Thank Heavens for Carl's Jr

You too Hannah Ferguson & Paris Hilton!

POTpourri

• The New York Times endorses marijuana legalization!
• When it comes to pot & alcohol, the facts are hard to ignore. 
• Rory McIlroy wins the 2014 British Open.  
• Is Hamas using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza?  
• Are you familiar with Vladimir Putin's new worth? 
• RIP James Garner, Bob McNamara & Elaine Stritch.  
• Elle Macpherson is aging remarkably well.  
• Should FIFA pull the 2018 World Cup from Russia?  
• I must find out more about Emma Olson!
• The Sarah Palin Channel?  Are you kidding me???  
• Does Hamas feel a high Palestinian body count will work to their political advantage?
• It's time that open primary systems be instituted across the country. 
• David Siegel was wrong about Barack Obama, were you? 
• Someone needs to explain to me the benefits of Ag-Gag laws.  
• Is Ebola going to be the death of us all?  
• Stephen A. Smith may have just killed his career.  Idiot. 
• Empire created a list of the 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time. 
• More well deserved fallout for Russia & Vladimir Putin.  
• Count me as a huge fan of Mark Cuban.   
• Kiss to play a nine show residency at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.
• How about we debunk a few popular Right Wing Myths about President Obama?  

Obama Vacations

You can't listen to right wing radio for long now days without some pundit complaining about President Obama and all of his vacation.  Oddly enough, those same critics were quite quiet when President Bush took any of his frequent vacations.  The different standards that they hold this President to are quite amazing.  Can you say hypocrisy?  Perhaps they could save some of their outrage for congressional vacations, don't you think?

NFL Camps Open!

All NFL training camps are now open!  The first preseason game is Sunday!  I could not be happier!  The NFL is easily my favorite sport, and it's really not even close.  Even better?  This season Super Bowl XLIX will be in Phoenix!  That should be fun couple of weeks here in Phoenix.  Being a Minnesota native now living in Arizona, I pull for both the Vikings and the Cardinals (although if I had to choose, I'd favor the Vikings).   I'm excited for both these teams, I think that we'll see improvement from both of them.

The Vikings can't help but be better than last year, they were an absolutely miserable team to watch last year.  Their coaching staff was seemingly outmatched every week, their offensive and defensive philosophies were relic's of the past, their QB play was woefully insufficient and their defense couldn't stop anyone.  Honestly, I don't think the problem last year was talent, I think most of it was the coaching.  Leslie Frazier is a good man but he is not equipped to be an NFL head coach.  I love the hiring of Mike Zimmer, he's a no nonsense, all business football guy, he's worked a long time to get this opportunity.  I liken his hiring to the Bruce Arians hiring in Arizona last year, both were long time, well respected no-nonsense assistant coaches, both favor an aggressive attacking defenses, both want to stretch the field offensively, hopefully this hiring turns out as well as the Arians hiring did for the Cardinals.  The Vikings desperately needed to ditch that cover-2 defense of Leslie Frazier, team's had figured out how to beat that years ago, in the games that the Vikings played less of it, they did play better.  On the offensive side, Zimmer hired Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator, while Turner has struggled as a head coach, he is one of the great offensive coordinators in NFL history, I have tons of confidence that he will turn the Vikings offense around.  As mentioned earlier, Turner favors an offense that stretches the field and gets the ball down the field, that's welcome news to me, I had grown tired of Bill Musgrave and his conservative play calling (which lead to teams continually stacking the box against the Vikings to stop Adrian Peterson).  In Musgrave's defense, he was hamstrung with Christian Ponder as his QB, that didn't help matters.  Speaking of Ponder, IMO he was the worst starting QB in the NFL last year, he really hasn't progressed much at all in his short time in the NFL.  Where do I start with Ponder, he is a smart guy but it hasn't translated to the field, he holds onto the ball too long, often missing out on open receivers in the process, he also fails to keep his eyes downfield, and when he does look downfield he too often locks in on just his primary receiver, then when that primary receiver isn't open he is real quick to just dump the ball to his checkdown receiver or just tucked the ball in and run with it, his lack of arm strength was also a bit troubling, it was all just a recipe for disaster.  The Vikings looked much better in games that Matt Cassel started last year and despite what Ron Jaworski says about him, I do think that he's a decent fit in Norv Turner's offense (at least for this upcoming season, as Teddy Bridgewater is obviously the QB of the future).  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to this Vikings season more so than I have been in quite some time.

