Timberwolves sign Pekovic

Nikola Pekovic that is.  Big man, bruiser, good moves around the hoop, very strong, a little slow though, he won't get up and down the court real fast.  Good signing, I like it, guys like this are needed.

Ms TPSG is Hot!

Just saying. 

The Blame Game

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Blame
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Potpourri

• World Cup Quarterfinals set.  I'm pulling for Paraguay. 
• Paul Krugman predicts depression is around the corner. 
• RIP Robert Byrd. 
• Congrats to South Carolina on winning the College World Series. 
• Porn finally gets a .xxx domain. 
• George Clooney is a lucky man. 
• It' official, Michael Scott is leaving Dundler-Mifflin.  
• Rachel Maddow made some excellent points about the GOP use of the filibuster.
• Megan Fox is now off the market, I really thought that I had a chance. 
• Twins prospect to keep an eye on?  Anthony Slama.

Maher Names AZ Stupidest State

Don't blame me, I vote democrat.  

USA Soccer

The U.S. soccer team was eliminated from the World Cup 2-1 by Ghana on Saturday in the round of 16, that's the same outcome as the 2006 World Cup.  Honestly, it's where I expected them to finish, that doesn't mean that I'm happy with the outcome, they had every chance to advance further.  They gave up way too many early goals and as a result spent way too much time trying to come from behind.  A lucky goal resulted in a tie with England in game one, they were robbed of a win against Slovenia in game 2 and had to settle for a tie (still, it was Slovenia), they then scored in extra time against Algeria (the 30th ranked team in the world) to salvage a trip to the knockout round.  In 4 games they had the lead for a grand total of  2 minutes (the extra time against Algeria).  USA soccer has come a long way and you can see small incremental improvement over the years (they did win their group after all) still I'm not sure that's good enough.  I guess the question now becomes how do we take that next step?  I think they need to take a close look at the coach, Bob Bradley really didn't elevate them to that next level, if there is somebody out there that is worthy of the job (I really have no idea who that would be, maybe Jurgen Klinsmann) perhaps it is time for a fresh approach.  Apparently U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati has some similar thoughts, see this link for more.

Fabricio stuns Fedor

Potpourri

• Much needed financial reform is one step closer.  
• The 99 Most Desirable Women of 2010 according to AskMen.com?
• Arizona Governor Jan Brewer needs to get a clue.   
• A 149 pitch no-hitter, you don't see that often. Congrats Edwin Jackson!
• Not a believer in karma?  Leno's ratings are now worse than Conan's were.
• Want proof that the GOP doesn't care about the little guy?  Here it is.
• U.S.A. eliminated by Ghana once again in the World Cup.
• Fedor Emelianenko loses in a shocker.
• Twins prospect to keep an eye on?  Kyle Waldrop. 
• Should the widening income gap start to worry us?  Probably. 
  

Carlos Zambrano Meltdown

Classic meltdown.

Ms TPSG on Lopez Tonight

Just because........

Potpourri

• The #1 seeded Arizona State baseball team really laid an egg in Omaha.
• How did General McChrystal get four stars?  Predictable outcome. 
• France was a real dud in the World Cup. As was Italy.
• Why would anybody want to marry Joran Van der Sloot? 
• Must......find......out.....more......about......Melissa Satta!   
• Longest tennis match in tennis history at Wimbledon.
• Has it really been one year already since we lost Wacko Jacko?  
• This just in, the Baltimore Orioles are bad. 
• Anybody else creeped out by the Fury's Convention?  
• Congrats to Dave Tippett on winning NHL Coach of the Year honors.

NHL Draft

NBA Draft yesterday, NHL Draft today.   Taylor Hall goes first to Edmonton.

Timberwolves Draft

After all is said and done, I'm ok with the haul the Twolves ended up with on draft day.  I was hoping for more but perhaps I was being a bit unrealistic.  They had a need for athleticism and length and they appeared to have addressed those areas.  They also still have some assets they can move (i.e. Al Jefferson) if they can find the right deal and they've got about $15 million in cap space to play with.  That being said, as things stand now, I wouldn't bet on dramatic improvement out of them, but as mentioned they are still a work in progress and still have the ability to make a few moves. 

See the next page for videos on the new additions. 

NBA Draft

John Wall goes number 1 to the Wizards.

NBA Mock Draft

Here's my top 10 mock draft for tonights NBA draft.

1. Washington - John Wall - PG - Kentucky
2. Philadelphia - Evan Turner - OG - Ohio St
3. New Jersey - Derrick Favors - PF - Georgia Tech
4. Minnesota - Wesley Johnson - SF - Syracuse
5. Sacramento - DeMarcus Cousins - C - Kentucky
6. Detroit - Ed Davis - PF - North Carolina
7. Golden State -Greg Monroe - C - Georgetown
8. LA Clippers - Al Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest
9. Utah - Luke Babbitt - F - Nevada
10. Indiana -Gordan Hayward - SF - Butler

Picks 11-30 are a crapshot, I'm not going to try to even predict them.  If you're interested in how they turn out though check out these websites:   DraftExpress or NBADraft.net.  

