJ 980AM tonight at 7pm (cst). This is a big step for the site becasue it means that someone is actually asking for our opinion as opposed to us just offering it. If you want to listen to the interview live you can do so by clicking here and then clicking on the "LISTEN LIVE" button on the upper right hand corner of the home page.

So gather the family and sit really close to the radio (or computer if you don't live in Deadwood). We will be quizzing people on the interview on this site tomorrow, so you're not going to want to look foolish.

And as far as getting the interview on this site...I'm not sure what the time table for something like that is (and if we'll even be able to do it).

KDSJ989.com

MLB Midseason Awards (A-Rod Free Edition)

It seems like we blinked our eyes and all of a sudden...we're less than a week from the All Star Break. This is good for a few reasons, most notably, because it means we're seven days away from not having to watch that awful All Star game commercial. Secondly, it means in about two weeks, the season will start to get real interesting with the trade deadline approaching.

Like with most leagues, it's fun to see where things stack up if the season ended today. I mean, this is a rather historic season so far. If the season ended today, the Cubs and Phillies win their divisions with St. Louis as a Wild Card. Arizona and LA are locked in a heated battle to be the team that sucks the least (since both are under .500 currently--hell, the Giants are only 5 games out. Can't we just give the Marlins or Brewers the finals spot instead of a team from the NL West?). In the AL, NOBODY saw Tampa making the run that they are currently making. Same goes for Minnesota (1.5 games out of the division lead behind the White Sox). If the season ends today, Tampa, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston are in. Imagine if these teams hold on and make the playoffs...two Chicago teams, maybe two Los Angeles teams, two teams nobody expected in the playoffs in the first place (St. Louis and Tampa Bay).

So how did we get here in the first place? Who are the movers and shakers in the first half? Let's rundown the midseason awards (including two potential award winners that were traded for each other before the season began):

AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Rangers- Hamilton's comeback story has been one of the great storylines over the last two years or so. For those that don't know, Hamilton was the first overall pick in the 1999 draft and proceeded to be suspended by baseball altogether when he developed a drug problem. He wouldn't play any baseball between 2002 and 2006.

This year though, Hamilton was named a starter to the All Star Game while putting him up numbers to the tune of .308, 19 HR, 85 RBI in, assuming he stays healthy, his first full season in the Majors.

NL MVP: Lance Berkman, Astros- It would be interesting if these two players did win MVP considering both teams have very slim shots to sniff the playoffs. But that should be a testiment to how great both players are playing. Berkman is making a run at the Triple Crown batting . .348, 22HR, 70 RBI. This is the toughest award to decide right now, as Chipper Jones and Hanley Ramirez could both have cases made.

AL CY YOUNG: Cliff Lee, Indians- Another great story from the first part of the season. Lee was sent down to the minors last season to work on his control (see Cubs fans, there is hope for Rich Hill). This season, he's 11-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 99k. Arguements could be made for Joe Saunders who is leading the AL in victories and Oakland's Justin Duchscherer who has come out of nowhere to lead the AL with a 1.96 ERA.

NL CY YOUNG: Tim Lincecum, Giants- Lincecum leads the NL in strikeouts with 122, second in ERA with 2.49 and is doing pretty good for himself with a 10-1 record. Edinson Volquez is another guy I think gets a strong look from voters but could end up with Rookie of the Year instead.

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Evan Longoria, Rays- The Rays are looking quite smart after locking up Longoria with a long term contract before his first big league game. Longoria has been just about as solid as you can ask a rookie to be batting .283 with 16 HR, and 52 RBI.

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Geovaney Soto, Cubs- As tough as it might be to give Soto the nod over the previously mentioned Edinson Volquez, Soto's Cubs are in the thick of the playoff race right now. Soto has put up almost identical numbers to Longoria this season batting .289, 15 HR, 52 RBI.

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Joe Maddon, Rays- You know what? I think this race is closer than it appears (Minnesota's Ron Gardenheire is a close second) but I have to give it to the manager of the team that has been the biggest story in major league baseball thus far. Nobody expected Tampa to be leading the Red Sox by 4 games at this point in the season.

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Tony La Russa, Cardinals- Heading into this season, the National League Central was supposed to be a two team race between the Cubs and Brewers. How dumb of us to count out a Tony La Russa run ballclub. The Cardinals are currently in second place and if the season ended today--they would be your Wild Card winners. All this without a pitching staff. Well played Mr. La Russa. Well played.

The DeLorean: Back For 2008

That's right Marty, we need to go back...back to the future! After the last DeLorean drove off the line back in 1982, only about 6,500 of the original 9,000 still remain. Well, acording to Jalopnik, we can expect the DeLorean to be back on the road in 2008. So take from that story what you will...I saw the story as I was leaving the Reach Blog Offices and figured you would appreciate it while you were drinking your morning coffee and eating your Frosted Mini Wheats (or whenever the hell you visit this site).

