Thursday, June 30, 2016

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Top 10 1980's Comedies

Were they better back then?  I'm going to have to say YES.

Here are my Top 10 1980's Comedies:
  1. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - 1982 - Judge Reinhold, Sean Penn
  2. Airplane - 1980 - Robert Hayes, Leslie Nielsen 
  3. Caddyshack - 1980 - Bill Murray, Chevy Chase
  4. Ghostbusters - 1984 - Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd 
  5. Vacation - 1983 - Chevy Chase, Beverly DeAngelo
  6. Stripes - 1981 - Bill Murray, Harold Ramis 
  7. Back to School - 1986 - Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon
  8. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - 1988 - Steve Martin, Michael Caine 
  9. Major League - 1989 - Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen 
  10. Trading Places - 1983 - Eddie Murphy, Dan Ackroyd

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Red Hot Chili Peppers

They're still making some great music.  Check out "Dark Necessities".



On a side note, I've seen them live twice, hands down the best shows I've ever seen.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Las Vegas Hockey Team Name?

It sounds like the Black Knights is the front runner to be the name of the new NHL expansion franchise in Las Vegas.  I can live with that, but I think there are better options.  Here are a few suggestions:
  • Aces
  • Bandits 
  • Blackjacks
  • Enforcers 
  • Gamblers
  • Hound Dogs
  • Knights 
  • Monsoon
  • Mustangs
  • Outlaws
  • Rat Pack
  • Rattlers
  • Renegades
  • Scorpions
  • Snake Eyes
  • Vipers  
  • Whales 
  • White Tigers 
  • Wolfpack 
  • Wranglers 
My first thought was the Las Vegas Aces, but I have heard the league may not be too amendable to a name with gambling connotations.  In that case, how can you not like the Las Vegas Wolfpack as a name?   

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Saturday, June 25, 2016

POTpourri

Friday, June 24, 2016

Auston Matthews

Scottsdale, Arizona native Auston Matthews was drafted first overall today by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Draft.



The Arizona Coyotes selected Clayton Keller & Jacob Chychrun in round 1.

The Minnesota Wild selected Luke Kunin in round 1.  Complete draft results here.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Suns Draft

The Suns decided to fix the hole in their front court in today's NBA Draft.   First, they selected Croatian PF Dragan Bender with the fourth overall pick of the draft, then they traded up to the eighth overall spot and drafted Washngton PF Marquese Chriss.  It's an interesting strategy, the ceilings on both of these guys is off the charts, both have a lot of work to do on their games though.  I hope one of them can play some Center.  It's going to be fun watching them develop.  In the 2nd round the Suns selected Kentucky PG Tyler Ulis.  Ulis may be small, but the guy can really ball, I really like that pick.



Timberwolves Draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Providence PG Kris Dunn in the first round of tonight's NBA Draft.  He sounds like a perfect fit for a Tom Thibodeau coached team.  His defense is ahead of his offense at this point but the skills are there for him to be a very good NBA point guard.  I really like the young talent the Timberwolves are assembling.  I do wonder how much longer Ricky Rubio is a Timberwolve at this point though.  That's too bad too, because despite his flaws I like Ricky Rubio.

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons was drafted first overall today by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft.



Complete 2016 NBA Draft recap here.

