Fantasy Football is Better than Real Life

Not a Cake-Walk

2011-04-11T14:35:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of nbcsports.msnbc.com

The NBA Western Conference is so deep that even the number one versus number eight seed game is not clear-cut.

The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs split their regular season series against each other (2-2). Both of the Grizzlies wins came in the second half of the season.

Player to Watch: If Memphis plans on giving the Spurs a run for their money, leading scorer (20.1 PPG) and rebounder (12.2RPG) Zach Randolph to have one hell of a series.

During mid-March, the time period Tim Duncan was sidelined with an injury, the Spurs lost the most consecutive games since he has been on the team (6). If Duncan is not at 100% health level by the time this series starts, the Grizzlies may have an even better chance at getting the upset, than previously perceived.

Despite some of their recent struggles, the Spurs finished with over 60 wins for a reason. They scored the 6^th most amount of points per night in the NBA (103.8), and allowed the 14^th fewest (97.8).

Bottom line: The Spurs were an eye-popping 36-5 at their AT&T Center. Look for the Spurs to continue to defend their turf in San Antonio.

Prediction: the Spurs will not get by without some bumps and bruises, yet they are too good not to make it through the first round (Spurs over Grizzlies in 6).

(Statistics up-to date as of April 10, 2011)

"We're Not Done With This Thing"

2011-04-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of nbcsport.msnbc.com

Last time the Bulls made it to the playoffs, Chicago was the number eight seed in the East. LeBron James and the Cavilers destroyed the Bulls from start to finish by taking only five games to eliminate the Bulls from the playoffs.

Flash-forward to Friday, April 8, 2011: Derick Rose and the Bulls ironically defeat the LeBron-less Cavilers 93-82 in Cleveland to clinch the number one seed in the East.

However, despite the big accomplishment there was not much celebrating over receiving the best seed in the East. “It’s a goal that we were chasing and we’re proud to have that goal,” said Carlos Boozer on April 8^th. “But we have other goals, too. We’re not done with this thing.”

If the Bulls are going to reach their “other goals” they will first need to go through the Indiana Pacers in the first round.

Chicago was 3-1 this season against Indiana, yet their 115-108 OT loss came in their most recent game.

Derick Rose put up 42 points, including three free throws with 1.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the score, and send the game to overtime. The scary thing: It still wasn’t enough to win!

Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Granger, the two Pacers that need to be shutdown if the Bulls plan on winning this series, put up a combined 48 points in Indiana’s overtime triumph.

Bottom Line: The Pacers finished the season as the only team in the NBA to make the playoffs with a sub .500 record.

While the Bulls are young and playoff inexperienced, soon to be NBA Coach of the Year, Tom Thibodeau will have this team ready to play. There is a reason the Bulls turned around from a .500 team the year before and now a 60+ win team this season. Thibodeau knows how to get the best out of his players night in and night out.

Prediction: The Bulls will win the series over the Pacers in the same amount of games it took to get them out of the playoffs last season (5 games).

Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers Review

2011-03-29T12:59:00.001-05:00

My view of Wiz Khalifa prior to listening to Rolling Papers: I had tried to "get into" Wiz's first two albums, and some of his previous mixtapes. Here and there I found a song that was decent, but nothing ground-breaking.

Wiz Khalifa's September 2010 single Black & Yellow put him on the mainstream map. I did not have huge expectations for Rolling Papers. But with mainstream attention now, Wiz would get better than ever beats to rap over.

Track by track review:

When I'm Gone - Rolling Papers starts with over a minute of slow piano playing. After the beat starts to pick-up, Wiz starts rapping about how he is going to spend all his money now because its useless to him dead. An average song with catchy lyrics to start off the album. C

On My Level ft. Too Short - Outside of not being able to fully understanding what Wiz Khalifa's "level" was, On My Level is the best track on the album. The smooth beat sets the tone for the song right from the start. The chill-ness of the song can be summed up from the opening lyrics to the chorus: "See after drinking champagne all night, Never worry bout a damn thing - y'all might." A-

Black and Yellow - Like Khalifa said "You know what it is." This song has been overplayed by the radio, and "free-styled" over by so many other artists that there is not much else to say about it that has not already been said. A-

Roll Up - Contrary to what you would infer the track would be about from reading the title, Wiz goes a complete different direction. "Whenever you call, baby I roll up," Khalifa spits in the chorus. Despite being thrown off from the track's title, Roll Up is a fresh gap in-between Wiz's normal track subject. B+

Hopes and Dreams - Track number five is the worst score on the album. The beat is chill, yet the lyrics are "wack" beyond belief. "Oh we can go to my house or we can go to your crib; We can jump in your car, you can see how I live, but I’m still throwing money up." What the f*ck does that mean?! D

Wake Up - Wiz raps about how he does not want to "wake up" from the life he's living. Nobody wants to hear about a rapper's struggles once they've become part of mainstream rap and made millions. Khalifia went the right route by appreciating what he's got. C+

The Race - The best beat on the album by far. Khalifa continues his "I made it" attitude by rapping about the attention he gets from girls now compared to before he was hot. "Cause we are, young, gifted, not to mention out here making muthaf*cking millions," Khalifa spits in the third verse. B

Star of the Show ft. Chevy Woods - Khalifa puts his listeners in the shoes of the "star of the show" on this song. Its one of the only songs on the album that actually have a deep meaning. B-

No Sleep - Khalifa goes the complete opposite direction of his previous track, and gets back to rapping about partying. Currently (as of March 29th), No Sleep is the number one best seller in the iTunes music store. There is no doubt this song is fun to listen to, yet its definitely not "number one song on iTunes" special. B

Get Your Sh*t - This song has grown on me a lot since my first play through. Khalifa will relate to plenty of fans in this track by telling his girlfriend it's over. "I'm tired of arguing and fighting girl; Every night you keep calling me with the same shit: I'm goin insane, I swear I love you but this ain't right for us," Khalifa sings in the prominent chorus of Rolling Papers. B

