Well, I Won't Be Jizzing In My Pants This March -TOMP

Greetings Sports Fans.

I apologize for my absence, but I've had a busy week consisting of a boatload of new experiences having to do with the tourney, life & love.  Ok, maybe just the tourney and life.  Whatever, I've been busy.

It deeply depresses me to say that the mighty Orange have fallen victim to those hick bastards from Oklahoma.  I guess I should have known it would happen Sooner or later.  I was just hoping it would at least be to the Tar Heals of UNC.  I had a bad feeling going into this one from square one. 'Cuse just didn't have that look about them from the get go of the game.  Couldn't hit those three pointers, and the only player other than J-Flyzzle that could be utilized was Ricky Jackson.  Not even the crazy antics of the Belgian Waffle could make a comeback happen.  There were numerous turnovers, too many missed shots and Jonny got hit by that mother fucking freight train, Blake Griffin (almost positive that was an offensive foul on that numb nutted asshole).  

I just couldn't get the bad taste out of my mouth. When it finally got out of hand, I didn't really know how I felt.  I suppose the best comparison would be to the times I've sat on my crapper, looked over for some TP, felt it, wondered to myself why it was so wet, and then put two & two together to figure out that my roommate had urinated all over it.  But that's the price you pay living with a professional web designer.

I've already started to look ahead to next year, even though its hard to believe this season is actually over.  Cuse played great for the most part down the stretch and became America's sweetheart.  I even heard Doug Gottlieb describing how they were a great team to watch with tourney title hopes, and that simply does not happen. We're going to miss the Waffle next year, but Joseph has looked pretty solid over the last month or so, and rumor has it they've recruited another big man who happens to be a four star kind of guy.  If he were a movie, he'd win the best picture. Boo-ya. I don't even know his name, but I'm optimistic from the chit-chat I've heard.

So, put on The National, watch your favorite Devendorf Youtube clips and just think about next year.  Parting is such sweet sorrow...  R.I.P. '08-'09 Syracuse Orangemen Basketball.

In other news, I was front and center for the East regional match-ups with none other than BG, himself.  Of course, by front and center i mean, second to last row in TD Banknorth Garden, but I'll take it any day.  Pitt (my championship winner and sole hope of winning the Bud Guthrie corporate bracket, and no Mr. Guthrie, I did not buy that map yet) squeaked by the mighty Musketeers of Xavier, and yes it was a fucking nail biter. No, I did not appreciate it.  Fields put up what might have been the worst shot choice in NCAA history.  I'll quote my dad on this one, "That was a ballsy ass shot."  Couldn't put it better myself.

I have to say though, I have never had so much fun attending a game just to see an opposing team lose.  I fucking HATE the Duke Blue Devils. HATE them. I can not emphasize this enough. They suck more ass overall than Notre Dame football, and that's saying something.  These two schools think they're so mother fucking cool, but hey, newsflash guys, 6'5 white guys do not win you national championships.  In Charlie Weis' case, they don't even get you bowl game wins, that is if you're lucky enough to get there.

Anyway, it was a phenomenal time.  Special thanks to the Mr. Foley for the hook up. I had a great time with his Nova buddies, there's nothing better than mature, successful and happy gentlemen letting loose and acting like us early twenties douchebags.  I'd also like to thank the Villanova Alumni Association for renting out all of Greatest Bar, letting anyone register for the event for $35, and supplying some incredibly smoking hot bartenders and alumni.  There were some mean dumpers there.  The Dome Factor will make a serious effort to attend more VIP events in the future.

We've still got four games to go for the tourney this weekend, and I'm hoping Ty Lawson featuring his injured toe bitch smack the fuck out of that little mohawk freak point guard on Oklahmo.  I hope Blake Griffin pulls a Duke lacrosse and we never see him again, or his coach walks into the training facility, sees both Griffin brothers, and states in 100% enthused honesty, "It stinks like sex in here."

After the Madness ultimately ends, which would probably be good for me as I'm having my worst bracket picks since '02 (but hey, went 4 for 5 in last week's upset specials), 'Cuse is out, and my sole hope in Pittsburgh is playing like a JV girls school team that replaced the original JV team who died in a tragic bus accident.  Anyway, after it ends, to finish that thought... I'll be totally stoked for the '09 NBA playoffs, where the Detroit Pistons will finally pull their heads out of their asses and make some magic happen versus the Celtics or Magic.

