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In Memory of My Brother Carlos

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:11:00 +0000

My brother was born with muscular dystrophy, and as a consequence of that, his liver has been sick the last 13 of his 40 years. He’s been in and out of hospitals all his life always recouping somehow and being discharged, but with certainty that we’d be coming back. Because his birth defect does not carry a long life expectancy, he was denied being a candidate for a liver transplant…which brings us to where we are today. This time he did not come home.

From the time he was born, my brother was not supposed to leave the nursery….he was not supposed to walk; he was not supposed to have a good quality of life. My mom was always told all the things he was never supposed to do, and yet he’s lived a better life than most children do in a lifetime. It seems his heart was stronger than any other part of his frail body. And the irony is that we spent the last few days, sitting around waiting for that resilient heart of his to finally stop.

Doctors did all that could be done in providing my brother another opportunity at recovering but soon ran out of options. As soon as my brother began displaying signs of discomfort, we knew what had to be done. At 3:30pm we instructed Doctors to provide comfort for my brother.

My brother passed away last night (Dec 20, 2011) at approximately 9:30pm after a family prayer.

A part of me is now at peace. We are happy we could provide him with a peaceful passing. Although I couldn’t free him from his physical challenges, we were happy we could free his spirit from any further pain.

The hospital staff was amazing, and different doctors who’ve cared for my brother over the years came and paid their respects to my mother, and especially to Carlos. Many were sadden by the fact they could not do more, when in fact they did more with this one act of kindness than all of the years of medical attention combined.

My brother’s actual birth date was always a source of confusion for my mother because the day he was born differs from the day she was first able to hold him then take him home, because of his medical issues.

In my opinion, his birth date is Dec 20th, because for the first time in his life my brother would no longer see the inside of a hospital; my brother could now rest in peace.

Rest in Peace Carlos

One step forward, four steps back!!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:18:00 +0000

what the heck is up with the ducks? They went from having a great start in many seasons to, well, back to the same old start they've had in prior seasons. It seems like the only good news is that they won the first few games just so that they're not completely out of the division race early on. Boy, its like the team can't buy goals, something that other teams are doing with all the biased refereeing going on in the league. About the only thing the ducks are good at is dropping the gloves. That would be great if this were the UFC, but its the NHL! Its panic time as far as I am concerned. These loses always come back to haunt the team at the end of the season, and right now there are too many leaks! If something is not done, this boat will not only sail but also sink half way through its voyage. I keep hearing how good Hiller is playing, but where are the scorers? By the way, this lends more credence to my claim before that Jason Blake is one of the hardest workers on the team. The team hit this current funk as soon as he went on the DL! He needs to tape up that arm and get his ass back on the ice!!! In all seriousness, HURRY BACK BLAKE!!! The bad news? the ducks aren't scoring and up next they play the caps! Ovi!! Ugh! Well, here's hoping the ducks don't fall too far this road trip, but I think they will come back to the Ponda in a big hole. Some things never change.

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 05:19:00 +0000

So far the 2011-2012 has started on the right foot for the Ducks. They are currently riding high on a historic start, with more wins than loses at the beginning of the season in a while. The last time they started out with a winning record was when they won the cup. Now its still early, yes, but there are a few questions that needed answering prior to the start of the season. One of the biggest and probably most important was the one dealing with the health of Jonas Hiller, the Ducks #1 goalie. As you all remember our last episode, the Ducks were ousted in the first round last season, mainly due to injuries plaguing the team with one of them being the sidelining of Hiller with mysterious symptoms of Vertigo. When Hiller was hit with a puck in last year's all-star game, experts insisted he did not suffer a concussion. Funny thing was that Hiller was dizzy, had no balance, and his timing was off. Hmm, Sounds like a concussion to me. whatever the case may be, Hiller's playing like he did before the vertigo, and I could not be happier!

The other question answered was whether Teemu would sign for one more year. Now, I am not one of those people that think Teemu is the end all be all, and without him there is no life or anymore hockey. Teemu is a great player, and it is impressive that he still maintains his speed over the age of 40, but he still is a liability on the ice. Regardless, the one thing that Teemu brings to the table that is more important than anything else, is a great attitude which helps the locker room. A cancerous player can kill a team's morale, and one thing is for sure, Teemu is loved by all. Having someone like him in the locker room can be the difference a grumpy unmotivated group of players, and a selfless team that wins for their assistant captain.