Top Floor - A strange beat that catches your ear right from the start. The lyrics are all over the place in this song, which is a shame because Wiz's flow and the beat deliver nicely. C

Fly Solo - Elementary lyrics with a chorus that repeats "I fly solo" seven times. You start to get the feeling that the best of the album has already past. C-

Rooftops ft. Curren$y - Another "I made it" anthem. "Used to not be allowed in the building, but now we on the rooftop," Wiz sings in the chorus. A chill beat that Khalifa and Curren$y do a good job of spitting over, yet I feel like I already heard this song earlier in the album. C

Cameras - And yet another "I made it" anthem to finish the album. "Got everything you always dreamed and though about, and everyone knows who you are," sings Khalifa. Despite the "cameras" flashing, you'll still be able to fall asleep while listening to the repetitive end of Rolling Papers. C-

Final Verdict - Definitely an album worth listening to at least. However, due to the dramatic downfall of the album down the stretch, Rolling Papers is not worth paying $9.99 for on iTunes (unless you are a huge Khalfia fan). C+

2011 NL Central Predictions

2011-03-20T22:02:00.004-05:00

6. - Last place in the NL Central is nothing new to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Steel City has not seen their baseball team have a winning season since 1992. Not helping the cause, the Pirates lost Zach Duke and Lastings Millage. On the other hand, the "Black and Yellow" team added Lyle Overbay (.243 batting average in 2010), Matt Diaz (.250 batting average in 2010), and Kevin Corriea (5.40 earned run average in 2010). The reigning last place champions look like they will be able to defend their title by taking more steps backward than forward.

5. - The Roy Oswalt era came to an end last season (traded to the Phillies), and the 'Stros finished 2010 ten games under .500. Houston needed to make significant moves in the offseason if they wanted to have a chance to contend for the NL Central crown in 2011. That did not happen. While not losing any big names, the Astros did not add any either. El Caballo (Carlos Lee), 34 years old, is looking to bounce back from his .246 batting average in 2010, yet even if he can, it will not be enough to contend in the NL Central.

4. - The Brewers had quite a stellar offseason to say the least. Then how could they still end up finishing in fourth place? Zach Greinke has been called by several baseball scouts a "head-case", and now will miss his first three starts (due to a rib injury playing basketball). ex-Blue Jay Shaun Marcum has been complaining about tightness in his shoulder recently, which is never what you want to hear from a pitcher. The Brewers set the bar very high on themselves this season by making huge financial moves in what could be Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks' last season in Milwaukee. Pressure to meet expectations will doom the "Brew Crew" in 2011, and they will start to fade during the second half of the season.

3. - There are a grocery list full of questions when it comes to the 2011 Chicago Cubs. Jim Hendry (Cubs general manager) added three more to the list this offseason. Is there anything left of the Carlos Pena that hit .282 and 46 home runs back in 2007 or is the .196 batting average Pena hit last season who the Cubs are receiving? Can Kerry Wood continue to thrive as he did in the American League the past two years or will his injury problems leave him on the disabled list for most of the season? Will the Matt Garza who gave up nineteen runs in three starts last September pitch or will the 2008 ALCS MVP pitch for the Cubs? This team has plenty of potential with their rising star Starlin Castro (As a 20 year old rookie last season he hit .300) leading the way. However, there are too many questions that need to go right for the Cubs to become the NL Central champions.

2.- Albert Pujols contract talks are looming as his contract expires at the end of this season. The Cards' ace Adam Wainwright won't even throw one pitch for the birds this season. How on earth can they contend for the NL Central crown with these huge problems before the season even starts? Tony LaRussa (Cardinals coach) always finds a way to get the best out of his players despite if there is a circus going around the team or not. Albert Pujols and Matt Holiday are one of if not the scariest one, two punch in the MLB. Look for the the Cardinals to be in the thick of both the NL Central and NL Wild Card races as they find a way to win like they always do.

1.- The offseason was pretty dull for Red fans this winter. After winning 91 games in 2010 there was not much that needed to be changed. The only major departure was veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera. World Series MVP Edgar Renteria came Cincinnati to replace him. The Reds are solid in both the hitting and pitching department so it will be tough to shake Cincinnati off course in their road to defend their title as NL Central champions. As long as Joey Votto can have another MVP-like season the Cincinnati Reds will be at the top of the NL Central Standings once again.

Source

AL Central Predictions

2011-03-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

5)In dead last will be the Cleveland Indians. Its hard to believe they almost made it to the World Series in 2007. What a terrible turnaround this team has faced since then. Cleveland had the worst attendance in 2010, they are losing money, and the Indians made literally no moves this offseason to improve this disgraceful team. On top of that, Grady Sizemore can never seem to stay healthy for an entire season. Yet, its not like it would matter, considering there is not much of a team after him in the lineup. Their rotation is young and inexperienced which leaves them finishing last in the AL Central's 2011 final standings.

4)There isnt much to say about the Royals except they will be one of the scariest teams in the MLB- in a few years. Kansas City has the second best minor league system behind the Nationals. What outsiders think the Royals need, though is for these "all star potential prospects" to make their way up to the majors this season if they expect to be an above average team. They must NOT do that. The Royals should patient and their time will come. With the loss of Greinke to the Brewers, the Royals have one of the worst pitching rotations in the league. The Kansas City outfield is decent, infield is good, and the hitting is average. However, The pitching is an embarrassing. The hitting, outfield, and infield will eventually come together, but for their pitching to be improved they are going to have to make some moves or at least start focusing a lot more on their pitching prospects in the minors.

3)Looking at this team, I never understood why I choose them as third. But for whatever reason, I just have the feeling the Detroit Tigers are not going to be as good as they are on paper. They added Victor Martinez. The Tigers have potential Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. And on top of that, they have Miguel Cabrera. Detroit does not have many gaps in their hitting, pitching, or fielding, but I see them being a team that starts out very hot, slumps for a while, and finally finishes hot. The slump will kill them, obviously. I fail to believe Cabrera will bring his DUI problems to the field, so there should be no reason he struggles. There always seems to be a team in the MLB that everyone expects to tear the league apart, but struggles severely at one point or another in the season...and the Tigers are that team for me.

