February 2012
2 posts
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January 2012
12 posts
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Strat-O-Matic Baseball: Day 4, Advance Rules Part...
Day One: The Beginning
Day Two: Basic Rules
Day Three: The First Games
Day Four: Advance Rules Part 1
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We continue with groundball results in advance play.
The only change is it is abbreviated to gb()A, B, C. Also, if you have older cards read section 15.2 in the rule book.
Side note, a lot of the minor changes in the advance mode compared to the basic...
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Strat-O-Matic Baseball: Day 4, Advance Rules Part...
Day One: The Beginning
Day Two: Basic Rules
Day Three: The First Games
Play a few games using the basic rules, then delve into the rules that will get you a step closer to being a real manager.
Use basic rules as described in the previous posts.
First thing flip the player card over and use the colorful side of the card. It looks like this (below).
One of the biggest differences...
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Strat-O-Matic Baseball: Day 3, the first games
You can read day one here and day two here.
I had gone over the rules and sort of knew what I was doing, so I figured I would give it a go.
Naturally, the first team I chose was the Padres and you can’t play with the friars unless you have them go against their freeway rivals, the Dodgers.
My first, I’m an idiot moment was when in the bottom of the second when Chad Billingsley...
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Bachelor Season Premier With the Peeps
Another installment of funny things the peeps said while watching a trashy reality television show, back by popular demand (by the same friends who were watching the show).
The tradition started last season during the bachelorette where we would make food and then watch the show.
Being that this season started during our winter break from college we decided to continue the tradition, even if...
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Strat-O-Matic Baseball: Day 2, the basic rules
You can read about day one here.
The sixteen page manual was a bit intimidating as evident by the few weeks gap between posts. Nonetheless I got through it and the basic game doesn’t seem as complicated as originally thought.
To start you and your opponent (or yourself) fill out the starting line up for each team and decide on the starting pitcher.
I will use the above photo as the...
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A look at my 2011 NFL picks
Before the start of the season I made predictions for every game this season. You can see them here and here.
Since the regular season has since finished it is now time to take a look and see how I did.
Overall I picked 152 games correct and 104 incorrect, a 68 winning percentage.
The teams I had the most success with were the Dolphins, 12-4, the Vikings, 14-2, the Cowboys, 12-4, the Lions,...
December 2011
16 posts
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Harry Potter Marathon: 22 hours of commentary
Somebody thought it would be a cool idea to watch all eight Harry Potter movies back to back in Lauren’s theater.
Turns out, it was the best worst idea we have had.
Sure, it was epic, but we were sitting in a dark room eating junk food and not sleeping for 22 hours. At the time it was fun, but then you had to stay awake and function the next day.
Being the diligent journalist I took...
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Random Thoughts: Tim Tebow and Harry Potter, “The Chosen One’s”
Tim Tebow, the Messiah of the fourth quarter, and Harry Potter, slayer of Lord Voldemort the Hitler of the wizarding world. Just image what would happen if they were juxtaposed into the same universe.
Tebow is 8-5 as the starting quarterback and has six fourth quarter comebacks in his short career. These...
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Random Thoughts: Oliver Wood announces his transfer to the Fitchburg Finches.
Oliver Wood announced today he is going to transfer from the Puddlemere United reserve team to the American squad Fitchburg Finches.
In the press conference Wood said he was, “going to take his talents to America.”
Wood joins an American squad that has historically had trouble keeping up with the...
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Strat-O-Matic Baseball: Day 1, the beginning
I asked for, and received, Baseball Strat-o-Matic for my birthday/Christmas. This will be a running commentary, updated day by day, as I jump into what looks to be the very interesting world of Strat-o-Matic.
I took the plastic wrap off, opened the box and rifled through the contents, just getting a feel for what I was getting myself into. When I asked for the game, I knew it was pretty detailed...
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Random Thoughts: L.A. Clippers season opener
Well, Lob City got off to a good start, but it sure didn’t look pretty, especially the first half of the game.
What we learned was the Clippers have some work to do before they become a playoff contender. The lack of a training camp was plenty evident the first half of the game.
In the first half, the Clippers shot only 33 percent from the...
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Random Thoughts: Alex Morgan, the soccer player.
There is a reason a picture of Alex Morgan is the wallpaper for my lock screen on my iPhone. Yes, it is partially because she is pretty, but also because she is one of the best women soccer players under 25.
If it wasn’t for Abby Wambach insanely late header for the tie against Brazil, the story of the 2011 Women’s FIFA World Cup,...