Of course they could always miss the playoffs....

God damn it.

FML.

"You're Fucking Out. I'm Fucking In"

Boston Rock Radio Song of the Week: "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" -Beastie Boys

TOMP Pick of the Week: "Superunknown" -Soundgarden

DOME FACTOR ALERT!!!

After much negotiation The Dome Factor has received its VIP press passes for tonight's East Regional games in Boston. We have also obtained VIP invites to a Villanova pre-party. Yes we will be schmoozing with all the big wigs before, during, and (if we play our cards right) after the game with some Wildcat women. I guess this is when you know you have hit it big. Expect a recap tomorrow early afternoon sometime. How's the view from down there?

First Week Recap- BG

All of readers who are not currently in my office pool, I apologize ahead of time, because this is mainly for members of the CA office pool. Still, its a recap of the first week, so read at your own discretion.....


Now that was fun wasn't it? The good thing is that there are a lot of people vying for that coveted top spot and its still anyone's tournament. My father Mike is currently sitting a top the leader board and it gets worse for me, because we basically have the same bracket going forward, so the best I can do is second. The $300 for second place will pad my pockets nicely when I hit the track in Florida in a few weeks. Gotta love those Chariot Races! Moving on...

The reason why everyone is so close is because for the most part the tournament has gone as planned. There was Dayton knocking off a West Virginia team, that apparently decided that basketball wasn't for them anymore and sent the Morgantown Boys and Girls Under 14 team to play Dayton. Just an atrocious showing and it really screwed up my chances. There was also the Cleveland St. upset over Wake Forest. Thank God that the game was on Friday night and we didn't have to listen to Jalyn board the CSU bandwagon and rub it in everyone's face about how Ohio is the greatest state in the world. But on Sunday, in true Ohio team fashion, they got blitzed by Arizona. Cinderella, I am going to need those slippers back and the keys to that pumpkin your sitting in, thank you.


I would also like to thank the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for clearing the runway to allow Gonzaga point guard, Demetri Goodson, to lay the ball in with 0.6 left of the clock. His head was on a swivel the whole time up the court begging for someone to pass to. Finally, he channeled his inner Sully Sullenberger and said "This balls gonna be in the basket". I'm actually surprised that one of the Hilltoppers didn't pick him up so he could dunk it. I had Gonzaga, so I was thrilled, but I thought the lack of defense was worth mentioning.

(By the way, doesn't Orlando Mendez-Valdez sound like an oil tanker that had a massive spill and killed thousands of wildlife species? Just a thought)

The game that lacked luster for me was the North Dakota St Bisons getting knocked off by the Jayhawks. That game had Gus Johnson announcing orgasm written all over it. Woodside had the potential to become the next Steph Curry, but despite his 37 points, he couldn't do it. Time for the Bison farm boys to go back plowin' the fields under that Amarillo Sky!

Quick news bulletin for everyone!! In the first round, Hasheem Thabeet found out that he is a 7' 3" African, therefore making him about 5-6 inches taller than anyone else on the court. Upon finding this out, Hasheem discovered that if he just stands there and puts a little bit of effort in, he can go for 20-15 on any night. Only took him 3 years. The good news for UConn fans is they are playing the best basketball of anyone in the tourney, the bad news is, after the first round Hasheem forgot who he was again and scored a whopping 4 pts again, 1-2 from the field. Good for you! Hasheem wishes he was half the player as Saleh was.


Cuse versus Oklahoma! What a matchup?! Both teams looked unfazed by their opening round games and it should make for a marquee matchup. As a Cuse fan, I hope its 2003 all over again where they treated the Big 12 worse than Jodie Foster was treated in The Accused. How will we cover Blake Griffin? Well, Cuse plays the 2-3 zone. Any sort of drive will be double teamed, so he will have to dish, and if he wants to dance around the perimeter, be my guest. Hopefully this, Blake Griffin will show up and The Cuse shouldn't have a problem.