As for the Cardinals?  I loved what I saw from Bruce Arians and the Cardinals last year.  They were clearly the best team that didn't make the playoffs last year and they were playing their best football late in the season (let us not forget, they beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on the road last year to close their season).   I can only imagine that after a full year in Arians system, and a full year of practice and OTA's, they should be an even stronger team this year.  Carson Palmer is a key for them again this coming season, he started last season really slow but as the season progressed, and he became more familiar with the offense and his receivers, things really clicked for him, if he can play this season like the did at the end of last season, the Cardinals could make some noise this season.  Another key for Cardinals this upcoming season is the Linebacker position, Karlos Dansby left via free agency (signing with the Cleveland Browns) and Darryl Washington has been suspended for the upcoming season, those two were probably the Cardinals best defensive players last year, they will not be easily replaced.  Kevin Minter is going to need to step up his game in his second season and they're going to have to hope that they can squeeze some additional life out of veterans Larry Foote & Ernie Sims.   The last key I'll mention for the Cardinals is their OL, on paper, it should be the best the Cardinals have fielded in quite some time, especially if free agent signing Jared Veldheer lives up to his hype and if last years number 1 draft pick Jonathan Cooper can regain the form that made him a top 10 draft pick last year, keep an eye on this group.  To summarize, I fully expect at least 10 wins and a playoff appearance out this Cardinals team.  Bring it on!  

Olbermann on Ray Rice

Keith Olbermann righfully nails the NFL for their 2 game suspension of Ray Rice.

Favorite Movie Characters

TPSG Top 10 Favorite Movie Characters

1. Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson in "Dazed and Confused"
2. Bill Murray as Carl Spackler in "Caddyshack"
3. Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
4. Randy Quaid as 'Cousin Eddie' Johnson in "Vacation"
5. Will Ferrell as Frank "TheTank" Ricard in "Old School" 
6. Mike Myers as Dr Evil in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" 
7. John Belushi as John 'Bluto' Blutarkski in "Animal House"
8. Seann William Scott as Steve Stifler in "American Pie" 
9. Bill Murray as Eddie McCracken in "Kingpin" 
10. Tom Green as Barry Manilow in "Road Trip" 

Please note, I used the term character, all of these guys were true characters.  Also note, none of these characters were the lead role in any of these films, they all went really far in making the movies as memorable as they were though.  

GOP Union Busting

Is this really the direction we want to be heading?

AZ Tidbits

• Arizona surpasses 50,000 medical marijuana patients.  
• Christine Jones appears to be too delusional to be Arizona Governor.  
• Arizona Cardinals franchise value nears $1 billion.  
• Executions in Arizona approved by the Supreme Court.  
• Phoenix Suns Miles Plumlee named to the U.S. Men's Select team. 
• The summer months are the most deadly at the Grand Canyon. 
• Doug Ducey meanwhile is a complete sellout, be very weary Arizona.
• Netroots Nation will be coming to Phoenix in 2015.  
• Could the Arizona Coyotes be forced to relocate?  
• Are you familiar with Arizona's most visited National Parks?  
• Arizona among the worst states for alcohol related deaths. 
• The USA Today gives the Cardinals offseason a B.  
• Frank Riggs may want to reconsider his campaign strategy.  
• Phoenix Suns sign free agent forward Anthony Tolliver.  
• Public transportation is on the uptick in Arizona.  
• Scott Smith trailing in the polls tells you everything you need to know about the state of Arizona.
• Diamondbacks extend Kirk Gibson & Kevin Towers for one more year. 
• Arizona is still one of the worst states to be a kid. 
• T.J. Warren impresses in the Las Vegas Summer League.  
• Arizona is fed up with immigration checkpoints.  

