Movie Review: Apocalypto

I thought this movie was great and it lived up to its hype. Going into the movie, I thought it would center more around the Mayan culture in Kukulkan, however it focused more on the main character, Jaguar Paw, trying to get back to his family and escape. I must say that the lead actor, Rudy Youngblood, was phenomenal. He definitely reminded me of Ronaldinho and he had that favorable look about him. Also, I thought the casting was pretty good because it just seemed that everyone fit their parts well. Applause for the actors for acting the hell out of their parts. Although the film had some anachronisms, it still was pretty good. This film makes me want to learn about Mexican history and past cultures given my heritage.

Rating: 7.7

Bitte, Juergen

Warum haben sie uns verlassen?

Juergen Klinsmann has deserted US Soccer. Actually, he wasn't even here to begin with. Everyone thought he was going to lead the US to the next World Cup. That would have been great. According to my sources, world soccer daily, Juergen just wanted a little bit too much control for Sunil Gulati and a little bit too much money. Unfortunately, Sunil and Juergen were unable to agree. Message to Sunil: Way to go, DICK! Message to Juergen: BITTE. I understand Sunil's reaction, but if you want a world-class coach, you do what you have to do. Now, Bob Bradley steps in as intereim head coach. Looks like Jose Pekerman is next on the list. IMO, some might say he did well with Argentina, but to me he fucked it up when he didn't play Messi and Tevez.

Much Adu About Nothing

Freddy Adu moves to Real Salt Lake in trade

I could really care less about this topic, but I think it's somewhat important to soccer in America. So if you haven't heard, Freddy Adu got traded to Real Salt Lake, probably the shittiest team in MLS with a shitty coach and maybe a handful of supporters. There he will be "the star" and will play attacking midfield and start every game, which of course what he wants and what he almost never got in Washington DC. Washington is probably glad to get rid of him because of his pathetic cries for playing time and the role he had on the team. This is what I think about the move. If Adu was the player we all hoped he would be, he would have been spectacular already. Fuck this shit about being 12 years old, this kid is no kid. He's practically 30 for all we know. He's not even that good of a player. Man Utd. gave him a workout just to confirm their assumptions and sent him back. Supposedly, Adu now has a taste of what English football is about. IMO, he should go to a place like Holland or another country with a decent league, perhaps not top-flight. By the next world cup, Adu should be in the first team . . . gosh I don't know if I can care that long. Hopefully he progresses for US Soccer despite my uninterest in him.

Lamar Hunt Dies

I didn't know too much about Lamar Hunt except for that he was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer. He help give birth to Major League Soccer which somewhat affects my life. I mean, I do watch soccer, although not MLS. However, somehow I think that I should show my gratitude by paying my respect. Thank you Lamar Hunt. Rest In Peace.

No Answer

A.I. to be traded

As you probably already know, The Answer is going to be traded. When? Should be soon, maybe a week or two. Where? Golden State, Minnesota, Boston. Although those teams might not be the only ones. Something tells me that he'll get traded to the west because Philly doesn't want to trade him to another eastern team or another contender. And in the Eastern Conference, everyone is a contender because it's so wide open. Garnett has already sent his public invitation, but Golden State seems to be a nice fit for him. Golden State should trade Baron Davis and Troy Murphy and maybe someone else. Make Iverson your focal point. Richardson should be the Number Two on that team. Biedrins at Center. With a bunch of versatile 2 and 3 men along with Monta Ellis, Golden State shouldn't worry. All they would need is a solid Power Forward, but with the way Don Nelson's system works, they can easily fill that position with a small lineup.

Would you want A.I.?

As a Spurs fan, HELLLLLLLL NOOO.

