The U being, well, The U

I went with a WSJ link this morning to give this blog a more 'serious' tone to it. With that out of the way, what the hell is going on in Miami? Nevin Shapiro, some ponzi schemer that is (was?) a Miami booster, is blowing the whistle on Miami and it's looking kinda bad for the Canes. In interviews with Yahoo! Sports, Shapiro claims some of the benefits he provided to players "included but were not limited to cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and, on one occasion, an abortion".

The depth of Shapiro's alleged illegal activity with the Hurricanes has people talking about the Death Penalty; something we have only seen once in NCAA football - SMU got sanctioned with it in 1987. In fact, this sanction has only been doled out by the NCAA five times in history across all sports. The Death Penalty prevents a school from competing in a sport for a year. End of discussion. It is the steepest penalty that the NCAA can hand out and you have to be in some deep shit for them to play the card.

That said, I can see where The U is worried about receiving the Death Penalty. SMU had a slush fund set up and was literally paying players while they were playing football. Not to mention that players were being given money to sign with SMU to begin with. When you look at some of Miami's alleged violations, they look pretty similar. Funny thing is, this is only a big deal because the people involved are scholarship athletes. You know what you call cash, prostitutes, and entertainment in mutimillion dollar homes/yachts otherwise in Miami? A typical weekend.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled fever to bring you this breaking news

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Today was pretty solid, IMO

I woke up this morning a little after 6:40 am to help Lizette go through the emotional event of dropping off AJ for his first day of daycare. I played it off like I wasn't overly bothered by it, but it saddened me a lot more than I led on. I'd like to think that the bond that I have with the boys are pretty strong but they will never be as strong as the bond they share with their Mom. And rightfully so, may I add. Our moms do one of the most selfless things on the face of this earth - give birth to all of us.

Lizette hurried off to work and I headed back home so I could get ready for work myself. I was feeling under the weather but it wasn't anything a little ibuprofen wouldn't cure. I took a pair of advil along with the rest of my morning meds, finished my morning routine, and headed to work hoping the meds would kick in sooner than later.

I walked into the office still feel crappy but with the usual game face on. I may be having a shitty morning but hey, I'm walking into a job that I love to make a decent wage to help support a family that loves me. Around 8:45 or so it felt like the heater was turned on and I knew that salvation was soon at hand - my feverish symptoms would soon give way.

Fast forward through the day. I took a late lunch because I was swamped at work and it was 4 pm before I knew it. I started to feel a little icky again and I should have heeded the warning signs. I didn't take my second dose of ibuprofen for some stupid reason and soon it was too late. I felt chills coming on and my hands felt like freaking ice cubes. I took some more ibuprofen and kept plugging away.

I may clock out around ~5 pm during the work week but my day doesn't stop there. I like to spend time with the family when I get home, especially now that I have a day job after working graveyard shift for 5 years. I headed home to pick up Julian because he wanted to come with me to pick up his little brother. Poor Julez is as emotional as anyone through this transition. In fact, when we picked up AJ, Julian bolted over to him, picked him up, and gave him a huge hug. I couldn't help but smile.

When we got home and settled, I made an executive decision. I bought this sweet book for Jim knowing that it'd be right up his alley. It was on how to survive out in the wilderness. The original plan was to keep it under wraps until Christmas. We're going camping in two weeks, though, and what better time to give him the present? I hope it made his day as much as it made mine.

So here I am at 6:30 waiting for my fever to break. I still feel crummy but it's going to be time to get dinner ready soon. My beef stew is being requested by both Lizette and Julez so I can't let them down! Maybe I'll take a quick power nap until 7:30 so I have ample time to do the prep work. I want to have dinner ready by the time Lizette gets off her 12 hour hospital shift.

tl;dr version - see the title.

