Body by Victoria

Fall never looked so good.  

AZ Tidbits

• Suns deal Robin Lopez & Hakim Warrick for Wesley Johnson & draft pick. 
• As election time nears you may want to bookmark AZ Fact Check.  
• Arizona falls to bottom 5 in child welfare rankings. 
• Diamondbacks trade Tatman to Marlins.  
• Arizona Republic endorses Schweikert over Qualye in GOP D6 primary. 
• Joe Arpaio testifies in Racial-Profiling trial.
• The Insight Bowl is now the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
• No more Tim & Willy?  Oh well. 
• Big time endorsements for Andrei Cherny & Jeff Flake.
• I knew there had to be something holding up the Coyotes sale.

Diamondbacks Acquire Chris Johnson

The Diamondbacks acquired Chris Johnson from the Astros over the weekend for a couple of minor leaguers (Bobby Borchering & Marc Knauss).  It's honestly not a deal I'm that excited about, they gave up a couple of decent prospects for what I'd consider to be a pretty mediocre third baseman.  I guess they were desperate.  He is probably an upgrade over what they've been throwing out there but I would have preferred they just stick Ryan Wheeler out there and found out what he could do, I think his upside is much higher than that of Chris Johnson's.  I guess the fact that they are "buyers" means they haven't thrown in the towel on 2012 yet, I'll take that as a good sign.  

Twins Trade Francisco Liriano

The Twins traded starting pitcher Francisco Liriano to the White Sox late Saturday night.  They received middle infielder Eduardo Escobar and left handed pitcher Pedro Hernandez in return.  To say I'm disappointed in the Twins return in this deal is an understatement, I just don't see much upside in either of them.  Escobar is a good glove/no hit prospect, his upside is that of a potential utility infielder, not a very good one at that either.  Hernandez is yet another pitch-to-contact pitcher, his upside may be that of a bottom of the rotation starter (although that may be a bit optimistic, best bet IMO seems to be that of a lefthanded middle relief pitcher).  Terry Ryan had said earlier in the week that he was looking for high upside prospects in return in any potential deals, that clearly did not happen here, they essentially gave Liriano away.  To me it reeks of another cost cutting move, something they shouldn't be doing 2 years in to playing in their spanking new ballpark.  I get it that Liriano hasn't been that good since he got back from his arm injury 2 years ago now but he has been pitching fairly well as of late and at this point was clearly the Twins second best starting pitcher (behind Scott Diamond), to just give him away for filler doesn't make sense.  If that was the best deal they could get they may as well have just kept him and finished out the season with him and then let him walk as a free agent (instead of having these 2 guys use up spots on their 40 man roster).  I am quickly losing confidence in the Twins front office, I was hoping for better once Terry Ryan took over for Bill Smith, but they are not giving me much reason for optimism.

Colbert on Mitt's London Trip

Good stuff as usual!

The Colbert Report

POTpourri

• 2012 Summer Olympics in London begin. 
• Mitt Romney didn't seem to make much of impression on the Brits. 
• Repealing the Affordable Care Act would cost $109 billion.  
• How come this is the first that I've heard of Sara Corrales? 
• Is the U.S. economic policy debate a sham?  More here.
• Why is the GOP so afraid of facts?   I guess it's just easier to lie. 
• 20 Hottest Athletes of the London Olympics? 
• RIP Neil Reed. 
• Apple TV or Roku?  Which is better? 
• GOP continues to mislead with 'out of context' attacks. 

Lawrence O'Donnell on Gun Control

Lawerence makes a lot of sense.  What's so wrong about sensible gun control?   Do people really need submachine guns?  Or armour piercing bullets?  How about a restriction on the amount of bullets a clip can hold?  What would be so bad about that?  What's so wrong about a waiting period or a background check to purchase a gun?  Why is there a gun show loophole?  Is there no room for common sense here people?

I don't want to hear the Second Amendment arguments either, they didn't have submachine guns or armour piercing bullets or RPG launchers when that was written and as Thomas Jefferson once said "I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."  

And what of the First Amendment, specifically "Freedom of  Speech"?    There are sensible restrictions placed on that, you can't run into a movie theater and yell out "FIRE!" can you?  You can't libel or slander someone can you?  If there are sensible restrictions on the freedom of speech, why not sensible restrictions on the freedom to bear arms?