As a fan of another team that doesn't have a solid Number One scorer, MAYBE. If your team doesn't have a solid "go-to" guy, make sure you don't trade too much for him. Remember, A.I. will probably cause trouble. Also, he has . . . what . . . maybe three good years left in him. And you're gonna trade your draft picks, young players, solid role players for him? I don't think so. Take Charlotte for example. No "go-to" guy, but they have a solid young point guard in Felton, a solid young center in Okafor, a great role player in Wallace that fills the stat sheet across the board, and an aggressive rookie in Morrison. I wouldn't trade any of these guys for Iverson and the likelihood of Iverson going to a team like this would force Charlotte to trade at least one of these guys. In the end, A.I. is not worth it. Not to me.

David Stern Gets It Right

A Comfortable Feeling

David Stern finally decided to switch the microfiber composite ball back to the leather ball. Beginning January 1, the ball will be re-introduced and the players will be happy despite the higher field goal percentages and better scoring. Although, turnovers were higher with the new ball. David Stern definitely got it right this time. He listened to the players. Call it griping or whatever you want. Although some if it was, especially the "serious injury" of paper cuts from the ball. Cough . . . Dirk Nowitzki . . . cough . . . pussy. I like how Stern handled this situation. He went on to say that he should have consulted the players and says he will consult the players in future decisions like this. Good Job Stern!

The Replacements

The Boston Red Sox have added Julio Lugo and JD Drew to their lineup replacing Alex Gonzalez and Trot Nixon respectively. Right now, this seems like a wash to me. Perhaps Boston will be a little better. These players always seemed mediocre to me and Theo may have overspent, but maybe the Sox need players like these. To me, these guys get the job done. So, I'm satisfied.

Sidenote: We still need another middle infielder.

2007 Lineup:

1) Coco Crisp / Kevin Youkilis
2) Julio Lugo
3) David Ortiz
4) Manny Ramirez
5) JD Drew
6) Jason Varitek
7) Mike Lowell
8) Kevin Youkilis / Coco Crisp
9) ?

Red Sox Land Daisuke Matsuzaka

Risky Business

Boston have finally landed the gyroball pitcher in excess of $100 Million dollars from the Seibu Lions in Japan. About $50 Mil to negotiate and another $50 Mil for his contract plus major incentives. As a Red Sox fan, I'm excited that we beat out the Evil Empire by outbidding them, but at the same time I have major expectations for this 26 year old and I'm kinda worried. If this guy gets close to 20 wins, I'll be satisfied. Although he has never thrown one major league pitch, this guy is not a one-pitch wonder, he has a very good array of pitches. He also adds depth and youth to the rotation, which is good considering a couple aging beauties.

2007 Pitching Rotation:

1) Curt Schilling
2) Daisuke Matsuzaka
3) Josh Beckett
4) Jonathan Papelbon
5) Tim Wakefield / Jon Lester

FINALS ARE FINALLY OVER!

Christmas: A Time to Get Smashed

I'm finally done with all my finals and now I have a little more free time to do whatever I want for the Christmas break. Although I'm still working through the break, I'll have some smashing good times at the pub come the end of the month. I'll probably be at The Lion & The Rose once or twice a week watching some footy and downing some pints. Also, a few other parties with friends and coworkers will be refreshing. Merry Christmas and hope to see you at the pub!

The Office

Season 2

So I bought The Office: Season 2 a couple of weeks ago and I've already seen the whole season, like 7 hours worth. I have no idea how I found the time to watch all the episodes considering work and school, but I did. The second season does add more elements to the mix than the first six episodes of the first season. The "JAM" or "Jim and Pam" story has developed a lot more now. Roy decideds to set a date for the wedding and it seems like Jim is going to transfer to another branch. I know this sounds totally chick, but they look like a good couple, they're just too afraid to admit or something. However, in the last episode Jim tells Pam that he's in love with her and they kiss. NIIIIIIIIIICCCCEEEE. Also, the manager Michael Scott seems to be his usualy annoying self, but I think I just got used to him now, so his character doesn't bother me as much now. Dwight fucking hilarious as usual and has a relationship with one of the more odd characters Angela. Supporting cast members have definitely emerged like Stanley, Toby, Kevin, Angela, Ryan, and Kelly. Also, they took The Office out of the office. They started shooting outside of the workplace like Chili's, the parking lot, Jim's house, the warehouse for Casino Night, and a cruise ship. So it's nice to see how the characters act outside of the workplace. Overall, I really like this season because it continues to be fucking hilarious and the "Jim and Pam" story is nicely developing. I know The Office is already in its third season and I hope to watch that one on tv when I can find some time.