John Oliver on America's Prison System

John Oliver nails the broken American prison system.  We can do better!

TPSG Top 10 Movies of 1992

Continuing with my look at the best movies of years gone by.

Top 10 Movies of 1992:

1. Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman
2. A Few Good Men - Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson
3. Reservoir Dogs - Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen
4. My Cousin Vinny - Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei
5. Wayne's World - Mike Myers, Dana Carvey
6. Glengarry Glen Ross - Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino
7. White Men Can't Jump - Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes
8. Bob Roberts - Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito 
9. A League of Their Own - Gena Davis, Tom Hanks
10. Basic Instinct - Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone

"Unforgiven" is my favorite western movie ever.  That "You can't handle the truth!" line from "A Few Good Men" is one of the best movie lines ever.  "Reservoir Dogs" is early Quentin Tarantino at his finest.  I absolutely loved the way Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei played off each other in "My Cousin Vinny".  It's not easy turning a SNL skit into a full length movie, but Mike Myers & Dana Carvey hit a home run with "Wayne's World", it's hella funny.  "Glengarry Glen Rose" had a terrific cast and a great story, I loved it. "White Men Can't Jump" is one of the better basketball films you'll find.  "Bob Roberts" is a truly great political satire, and I loved the ending.  "A League of Their Own" is a highly entertaining baseball movie with the twist being that it's about a woman's baseball team, great cast, lots of fun and that "there's no crying in baseball" line was an instant classic.  That Sharon Stone interrogation scene in "Basic Instinct" is still etched into my mind.

Nastik Kitsan

Are you familiar with Nastik Kitsan?  You probably should be.

POTpourri

• Has Vladimir Putin's reckless behavior finally caught up to him? 
• For the record, Rick Santelli was wrong about everything.
• How about an updated Top 75 minor league prospect list? 
• Golf size ball hail has got to hurt.  Ouch!
• The Tea Party needs to learn how to lose gracefully.  What a bunch of children. 
• It has not been a good offseason for the Houston Rockets.  
• Sorry Comcast customers but you cannot cancel your service!!!
• The Best Movies of 2014, so far?  
• Props to Sara Firth!  We need more journalists like her. 
• This just in, Jaime Pressly has still got it!
• The Atlanta Falcons are set to be on HBO's "Hard Knocks" this year. 
• Get your 2014 ESPY's winners list here!
• Could Chris Kluwe just go away?  Please!  Just go away.  
• The NBA is actually considering revising their Draft lottery.  Couldn't hurt I guess.
• Rhonda Rousey vs Gina Carano?  Make it happen Dana White. 
• Stay strong Stuart Scott, longtime fan here, you are in my thoughts and prayers. 
• 49ers new home, Levi Stadium looks pretty nice!  Could the Raiders call it home too?
• Astros fail to sign MLB's number 1 overall draft pick Brady Aiken.  
• Isn't it about time for Republicans to reconsider their austerity policies?  
• Justin Verlander is doing okay for himself.  

Worst.Socialist.Ever

That would be President Obama.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - starring Jason Clarke & Andy Serkis.  Having enjoyed "Rise of Planet of the Apes" in 2011, I was very much looking forward to "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", and I wasn't disappointed, I enjoyed this one quite a bit.  In fact, I think that this may be my favorite movie so far in 2014.  This one takes place 10 years after "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" ended, the human population has been decimated by the Simian Flu and the apes have built up a civilization in the hills outside of San Francisco.  There is a remaining group of humans though and in a desperate search for a power source they head up to the hills where they run into the Apes.  That's when all hell breaks lose, soon it's human vs ape, and then ape vs ape.  The action and CGI is well done, the story moves at a fast pace, the direction and editing are top notch.  While no Charlton Heston, Jason Clarke was very good in this one as the chief protagonist, he's really building a solid resume.  Andy Serkis also does an amazing job once again as Caesar, the leader of the apes, while he didn't have much dialogue, he had the ape motions and gestures down pat.  Gary Oldman and Keri Russell were also solid in supporting roles.  Good movie, check it out!!