Rock The Casbah

We really need to get the ball rolling on legalizing the use of testicles for currency because I would give my middle nut to see The Clash live. Of course this won't happen becasue, aside from the testicle for currency thing--which isn't going to happen, regardless of what those damn Liberterians promise--Clash lead singer Joe Strummer died from a heart attack five years ago.
I could go on and write for an hour about how great I thought they were, but as of right now, time is limited. I spent the last 45 minutes trying to find the perfect Clash video--and I couldn't choose one so I picked one at random.
"Rock The Casbah" was the only song of theirs to make it onto the Billboard Top 10 list in America (reaching #8 in 1982). The video for "Casbah" was their most popular (understand that The Clash broke up not too long after MTV came around--they never benifited from the channel and only made low budget videos).
Topper Headon was the most well known drummer of The Clash but is absent from this video after being kicked out of the band due to growing drug problems (the rumor is, that Headon wrote the main piano riff on the song but wasn't specifically credited). This opened the door for Terry Chimes to return to the band for a third tenure (he was the band's original drummer in 1976).
Much to the dismay of the band, this song was the first song played on "Armed Forces Radio" at the start of the Gulf War in 1991. The song also managed to be named the #20 "Conservative Rock Song Of All Time" by The National Review. The sound you hear right now is Joe Strummer turning in his grave.
Well, enough chit chat...I give you The Clash's "Rock The Casbah"...enjoy...

Meet The All-Stars

With the Major League Baseball All Star Game only eight days away, the league announced the rosters of each team yesterday during an afternoon "Selection Special" on TBS (of course, that didn't prevent just about every major publication from releasing the rosters four or five hours in advance). As with any all star game, the fans vote on the starters which leads to a few players (sometimes more than a few) that don't deserve to start in the game but get voted in on name alone. This always leaves the door open for the "Who Got Snubbed" colums and debates. I'd like to say we're no different at the Reach Blog...but hell, there are some interesting things to note about this year's rosters:

1. Maybe it's because I've been living in Minnesota for the last 21 years, but the idea that Kyle Lohse was snubbed makes me sick but he is 10-2 with a 3.61 ERA (granted the ERA is a tad bit high). The fact that an arguement could be made for Lohse is unexpected.

2. Jason Varitek is batting .218 but was chosen as a reserve. Over A.J. Pierzynski or Ivan Rodriguez?

3. How about the AL bullpen? Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, Joakim Soria, George Sherril, Francisco Rodriguez are all closers. What do you think about the AL going to that pen with a lead in the 4th inning?

4. The Cubs and Red Sox each sent seven players (and their managers) to the game. However, I wonder how close Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell came to being named reserves.

5. Who do you have start the game if you're Clint Hurdle or Terry Francona? Cliff Lee and Edinson Volquez? Roy Halladay? Tim Lincecum? Ryan Dempster? The prediction from the Reach Blog offices are Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee if you're keeping score at home.

6. As for the online vote--do you vote for Giambi's mustache or Evan Longoria? Personally, I'd like to see as many Yankees as possible since this is the last season at Yankee Stadium (and Giambi's been deserving) but the Rays are the story of the season so far and Longoria might be the leading vote getter when it's all said and done.

CC Sabathia Going to Milwaukee

Every year it seems that all it takes is that first big trade to set the rest of the league into a domino effect of trade action. Well, that trade is in the books. The Milwaukee Brewers traded for C.C. Sabathia yesterday. Here's the catch with the Brewers: they don't have the luxury as a small market team of being able to reload year in and year out. Seeing how Ben Sheets seems as good as gone at the end of this season (along with possibly Sebathia and Prince Fielder), the team seems ready to make a run at it this year.

It's worth noting that if Sebathia does leave, the Brewers will receive two first round picks which would only help Milwaukee in their reloading process.

The Indians get Matt LaPorta, the Brewers top minor league prospect along with a few other prospects and a player to be named later. After scanning some message boards in Milwaukee, the trade seems to be mixed among fans.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal boards:

Any one that claims to be a Brewers fan has to love this trade. As many people before me have said, for a small market team to aquire such talent says a lot about the front office as well as the great scouts the Brewers Organization has.After what seems like a thousand years of losing, to finally see the team go out there and make a big splash should make everyone happy. Look, the MILWAUKEE BREWERS are going for it and all they gave up was very good, but very unproven talent at the minor league level. If they lose C.C. and Sheets at the end of the year so be it. Chances are they're going to lose Sheets anyways.All should be proud of the Brewers and lets hope to still be talking about this trade in October!!
- Ryan B, Waukesha, WI

Terrible idea. A sure fire offensive talent for someone who is unproven in the playoffs and has been inconsistent this year. And we only get him for less than half the season. Just terrible. People are so starved for playoff baseball around here they let it go to their heads.
- Lee, Pewaukee

For One Day, Tennis Was Back

A few weeks back Bill Simmons wrote a column for an issue of ESPN the Magazine about how to save tennis. Some of Simmons' ideas might go towards ressurecting the sport--it sure as hell can't hurt if every major tournament has a finale like yesterday's Wimbeldon final. Holy crap. I threw the match on towards the end of the fourth set, right before the tiebreaker thinking that Rafael Nadel might take down Roger Federer. After about two and a half hours, I was still caught up in the match.
I spent the most part of the evening monitoring the media's reaction to the match. I was blown away by the drama and, to be honest, was wondering if it was just me or was the match really as exciting as I thought it was. The consensus: it was the most exciting Wimbeldon final ever. John McEnroe called the it the greatest tennis match he's ever seen.
So if you caught it, consider yourself lucky. If you missed it, don't be quick to write it off as just a tennis match.

NBA Star Takes Pay Cut To Sign With Clippers

Talk about headlines I never expected to see...let alone type. The Clippers of all teams made the biggest spash in the very young (but very legal) free agency period yesterday. Baron Davis (not to be confused with Betty Davis or the Beer Baron) opted out of his $16.4 million dollar contract for next season with the Warriors only to head south a few hours and sign with the Clint Howard of the NBA for a smaller ammount.