Dirt Bag Dan (Uggla)

Tevez Watch - 8.4.11

We're about 3 weeks removed from the last big transfer news surrounding Carlos Tevez. When we last left off... Captain Carlos was going to spurn big boy football and return to his roots via transfer to Corinthians. A 40m transfer fee was agreed upon and Tevez looked like he wouldn't have to travel back to Manchester after the conclusion of the Copa America. Then at the last minute, those talks stalled because Corinthians allegedly couldn't get sufficient bank guarantees to Man City officials. I guess the old "trust me, I'm good for it" routine didn't work.

All the while, City was in the process of luring Sergio Aguero to Eastlands. To hell with Tevez, right? City turned around and reopened bidding for Tevez to other European teams at a rumored price of 50m. Inter looks to be the most interested, with a partial swap involving Samuel Eto'o coming to Eastlands being talked about again. And now, we get word that Tevez is due to report back to Man City today. He is, after all, still under contract to City; a contract that is reported to be well into the 200k p/w range.

It looks like the prospect of Tevez staying looks more reasonable than ever. And as long as City get off to a good start on the season, who's to say that he doesn't have a true change of heart and decide to stay a little longer? City will be legit contenders in all of their major competitions - the Premier League, the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. A win over United in the Community Shield to start the season could be the start that both City and Tevez need. Could you honestly imagine any player wanting to leave a team that wins two major trophies in any given season? Not only that, but a team that has all the financial backing in the world? I certainly hope not.

Two first round picks, two cuts

The Falcons released Jamaal Anderson and Michael Jenkins today. Forget implications this has on the salary cap and roster makeup. The first thing I thought was - these were some of the last guys drafted by Rich McKay. In fact, these guys kind of bookend McKays draft history with the Falcons, whom he GM'd from 2003 to 2008.

Michael Jenkins was drafted in the first round in 2004; McKay's second draft after assuming GM duties in 2003. Jenkins was the second of two first round draft picks for the Falcons in 2004. Deangelo Hall was drafted with the 8th overall pick and then Jenkins was drafted 29th. Jenkins never amounted to much during his seven seasons in Atlanta. He had 267 receptions for 3512 yards and 20 TDs. At best I think you could argue that Jenkins could be a below averge #2 receiver.

Jamaal Anderson was also drafted in the first round; this time in 2007 which was McKay's last draft. Anderson was handed the starting RE position and every Falcons fan had their dreams crushed when his potential was never realized. 4 seasons, 105 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles. 1 big draft bust. Anderson was eventually moved to a pass-rushing DT role before he was moved to the cut list.

KUN KUN KUN KUN KUN

Skysports article.



Looks like Sergio Aguero is well on his way to donning a City shirt for the immediate future. He's in Manchester today taking a medical and hashing out personal contract details. Normally I would be cautiously optimistic, but Aguero himself confirmed how close things are on Twitter - "Just arrived in Manchester to finalise the details of signing with City". I think that's a pretty strong hint.

Assuming (lol) that Aguero signs for City, that leaves them with a wealth of options at striker. Look at Roberto Mancini's strikeforce - Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko, Diego Maradona's son-in-law, and wantaway Carlos Tevez. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if Tevez decides that having another fellow countryman in Aguero on the team is enough for him and his family to feel at home in Manchester? Now that would be a problem that most any football team would love to deal with.

Tevez Watch - 7.15.11

Today Corinthians did what they swore they wouldn't do - improve upon their opening bid of £35m for Captain Carlos. How quickly things can change when another team shows interest! Juventus was rumored to have offered £45m for Tevez (which was later denied by Man City officials) and all of a sudden Corinthians found a little more money in between the couch cushions. So today Corinthians have lodged a second bid for Tevez, this time for £40m. That's enough to activate the release clause in Kun Aguero's contract. Just saying...

