The Jordan Rules

It would appear that David Stern is giving one of the NBA's favorite sons a big advantage on draft day. When Stern set up the guidelines prior to the 2006 draft about age limits, a player must be 19 or one year away from High School graduation before he can be drafted into the NBA, he also set some rules about underclassmen scouting. According to the guidelines no NBA scout or team representative is allowed to speak to or watch a game involving any player not eligible for the NBA draft. "This keeps our scouts out of high school gyms," Stern said when enacting the rule.

Micheal Jordan has been running his Jordan Brand All-American high school game for a number of years now. He takes some of the best high school kids from around the country and has a sort of East v. West game. There is also many days of practice and meal time and the families of these kids get to come along as well. Well now that MJ has become the owner of the Charollete Bobcats he is continuing to conduct these games. So not only does he get to see these kids play he gets to see them practice. All the other owners and scouts are only allowed to come see the game. Jordan also gets to interact with these kids and see if they have the level of maturity needed to make it as an NBA player, and observe their social skills. Exclusive knowledge of this type gives him a huge advantage on draft day when it comes down to 2 or 3 different picks of nearly equal playing skill.

The league thus far has looked the other way in regards to Jordan's high school game, and related festivities. But, in other cases of violations of these new prospect guidelines the league has been rather harsh. Danny Ainge was recently fined $30,000 for talking to top prospect and future lottery pick Kevin Durant. Jordan also runs Flight Schools on the east and west coast which offer basketball training to pretty much anyone that wants to learn to play better. Jordan hires top prospects from high school and college to work as counselors at these schools giving him even further access to them. All this interaction can only help when it comes to free agency as well, when the only difference between 2 teams isn't money but instead is a comfortable relationship with the ownership. Jordan has gone as far as playing one on one games with these prospects.

This is all giving the Bobcats a very big advantage not only in the immediate draft but also a longer term advantage in future free agency. And, thus far the league has done nothing about it. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

RS Iggy SXSW interview

Rolling Stone sat down with head Stooge Iggy Pop at the South By Southwest music conference and the cameras were rolling. Some pretty good stuff.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/20/exclusive-video-interview-see-iggy-pop-as-youve-neer-seen-him-before/

Wilburys Reissues

It looks like the 2 studio albums that The Traveling Wilburys made will finally be getting the reissue treatment thanks to Rhino. The 2 albums will be released together along with bonus tracks and a DVD in a linen bound boxed set. There will also be a vinyl set. I can't wait to get that vinyl set.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003560481

The Dark Side of OZ

For those of you that have never done it. Here is a link that shows some of the more creepy sync ups when watching The Wizard of Oz, while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I have done this many many times, and I think this link misses some of the more eerie sync ups, but it's nice to look at anyway. My personal favorite one is when the cash registers that open Money kick in right when Dorothy opens the door to reveal the technicolor wonderment of Oz. The one that I like very much that was missed is when we first see the Scarecrow is when the song Brain Damage starts, and that's on the second time through the disc. I don't subscribe to the belief that the members of Pink Floyd made their album to go along with this movie, but I do think that the stuff that does sync up is pretty cool. Anyway here is the link.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/20/video-mashup-dark-side-of-oz/

I never really cared for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but now I'm pissed.

I stumbled across an ad today for the rock and roll hall of fame's Definitive 200 collection. So I figured I'd give it a click and see what they felt the "200 albums every music lover should own" are, and in what order these albums were in. I must say I was a little more than shocked when I starting reading this list, I could hardly contain my rage. I cannot find any information on the website to let me know by whom these albums were picked, or why they were put in the order they were put in. By the time I got into the 30's I was ready to drive to Cleveland and piss on the entry door to the hall. I've never had much respect for the hall in general, I feel they inducted derivative acts and seem to forget the pioneers, and they also seem to have a very strong Elvis bias. Not that I hate Elvis, I mean on an entertainment level he was fairly talented, but "godfather" of rock 'n' roll he isn't. One other thing I should point out before I rip this list to shreds is that it seems to be mostly a marketing ploy to sell more albums, there is even a participating retailers link on the website.

