Stephen A

Seven minutes of fans at the NBA draft heckling Stephen A Smith. That's gold, Jerry.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAB5lOIl-2U

NBA Draft...

Well, Gansey and Pittsnogle went undrafted. And WVU's draft day drought continues. I didn't manage to stay up through the entire draft but when I went to sleep, Gansey was #1 on Bilas' top draft picks remaining. I had no doubt he would go somewhere in the second round...how wrong I was.

If given the choice, I would definitely have drafted Gansey over some of the European players that were taken. He is so a scrappy player...he can give you a good 5-10 minutes off the bench in a game where he will come in and play tough defense and maybe produce some offense. He will fight for the ball and he's not afraid to get knocked around. He can drive to the basket and he has a decent outside shot. And he's proven that he can make big shots in the clutch. I really think someone dropped the ball by not selecting him...he could be a great utility player.

Pittsnogle...well, he probably would have been better off leaving last year for the draft. I don't know that he would have been drafted then either but another year of college showed that he is softer than originally guessed and that he will not develop an inside game. His baby hook isn't going to cut it in the NBA. A 6'11" guy shouldn't spend all of his time on the perimeter. Additionally, his defense is non-existent. I wasn't overly surprised to see him undrafted really. He might make a decent Euro player...but I don't see him ever making an NBA team...sorry.

Lastly, the ESPN coverage of the draft was HORRIBLE. Stephen A., Stuart Scott, Dick Vitale...it was really bad. Luckily, Berman was somewhere trying to pickup some ladies in a bar. The only thing that made it remotely interesting was David Stern laughing every time he came to the podium. He even realized how absurd ESPN's coverage was. Stuart Scott's interviews with the picks was just painful. ESPN continues its slide into hated land...

Oh, and the movie they kept advertising, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," looks really, really stupid and bad. I mean, if those are the funny parts, I would hate to see the rest of it. Even the acting was bad...and I only saw the best clips. Wow...horrible.

Anyway, that was the NBA draft. I don't care enough to go into any more detail...

A Couple Football Tidbits

Since football season is only a couple months away, it's probably time to start talking about it again...so, here's some harmless information...

August 20th is "Fan Day" giving West Virginia fans an opportunity to get autographs and photos with their favorite WVU coaches and players. Yeah...I don't know about you but that doesn't excite me too much. Standing in line for an autograph...yeah, that's my idea of a day that's been fulfilled. I think I'll skip out on Fan Day.

And, in bigger news, WVU extended Rich Rod's contract through 2012. Rodriguez’s new contract will pay him $1 million with annual increases each year. This includes a $150,000 base salary and $850,000 in guaranteed promotional income (Mountaineer Athletic Club appearances, radio, television, Internet and endorsements). There are also built in bonuses for graduation rates, team grade-point averages, bowl appearances, Big East championships and season ticket sales.

Will this be enough to keep him if he has another really successful season? I don't know...better hope he has more loyalty to the Mountain State than most would have. Should be interesting. I'll break down the season and all later...but, for now, just news.

This is How You Manage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBFSrm3yFE

Case of the Mondays

Well, today has been like a giant hurricane swept through my office. First, I received an e-mail yesterday that posed this question: "Ummm, how early can you come into the office on Monday?" My reply was the very simple: "What time do you want me?" Response: "7:30."

Okay, that's not too bad really. 7:30...I can live with 7:30. But it was hectic at 7:30. The guy needed to catch a flight at noon so we were in a whirlwind of activity. I was splicing together images of brains...yes, you saw that correct...I was splicing together BRAINS. Now, I don't know about you...but that's pure entertainment there.

And, in the middle of this brain work, I had to do a conference call regarding a subject that I am a supposed expert. It probably would have been helpful if I had taken 10 minutes to prepare myself to speak...but I didn't. So, I had to fudge my way through that...and, well, I was mighty impressive if I say so myself.