If I were Sheikh Mansour, I would've taken the original £35m offer from Corinthians for the karma and for the opportunity to move onward with what's being built at City. Let's assume that Tevez is telling the truth and that he just wants to be home with his family. Corinthians allows that to happen, and City gets to bid farewell to a headache. I guess maybe City is holding out for more money in an attempt to work within the FFP guidelines? As mentioned, Kun Aguero has a £40m release clause and selling Tevez for that amount would let City break even. It's not like Sheikh Mansour has any personal financial constraints that are driving him to hold out for a higher transfer fee. Back in 2009 when Sheikh Mansour bought Man City, Forbes estimated his personal net worth at $4.9 billion.

Back to Tevez, I'm as anxious to see his situation get resolved as I am to see the NFL get their labor situation resolved. Hopefully the weekend will bring a little more clarity to both pictures.

Richard Samuel changes positions. Again.

For the third time, Richard Samuel has switched positions on the football field in the best interests of the Bulldogs. It certainly hasn't helped his draft stock having moved back and forth so frequently because I couldn't imagine it letting him develop one set of skills in particular. And we aren't talking about moving from TE to WR, learning to play Tackle instead of Guard. Even Hines Ward would be proud of Samuel.

When Richard Samuel was recruited out of high school in 2008, Rivals had him rated as their #2 athlete. Scout rated him the 4th best RB. I remember the talk surrounding Samuel and how he had the potential to be an impact player on either side of the ball; whether it be carrying the ball out of the backfield or tracking down ballcarriers from a LB position.

Samuel played RB his first two years. He was part of a loaded backfield that featured Knowshon Moreno and Caleb King (former 5 star recruit before injury) his FR year and he only carried the ball 26 times for 133 net yards. Moreno would go on to be a first round draft pick at the end of the year, but the depth at the position didn't drop off terribly.

Going into his SO year, Samuel was joined in the backfield by another highly regarded in-state RB, Washaun Ealey. Ealey and King got the bulk of the carries in 2009-2010 and Samuel ended with the 3rd most carries (88). It made sense that Samuel move to his secondary position of LB after the year was over and Samuel took a RS to begin learning the LB position at the college level.

Going into this season, Samuel looked to join a LB unit that was long on potential but short on experience. Then Washaun Ealey transferred. I saw this as addition by subtraction and a roster shakeup that would help get yet another heralded RB recruit (Isaiah Crowell) some carries. Then earlier this month the other shoe dropped - Caleb King was deemed academically ineligible for the season. He would later declare for the supplemental draft.

All of a sudden the Bulldogs were looking real thin at a position that looked like it was overflowing with talent. So now comes the news that Samuel will be returning to his original position and playing RB for the Dawgs. Samuel's move gives the Bulldogs four scholarship players at the position - Samuel, FR Crowell, rFR Boo Malcome, and JR Carlton Thomas.

As it stands, Thomas looks to be the shifty, elusive back. Malcome is the battering ram. Crowell looks to be a mix of Thomas and Malcome. Then there's Samuel, the unknown. Like Crowell, he's high on potential but has yet to prove much over the course of a season. The few times I've seen Samuel get meaningful work, he's looked better than average. Here's to hoping that Samuel gets a chance to finally hit the playing field for significant stretches this season. I can't help but think a little bit of Hines Ward when he played every position of need for the Dawgs.

Time to say goodbye to Tevez?

Skysports article

To say that Carlos Tevez has had a rollercoaster run with City is an understatement. I remember being a huge fan of the signing, if not for anything else, because it was a direct shot taken at rivals Man United. The "Welcome to Manchester" banner was a fantastic way to throw stones at United. I even thought about making my first ever MCFC website purchase - a Tevez t-shirt.

Tevez lived up to the hype, imo. In his inaugural season he bagged 23 goals in 32 league appearances, good for the fourth most goals scored in 2009-2010. The City resurgence was gaining momentum and it was clear to see that Tevez and his frenetic style of play was at the forefront. City suffered a painful final day loss to Tottenham that left them out of Champions League football, but you could see the potential at the club.