So let me give you a run down of just how crappy this list is, starting at the top. The album that they put in the top spot is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, now let me explain something. I love The Beatles, a lot, I would say they are the most important band of all time. I do not however subscribe to the belief that this album is their masterwork. I happen to prefer the more subtly amazing, and sonically more pleasing Revovler. So they started off on the wrong foot with me to begin with. It just gets worse from there.

Then at #2 they have Dark Side of the Moon, again let me explain myself here. I like Pink Floyd, quite a bit really. I just happen to prefer them when Syd Barret was in the band. I think the sound that can be found on Dark Side, is a bit too "arena" for my taste. I'm sure there are people that are just soooooo happy that Dark Side is #2, I just happen to think they have better albums, and maybe those should have been chosen over this.

This is where the list to me goes completely off the rails into pure commercial, we must sell more albums territory. At #3 they have Thriller, by Micheal Jackson. I have to say that Thriller is a really great pop/dance/light R&B album, god I hate the fact that R&B is a term that is used for any album by a black artist that isn't hip-hop or rap. R&B means rhythm and blues, and Thriller is not rhythm and blues, it is pop/dance music. So whether or not you think it is R&B or pop or both, I know one thing it is most assuredly not and that is rock 'n' roll. GRRRRR.

Then at #4 we get Led Zeppelin IV, I think that Led Zeppelin are rock and roll gods, almost like they were sent down from some sort of rock Valhalla. This album, or any other Led Zeppelin album is not, I repeat not top 10 album of all time material, not by a long shot. OMG this selection really curdles my butter. I think even more so than the Thriller pick, at least I can see from a marketing stand point why you would put Thriller up this high, but Led Zepp IV, come on.

At #5 we have U2 Joshua Tree, are you fucking kidding me!?!?!?!?!?!? This band is terrible, so disgusting, and so void of any real passion, art, or anything real at all. I just don't get it, maybe I need to listen to this album again, maybe there is something so great and wonderful. You can tell me till you're blue in the face about the amazing musicianship of The Edge, or the brilliant songwriting, the razor sharp production. But, when I listen to their work I feel nothing, not a damn thing, I'm not moved in any way. I guess I just don't get this band.

#6 brings us The Rolling Stones Exile on Mainstreet, I like the Stones, they make good music. Very blues based, they let you know where they are coming from, a little racist now and then with Mick Jagger not being able to stop talking about what black girls should do. I just don't think they should rate this high. I just don't.

#7 Carole King Tapestry, I know nothing of this album, maybe I'm outing myself as some sort of ignorant loser by saying that, but I know nothing of this work. I can however think of about 10 albums that could go in this spot. in fact there are many in the top 10 of this list that should be ahead of this I'm quite sure.

#8 Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisted, finally they got something right, I would probably put this in the top 5, maybe even top 3, but at least it's here. I do agree that this is his best work, and it should be the highest rated Dylan album. It is great, great stuff. If you don't like it go and listen to it about 10 times, then come tell you don't like it. But believe me after a few listens you won't be back to tell me you don't like it, you'll thank me.

#9 The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, again, at least they got this one right, although it could be rated higher. This is such a good album, you should own this one for sure.

#10 Nirvana Nevermind, I agree with this album in this spot 100%. No beef from me here.

So there is the top 10, after this it starts to fall apart quickly. I won't bore you with the whole list, you could just go look at it for yourself. What I will say is that Pearl Jam's 10 is not the #11 album of all time. It shouldn't even be on this list. There are so many albums in the top 20 that shouldn't be on the list at all. Metallica's self titled album from 1991, no way should that be on the list. They have Shania Twain at #21, I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I read that one.

What made me the angriest though are the artists that were left off the list completely, no Stooges, no Buddy Holly, no Chuck Berry, no Eddie Cochrane, The Sonics aren't on the list! I do know one thing for sure, I won't need to go to Cleveland anytime soon. I had little desire to see the hall of fame before, but this list of rubbish killed what little desire there is.

My picks for the 2007 NCAA tournament

So I'm still a little pissed about Akron not getting in to the big dance, and to make matters worse they didn't even get into the NIT. Akron lost in the finals of the MAC tournament to Miami of Ohio on a buzzer beating 3 pointer, giving Miami (OH) the auto seed in the NCAA tourney. But I felt that based on the 26-7 overall record and going 13-3 in conference games they deserved to be there. I mean if Arkansas gets to go with the numbers they put up, why can't Akron. Anyway, I'm not gonna get all worked up about, I mean it's not like I've seen a game this season. So anyway, here are my picks with a little bit of analysis thrown in for good measure.