I will give it 4 out of 5 stars (*****).

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow - starring Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt.  This was a pretty good film, I rather enjoyed it.  It's sort of a cross between "Groundhog Day" and "War of the Worlds", I know that sounds like an odd combination but it worked.  Cruise plays Major William Cage an Army public relations expert who inexplicably get's thrown into a combat position fighting the dreaded alien creatures called the Mimics, it's a position that he is in no way equipped or trained to handle and he is rather quickly killed in battle.  Here's where the twist comes though as after dying he wakes up the next day to the exact same day, it happens again and again, with him dying every time, it's a power that was transferred to him by the Mimics in order for them to get a better read on their enemy, as time proceeds Cage adopts his behavior to what he learns on the battlefield.  It's all quite enthralling, the action is top notch, the special effects are terrific, Cruise and Blunt make for great leads, the direction by Doug Liman is terrific.  I highly recommend, give it a watch.

I will give it 4 out of 5 stars (*****).

AZ Tidbits

• Sometimes I'm really embarrassed to call myself an Arizona resident. 
• Phoenix Suns add point guard Isaiah Thomas in sign and trade. 
• Arizona native Kimiko Glenn impressed me on "Orange is the New Black:".
• 10 cities that are more miserable than Phoenix in the summer?? 
• Diamondbacks Catcher Miguel Montero added to the N.L. All Star team. 
• Arizona must pay public schools $317 million.  Take that GOP!
• Phoenix Suns re-sign free agent P.J. Tucker to 3 year extension. 
• There's a real easy case against charter schools in Arizona. 
• Lute Olson's UA recruits have now netted over $1 billion.  
• Phoenix had the largest decrease in home ownership during the recession years.
• It sounds like everybody has had enough of Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne.   
• Progress continues on the future home of USA Basketball in Tempe. 
• You've got to love Rich Rodriguez's offseason football videos.  
• What are the 10 Worst Wildfires in Arizona history?  
• Arizona's wealthiest families make the Forbes list of the richest American families. 
• Do the Arizona's Republican gubernatorial candidates think the voters are stupid?
• 21 Experiences that you can only have in Phoenix?  
• Arizona goes to war against the Tamarisk Tree!  May I suggest the Olive Tree next? 
• Diamondbacks SS prospect Andrew Velazquez is having one heckuva season. 
• Do Democrats have a chance to take back control of the Arizona legislature?  

Cool Pics!

POTpourri

• Let's not forget, it was the Republicans who blocked immigration reform. 
• The Emmy nominations are out!.  Game of Thrones & Fargo lead the way. 
• Study estimates costs of GWB tax cuts at $6.5 trillion. 
• I would support the implementation of the Robin Hood Tax.  
• Bill Maher calls out Republicans for their lies and lack of accountability. 
• Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Marcos Maidana rematch set for September 13.
• Mitt Romney is polling very well, that's a bad sign for Republicans. 
• RIP Tommy Ramon. 
• Are Mid East Muslims finally turning on extremist ideology?  
• The Top 100 Players in the NFL can be found here. 
• Yet another Benghazi conspiracy theory shot down.  
• You've got to love hot girls in short tight dresses!
• It may be time for Miami leaders to embrace climate science.  Just saying. 
• As it turns out, Republicans love their Obamacare.  
• Hey Kansas, how's that "trickle down theory" working out for you?  
• Rachel Maddow points out the main flaw of Rick Perry's Immigration argument.  
• Rosie O'Donnell set to return to "The View".  
• Blame Hamas, not Israel, for Gaza problems.  
• The party of the supposed fiscal conservatives are at it once again.  
• Remember when Ronald Reagan supported Amnesty?  