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RANDOM THOUGHTS: Tim Tebow & TEBOW TIME!!!! YEAAAAAAAH.
Okay, I get it, you hate Tim Tebow, you want me to never write about him again and you hope he plays terribly the entire game.
Fine. Your choice, but he is one of the more interesting and unique players in the league so I will continue to write about him.
But this post isn’t about Tebow per say.
It’s about the cultural...
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COLUMN: Thoughts on the Mat Latos trade and the...
As a journalist, I was slightly embarrassed.
As a fan, I was confused.
For those that aren’t insiders the trade that sent Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds and netted four prospects for the Padres was way off the radar.
It was a trade that many in the industry heralded as a ‘win’ for the Padres.
Then what came next was baffling.
The stone throwing and mudslinging ensued. Latos was knocked...
WatchA highlight clip I shot edited and narrated from Palomar College’s football teams appearance in the playoffs.
Hello people from the internet, if you are reading this you should stay for awhile and read away then go do something constructive.
But, since you are going to stay and visit, I have some news:
Since I am no longer writing my weekly column for the local website I was writing for I decided to continue the weekly practice of pounding out 1,500 words on something I have very little insight on here....
Scarfs
Yes, the clothing item—I told you I will write about random things. I was never a fan of scarfs, they seemed like an unnecessary accessory that only people who cared what they wore, wear.
Naturally they never appealed to me since, my clothing never matches and the only thing I wear religiously is my Padre hat. But, then today happened.
My view of scarves has gone from that of something I...
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In response to my column on the Poway High...
My column that comparing the ‘07 Poway High football team to this years team was read by somebody (Yay!), I know this because a kind reader left a comment. Paraphrasing what he said in response was that I was disrespecting the ‘07 team because they were the first team to win the Division 1 championship in school history and that I left out a few key details in my argument (you can read...
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We all know the BCS is a joke, but Malcolm in the...
It’s that time of the year, the NCAA football regular season is wrapping up and the bowl game chatter has started in earnest.
Thanks to my access to a Netflix account, my eternal boredom, and the joy that I just finished my transfer apps, I tripped on the second episode “Emancipated” of the third season of Malcolm in the Middle.
What caught my eye was Malcom’s part in...
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What I would change to the NBA (if I knew anything...
The lockout finally ended 149 days later, a bunch of games were cancled that nobody really cares about and my (I use this term very lightly) Clippers are playing on Christmas day.
I a stroke of semi brilliance I came up with a few improbable changes the NBA should make the league that much better.
Before I start I want to emphases the fact that I know very little about the NBA, here is all I...
November 2011
2 posts
The sad and embarrassing end to a dynasty
A dynasty has ended in a much more tepid fashion than it started.
On Saturday the Poway High Emerald Brigade Marching Band placed seventh out of 23 bands in the Marching Band Open Series Finals competition. While seventh would be a great achievement for any other school, for Poway it was a disappointment and the signal of an end of a dynasty that spans over a decade.
Just two years ago the...
September 2011
4 posts
18 tags
Power Rankings: Fall T.V. Week One, Top 10
Week one is in the books and I wasted a lot of time watching television.
Sure I could have been studying for anyone of my classes I need to pass to be able to transfer to a four year college, but being a true American being a fat, lazy person watching all of these shows sounded so much better.
With that being said here are the week one rankings:
1. The Office (NBC) (Last weeks rank No. 1)
...
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Power Rankings: Fall T.V. shows, top 12
In sports we have a bad habit of ranking teams, plays, players, leagues, anything that is quantifiable really.
So with that mindset I ranked the top 12 television shows starting in the fall. Each week I will update the rankings based on the weeks shows. I will give the episode grade, how I though the episode helped or hurt the show overall and how the show is trending on the rankings.
I guess I...
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Entire season of NFL predictions
Here is how I came up with the last post.
I only made changes to the Colts results as I had made the predictions before the news of Peyton Manning being out for at least a month.
Despite having the Redskins going 0-16, I decided not to change any of their games because I figured I would only be wrong a few times.
I went 12-4 the first week of the season, with the Redskins-Giants,...
30 tags
NFL predictions (that will be wrong)
I was bored.
And like any normal person that is bored I went through every NFL game this season and predicted a winner.
You all do that right?
Ah, you don’t… Well I won’t pretend I don’t have issues. Though, my problems pale in comparison to people who are less fortunate.