The deal wouldn't be as shocking as it should be if there had been much precedent in past with the Clips. Alas, no. Here's a list of NBA All Stars that have signed with the Clippers IN THE HISTORY OF THE TEAM:

Glen Rice, Jamaal Wilkes, and Kevin Duckworth (apparently someone else outbid for Chris Gatling).

The signing does keep the spotlight on the Clippers for a little bit longer though, Elton Brand is also a free agent after opting out of his deal with the Clippers. Should they be able to resign Brand, the Clippers will finish off their most successful offseason in franchise history (of course, time will only tell. I'm sure at the time, 1998 looked pretty good when the Clippers won the lottery and drafted Michael Olowokandi).

2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year Should Come From Portland

...and his name isn't Greg Oden. The Portland Trailblazers signed their stud Spanish import Rudy Fernandez today. Fernandez was drafted by Phoenix last year before being traded to Portland.
Here's the interesting thing about Fernandez. There were questions about when he would've been able to join his NBA teams, which is the main reason he fell to the end of the first round last year. If not for the contract problems, it is not out of the question to say that he could've been a top 5 pick in the draft. Comparisons to his game range from Kevin Martin to Manu Ginobli, you get the point--the kid can shoot.
Rudy will also join his sister Marta who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. THE (W)NBA--it's FAM-tastic!
Also, don't be surprised next month when Spain gives the world a run for it's money in the Olympic basketball. They'll be sporting a roster that includes Fernandez, Jose Calderon, Pau Gasol, and Ricky Rubio (who will be a lottery pick next season), and Sergio Rodriguez (Rudy's teammate on the Blazers).

Paper Lanterns (Live)

Out of curiosity, what is your opinion on summer concert festivals? I had an opportunity to go to Lollapalooza last year in Chicago and I loved it. I've stated before that seeing Muse at the festival was somewhere near the level of a religious experience, never before had I seen a more mindblowing live show. It got me thinking about how I might be ten years too young (now, don't get me wrong, I'm happy being 25) but a 22 year old me would've loved seeing Woodstock '94. I actually gave some thought about going to Woodstock '99, but didn't like the chances that my parents would let 17 year old me go to New York for a weekend of this. Probably a good choice as Woodstock '99 ended up being one of the biggest blunders in Rock and Roll history. I'd like to think we've learned (and the lack of testosterone fueled bands like Limp Bizkit and Godsmack being relivant) so we wouldn't pull that crap again.
Then I began thinking about the possibility of Woodstock '09. 40 years later? Why the hell not? Well, for one, it will be tough as hell to convince whoever needs convicing that what happened in 1999 wouldn't happen in 2009. Regardless, I'll state it right now, right here--if there is a Woodstock '09--I'm all in. Why not a collection of yesterday and today? One stage for original Woodstock artists with Bob Dylan, Country Joe McDonald, etc... and one stage for today's artists who would fit the bill (see: peace, love, rock and roll).
After doing a little bit of research I've found out that Woodstock.com is under construction and some internet rumors claim that a Woodstock event will occur in 2009. No further details.
I had to write about this a little bit, I officially have the itch. To momentairly satisfy the itch I give you Green Day's performance of "Paper Lanterns" from Woodstock 1994 (the famous mud fight). Good stuff. And more to the point of Woodstock 2009, who would you like to see perform there? Let me know in the comment section.

Comparing The 2008-09 Chicago Bulls With 1990-91 Seattle Sonics

The fine folks over at Blog-A-Bull wrote an interesting comparison piece comparing the new Chicago Bulls (and by new I mean with Derek Rose) to the Seattle Supersonics team that drafted Gary Payton (they had lucked out in the lottery after just missing the playoffs with 41 wins). Overall, a strong article--except I'm not sure I 100% believe that Tyrus Thomas will be as effective as Shawn Kemp (that would cause me to do backflips). Well, if you have the time, you should check it out.

Also, it warrents mentioning that Shawn Kemp Jr. (the first of many we can assume) is being heavily recruited to play college ball. The 6-9 center is ranked as the 25th best player in the 2009 class. Thought you'd like to know.

Thinking About The Future and the 90s Sonics

Best Commercial Ever?

I gotta hand it to Nike with their new commercial for their line of soccer (excuse me--futbol) merch. The commercial, which debuted I'm assuming during the Euro 2008 Championships this past weekend is in one word, incredible. I'm not a huge soccer fan, although I will watch when the World Cup rolls around and I've also had an opportunity to announce somewhere in the range of 100 soccer games in my life (not sure if I'm bragging or not), but this commercial can't help but get you excited.
Chances are, we won't see a version of this commercial for American Football (I figure it's the only sport that can duplicate what we see--maybe hockey but nobody cares about hockey).
Anyhow, check out the commerical in High Definition here, it's worth the time it takes to load, or you can watch it below You Tube style.

*UPDATE*: The commercial is directed by Guy Ritchie (the guy who brought you "Snatch" and "Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels").

No, no, no, no, no...

I don't know what's worse...the fact that two kids are actually going "monkey see, monkey do" with Shaq's freestyle Kobe Bryant rap from last week--or that more than likely, the parents of these kids thought it would be cute to film it and post it on You Tube...or me for posting it. Excuse me while I bang my head against a wall for twenty minutes or so.

*UPDATE*: After sleeping on it...I've come to the conclusion that the parents are worse (only slightly over me) for filming it.