Germany Wins 2014 World Cup

Mario Gotze scores in the 113th minute to give Germany the World Cup!

LeBron Goes Home

Unless you have been living under a rock, you've probably heard the news that LeBron James is headed back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  I welcome the news, I hated to see him go to Miami in the first place.  I just hated that whole trend of superstar players deciding amongst themselves to band together in some big market city to win a title, it just set a horrible precedence for the league as a whole.  Overall, I like LeBron, he's without a doubt one of the best players I have ever seen on a basketball court, he works hard, he stays out of trouble, he seems like a good family man, he's been more than willing to play for Team USA, the only mark against him in my book was the way he left Cleveland and I think the way he's going back will help to alleviate that black mark from his legacy.

That brings up the inevitable Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins trade possibility.  For some odd reason, the Cavs seem hesitant to pull the trigger on this one.  IMO, that is just foolish on the Cavs part.  LeBron James is 29 years old, he will be 30 by year end, he is in the prime of his career.  Andrew Wiggins is 19, he is loaded with potential, but by every measure, he is a long way from being a star in the NBA (if he even ever reaches that level as not everybody is sold on his game).  Why would you waste LeBron James prime years waiting/hoping for Wiggins to develop when you could pick up arguably one of the top 5 players in the league right now to play with LeBron?  Let's also not forget that Kevin Love is just 25 year old, he's got a long future ahead of him.  When you really think about it, it would be beyond foolish on the Cavs part to not make that deal, it seems like a no-brainer to me.  I'm guessing, in the end, this deal does happen (with other parts also included obviously to match salary requirements), the Cavs need Love, the Wolves need to get something out of Love before he leaves via free agency, it just makes too much sense.

Two Santa Claus Theory

Are you familiar with this theory?

The "Two Santa Clause theory" started just before Ronald Reagan ran for President.  It stated that since the Democrats "give" people things — unemployment benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. — Republicans should "give" big tax cuts and run up the debt with out of control spending.

Then, when a Democrat is in office, Republicans can scream about the debt and force the Democrats to take away entitlements.

Sound familiar?  Don't fall for it.  Educate yourself please.  

American's Koch Problem

Do we really want a plutocracy? 



Sign the petition! 

AZ Tidbits

• A Bunny Ranch location in Phoenix?  Why not! 
• Paul Goldschmidt is the Diamondbacks lone All Star. 
• Court blocks Arizona from denying driver's licenses to immigrants. 
• Diamondbacks deal Brandon McCarthy to the Yankees. 
• 10 problems only people in Phoenix have to deal with.  
• And Touki Toussaint is off and running!  
• Meet the 6 Republicans running for Arizona Governor. 
• Brittney Griner & Diana Taurasi to start for the West in the WNBA All Star Game.
• Would you consider Arizona to one of the most patriot states?   
• Diamondbacks deal Joe Thatcher to the Angels.
• States, like Arizona, that raised their minimum wage, are experiencing faster job growth.
• Metropolitan Phoenix is beating job growth expectations. 
• Phoenix native Channing Frye is now an ex-Phoenix Sun.
• Diamondbacks pitcher Bronson Arroyo to have Tommy John surgery. 
• Wasted Grain is now open in Scottsdale.  
• It's kind of nice to see Doug Ducey candidate get some of his own medicine.
• 10 Biggest Myths about Arizona.  
• Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald makes an appearance in ESPN Magazine's Body Issue. 
• Top 10 Arizona high school hoops prospects can be found here. 
• Water levels at Lake Mead drop to new lows.  

Emily in TeenyB

She's hot!  As a guy, I'm a big fan of girls in TeenyB's.