We'll start with the midwest

#1Florida v. #16Jackson St. - Florida,this is a no brainer. Florida is the reigning champ and they have all 5 starters back this year.

#8Arizona v. #9Purdue- Purdue, not based on anything other than I looked at the free throw percentage for both teams and Purdue seems to make theirs more often, plus they're in the Big 10.

#5 Butler v. #12 Old Dominion- Butler, Old Dominion is a good team, but no upset here, Butler is rock solid in this match up.

#6 Notre Dame v. #11 Winthrop- Notre Dame

#3 Oregon v. #14 Miami (OH)- Oregon, the good Oregon team will show up for this first round game, this will probably be the only time you'll see that good Oregon team though.

#7 UNLV v. #10 Georgia Tech- UNLV, the funk that they have been in since Coach Tarkanian left will finally end.

#2 Wisconsin v. #15 Texas A&M C.C.- Wisconsin

So there is the first round of the Midwest, which will create these match ups in the second round.

#1 Florida v. #8 Purdue- Florida

#5 Butler v. #4 Maryland- Butler

#6 Notre Dame v. #3 Oregon- Notre Dame

#7 UNLV v. #2 Wisconsin- Wisconsin

Then we start the 3rd round in the midwest,

#1 Florida v. #5 Butler- Florida

#6 Notre Dame v. #2 Wisconsin- Notre Dame

Then the Midwest final

#1 Florida v. #6 Notre Dame- Florida

So there are my picks for the Midwest bracket. Like I said earlier, I have little to no knowledge of the teams, other than what I have read over the past few days. I looked at stats and schedule, but other than that I have to rely on the history of the schools program in a lot of places.

Now the West,

#1 Kansas v. #16 Niagara- Kansas, again no upset for the #1 seed here. Kansas is rock solid.

#8 Kentucky v. #9 Villanova- Kentucky, these are the hardest games to pick, both of these teams are good, they are evenly matched. I just kinda have a feeling that Kentucky can do it.

#5 Viginia Tech. v. #12 Illinois- Virginia Tech.

#4 Southern Illinois v. Holy Cross- S. Illinois

#6 Duke v. #11 VCU- VCU, this will be a big upset, but this is not the Duke team you may have come to know over the past few years. They took an early exit for their Division Tourney, and the same will happen here.

#3 Pittsburgh v. #14 Wright St.- Pittsburgh

#7 Indiana v. #10 Gonzaga- Gonzaga, another upset, Gonzaga seems to always be rated too low and this is the case again, Indiana is not good enough to beat them.

#2 UCLA v. #15 Weber State- UCLA

And the second round match ups

#1 Kansas v. #8 Kentucky- Kentucky

#5 Virginia Tech v. #4 Southern Illinois- S. Illinois

#11 VCU v. #3 Pittsburgh- Pittsburgh

#10 Gonzaga v. #2 UCLA- UCLA

Third round

#1 Kansas v. #4 S. Illinois- Kansas

#3 Pittsburgh v. #2 UCLA- UCLA

West Final

#1 Kansas v. #2 UCLA- UCLA

Then we move to the East bracket

#1 North Carolina v. #16 Eastern Kentucky- N.C.