Bernie Mac Can Go To Hell

Harsh title right? Well, I'm pretty sure I truly feel this way (in baseball terms at least). Mac threw out the first pitch last night at the Cubs-White Sox games at U.S. Cellular Field. Back during the 2003 NLCS (the "Bartman Game" for those of you who won't let it go), Mac sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Game". However, Mac chose to be creative with the lyrics "root root root for the Cubbies" and went with "root root root for the champions" (as the Cubs were six outs from going to their first World Series since 1945). If you don't know how the game ended...the Cubs would go on to lose and Mac admitted to being a life long White Sox fan and called the Cubs the champions in order to jinx them.

However, I did a little investigative research to see who the real jinx is in this situation. Here's a look at what the Cubs have done since 2003:

2004: 89-73 (3rd place)

2005: 79-83 (4th place)

2006: 66-96 (6th place)

2007: 85-77 (1st place)
Now, a look at what Bernie Mac has done since 2003:

Mr. 3000

Charlies Angles: Full Throttle

Head of State

Guess Who

Yeah, there is a curse going on--then again, Mac just might be suffering from a case of being a terrible actor with one gear (angry black guy). Anyhow, no real point to this post. More of an excuse to post the picture above from last night's game.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Bill Simmons

I was called out by Matt in the comments section yesterday. You can go search for it if you want...it's your call. Regardless, he's right, I've slacked off for too long.
Anyhow, this story has been brewing for some time: Deadspin editor Will Leitch announced earlier this month that he was leaving his job to take a job at New York Magazine. Since Will's in his final days with the website he made famous, there has been a "blogebrity roast" taking place over at Deadspin. Writers who have had some minor affiliation to the site are devoting entries to Will's honor. Among the more surprising writers have been ESPN's own Bill Simmons (or the Sports Guy for those without any game). Now, if you are not familiar with Deadspin, the site has been famous for "humanizing" both athletes and media personalities (mainly those from ESPN).
To say ESPN doesn't appreciate what Deadspin has done to the likes of Chris Berman is an understatement. So it would come as a surprise that Simmons is making an appearance on Deadspin (of course, with the "drama" that appears to be ongoing between Simmons and ESPN, maybe it's not a surprise). Anyhow, as usual, Simmons' has another great read. Be sure to check it out here.

On another Bill Simmons related note, his NBA Draft Diary is up at the dot com.

Final Mock Draft

Sorry, I will go further in depth about tonight's NBA Draft tomorrow. Before it all begins, here is my final Mock Draft for the First Round.
1. Chicago Bulls: Derek Rose, PG, Memphis
2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: OJ Mayo, SG, USC
5. Memphis Grizzlies: Kevin Love, SF/PF, UCLA
6. New York Knicks: Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA

7. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia

9. Charlotte Bobcats: Jarryd Bayless, PG, Arizona
10. New Jersey Nets: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy
11. Indiana Pacers: Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU
12. Sacramento Kings: D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas
13. Portland Trailblazer: Brandon Rush, SG/SF, Kansas
14. Golden State Warriors: Robin Lopez, C/PF, Stanford C
15. Phoenix Suns: Alexis Ajinca, C, France
16. Philadelphia 76ers: Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas
17. Toronto Raptors (Indiana Pacers): Donte Green, SF, Syracuse
18. Washington Wizards: Marreese Speights, PF/C, Florida
19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State
20. Denver Nuggets (Charlotte Bobcats): Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown
21. New Jersey Nets: Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas
22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee, SG/SF, Western Kentucky
23. Utah Jazz: JaVale McGee, C, Nevada
24. Seattle Supersonics: J.J. Hickson, SF, NC State
25. Houston Rockets: Bill Walker, SG, Kansas State
26. San Antonio Spurs: Nicolas Batum, SF, France
27. New Orleans Hornets (Portland Trailblazers): Ante Tomic, C, Croatia
28. Memphis Grizzlies: Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG, Memphis
29. Detroit Pistons: DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M
30. Boston Celtics: DJ White, PF, Indiana

Bulldogs To Win National Championship

Tonight we have the final game of the College World Series. If you haven't paid attention, it's a best-of-three format. The Georgia Bulldogs and Fresno State Bulldogs will square off one final time after Fresno State came back from 5-0 to beat Georgia 19-10.
To understand the Cinderella-type run that Fresno State is on you'd have to understand that they entered the WAC Tournament only six game above .500. Essentially, they needed to win the entire tournament to get to the field of 64...which they did. They were awarded the 4th seed out of four teams in the Long Beach Regional...they won the regional.
I'll put this in college basketball perspective, what they are on the verge of doing is the equivilant of if the University of Minnesota had won the Big Ten Tournament just to get into the tournament, and then proceeding to win all their games leading up to the National Championship game (of course, the WAC tournament, Regional Tournament, and College World Series are double elimination--so it's not EXACTLY the same, but you get the idea).
The game is on ESPN tonight 7pm EST.

Who Says Soccer Sucks?

By all accounts...this guy is a total douche. But in fairness to our French friend in the video, it's pretty much the coolest thing I've seen today (right behind the Cubs walkoff win against the Sox).
Even if you don't like soccer, watch the video for the AC/DC music atleast...I know it's a stretch but hey, every click counts right?

FOOT 2008 (REMI GAILLARD)
by nqtv

Currently Popular Late Night TV Before It Was Popular

Caught this gem on You Tube earlier today. Figured you deserved it for the lack of updates you've put up with with me. So here, from 1994, it's from the Jon Stewart show on MTV (long before The Daily Show) with his guest Conan O'Brien.