By the way, this Cogliano has provided some spark and wind to the team. He sorta reminds me of an Andy McDonald, but with balls! He is everywhere and has proven himself to be a play maker. I think this is one of the best pick ups this pre-season, which ironically, many people consider the Ducks as being relatively quiet in terms of players signed during the off-season!

All in all, I like the way the team plays, the power play looks cool as a cucumber, Getz and Perry look like seasoned veterans, Bobby is still growing (scary), the Ducks D looks like the defense they were predicted to be one year ago on paper, and Hillers back. I won't say anything else other than I am glad hockey is back and I think it is going to be an awesome season! Go Ducks!!!!

The World According to Larry!!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Triple Play The Hard Way!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:08:00 +0000

NHL SEASON COMING SOON!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:05:00 +0000

The NHL is just around the corner and more Ducks news keep trickling out each day. I am looking forward not only to Selanne's announcement (either way) but also how the new line-up looks and also PRE-SEASON!!!

Courtesy ASFA website http://www.asfamerica.com/

First on the agenda...The annual Fedorin Cup Charity game!! Its the pre-season before pre-season for me and is always a good way to dust off the cob webs before the real deal begins.

Anyhow, today's BIG news was Hiller saying that he feels great and is looking forward to playing again. I am too Hiller! I hope you're ready to get that Vezina that should have been yours among other things. Seriuously, I do hope Hills is OK and back to 100%. Nothing would make me happier than to know he's fixed, and playing in goal everynight.

More Later!

Operation Iron Snare!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Text Messages from Michele Bachmann

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:13:00 +0000

souce: holy taco

I could watch this everyday!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sun, 29 May 2011 05:55:00 +0000

If looks could kill!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Conference FInals!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:37:00 +0000

Well, so far I've missed the first game of both the western and eastern conference, but the results aren't surprising with the exception of the Lightning/Bruins series. I fully anticipate the Bruins to win the series based soley on Tim Thomas and the notion that goal tending wins you a cup. I know the Lighting have Roli, so that might make a difference. This could be Roli's shot at redemption for losing the last opportunity at the cup he had when he was with Edmonton. Back then he had Pronger, Comrie and Smyth playing in front of him though. This version of the Boston Bruins seem like their destine to win it, otherwise one has to wonder if it will be time to move some major pieces. Kaberle has not been a factor yet, and many figured him to be an asset the Brian Burke was holding on to him. I believe that the genius of Burke is that he held on to Kaberle only for the purpose of creating the idea that he's worth his price tag. Yes, I have that kind of blind confidence in Burkie. Anyhow, we shall see how this plays out. I will go in full jinx mode now and give you my picks for the series.

Vancouver in 5

Boston 6

End of the Season Tribute Video

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:21:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Bitter Sweet Moments

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:23:00 +0000

It's hard watching this goal knowing that in the end it meant nothing after the game was over.

Ducks at the Crossroads

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:54:00 +0000

Well, here we go again! Its that time of year once more. A time when we, as fans, love every minute and die with every bad call. Yes, its time for the NHL playoffs. So far, the Ducks have had a hard time with Nashville as was expected. Nashville owned the Ducks with a 3-1 record during the regular season. So far, that's about what the series is leaning towards. If the Ducks lose game 4 Wednesday night, the series will be 3-1 which never looks good for the losing team on a playoff bracket. Whats interesting to note, is that Nashville lost their series against the Chicago Black hawks 4-3, even after Nashville had a 3-1 lead in the series. Could that happen again? Its possible. Will it? I can't say for sure...not the way Nashville has been playing. They have managed to put pressure on the Ducks preventing them from being able to take any shots at the net. Nashville defense has stifled the Ducks offensive, and clearly have figured out a way to beat the Ducks. That's not to say that Anaheim cannot win the series, but it almost seems too exhausting for them to try! Not to mention the suspension of Bobby Ryan for 2 pivotal away games does not help matters anymore.

"I said it, go take a dive!"

Today, GM Murray went as far as verbally attacking Nashville and accusing them of diving! The best quote of the interview came when Murray said it looked like "soccer" was being played. Now, although Murray opened his team up to more referee justice being handed out Wednesday's night, I am glad he said something. The NHL officiating has been horrendous. The Preds are diving left and right. The Ducks are taking too many penalties and not showing up to play. But the Ducks can win. They won game 2 because they had to. They must win game 4, otherwise give up a psychological victory to Nashville. Wednesday's game will be the most important game of the series...so will game 5, game 6 and game 7.

