Poll

I like my life and all, but I'm just wondering:

How many babies would you murder to switch lives with Tom Brady?

In case you forgot - 3 NFL Championships, at least one SuperBowl MVP, lots of monies, lordship of New England, good looking ex-girlfriend holding your child, best looking current girlfriend in the world (according to some) who will be featured in Playboy in September (Thank you, Hef. Thank you so much.).

Upon many minutes of reflection, I have decided that I would strangle 6 babies with my bare hands, drown 5 babies in hot water, tie 7 babies together and put them in the dryer, stick 3 babies in Publix plastic bags (tying them closed, of course), and kick 4 babies in their baby sternums.

So, in all, I GUESS I'd destroy a fair amount of babies.

Go ahead... judge. You bastards.

Kobe

Please raise your electronic hand if you'd like to see Kobe traded?

I know I am not alone. A supermegastar like Kobe Bryant getting traded could inject life into a semi-boring NBA. Without the Golden State Warriors, this postseason is almost a yawn-fest of predictability. Thankfully, the Cavs-Pistons series is up for grabs. Unfortunately, the level of play isn't fantastic. The Spurs steamrolled and will probably win a 4th Tim Duncan championship. Boring.

Put Kobe on any number of teams and that team is an instant contender. I just read a list of hypoethicals and many of them are interesting and fun to think about. Kobe lining up with the Bulls, the Suns, or even the Mavs. If any of those teams could get a deal cemented, they would have the best line-up going into 2008. Regardless of Kobe's demeanor and personality, he is one of the best 3 players in the league. He scores like mad, isn't afraid to take any shot (Lebron - watch more tape of this - your fear hurts me), hits the rack hard, and knows the taste of victory.

Kobe is a bag of crap personally, but basketball skills trump that because he is a basketball player, not a state senator. I would go to a lot of Orlando Magic games (if the tickets could be purchased reasonably) if Kobe came to town. I'd also buy a jersey and jump on said bandwagon.
Kobe and Dwight Howard? Not bad...

Franchise

I just read an article that had four different opinions on players to choose in order to build a franchise. If you only had one player you could choose to build a team around, who would it be?

I think everyone who reads this blog knows exactly what I'm going to say:

Peyton Manning. He is the quintessential franchise quarterback. He gives you everything you want from the position and offers a different type of leadership that can't be taught.

I invite everyone to post their opinions, but be wary Alge Crumpler lovers, you will be ridiculed for tomfoolery.

In My Defense...

It's no lie that my recent movie preferences are pretty opposite from Craig's. But, to blatantly lie about how I feel about certain movies is insulting.

First, I never recommended Devil Wears Prada. At most I said it was not bad and had a few good moments, which surprised me. But even so the only reason I saw this in the theatre is because of a trade I made with Nicole. We saw this movie, and then went to the midnight showing of Superman Returns.

Second, I never said I didn't want to see 300. I just wasn't foaming at the mouth to go see it like you were. I'm sure it's a great movie, and I will see it on DVD, now that it's out of the theatre. But I never read the comic book, and the trailers didn't excite me to the point of hysterics like most other people.

Third, I did enjoy Spiderman 3, even though on the whole I felt the movie was poorly done. Most of my criticisms on the movie were what it could have been, and damn it, should have been. But as a fan of the comic book, and reading them my entire life, it never gets old seeing that character on screen. I wish I could go back and just re-write the end of the movie. Keep the black suit on Spiderman and let him use the power to defeat the Sandman. Then after Spiderman almost kills him, end the movie with him getting the suit off of him in the church tower and a scene where we see Peter back to normal and the red and blue suit swinging through the city. Then, at the end of the credits, flash back to the church. We see Eddie praying to kill Peter Parker, and hear the screams coming from the tower. The symbiote comes down and merges with Eddie. Then the priest comes in, horrified, and whispers, "what are you?" Venom's face is revealed from the darkness and he says, "We are Venom." End of movie.

And my criticisms of Pirates 3 are valid. I readily admit that I'm not a giant fan of the franchise, but I have enjoyed both movies. The first one was ok, and I actually enjoyed the second one more. They both had the perfect mix of great characters, comedy, and goofy action. To me, the plot was irrelevant and boring. This movie is different though. The only word to describe this movie is epic. The story is huge, and has a ton of twists and turns. So much so that it felt like the characters took a back seat to a lot of it, which is unfortunate to me because it added a lot more of what I don't like and took out what I did like. And I felt every single minute of the 168 minutes that is Pirates 3. The worst part is that I don't know how they could cut down the story at all, because every scene is important to the story.

I have no doubt that people that absolutely love the Pirates franchise, i.e. Craig, will think this is the greatest movie. But to me, the movie was just ok. Certainly not bad. This movie did a lot of things right, and could have crossed the line into being really bad several times, but they don't. Definitely see this film if you have any interest.

Beat to the post

Before Mike incorrectly comments about Pirates 3, I wanted to call him out for his lack of movie taste as of late.