But, anyway, back to the brains...got that done and scanned in some other garbage and got him out the door by noon and now I'm just trying to get my e-mail cleared out and all that good stuff. It has been a busy day...so I haven't even had time to find anything good for you to read about or whatever...but, I will close with a picture of Bill Lumberg because I know that's how you like it.

A Couple YouTubes...

An inappropriate joke or just good ol' fun?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDvJB9JoyBU

Connie Chung has lost her mind?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLY3dz97jyM

WVU/Marshall Fodder

Hmmm, a female Marshall cheerleader is suing the university because of "intense sexual harassment." If you read the articles below, intense may not actually cover it. I will warn you now, the articles are pretty graphic...actually, extremely graphic...read with caution. (I'm just reporting the news...not making it.)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0623061cheer1.html
http://www.wvrecord.com/news/newsview.asp?c=180787

So, I see some very interesting potential here for the WVU/Marshall football game in August.

Least Favorite

Without hesitation, my least favorite people from the major sports:

Baseball - Manny Ramirez. Barry Bonds is too obvious but Ozzie Guillen made a late run to try to take the title. But Manny being Manny wins. This is a guy that could shoot 3 people in the stands and everyone would say, "Hey, that's just Manny being Manny." I'm not a fan of that. He's a distraction but is given a pass everytime. Plus he plays for the Sox...not good, not good. Honorable Mentions: David Ortiz, the Young brothers, Red Sox, Victor Conte

NFL Football - Terrell Owens. Yeah, I took the easy way out. The guy is just plain horrible. How can anyone put up with him for more than 2 minutes? Of course, the Cowboys deserve him. Hopefully they will destroy each other. Honorable Mentions: Jerry Jones, Tom Brady, Chris Henry, Reggie Bush, Mike Holgrem, Brett Favre, Any Vick

NBA Basketball - Kobe Bryant. I just can't stand the guy. He pleaded so much to be the next Jordan that no one was ever going to say he was Jordan. You just can't ask for that stuff...you have to earn it. Yeah, he makes big shots but when you take every shot, well, you're going to make a few. Honorable Mentions: Lakers, Phil Jackson, Stephon Marbury, Isiah Thomas

NCAA Football - Bobby Bowden. Sorry...maybe that's mean but I just can't stand the program he runs. He seems nice enough but all the thugs he recruits is insane. Very rarely does a year go by that you don't hear about an FSU player in jail for shoplifting or having Lyme disease. It's crazy. Honorable Mentions: Notre Dame, esp. Charlie Weiss, USC, Pete Carroll, Pitt, ACC, Frank Beamer, Florida, Lee Corso, Oregon's uniforms

NCAA Basketball - Coach K. Man, this guy is uppity. He doesn't just coach basketball, he coaches life. Yeah, right. Coach K cares about one thing...winning. And that's the bottom line...he's no better than any other coach in America. He just happens to be at Duke. Honorable Mentions: Dick Vitale, Duke, Billy Packer, ACC/Big Ten Challenge

General: Chris Berman. This guy really is horrible. He stumbles and mumbles through his commentary. He doesn't know what to talk about so he makes up nicknames and uses cliches. He did the US Open and literally ruined the entire event. He broadcast the NFL draft and announced the picks before the commissioner. He really needs to be put out to pasture with Barbaro. Honorable Mentions: Barbaro, US Soccer, Marshall, HGH

And, that's all for right now. I guarantee I forgot half the people I don't like...but this is a start. A good start.

WHOA...an Update

Sorry I have been less than dependable on my updates over the past few days. I have spent about 10 hours in conferences and meetings and webinars over the past 3 days. That's not as much fun as it sounds. So, I've had very little time to do actual work here...until today. I've had to work in the evenings on the video stuff for trials that I needed to do, which sucks. Today, nothing on the calendar.