USA advances in World Cup

Thank you Landon Donovan and company. On to the sweet 16.

Potpourri

• Congrats to Graeme McDowell on winning the US Open Golf Championship.
• Troubles brewing in Rocky Point.  Not good.
• RIP Manute Bol.
• Executed for watching the World Cup?  Is this really what Islam is all about? 
• Some of the fake World Cup injuries are pretty preposterous. 
• Nice LeBron/Melo to Minnesota speculation here and here.   
• Speaking of the NBA, the draft is Thursday, NBADraft.net is a great draft site.
• Amanda Bynes retires from acting at 24.  Why not just an extended break? 
• Twins prospect to keep an eye on?  Miguel Sano.
• Not the best time for a weekend on the yacht. 
  
  

Target Field in Minneapolis

I had the chance to check out Target Field in Minneapolis last week, I must say, I was impressed, what a wonderful facilities.  Baseball was meant to be played outdoors and this place was fantastic. 

The Problem with Politics

The problem with politics?  Where do I start?

a-I'm guessing that 20% of the population is far right and 20% of the population is far left.  That leaves about 60% of the population that is in the middle, they may lean one direction or the other, but most can be considered fairly moderate.  Both the far right and the far left extremes are for the most part fairly out of touch with the average Americans.  Those in the middle are for the most part fairly pragmatic and reasonable.  So the problem?  The far right and the far left are both very well organized, very active, very well funded (i.e. bought) and very engaged, to get elected you need to go through that wing of the party and to do that you need to be a part of that far left and far right establishment, that means that the 20% of the country (on either side) will be in control of the country at any one time.  Add in the fact that many of those in the middle tend to not vote in the primaries at the rate of those in the far right or far left and we most often end up getting stuck with a far right vs a far left candidate in the general election. It'll be interesting to see if California's Open Primaries helps to alleviate some of these problems. 

b-They are all corporate owned.  Politics and campaigns are expensive, to hold any high office takes dollars and lots of them.  Thus, once elected, politicians tend to be looking out for the good of corporate interests not the interest of the average man.

c-Ideology comes before country.  Idiots like Rush Limbaugh would prefer the US fail miserably rather than prosper when ruled by Democrats just to prove that their ideology is correct and to get more Republicans elected going forward.   It's so insane.  I'll include the "blame game" in this category too.  Just look at the recent gulf oil spill as a prime example.  Those on the right are trying to paint this as being Obama's Hurricane Katrina, insinuating that this is his fault.  How ridiculous an allegation is that?  He had nothing to do with the regulations now in place for offshore drilling.  What happened to country first, what happened to bipartisanship?  How did we get to this point? 

What we need is a third party, one that is fiscally conservative and socially liberal and one that puts the people first.

Potpourri

• Ubaldo Jimenez keeps rolling along.
• Does the NFL really need an 18 game season?  Isn't 16 long enough?
• Candice Swanepoel wears a bikini quite nicely. 
• Congrats to the Lakers on their NBA championship, let the rioting commence.  
• The Twins are grounding into way too many double plays.
• Was the Spanish goalie distracted by his girlfriend? 
• Did he really apologize to BP?
• Death by firing squad, seems better than lethal injection. 
• Bigfoot lives.
• Joran may not like the Peruvian prisons. 
  
  

We were robbed!

Where's the foul????



Here's another look.

Potpourri

• Nice to know that BP is worried about the "Small People". 
• I'm really starting to hate the vuvuzela's at the World Cup.
• Megan Fox wears her blue jeans well.
• Perhaps more people should be hunting for Bin Laden. 
• "Seinfeld" is raking in billions in reruns. 
• What does the World Cup have against orange mini-skirts?
• Utah heads to the PAC-10, err PAC-12. 
• Alice Tan Ridley has got a nice voice. 
• Why do athlete's need to fight in strip clubs?  What's to fight about?
• Am I crazy for enjoying Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night"?

Best TV Drama's Ever

1. Sopranos
2. ER
3. The Wire
4. CSI
5. Lost
6. NYPD Blue
7. Hill Street Blues
8. LA Law
9. Deadwood
10. Law & Order

Best TV Sitcom's Ever

Is there really any doubt on the top pick?


Here's my top 10 list:

1. Seinfeld
2. Curb Your Enthusiasm
3. Cheers
4. 30 Rock
5. Friends
6. Taxi
7. M*A*S*H
8. The Office
9. WKRP in Cincinnati 
10. Married With Children

Potpourri

• The Jayhawk are scrambling.  
• Meanwhile, Nebraska is set for the Big Ten & Colorado for the Pac 10. 
• Is Sarah Palin enhanced? 
• iPhone 4 looks intriguing. 
• Stephen Strasburg looks like he'll be ok.
• Count me as a fan of "The Hard Times of RJ Berger".
• This link makes it hard to root against Brazil in the World Cup.
• Is San Francisco really the smartest city?  They can make a case for it. 
• Congrats to the Blackhawks on winning the Stanley Cup.
• USC hit with the hammer.
  