2)If Morneau stays healthy throughout the entire season, the Twins have one of the scariest batting lineups in the entire league. My money says Mauer is going to have another killer year, and will remain the best catcher in all of baseball. Now that they are completely adjusted to their new stadium (not like they needed to) their hitting will be very consistent. The stadium makes a difference because playing in a turf dome in Minnesota, and then switching to an outdoor stadium- in chilly Minnesota, isn't easy. However, outside of the top of the Twins hitting order, Minnesota is below average in the batting department. Joe Nathan will still need to fully recover from his Tommy-John surgery, and Liriano must transform into the ace the Twins once hoped him to be. Their middle infield is awful, with Casilla and Nishioka. Never heard of them? Yeah me neither. But as long as Morneau and Mauer stay healthy the Twins should take second place.

1) The White Sox will win the AL Central. It will be close, though, and may even come down to the final five games to decide who wins the pennant (the Twins should be right on their heels). The main reason the Sox will win is because their rotation beats out every other one. With Buerhle, Peavy, Floyd, Danks, and Jackson, the Sox pitching rotation is the strong point of the team. Their hitting will be much more improved, especially with the addition of the ever dangerous Adam Dunn. Hopefully for the Sox, Gordon Beckham can start hot and stay hot (unlike last season). Their weakest point (and a potential pennant killer) is their bullpen. Not much needs to be said except the White Sox pen does not have as many big names pitchers as other potential playoff teams, and should have spent more money strengthening their biggest weakness.

Homeboy, Eric Church (Song of the Week)

2011-03-14T20:45:00.001-05:00

Eric Church's new single "Homeboy" was released Friday, March 4th on iTunes.

Country music, for me at least, is a constant reminder of the summer. Going to concerts with cowboy hats, flannel shirts, and torn up jorts, road-trips with 99.5 on the radio, relaxing by the lake with Tim McGraw playing from iPod speakers- All of these "country" filled memories remind me of the summer.

Not surprisingly, as a college student during the last quarter of their school year, all that is on my mind is the summer. On that note, I decided to try and find newly released country music in the Country portion of the iTunes library. In the number thirteen slot of the top Country songs on iTunes, I found a song title "Homeboy" by Eric Church.

Being a huge fan of Eric Church's first two cd's, especially his 2009 album entitled Carolina, I needed to give this strange title for a country single a listen.

Listen below to the "Hell on the Heart" singer's new single:

One of the reasons I am an avid country fan is because I love songs that tell meaningful stories. This song tells the story of a wannabe gangster or "homeboy" who ran away from home, that gets asked to return "home-boy" by his brother.

Eric Church co-wrote the song with Casey Beathard.

"I love songs that challenge me as a writer and also challenge the listener," said Church. "This song is a journey, both musically and lyrically, about a man and his search for his wayfaring brother."

The prominent lyrics of the song are found in the last verse:

You can’t hold back the hands of time,

Mama’s goin’ grey, and so is daddy’s mind

I Wish you’d come on back and make it all right

Before they’re called home, boy

For the complete lyrics to the song click here.

This meaningful message to all of those "homeboys" that deserted their roots deserves a 4.5 out of 5.

Eric Church is expected to release a new album on EMI Records Nashville later this year.

The summer is yet so close, but yet so far. Until the summer arrives, country music will have to get me through the rest of this dragging school year.

Source 1

Source 2

Equality in Sports (Lewis Flyer Article)

2011-03-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

Joel Northrup was a favorite to win the 112-pound weight class in Iowa’s state high school tournament this year. When Northrup was scheduled to face off against female wrestler, Cassy Herkelman, in the first round, his hopes to win a state championship changed in the blink of an eye.

Northrup refused to wrestle a girl because it went against his conscious and religious beliefs. He issued this statement through his school, “as a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa.”

Herkelman did not feel insulted by Northrup’s decision.

“He had the right to make his own choice, and he made his choice, “ said Herkelman. “It’s not like he did what he didn’t want to do.”

Similar feelings were stated by Herkelman’s dad.

“That’s their belief, and I praise them for sticking to it. This is the biggest stage in wrestling in the state, I would say, and they stuck to their beliefs when it probably tested it the most,” he said. “It was probably a tough pill for him to swallow.”

Herkelman lost her following two matches and was eliminated from the tournament. Northrup was also eliminated completely after losing his first match in the consolation bracket.

This situation could never happen in a college sport because the NCAA does not have coed sports. Lewis Softball player Alex Washkowiak and baseball player Tom Helwich explained how they felt about letting members of the opposite sex play in their sport.

“I feel that men should not be allowed to play women’s softball just as women are not allowed to play men’s baseball,” said Washkowiak. “Although they seem like similar sports to non players looking in, they are very different and it would be really hard for someone who plays baseball to be able to succeed at softball. Men control most sports and fast-pitch softball is a sport that women have and it would be unfair if men were allowed to play.”

Tom had parallel feelings about allowing women to play baseball, yet for different reasons.

“I do not believe that women should be able to play men’s NCAA baseball,” Helwich said. “I just feel that it goes against baseball’s past. If there were to be a woman that played in the pros then maybe I could see a change, but until then I just don’t think it’s something that baseball needs.”

Washkowiak and Helwich also responded to the current equality of male and female NCAA sports.

“I do not think men and women sports are treated equally by the NCAA,” Washkowiak said. “I believe that men sports have greater opportunities than the female sports. For example, sport television channels rarely show girls college sports; their focus is on men’s college sports.”

Helwich disagreed with Washkowiak on this question. “Yes, I feel that the NCAA treats women’s sports equally to men. Each school has an equal number of sports between men and women. I just don’t see how it is unfair.”

“Although there are not many ways I can think of religion having an impact on the game, I would never let my religious beliefs impact anything about the game,” Washkowiak said about religion impacting her in softball. “The only way we show our religion during softball is by having a team prayer prior to the game.”