Anyway, I received Windows Vista Beta 2 in the mail yesterday and got it installed on a test machine here. Just finished downloaded Office for it. I must say it is very much like a Mac when it comes to saving things...the explorer is very Mac-like. I haven't dug into it too much yet...there are a few neat features but I'm sure I will start hating on it soon...

Miami won the NBA playoffs which was cool. I was really hoping for a Game 7 tonight but that's alright. Dwayne Wade has established himself as the most entertaining player since Jordan (at least that's my take on it).

Hockey is over...I thought Game 7 was kinda anti-climatic. It was close but never as dirty and physical as people wanted. I didn't watch it all...just bits and pieces. Baseball continues...nothing major going on. US Soccer plays Ghana today...must win to advance (and hope for some other pieces to fall in place). Of course, I'm at work and can't watch it...hooray!

But, that's about it...work and nothing else. Need some extra-curricular activities I think...

Time Out?

I don't know...according to the officials, Howard asked for a timeout not once, but twice. And, well, I have no reason to disagree with the official. And Howard didn't seem to be arguing that he didn't ask for a timeout when Avery Johnson was whining to the refs. Howard was standing away looking like he made a huge mistake. So I have every reason to believe that Josh Howard did indeed ask for the timeout and cost Dallas any chance at taking Game 5. As far as the foul on Wade, I don't know...I didn't necessarily see it but obviously Wade has drawn a lot of fouls over the course of the series.

But, I can now say that I am rooting for the Heat. Nowitski's temper tantrum walking to the locker room sealed my decision. Up to that point, I didn't care who won. But Dirk taking his frustration out on a poor exercise bike...unacceptable. And Cuban's yelling at the officials following the game...trying to get on the court...nah, I don't like that.

So, Wade is obviously the real deal. Next MJ? Maybe...he's a lot closer than Kobe is, that's for sure. Wade is clutch. Did you have any doubts those freethrows were going to drop? The man is like ice. Amazing.

Anyway, Game 7 of hockey tonight...I will watch Game 7 because...hey, it's Game 7. Hell's Kitchen is also on...will have to keep track of that. Phil Mickleson had a monumental meltdown at the US Open...unbelievable. And, that's about it for now...just waiting on the Diet Coke/Mentos video to post...more on that later.

World Cup

Well, I watched the World Cup soccer game between the US and Italy and was pretty darn entertained. The US looked pretty in control of the game early on...and then Italy scored and I was pretty disappointed by that. Then the US scored on a "own goal" by Italy and tied it at 1-1. So, I was excited again...and then, one of the Italian players received a red card. SCORE. Well, I thought the US would certainly capitalize and win the game.

And then things went really weird. Shortly after the Italian red card, the US received a red card so that evened everything up at 10 players each. No big deal...the Americans had played with more intensity than the Italian team so I wasn't too concerned. And then, shortly after halftime, the Americans received another red card and played the rest of the game shorthanded. Luckily they held on for the tie.


I, personally, didn't think the US team deserved either red card and the announcers seemed to agree. There are already calls out for the officials head...his name is Jorge Larrionda and it appears he has been suspended from officiating before due to "irregularities" in his officiating style. Which begs the question, how does he become an official in the premiere world spectacal of soccer?

The US could still advance to the Round of 16 if they can beat Ghana and Italy beats the Czechs. So, all is not lost. But, it's hard to get over the potential loss of the win because of some really questionable officiating. I'm sure it will be discussed ad nauseum on ESPN later...

This is it for Today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93KLGQatPmU

Almost Not Worth Mentioning...ALMOST

Well, this probably has ceased to be worthy of news but THE Chris Henry was arrested YET AGAIN. He turned himself in late Wednesday afternoon on three counts of an unlawful transaction with a minor. He apparently decided to provide some alcohol to 3 underage girls: ages 18, 16 and 15. He could get up to a year in jail and a $500 fine on each count if convicted.

