You Need These...

This blog is way too small time for plugs and advertisements, but I figure it really can't hurt to throw a few words out.

If we have any soccer, or football, fans out there, then my buddy Jackson just started up his old blog titled, The Wrong Side of the Atlantic. He used to work for the Weekend, but has gone on to lesser, but probably better things. Check it out. Now.

If you're a music guy like myself, then you're going to want to get some Bonfire Blue in your life. The band is made up of the man, the myth, and the legend...Chris Conway. He started out in a band Tag & Release, put out some songs under his solo/full name, Christopher Conway, and now goes by the name of Bonfire Blue. If you're looking for some solid indie, or just solid music in general, then look no further, boys and girls. You're welcome.

F.Y.E.

Straight out of Love Shaq University and into your lives via the medium of Owl City. If there has been any music video this good since 'Escape' by Enrique, I demand to know.

It's About Time...

The NHL has just put a new "cheap shot" rule into action that will remain in effect until the end of the 2009-2010 season. The rule was voted in by the NHL Owners, even before the Players Association caught wind of it, but now it appears everyone is on the same page.

"The league will prohibit lateral, back-pressure or blindside hits to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact."

The picture at the top of is Marc Savard down on the ice after a concussion given to him by Penguins' defenseman Matt Cooke. Watch any highlight of "superstar" Alexander Ovechkin from this past season, and watch how much of a goon he is. I understand he's a great player, and he can score goals like he's drinking a cup of tea, but let's be real, he plays like a scumbag. I bet if you think about it for a second, you can think of a bunch of dirty hits that happened in the past few years that should've prompted this rule sooner.

Cooke on Savard

Ovechkin being his scumbag self

Janssen on Bradley

Na Na Na Na, Hey, Hey, Hey...

I don't mean to offend anyone, but if you think you stand a chance against UConn Women's Basketball, then Robert Downey, Jr. clearly should've mentioned you at some point in this clip.

Two games down in the NCAA tournament, against the #16 seed and the #8 seed. Total margin of victory? 110 points. 78 straight wins. Do I need to keep going?

Nope.

New Rule, Same Results

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to write something up on the NFL's new overtime rule or on "Big Ben Strikes Back." (Roethlisberger's newest sexual assault case.) I figure I don't care much about one or the other, but this new rule is idiotic and I'm interested in how anyone thought, "oh yeah, this is new and different, let's go for it!"

Tie game at the end of regulation. You just watched 60 minutes of football, which really lasted 4 hours, and all you got to see was about 11 minutes of real action. Old overtime rule: Coin toss, sudden death. 80% of the time, the team who won the toss, won the game. New overtime rule: Coin toss, winning team automatically wins with a touchdown, but if they settle for a field goal, the other team gets a chance to go for the touchdown and take home the crown. If the second team also opts for a field goal, then it goes back to sudden death.

So really they will have just wasted their time going for 2 field goals, only to give the first team an 80% chance of winning again. Personally, I'm as sick of writing about this as I will be when I have to watch these shenanigans. I'm a college football guy, and I think the NCAA has it right. Each team gets a drive, doesn't matter if one team only gets a field goal, each team gets one drive.

At least the NFL is aware this is garbage, saying that it's only going to be used in the postseason. I hope they come out with a few more press releases trying to clear up the confusion after every show on ESPN has bashed the hell out of it.

March Madness

So I figured I should do a write-up about March Madness because a) my world stops when the games are on, and b) I couldn't deal with Jimmy Johnson being at the top of my blog for any longer.

It's been a wacky ride to the Sweet 16 so far. Kansas was TKO'd by the O'Rear brothers and Northern Iowa which, according to ESPN.com's Bracket Challenge, means 42% of the nation is not too happy. There were 2 overtime games, and one double-overtime game in the first round, which totals to one more than there was in the entire tournament a year ago. 90% of Big East fans have seen their teams mauled to a painful death by the underdogs, 9% are crossing their fingers in upstate New York for the Orange, and the other 1% are sorry West Virginia fans. For the first time since 1994, an Ivy League team has won a tournament game, and they're about to face John Wall & Co. in the third round.

Three #1's and two #2's are still standing. I personally have Kentucky taking it all over 'Cuse in the final, but I'm starting to second guess everything I know about NCAA basketball. Games start up again tomorrow, so get pumped and get yourself in front of a TV or computer.

Infomercial Of The Week

From the moment he tosses that football, that's when the sparks start flying (0:40). As if I'm not already sold on Extenze by watching Jimmy Johnson in this commercial, if I call RIGHT NOW they'll send me an invitation for a 'Dinner with Jimmy' event. Throw in a free t-shirt and you're talking about the most amazing trifecta to ever come at you in an Infomercial of the Week.