#8 Marquette v. #9 Michigan State- Michigan State

#5 USC v. #12 Arkansas- USC

#4 Texas v. #13 New Mexico State- Texas

#6 Vanderbilt v. George Washington- Vanderbilt

#3 Washington State v. # 14 Oral Roberts- Oral Roberts

#7 Boston College v. #10 Texas Tech- Texas Tech

#2 Georgetown v. #15 Belmont- Georgetown

2nd round East

#1 N.C. v. #9 Michigan State- Michigan State

#5 USC v. #4 Texas- Texas

#6 Vanderbilt v. #14 Oral Roberts- Vanderbilt

#10 Texas Tech v. #2 Georgetown- Georgetown

3rd round East

#9 Michigan State v. #4 Texas- Texas

#6 Vanderbilt v. #2 Georgetown- Georgetown

East Final

#4 Texas v. #2 Georgetown- Texas

Then the South bracket

#1 Ohio State v. #16 Central Conn. State- Ohio State

#8 BYU v. #9 Xavier- Xavier

#5 Tennessee v. #12 Long beach State- Tennessee

#4 Virginia v. #13 Albany- Virginia

#6 Louisville v. #11 Stanford- Louisville

#3 Texas A&M v. #14 Pennsylvania- Texas A&M

#7 Nevada v. #10 Creighton- Nevada

#2 Memphis v. #15 North Texas- Memphis

2nd round South bracket

#1 Ohio State v. #9 Xavier- Ohio State

#5 Tennessee v. #4 Virginia- Tennessee

#6 Louisville v. #3 Texas A&M- Texas A&M

#7 Nevada v. #2 Memphis- Memphis

3rd round South

#1 Ohio State v. #5 Tennessee- Ohio State

#3 Texas A&M v. #2 Memphis- Texas A&M

South Final

#1 Ohio State v. #3 Texas A&M- Texas A&M- Texas A&M

Then we get to the national semis

#1 Florida v. #2 UCLA- UCLA

#4 Texas v. #3 Texas A&M- Texas A&M

Then the championship game

#2 UCLA v. #3 Texas A&M- UCLA

So there you have it, OK by the end I was sick of typing and also realized that I may not get this post done before the tourney starts. So I stopped with the analysis.

March Madness, and my lack of knowledge on the top NCAA teams

There was a point in my life where I could have told you the names of the starting 5 players for all the schools in the NCAA tournament each year. Now that I am the father of 4 children, it seems there is less time to watch and study college basketball. I do wish I followed more closely though. I often think about setting my Tivo to record basketball games instead of Survivor, or Heroes, or endless repeats of Good Eats and South Park. The drama of the college basketball season far outweighs the drama of anything that the major networks puts on prime time TV.

What I love so much about March Madness is that unlike the major pro sports when the brackets are set they are set in stone. In the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA the best team in the playoffs record wise will always play the worst team in the playoffs record wise. But, in the NCAA tournament if you are lucky enough to have a crappy team beat a really good team that seemed to be headed your way, good on ya. It's just drama on the highest level, a single game can make or break a team, even a little team. And that's what's great about the tourney, little schools get lucky, or get the right match up and just crush a team that should have walked all over them.

The brackets are going to be announced this Sunday, so I felt I owed it to myself to learn a little bit about who looks good and who looks bad. So here is my half-hearted, last minute, and more than likely shameful analysis of the NCAA tournament this year.

First, the bubble teams, these are the teams that my or my not get in. The bubble teams with the best chance it seems are, Michigan State University, Southern California, Syracuse, Texas Tech, and Xavier. MSU has no "bad" losses, meaning no home losses against teams rated lower than 50, or road losses to teams rated outside the top 100. They also have 5 "quality" wins, meaning wins at home against teams rated 50 or higher, or road wins against teams rated 100 or higher. They beat Wisconsin at a time when they were rated #1 in the nation. All the other teams on the good side of the bubble have at least one bad loss. Syracuse will probably be the lowest rated of these teams to make it, they are sitting at 50 right now, but a big win in the first round of their division tournament, despite losing in the quarterfinals to Norte Dame. They have also won 6 of their last 8 games, a surge that should help them make the cut.

This next group of teams are little less likely to make it, but they do have a chance. They would be, Air Force, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Stanford, and West Virginia. I think the team in this group with the best chance would be Florida State, they have a few big "quality" wins namely Duke, Clemson, and Providence. But they must beat North Carolina to make it, the only other time they played them this season NC beat up on them pretty badly, 84-58. Well looking at scores while writing this I see that NC did it to the Seminoles again beating them 73-58 today, so it looks like FSU's bubble just burst.

Then we have the teams that don't have much hope left. Arkansas, Drexel, Georgia, Kansas State, and Michigan. There is no way that Michigan is getting in, no way. They had a great chance to make it in the Big 10 tourney, but fell apart down the stretch against #1 Ohio State, I think a win in that game and they may have made it in. But, 21-11 overall record and only going 8-8 in the Big 10 will not get you in unless you get a really big quality win, and they let it slip out of their hands. A team that does look good here though is Arkansas, they beat Vanderbilt in their regular season final, and have them all tied up in the second half in today's SEC tournament match up.