Before I go on I have to say it is a lot harder then you would think. Picking each game is hard and...
August 2011
5 posts
12 tags
Best and Worse of Jersey Shore Season 4
If I am going to kill my brain watching this trash, I might as well write about it.
It is a bit silly to call it “Best” and “Worst,” its more like “Best of the Worst” and “Worst of the Worst.”
With that being said lets begin:
Episode 1 (Yes, you’re right, the episode was two weeks ago. Good observation Sherlock.)
Best of the Worst:
The...
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Reaction to NFL's new kickoff rule and TD review...
Last night the NFL season officially kicked off as the first five preseason games were played.
The Chargers looked good despite getting beat by the Seahawks. (But who cares? Who doesn’t look good?)
What caught my attention was two new rule changes that were made sometime before the season started.
The first was moving the kickoff to the 35 yard line and the second change was reviewing...
5 tags
Eagles the "Dream Team"? Please...
In case you didn’t hear the news the Philadelphia Eagles are the “Dream Team,” think the Miami Heat of last year minus the absurd victory celebration before the season starts.
All this talk about the Eagles making it to the Super Bowl is a joke.
Just because you acquired the best cornerback in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha and one of the best young cornerback in the league in...
My friends... they're better then yours
I was a Bando and a Journalist, you can’t get much lower on the social ladder in high school.
Yet here I sit and I have the best friends in the world.
What really makes it fun is how different we are, yet we all have had a great time hanging out with each other and making a ton of great memories.
I have 691 pictures of me on facebook. Most of which are taken by Kayla and Mackenzie.
Our...
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Padres Did What?
The trade deadline passed July 31 at 1 p.m. pacific time. And closer Heath Bell remained a Padre.
The team that most experts predicted to be one of the most active made only two deals, both happening shortly before the non-waiver trade deadline passed.
The first involved relief pitcher Mike Adams who was traded to the Texas Rangers for two starting pitchers, left-handed Robbie Erlin, and...
July 2011
5 posts
4 tags
Review of 'Friends With Benefits' (as Written in...
If you have the maturity of a 16 year old or are under the age of 24, Friends With Benefits is for you.
Justin Timberlake plays Dylan an art director for a small website in LA and gets recruited by Mila Kunis character, Jamie, to work for GQ. They end up becoming friends after Jamie shows Dylan around New York.
Then after watching a romantic comedy they decide to hook up and be friends with...
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Analyzing "the office" and determining the top 10...
Michael Scott left, Jim and Pam got married and have a kid, Dwight and Jim seem to be on more amicable terms, Jim has seemingly matured and no longer has any classic pranks, Kelly is just annoying, Creed is almost funny, you don’t really know what Ryan’s role is, Erin and Andy are trying to hard to be Pam and Jim and whoever replaces Scott won’t be half as funny.
The Office has...
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Overstating Sports Influence in Society: a Bad...
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people try to make sports into something greater then it really is. Sure there are other stories that straddle the line of being relevant, but most of the time those stories are for the non-sports fan.
The most recent example is when Japan played the U.S. in the Women’s World Cup final, the Japanese players were playing to win for their rebuilding and...
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U.S. defeats Brazil the hardest way conceivable
(Editor’s Note: Yeah, I know the game happened last week but life, writing speeches and doing homework for summer school got in the way.)
OH. MY. GOD.1
The 1980 Olympic Miracle on Ice and 1999 Women’s World Cup Champion teams, you have just been blown out of the water. So far out of the water you are currently in danger of hitting the International Space Station.
The U.S. v. Brazil game will go...
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I got tweeted "@" by a SI Supermodel
No big deal. But here is the proof.
June 2011
1 post
9 tags
Top Five Lonely Island Songs
Sportswriters and sports fans alike love lists, they are subjective and are fun to make and you can quantify over a 100 years of history into a list of 10. Their is nothing you can’t make a top 10 list for, though at the Padres game the other day my friend and I had a hard time coming up with a list for most important stolen bases in the history of MLB, Dave Roberts stolen base in game four...
May 2011
4 posts
WatchAnd losing to the track team, also fun.
WatchI do enjoy making a fool of myself in front of an entire softball team.
Athletes deserve the millions they earn
Sorry teachers and government workers your screwed.
But on the other hand lets give Adrian Gonzalez 168 million dollars over eight years to play baseball sound good?
No of course it doesn’t, why do people who provide such a vital and necessary service to the community get paid very little while talented ball player rake in nine figures.
It’s simple really.
Who wants to go to a...