The Lewis Flyers baseball team will play a total of 18 games in March, which includes four games at home. Also, the Flyers softball team will start March off with ten games in different Florida locations.

Beautiful Lasers, Lupe Fiasco (Song of the Week)

2011-03-09T15:01:00.007-06:00

Chicago native Lupe Fiasco found his way onto my iPod back in eighth grade (2006) with his rap song about skateboarding "Kick, Push." Five years later, Lupe Fiasco has a few other songs on my iPod, but takes up nowhere near as much space as Kanye West or Kid Cudi. Wiz Khalifa's new music (album comes out March 29th) has not been doing anything for me, so I decided to give Fiasco's Lasers album (released March 8th) a listen.

While listening to Lasers, the album was overall better than I had expected. There were some great songs including Words I Never Said, I Don't Wanna Care Right Now, Never Forget You, and the hit single The Show Goes On. The one song that stood out to me though was track number seven, Beautiful Lasers.

Listen below to Lupe Fiasco's new song Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways) featuring MDMA

Just from hearing the beat at the beginning, you just know the song is going to be epic. On a scale of five stars Beautiful Lasers is worth four. My favorite lyrics to the song are in the chorus:

"There's only 2 ways out of here

You'll be too late, you'll be trapped here forever

There's only 2 ways out of here

One's through the door, the other's through me"

Lupe Fiasco's Lasers album itself has received mixed reviews from critics. The twelve song album is available for download today on iTunes for $10.99.

Bulletstorm Review & Gears of War 3 Beta Preview

2011-03-06T15:14:00.004-06:00

Bulletstorm was released for Xbox 360, PS3, & PC on February 22nd

When I first heard about Bulletstorm, the big thing that stood out to me was that it was being created by Epic Games studios. Epic Games created my favorite video games, overall to date: Gears of War & Gears of War 2. Needless, to say I was interested in this game from the get-go.

Once Gears of War 3's release date was pushed back from this April to September, I knew I needed a way to condense my anxiety until what seemed (and still does) like a lifetime away. Bulletstorm sounded like it could be the antidote to get this "Gear-Head" through an extra six months without (what will most likely be) the best game ever. However, I was not completely "sold" about spending sixty dollars on a game that had mixed reviews from several critic reviews.

Then, news broke that with a copy of an "Epic Edition" of Bulletstorm (still costs regular price), a free code to be part of the Gears of War 3 beta would be included. This piece of information sealed the deal for me, and I pre-ordered a copy of Bulletstorm at Gamestop.

The multiplayer beta for Gears of War 3 is expected to go live for "Epic Edition" of Bulletstorm owners April 18th, and April 25th for those who pre-order Gears of War 3 at Gamestop. The beta will extend until May 15th.

What are the perks to being part of the beta? There will be three new versus modes to play on four unique maps. Also, a chance to unlock four different "flaming" weapons in the retail game. Plus, for playing a dedicated amount of time you can unlock a unique Cole outfit, and a "gold-plated" lancer. For a complete and more in-depth list of the beta's perks, click here.

Watch above for a sneak-peek of Gears of War 3's multiplayer.

Finally, here is the breakdown of Bulletstorm:

Campaign - Just shortly after starting up the campaign it is apparent that this is not your average first person shooter. The main character, Grayson Hunt, is a space-pirate looking for revenge against his manipulative ex-boss. That's right a space-pirate. During the eight-ten hour campaign with Hunt, you will get to use a leash to yank enemies closer to you, control a dinosaur with a toy remote, and collect points while killing enemies in 131 different ways.

Multiplayer - If you're expecting a Gears of War-like multiplayer, look to be greatly disappointed. If you're expecting a co-op based Gears of War-like horde mode, then you were correct. There are a total of 65 waves to beat in Bulletstorm's multiplayer called "Anarchy." While playing this part of the game, I found it very difficult to play due to a lack of communication between gamers let alone find a match itself. I was greatly disappointed with the lack of even a team death match mode, and found the multiplayer to be a waste of time.

Final Thought - This was an extremely fun campaign with a decent storyline that could have been better. If I had to put a price on how much the game itself is worth I would say $40. Not because it is not a great experience, yet because of the average length campaign, and simplistic multiplayer. What made this game worth $60 was the definite, and week early access to the Gears of War 3 beta. This is a must-play campaign, but if you are not dying to play the Gears of War 3 beta, than you are better off waiting for the game to drop in price. Overall, I would give this game a four out of five with the only negative being a non-existent in-depth multiplayer. The campaign itself is exciting enough to declare Bulletstorm as one of my favorite games ever.

Watch above for a walk-through of Bulletstorm with the game's producer Cliff Bleszinski.

Source

Dave's Upcoming Blog Post Schedule:

On Deck - Song of the Week: Beautiful Lasers, Lupe Fiasco

In the Hole - Matt Garza: Cubs Offseason Report: Part 3 of 3

Incase You Missed It - Watch, listen, and read my last Song of the Week featuring ex-American Idol contestant, Chris Medina's What Are Words here

What Are Words, Chris Medina (Song of the Week)

2011-03-01T18:11:00.001-06:00

Pop music in general today has no meaning behind it. If you can dance to the beat of a song that's all that matters. So, when you hear a pop song like ex-American Idol contestant (just missed making the top 24) Chris Medina's What Are Words it is refreshing.

MUST WATCH FIRST: Before listening to Chris Medina's song, listen to the heartbreaking story behind it.

If you did not cry or at least get the chills watching that, there is something wrong with you. Medina's story made him an early American Idol fan favorite, which is why it was so hard to see him get kicked off before the top 24 on the show.

Watch the music video to Chris Medina's single What Are Words that was released February 25th on iTunes.

It is great to see that American Idol was not the end of Medina's musical journey. This heartwarming and fun to sing-a-long song is worth four out of five stars in my book.

A portion of the song's proceeds goes toward his fiancee's recovery fund.