**** This just in, Justice Scalia seems to agree with me.  

POTpourri

• Take a look at the face of evil.   
• Even NRA members aren't opposed to more gun regulations. 
• Ichiro Suzuki traded to the Yankees. Hanley Ramirez traded to the Dodgers.
• RIP Sally Ride, Chad Everett & Sherman Hemsley.
• Aida Yespica is kinda hot!
• Huge sanctions on Penn State for handling of Jerry Sandusky scandal. 
• Fiscal conservatives debt limit fight cost the government $1.3 billion. 
• Mariah Carey announced as new 'American Idol' judge.
• I love hot girls in white shorts! 
• What are the costs of global warming?   

Kirilenko to Wolves?

Supposedly the Timberwolves have come to an agreement with Russian free agent F Andrei Kirilenko on a 2 year $20 million contract.  Rick Adelman wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to bring in some experienced players for this coming season as Kirilenko and Brandon Roy will bring in a ton of experience.  They have really turned over their roster.  Exiting are Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Anthony Randolph, Anthony Tolliver, Martell Webster, Darko Milicic, Wayne Ellington & Brad Miller.  Coming in are Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko, Greg Stiemsma, Chase Budinger, Alexey Shved, Dante Cunningham & Robbie Hummel.   I like the changes, they were really weak at the wings last year and have improved dramatically at both the SG and SF spots.   I'm not sure if they are done yet either, I could still see them trading away one of their point guards at some point (although that may not happen until Rubio is healthy).  They'll be fun to watch this year. 

Projected lineup: 
PG - Ricky Rubio, Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea
SG - Brandon Roy, Alexey Shved, Malcolm Lee
SF - Andrei Kirilenko, Chase Budinger, Dante Cunningham
PF - Kevin Love, Derrick Williams, Robbie Hummel
C   - Nikola Pekovic, Greg Stiemsma

I Love Summer

POTpourri

• Has the filibuster pirated democracy?  Was this the founding fathers intent? 
• Ernie Els wins 2012 British Open Golf title.  
• I'd say that Tom Cruise has upgraded.  
• Super-Rich hold up to $32 trillion in offshore tax havens.  Where's the trickle-down?
• Penn State removes Joe Paterno statue.  Rightfully so. 
• Is this how a legitimate news organization should be acting?  Especially given this?
• Have I mentioned that I'm a fan of fit girls? 
• Does leading a private equity firm translate into leading a country? 
• ScandanavianGirls is my new favorite Tumblr site.  
• Is President Obama partaking in "Crony Capitalism"?  

Random Lesbian Kiss

Just because.

AZ Tidbits

• The Suns acquire Luis Scola. 
• Bibi Jones retires from the porn industry. 
• Arizona v. Roe v. Wade?  Good read.
• Sheriff Joe is back with his 'birther' conspiracy theory. 
• Count me as a fan of the Hi-Liter in Phoenix.  
• ASU connections in the 2012 Summer Olympics. 
• Was SB1070 racially motivated?  Of course it was. 
• Grant Hill signs with the Los Angeles Clippers. 
• Sheriff Joe's racial profiling trial begins.  
• Suns re-sign Shannon Brown to play SG.  

Jessica Perez

She's hot!  Look for her in "They Came Along". 

POTpourri

• Republicans block "insourcing" jobs bill.   WTF? 
• Ann Romney proclaims "We've given all you people need".  
• Directv and Viacom finally reach an agreement. 
• Republicans block  a tax cut for small businesses.  
• New Cintia Dicker pictures here!!
• 6 Walmart heirs hold more wealth than 42% of Americans combined.
• Republicans line up against Michelle Bachmann. 
• WTF does anyone need a submachine gun again?  
• RIP Tom Davis & Mike Lynn.
• 50% of Americans own 1% of wealth. 

Newt Gingrich on Mitt Romney

"Those of us who believe in free markets and those of us who believe that, in fact, the whole goals of investment is entrepreneurship and job creation, would find it pretty hard to justify rich people figuring out clever, legal ways to loot out a company."  

"This is a man whose staff created the PAC, his millionaire friends fund the PAC, he pretends he has nothing to do with the PAC -- it's baloney. He's not telling the American people the truth " 

“We’re not going to beat Barack Obama with some guy who has Swiss bank accounts, Cayman Island accounts, owns shares of Goldman Sachs while it forecloses on Florida and is himself a stockholder in Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac while he tries to think the rest of us are too stupid to put the dots together to understand what this is all about.”   

“Mitt Romney is a Massachusetts moderate who, in fact, is pretty good at managing the decay.” He’s “given no evidence in his years in Massachusetts of any ability to change the culture or change the political structure.”  

“Now you have to ask a question – is that really, is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of other people and walk off with the money? Or is that in fact somehow a little bit of a flawed system? And so I do draw distinction between looting a company, leaving behind broken families and broken neighborhoods and then leaving a factory that should be there.”  