So, with that, it is time to update the Chris Henry arrest record:

• A moving violation last December along with a possession charge (mary jane)
• The weapons possession and assualt charge in Florida last January
• The DUI just a couple weeks ago
• And now, Unlawful Transaction with a Minor

Ah, Chris Henry. What a man, what a man, what a mighty fine man. Congrats...

Please Help Screech...

Screech desparately needs your help. He could lose his house...so, go HERE and buy a shirt. I didn't...but you should.

Anyway, Miami beat Dallas last night so the series is back on thanks to DWade. 42 points...that's pretty impressive. Next game Thursday.

And, that's about it for this morning...not too inspired. Maybe something later...maybe not.

Redick Busted!

Can't pass this one up...sorry. J.J. Redick was arrested for a DUI last night. Police said he made an illegal U-turn to avoid a checkpoint and was then busted for driving impaired. He was released from Durham County Jail around 4 a.m. on a $1000 secured bond. And we're about a month from the NBA draft. Think it might hurt his status? Nah, me either...but, hey, there's a mugshot.

Just Because...

I have to post this because it is just awesome...old, but awesome. I love to quote it every chance I get...thank you AI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI

Where to Start...

I don't know what to even start with today...there was so much yet so little that has occurred in the last 24 hours. Of course, Roethlisberger's motorcycle crash is HUGE. Lots of conflicting reports on the extent of the injuries. Whether the knee injuries are serious or not, there are real doubts about his ability to play in 2006. The facial fractures could keep him out for the season. If Roethsliberger's jaw is merely wired shut, he'll miss 6-to-8 weeks. If he has had plates or other hardware inserted into his face, he'll miss a minimum of six months. The Steelers probably start looking for a good backup...I don't see Charlie Batch leading them to the playoffs.

The USA got CRUSHED by the Czechs in World Cup soccer. 3-0. Barring a miraculous victory over Italy, it doesn't appear that the U.S. will have much of a shot at advancing. In the last two World Cups, the only team to advance from the first round after losing its opener was Turkey, in 2002.

Lastly, the Yankees are struggling, the Pirates are winning, white is black, black is white and Michael Jackson is both...I leave you with a disturbing picture from FoxNews which is reporting that Michael Jackson's assertion that he was "roughed up" by police in 2003 was actually self-inflicted wounds in hope of getting sympathy from the public. How can you not feel sorry for this guy? Okay...let me rephrase...how can you not be creeped out by this guy?

I Caved on Soccer...

I have always considered soccer and hockey about on the same level...completely uninteresting to me. With that said, I will admit that in 2002, I did watch a little of the World Cup. I didn't watch any of the Stanley Cup. But, this year, I have watched far more World Cup already than I would want to admit. And, despite my best efforts not to cave, I'm keeping track of what is going on. It started with Sweden/Trinidad and Tobago. The anguish of the Swedish fans kept it interesting.

And then, Iran/Mexico yesterday was just great. And the US plays today...and I would watch but unfortunately I'm at work. But, World Cup is interesting. There are a lot of things I don't like about the rules but, overall, it has been better to watch than hockey.

With that said, I'm a little worried about the NBA playoffs. So far, the playoffs have been very entertaining...some of the best I've seen in several years. But, the Heat are in real danger of being swept. Dallas has dominated the series and Shaq looks worn out. If this series only goes 4 games it will be a major disappointment. I figured another 7-game classic. With the games going to Miami though, there's a chance for the Heat to grab a game or two...

And, lastly, US Open this weekend...can't wait. Tiger vs. Phil...should be some great golf. More on that later...I'm going back to work.

The Cult of Wikipedia

Okay...this is a story that involves myself, my cousin, Wikipedia, Blue Bird Cafe and Beef Stroganoff. Let me get a little backstory going here: About every other Thursday, Blue Bird, a cafeteria-type place in Clarksburg, makes beef stroganoff for lunch. It is rather excellent and we generally order on the Thursdays that they make it. About 3 weeks ago we had been commenting on how good it is and to prove it, I logged on to Wikipedia.com and added to the beef stroganoff page the following: "It is a well-known fact that Beef Stroganoff is served at the Bluebird Cafeteria in Clarksburg, WV once a month on Thursdays. Bluebird is known for serving the best stroganoff East of the Mississippi." About 3 days later, it was removed and described as "spam" and cited for "grammar." And now, on with the rest of the story...