POTpourri

• The Ugly Americans rear their heads once again. 
• Bill Maher calls out the Wall Street loving Tea Party. 
• RIP Paul Mazursky & Louis Zamperini. 
• Bucks hire Jason Kidd as head coach; Nets hire Lionel Hollins. 
• So corporations are people?  And they have religious freedom?  Alrighty then. 
• Joey Chestnut defends his Coney Island Hot Dog Eating title. 
• HOTTEST EYECANDY & ILUVSKINNY BITCHES are very enjoyable tumblr pages!  
• The Tea Party apparently is not a fan of black people voting in Republican primaries. 
• Chile releases official UFO photos.  Are we really alone?  
• Thomas Vanek signs free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild. 
• Is "Terminus" full of cannibals on "The Walking Dead"?  
• It's time to declare independence from the one percent!
• Petra Kvitova & Novak Djokovic win 2014 Wimbeldon titles.  
• Where have you been my whole life Olga Katysheva? 
• Carlos Correa vs Byron Buxton?  I land on the side of Buxton.  
• George Takai nails the Hobby Lobby decision.  Be careful what you wish for. 
• "Halt and Catch Fire" on AMC & "Tyrant" on FX are off to promising starts. 
• Ridiculously photogenic fans from the World Cup in Brazil!
• 2014 AL & NL MLB All Star Teams named. 
• Sorry Republicans, but the Obama economy far exceeds the GWB economy. 

TPSG Top 10 Movies of 1993

Continuing with my look at the best movies of years gone by.

Top 10 Movies of 1993:

1. Schindler's List - Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes
2. Jurassic Park - Sam Neill, Laura Dern
3. The Fugitive - Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones
4. Groundhog Day - Bill Murray, Andy McDowell
5. Dazed and Confused - Jason London, Matthew McConaughey
6. True Romance - Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette
7. In the Line of Fire - Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich
8. Philadelphia - Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington
9. Cliffhanger - Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow
10. Rudy - Sean Astin, Jon Favreau

"Schindler's List" is probably Stephen Spielberg's best work, it's a tremendous and horrifying film.  It's a ton of fun watching Sam Neill, Laura Dern & company as they attempt to evade the re-engineered dinosaurs that are chasing them in "Jurassic Park".  "The Fugitive" is a heck of ride with action galore.  IMO, "Groundhog Day" is Bill Murray's best film, I loved the premise and they carried it out perfectly.  "Dazed and Confused" took me back to my small town roots, they did a great job of capturing the feel of the times, and David Wooderson is one of my all time favorite movie characters.  "True Romance" is a very under-appreciated Quentin Tarantino/Tony Scott film.  Clint Eastwood just doesn't make bad movies, he's great as the aging secret service agent in "In The Line of Fire".  "Philadelphia" tells an important story and the performances by Hanks & Washington were masterful.  I was hooked on "Cliffhanger" from the opening sequence on.  Who wasn't inspired by "Rudy"?

Rhonda Rousey

...is one bad woman.  Holy cow!

Hobby Lobby

Personally, I prefer a separation of church and state, kind of like the founding fathers.

Poverty & Red States

Notice any coincidence?  Keep clinging to those guns and bibles.

Kevin Love Destination?

If you haven't been paying attention, Kevin Love, despite his wishes, is still a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  As I see it, the Timberwolves are willing to deal Love, but not for the scraps they've been offered.  In my opinion, Love is a Top 5 player in the league and I think the T-wolves are right to take that stand.  There are certainly some risks to holding on to him, but dealing him for scraps doesn't help the long term or short term viability of the franchise either.  Worst case scenario, they hold onto him, add some bit pieces, and hope that they can make a playoff run next season, then if he still wants to go (and don't forget, he claims, or his representatives claim, that he wants out because he wants to be on a playoff team), he walks and they free up cap space to sign someone else and Love leaves $26 million on the table.