First offense: Recommending Devil Wears Prada and claiming it was "funny."
Second offense: Not caring to see, or getting excited for 300.
Third offense: I fully expected and was not surprised to hear him say something to the effect of "I kinda liked it" when referring to Spidey-3. Later, he mentioned many things he did not like, but still.
Fourth offense: Sitting through Pirates 3 and saying that they took themselves too seriously.

Clearly, Nicole is in charge of the Netflix account.

Also, it seems that no one reads this but Mike and I, so I DARE you comment, Mr. Thomas. I dare you to defend yourself.

Keyshawn Johnson Retires

Yes, the "greatest wide receiver to ever take a breath" has retired from the NFL.

Here's the scary part:

Johnson has agreed to a multiyear contract, and will appear on several ESPN telecasts, including pre-game shows on Sundays and Monday nights, and do some radio work as well.

At ESPN, Johnson will join the crew of Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown as an analyst. He will also contribute to a new weekly ESPN Radio NFL show hosted by Chris Mortensen and Bill Parcells.

Good lord. First, ESPN's pre-game shows have become almost unwatchable these last couple years, adding Johnson is only going to put that right over the top. Damn you NBC for paying to become the only Sunday night recap show! NFL Primetime was one of the best things about Sunday during football season. You can get caught up on all the games you missed during the day, and the broadcast was actually good. Shocking, I know.

And if I were to dream up the worst team to do a football radio show, I think it would be Chris Mortensen, Bill Parcells, and Keyshawn Johnson. My god, I'm going to have nightmares now about this. Two really boring guys and an asshole. The only thing worse would be if these goofballs get a show on ESPN. That would be awful.

Macabre

Should there be roof access in office buildings?

Would this kind of be like natural selection?

Somebody Needs a Muzzle

If you haven't heard, Michael Vick is being investigated for his part of a dog fighting ring that was run in a house that he owns, and where his cousin lives. And even though there is evidence that dog fighting has taken place in the house, and eyewitness reports can place Vick on the scene, investigators are still putting together the pieces to determine if charges will be brought against the NFL quarterback.

Now, it's pretty much common knowledge in our society that dog fighting is bad, and it's hard to defend someone and say it is ok if they are found guilty of running a dog fighting ring. And even though this story has been out in the media for a couple of weeks now, nobody has really put their neck out there to defend Michael Vick. And if they do, it's usually along the lines of, "well, no charges have been filed yet and we really don't know anything at this point."

So imagine how glad I was to finally see someone step up and properly defend poor, weak, defenseless Michael Vick. Not only did this person step up and speak out to defend a fellow player, he did it in one of the most ignorant, and therefore glorious, statements I've ever heard. Thank you Clinton Portis, thank you.

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog," Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis told WAVY-TV in Virginia. "If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business."

That's right America. Mind your business. Who cares if someone is using the pure entertainment that is a dog mauling another dog for a chance to make some money gambling? This is a free country!

"You want to hunt down Mike Vick over fighting some dogs?," Portis told the television station. "I think people should mind their own business."

Portis said that dog fighting is more common than people think.

"I know a lot of back roads that have the dog fighting if you want to go see it," he said.

Yes we do Clinton Portis, yes we do.

Unfortunately, the suits in the NFL front office and the Redskins organization forced him to come out with a statement later in the day, claiming that he has never been involved in dog fighting, nor does he condone it "in any manner".

4th and Goal, Episode 1

That's right boys and girls. The first episode of 4th and Goal is now online and ready to download. There are two ways you can listen. If you want to always have the newest episode automatically downloaded to your computer, you can "subscribe" to the show. The easiest way to do this is through iTunes. Right click here, and select "Copy Link Location." Then open iTunes, and under the "Advanced" menu, select "Subscribe to Podcast". Now just paste in the URL that you copied and it will begin downloading the latest episode.

If you just want to download the show without subscribing, then right click here and select "Save As".

This week we talk about the NBA and NHL playoffs, Favre and the Packers, Vick and his dogs, and our early locks for the NFL playoffs.

Hmm...

There isn't a whole lot going on in the world of NFL. A former Lion passed away, Farve goes to mini-camp, Moss shows up in Foxboro, Devin Hester is going to run routes at WR, etc... Fortunately, before we know it, preseason will rear its head and fantasy drafts will begin (joy!). Until then, though, other sports take precedence.

The Spurs won their first game of the series against the Jazz. This series probably won't be too exciting, Spurs win it in 5 games and go on to win ANOTHER ring, unless Lebron James can finally be a superstar.

The Cavs play the Pistons tonight and I'm torn on this. The Cavs can win because the Pistons tend to go on cruise control for 2-4 games. That fact, coupled with Lebron, could lead the Cavs to their first Finals in a LONG-LONG time. The Bulls never let them in the 90s, so it must be before then.