Pittsburgh looked the most flappable of all the number ones. If it wasn't for Sam Young, Pitt loses by 10. Okla St was bombs away from the beginning and it was really fun to watch. I hate Pitt, always have, and I'm not sold on Dejuan Blair. Yes hes a beast, yes he will be a lottery pick and deservedly so, but he thinks he's better than he is. He's a good defender and a great rebounder, but would you want Blair with the ball in his hands with the game on the line? No you wouldn't. He's also 6' 7" 265, he should be a defensive end. I just think Big Baby Davis everytime I see him and he's not even as big (Baby is 6' 9" 289). I know there will be some strong disagreement, but where does he fit in the NBA?

(Side Note: Speaking of useless NBA players, why does every good college white guy always remind me of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves? My new favorite player is Washington's Jonathon Brockman. He is a beast, but will probably suffer the same fate as Big Country. So will Cole Aldrich. Do you think the Kansas recurits gave Aldrich's dad a new tractor ala Ricky Roe's dad in the movie Blue Chips? You know he's got that JOOOHHNNN DEEEEREEE GREEEN.)

That is all for now. As I stated above, the tourney went pretty much as scripted. I am heading up for a Company ski trip up in Killington this weekend. Hoops, beers, hot tubs, chocolate sauce, snow bunnies, and live music are sure to make for a great time. Did I mention no one is actually skiing? Come on folks, we are in a recession! Getting fucked up is the only real way to spend your hard earned cash.

P.S. Mikki Moore...STOP FOULING PEOPLE OR LEAVE MY FUCKING CITY. You know the part in every Texas Chainsaw Massacre when Leatherface runs down the dirt road waving his chainsaw like the maniac he is? Well that is Mikki Moore every time he is on the basketball court. Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

A Bracket Buster Preview -TOMP

As the entire nation should be well aware, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament kicks off tomorrow afternoon at 12:20 when the mighty Bayou Bengals face off against the Bulldogs of Butler.  The tourney marks some of the most unpredictable outcomes that you could ever imagine, and it should not come as a surprise that I look to dominate the various betting pools around the nation like it's nobodies business. 

I've learned a thing or two over the past few years, mostly that i just kick ass at picking winning tourney teams.  In the past three years I'm well over 86% (actual data misplaced) correct in my picks and 100% correct when it comes to which team SHOULD have won the game.  For instance, when Western Kentucky beat Drake last year with this buzzer beater, yours truly had the Bulldogs marked for victory.  Why didn't that work out?  Cheating referees.

So, I'd like to present to you my top five "keep it on the dl" tourney upset victories of the week.  Please note; these are locks.

My first move is pretty obvious. Guess who's back in the big dance?  You got it, the WKU Hilltoppers.  Why do I like the Hilltoppers? Well, for starters the refs really favor them,  as we can recall from the Drake game.  This also happens to be a pretty explosive team, early in the season, they managed to top the #1 seed in the tourney, Louisville.  They shoot 36% from behind the three point line and have nearly five guys that average double digits in a game, led by the one and only, A.J. Slaughter. I know, his name is incredibly bad ass. The real selling point on this is their opponent, the Illinois Illini, a member of the Big 10(11) conference.  All you really need to know about the Big 10(11) is that they're big, slow and don't put up any points.  Oh, and Illinois lost to Penn State 38-33.  Try not to doze off during this one.

The Michigan Wolverines are playing the Clemson Tigers. One of these teams will fall apart faster than Dubaku's invasion of the White House (Thanks, Jack).  Hint: it's not the Wolverines.

Your next play here is to go with the incredibly risky ploy of taking a 14 seed to blow up a 3. If you want to win, you take North Dakota State University to bury the Kansas Jayhawks.  Hear me out before you go ballistic. Lets back a few years. The year was 2005, and Kansas was a three seed who happened to be a part of one of the biggest upsets in tourney history when they were upended by Bucknell 64-63 on March 18. Look it up. I was there (in spirit).  The Bucknell mascot, you ask? The Bison. And who are NDSU? Oh, that's right, the Bison. You following me?  KU is going to staring down five white guys with buzz cuts and see a bunch of n00bs with ball skills like Jerome James.  Four senior starters and they shoot 41% from behind the arc. Did I mention that Gus Johnson will be doing the play by play? You're welcome.