With all of that being said, I still think he is dealt by the time training camp opens.  Here are the trade options as I see it, listed in my order of preference.

Houston Rockets.  The Rockets desperately want to add a third star to their Dwight Howard/James Harden tandem.  They appear to be focused on LaBron James, Carmelo Anthony & Chris Bosh at the moment, but if they fail on those fronts, which is appearing likely, the next best option for them would appear to be Kevin Love.  To me, that's a very intriguing possibility because the Rockets have a lot of trade chips they could offer.  First and foremost is Chandler Parsons, Parsons has greatly improved in his three years in the league and at 25 would be a nice building block for the Wolves.  Including Parsons in any deal would call for a sign and trade as he's a restricted free agent and will probably want max money but I think it's definitely doable (keep in mind if Love leaves anyways and frees up cash for the Wolves to spend in 2015, they'd probably be looking to add someone of Parsons caliber anyways, if they could find someone willing to sign in Minnesota that is).  Of course it would take more than Parsons to make a deal happen though, that's where the Rockets other pieces come into play, I would imagine that the Wolves would want Terrence Jones included to take Love's PF spot, the Rockets also own the Pelicans first round pick in next years draft (it's lottery protected but only top 3) and they just drafted Clint Capela who is a very promising young foreign player who the Wolves could stash overseas and hope to develop.  That's 4 good young pieces, add them to Rubio, Dieng and LaVine and you've good a decent young foundation to build around.  I would think that it's also possible that the Wolves could deal an unwanted contract or 2 to the Rockets as part of the deal (i.e. Kevin Martin, J.J. Barea, Alexy Shved, Chase Budinger, Corey Brewer).  To me, if the Wolves feel they must deal Kevin Love or lose him for nothing, this would be my preferred option, so lets hope the Rockets lose out on James, Carmelo & Bosh.  

Golden State Warriors.  From everything that I have surmised, the Wolves would be willing to do a Kevin Love/Kevin Martin deal to the Warriors in exchange for Klay Thompson, David Lee and either Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green. While I don't like this deal as much as I'd like a Rockets deal, I could live with it, they'd get an potential All Star in Klay Thompson, a proven replacement for Kevin Love in David Lee and a still promising wing in either Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green.  Problem being?  The Warriors reportedly don't want to give up Klay Thompson and don't want to take back Kevin Martin's contract (although they'd have no problem dumping that horrible David Lee contract on the Wolves).  The Warriors in the meantime, are reportedly offering up a deal that would include David Lee, Harrison Barnes and future draft pick straight up for Kevin Love.  That is just ridiculous on so many levels that I don't feel it necessary to comment, Flip would be out of his mind to accept that deal and I highly suspect that Flip isn't out of his mind.  Apparently, the Warriors feel they are dealing from a position of strength in these negotiations and feel the Wolves will eventually get desperate enough to make the deal.  My thoughts on that?  The Warriors are blowing a rare opportunity to bring in a bonafide superstar, that doesn't happen often, unless they budge, it's highly unlikely a deal between the Wolves & Warriors will take place.  

Chicago Bulls.  The Bulls were big in the chase for Love prior to the draft but seem to have moved their focus to Carmelo Anthony since free agency opened earlier in the week.  So at this point, a Love to Chicago deal is in a holding pattern.  Once Carmelo signs somewhere, the focus on Love could/should return, that would also include a chance of teaming Carmelo and Love together along with Derrick Rose in Chicago.  I suspect that the best deal the Bulls would have to offer now for Love would center around Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott and either Jimmy Butler or Tony Snell in exchange for Love (and pieces?).  This is really not a bad offer, Gibson is highly underrated, Mirotic & McDermott are loaded with potential and Bulter/Snell are promising young OG's.  I'm sensing that Flip is not all that enamored with this potential deal though.  Another positive to dealing with the Bulls, you would be dealing Love to an Eastern Conference team as opposed to strengthening another Western Conference contender.

Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Cavs interest in adding Kevin Love is directly linked to LeBron James, if LeBron somehow manages to wind up back in Cleveland, you'd have to imagine they'd at least give some consideration to adding Love to their newly formed LeBron James-Kyrie Irving duo.  The Cavs have the pieces to get a deal done too with Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson as bait.  I would suspect that the Cavs would want to get a deal done without including Andrew Wiggins, but I'm guessing the Wolves would insist upon his inclusion in any deal. My guess is that it would take Wiggins and a couple others mentioned above plus maybe a draft pick for Love and at least one other piece from the Wolves (Martin, Barea, Shved, Budinger, Brewer).  I could live with a deal like this, Wiggins' upside is off the charts and if they also got another couple young pieces along with him I suspect the Wolves would be happy.  Of course, if LeBron doesn't find his way back to Cleveland there is no way in hell that Love would want to play there, so there's that.

I really haven't heard of too many other serious players in the Kevin Love Sweepstakes lately.  I don't think the Celtics, Lakers or Suns have the pieces to get a deal done, and I highly doubt that Love would sign long term with Denver.  I'm not sure who that leaves unless someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat.  

Top 20 Favorite Instagram Pages

Here are my Top 20 Favorite Instagram pages:

1. Ashley Sky - @ashleysky
2. Svetlana Bilyalova - @bilyalova_sveta
3. Galinka Mirgaeva - @mirgaeva_galinka
4. Anna Vyacheslavovna - @anyuta_rai
5. Jen Selter - @jenselter
6. Laura Cremaschina - @cremaschina
7. Michelle Lewin - @michelle_lewin
8. Caitlin Rice - @caitlinricefit
9. Renee Somerfield - @reneesomerfield
10. Alexandra Markina - @markina
11. Lisa Morales - @misslisamorales
12. Amia Miley - @realamiamiley
13. Adrianne Curry - @adriannecurry
14. Paulina Gretzky - @paulinagretzky
15. Luci Ford - @luci_ford
16. Laura Gordon - @cttchickentuna
17. Olga Filchenkova - @olgafilchenkova
18. C.J. Miles - @cjmiles8ig
19. Brianna Frost - @thebriannafrost
20. Laura Michelle Prestin - @missprestin

Emily Ratajkowski

Hot!

AZ Tidbits

• LeBron James & Carmelo Anthony to the Phoenix Suns?  
• The Phoenix Coyotes are now officially the Arizona Coyotes. 
• 3 Sun Devil hoopsters find NBA Summer League homes. 
• Apparently jaywalking is frowned upon in Tempe. 
• Could Glendale host World Cup games in 2022?  Certainly. 
• Arizona Coyotes buy out Mike Ribeiro's contract.  
• Mexican law enforcement helicopters are apparently firing into Arizona. 
• Did you feel that 5.2 magnitude Arizona earthquake. 
• All Arizona Coyotes draft picks here.
• Centerfold's Cabaret is still one of my favorite places in Phoenix. 
• Did you know that the second largest religion in Arizona is Hinduism.  
• The Arizona Coyotes obtain Sam Gagner in trade.  
• Top 10 Ways to be a Complete Cheapskate in Phoenix.  
• Phoenix sued for curbing pension spiking??  WTF? 
• Solar companies sue over new rooftop solar tax in Arizona. 
• Prominent Pot Researcher abruptly fired by the University of Arizona. 
• Why is Mary Rose Wilcox opposed to legalizing marijuana.  
• Yet another reason not to vote for Christine Jones.  
• Grand Canyon University is stepping up it's basketball schedule next season. 
• The Best and Worst free agent signings in the Arizona Coyotes history. 

USA vs Belgium

USA vs Belgium today in the 2014 World Cup from Brazil!



How can you not love Will Ferrell?   USA!  USA!  USA!

***Edit:  Final Score:  Belgium 2, USA 1***