That will have to do for my bubble coverage, as soon as the brackets get announced I'll sit down, do my research and let you all know who to pick your office pool. Just make sure I get some props when I help you make everyone in your bracket pool look foolish. K.

Game s on my radar

Here is the list of games that I think my gaming group, The Foot Foot Gamers, needs before our big annual 4 day long retreat in August. In no particular order.

Basari This is a game I've wanted for awhile now, it looks like it's full of interaction, and take that, with a little bit of tactics thrown in.

Hermagor This is the heavy euro of the moment, it looks like the newest Caylus killer, should be good.

Leonardo Da Vinci Nothing to do with the code, just a heavy weight euro about, you guessed it renaissance Italy. Which to me is a theme that has been overlooked far too long in euro games.

Traders of Genoa This is another game that has been on my wish list for a long time, pure negotiation, looks fun.

Republic of Rome This is an old Avalon Hill negotiation game that is long out of print, and fetches lots and lots of money on ebay. You never know though, maybe I'll stumble across one in a thrift store one day.

Santy Anno This looks like a blast for the retreat, you are a pirate on shore leave, and you've indulged in far too much rum and can't remember which boat you are part of the crew of. So using a card with a few key notes on it about your boat you need to find it at the table and sit at the chair that has your boat. But, don't be the last one to sit down or you're out. It seems like the fun starts when 2 or 3 people try to sit at the same chair, thinking they all have the right boat.

Lost Valley Highly regarded exploration game, looks like fun.

Descent This is a very over produced dungeon crawl game that many people speak highly of. I just feel like there are a number of people in our game group that would love the hell out of this game. It could end up being quite a hit at the retreat, and beyond. If only it had campaign rules.

Cave Troll Tom Jolly's area influence game, set around a dungeon crawl theme. This game has just been reprinted by Fantasy Flight games with all new plastic bits and a full sized board.

Fairy Tale Japanese card game, with a drafting mechanic similar to Magic the Gathering.

Hey! Thats my Fish! A nice little multiplayer abstract with a simple move mechanic and a modular board, looks like short and deep gameplay, with short and simple rules. Scales up and down the player range well, and could be a nice filler when there are a few people left out of a big game for whatever reason.

Well that is my current wish list, give these games a lookin' over and let me know if you feel they would be good additions to our groups ever expanding game library.

Unplayed games

Hawksbill asked if I could post a list of the games that are unplayed as of yet. This way everyone can take a look at what each game is about and maybe read up on the rules ahead of the game nights. I'm going to list the games by light, medium, and heavy with links to the BGG entry. I'm also going to list some intro level wargames that Paul, and I are trying to generate some interest in. So here goes.

Light weight multiplayer games

St. Petersburg

Mystery of the Abbey

Settlers of Nuremberg

Wings of War: Watch Your Back

Amazonas

Medium weight multiplayer games

New England

Oasis

Amun Re

Samurai

Vegas Showdown

Rheinlander

Tongiaki

Oriente

And there is also one medium weight 2 player game that I would like to push.

Kahuna

Heavy weight multiplayer games

Friedrich

Age of Steam

Ys

Imperial

Die Macher

A Game of Thrones

Intro wargames

We the People

Twilight Struggle

Hammer of the Scots

Combat Commander

Napoleon

Hannibal Rome Vs. Carthage Paul and I are both getting a copy of the reprint which is due in June.

War of 1812

So there is the list for now. So just let me know on here or by email if you look at any of these and think you want to push for it. That way we can have a little discussion going on about what we like and don't like, and it may help us get the games we want to play in at the retreat. I will be back on here shortly with a list of stuff I'm thinking about getting before the retreat.