This City fan, much like many others, was then sideswiped with the news that Tevez handed in a written transfer request. How could the Captain, the literal face of the City uprising, want to leave? After one season? Then like a late Christmas present, Tevez retracted his request and everything was well again. Water under the bridge. Tevez went on to score 20 goals to tie with Dimitar Berbatov for the most goals scored in league play. He literally powered City into the Champions League.

Not only did City finish 3rd to qualify for the Champions League, but they also won some silverware; defeating Stoke 1-0 to bring home the FA Cup. Another positive season surely was in the works. After bringing in some fairly big names over the past season and a half by selling a dream, City could now sell a reality - football at the highest level.

Then the nightmare began again. Tevez wants to go back home. So instead of bolstering a striker rotation to gun for several trophies, it looks like City will be looking for a replacement for their captain. Rumors will lead you to believe that Tevez is close to securing a move that he's been struggling with for quite some time - a return trip back home to Argentina to be with his family.

I can't say I blame him. A foreign-born player can only feel comfortable to a certain point, no matter how much money he may make. Although, if I made the rumored wages that Tevez makes at City, I'd certainly have my family moved. :) That said, I wish the best for Tevez and I hope he finds his way back home via Corinthians. A reported bid of £35 million is in the works, much of which will hopefully be turned right around and sent to Atletico Madrid for Kun Aguero. How fitting would it be that City replace their outgoing Argentinian striker with another Argentinian striker?

Contrary to Tevez, however, Aguero is said to be a much more grounded person. So much that he has actually been criticized for being too loyal to AT Madrid; suggesting that he should have moved on to a bigger club years ago. Here's to hoping that Aguero makes his way to City and becomes an improved version of his compatriot - Captain Carlos.

All hope is lost

Or at least, all hope of comedy is lost. Not that it was ever really in doubt, but I am convinced yet again that my brand of humor just doesn't jive with the rest of the people in the office. This is why I generally keep to myself when I'm at work - to avoid those awkward silences when I make a funny remark only to be met by blank stares and cricket sounds.

A perfect example ocurred just recently. I have two meetings to attend, both of which are less than exciting to me. I asked someone what time the meetings kick off by saying - "so where's this killer party gonna be that we got invited to today?" Crickets. Blank stares. Someone finally chimed in by saying something like "killer...party?" Seriously. It's not that complicated of a joke. I simply referenced the lame ass work-related meetings as a killer party. Failure of epic proportions.

OMG, dead body captured on google street view!

Oh wait, she was just playing dead.

I've heard plenty of funny stuff people have done when the Google car comes by. And I'll be the first to admit that if I got the chance to pose for the Google car, you bettre believe I'd do something comedic. I probably wouldn't play dead, however. Probably.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1302422/A-body-Google-Street-View-Dont-worry-just-girl-playing-dead.html

Mario Balotelli on his way to Eastlands

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11679_6310525,00.html

It's about time! I'm excited to see how explosive City's attack will be in upcoming seasons. Last season brought in the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez up front - I don't count Roque Santa Cruz because he didn't have much of an impact - and Adam Johnson on the wing. This season we bring in David Silva out wide and now Super Mario up front.

City certainly won't be lacking in the talent department when the Premier League kicks off this weekend. It will be fun to watch the new players gel with the rest of the squad and I think the dearth of talent will pay off in spades late in the season. By sheer numbers, City should have fresher, more talented players to close out the year and that can only help in their push for a top 4 position and an invite to the Champion's League.

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone

Try not to play in the woods today, camp at dilapidated campgrounds, explore rickety 2+ story houses, etc.

Golden Eye on the Wii? Book it.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/goldeneye-wii-james-bond-controller,news-7757.html

Talk about a blast from the past. I can't remember how many days were consumed in the basement of our old house playing Golden Eye on the N64. Does this ring a bell? 4player action on the big screen TV, winner stays in, losers rotate out. I remember on any given afternoon we'd have a GRIP of people hanging out waiting for their turn in the rotation. 10+ years later it won't be nearly the same when I fire up the game, but it'll be pretty sweet nonetheless.

