Rants and Ranks

Today would have been her 25th birthday.  It's so strange to me because on one hand it doesn't seem like any of this is real, and it never really happened.  But on the other hand, it also hurts so bad sometimes I just want to roll over and cry.  December has been a strange month all together.  Between her birthday, Christmas, and my birthday, it just hasn't felt quite right.  On top of that, I went and saw The Hobbit last night.  Why does that matter you ask?  Amelia loved Lord of the Rings, and she pretty much brainwashed me into it as well.  We would always talk about movies when we were together, and inevitably The Hobbit would get brought up.  She was really looking forward to it.  This may sound strange, but many months ago, I was thinking about Amelia and all the things that were going to happen eventually, and it dawned on me that there was a very real chance that she wasn't going to get to see The Hobbit.  I instantly b...

Click here to order your copy I was pretty shocked when I heard Nigel McGuinness was retiring from active wrestling last year.  People said it was from injuries, but something didn't seem quite right.  Well now you can hear it straight from the horse's mouth.  What was the real reasoning?  The sad realization for one man who feels he was a failure for not completing his life-long dream only due to circumstances beyond his control.  Can he come to grips with life beyond wrestling?  From my perspective (and pretty much everyone's), it's really sad to think what could have been.  His fellow cohorts Austin Aries, Tyler Black, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk are all on top of the business right now.  Nigel should very well be there too, he is that good.  All but CM Punk make an appearance on the documentary, which makes it more enjoyable for the more casual wrestling fan, as well as showing the fact that these guys were in the same p...

Here's a little something for all the gloom and doom people:     It's going to be alright.  And even if it isn't, what can you do about it anyway?                  

It was crazy to think that Sir Paul would ever play with "Nirvana".  I mean the heart and soul of Nirvana isn't even alive anymore.  (Hence the quotes above)  The surviving members have had a few "reunions" at some Foo Fighter shows, but nothing that was really publicized or made into a big deal.  That all changed on 12-12-12. This did come to be at the Sandy Relief concert, and the Internet nearly exploded it seemed.  People were speculating, would they sing Nirvana songs?  Beatle songs?  Wings songs?  (Lord help us.)  Could Paul fit with these grungy rockers?  Well they debuted their new song "Cut Me Some Slack" which is for the new Dave Grohl documentary about Sound City.   I got to say Paul rocked it.  Novoselic called the new song Helter Skelter mixed with Scentless Apprentice , and you can totally hear that.  This is probably the hardest song Paul has done since Helter Skelter.  Check it out. 

Well I thought it would be appropriate for a part 2.  If you didn't see part 1, read it here.   Why a part 2?  Read on dear reader! Steve was supposed to be the savior for the Lakers when he was traded (and before Howard got dealt as well).  Well I predicted accurately that there was a very real chance he could break down (2 games in as a matter of fact) and the Lakers would be in trouble.  Well a lot has happened.  Mainly a new coach.  Nash's favorite coach.  Nash's favorite coach that perfectly fits him and his up-tempo style.  So because of this, Nash is again appointed savior to the struggling Lakers when he returns.  Well offensively this couldn't be more true.  (If Kobe allows)  Nash totally controls his team.  He gets the ball where it needs to be, where the players like it.  Just a tried and true floor general.  So what about the defensive end?  Nash adds nothing to this equation.  Even in...

In a previous entry (found here ) I talked about the greatest competitors in-between the ropes.  This one is dedicated to the ones, regardless of their in-ring prowess, that were the most popular of their day.  I've divided it into three levels based on their popularity at the time, and how much they still resonate today.  (Note: CM Punk, among others, aren't on this list, but probably will be after a few more years at the top.)  Elite Level Popularity :    Hulk Hog Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock This is probably the only level that everyone can agree on.  You can make an argument for any of these three being number, and probably be right.  I didn't put them in any particular order for that very reason.  So let the debates begin.  And also for the record, the only person even close to getting into this elite club is Cena.  And to be honest, he isn't that close.  He needs the benefit of a wrestling "boom" ...

When I heard the Spurs/Popovich got fined for resting their stars at last week's game vs. the Heat, I had to laugh.  David Stern is an asshole plain and simple.  Pops wanted to give his guys a rest.  This isn't any sort of breaking news.  He has done it for years.  Stern's beef was just due to the fact it was a prime time game versus the defending champions.  It was strictly business related.  Whereas Popovich just wanted to rest his veteran stars, so they could be ready for the long haul.  (The NBA season isn't a race, it's marathon. Pops knows this.  And he has 4 rings so I think he knows what he's doing.) Stern wanted the marquee Spurs playing to get the best possible ratings, and to appease the fans in attendance.  Yeah I get that.  However, is ONE game really going to make that big of difference on his bottom line?  My friend said, "If they can't get ratings with LeBron playing then that is just sad."  How do you ar...

Oh Wrestlemania 17.  Or, X-Seven as it was called at the time.  For the record, 18 was X8.  And, 16 was "Wrestlemania 2000".  You confused yet?  Vince had a weird obsession with not calling Wrestlemania's by their real name around a decade ago.  But I digress.  17 is considered by many to be not only the unofficial end of the "Attitude Era," but the greatest Wrestlemania of all-time!  Everybody except of course for me.  I refused to acknowledge this as the "greatest" anything.  Why?  I feel the Stone Cold vs. The Rock main event is extremely overrated.  Sentimentally I'm attached to WM 15's Austin vs. Rock match.  I know everyone says that that is the worst of the three, but that was not only the first WM I ever watched, but the first PPV I ever watched.  I thought it was magical at the time, and still do to some extent.  ("The Rock, Austin, it just don't get no bigger than that!")  So it has that...

There are a lot of good things about social media.  Like reconnecting with people from your past, or easily communicating with friends or relatives far away, or even promoting your business, product, or in this case blog.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of really dumb stuff that comes along with it too.  I'm sure you will be familiar with at least one thing on this list, if not all of them.  (And on a daily basis)  So here are the top 3 things on social media that drive me up the wall: 3. The Pointless Update We all see and hate these.  (Unless of course it is us doing it.)  Things like, "I'm going to mow the yard,"  "I just ate a sandwich," or "Can't sleep."  If there is some inside joke for these that I'm not getting, then OK fine.  But if there isn't, they serve no purpose.  You can't go help the person with these, or like/comment on, for the most part.  So why do it?  2. Pictures of Yourself in the Mirro...

I don't care how good they look.  I don't care how good the bench plays.  I don't care how good Carmelo is or isn't.  This Knicks team can't win.  Not in the long run; not with this roster. Look at some of the names on this team: Jason Kidd, JR Smith, Amare, RASHEED WALLACE, and of course Melo.  Does that look like a group of good chemistry guys?  (Granted, Chandler, Camby, and Brewer are pretty good ones, but not enough to offset) Rasheed will eventually flip out on the bench and probably pummel some poor fan.  The dude has issues.  JR has altercations within the team, or driving a car, or basically just walking down the street every single year.  The dude has issues.  Amare was very talented.  Amare is a big baby.  Amare is now a mediocre player, making big-time money, and is still a baby.  Kidd is 395 years old.  The dude's got physical issues.  This is a recipe for disaster (let alone a championship run) a...