Here's a tip I learned living in Boston. Don't bet on a team that beats UNC one day and loses to Harvard the next. BC is going to take a pounding from the Trojans. Bet your illegitimate daughter's college tuition on it, so she can fit right in with the maroon & gold Eagle crowd.

Now, here's the ultimate sleeper.  You've probably forgotten about this team because they dipped off at the end of the season and didn't make as big of a splash as they have in the last few years.  They've got superb coaching, play awesome defense, have an incredibly underrated senior point guard and have been to the last three Final Fours.  Of course, I'm talking about the one and the only UCLA Bruins.  They're a six seed facing a tough VCU team in the first round match-up, but these guys play some mega good hoops with the likes of Josh Shipp & Darren Collison controlling the tempo of the game.  What are the two factors that determine how far a team can go? Great guard play and lock down defense baby. The Bruins feature both. They finished second in the Pac-10, so its not like they completely shat the bed.  When they get past VCU, they're going to kick the crap out of 'Nova.  Yeah, I'm a Big East guy. Yeah, the game's in Philly.  Yeah, 'Nova should win.  But I just took a call from Ben Howland.  Informed him that I picked his team.  He started crying out tears of joy instantly. Don't make me say I told you so.

Enjoy it when you win thousands in your pool, divorce your wife and get with that 18 year old when you pull up to her high school in a Porsche.

Enjoy the weekend, and I'll see you for the Sweet Sixteen.

"You're Fucking Out. I'm Fucking In."

Boston Rock Radio Song of the Week: "Comedown" -Bush

Let's Go Orange! - BG

Words cannot described what transpired last night, hence the shitty title to this post. It is arguably the best game ever played in the Big East Conference and should be in consideration for one of the best games period. In case you fell asleep or didn't watch, Syracuse slugged it out with UConn and in the 6TH OVERTIME (that is not a typo), finally pulled away and took home the win. I am usually a cynical person, but I have nothing bad to say about either team in this game. The most impressive thing to me was that point guard battle, A.J. Price vs Jonny Flynn. Those two willed their teams to win and luckily for us, Jonny came out on top. I cannot accurately portray what happened by giving you a play-by-play recap, nor do I have the energy. Instead, I will give you a few things that I thought, noticed, and enjoyed about the game. I didn't really have anything I disliked about the game, so here we go:

-Jonny Flynn is the man. 34 points, 11 assists, 6 steals, 16-16 from the line, and perhaps the most amazing stat, 67 MINUTES!!! That is amazing in itself and when you add in the fact that he was dribbling the ball every possession, constantly moving, and drawing fouls the whole time, it was nothing short of extraordinary. Props to Jonny Flynn.

-Kudos to Andy Rautins or as everyone in the world refers to him, "Leo's Kid". Andy kept running off those high screens and just popping NBA range threes. Without those, this game is over after the first OT. Freshman Kris Joseph kept the great picks going once the big guys fouled out, good job Kris. Anyone who is complaining about the game being too long, blame Leo's Kid. He was sensational.

-At one point during one of the overtimes, Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery had the following exchange talking about one of the big guy scrums under the basket:

Bill: "Jay, when was the last time you were in the middle of a bunch of big men, banging you around and roughing you up?"

Jay: (a little chuckle) "Oh, like 5 minutes ago!"

(all three commentators start giggling)

I was very confused and felt slightly violated, please let's move on.

-You have to hand it to Paul Harris. The guy kept missing and missing easy lay-ins and then he got stuffed by the rim! This wasn't one of those ones where the guy couldn't flush it because he was too aggressive, he was so tired he couldn't even get his legs to propel him high enough! But after the "rim job", he followed it with an "and one". Great hussle the whole game, 29 points and 22 boards. Boeheim rags on him a lot, but he took it in stride, stuck it out, didn't give up, and it paid off big time. Harris was also 13-14 from the line, making him and Flynn 29-30. Bravo Gentleman.

-Hasheem Thabeet is soft. Everyone knows this, but I really saw it last night. Jonny Flynn, who is almost a foot and a half shorter, was throwing his body into him and scoring off the glass. Credit to Jonny, yes, but there is no excuse for that. He does block shots, but not unless Adrien or Robinson is the first line of defense. He just sits in the background and jumps up. He sucks at boxing out, he gets rebounds all off his reach. He's weak. He's the kid who stomps on someone after another guy has already beat that someone to a pulp. I cannot wait until some team like Memphis drafts him 6th overall, signs him for million, and then he rides the bench for years. Terrible. (I wonder if Jim Calhoun went to Tanzania to recruit him ala Kevin Bacon in The Air Up There?) He might be my least favorite player in the country. Which brings me to my next point...