Dave's Upcoming Blog Post Schedule:

On Deck - Video Game Review: Bulletstorm (made by the people who gave you the Gears of War series, Epic Games)

Incase You Missed It - Read my review of Kerry Wood's return to the north-side here.

Hometown Discount (Cubs Offseason Report: Kerry Wood)

2011-02-28T23:41:00.005-06:00

Kerry Wood, the fourth overall draft pick by the Cubs in 1995, struck out 20 in a game against the Astros in 1998 (Houston would go onto win 102 games that season).

The Cubs had just spent big money on Carlos Pena in December, and now the question was: "What's next?"

ex-Cub Kerry Wood had offers from three or four different ball clubs, yet his decision on where to play in 2011 came down to more than just money. Kerry Wood wanted to come back to the team he played the majority of his career with, and raise his daughters in the Windy City. The Cubs did not originally think they would be in contention to get the one time face of their team back.

Kerry Wood did not just want to return to the city of Chicago. He wanted to become a Cub again. Woody's willingness to return to the north side was so strong that he took a 1.5 million dollar deal for one year from the Cubs over a 3.5 million dollar deal for one year from the White Sox.

Even if Wood went to the "dark-side" he would ever be beloved by Cubs nation. It does not take a rocket-scientist to realize that 3.5 million dollars is more money than 1.5 million dollars. If he loves the Cubs enough to take the two million dollar discount to be on the north-side that is even more of a reason to embrace the return of our former hero.

Indian and Yankee uniforms never looked right on Kerry Wood.

After being traded from the Indians to the Yankees in July of 2010, Wood posted a 0.69 ERA the remainder of the regular season.

In 2011 Kerry Wood will be the set-up man for Cubs closer Carlos Marmol. Wood has made over 70 million dollars during his twelve year tenure thus far in the MLB, yet it is still nice to see Kerry Wood take being a Cub over money. Hopefully, the Cubs can take advantage of the bargain they got, and make a chase for the playoffs this season.

Dave's Schedule the rest of Week (schedule adjusted due to the Target Chase Down story on Sunday)

On Deck - Song of the Week: Chris Medina's What are Words

In the Hole - Adam Wainwright's injury impact on NL Central

Chase-Down at Target

2011-02-27T01:00:00.001-06:00

4:20 PM (forty minutes away from being done with my Saturday work shift) - I'm zoning out pushing carts waiting to get out of the hell hole some refer to as "Target." Out of the corner of my eye I see a black male about twenty-five years old and 180 pounds staring me down. I look back at him for a second, then I continue to push my carts past him into the store. When I come back out he is joined by a friend with the same description. They have a black bag with what they are claiming to be "fundraiser" candy inside of it. Then it clicked in my head who they were.

One of the other cart attendants was telling me about how our boss had gotten into a confrontation with them last Friday about selling their "fundraiser" candy (which they had no proof for that they were helping out any organization) on Target property. There were threats of calling the cop After the confrontation they walked into the Babies R Us lot, and sold their candy there. Once a couple minutes went by the two scumbags were back in the Target parking lot selling their candy. The cart attendant on duty gave a heads-up to our boss that went back inside that the men were back. Our boss called the cops, whom arrived in about ten minutes. The only problem was the two ran away before the cops got a chance to talk to them.

Back to Saturday - I went inside, and gave my boss and our "Target cop" (this is in quotations because 99% of the time they are useless unless it is 4:59 AM on Black Friday and crazy people are fighting for TVs) a heads-up that the two did not learn their lesson. This time the two were not fortunate enough to get a heads-up that cops might be headed their way. After fifteen minutes went by a cop car pulled up, and proceded to question the men. Then the cop went on to searching their clothes for anything suspicious. I could not determine what was being said, but from what happened next I interpreted it was not what the two men wanted to hear.

One decided to make a dash for it. While watching from the bottom of the Target parking lot it felt like everything was happening in slow-motion. The black male that decided to run across the Babies R Us parking lot and the cop were running at the same speed, yet the now-criminal's head start kept them apart. The cop proceded to pull his taser out, but whiffed on his attempt to zap the runner. Then the "Target cop" (whom is black, ripped, and about twenty five as well) decided to join in on the chase.

For the next couple minutes my vision of the chase was blocked, and I was left to ponder the outcome. About three minutes later, I saw was the "Target cop" with his hand squeezing the back of criminal's shirt next to the cop walking back towards Target.

As the criminals were in the car they kept yelling slurs and threats at the "Target cop." I was not able to hear most of it, but the highlight of what I did eavesdrop on was this quote: "This ain't the last time I'm gunna see you. I'll be back again." The "Target cop" shrugged and chuckled underneath his breath at them while the cops asked for his information to most likely put in the Orland Park newspaper.

I wondered why the two males were back again when I first realized who they were. As I pushed carts past them I saw about one out of every three people give them business since they thought they were helping out a good cause. In the end, all their scam did was entertain me during my last forty minutes of work, and give them a back-seat trip to the Orland Park Police Station.

IM BAACCK!!

2011-02-25T12:24:00.001-06:00

I'm going to my first Cubs vs. Sox game at Wrigley (I have been to two at U.S. Cellular/Comiskey Park before)

I'm sure you're all dying to know what I've been up to since my last post on Valentine's Day. Well here's the rundown:

I bought tickets to Cubs vs. Sox games at both Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular. The total number of Cubs games I will be attending in their 2011 season is now at seven (five at Wrigley, one at U.S. Cellular, and one at Pittsburg's PNC Park).
Lewis University (The college I attend) bombarded students with homework before their "Spring Break" (February 28-March 5th). So I have been busy with homework.
Target kept me prisoner five days a week by making me mop floors and clean toilets. Nothing out of the ordinary, for a "cart-attendant" (When my boss asked me to switch jobs to cart-attendant back in January I thought the description of the job was in the job name. I was wrong. Cart-attendant at Target is essentially the Target janitor.)
Listened to Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on repeat in my Prius whenever I was driving.
And here's some other stuff that nobody cares about that I did : got my first credit card, pre-ordered Bulletstorm, and watched It's Kind of a Funny Story (I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars).