Tottenham Hotspur Monthly Review

NOVEMBER

Spurs had one loss in November to Reading, which was probably due to the overconfidence after the win of the Chelsea game. In all their matches, they were able to win both matches against Club Brugge and Bayer Leverkusen home and away respectively which put them through to the next round of the UEFA Cup. They also beat Port Vale in the Carling Cup and the will now see Southend United in December in the following round. And as for Premiership matches, they got 7 points out of 4 mathces which was probably acceptable considering the entire season. Still, Spurs are middle of the table and in a fight with teams fighting for a Champions League spot. There are 9 matches in December, so Tottenham can definitely end their first half of the season with a solid run.

Tottenham have already dropped 3 to Arsenal, which was highly disappointing considering a potential win at Emirates Stadium was likely to me. With the exception of the last two matches of the year Villa and Liverpool, Spurs should win their matches in the UEFA Cup, Carling Cup, and Premiership. It will be hard to keep good form with so many matches, but a good thing about the striking partnership is that Mido has gone down with an injury. This might force Jol to play a pairing that works very well and stick with it. January transfer talks have already begun. Curtis Davies from West Brom seems to be likely now and a number of left-wingers are being linked with the club. Spurs have already wrapped up keeper Ben Alnwick from Sunderland, which in my opinion was a nice capture. I think he'll be a future England star. Malbranque has started to play on the left for the past couple games but he just comes into the middle a bit too much. Spurs need someone to stay out there. In the end, I hope Tottenham is able to keep good form and not drop any points this month, but somehow it seems likely. C'mon You Spurs!

San Antonio Spurs Monthly Review

NOVEMBER

The Spurs went 11-5 in November with some crucial losses to important playoff teams, but overall we were able to see what Pop plans to do for the year with his lineup and bench. I expect the Spurs to win every game, but I know it's unrealistic to think this because injuries occur and fatigue is likely. The Spurs' losses at home included Cleveland, Charlotte, and Dallas while the away losses were the last two games of the month at the end of a road trip at Golden State and Utah. The losses to Cleveland, Charlotte, and Golden State were all second games of back-to-back games. However, I see Cleveland as the more important loss, simply because I know they have a very good chance of making the NBA Finals. We beat Dallas away in the first game of the season, but then they came back to beat us at home with a questionable Dirk Nowitzki foul on Michael Finley (a loss is a loss). And lastly, the last game of the month that ended the Spurs' road trip was a loss to Utah. Entering into this game, Utah was the hottest team in the NBA with the best record, so this would have been a good game to win. However, this did not happen, the whole game was a fight and in the end Utah were just too much. In the end, the Spurs lost three important games in this month but they were able to answer some questions about their lineup.

I know now that Fabricio Oberto should start every game. This guy gives great energy and is very agile unlike our previous centers. He also can put up some numbers every now and then. I believe he had a game where he had 20 and 10. Oberto's passing is probably the new X-factor in the Spurs' game this year. Francisco Elson is a very good back-up who can run the floor. Brent Barry has emerged as the Spurs' best 6-man with his timely 3-pointers. Manu seems to be inconsistent again this year, which bothers me some bit. I know he gives it his all, but honestly, if he would just be consistent I would appreciate him so much more. Michael Finley is a nice replacement for Manu, but his shot has been off a little this year. Tim, Tony, and Bruce seem to be themselves again this year, which I totally respect and appreciate. Overall, the Spurs are off to a good start. If they can hold their games at home to wins and keep their road record solid with some role players stepping up, the Spurs can definitely post a better record than this month.

Players of the Month: Fabricio Oberto and Brent Barry

Prediction for Spurs' record for December: 12-3