Music News That Only I Might Care About

I gotta promote this for a moment. I've made no secret of the fact that The Hold Steady is the preferred band of "The Reach Blog". Usually, we have their music playing in our offices while posting stories that change your life.
Well, big news on the "Stay Positive" front. The new Hold Steady album is available on iTunes a month early. I downloaded my copy yesterday and listened to it three times. There will be a review soon--but wanted to give everyone a heads up. So check it out! And if iTunes isn't your thing, their entire album is streaming on MySpace.

Hold Steady's MySpace

Party All The Time

Ok. The Emails need to stop. Life gets busy and since this blog isn't my full time job--sometimes (as much as I hate to admit it) has to take a back seat. It's been eight days since the last post and I'll try not to let it get that out of control again.
So how about a music video? It's been a while right? What music video could I possibly make it up to you with? I thought and thought and came to the conclusion that Eddie Murphy needs to make an appearance in this blog (and it's not going to be for any of his movies). So for today's Music Video Of The Day, ladies and gentlemen, I give you "Party All The Time"...enjoy...

The Kobe-Jordan Comparisons Officially End Now

I wasn't too into the "Kobe Is Just As Good As Jordan If Not Better" talk that was making it's way around the sports world leading into the NBA Finals. We saw what the Celtics did to Kobe. Does that ever happen to Jordan? Defenses never cut Jordan out--they just made him work harder for his 45 points. Check out this clip below from the 1990 NBA Playoffs. The Pistons were one of the top defensive teams (not to mention physical) of their era. The more I watch this, the more I'm convinced that Jordan could've averaged over 40 a game with today's rules.

KGspeak

In case you didn't notice, the Boston Celtics won their 17th World Championship last night. If you've read this blog before, you know my opinion on Kevin Garnett. However, I need to slightly change my stance. KG always seemed wound up too tight. He always seemed as if he was on the verge of killing someone if they made a sudden movement. Living in Minnesota for his entire career (until his trade last summer), I was able to witness his intensity first hand.
So KG wins his first championship last night and gets interviewed by Michelle Tafoya moments after the clock reads zero...to say he gave one of the all time great postgame interviews (if not THE best) would be an understatement. I'm serious here. Where do I start? What's the best part? Was it the long silence that ABC had to go to when Garnett strung together some groupe of cuss words. Was it when he looked Michelle Tafoya in the eyes and said, "You look good tonight girl"? My god. My girlfriend, who was dealing with a fever, claimed that Garnett was, "more delirious" than her. Anyhow, I had to post video of the interview. Enjoy it while you can because it's just a matter of time before ABC takes it down.

Hey Ladies

We haven't done a Music Video Of The Day in about a week and a half (which I know goes against the name of the bit, but as mentioned in the original post, it might be every other day, it might be monthly--when we get to it...we get to it).
So maybe it's because I feel bad for not giving you a music video recently. Maybe it's because we haven't featured a hip hop video in quite some time. It also might be because I have a soft spot in my heart for innovative, acid inspired, disco fever, video clips featuring three Jewish rappers. Whatever the reason might be, I give you The Beastie Boys' "Hey Ladies".
One more thing, I mentioned this song was innovative (as was the entire 1989 album "Paul's Botique". Well, the reason was sampling. Until this time artists rarely sampled other people's music. For example, on this song alone you will find samples from the following:
"Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet
"Party Time" by Kurtis Blow
"Holy Ghost" by the Bar-Kays
"Shake Your Pants" by Cameo
"Pumpin' it Up" by P-Funk All Stars
"Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang
"Machine Gun" by The Commodores
"Jazzy Sensation" by Afrika Bambaataa
"Change Le Beat/B-Side" by Fab 5 Freddy
"Come Let Me Love You" by Jeanette "Lady" Day
"Dance Floor", & "So Ruff, So Tuff" by Zapp & Roger
"Ain't It Funky Now" & "Funky President" by James Brown
"Hey DJ" by Malcolm McLaren & the World Famous Supreme Team
"High Powered Rap" by Disco Dave & the Force of the Five MC's (Crash
Enjoy...

First Post Since...Wow, Has It Really Been That Long?!

Please forgive the tardiness of this post. We recently hired an intern over here at "The Reach Blog"...well, needless to say, the intern robbed us blind (apparently he wasn't a journalism student--just a random street thug). We finally retrieved our computers back after a week. Everything is ok (except our keyboards smell like urine now--but that may or may not be because of the theif). Anyhow, back to the blog.
Take a look at the picture to the left. It's hard to believe that it was just over 3 years ago. It's also upsetting when your team's #1 pick goes to a guy who screws up his career so badly that his tenure with your team doesn't even span ONE Olympic game.
I think the headline is the best part. "I'm Not Ricky". This is very true. Ricky had the weed, Cedric had the booze. It would be one backfield you'd want to hang out with but never trust to actually run the ball for your team (especially if the QB gets spooked easier than Rick Moranis getting chased by Gozer in Ghostbusters--ahem, Grossman!).
The Cedric Benson era is over in Chicago and Bears fans should be happy. If nothing else, waving Benson allows them to free up space to resign Urlacher, Tommie Harris, or possibly Devin Hester (all three of whom are looking for new contracts).
True story: I watched the 2005 NFL Draft in Chicago with a buddy of mine when we were in town for a Bulls playoff game. Upon the selection, I asked him the time table until the Tribune or Sun Time's headline read "CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER". I really don't remember how long I said. I can only assume I predicted it was before the start of the 2008 season.
The Bears waived Cedric Benson...good riddance.