Since I will be on Spring Break next week, and have been slacking on articles recently I thought writing a handful of posts next week would be necessary. Here's the rundown for my articles next week:

Sunday - Part 2 of 3 of the Cubs offseason report that will focus on welcoming back Kerry Wood to the friendly confines
Monday - The Song of the Week (TBD what song(s) will be featured)
Wednesday - The impact of Adam Wainwright's injury to the NL Central
Friday - Part 3 of 3 of the Cubs offseason report that will focus on the trade for Matt Garza (from Tampa Bay) and the effect it has on the Cubs farm system

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you will check out my next post on Sunday!

Black and Yellow? More Like Black and Blue

2011-02-16T19:47:00.004-06:00

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a huge sports town when it comes to hockey and football. But where is the baseball in this town? Ever since the passing of the great Roberto Clemente the Pittsburgh Pirates have found themselves living at the bottom of N.L. Central standings. It's bad, in fact the Pirates have not had a winning season in 18 years. In those 18 years, the city has seen the Penguins win 3 Stanley Cups, and the Steelers win 2 Super Bowls. In the city of so much sports success, the Pirates just don't seem to belong.

Why have the Pirates been so bad for so long? They love to trade away their talent when they seem to be at the peak of their careers. Since 2001 the Pirates have traded away multiple stars who have found success in the MLB with other clubs. Some of these players include Jason Schmidt, Jason Kendall, Aramis Ramirez, Nate McClouth, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRouche, Xavier Nady, Ryan Doumit, Jose Batista, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell, and Jason Bay. Heard of any of them? If you pay any attention to baseball, you should have heard of at least five or more of these players. Getting rid of just one of these players would make any team lose a little something. But to lose all of these guys? I can see why they are close to losing 100 games a season.

Losing these players does have a positive in there too though. The Pirates have their share of prospects on the way, and in three to five years could be a major contender for the N.L. Central crown. But the major question is, will they keep their core young stars that include major talents including Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, and Garret Jones? Or will the same cycle continue for the dreadful Pirates when the July 31 trade deadline comes along. The Pirates management needs to keep this young talent if they want to fit in, in "The Steel City."

The Grammys: What Went Wrong

2011-02-14T20:56:00.003-06:00

Justin Bieber is already so ridiculously famous he has a movie biography about his life at the age of 16.

The winner of Best New Artist did not go to Justin Bieber, the 2nd most popular artist on Facebook with over 21 million fans (only behind Lady Gaga). The award went to Jazz performer, Esperanza Spaldling, who has under 70 thousand Facebook fans.

Sure, there are people everywhere that find Justin Bieber's voice obnoxious or even too feminine (including myself). However, it is impossible to argue with album sales. Justin's first album "My World" went platinum within the first two months of its release in the United States. His second album "My World 2.0" has gone double platinum in the United States. Spalding has released three studio albums thats combined sales have not reached platinum.

Watch Justin Bieber, Usher, & Jaden Smith perform at the 2011 Grammys

After the award was given out Kanye West tweeted, "Damn... I can't find the words to explain how I feel about the best new artist award... Don't wanna say the wrong thing." Bieber fans backlashed against Spalding as well through Wikipedia. Earlier today the page read that Esperanza Spalding is a "F***ING REATARD."

You cannot dispute the amount of young girls Justin Bieber has following him wherever he goes. You cannot dispute the Facebook fans or album sales. Hate him or love him, he deserved to win Best New Artist at the Grammys last night.

Best Luv Song, T-Pain ft. Chris Brown (Song of the Week: Valentine Edition)

2011-02-13T23:54:00.003-06:00

With Valentine's Day being this week, I figured it only right to pick a love song for this edition of Song of the Week.

T-Pain recently was so infuriated with the music industry he started to leak his new album "RevolveR". What was his reasoning? "Since nobody wants to respect this form of art that you all say we 'love' so much, I'm just gonna go ahead and start leakin the album myself tonight," explained T-Pain.

One of the first two songs leaked was "Best Luv Song" that featured Chris Brown. The two pick up after their last single "Kiss, Kiss" and continue to make incredible music. Auto-tune might be a fad itself, but T-Pain perfects the use of it.

The whole song just clicks the first time you hear it, and was made for the radio. Chris Brown and T-Pain's sound terrific together, and really made a song that is easy to sing and fun to dance. Overall I'd give this song 4 out of 5 stars. Hopefully, T-Pain continues to feel generous and leak even more of an album that looks strong thus far.

Honorable Mention: Roll Up, Wiz Khalifa

Staying with the Valentine's Day theme, Wiz raps over an R&B beat how "whenever you call baby, I roll up."

From Rebuilding Year to Playoff Hopeful (Cubs Offseason Report: Carlos Pena)

2011-02-13T17:23:00.000-06:00

Carlos Pena gives the Cubs a left-handed power bat that has been much needed in recent years.

The Cubs finished 2010 with an embarrassing 75-87 record that was good enough for fifth place in the NL Central. Plain and simple: Changes needed to be made.

Where to start? Obviously, sign a player that will be 33 in May, on the downhill part of his career, and also bat .196 last season. The ten million dollar service for only one year was quite pricey as well. So, where are the positives to signing ex-Ray Carlos Pena?

Not all of last season's stats were embarrassing. Despite the dismal batting average Pena was still able to pull off a 28 home run and 84 RBI season.

Watch Carlos Pena's official introduction as a Cubs at his news conference with Jim Hendry

Playing anywhere besides the AL East your stats are going to be elevated. The NL Central pitching staffs are not a joke by any means in 2011, but at least Carlos will not have to go against the Yankees and Red Sox a combined 36 times like he did last season.

Finally, Carlos Pena is also a great influence for any team locker room and city. When Pena left the Rays to join the Cubs he bought an ad in a local Tampa Bay newspaper thanking the community for his experience there. He is a class act, and former teammates only have positive statements to attribute to him.