More billionnaires make the giving pledge

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/08/04/40-billionaires-sign-the-gates-buffett-giving-pledge/

I don't want to dive into the details of why these pledges are being made, how the donations will benefit those that are donating, etc. I just like the face value of this article. Feel free to check out The Giving Pledge website here.

First time for everything

Mark it down on your calendar. Today is the first time that I've been able to get my daily sales report to balance the first time around. Without boring anyone with details, the stumbling block comes from three multi-page reports that I need to draw data from. If one of those entries is incorrect, I get denied and I have to pore over all of the damn figures again.

Needless to say, I got lucky today and when I hit the balance button, everything was in balance! Win.

Starcraft 2 - Early impressions

So... I've been playing SC2 for the past few days now and early results are very positive. Not unlike most players of the original Starcraft, SC2 has been a long-anticipated sequel. The sequel hasn't disappointed yet.

First, let's talk about the gameplay experience. For hardware we have the following:

*Intel E2200 processor - dual 2.2 GHz processors
*2 GB DDR2 ram
*Radeon 4670 video card - 1 GB DD3 ram

This is far from a gaming setup, and the only real saving grace is the lovely video card. SC2 recommends that my comp run on the high default for graphics and texture, but I kept getting the damn paged pool memory warning so I turned texture down to medium and kept the graphics default at high. I still get the memory warning, but it's not nearly as quick to set in. That, and I have yet to get the warning that I've run out of page pool memory altogether.

With the current medium/high settings, the rendering is smooth as a whistle except during the most gigantic scirmishes. For example, there was one mission where I had to erradicate a bunch of zerg that were infesting colonists. When I attack a town with 20+ ground troops and I'm met with swarms of zerg and there's a huge thing spewing green infection vomit everywhere, that bogs things down a bit. Beyond that, however, I haven't noticed the game slow down mid-flight.

The cinematic videos run smoothly also. I was especially impressed when the video involving Kerrigan pre-infestation ran without any stuttering. Loading time between the Hyperion and the missions themselves takes a while, though. Outside of that, I can't complain.

As far as gameplay goes, it felt like getting back on a bike. I haven't played SC1 or Brood Wars in forever and all of the hotkeys and various shortcuts were intact. I was happy to be able to select an SCV and hit B - R for a refinery or B - U for a bunker. I was able to hit the ground running due to the familiarity and felt like the game was too easy on the normal setting. I switched to hard and found that more suitable. I switched back to normal for my first run through the game and I've only had to restart a handful of missions to rethink my strategies.

I don't know how many missions there are in total, but I'm willing to bet I'm a little past the halfway marker in the game. Maybe this will change when I go back through the game on hard, but there hasn't been a whole lot of missions so far that required as much strategy as some of the missions in SC1 and Brood Wars (especially some of the later missions in those games). For the most part I'm able to just amass a contingent of Marines, Marauders, and Medics. The triple M is able to handle just about everything outside of the upper tier units.

That's it for now.

USC doing a bit of housecleaning

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/usc-reggie-bush-heisman-trophy/1

So USC announced yesterday that they are cleaning house a bit in light of their recent transgressions. USC is scrubbing the campus clean of anything to do with OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush - the two guys that are at the heart of the NCAA shitstorm. USC is also giving back their copy of Reggie Bush's Heisman trophy.

At first I thought - damn. That's a pretty solid move. That could stand for something. That could show that the university is dedicated to winning, but to winning within the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA.

Then I thought - damn! That's an AWESOME move. USC is sending back Reggie Bush's Heisman, but you know who's Heisman is staying? OJ Simpson's! How's that for a message? If you screw around and sully the Trojan name, it's better to do it via double murder - allegedly - than to sully the Trojan name via NCAA sports sanctions.

Simply. Amazing.