TPSG 2016 NBA Mock Draft 3.0

The NBA Draft is tonigh, so I thought that it would be a good time to post one final mock draft.   No major changes from Mock 1.0 or 2.0.  Here goes:
  1. Philadelphia 76ers - Ben Simmons - SF - LSU
  2. Los Angeles Lakers - Brandon Ingram - SF - Duke 
  3. Boston Celtics - Kris Dunn - PG - Providence  
  4. Phoenix Suns - Marquese Chriss - PF - Washington  
  5. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jamal Murray - OG - Kentucky 
  6. New Orleans Pelicans - Buddy Hield - OG - Oklahoma
  7. Denver Nuggets - Dragan Bender - PF
  8. Sacramento Kings - Jaylen Brown - SF - California
  9. Toronto Raptors - Jakob Poeltl - C - Utah  
  10. Milwaukee Bucks - Henry Ellenson - PF - Marquette 
  11. Orlando Magic - Skal Labissiere - C - Kentucky
  12. Atlanta Hawks -  Deyonta Davis - PF - Michigan State
  13. Phoenix Suns -  Timothe Luwawu - SF - France
  14. Chicago Bulls - Dejounte Murray - OG - Washington
  15. Denver Nuggets - Furkan Korkmaz - OG - Turkey  
  16. Boston Celtics - Domontas Sabonis - PF - Gonzaga 
  17. Memphis Grizzlies - Wade Baldwin - PG - Vanderbilt
  18. Detroit Pistons - Denzel Valentine - OG - Michigan State  
  19. Denver Nuggets -Malachi Richardson - OG - Syracuse 
  20. Indiana Pacers - Brice Johnson - PF - North Carolina 
  21. Atlanta Hawks - Taurean Prince - SF - Baylor 
  22. Charlotte Hornets - Malik Beasley - OG - Florida State 
  23. Boston Celtics - Ivica Zubac - C - Croatia  
  24. Philadelphia 76ers - Demetrius Jackson - PG - Notre Dame 
  25. Los Angeles Clippers - DeAndre' Bembry - SF - St. Josephs 
  26. Philadelphia 76ers - Cheick Diallo - PF - Kansas    
  27. Toronto Raptors - Thon Maker - PF - Australia
  28. Phoenix Suns - Juan Hermangomez - PF - Spain 
  29. San Antonio Spurs - Damian Jones - PF - Vanderbilt 
  30. Golden State Warriors - Diamond Stone - C - Maryland 

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

John Oliver Blasts the NRA

Once again, John Oliver nails it, this time on the NRA.  Well done!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

AZ Tidbits

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Never Trump Republicans

I thought that it would be interesting to post a running list of prominent NeverTrump Republicans.  Granted, it's still early and many could still change their minds, but it's a lot of name and it has to be considered pretty damning to Donald Trump's hopes come November.  This is just a small list too, there are many more.

Here goes:

Friday, June 17, 2016

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys - starring Ryan Gosling & Russell Crowe as two Los Angeles private investigators who team up to find a missing porn star circa 1977.  They are a true odd couple, Gosling the bumbler, Crowe the hardened thug for hire.  I liked it, it was a nice mix of comedy, action and mystery.  Gosling & Crowe are both great in this one, they had great chemistry too, they looked like they really enjoyed working together.  Shane Black does a nice job of keeping things running smoothly and at a fast pace.  I loved the late 1970's look and feel of it too, it really took me back in time.  If I had a complaint, it's that Gosling's character was just too dumb, his dimness was funny to a point but they really overdid it.  That's a minor quibble though, overall I enjoyed this one, it's a lot of fun.

I will give it 3 out of 5 stars (*****).