Tom Hank's Son Raps?! (Song of the Week)

2011-02-10T22:00:00.001-06:00

Yes, you read that correctly, Tom Hanks' son, Chester Marlon Hanks aka "Chet Haze," raps. Chester currently is a 21 year old student at North Western and also created a freestyle about college life there called "White and Purple."

I know what went through your hed when your first saw this. "It is hard enough to succeed as a white rapper, but to top it off, this is Forrest Gump's son?!" But before you make anymore "rash" decisions give it a listen.

Chet shows potential as an aspiring rapper, and shows some impressive flow that cannot be taught. The paramount line in the song is "my balls served more than Serena playing tennis." The downfall to the freestyle are his periodic absurd lyrics. One example is "stab you in the pee-hole". Overall I'd rate the song 2.5 out of 5 stars. Hopefully, Chet will learn from his questionable lyrics, and build on his hot ones.

Howard Stern did not like "Chet Haze" as much as I did, but you can listen to his funny commentary on the freestyle below:

While Stern's take on Haze is pretty funny, I disagree with his overall look at the song. Sure, Haze sounds a little strange when he starts the video off by saying "my homie showed me this beat," but if you can get past that, the freestyle does not sound half-bad. Stern also rips on Hanks for growing up in Beverly Hills, and says he has nothing to be angry about. Why does it matter where you come from rich or poor? All that matters is whether or not for the three minutes of a song that it sounds good or not. I'm not defending Haze's "wannabe-gangster" lifestyle beyond his music. My point is that an artist's work should be judged on just that, and not the artist's background.

Chet Haze's mixtape "Get Hazed" will be released on Valentine's Day and can be downloaded here.

2011 NFL Playoff Wrap-Up/What's Ahead

2011-02-09T15:08:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Aaron Rodgers on winning the Super Bowl and the MVP award for it despite 15 Packer players on IR

What a playoff season we had in 2011. Out of all the games played there were only TWO final scores where the teams playing were separated by double digit numbers. Even with all the down to the wire games I was still knowledgeable (lucky) enough to finish with an 8-3 record of predicting games this postseason. I enjoyed writing prediction articles for games, and thanks to everyone who followed them.

Baseball season is almost here!

Whats up next for Fantasy Football is Better than Real Life? The Spring is right around the corner and on that note, so is MLB Spring Training. I will be following the Cubs weekly starting in March, but I already posted my first article about new Cardinal, Ryan Theriot, on Monday. Marty will be giving an overview of the MLB in general, and here is a link to his look on the MLB Offseason's winners and losers. Newcomer, Kevin Ryan will be joining the staff in a couple of weeks to start covering the White Sox as well. Last Saturday, I started my "Song of the Week" segment with Lil Wayne's "Green and Yellow." Look for my new song reviews each week (hence the segment title), and whatever news I have an opinion on.

Thanks again for reading, and we hope to keep making the blog even better.

Lewis Flyer's Behind the Athlete

2011-02-07T21:36:00.001-06:00

This is my first segment of "Behind the Athlete" for the Lewis Flyer. It is obviously not that great being my first time conducting a live video interview, so it is a little rough around the edges. Hopefully, it will only get better with each entry though. I got lucky enough to interview the 2010 MIVA Freshman volleyball player of the year, Ian Karbenier, who just came off a big performance in the #4 Stanford vs. Lewis match-up.

Big recruiting classes don't always mean National Championship

2011-02-07T21:12:00.004-06:00

Every first Wednesday of February recruits all over the nation make their picks on where they are going to play football in the future. Along with the recruits comes the rankings 1-25 in top classes for the year. This year Florida State grabbed the number one spot as the top class signing 29 recruits and 12 of them were in the ESPNU top 150 prospects list. So does this mean that in 2-4 years Florida State is the team to look out for?

The answer: Not necessarily.

Evidence: The National Championship this season between Auburn 22 vs Oregon 19, had stars in the game including Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, Michael Dyer for Auburn, and LaMichael James, and Darron Thomas offensively for the Ducks. These are all solid players, but Auburn, and especially Oregon's recruiting classes went under the radar. From 2006-2010 according to ESPN ranking systems of top classes 1-25 Auburn was in the top 25 in recruiting four out of the five times (not making the top 25 in 2007) and just pulling out the 25th spot in 2009. The Oregon Ducks on the other hand, only hand two top 25's (23rd in '07 and 22nd in '10).

Sum it up:

It is shocking to see that Oregon was four points away from winning the National Championship not even breaking the top 20 in recruiting, and Auburn only breaking the top five once. This proves that when it comes to recruiting, it might not always be quality of players, but the quantity of players at a given position. So in three years will Florida State be the National Championship? Only time can answer that question, but this year Auburn and Oregon proved to us all that teams with lower ranked recruiting classes can be major contenders in College Football.

Ryan Theriot: Cub Nation Enemy #1

2011-02-07T21:03:00.003-06:00

ex-Cub Ryan Theriot was beloved by Cubs fans in his six year tenure in Chicago

Last November, in an interview with St. Louis radio station KFNS, Ryan Theriot broke my and Cubs fans every where's heart. The ex-Cub told KFNS he was "finally on the right side" of the classic Cubs vs. Cards rivalry. I know this is semi-old news, but it still infuriates me.

Being traded to the Dodgers last July obviously was not Ryan's fault. Even when he decided to sign with the Cardinals from free agency this off-season, I was not that upset. The MLB is a business, and does not revolve around only emotion. "The Riot" himself chose to place that dig on his former team, and betray a city that passionately loved him.

How do Cubs players feel about Theriot's comment? "There's probably a decent chance he's going to feel how hard the dirt is around the home-plate batters' box," catcher Koyie Hill explained. "At least once, maybe once an at-bat. I don't know how long it's going to take. I want to get an apology out of him, and until the whole team, the whole organization kind of feels satisfied …" Geovany Soto felt similar emotions, "I'm not going to lie. I was a little pissed."