-Eric Devendorf is another one of my least favorite players in the country. It is not just hitting the broad in the face, because all witness accounts deny the accusation and she had no marks on her face. It's all the mouthing off, the hideous tattoos, the punk looks he gives, and the fact that the words hustle and defense mean nothing to him. I think he really believes he is black. If I don't like him, I cannot imagine what other people must think of him. Gerry Callahan on WEEI this morning, said he hates more than Bernie Madoff! (Now, that is a little harsh, because last time I check Eric didn't ruin thousands of lives by stealing billions of dollars) I will put up with it because he is a good offensive player and one of the only orangemen who can create their own shot and get to the hoop. Eric, just do every Orange fan a favor and SHUT THE FUCK UP AND PLAY!!

-Cuse shot 41-51 (78.4%) from the charity stripe. Even Arinze made two in a row down the stretch. Let's start making this a trend boys.

-Despite the awkward gay moment I mentioned above, this announcing team of Sean Mcdonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery is really good. Bilas tells it how it is all the time and isn't afraid to get on players, Mcdonough had a little Gus Johnson in him last night and is just an overall great play-by-play guy, and Raftery, despite his quick gibberish spurts before commercial breaks, is a nice compliment.

Bill: (slowed down replay before a commercial break) Jonny Flynn drivesandalittle...k i ssss...oftheglass and in...overthebigfellaforthetwo!

If you can read that above, you get my point.

-Obviously the best thing about the game was the win, but also that everyone I know got to see it. Everyone I called last night was up at the end of the game, even non-Cuse people. It was just a great game. Granted 90% of the people I talked to were so drunk I couldn't understand what they were yelling, but still. My father even stayed up to watch it and he gets up at 5am every morning.

This post was a little all over the place and maybe next week once I gather my thoughts I will write more about it, but I had to get something up here. Tonight Syracuse will probably get killed by WVU, but I don't care, I am ready for the real tourney. Here's to a great weekend! It's going to be a shitshow! Go Cuse!

Sleepers & Weepers -TOMP

As the greatest sports week of all time approaches with the NCAA Tourney, I've been amazed by the heavy load of non-college hoops related sporting news breaking over the past few weeks.  Of course, this starts with the offseason soap opera that is the Dallas Cowboys who finally pulled the trigger on releasing TO.  I'm still concerned about this move as the Cowboys currently only have Roy Williams (who they traded their entire draft for) and Patrick Crayton signed for this season, as the contracts for Sam Hurd & Miles Austin are dangling out in the wide open.  Lordy.

In other recent news, it turns out Jay Cutler is the biggest fucking baby I have ever seen. We're talking about a guy who has a sub-500 record, ran Jake Plummer out of Denver (who led that team to the AFC Championship game & had a sweet 'stache, but whatever) and enjoys boasting that he's a better quarterback than John Elway ever was.

Excuse me? JOHN ELWAY? The comeback kid? The drive? Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that a Super Bowl trophy in hand?  When I think Cutler, I think diabetic cocky bitch, who must have have slipped the Vanderbilt coach a silly willy so he could attend one of the premiere universities in the nation.  It boggles my mind how he keeps sand bagging the entire Broncos organization, who have taken every step to improve on the offensive side of the ball signing Jabar Gaffney, Chris Simms, Correll Buckhalter, J.J. Arrington and Lamont Jordan.  Although, if I recall correctly, wasn't the problem on the defensive side of the ball?  I know the Broncos lost like seven running backs last year, but you'd think there would be some focus on the weak ass defensive line (Jarvis Moss, I'm looking at you. Wait. A bust? From Florida? Tell me more.) and trying to figure out what the hell you're going to do with Brandon Marshall after he gets arrested for the 42nd time.  The Broncos are sure lucky they get to play the Chiefs & Raiders twice a year.  Frankly, I'm surprised McDaniels hasn't made trade offers for Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork.