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

POTpourri

Monday, June 13, 2016

Sunday, June 12, 2016

TPSG 2016 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

The NBA Draft is now less than two weeks away, so I thought that it would be a good time to update my mock draft.   No major changes from Mock 1.0.  Here goes:
  1. Philadelphia 76ers - Ben Simmons - SF - LSU
  2. Los Angeles Lakers - Brandon Ingram - SF - Duke 
  3. Boston Celtics - Dragan Bender - PF
  4. Phoenix Suns - Jaylen Brown - SF - California 
  5. Minnesota Timberwolves - Kris Dunn - PG - Providence  
  6. New Orleans Pelicans - Buddy Hield - OG - Oklahoma
  7. Denver Nuggets - Jamal Murray - OG - Kentucky
  8. Sacramento Kings - Marquese Chriss - PF - Washington
  9. Toronto Raptors - Henry Ellenson - PF - Marquette  
  10. Milwaukee Bucks - Jakob Poeltl - C - Utah
  11. Orlando Magic - Skal Labissiere - C - Kentucky
  12. Utah Jazz - Timothe Luwawu - SF - France
  13. Phoenix Suns - Deyonta Davis - PF - Michigan State 
  14. Chicago Bulls - Dejounte Murray - OG - Washington
  15. Denver Nuggets - Domontas Sabonis - PF - Gonzaga
  16. Boston Celtics - Furkan Korkmaz - OG - Turkey 
  17. Memphis Grizzlies - Wade Baldwin - PG - Vanderbilt 
  18. Detroit Pistons - Tyler Ulis - PG - Kentucky 
  19. Denver Nuggets - Ante Zizic - C - Croatia 
  20. Indiana Pacers - Brice Johnson - PF - North Carolina 
  21. Atlanta Hawks - Taurean Prince - SF - Baylor 
  22. Charlotte Hornets - Malik Beasley - OG - Florida State 
  23. Boston Celtics - Denzel Valentine - OG - Michigan State
  24. Philadelphia 76ers - Malachi Richardson - OG - Syracuse
  25. Los Angeles Clippers - DeAndre' Bembry - SF - St. Josephs 
  26. Philadelphia 76ers - Petr Cornelie - PF - France  
  27. Toronto Raptors - Thon Maker - PF - Australia
  28. Phoenix Suns - Juan Hermangomez - PF - Spain 
  29. San Antonio Spurs - Cheick Diallo - PF - Kansas 
  30. Golden State Warriors - Stephen Zimmerman - C - UNLV 
It sounds like the 76ers are leaning towards Ben Simmons at number one overall.  Personally, I feel that Brandon Ingram would be a better fit for them though.  The 76ers will be interesting to watch, they have 3 first round picks and plenty of trade options
I think the Suns are still hoping that Dragan Bender falls to them at number four.  If he doesn't, I suspect that they will choose between Kris Dunn and Jaylen Brown.  I don't see them selecting a s shooting guard here unless they can deal Eric Bledsoe or Brandon Knight, if they can't I'd probably go with Jaylen Brown over Kris Dunn.  Marquese Chris is getting a lot of late steam too.  At 13, I assume it will be someone who compliments their number 4 pick.  At 28, I'm guessing they pick a foreigner they can stash overseas for a season or two.  If they can come out of the draft with Jaylen Brown, Deyonta Davis & Juan Hermangomez you'd have to think they'd be happy. 
At number five overall, I suspect that the Timberwolves will be deciding between Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray and Buddy Hield, I'm betting they rank them in that order too.  Personally, as an outsider watching the Wolves the last couple of seasons, it seems like their biggest weakness has been three point shooting and Murray and Hield would be great picks to help address that problem.  Tom Thibideau loves his defense though and for that reason I suspect they go with Kris Dunn.  I would love to see a Karl-Anthony Towns/Dragan Bender front court though.  

Friday, June 10, 2016

AZ Tidbits

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Mickey Moniak

Mickey Moniak was drafted first overall today by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft.



The Minnesota Twins used their first round pick (number 15 overall) on high school Outfielder Alex Kiriloff.  The Arizona Diamondbacks did not have a first round pick this year.  Complete MLB Draft tracker here.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Clinton vs Trump

Hillary Clinton wrapped up the 2016 Democratic Presidential primary this week.  That means she will be facing off against Donald Trump in November in the race for the President of the United States.  This is all unofficial of course, it'll still need to be confirmed at the DNC & RNC conventions later this summer.

At this point, I'd say odds are that the United States will have it's first female President come November.  While Hillary wasn't my first choice, I have a great amount of respect for her and my appreciation for her has actually grown over the past couple of months, she's also perhaps the most qualified candidate for President that this country has ever seen.  I urge voters be weary of the attacks on her character, the amount of scrutiny on her and Bill Clinton over the past 25 years has been unparalleled and have amounted to essentially nothing.  I also applaud Bernie Sanders for keeping her focused on progressive issues, that will only make her a better candidate this fall.  Let's face it, America is moving left on issues like inequality, climate change, trade, criminal justice and race relations and Hillary is in a great position to move the country forward.
The Republican party on the other hand is a mess, how else can you explain Donald Trump?  They really don't know who they are.  In order to appease their far right base they have adopted many policies that are quite unpopular with the majority of the country.  The right wing media have also created some unrealistic expectations for those on the right.  Add in their complete unwillingness to actually govern and you have quite the toxic mix.  People have taken notice too and their unpopularity rankings are at near record levels at this point.  They are essentially a rudderless ship, they have no clear leaders and no credible individual selling their policies.  Donald Trump is clearly not the solution either, he comes across as an opportunist who is willing to say and do anything to be elected

