Rants and Ranks

http://www.wwe.com/inside/the-ring-of-honor-influence-26179913 The above link got me thinking.  (What is the link?  Well you can see in the title it's "Ring of Honor Influence" and it's on WWE.com!  Obviously it covers the ROH alumni, and how they are having somewhat of a takeover in WWE the last year or two.)  ROH at one point easily boasted one of the greatest rosters ever assembled.  You can debate on which year, but for me, it was mid-2005.  Not all the guys were full timers, and some spent considerable time in Japan, Europe, or wherever during their ROH tenure, but all contributed to the ROH product in some way, shape, or form.  Check it out: CM Punk Austin Aries Samoa Joe Low Ki Roderick Strong Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) Homicide James Gibson (Jamie Noble) Colt Cabana AJ Styles Christopher Daniels Jimmy Rave Jay Lethal Nigel McGuinness (Desmond Wolfe) Claudio Castagnoli (Antonio Cesaro) Alex Shelley S...

If you are wondering what he is talking about, it's the All-Star game and how he shouldn't be voted onto the team.  He's played six games!  He even said he may not be ready to go: "I probably won't be able to come back (to the Lakers) soon enough to be able to make my stamp or be able to make my mark on a game," Bryant said. "So my advice would be to focus on younger players, the Damian Lillards of the world, because they're more than deserving to be out there and playing that weekend." If you don't understand the point of this blog, it's that Kobe is currently the highest vote-getter for guards in the Western Conference after playing only SIX games, and didn't exactly set the world on fire in those games.  (I don't care if he averaged 40 PPG in those six games, it's still only SIX games!)  I've complained about this every year since my blog has been in existence.  ( Here , here , and here ) It just pisses me off how...

Dear Aunt Amelia, I want to wish you a Happy Birthday up in heaven.  We miss you down here.  We are currently covered in snow, which we know you "loved" so much!  I've decided that my two favorite colors are now pink AND purple, so you'll be happy to know that we have the same favorite color.  My friend Jaxon and Uncle Tyler say their favorite colors are purple, but I tell them, "NO!  Only me and Mia (Amelia) can like purple!"  I really like the stuffed bee you gave me.  I also like the ballerinas too.  But Mommy and Daddy tell me that I have to be very careful with them because they can break.  They said they are made out of glass, I don't know what that means, but I know I like them.  I keep the picture of you holding me when I was just a new baby on my dresser so I can look at it all the time.  I like to point and say, "That's Mia holding me when I was a baby!"  I'm now three and half, a...

10. Air Jordan 1                 9. Air Jordan VI                                                                                                                                                 ...

Well my worst prediction has come to fruition.  Kobe came back and got hurt again.  It's not like he was setting the world on fire as it was, but this is the nail in the Laker's coffin for this season.  Pau was supposed to be motivated and play rejuvenated ball at the start of the season.  Didn't happen.  Although role players like Jordan Hill, Wes Johnson, and Xavier Henry have been pleasant surprises in their improvements, it's a lock that that group of fellas won't get them to the playoffs.  I don't even know if they would make it in the East.  (OK yes they would.) Let's say Kobe doesn't come back at all this year.  Honestly, he probably shouldn't anyway.  Fix yourself up man, you ain't winning no championship this year.  Come back next season and try to be respectable.  Maybe at this point, that's not even possible. They said Pau trades were now off the table, do they start back up again?  Maybe get a decent...

The Bulls were supposed to be the team doing what the Pacers are currently doing.  And now with Rose possibly out with another serious knee injury, it doesn't look like that will even be a possibility later on in the season.  They're tied for the best record in the NBA (with some pesky team named the Spurs).  Although Danny Granger was supposed to come back and help, he of course got injured again, but they didn't let it deter them.  As a matter of fact, they don't even need him.  He could easily be moved by the trade deadline for his valuable expiring contract.  Paul George is my choice for MVP if I had to pick one right now.  I know I'm not alone in this sentiment.  The dude looks amazing on both sides of the ball.  Lance Stephenson is the runaway Most Improved Player thus far, with having already had 2 triple doubles this season.  Let's just say, he doesn't need to worry about his job anymore.  Roy Hibbert looks to win D...

He may not have been trending worldwide, but Chris Hero made some news over the weekend.  Apparently all the rumors were true, and Hero wasn't getting along so well with the higher ups at WWE/NXT. My initial reaction was like everyone elses', "Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!?"  Honestly who cares if he doesn't have a six-pack?  He's 6'5", so he will look imposing, he also can talk.  Oh and a little thing called wrestle.  There definitely could be more to the story than any of us know, I mean he may have been difficult to deal with or something like that, and if that's the case, it would be understandable for them to release him.  After rationalizing it, a second thought then appears: "HE CAN GO BACK TO RING OF HONOR!!!!!" He's already booked for everyone's favorite promotion PWG, but just think about ROH for a minute.  He has a rich history with the company, he would still be on TV (good for him since his stock woul...

Here's my new pride and joy.  If you're a ROH fan, check it out.  It's an easy and fun read.  You may not agree entirely, but that's the fun part.  It's exclusively at Amazon.com, and only 99 cents.  Here's a sample chapter: 9. Kevin Steen   The facts: ROH tenure 2005 (Five appearances), 2007-Present ROH World Champion ROH World Tag Team Champion (w/ El Generico) Notable Rivalries: El Generico, Colt Cabana, Briscoes, Davey Richards, Jim Cornette Key Matches: vs. Nigel McGuinness Northern Navigation, vs. El Generico Final Battle 2010, vs. Davey Richards Border Wars 2012 Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare...   Tag teams aside, when Steen was given the ball to run as a singles star, he usually delivered.   His matches against Nigel McGuinness in 2008 are some of the most underrated outings in ROH history.   Then, in what was probably the most infamous heel turn in ROH, Steen turned on his ...

In no particular order: 1. Can the Heat make their fourth straight Finals appearance (and win their 3rd)?  It hasn't happened since the Celtics went to four straight in '84-'87. 2. How much potential does this Knicks team have to be a train wreck?  I wrote this last year, and you can pretty much apply it to this season, just add the king of crazy Ron Artest to the mix.  3. A follow up to that question is how much of pain is J.R. Smith going to be this year?  Always a loose cannon, the train started to fly off the tracks during the post-season last year, and he hasn't done anything during the offseason to prove it's going to get any better.  In fact I'm almost positive it's getting worse.  I hate my team! 4. When will the injured superstars come back, and what affect will they have?  Rose is back, and looks good, but will it last?  Kobe I'm sure will be back next.  Westbrook had to have a second surgery.  ...

After nine years, I'm making a big change.  If you hate my writings, I got some bad news for you because you're about to see a whole lot more.  That aside, it's strange to look back at everything that I've went through at Hy-Vee land over the years.  I started at Hy-Vee at the ripe old age of 18, ready to start college and eager to meet some babes.  Well I did meet some babes, and eventually met a pretty special one.  Because of Hy-Vee I met my wife, and obviously my life would be drastically different had I not worked there.  For that I am forever indebted.  (Love you honey!)   I also met a great many friends from working there, some who I haven't spoken to since they walked out the door, and some that I formed lasting friendships with.  I'll look back fondly on people like: Reuben Merringer, Tyler Warfield, Curt Tuley, Brett and Megan Graham, Paul Anderson, Will Anderson, Marc Bradshaw, Eric Buller, Jeremy Young, Danna Palen, ...