Professional Donkey Basketball

This is real hard hitting journalism right here. Enjoy your day people...I'm off to the 9-5.

2-Year-Old Donkey Called Up To Pro Donkey Basketball League

Random Story Of The Day

Seriously, this is the oddest story I think I could find today. Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert is suing a New York based design studio for scamming him. Dalembert claims he invested over $1 million to a company to license products for the new "Speed Racer" movie. Apparently, the company doesn't have the rights to make these products so Dalembert is suing for $50,000 (why not the whole million?). Check out the legal documents here.

TMZ

Gunnin For That #1 Spot

A new movie is coming out to select cities and if the trailer is any indication, it looks like it will be a great movie. The movie, "Gunnin For That #1 Spot" is a documentary filmed last summer at Rucker Park in New York City. The film follows a bunch of the nation's top prep basketball players as the play at the famed streetball court.
The movie is directed by Adam Yauch, who most of you probably know as MCA from the Beastie Boys. It's Yauch's second feature length film (two years ago he gave 50 concertgoers hand held cameras and they documented a Madison Square Garden concert for a film titled "Awesome! I Fucking Shot That").
Among the players to look for: Michael Beasley (Kansas State), Kevin Love (UCLA), Kyle Singler (Duke), Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), and Tyreke Evens (Memphis--next year).

Ugliest Uniforms In Professional Sports

Maxim online has a great list of the top 11 ugliest uniforms in professional sports history. The good news, I finally found someone who agrees with me when I think that the Minnesota Vikings unis are ugly as sin. Men shouldn't wear purple--I'll give Ray Lewis a pass though.

Top 11 Ugliest Uniforms

Where Are They Now?

This is a five year old story from ESPN about a North Carolina high school student who scored 61 points when he was a senior in honor of his grandfather who was murdered at the age of 61 a few days before. If you like having your heart strings tugged at, give it a chance, it's touching.
If you're a big basketball fan--this is a story you need to see, and you'll know why after you get to the 20 second mark.

Fun With Drunk Fans

Yeah, it's a slow day here at the Reach Blog Offices. Here's one of my all time favorite moments involving drunk fans. It takes place at Turner Field in Atlanta during a rainout sometime last season. As soon as the video begins, you know where it's headed and it's marvelous. Hope you like.

Derek Fisher's Foul And Vanessa Bryant's Foul Mouth

Quite an ending in San Antonio last night. Brent Barry's three pointer was off the mark at the last second and whether or not you thought Fisher fouled him (he did), the Lakers have a 3-1 lead heading back to Los Angeles on Thursday night. A win on Thursday and the NBA has half of it's dream matchup set (if only the league could do something about those unpredictable Pistons).
It has been an interesting couple of days for Kobe Bryant. Last week, a rumor emerged claiming that he was cheating on his wife with a Laker Girl who mysteriously was fired from her job (lawsuit?). This week, along with a potential birth in the NBA Finals, Kobe's has to deal with his wife Vanessa who is...shall we say irritated with ESPN The Magazine writer Laura Lane for a piece she wrote about Vanessa. The article was--gasp--about Vanessa Bryant's outfit and how she spends her time with her kids (how dare Lane!).
So Vanessa Bryant spots Lane at the Lakers game Sunday and lets her have it. The follwing is directly from Lane's blog:

Last night, I got cussed out by Vanessa Bryant. Seriously. At the Lakers game. In front of her kids. In front of the Lakers locker room. It was awesome. She is mad about an article I wrote where I mentioned her. That means one of two things - she either reads the ESPN blog or she has herself on Google alerts. Both are fantastic.
So as I’m walking out of the Lakers locker room after some post-game interviews with the players, I pass Vanessa, who is sitting outside the locker room as usual with her two girls.
“Laura!” she screams (yes, she apparently knows my name). “F--- you! You f------ b----!”
“Excuse me?” I say, completely baffled as I look around me to see if there is someone else named Laura. No, there’s not.
Her daughters – ages 5 and 2 – are sitting next to her on the bench looking at their mom as she screams.
“F--- you! How dare you write about me and my daughters and their schedule! You didn’t say you were writing an article! F--- you! You f------ bitch. You have no journalism ethics! F--- you! You b---- - ”
I just stare at her. I’ve heard many stories about her from reporters, but this was unbelievable. Two of my friends from the LA Times told me how she cussed out one of them last season, because he said hi to her daughter. “Join the club, this means you’ve arrived,” said one reporter when word spread of my run-in with Vanessa. “She’s insane,” said another. “Everyone knows it.”

It's a good thing that Lane didn't bring up anything too personal...like how she got the $4.3 million purple ring or the world's only automatic Lamborghini. That might have really set her off.