“Maybe Governor Romney in the spirit of openness should tell us how much money he’s made off of how many households that have been foreclosed by his investments.” 

"Now, for Romney to believe that somebody’s grandmother is going to be so cut off she is going to self deport… He certainly shows no concern for the humanity of people who are already here… I think you have to live in worlds of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatic $20 million a year income with no work to have some fantasy this far from reality.”  

"I just think he ought to be honest with the American people and try to win as the real Mitt Romney, not try to invent a poll-driven, consultant-guided version that goes around with talking points, and I think he ought to be candid. I don’t think he’s being candid and that will be a major issue. From here on out from the rest of this campaign, the country has to decide: Do you really want a Massachusetts moderate who won’t level with you to run against Barack Obama who, frankly, will just tear him apart? He will not survive against the Obama machine.”   

2013 Tucson12

Check them out, not bad.

POTpourri

• Many prominent Republicans are now calling for more Romney tax records.  
• 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table set. 
• LinSanity is headed to Houston. 
• It sounds like a lot of sexual debauchery takes place at the Olympic Village.
• June 2012 is the fourth hottest on record.  C'mon already Global Warming Deniers. 
• Is the Penn State football program headed for the 'Death Penalty'?  
• Why are Republicans opposed to the Disclose Act? 
• Maria Menounos is really moving up the hotness charts.   
• 'Breaking Bad' is back!  Best show on TV!
• Michelle Bachmann is back in the news with more craziness.

Obamacare Vs GOP Healthcare

Twins Thoughts

• The Twins have the worst record in the AL, they are on a pace to lose 95 games a year after losing 99 games, that's hardly improvement worth celebrating.
• The Twins run differential is now -89, that is atrocious, that's by far the worst in baseball (and it was -101 before yesterday's 19-7 win over Baltimore).  
• Bill Smith has to go down as the worst GM in the history of the Minnesota Twins.  
• How did the Twins let go of Jason Kubel AND Michael Cuddyer after building a new stadium to help them remain competitive?    
• It's good to see Justin Morneau get his swing back, he's still got a ways to to though to start earning that hefty paycheck. 
• The Twins must be sellers leading up to the trading deadline, nobody should be untouchable for the right price, they should be targeting starting pitchers in return.  
• Trade bait?  How about Francisco Liriano, Matt Capps, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, Jamey Carroll, Josh Willingham, Jared Burton.    
• I'm not sold on Brian Dozier as the long term answer at Shortstop.  
• Josh Willingham has easily been the Twins best new addition.  I would call him their first half MVP. 
• Trevor Plouffe seems to have found a home at 3B.  
• Scott Diamond has been a real revelation, he has been their best starting pitcher.   
• Keep an eye of minor league outfielder Oswaldo Arcia.  
• Ben Revere's development seems to make him a good fit at CF and opens up the possibility of trading Denard Span for the right price.  

Obama For America Ad

This is a pretty effective ad, I'm guessing it will be played a lot in the coming months.

Suns Acquire Luis Scola

The Suns acquired PF Luis Scola today.   I'm finding this move to be a bit of a head scratcher.  It's not that I'm not a fan of Luis Scola, he's a good player, he'll help, but I'm not quite sure that the PF spot was their most pressing need, they already have Markieff Morris, Channing Frye and Hakim Warrick who can play the PF spot (Michael Beasley can play there too).  It kind of harkens back to the Hedu Turkoglu & Josh Childress signings a few years back, they were/are quality players but they just didn't seem to fit.  They also still have a huge need to fill at the SG position.  I'm hoping that the added salary doesn't hinder their ability to bring in a quality SG (they are rumored to be interested in Courtney Lee or O.J. Mayo).  I suspect that there must still be a few more moves to come (Hakim Warrick is redundant at this point, as is Channing Frye and Josh Childress is vastly overpaid, I suspect they could all be moved).  I guess I'll just have to let the off season play out a bit longer before judging them.

As of now, here's how they're looking:

• Center = Marcin Gortat, Robin Lopez
• Power Forward = Luis Scola, Marktieff Morris, Channing Fry
• Small Forward = Michael Beasley, Jared Dudley, Hakim Warrick
• Shooting Guard = Josh Childress
• Point Guard = Goran Dragic, Kendall Marshall, Sebastian Telfair

Timeless Ink Tour

It's not too late.  It looks like a good time.

Rick Santorum on Mitt Romney

"Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama.” 

"You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who's just going to be a little different than the person in there. If you're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future."  

"It really has to do with what your principles and what your core is. I have a core.... And that's a sharp contrast with Mitt Romney, who was for RomneyCare.... this is someone who doesn't have a core. He's been on both sides of almost every single issue in the past ten years."