In case you missed the late night college bball action on Tuesday night, two automatic bids emerged that are now my personal favorites to the run the table all the way to the Final Four next week.

The first team, the mighty Bison of North Dakota State.  They stomped the the bajesus out of Oakland (a Detroit product & this star's former school) in the Summit League Tournament finale.  I had a first as far as watching basketball goes, seeing a group of 5 caucasians trying to hold their own on the hard wood in their school's first year of D1 eligibility.  Now, while this may seem like a minor miracle when observing today's game, the most astonishing aspect to me was how similar every player looked.  Each guy had blond hair and a buzz cut. Outside of the center who was clearly balding worse than a Steven Segal circa 1997, every dude looked exactly the same. I was lost. Although, I'm sure Brett Winkelman will be a dominant force backing that 15 seed.  Profiling at its best.

The other team that managed to pull off the huge upset last night, was none other than those bastards at Cleveland State University.  Quite possibly the ugliest group of men ever assembled  to play basketball, the mighty Vikings managed to get past the Butler Bulldogs to make way for the big dance.  This certainly doesn't help any of those teams lingering for those at large bids as Butler is almost certainly going to be dancing late next week.  I'm really hoping I don't smell the stench of another high and dry 'Cuse team.

Few of you probably recall the Pontiac Game Changing Performance nominee where these jamokes managed to slip past the mighty Orange(men) with a final seconds three point bomb from half court (DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS).  Well, ladies & gentlemen. I'm ready for the rematch.  Paul Harris is going to dominate the next two weeks of basketball play along the likes of Mel Daniels and Artis Gilmore.  Its going to be an epic site. I guarantee it.

"You're Fucking Out. I'm Fucking In."

Boston Rock Radio Song of the Week: "Soul To Squeeze" -Red Hot Chili Peppers

TOMP Pick of Week: "Wolf Like Me" -TV on the Radio

Time to Put Your Shoes On- BG

It took Johnny Flynn a half to realize that Dominic James was not playing last Saturday, but once he figured it out he dropped 20 on the Golden Eagles, to lead the Orange to the overtime upset. (Dome Factor Disclaimer: Please make sure you are sitting down when I make this next statement. If you have a history of heart problems or if you are pregnant, please just skip to the next paragraph. Ready? OK.) Rick Jackson made a FREE THROW, to tie the game at 73-73, and sent the game into OT. In OT Johnny Flynn made a layup on the Orange's first possession and the lead was never relinquished. Now Syracuse does not have to beat anyone in the Big East tournament, but I want them to at least beat Seton Hall tonight. I think that winning the Big East tourney will be doom for the NCAA tourney. See exhibit A and exhibit B. Both of these came after Cuse won the Big East tourney. Not good. Syracuse goes as Johnny Flynn goes. It's that simple. I predict big upsets in the Big East tourney this week. I just think that it's too much time off for the top 4 teams. Stay tuned.

The Dome Factor would like to be the first to announce that Jay Cutler will be the new spokesman for Tampax and Kleenex. Apparently the toiletry companies have signed Jay, because he has recently become the biggest bitch in football. Jay Cutler a.k.a Football's "Mr. October" (that is not a good thing, Jay) is pissed because the Broncos Brass were contacted about obtaining Matt Cassel. Gee, why would a new head coach who helped mold a budding star quarterback, want to obtain said quarterback? Why would he want to replace a turnover machine, for an accurate, smart, and WINNING QB? Hey Jay, maybe they can trade you to the Lions, and then you can get a Midol endorsement. Stop crying and maybe you will learn a thing or two this season. Try making the playoffs.

Switching gears a little bit. I first thought when this group of 13 was going to sing Michael Jackson songs, we were in for an Amy Winehouse type train wreck. But I would say 8 of the 13 absolutely killed it. I hate Adam Lambert, but this was outstanding. After that, I bet Michael cannot wait to have him over for appletini's and a "hot dog" swallowing contest. Adam will gladly oblige. They finally got away from the story about Danny Gokey's wife dying and focused on Danny and the rest of the Gokey Family. He slayed PYT. Speaking of slaying, how many 16-18 year old girls do you think Anoop has been slaying since Idol started? It has to be a lot. I am convinced of this. Anyway, looks like his statutory rape spree is about to end, cause he sucked. He sang "Beat It" and well, yes, you will be doing a lot of that now. That is it for Idol, there were a good performances, but I only wanted to talk about a couple of them. Not one of them was from Scott Mcintyre a.k.a "The Mad Scientist". And at least we got to look at Meghan Joy Corkroy's hammer's poppin' out for 5 minutes. That was entertaining. To bad her and the buoys might be going home tonight.