What he said was flat out disrespectful to the Cubs and their fans. My opinion about the disrespect would be no different had the situation been flipped either. If Albert Pujols signed with the Cubs from free-agency (which would also be the best day of my life) I would still lose respect for him, and feel bad for Cardinal fans.

Carlos Zambrano summed up Cubs nation's opinion the best about Theriot, "There is only one thing to say, he's the enemy now."

Source

Green and Yellow, Lil Wayne (Song of the Week)

2011-02-05T23:25:00.002-06:00

The Steelers have the "Terrible Towel"; the Packers are getting their own "Packer Towel" for the Super Bowl game. Wiz Khalifa made a Steelers theme song "Black and Yellow;" Lil Wayne responded with a freestyle of Wiz's beat titled "Green and Yellow."

The freestyle is a pre-game song for the Super Bowl Sunday. If the Packers do not bring home a Lombardi trophy, their season and this song will lose all meaning. Most lyrics have to do with Green Bay, so if you are not a "cheesehead" the freestyle will have little relating to you. The paramount line was a prediction by Wayne of what the Packers were going to do the Steelers Sunday afternoon, "We gon' toast these n*ggas, Pop Tarts." If you are a Packer fan this song is a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars, but for the rest of us it is a mundane 2 out of 5.

Watch Lil Wayne's interview on why he made Green and Yellow, why he is not a Saints fan, and his input on the NBA Western All-Star snubs below:

A Green-Bay-Kinda-Day.

2011-02-05T10:46:00.001-06:00

Greg Jennings has 17 receptions for 239 yards in his three 2011 postseason games.

"Hell, no I'm not rooting for the Packers in the Super Bowl," Brian Urlacher told ESPN 1000 last Friday. While I'm in the same boat as Brian, that has no impact on who I believe will win the big game.

The Packers have played superb on both sides of the ball this postseason and deserve their trip to Dallas. Whenever you watch Aaron Rodgers in a postseason game, you just know he is going to put on a hell of a performance. His 71% completion percentage this 2011 postseason has been video game scary. How do you beat a quarterback that can beat you with the deep ball if your playing up too close, but also take a two step drop and dump it off to one of his stellar wide receivers with ease? You can't. If Aaron Rodgers plays as well as he has in January, and the Packers can run the ball around fifteen times to keep the Steelers defense honest, the Packers should have no problem winning the big game.

As fans watching the game at home, the screen never follows what the offensive line is doing, and only shows wherever the pigskin is on the field. 2010 first round draft pick, Maurkice Pouncey's injury will play an integral part each time Roethlisberger takes a snap. Big Ben was seen out partying earlier this week, and it is clear to me that the specialness of this game has worn off on him after winning it twice prior. The Steelers might have the Terrible towel and Black and Yellow, but the Packers have too much offensive and defensive talent for them not to come home with the Lombardi trophy. Steelers 20, Packers 24.

Here are the other two staff member predictions:

When Troy Polamalu is playing, over the last three years, the Steelers are 26-5; without him they are 6-7. Steelers 24, Packers 21. Marty Joyce

Roethlisberger is relaxed when he takes the snap and the game is not getting to his head. On the other side, Rodgers will not play dismal, but he also will not live up to his recent phenomenal playoff play. Steelers 23, Packers 10. Kevin Ryan

Can the Bears Build on NFC Championship Loss?

2011-01-29T15:42:00.002-06:00

Look for Jay Cutler to become inspired this off-season from the hopeless feeling he got while sitting on the sidelines during the second half of the NFC Championship along with his "tweeting questioners."

Its always tough to be happy in a loss, but nobody thought the Bears would even be in a position to lose the NFC Championship. Most experts predicted Chicago to finish third in the NFC North and some even said fourth! Instead the Bears finished first in the NFC North with a 5-1 division record that included a meaningless game against the Packers in Week 17. Despite all the recent talk about Jay Cutler, he toned down his number of interceptions from 26 to 16 from his first year in Chicago; he nearly had a ten point better passer rating this season than in his first as a Bear by going from a 76.8 to a 86.3 one. Quite the turn-around.

Was this one opportunity their only small window to making it to the Super Bowl? Brian Urlacher will be 33 before next season and Lance Briggs will be turning 32 in November. If the hourglass has not run out completely for the defense yet, it only has a couple specs of sand left on top. In the 2010 regular season, the Bears were pretty lucky to say the least when it came to the health department. Their starters missed only a combined eleven games which tied for the league best with the Kansas City Chiefs who also made the playoffs. That's mind-boggling compared to the 2009 season when Brian Urlacher missed 16 games alone after suffering a wrist injury in the season opener against the Packers. Not that Chicago cannot get lucky again, and go mostly injury free, but they're going to need to have their fingers crossed all next season.

Matt Forte had a 5.27 YPC average in December and January this season (including playoffs)

Now for the upside going into the 2011 season. Hands down the most underrated player from the Chicago Bears in 2010 was Tulane alum Matt Forte. Even after the NFC Championship game nobody is even mentioning how Matt "put the team on his back" by plowing over the 'Pack D for 160 total offensive yards. Coming off his second 1,000 yard rushing season of his three year career, Forte is in line for a re-structuring of his rookie contract. The "All-Joe" rushed for an impressive, career best 4.5 yards per carry in 2010 despite the lack of an established offensive line. Excluding Jay Cutler's disappointing first half against the Packers, the Bears' offense really has some momentum to build on. Matt Forte and Jay Cutler's success this season could not have happened without each other.

They will have to fight against the Super Bowl-bound Packers and fend off an on the rise Detroit Lions team to keep their NFC North champion crown. Barring injuries - there is no reason the Bears cannot hold onto that title. This was only Jay Cutler's second season in Chicago, and now that he got his feet in the playoff water, hopefully it will help him and his teammates mature. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs know the hourglass is about to run-out on them and that is why I expect them to leave everything they've got on the field next season.

What's Next?: Super Bowl Prediction on Saturday