What a Game Last Night!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Great game and even funnier post game video

Ducks Handed Referee Justice

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:50:00 +0000

OK, before I get started on my rant, the Ducks should have taken care of business last night. By the time the second period rolled around, they were gassed. The first period looked good, and even the beautiful goal scored by the RPG line seemed like the Ducks had things under control going into the second period. Even Lubo looked great, especially because after the last game against the Sharks, it looked like he was going to be on the DL with hard hit into the boards by one, Doug Murray. That's about all that was worth mentioning.

On to the real problem...the officiating. Now watching a game is much different live than on television. In fact, people often say, "I don't like watching hockey on TV; it's hard to follow." Agreed. Hockey on television is tough to watch mainly because the camera sometimes has a hard time following the action, and most of the time, the real beauty of the sport is seeing how a play starts at one end of the rink, and develops into a goal at the other. Its an emotional experience live, and sometimes that interferes with logic. So when the referees make a questionable call, and you have a unanimous crowd objecting along with you, it can be pretty convincing. Now add to that a playoff-like atmosphere, and the combination can be volatile.

There were two goals waved off in last nights game. One because of a kicking motion, which was not visible in the arena (not sure how it played on TV.) This morning I am reading that the call was actually goaltender interference. *AHEM* Fine. Then the second goal waved off was determined to be a HAND PASS.

Goalie interference? Hand pass? OK, if the referees want to make those calls, then be consistently good or bad. The other beef I have, deals with all the penalties that were handed out to the Ducks. There were six total penalties awarded to the Ducks, in comparison to the three awarded to Dallas. At one point, I believe three occurred in row, keeping the RPG line off the ice, and exhausting the Ducks penalty-kill units. And why were so many penalties handed out last night, of all nights? Its called referee justice. It exists in every sport and last night was an example of the NHL referees punishing Randy Carlyle for comments made about the questionable officiating in the previous nights game against the Sharks.

More recently, referee justice was exposed in the NBA, after convicted referee, Tim Donaghy admitted that NBA referees looked out for one another and would take care of "problem" players. (Video)

Last night was a prime example of the referee's punishing Carlyle for criticizing the NHL referees. That's why Randy and the Ducks were a bit more gentle and humble in the words they used in last nights post-game interviews.

The Ducks play the Sharks one more time this Wednesday night. It's going to be a better game than last night. And I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, clinching a playoff birth would be more apropos against San Jose. Whatever happens, don't say a word about the officiating, otherwise the referees are gonna get 'cha!!

This Player Must Be Injured Severely

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 05:48:00 +0000

I hope Wednesday night, Dougy goes home on a stretcher.

Ducks Ready for Destiny!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:25:00 +0000

If you told me at the beginning of the season that Jonas Hiller would be out with 'vertigo' I would have looked at you funny.

If you told me that we would sign Dan Ellis as the temporary number 1 goalie, I would have thought you were on something.

If you told me Ray Emery was going to be signed as a goalie and play for the Ducks, I would have told you that you were nuts!

If you told me that we would be battling for the 8th spot in the western conference the last 10 games of the season, I would have said, "yea, what else is new?" That's exactly whats happening. The Ducks are in another 'every game counts' scenario that is all too common for Ducks faithful. The last time the Ducks had a season where there was no pressure for making the playoffs was the year they won the cup. So much for small miracles. Right now the team is playing like they KNOW they control their own destiny. The last game played against Calgary was a nail biter and only because it looked the Ducks were going to drop 2 points in ugly fashion. Somehow, they came out in the 3rd and took care of business. The same thing happened the game before that, against the Queens. The Ducks came out and decided enough was enough....both times in OT and both by Perry. So what does that tell us? They can win when they want to win. And as Yogi Berra once said..."the team with the most points at the end wins!" Hopefully the Ducks continue living life the right way for the next 6 games; 5 of which are on the road! And wouldn't you know it, the NHL schedulers gave the Ducks all the best teams in the west to play at the end of the season. (I know, I know, no one could have predicted the top 8 would be in the top 8, but I always have my suspicions.) Well, lets see what the last games of the season bring. Its safe to say, because the Ducks are playing people within the top 8, the Ducks future will be easy to figure out by the end of this week.
GO DUCKS!!