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Monday, June 6, 2016

TPSG 2016 MLB Mock Draft

The 2016 MLB Draft starts on Thursday.  As a baseball fanatic, of course I've been keeping up on the top prospects.  Keep in mind, the MLB Draft is perhaps the biggest crapshoot of all the major sports, but I have still decided to mock round 1.  Here goes:
  1. Philadelphia Phillies - A.J. Puk - LHP - Florida 
  2. Cincinnati Reds - Nick Senzel - 3B - Tennessee 
  3. Atlanta Braves - Kyle Lewis - OF - Mercer 
  4. Colorado Rockies - Mickey Moniak - OF - LaCosta Canyon HS (CA) 
  5. Milwaukee Brewers - Jason Groome - LHP - Barnagat HS (NJ) 
  6. Oakland Athletics - Corey Ray - OF - Louisville 
  7. Miami Marlins - Delvin Perez - SS - Puerto Rico 
  8. San Diego Padres - Cal Quantrill - RHP - Stanford 
  9. Detroit Tigers - Riley Pint - RHP - St Thomas Aquinas HS (KS)
  10. Chicago White Sox - Blake Rutherford - OF - Chaminade Prep HS (CA) 
  11. Seattle Mariners - Zack Collins - C - Miami 
  12. Boston Red Sox - Justin Dunn - RHP - Boston College 
  13. Tampa Rays - Josh Lowe - 3B - Pope HS (GA) 
  14. Cleveland Indians - Alex Kirilloff - OF - Plum HS (PA) 
  15. Minnesota Twins - Dakota Hudson - RHP - Mississippi State  
  16. Los Angeles Angels - Ian Anderson - RHP - Shenendohowa HS (NY) 
  17. Houston Astros - Cody Sedlock - RHP - Illinois 
  18. New York Yankees - Forrest Whitley - RHP - Alamo Heights HS (TX) 
  19. New York Mets - Will Craig - 3B - Wake Forest 
  20. Los Angeles Dodgers - Taylor Trammell - OF - Mount Paran Christian HS (GA) 
  21. Toronto Blue Jays - Braxton Garrett - LHP - Florence HS (AL) 
  22. Pittsburgh Pirates - Zach Burdi - RHP - Louisville 
  23. St Louis Cardinals - T.J. Zeuch - RHP - Pittsburgh 
The Diamondbacks don't have a first round pick this season due to their off season signing of Zack Greinke.  I think that's a gamble worth taking for the Diamondbacks.  What are the chances that any of this years draft pitching prospects reach the point of being a number one starter at the major league level?

I'd like to see the Twins select one of the top high school pitchers, but I'm guessing they'd prefer a college pitcher or an everyday player.  Dakota Hudson makes a lot of sense for them if he's available.  Zach Collins, Blake Rutherford or Alex Kirilloff are probably possible at number 15 too if they don't select a pitcher.  Finding an underslot deal for someone is probably also under consideration.   

Sunday, June 5, 2016

The Greatest

Muhammed Ali really was a tremendous fighter.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

RIP Muhammed Ali

RIP Muhammed Ali, great boxer, greater person.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  His eyes can't hit what his eyes can't see.  Now you see me, now you don't.  George thinks he will, but I know he won't."

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

"I'm young, I'm handsome, I'm fast, I can't possibly be beat."

"Don't count the days, make the days count."

"It isn't hard to be humble when you're as great as I am."

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wears you out, it's the pebble in your shoe."

"I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was."

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

"A man who has no imagination, has no wings."

"I've wrestled with alligators.  I've tussled with a whale.  I done handcuffed lightning.  And throw thunder in jail."

"Hating people because of their color is wrong.  And it doesn't matter what color does the hating.  It's just plain wrong."

"It's not bragging if you can back it up."

"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right."

Friday, June 3, 2016

Seth Meyers on GOP Dysfunction

I wish more of the media would call out the GOP like Seth Meyers does.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

POTpourri

Wednesday, June 1, 2016