Abortion

Here's my thoughts on abortion.  I really think that there is almost always a better alternative than to end a pregnancy with an abortion.  First of all, how about a little birth control before hand?  Abortion as birth control is totally unacceptable IMO.  Next, there's more than enough people looking to adopt, most of those people are more than qualified to raise a child in a loving, financially stable environment.  Lastly, if you did the deed, you should accept the responsibility, time to grow up.  All that being said, I also don't think I have the right to tell somebody else what to do with their body, that decision should be left to those involved, for that reason I am against overturning Roe v Wade and consider myself to be Pro-choice.

Alex Wimmers

The Twins selected Alex Wimmers a RHP from Ohio St with their number 1 draft pick in MLB draft.  I've never seen him pitch, I'd be lying if I said I knew first hand what a great pick this was.  That being said, I do like the video that I've seen and the scouting reports are glowing so I'm happy with this pick.

2010 World Cup

The 2010 World Cup starts Friday in South Africa.  While I'm not a huge soccer fan I do enjoy watching the World Cup every four years.  Team USA should do okay, I'm not expecting them to win this thing by any means but with their draw I would be disappointed if they don't at least make it to the second round.  They've come a long way, they can put some decent players on the field now days.

My pick to win the 2010 World Cup?  I've got to go with Brazil, they've got the most talented team and they will be playing in the southern hemisphere (no European team has ever once outside of Europe).  Other contenders?   Spain, Germany, Argentina and the UK.  I'm guessing somebody else will come out of no place too, I'm just not sure who (Ivory Coast?).

Potpourri

• Stephen Strasburg set for MLB debut!
• Candice Swanepoel is looking good. 
• Junior calls it a career, see you in Cooperstown.
• Joran van der sloot needs to die.
• The "Golden Girls" are dropping like flies, RIP Rue McClanahan.
• I've got to side with Israel in the Peace Flotilla debacle.
• RIP John Wooden, best college basketball coach EVER.
• Great news in the battle against skin & lung cancer.
• Ms TPSG doing a nice job of validating my white theory. 
• Bryce Harper goes number 1 to the Nationals in the MLB draft. 

Best Baseball Movies

Since I listed my all time favorite football movies last week I figured that I may as well also list my all time favorite baseball movies. So here they are:

1. Bull Durham - 1988 - Kevin Costner
2. Field of Dreams - 1989 - Kevin Costner
3. The Bad News Bears - 1976 - Walter Matthau
4. Major League - 1989 - Charlie Sheen
5. The Natural - 1984 - Robert Redford
6. Sugar - 2008 - Algenis Perez Soto
7. The Rookie - 2002 - Dennis Quaid
8. Eight Men Out - 1988 - John Cusak
9. A League of Their Own - 1992 - Tom Hanks
10. Hardball - 2001 - Keanu Reeves

Others:  The Sandlot, Mr Baseball, Bang the Drum Slowly, Mr 3000, The Scout,  For Love of the Game, Cobb

Victoria's Secret Angels

Does it get any better than this?

LeBron's New Home?

LeBron James will be an unrestricted free agent this off season.  He told Larry King that the Cavs have the edge to re-sign him.   I'm not really buying it, I think he's ready for a change.

Here are my odds on where he ends up.

1. Cleveland (35%)
2. Chicago (20%)
3. New Jersey (15%)
4. LA Clippers (15%)
5. New York (10%) 
6. Miami (5%) 

Note that I have Cleveland as the favorite at 35%, that still leaves a 65% chance that he leaves.  

See the next page for my in-depth analysis.  

Potpourri

• Ouch, that had to hurt. 
• It'll be Lakers vs Celtics for the NBA title, again. 
• Nice celebration Kendry Morales.  
• Is there an "Entourage" curse? 
• Check out Briana Frost.  She's hot! 
• First Speidi, now Al & Tipper, say it isn't so. 
• Now that's what I call a sinkhole.
• It looks like the D-backs are grasping at straws.
• I'll score this one Rowland over Alba and Alba over Fox. 
• Armando Galaragga was robbed.
  

White Short Theory

White shorts=GOOD!  White hides nothing, you can't wear it unless you are flawless or clueless.  Most women are not clueless when it comes to their appearance so they don't wear it.  So, if you see a woman in white shorts (preferably short and tight), odds are it will be a very attractive woman.  The theory also works for pants and skirts BTW.  Case in point?  See below. 

Football Movies

I was a little late to the game but I finally saw the movie "The Blind Side" on DVD. I liked it, very inspirational. It got me to thinking about other football related movies, here's my list of the top 10.

1. Rudy - 1993 - Sean Astin
2. The Longest Yard - 1974 - Burt Reynolds
3. Remember the Titans - 2000 - Denzel Washington
4. Friday Night Lights - 2004 - Billy Bob Thornton
5. The Blind Side - 2009 - Sandra Bullock
6. Invincible - 2006 - Mark Wahlberg
7. All the Right Moves - 1983 - Tom Cruise
8. We Are Marshall - 2006 - Matthew McConaughey
9. Brian's Song - 1971 - James Caan
10. Varsity Blues - 1999 - James Van Der Beek

Others:   The Express, The Program, North Dallas Forty, Heaven Can Wait, The Waterboy, Any Given Sunday