Ducks Are Human Again, Home Invasion, and Hiller's Problem

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:32:00 +0000

Well, after two dramatic wins at home, the Ducks came back down to earth with a loss to the best team in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks.The game plan was simple for the NUKS, score first, fast, then play defense the rest of the periods. It seems like they did just that, scoring twice at the beginning of two periods within the first 2 minutes. the final score was 3-0 giving the NUCKS goalie SNIEDS his first shut-out. Big deal! And although I'm not a fan of the NUCKS, I do want to address something that people on twitter are complaining about and the press makes a big deal about. Just because fans from an opposing team can fill half the arena, or more, of the home team is no reason to bash them. Its a true testament of the fan-base they have. Hey if they can fill a home team's arena, shame on the home team crowd! In the meantime, more power to the visiting team! Anyhow, regardless of who sells the arena out, the team wins either by having a great crowd. Like Sean O'Donnel once said, "home crowd advantage is only and advantage if you win."
Finally, I tweeted tonight that I feel like Hiller is a lost cause for the remainder of this season. I feel bad for him, because I think this is something that won't be fixed anytime within the next four weeks. I just hope this doesn't hamper him for the rest of his career. It's just interesting that we started the season with a solid number 1 and not so bad #2, and here we are at the end of the season with Dan Ellis as our number 1 and Ray Emery the #2. WOW. Well, as the season comes to a close and the west log jam starts to slowly separate I will end with these words, as I step into the beaten jalopy, (meaning the DUCKS) and turn the key..."let's see what this thing can do."

WHAT A SAVE INDEED!!!

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Ducks road to......

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Its been a crazy last couple of weeks and what a ride its been for the Ducks! The biggest news this entire time is the fact that the team has been functioning (barely) without the services of Hiller. Hiller seems to be the victim of vertigo all of the sudden. Experts say that it can cause people to react slowly and ofcourse get dizzy spills, which makes me wonder how long has Hiller had these problems. There have been many questionable games when I could've sworn some of the goals were just too soft. If this is Hiller's reason for that, and if (and its a big if right now) he can have it fixed, think of how great Hiller could potentially be after all this? Well, while that is being sorted out, the McGruber experiment came and went. Who would have thought the same guy that had consecutive shut-outs would be traded? The problem with McGruber is that the worst thing happened to him that could happen to any professional athlete...he lost faith in his playing ability. Its a sad tale, but one that happens many time in sports. Because of McGruber's issues, the Ducks picked up goalie Ellis and thus far, he has seemed to sink his feet into the starting position and has has some very entertaining games. The most recent being against the evil empire, Detroit Red wings. The game was tied 1-1, until Ryan Getzlaf made a beautiful pass to Bobby Ryan, who then was tripped drawing a penalty shot in overtime. Ryan made his opportunity count and scored the winning goal, sending the wings fans home, and giving the Ducks something to cheer about.

Red Wing Killing Machine- Bobby Ryan (courtesy Anaheim Ducks)

The deadline has come and gone and the Ducks did not make any real splashes. They did bring back Frankie Beachamin for some veteran help on the blue-line, and also large human Winchester in a trade that gave Maxim La-pee-pee-air the boot and a ticket to Vancouver. Since the moves, the Ducks are a little bigger, and focused behind the pipes.

Tonight the Ducks face the Stars, but worse than that, are in a familiar position this season, that they seem to always find themselves in....must wins!! Every game counts, and every loss hurts. Especially with the new tie-breaking rules that Adam Brady mentioned in his blog today. Basically the Ducks are in no position to rely on tie-breakers. So therefore, as I said before, every game counts and is a must win. What would I like to see happen? I'd like to see all the other pacific division teams hit a slump or two from now til the end of the season; I'd like to see Hiller come back half human, half cyborg; I'd like to see Getzlaf shoot the puck more; I'd like to see the power players wear less make-up; and I'd like to the see the Ducks not play down to their opponent but rather just beat them.
Go Ducks!

Bill Murray on Ghostbusters 3: "I Do Owe Ivan One."

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:24:00 +0000

@howardstern had Bill Murry on the show today (via phone) and he had the chance to ask him about GhostBusters 3! I'm feeling lazy so I'll just do like most movie jorno's and paste what was said on the show Courtesy of MarksFriggin:

"Howard asked if there is a Ghostbusters 3 and Bill is the reason that it's not being made. Bill said there is a script somewhere over there and he hasn't read it yet. Howard asked why he hasn't read it yet. Bill said he made the one sequel and it wasn't put together quite the way it was represented."

"Howard asked if Ivan wants to make it. Bill said he does. Bill said he does owe Ivan one."

"Howard asked how long the script has been sitting around. Bill said he's not sure. He said he will get to it eventually. Bill said that he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings but it's not the foremost thing in his head. He said the studios get excited about it and they want to recreate the franchise. He said they wanted to get a whole new crew in there to do it. He said they would like to keep it going because there are still kids today that like the movies. They still sell toys."