So, Thursday, we noticed that the beef stroganoff addition was gone. So my cousin put it back on the page. Within 2 hours, a user by the name of JennyRad removed the entry. And, well, that started the downward spiral. My cousin then proceeded to Jenny's page where he learned she was an unemployed engineer. He added that she needed to "get a job" to her page...and something about being a loser. She removed that from her page. He then deleted the beef stroganoff page completed and she restored it within minutes.

Mind you that all this is tracked via IP address so is kinda affected the whole office -- if they went to Wikipedia for some reason, they would see they had messages. Luckily, I can't imagine anyone using it. So, Matt filled me in on what was going down so I went and read the comments left on our user page and promptly removed them. Within minutes, they were back with a warning not to change the page (even though it was our user page?). I removed the warning and it was back with another warning...stating: Please stop. If you continue to vandalize pages, as you did to User talk:12.46.232.89, you will be blocked from editing Wikipedia. PCEevee talk 20:43, 9 June 2006 (UTC).

So, I added to OUR user page that the people of Wikipedia were insane (which they obviously are). Which, well, within seconds was removed and the following now was there: This is your last warning. The next time you vandalize a page, as you did to User talk:12.46.232.89, you will be blocked from editing Wikipedia. John254 20:49, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

And the PCEevee person left another message too saying they weren't insane. But, they clearly are. For one, who has time to monitor beef stroganoff and detect changes that quickly? Two, who has time to monitor a user page? Three, why can't the user edit their user page? Four, why are the people so militant about the changes?

I know they have to keep certain things from happening but they don't have to Nazis about it. A simple entry about the Blue Bird serving beef stroganoff isn't something that is that bad. It's true. I can prove it. Anyway, I think the people who edit Wikipedia are in a cult (maybe Scientology). They have their own language on there and they don't like outsiders. It's a nice resource but don't make a change whatever you do. Or else you could be BLOCKED or BANNED completely.

Soccer's Master Plan

Keep hearing that the U.S. Soccer team can't advance beyond match play? Keep hearing that they are in a group known as the "Group of Death?" Ever feel like you're being setup?

Let's face it, U.S. Soccer is playing sports fans. They want it both ways...if they lose and don't advance, well, they were in the toughest group. And, if they do advance, they've pulled off a small miracle and they hope that will be enough to ignite American interests in the sport. I'm not sure that will really work...

As for me...yeah, I will kinda pay attention to what happens but I don't think I'll actually watch a soccer match. I just don't think I can bring myself to that...if I really get into a lull with nothing to do, I purchased the second season of the Simpsons...that is far more likely to get airplay than soccer.

Anyway, last night went down to Buckhannon to see The Cadets from DCI practice. It was actually really good...didn't want to go necessarily but glad I did. They were very impressive. I may try to catch a show this year...I haven't been to one in like 7 years or something of that nature.

And, I think that's about it for this morning. Guess I'll do some work...

When Are You Going to See the Baby?

It absolutely appauls me that People magazine would pay $4 MILLION to have "Exclusive" rights to the baby pictures of Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt's baby. Are you serious? $4 MILLION for a stupid baby picture. That is insane...and so, so wrong. Seriously...what kind of people out there are that desperate to see Jolie & Pitt's baby? I just can't imagine that...

I guess this is the same group of people who wanted to see Brittany's baby so badly...and every other kid. I don't get it. Who cares what someone else's baby looks like? Unless someone is dangling them out a window, I don't care what they look like or what they are doing.