Awful Announcing: ESPN Writer Gets Cussed Out By Kobe Bryant's Wife

If Only Will Ferrell Movies Were Two Minutes Long

I'll be the first to admit, Will Ferrell movies have pretty much sucked since "Anchorman" ("Stranger Than Fiction" was a movie Will Ferrell happened to be in). "Talladega Nights" started this trend of sports flicks for Ferrell which more or less follow the same formula: Will Ferrell's character has an oversized ego, he wears funny outfits, spits out a catchphrase or two, throw in a scene with a wild animal, roll credits. "Blades Of Glory" was one of the longest 90 minutes of my life because both the movie was awful and because I seem to be the only person who doesn't think Jon Heder is funny.
I learned my lesson after "Blades of Glory"--don't pay $8.50 to see a Will Ferrell movie in theatres. "Semi-Pro" is available today at Blockbuster so I'll see it at some point I'm sure, but the reason for this post is the new trailer for "Step Brothers". "Step Brothers" is the new comedy starring Ferrell and John C. Reilly (does anyone remember Reilly was nominated for an Oscar?!). The one thing Ferrell movies have going for them is the trailers. They always seem to be funnier than the actual movie, which I guess is the point of trailers--to sell you on the movie. But I'm not fooled. The trailer makes me laugh, the movie will make me want to hit someone. So, I'll just show you the trailer--just promise you won't shell out $8.50 for the ticket when the movie opens. Do we have a deal?
By the way, this trailer is NSFW (once again: Not Safe For Work, since I've gotten complaints from people who don't know what that means--it means they say fuck a lot in this trailer, so don't play it while you're at work).

Atlas

Reason #1 I'm bummed about missing out on Lollapalooza this year: Battles. This New York City band sounds like they would put on a great live show. The band itself is made up of members of Helmet, Don Caballero, and Storm and Stress. Their first album "Mirrored" is their first material to have lyrics, as their previous EPs have only been instrumentals.
The music video is their album cover come to life. It reminds me of the future scenes in the movie "The Fountain"--but with an experimental rock band and without a script that makes me want to mash my head against a brick wall for six hours (damnit that movie was awful--I slept through the last hour of it and STILL feel like my time was wasted). I'm rambling. Enjoy "Atlas" by Battles...

Woody Harrelson To Surf Hungry

Get your Woody Harrelson fix while you still can. The actor, and marijuana spokesman, plans on killing himself just as soon as he gets a break in his schedule. Harrelson plans on traveling to an island and starve himself for 40 day. Did we mention he's a marijuana spokesperson? Does this really seem like a good idea--actually, does this even seem possible? Celebitchy.com has all the details:

"Woody Harrelson plans to live on a remote island and eat nothing for 40 days - to see how the experience affects his brain.
The actor, 46, will go ahead with the experiment as soon as he gets a break in his work schedule.
‘I’ve always wanted to do it,’ he says.
‘I know it’s going to be really hard. But can you imagine it? Eating nothing for 40 days? Swimming and surfing every day in a remote place? Where does the mind go?’"

Call me crazy, but you need energy to surf or swim--otherwise, as logic would have it, you would be too weak and you would drown (imagine how that would effect the brain).

Celebitchy

Joakim Noah Surprises No One

True story: I was working the second job Sunday night when someone who knew I was a Bulls fan told me that a Chicago Bull was arrested and they found marijuana. My first, last, and only thought was Noah. Actually, if you've seen an interview with Noah, this will probably come as no surprise to you (see video below), in fact, his father Yannick Noah admitted a few years ago that he too smokes the grass.
Apparently, Noah was seen by police in Gainsville (his former college town) drinking out of a plastic cup on the street. They found an amber liquid that was found to be alcoholic. After a search at the police station they found the weed.
Since Noah lead the Florida Gators to back to back National Championships, he is held up on a god like level, so it really makes you wonder if something else happened that isn't being reported. I mean, I went to the University of Minnesota, I've been caught with an open container of alcohol on the streets and even though I was a nobody at the school, I never got arrested--I just had to pour it out. So, perhaps there's more to this story than we're hearing now.

Pork And Beans

For those of you who were bumping around You Tube yesterday, you probably came across this music video for Weezer's new song "Pork and Beans". The world premier of the video was on You Tube. The video is quite simply an orgy of You Tube celebrities...hence the debut on You Tube.
The song is also a throwback to old school Weezer from the "Blue Album" or "Pinkerton" era. I don't want to spoil the video if you haven't seen it yet so without further b.s...enjoy Weezer's "Pork and Beans"

NBA Mock Draft 1

So now we know the order of the lottery so it seems like the right time to get started with the Mock Drafts. This is a very basic lottery mock draft for now. I'll get more detailed with each pick soon, but wanted to get this one out there for now. A few things I'd like to mention: I think the Timberwolves should go with OJ Mayo at #3, but I think they will go Brook Lopez. Danilo Gallinari seems to be destined for New York because of his relationship with Mike DiAntoni, however if Mayo somehow falls to the Knicks it would make things interesting for them since it could bring legitimate star power back to the Garden and you know the fans would be impatient with Gallinari. Anyhow, best guess at this point in time:
1. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose, PG Memphis
2. Miami Heat- Michael Beasley, PF Kansas State
3. Minnesota Timberwolves- Brook Lopez, C Stanford
4. Seattle Supersonics- Jerryd Bayless, PG Arizona
5. Memphis Grizzlies- O.J. Mayo, SG USC
6. New York Knicks- Danilo Gallinari, SF Italy
7. Los Angeles Clippers- Anthony Randolph, SF/PF LSU
8. Milwaukee Bucks- Eric Gordon, SG Indiana
9. Charlotte Bobcats- Kevin Love, C UCLA
10. New Jersey Nets- DeAndre Jordan, C Texas A&M
11. Indiana Pacers- DJ Augustin, PG Texas
12. Sacramento Kings- Russell Westbrook, PG UCLA
13. Portland Trailblazers- Joe Alexander, SF West Virginia
14. Golden State Warriors- Darrell Arthur, PF Kansas

Things To Post On A 3 Day Weekend

Ok, truth be told I'm not a fan of lacrosse or softball. Wouldn't you know it? That's about all that's on TV for sports today. So what can I do? Naturally post this classic video of John Stossel getting slapped by a professional wrestler. I can't imagine many people are on the site today (thank you extended weekend), so I can't feel too guilty about the lack of posts this weekend. Enjoy the Monday off.