What is Happening?

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:50:00 +0000

There's something wrong with Hiller. The only thing that is known right now is that he has a correctable balance problem. Something in his ear apparently. Does that make you feel better? Me neither. I don't like what is happening with our goalie situation or standings for that matter. The Ducks have managed to drop from 3rd in the west to 10th! Although it sounds like a huge drop, only five points seperate them from 3rd in the west, and 1st in the pacific. That's how tight the standings are. Because of this unique situation, every win and loss counts. You've heard of 4 point games? Well, each game feels more like an 8 point game now! The reason for all the concern is because current back-up goalie, Mcgruber isn't cutting it. He and his back-up combined for 17 goals in two games. 17!!!! Not only does that crush the confidence of the goal tending department, but it doesn't do wonders for the defense. After sprucing up our defense, not even 24 hour later, our goalie situation went to heck in a hand basket. Too make matters worse, The Ducks have been ultra cool, calm and collected with Hiller's diagnosis, not jumping ship just yet. The Duck boards have been filling up with all sorts of conspiracy theories for Hiller's ailment, including the best one yet...an STD (as reported on twitter by PrincessDuck). I'm not sure which STD affects your balance, but I do remember when former Angel KC Kotchman contracted mono, and was wiped out for almost a year and half (not saying that mono is an STD). Whatever is wrong with Hiller, the Ducks sound confident that it can be repaired. Murray didn't run out and buy a goalie over the weekend, so he must know something we don't know. Emery wasn't called up, but something tells me if he continues his winning ways, he'll show up in the NHL sooner than expected. What makes me nervous is because the west is so close points wise, one can miss the season by 1 point, all because of losing that '1' game, or '2'. This part of the season is always the worst, with regards to nail biting, but whatever is wrong with Hiller, it better be fixed before April.

Ducks after the break

noreply@blogger.com (.) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:42:00 +0000

Since the break the Ducks have amassed a pretty impressive streak. They've definitely been playing better than the start of the season, but the team looks different. With the recent addition of former duck, Frankie beachamin, and departures of other insignificant player parts, the team seems to have an identity. So here's a look back at the recent games after the break:
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Ducks lose to sharks!
Anaheim's neighbor to the north seems to always be causing trouble for the boys in black in orange. It seems like we'll always be on their hit-list for knocking them out of the playoffs the year they were crowned the champs way before the season even started.

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Ducks beats the Avs 3-0!

The poor Avs; they've had a few bad stinkers at home that would make any crowd stay away from the games. I still remember when the Avs were a powerhouse with Patrick Roy, and Big Joe, and even the multi-retired Peter Forsberg. This was a game that the Ducks should not have lost, and thankfully they didn't.

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Ducks beat Vancouver 4-3

This was a great game because it was in Vancouver, where the Canucks have a sick home record, and at the time are leading the entire Western Conference. Naturally, one always wants to put their best foot forward, especially against a highly ranked team. The Ducks went to Canada, and although played a little shaky at the end, managed to win, grab two points and leave town!

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Ducks beat Calgary 5-4
Iginla is a notorious Ducks killer and was no different in this game. Calgary has not been kind to the Ducks in the past, but it seems that Canada has been good to Anaheim this season. The Ducks played a good game, shaky for a bit, but in the end the Ducks held it together and put the heat on the Flames!

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Ducks beat Edmonton 4-0
The Oilers are another team that is not having the season they imagined in October. They are currently at the bottom of the west, and played that way in this game. The Ducks are notorious for playing down to their opponents, but in this case, Anaheim keep the level of play up, and manhandled the Oilers at home...which in the past has not been a good place to the Ducks.

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Ducks lose heart breaker to Washington
This game was going to be a high scoring effort from the start. The Ducks had McB in goal, in place of the dizzy Hiller, and the Caps had their so-so goalie between the pipes. Both teams scored a weeks worth of goals in a game that was summarized perfectly by Hazy on television when he said that the team that scores last wins. The Caps did just that scoring with less than two minutes to play and leaving Anaheim with two points.

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So now with an even tighter west (point wise), the Ducks play Minnesota tonight. From here on, every point counts, because all a team has to do is lose one game to drop from 3rd in the west to 7th or even 8th!! Hopefully the Ducks, with recent the addition of Ruutu from Ottawa, can continue collecting points as the end of the season nears its ugly head.

Go Ducks!!