"On so many fronts, there could be no person in this country we could nominate who would be any worse on taking on Barack Obama on the most important issue of the day, ObamaCare, than Gov. Romney. And it's the equivalent of malpractice to nominate someone who gives away the most important issue in this race." 

"We'll have a Wall Street banker going up against the president of the United States -- not the best matchup for us."

"I don't know of one group of people that's more disliked than politicians -- it may be the folks who gave us the Wall Street bailout. And that's where Mitt Romney comes from"

"Gov. Romney has a career as an investment banker and someone who's a private equity guy on Wall Street. I'm not too sure that necessarily commends you well to be president of the United States. "

Biden Touts Obama

He makes some good points.  Just saying.



You can find the entire speech here.

POTpourri

• 14 reasons why this U.S. congress is the worst ever. 
• Sorry Joe Pa but your reputation is tarnished in my eyes. 
• When did Mitt Romney leave Bain Capital? 
• You can find the 2012 ESPY winners list here. 
• Belen Rodriguez bikini pictures!!! 
• Why is Russia supporting Syria?  They will be on wrong side of history once again. 
• RIP Sage Stallone.
• Mark Appel set to return to Stanford.  He should also find a new agent/advisor. 
• JLo & Steven Tyler leave 'American Idol'.   Is Randy Jackson next?
• McDonald's reveals Big Mac Secret Sauce recipe. 

Fact Checking Tax Cut Claims

AZ Tidbits

• Coyote opponents turn in petition late and short of required signatures.  Let's move on! 
• Wade Miley named to NL All Star team.
• Ray Whitney is now a former Coyote as he signs with Dallas.  
• Desert Uprising Rock Festival coming to Phoenix 9/28-9/29.  
• Arizona's new restrictive abortion law to face federal hearing. 
• 3 ex-Arizona State basketball players will be playing in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
• Are they Diamondbacks really going to trade Justin Upton? 
• Former Arizona Governor Raul Castro detained at Arizona border. 
• SoSco?  Not real catchy is it? 
• Are the Suns going to target O.J. Mayo? 

Senator Bernie Sanders

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is easily my favorite politician.   He's not afraid to tell it like it is.  We need more politicians like him.  Check out his website here, his Twitter page here, his YouTube page here. 

Affordable Care Act 80/20 Rule

Are you aware of this?   Insurance companies now have to spend at least 80% of every premium dollar on health care and quality improvements, not on CEO compensation.  If an insurance company spends less than 80% of premiums on medical care and quality (or less than 85% in the large group market, which is generally insurance provided through large employers), it must rebate the portion of premium dollars that exceeded this limit back to consumers.   I don't know about you, but I see this as a positive development, it sickens me to see Healthcare CEO's raking in million dollar compensation packages while there are millions without health insurance or adequate coverage.

Victoria's Secret Cotton Lingerie

Cotton never looked so good!

POTpourri

• NL defeats AL in 2012 MLB All Star Game. 
• I rather enjoyed "The Catalina" on the CW, a renewal would be nice.
• Prince Fielder wins All Star Game Home Run Derby.
• Give Vanity Fair's look at Mitt Romney's offshore finances a look.  
• The past 12 months have been the warmest ever recorded in the U.S.
• Doutzen Kroes is looking MILF-tastic! 
• Timberwolves sign Russian Alexey Shved. 
• ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue is out, check out the women athletes here. 
• Kiss and make-up already Diretv and Viacom. 
• Is Justin Verlander dating Kate Upton?  

Lightning Strike at Twins Game

POTpourri

• Serena Williams & Roger Federer win Wimbledon titles.  
• Republicans not showing confidence in the Romney campaign.   
• Noureen Dewulf is reason enough to keep tuning into Anger Management.
• Mexicans know how to buy an election. 
• I love pictures of hot girls in the middle of nowhere.  
• Is a Mini iPad coming?  It looks like it.
• Minnesota Timberwolves sign Brandon Roy & make offer to Nicolas Batum.
• RIP Ernest Borgnine & John Williams.   
• Flixster is a excellent app, I'm once again late to the game.  
• Anderson Silva defeats Chael Sonnen to retain his UFC title.  

Where's the Trickle Down?