People who follow the minutia of celebrities have WAY, WAY too much time on their hands. These are the same people who sit around day after day, self-loathing and making up diseases of the mind. They need a job...not a psychologist...but, I'm getting off the point. I don't care what Brad Pitt is doing...or Tom Cruise...or Katie Holmes. I don't care what Cruise tells Oprah. I don't care if Barbra Streisand doesn't like the president. I don't care if Charlton Heston is head of the NRA. Since when to celebrities run our lives? They don't...and I don't care what their kids look like. So, take that.

Couple Videos

First, if you have 20 minutes to waste, you need to watch the Mike Tyson's Punch Out video. I love(d) Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the NES. It was, and still may remain, my favorite game. But, like I said, it takes a good 20 minutes to watch...and make sure you have a good Internet connection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgu-2suXhmI

The second video I have for you...well, I had a little moral dilemma on whether I should post or not...but, since it was on TV and on the news for that matter, I figure what the heck. This is investigative journalism at its best (or worse, depending on how you look at it).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxyjxI-a-3E

Mike Cooper, the unfortunate star of this video and apparent Ohio State U. fan (haha), was recently arrested and bail was set at $500,000.00. Carl Monday filed a followup report like a week later busting some other people looking at smut in the library. Learn what you will from Carl Monday's investigative eye...

Oh, and I'm still open to vacation suggestions...thanks to the couple people who have suggested rather inappropriate places to go...

I Need a Vacation

Seriously, I need to take at least a week off and go do something. Not sure what yet...but something. I'm about ready to lose my mind here. Today, I have processed (OCR'd and batch loaded into a database) about 10,000 pages of garbage. And, well, my greeting this morning was "Do you think you can make me, I dunno, a half dozen copies of the Sugar Bowl?" Yeah...that's what I want to do. So, I've been pretty grumpy so far this morning...and things don't appear to be heading upwards.

But, that goes back to the vacation thing. I need about a week to go and do nothing...nothing at all. Of course, I don't want to do nothing...I want to do something...yeah, that makes no sense.

Anyway, the Yankees are owning the Red Sox despite the fact that half of the Yankees rosters is on the DL. The Red Sox are really going to be regretting not taking advantage of the Yankees weaknesses come September. Mark it down.

Oh, and to close out this morning, Congratulations to David Carpenter who was drafted in the 12th round of the MLB draft. He was the 24th catcher taken overall. That's pretty awesome. And he was drafted by the Cardinals, which is even cooler.

Anyway, that's about it...if you have any vacation ideas, let me know. Greatly appreciated as always...

6/6/06

Ummm...yeah. It's 6/6/06, the date of the DEVIL!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Since this is such an evil day, I feel it better that I not update in case I would become possessed midway through and write something that could be considered evil-like.

Short, but Meaningful, Update

For my update today, I request that you read the following article by Ben Stein and give it a little thought. I agree with most of it...there are some points I take exception with but, overall, he does a great job. Ben Stein, aside from his television career, is a great writer and very articulate. So, I hope you take the time to read it:

Keeping the Faith

I'm a Rock-It Man...Rocket Man

Okay...you've seen the spoof on Family Guy or somewhere...William Shatner performing Elton John's Rocket Man. Well, if you haven't seen the original, you need to. It's definitely worth the watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbv6r_tKnE

Can't be True...

What I am about to report will shock Mountaineer fans around the country: Chris Henry was Arrested! Oh, not shocked? Neither was I.

This time it's just an old-school DUI. And, that brings Henry's arrests since last December to 3. Here's the rundown:

1. a moving violation last December along with a possession charge (mary jane)
2. The weapons possession and assualt charge in Florida last January
3. Now a new DUI

So, how understanding is Marvin Lewis? How many times is Henry going to be proven as a giant waste of talent? He was a grade-A jerk at WVU and has continued that in the NFL. He doesn't have the talent of a T.O., so I can't imagine this will be put up with much longer. Not sure about you, but I definitely am not claiming Henry as a Mountaineer.

World Cup is NOT the model of unity...