Last thought about the Rhianna/Chris Brown thing. I think it's all a set up to make money and gain attention. If this wasn't a set up and that affidavit was true, would she really be getting back together with him AND recording a duet with him? I just don't buy it. You say, "Oh come Bud, why do they need money? They are already loaded?" Because everyone craves more money, especially with this uncertain future. Take George Jung for example. In case you live in a cave, he is the real life "Boston George" from the movie Blow. He could have just made a shit ton of money selling weed across the US with "The Tuna" and lived on the beach his whole life, banging stewardesses. But no, he wanted more. He wanted to take on drug cartels and steal their Columbian wives. So he started selling cocaine and making trips back and forth from Columbia in a single engine cessna. He wanted to conquer the world and he nearly did. But we all know how it turned out, he got caught. And so will Rhianna and Chris Brown. This smells fishier than a lesbian yoga room.

That is it for now. Big string of games this weekend and the Southie St. Paddy's Day Extravaganza. Can't wait for those brackets to come out!

Thanks for the HJ- BG

I wanted to wait for everything to settle before I wrote about the Matt Cassel situation. Everyone knew that Matt Cassel was not going to be on the Patriots next year, especially because Tommy Boy's rehab is going so well. So the Patriots traded Cassel to the Chiefs for the 34th pick overall. They took a former seventh round draft pick, swapped him for an early second rounder, and wait....CLEARED CAP SPACE. The Patriots were closer to the cap, than Amy Winehouse is to death. The Pats clearly need to fix gaping holes in their defense and they need the money to sign these players. They have 3 second rounders and the 23rd overall pick to sign. They also at some point have to re-sign Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour, both defensive anchors. I just think that it was a solid move. Not great and could they have waited? Yes, but the Pats coaches and front office are not stupid. They know what they are doing. The Matt Cassel era was a little like an HJ. It filled a need. It had it's ups and downs. It got you excited about where it might lead, but in the end it was just ok. We didn't make the playoffs. It's time to move on and swing for that home run. We have Tom Brady coming back. Matt Cassel will vanish like a fart in the wind when Brady connects with Randy on the first touchdown pass. Take a breath everyone.

(Random Note: Daniel Synder has ruined any chance of the Patriots signing Julius Peppers. I would like to extend a special thanks to Daniel Synder for signing Albert Haynesworth to $100 million contract. Once again Daniel fails to recognize his real problem (his offense) and just makes a signing to flex his financial muscles. Daniel, your QB sucks and is boring, your RB plays maybe 8 games and takes the rest off to play dress up, your leading wide receiver is hit or miss, and I cannot even name your other staring wideout. Your "most reliable" offensive player is a scrappy white tight end who takes pictures of his own junk in the mirror. My point is, there is no way the Pats spend that kind of money on anyone, not even Peppers.)

I never thought I would say this, but I want Brian Scalabrine back in my life. This isn't going to happen because apparently Scal cannot watch TV for more than 30 minutes without feeling like his head is going to explode. The reason I bring this up is because Mikki Moore sucks. He comes in, turns the ball over twice because he has stone hands, picks up three fouls, and sits back on the bench. Oh, did I mention that he goes 1-6 in this span because he is convinced that the 18 footer is his shot. This goes on like a fucking merry-go-round every game. To top it off Doc said today on Dennis and Callahan that quote, "Mikki gives us more shooting!?!?!?" I almost spit my coffee all over the keyboard. Bottom line is that KG needs to come back quickly. The C's are looking very vulnerable on the defensive end. With KG out, Big Baby starts and plays 30+ minutes a game. Big Baby playing 30+ minutes means I have to scream "no, no, no, no!!" ten more times than usual at my TV and my voice is getting hoarse. My only problem with the Marbury Era in Boston so far was last night. Every time he touched the ball he got booed non-stop and when he fucked up (which was a lot last night) the crowd went crazy and it fired the other team up. This does not bode well for the C's bench. The verdict is still out in my mind. I really wish Boston would stop being the place for these reclamation projects. Yes, it worked with Randy Moss, let's stop pushing our luck.