Why you don't want to be drafted by the Lions

If I'm a college football prospect who's looking to make his way to fame and fortune in NFL, I'm hoping the Lions don't draft me. As an organization the Lions have had a terrible time making good choices in the draft for a few years now. If they wanted me, I would really start to think about whether I was doomed or not. The reason I bring this up is because with the Dre' Bly trade to Denver the Lions picked up RB Tatum Bell, and today I read they are talking to RB T.J. Duckett, who would make a fine goal line back to compliment Tatum Bell. The thing about all of this, what does this all mean for the Lions' 2004 first round draft pick Kevin Jones?It can't bode well that's for sure. And, if they do cut or trade Kevin Jones, what does it say about the Lions scouting that so many of their picks fall apart.

Lets look at the Lions' first round draft picks over the last 6 seasons;

2000- Stockar Mcdougal- Not a bad right tackle, he played all 16 games in 2004 for the Lions and helped Kevin Jones get over 1,000 yards rushing, a feet Jones would not come near repeating. But he missed all of his first season and most of his second due to injury.

2001- Jeff Backus- A fine pick, he's a solid tackle and he's from right here in Michigan, Midland to be exact.

2002- Joey Harrington- Here is where the trouble starts, Joey seemed like the real deal, his numbers were fairly sound, and he seemed to improve over a few seasons. It was his ability to somehow not be outraged at losing that I think finally ran him out of town. He just didn't really seem to have any drive to win, and never really seemed to mind losing. Man I hated when he was the Lions' QB.

2003- Charles Rogers- You'll notice that there is nothing linked to his name, well that's because he is no longer in the NFL. He had a series of drug related problems, no real ambition to workout, no desire to improve the skills he had, and was cut by the Lions at the start of last season, and was crappy that no other team cared to pick him up, not even for their practice squad. He was also plagued by injuries. He never played more than 9 games in any one season he was in the league, and that was in 2005 and in those 9 games he only managed to catch 14 passes for 197 yards. A true first round bust.

2004- Roy Williams- A good pick after a 2 really crappy years, a good pick. Roy has been a solid receiver, he's been up toward the high end of yards gained for a couple seasons now. All in all a serviceable WR.

Also first round 2004- Kevin Jones- He was going to be the Lions' answer to the RB problem they've had since the early retirement of Barry Sanders. He never really elevated to the level he was built up to. Now after a another mediocre season that was cut short by an injury it looks like he might be on the way out.

2005- Mike Williams- Had a decent first season, 29 catches for 350 yards and 1 TD. Then he was cut from the team prior to the 2006 season for being overweight, the Lions then resign him half way through the season. And, with the Lions looking to add another WR from free agency to complement Roy Williams and Mike Furrey, most likely Kevin Curtis from Tampa Bay, his future with the team is also in question.

2006- Ernie Sims- Outside Linebacker out of Florida State. He had a good first season tallying 125 tackles in 16 games 82 of those were solo tackles. It's too early in his career to tell whether he will pan out or not though.

So really as I look at this list it seems like where the Lions have trouble in making picks is with skill post ions. They can't seem to pick the right wide receivers, running backs, and quarter backs. 5 of those 8 picks were skill players and of those 5 only one of them is worth anything. If Mike Williams, and Kevin Jones get cut or traded 3 of them won't even be on the team. So let's hope that when the Lions use their 2nd pick overall to trade down in the draft this year to get MSU QB Drew Stanton that the scouting staff has done a little more research than they have done in the past.

Saturday Gaming at Hawksbill's

The basic core of the Foot Foot Gamers got together last night over at Hawksbill's house. There are so many new games that we need to get to the table. Our friend Paul has about 6 games from an order he placed about 7 months ago, most of them are still in shrink wrap. Then the 2 of us placed another order in February for a bunch more games, and I've also come across 4 or 5 more games that were just discounted too deeply to not buy them. So we had to play something new last night.


I showed everybody Niagara and there was a pretty good amount of interest. The premise of the game is that you have a team of 2 canoes that you are trying to paddle up and down the Niagara river to collect gems. The really cool part about the game is that the game board really moves, after everyone has taken a movement action for the turn the plastic discs that form the game board slide closer to the waterfall with your canoes on them, and possibly sending your canoe over the fall. If this happens you have spend one of your gems to get it back, which are victory points. I rather liked this a game, it was quick to teach and to play, there was some fairly tough little math choices to make but for the most part you didn't stare at the board and agonize over what it was you were going to do. It has a really cool gimmick with the moving board and all. I gave it an 8 out of 10 on BGG. We ended up playing 2 games of it one with Paul, Hawksbill, Jake and, myself. The other with Paul, Hawksbill, Wedgehead and, myself. I won the first game by collecting a full set of all 5 gems, and Hawksbill won the second one by doing the same.