USA Olympic Basketball Team

The USA national basketball team was named today, here's the team:

• LeBron James - F - Heat
• Kobe Bryant - OG - Lakers
• Kevin Durant - SF - Thunder
• Russell Westbrook - G - Thunder
• Kevin Love - PF - Timberwolves 
• Chris Paul - PG - Clippers
• Deron Williams - PG- Nets
• Carmelo Anthony - SF - Knicks
• Blake Griffin - PF - Clippers
• Tyson Chandler - C - Knicks
• James Harden - OG - Thunder
• Andre Iguodola - SF/OG - 76ers

Injuries knocked out Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Andrew Bynum, Brook Lopez & Chris Bosh.   The last 3 players cut were Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay & Anthony Davis.    This will easily be the most athletic team in the Olympics, nobody is going to be able to run with them.   They are a bit thin at the center position, I'm surprised they didn't take another one (Roy Hibbert?  Tim Duncan?  Greg Monroe?).  Anyways, I fully expect them to come home with another gold medal.  It'll be interesting to see if this will be the last "Dream Team" version of Olympic basketball, I personally hope not, I quite enjoy it, but there is some talk of it being changed to a 23 and under tournament starting in 2016.  


**** UPDATE:  Blake Griffin hurt his knee on 7/12/12 and has been ruled out of the Olympics, he has been replaced on the roster by Anthony Davis.  That's a blow, they were already thin in the front court, hopefully Davis can live up to his potential. ****

Random Hot Girl Dancing

Suns Thoughts

Just a few thoughts on the Suns off season to this point:

• Steve Nash dealt to the Lakers.  I had resigned myself to the fact that Nash wasn't going to be back and I think that is the right move for the franchise moving forward.  What I am have some trouble with is that the Suns dealt him to their arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers.  WTF are they doing helping out the Lakers?  I don't care if Nash wanted to play there or not you do not trade away your 2 time NBA MVP to your arch-rival!!!   They essentially gave him away too, 2 first round picks (which will probably be in the mid/late 20's) and 2 second round picks.  I just don't get it. 
• Goran Dragic signed as a free agent.  I like this move, I thought that it was a big mistake to deal him away in the first place.  I suspect that he will be the starting point guard come the start of the year.  
• Michael Beasley signed as a free agent.  I'm a Beasley fan, I think the Timberwolves made a mistake not bringing him back.  If he's healthy and his head is in the right place, he will have no trouble averaging 20+ ppg in Alvin Gentry's offense.  
• Kendall Marshall drafted in round 1 of the NBA Draft.  Knowing Nash wasn't going to be back and not knowing at that time if they could bring back Dragic, I think this was the only way they could have gone.  I suspect Dragic will be the starting point guard but Marshall will provide good depth and in time could unseat him.  I really don't see the downside (unless you are Sebastian Telfair).  
• They've still got to do something about their off guard spot.  They signed the Hornet's Eric Gordon to an offer sheet but I highly suspect that New Orleans will match it.  I wouldn't be opposed to Michael Redd being brought back, he actually played pretty good last year and I think that he'd like to be back (especially given the success the Suns training staff has had at lengthening careers) .  Shannon Brown played well in spots too, I see him more as a bench/rotation guy though, not as a starter.  
• I suspect that Grant Hill is gone too.  I love him as a player and person, it just seems time, the Suns need to start over (plus they already have Beasley, Dudley and Childress to play SF). 

Happy 4th of July!

POTpourri

• Joey Chestnut wins sixth straight Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. 
• Minnesota Wild sign Zach Parise & Ryan Suter. 
• Higgs Boson particle located?   
• A Bad Case of the Dates is some good reading. 
• Erin Andrews leaves ESPN for Fox Sports. 
• Do we really want a President who stashes money offshore?  
• RIP Andy Griffith & Ben Davidson. 
• Maria Menounos is in a bikini in the July Shape Magazine.
• Now the banks are manipulating interest rates?? 
• What exactly is Mitt Romney's healthcare plan? 

RIP Andy Griffith

Mitt Romney on Corporations

"Corporations are people, my friend… of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? Whose pockets? People's pockets. Human beings, my friend."    -  Mitt Romney

Pre-Existing Conditions Anyone?

 I guess they do want to just "let them die".

POTpourri

• Spain routs Italy to win UEFA Euro 2012.   
• Chicago decriminalizes small amounts of marijuana.
• RIP Paul Bargas, Corky Taylor & Don Grady.
• WTF Justice Scalia, you really have no business spouting off.
• Jessica Biel is so freaking hot!!
• WTA declares war on grunting in tennis.
• You can find the Top 100 NFL Players of 2012 here.
• Google is coming out with a tablet, the Nexus 7.  Very affordable too.
• Have we seen the end of TomKat?  
• 2012 MLB All Star teams named. 
 

 

July Flavor of the Month . . . .

. . . . is Amia Miley!   Subscribe to her YouTube channel, I highly recommend.