(Side note: I would like to welcome the Pistons back. It really wasn't the same only having one rival in the East. Rip Hamilton it was good seeing you out of your coffin and now TOMP can actually talk shit back. I don't dislike the Lebron's, so this will be much more fun. A.I. do everyone a favor never come back. Thanks)

American Idol has established 9 of their top 12. Now tonight 8 people get to compete again for the final 3 spots to determine the top 12. I have a real problem with this format, but it is what it is. There are four clear front runners already. Danny Gokey, Scott McIntyre (blind kid), Adam Lambert, and Lil Rounds. Yes, her first name is Lil, but she has pipes. How much crack do you think Lil's father was on when he named her? And do not tell me he just liked the name Lil. If her last name was Smith, her name would have been Alicia or something. But it was Rounds, and we get Lil Rounds. Moving on. I just hope Scott McIntyre gets through for his ability to sing and to tickle the ivories, rather than the fact he is blind. He does not have the vocals like the others, but he has a marketable appeal and plays the piano really well. He should take a cue from Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder and PUT SOME SUN GLASSES ON! Please! He is really good, but I feel that if I look into his eyes long enough, I will turn to stone. It is really not that hard. I got to give him credit, he stood up while performing the other night and started walking around stage. He just has to put a little more cooool into his performances. I have hated the so called "favorite" Adam Lambert for sometime now. Can't stand his voice, his act, can't stand anything about the kid. Now this comes out. BAM! The American public will not stand for this. Tolerance has come a long way, but this is American Idol, not "Liberal Accepting Coastal Cities" Idol.

Quick Lost tangent and I will be done. I do not care about the Kate and Sawyer love story. I do like chick flicks, but if I want to watch a fucking chick flick, I will watch The Notebook. I watch Lost for its quirky plot twists, sci-fi aspects, and to find out what the fuck is going to happen. They have pussified Sawyer now, the bad-ass of the show. I am not going to stop watching because I am in it for the long haul, but please get back to basics. To quote the great Bud Kilmer "Stick to the Basics". (Yes, I just quoted Varsity Blues). Lately, everything has been such a goddamn sob story, I feel like I have been watching 90210 episodes. They also need to fix Kate's character and get her back to the "Basic" Kate. Right now, she is all skinny, muscular, and she just doesn't look good. Maybe they need to give her a few cuts and bruises, a slow blood trickle, I don't know. I do know that Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) is blowing her out of the water in the looks department right now. Get it together, Kate!

I wish I had some Red Sox stuff to talk about, but it's spring training and that is boring. I do not know what is wrong with the Bruins, other than they just look un-motivated. They are getting out hustled, out hit, and out played. It sucks to watch and I think Washinton or NJ or both overtakes them for the number 1 seed in the playoffs. More on that in a later post. I am heading down to Hoboken, NJ for their celebration of St. Paddy's Day. Two weekends in a row. Should be a doozy. Out.

Welcome Back Gentlemen -TOMP

You probably weren't locked to your TV screen late on Friday and early on Sunday, but both days featured the introduction of the original 2009 Detroit Pistons.

To answer your obvious first question, yes, I was a graphic design major in college.  Am I available for free lance work? Not at all; I am employed full time.

Now, the reemergence of Richard 'Rip' Hamilton:

 As it turns out, Allen Iverson's back began to hurt him. So, your boy #32 finally got back into the starting line-up where he's been for the majority of the decade.  Guess what happened next? You got it. Business time.  They put on a smokeshow in front of the Magic and even made Dwight Howard cry (footage not found). It was epic.  This followed by the demolition of the Boston Celtics on a Sunday Bloody Sunday.  It was like a slap in the face. I loved it. A lot.

For those of you keeping track at home: Rip's lines for the last three games (smackdown of the Nuggets included): 31-1-6, 25-6-9, 21-2-7.  In others words: Super SmackDown status.

Breaking News: A.I. is out for 2 more weeks. Sweet.

"You're Fucking Out. I'm Fucking In."

Boston Rock Radio Song of the Week: "Kids" -MGMT