Then we played a game of Rat A Tat Cat, this a fairly chaotic little card game that is marketed mostly as a game for adults to play with children, but it also plays pretty well with all adults too, especially if there is alcohol involved because some of the cards in your hand are secret, and some you get to look at only once. So the more you drink the harder it is to remember what the cards are that you looked at. It was nice little filler type game that kept us occupied till Wedgehead got there at about 8:30. Paul said that this game felt more like a pastime than a game, I kinda agree, you don't have to think much about what you're doing and if you lose you fell like it really wasn't your fault mostly because of the chaotic nature of the game.

Then we played Taj Mahal, this is a game that I've been wanting for quite some time. I had to stop myself several times in the past from spending tons of money on the Alea version. I couldn't wait to play it, that feeling of excitement went away pretty fast though. I spent way too many cards during a battle in the 5th visit that I ended up losing anyway, after that I never really hand enough cards in hand to compete for anything for the rest of the game and ended losing by about 15 points. Paul ended up winning and Hawksbill was 1 point behind him with Jake being 1 point behind Hawksbill and think Wedgehead was only 2 points behind Jake. So pretty much everyone was able the wrap their heads around the game but me. I certainly learned a thing or two about the game though and expect to do better the next time we play.

All in all it was a good night of gaming, we played a nice variety of games and I think everybody had a good time. There was much talk about the August gaming retreat, I think people are already getting pumped up for it. As crazy as it sounds I have a list of games that I feel our group needs before the retreat comes around. I think that's going to be my next post. We need to play all the games that Paul and I have bought before I can buy anymore though. So we need more gaming and a new game needs to hit the table every time we play. I hope to place a nice size order a week or two before the retreat though.

VietNam

No this post is not about the war, or the current political climate of the country, it's about a band, named VietNam. These guys seem to be popping up everywhere right now, and they are a getting a good amount of positive buzz. So I thought I should give 'em a listen, critics are saying things like, there is no one on the scene that sounds like them right now. I can't really say all that, it's fairly good stuff. They have a bit of a southern rock sound to them, a little rootsy, with Dylanesque stream of consciousness lyrics. Very indie rock, and bet Magnet will think they are the cat's. I would put them in the same camp with a bunch of other bands of this type, Jayhawks, Guided By Voices, Thee Geraldine Fibbers, all these bands are technically great, very good musicianship, very solid song writing. But, none of the bands that I have listed really does anything amazing, or fresh, or unexpected. I feel the same way about Modest Mouse, and Weezer, sure they are good music makers, and they rarely disappoint their loyal fan base, but they just don't do anything that blows your head off.

The Dre' Bly trade

I withheld my intial reaction to the Lions moving Bly to Denver. My first thoughts were mixed, Bly has always been solid for us, but never really great. Tatum Bell ran up some good yardage totals in Denver last year, but didn't seem to be their goal line back of choice. Kevin Jones' rehab isn't going well though. So a good RB that can get you 1,000+ yards is a good choice right now. The lions also shore up their right tackle spot with the move by picking up George Foster, who was a first round pick in 2003(20th overall). The Lions also wrangled a 5th round pick in this year's draft from Denver.

The more I mull this trade over, the more I like it. And, the biggest reason why I like it is not because of who or what the Lions get in exchange for Bly, but more for what it will allow the Lions to do on draft day. Now that they don't need to worry about Wisconsin OT Joe Thomas, who the Lions didn't really want to take with the #2 pick anyway they can deal that pick away and trade down in the draft. Detroit could swap with Arizona who could use a guy like Joe Thomas till bolster their offensive line. It looks like the Lions are trying to make a move for MSU QB Drew Stanton, so they may try to use the #2 overall pick to get back in the draft late in the first round and grab Stanton, and drafting down to 5th overall may help them do that. The chances are good though that Stanton will still be there in the second round where Detroit gets 2nd pick again.