Watch the news this coming week and you'll hear a lot of stuff about World Cup soccer and how ignorant Americans don't understand the sport and that World Cup is the model of sports for the world. WRONG!

World Cup soccer (all soccer in Europe for that matter) is the exact opposite of how American sports should be. European soccer is full of racism and hate. European soccer fans throw bananas at black players and yell "monkey" at black players. They carry Nazi flags into the stadium and give the Nazi salute. It is exactly what American sports should not be.

But, don't expect to see the downside of world sports this week. The media has a motive in trying to make American sports seem trivial when compared to this grand spectacle known as World Cup. American media will make it seem like this should be the standard to which we aspire. Nothing is further from the truth. There was a time where minority players were heckled in American sports...but, that is a thing of the past here (for the most part). In Europe, it is still a major part of the game.

Pujols on the DL

Sad but true...Albert Pujols is injured and could be out 6 weeks...could be longer. Pujols was leading MLB in Homeruns and RBIs and was in the neighborhood for batting average...the triple crown. Well, if he's out for 6 weeks that means no triple crown, no threat at the single season HR record and no dominant force (outside of BBond) in baseball. Pujols was kinda the anti-Bonds...and now he's injured. That kinda sucks...

Hey...write this down 100 times: Yankees lead the Red Sox in the AL East. Yep...it's true. The Yankees beat the Orioles while the Sox fell to the Tigers today...which gives the Yankees a 1/2 game lead. The sun shines a little brighter...

In more good news...even though the Pirates winning streak snapped the other night...they are now less likely to lose 100 games. Of course, they could hit a bad streak and put themselves back into contention but I don't envision them losing more than 98.

And that's about it for right now. I'm watching the end of the Mavs/Suns game...it's a good one and I'm hoping Dallas can finish off this series tonight. A Mavs/Heat final would be greatly entertaining considering Mark Cuban and Shaq love to talk to the media. Oh, yeah...I'm still going to the great nothing of Martinsburg tomorrow...hooray.

Martinsburg...how I despise thee...

I really, really dislike going to Martinsburg. I mean, really hate it. Not so much the metropolis of Martinsburg, but the trip itself. It is long. It is boring. And it's twice as bad when it's pouring down the rain. And the police in Maryland...ahh, don't even get me started...they're everywhere.

So, I went to Martinsburg...was there for maybe 4 hours...and drove back. So, for 4 hours in Martinsburg, it took me about 10 total hours. Not my idea of a good time. And, I get to go back on Sunday. And it appears more likely than not that I will be stuck out there until Thursday. I really don't have anything pressing to do out there Monday until the evening...so, I guess I'll just sleep-in for a while on Monday morning before going into the office. I don't know...I'd rather not go.

Anyway, as for other stuff...

• I don't know how I didn't know Pernell Williams was going to be released from the Mountaineers. That actually caught me off guard. Strange.
• Unless there's a major change of fortune, it appears Miami will eliminate Detroit from the NBA playoffs...and not a moment too soon.
• I knew how to spell ursprache
• No hurricanes yet. Oh, and global warming isn't affecting hurricane season. Just wanted to let you know.
• According to the media...all news is bad news.

And that's all for Friday...thanks for reading. This is me...going to bed.

Shhh...don't say this too loud...

I don't want to alarm anyone but the Pirates...yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates, have won 4 games in a row and are currently only 1 game behind the Cubs for second to last place in the NL Central. I don't know whether to be happy or sad...but, regardless, the Pirates are hot Hot HOT!

Other than that, Suns/Mavericks are playing and the Spelling Bee is on...and, I'm not watching either! I'm actually watching a movie...which is shocking because I really don't watch movies but I am tonight. And a DVD at that...

I have to travel to Martinsburg for work tomorrow and, barring a case settlement, I will be there Sunday through Wednesday or Thursday next week.

And, well, that catches everything up I guess...certainly exciting as you can tell.