Get Myself Into It

How about The Rapture? No, not the end of the world...Although, it brings up sub question--since we're all going to die one day, why not during the rapture? It would be a very unique experience? Or a Zombie Attack? I've always been under the impression that a zombie attack is the worst case scenario imaginable. Think about it, you would be attacked by people you know (your friends?) and they would be trying to eat you...alive. I can't think of a worse situation.
On the other hand, my buddy JV claims that he would rather be attacked by zombies than be in a situation like in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" where a psycho is chasing you with a chainsaw and a mask made of people's faces.
See, in the end, I think the trump card is that "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" isn't real, whereas zombies are potentially real.
I guess the main point of this post is two thing:
1. If gas gets higher than $5.00/gallon, I'm going to lose my shit.
2. If you only do one thing today--make sure it's enjoy the music video for The Rapture's "Get Myself Into It".

I Suppose That's One Way To Beat The Padres

I found this video over at With Leather. I don't what to say about Albert Pujols. The man is a beast. So much in fact that one might think he took it upon himself to take out the Padres one by one.
We start the carnage off in the top of the 3rd as Prince Albert lines a Chris Young pitch off Young's face (note the irony that Young and Randy Johnson are the only pitchers in the league who would be affected by that line drive as they are both 6'10 or taller). Later that inning as Pujols comes around to score he slides right into Josh Bard's angle and pretty much makes everyone sitting in the first five to ten rows want to throw up. It's ugly. Watch at your own descretion.
This video is both plays in one--so wait until about 3:10 and you'll see the play at the plate.
Seriously, this is impressive. Have you ever seen a batter take out the battery in one half inning?

Rock Box

Here's something everyone should be able to enjoy. I was searching for a video online for today's Music Video Of The Day and I came across this Run D.M.C. classic. This was the first hip hop video to ever be on MTV. Hence the opening minute or so where a crazy professor type is trying to define "Rap Music".
Then, the cheezy 1980's graphics take hold and MTV was never the same again. Also look for a guy playing guitar that looks a lot like one of the original MTV VJ's, JJ Jackson.
Whatever, I'm still in shock over the Bulls winning the lottery last night, so I can't think of anything else to say. Without taking any more of your time, enjoy Run D.M.C.'s "Rock Box"

Mike Piazza Retires, Nobody Seems To Notice

One story that seemed to not get a whole lot of attention yesterday was the retirement of Mike Piazza retired from Major League Baseball yesterday after a 16 year career that saw him apprear in 12 All Star Games, including a streak of 10 straight seasons. He's also the only catcher to hit for .300, 30 HR, 100 RBIs in six different seasons.

Not too bad for a guy who was drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB Draft by Tommy Lasorda as a favor to Piazza's father. He will also go down as the greatest catcher to ever play one week for the Florida Marlins.

My favorite memory about Piazza is his appearance on "Married...With Children". I can't find the clip on You Tube for the life of me. Can anyone help me out here?

That Just Happened!

A couple of notes about last night's NBA Draft Lottery:

1. My Bulls somehow bucked the odds and landed the #1 pick. I don't know exactly how to react to this. To be honest, it hasn't even sunk in. The team that some publications were picking to win the Eastern Conference this year, had a down year, but somehow landed the first pick? I think I was more excited when we found out the Bulls jumped into the top 3. At that point? Playing with house money. Also, sitting with a few Timberwolves fans, I was hoping they'd land #1 or #2 along with the Bulls. Then, the Wolves landed the #3 pick and I wanted to feel bad at that moment but then I realized: Holy shit, the Bulls are going to get Michael Beasley or Derrek Rose. That thought lasted for all of three seconds before the Heat's logo popped up and then I realized: Holy shit, the Bulls are going to have their choice between Michael Beasley or Derrek Rose!

2. You gotta feel for Timberwolves fans. They seemed to know they wouldn't get the first or second pick before the lottery began. Almost as if just having Kevin McHale in the front office makes you lose all hope in your team. After landing the #3 pick, you can almost see Danilo Gallinari getting fitted for his Timberwolves hat (You might think I'm just pouring salt into the collective wounds of Wolves fans, but Chad Ford thinks it's a distinct possiblity).

3. So Bulls take Beasley/Rose and Miami takes option #2, do both teams make the playoffs next year? I think the Bulls are in (they just had a quirky season) but assuming Wade is healthy and Marion resigns with the Heat? Is it really that far fetched? That could end up being a 7 or 8 seed.

4. Fred Hoiberg's reaction to the Wolves landing at #3 is priceless. The teddy bear he was holding didn't do him any favors (yes, I know the bear was a gift from a sick kid to bring the Wolves good luck, but combine the teddy bear with Hoiberg looking 12 years old--even if you're Wolves fan, you have to find it funny). Don't agree? Go to the 5:33 mark in this video and try and tell me it's not funny.

We'll have much more on the NBA Draft over the next few weeks leading up to the draft. Josh Nguyen will be posting more draft bios and I'll be doing my weekly mock draft starting this week.