I think all of this looks good, almost like the front office has some sort of a plan on a way to make the team younger. Lets hope they really do this time. Because simply picking the best WR on paper every year in the draft hasn't gotten us anywhere.

Spring training

Well the Tigers kicked off Spring Training games today against the Phillies. They won 9-7. Mike Maroth had a strong start, throwing 2 shutout innings. He said that he doesn't even remember the surgery and wants to be the ace of the staff. That's quite a tall order in this staff but i like his drive. Sheffield had a 3rd inning 3 run homer though, so that's a nice start, seeing as he said yesterday was the first day he had picked up a bat since October. It looks like, based on the box score, Leyland got all the starters at least a few at bats. So we have our first look at the possible lineup for your 2007 Detroit Tigers, and it looks like this.

1. I. Rodriguez
2. P. Polanco
3. G. Sheffield
4. C. Guillen
5. M. Ordonez
6. S. Casey
7. C. Monroe
8. C. Granderson
9. O. Infante

Now mind you it looks like Inge didn't bat, so that number 9 spot would be where he would be. Leyland has said he is going to try many different lineups, but just looking at this one it's very easy to tell that pitching staffs are going to have their work cut out for them when they play the Tigers this year. I don't see a hole there. I like how Leyland seems to have moved his swing away hitters to the bottom of the lineup a bit. I think that makes since, keep your solid on base guys at the top, and give the swing away guys a chance to make something happen in the 3rd or 4th inning. I can't wait for baseball this year! Here's to a 100 win season! Go Tigers!!!!

NBA age limits and gettin' while the gettin' is good

Something horrible happened to Shaun Livingston Tuesday night. His knee pretty much ripped in half. He is only 21 years old and has been in the NBA since the 2004-2005 season, and ever since he joined the LA Clippers he has been very injury prone. Now the weird thing is that his knee injury which pretty much tore every ligament that attaches to your knee, happened during a routine layup. He didn't make a fancy move, he didn't have to go through a defender, his knee just kinda blew up on it's own, almost like it would have happened anywhere he was playing.

When he was 18 Shaun was offered a scholarship to Duke, he turned it down to enter the NBA early, signing with the LA Clippers for $10 million, and a very lucrative endorsement deal with Reebok. If he would have taken the scholarship with Duke and blown his knee up in college, he would not have been drafted in the first round, he would not have been given $10 million dollars, he would not have landed an endorsement deal with Reebok. By taking the money when the taking was good, or in this case was possible, he has changed the financial situation for himself and his family. College will always be there, and they don't really care about your lateral speed, or how high you can jump.

So what does this say about the ridiculous NBA age limits that David Stern is trying to set? What does this say about those who are pushing for getting kids out of the NBA? I think it speaks volumes, I think anytime an institution imposes limits on people's choices it's bad. If these kids want to go into the NBA after high school, and they have the talent to do it, let them do it. I went straight from high school to the work force, there wasn't anyone screaming about, he's to young to be working at a car dealership, he can't handle the pressure, he needs to get his education while he can. I say take the millions while you can, you can always go to college. There are many, many people out there everyday that go back to college, and without the benefit of millions in the bank.

I just can't really wrap my head around why David Stern is doing this, forcing a kid to be 20 years old before he enters the draft. I think it might have something to do with the fact that when a kid is playing college ball, he is gaining star power for free. He doesn't get paid anything, he can't sign promo deals, and the NBA owners get a product that has a little less risk attached. But as far as high school kids not being ready for the "big leagues" you just need to look at the last few kids that have come into the league. LeBron James is doing just fine with the Cavs, Amare Stoudemire is an all star, Tracy McGrady is doing quite well for himself in Houston, and we all know how well Kevin Garnett has carried himself in the NBA.

So David Stern will get his way I'm sure, the NBA will get their age limit and finally put an end to all this youth exploitation that the has been running rampant in the NBA all these years, I just feel bad for the Shaun Livingstons of the world, who will take a scholarship with Duke, or Kansas, or MSU when they could have taken the millions in draft day money, and injure themselves in their first season, spend the next season in rehab for said injury, put up weak numbers in their senior year and don't get drafted at all. But at least they'll have received that all important education, and refinement that only college can bring.