In other sports news, Roger Federer (best tennis player on Earth) finally beat his arch-nemesis, Raphael Nadal, on Nadal's preferred surface. No, it wasn't a major, but it is a big deal. 1) Nadal had a streak of 81 matches won on clay. 2) Nadal had beaten Federer 5 or 6 times in a row, prior, on clay - including 2 French Open victories. 3) The French Open begins next week and what better confidence boost going in than to beat a man the week before on the same surface? If Federer dominates like he just did on clay, he will win his 1st French Open, complete his career grand slam, have 11 total grand slam victories and be that much closer to greatest of all time.

In hockey, the Senators are in the Cup Finals and await either the Ducks or Red Wings. As fars as I know, the Ducks are leading the series 3-2, so Detroit fans... lament. I don't have much to say here, because I don't know much about hockey. I know that the Ducks have fun uniforms and the team didn't come about until after the movie (I'm pretty sure) and that movie was pretty sweet. I also know that an old friend of mine used to dress me up in hockey/football gear and slap pucks at me in his mother's living room. I was a functional goalie. Sports are awesome.

I'll be doing my best to watch Cavs-Pistons tonight. Please, Lebron, show up. Prove you are a bona-fide superstar, not an over-commercialized, 30 point averaging, blowhard. Seriously. Elevate your game.

Sooner than later, Mike will post a link to our very first podcast. Enjoy listening and make sure to comment about how you think it went.

Poll

How much inappropriate language is acceptable in an office setting?

What words can I use? What words should I avoid?

Can I use "snizz" because most (adults) don't know what it means?

Hockey

A great weekend for playoff hockey, and I missed most of it. I didn’t get to watch any of the Detroit and Anaheim series, and was only to watch parts of the Ottawa and Buffalo games. But the few parts I did see were great. Ottawa has taken a commanding lead in the series over Buffalo, winning the first two games in Buffalo. That’s incredible. I thought they were going to win one of the two, but not both. Ottawa now gets to play the next two games at home. Saturday night’s game was a great double OT win for the Senators. Buffalo managed to tie the game at 3 a piece with 5 seconds left in regulation, and was swarming around the net in overtime. But Ottawa fired a one-timer off of a face-off to win the game 4-3.

Buffalo did a lot of things right in this game, and could easily win one of the next two games (and must if they want to keep their season going). If they can just get their power play going (0-12 in the series) then they might be able to make it interesting. If they can’t then Ottawa is going to come dangerously close to sweeping the Senators.

As for the western conference finals, that series looks to be more evenly matched, with the series tied 1-1. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to watch any of those games, and since most of the games will be on the west coast, they won’t be starting until 9:00 during the week. I’ll still be watching though.

Tonight is Game 3 of the Ottawa and Buffalo series. It’s not too late to check it out.

Favre

So, the soon to be all-time TD throwing QB might want a trade out of Wisconsin. What do we think of that?

We think it could be fantastic for a team to pick him up... on the business side of things. Selling tickets, jerseys, etc... I'm sure there are some teams that would actually start him, if they got him (Cleveland, Miami, Delaware State University, etc...), however, this debate has been presented before and the argument MIGHT be even weaker now.

How many teams should go after Brett Favre and how many head coaches/front offices would start him in this upcoming 2008 season?

My thoughts: Buffalo (maybe, but they love JP), Miami, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Oakland (let the big investment in JaMarcus sit a few games), Washington, Dallas (if Jerry Jones got a little crazy), Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay (kind of a stretch). So, I think that 10 teams have a need that Favre could fill. Lay on the disagreement...

Williams at it again

Well, Ricky Williams failed his last drug test, and wont be able to get reinstated to the NFL until September. I don't know whether to think he's an idiot for throwing away his talent and thinking he wont get caught...or feel sorry for him. From the article:

"Falling off the wagon is part of rehab," a source said. "Based on the medical evidence in Ricky's case, the doctors say it's too early to come back. He had the positive test last month. Remember, he's been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder -- that's a real disease and a good percentage of those folks self-medicate with substances like marijuana, often at the moment they are about to have a high level of social interaction."

If it is a problem with his mental illness and an addiction that is out of his control, then maybe the media should pay some more attention to this. The NFL is known for only taking from it's players, and rarely giving back in times of need. Maybe if stories like this become public, then the NFL will be forced to take better care of its athletes, and everyone benefits.

NBA Playoffs - Golden State

Are the Golden State Warriors the most exciting team to watch in the past ten years? I remember watching the Lakers and Spurs in the early 2000s. I remember watching the Bulls in the late 90s. This is different.

The 2007 Golden State Warriors are fantastic. They shoot more ill-advised threes than I've ever seen in a basketball team. The irony is that they nail enough of them to warrant the gameplan. They are well coached and have almost too much raw talent. Guys like Stephen Jackson (conduct problems), Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Ellis; they are good, but not refined. Baron Davis is refined. Jason Richardson is almost refined.

I have watched every game they've played. Last night, I heard the commentator mention that the Warrior's gameplan was to launch at least 30 3-balls. That is fantastic. In fact, they threw up 40 and made almost 40% of them. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough, but watching is intense.

However, the question remains: Are the 2007 Warriors the most exciting playoff team of the past 10 years?