NBA Frenzy

NBA basketball is finally back. Let the trade rumors and free agent frenzy begin. Now everyone is asking the same questions, where are Chris Paul and Dwight Howard going to end up? Supposely The New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers had come to terms in dealing for All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Originally, the Lakers would aqquire Paul in a three team trade including the Lakers, Hornets and Rockets. The Lakers would send Lamar Odom to New Orleans and Spanish Power Foward Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets. All three teams included in this deal appeared to be content with the outcome.

But there was a problem. The New Orleans Hornets franchise is owned by the NBA. With the brand new collective bargning agreement, owners wanted a chance so that small market teams had a chance to aqquire marquee players like Chris Paul and remain competative with the rest of the league. Sending Chris Paul to L.A. which might be the NBA’s biggest market defeats the whole purpose. So owners decided to complain to NBA commisioner David Stern and some say he was even “pressured” into calling the deal off. So as of right now the deal is off the table and everyone is staying put.

As a Lakers fan myself I have to say that I am quite dissapointed. I thought that all three teams in this deal got what they wanted. It’s sad to see Laker players like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom leave but the NBA is a business and anything can happen. Personally I still think the deal will get done because the NBA players union is fighting this issue. Now if this trade does go down the Lakers would have what they have lacked in recent years a good point guard and Chris Paul happens to be one of the best in the NBA. But the Lakers gave up two good front court players and they certaintly have some holes to fill. But there have been rumors about Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard also joining the Lakers in a trade. Will a new big 3 be formed in Los Angeles? we will just have to wait and see.

Ahh Finally!

The NBA is back! Yes I’m just as shocked as the next person. Some people thought that this day would never come well at least for this season and i was one of them. The NBA and the Players Union reached a tentative agreement on Saturday November 26th. Which means there will be a 66 game season which is set to tip off on Christmas Day December 25th.  This is a great Christmas gift for the loyal fan. Although the 2011-2012 NBA season isn’t going to be its regular 82 game format a somewhat shortened season is better than no season at all.

The end of the NBA lockout means a lot players and coaches and everyone else involved with the NBA is going back to work. Players have been locked out by the owners since July 1st and yesterday players were allowed to work out in their teams facilities. To be honest I’m glad to see that the NBA players and the league both came to their senses and a deal was finally agreed upon.  This means a lot to sports stations such as ESPN, ABC and NBATV, now that the NBA is back those channels can start to televise games and make money.

I have a feeling that a great season is in store this year. Last year the NBA had one of its best season’s ever and even though this year teams will only play 66 games hopefully this season will be better than ever. This Christmas holiday I’m not going to look foward to Santa Claus or opening gifts I’m waiting for some NBA basketball.

Was the Spray Really Necessary?

Earlier student protesters at University Califonia Davis were pepper sprayed by campus police. A group of students were sitting on the concrete with their hands behind their backs and the police pepper sprayed them. Students are frustrated with the tuition increases and want their voices to be heard and tell the government that this is not right. Life at a university is expensive enough as it is and with tuition raises things will only become worse for students all over California. There are some students that are already thousands of dollars in debt and how do people expect students to make payments when they keep raising prices. As a college student myself I feel that things are tough enough for students all over and it seems to me that the government is only making things harder for students to recieve a college education. We are supposed to be the future of this country and how do people expect us to recieve a quality education when the government continues to raise tuition?

On another note the students at UC Davis just wanted to make a statement and let their voices be heard. That paticular group of students had the right to protest. It is in the constitution of the United States, we as citizens have the right to protest as long as we aren’t a disturbance to the peace. As far as I’m concerned these students protested in a peaceful manner without bothering anyone, and the police felt that they were above the law and pepper sprayed them. The policemen at UC Davis were way out of line and I think that they should resign.  We as students reserve the right to voice our opinions on any paticular issue. As long as students protest in a way that isn’t going to be a disturbance.

In the hands of the Lawyers

Recently on Tuesday afternoon the NBA players association rejected the owners latest offer and now the players are currently prepared to file and “anti-trust” lawsuit against the league and are now dismantaling the union. The NBA players felt that they weren’t getting a fair deal while trying to bargin with the league and now hope to reach some sort of a settlement in court. So what does this do to the 2011-2012 season? NBA games are already cancelled through December 15th and now that this lawsuit is being filed this puts the entire NBA season in jeorpardy.

NBA commisioner David Stern said an interview that the league tried to bargin “in good faith” with the players. Which means that he and his officials wanted whatever was best for both sides. But the players saw something different. Personally I think that they’re letting their greed get the best of them. Don’t they see that every week that they’re not playing means that they won’t get paid? Do they even care about the fans or the thousands of people that depend on the NBA for jobs? Personally I don’t think so, all they care about is themselves if they cared about the fans we would be enjoying NBA basketball and not filing a lawsuit.

The players aren’t the only ones losing money. Cities like Miami, Houston, Cleaveland are losing a lot of revenue because a lot of their businesses depend on the NBA. No NBA season means no money for a lot of these cities. So the fate of an NBA season now is in the hands of the lawyers and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Another Bullseye for the Call of Duty Franchise

It’s that time of the year people. It’s time for modern warfare. Earlier today i saw a commercial for Infinaty Ward’s newest war video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Over the years the call of duty franchise has had lots of success with their video games. Whether the main developers are either from Treyarch or Infinity Ward. Back in 2009 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was named by many as “Game of Year” with it’s epic storyline and campaign mode and chilling multiplayer features. Many people wondered if Infinaty Ward has what it takes to top the success of Modern Warfare 2.

With the game recently released on Tuesday there were people everywhere standing outside stores in long lines just waiting in anticipation for the world’s newest and most popular video game. Call of Duty Modern Warfare recieved an amazing 9.0 out of 10 on www.ign.com impressing most with its big upgrade in multiplayer modes. Although the campaign mode isn’t as epic and juicy as Modern Warfare 2, the game still continues to impress gamers everywhere.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is now the season’s most popular game and maybe even the year’s best video game. With the release of Battlefield 3 two weeks earlier many people saw that as Modern Warfare 3′s biggest competition. Some critics might say that Battlefield 3 is an overall better game but basing on the success the Call of Duty Franchise has had and the popularity it has gained, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is hands down going to be this years most popular video game.

 

Detroit Lions losing Money?

Acording to an article posted on yahoo.com the Detroit Lions NFL football team is the only team out of 32 teams that seems to be losing money. Some people such as myself would find this to be a bit odd given the recent amount of success the team has had this season. You would think that people would pay money and buy tickets to go see rising NFL stars like Mathew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. After years of dreadful agony and a number of losing seasons the Detroit Lions look to be a team on the rise. The Detroit Lions look to be a parential playoff team this season.

So what seems to be the problem? The Detroit Lions obviously have good, young talent on their roster, they have good coaching on the sidelines this year, so that only leaves the ownership. The owner is probably just making bad economical desicions. During this recession, the city of Detriot was hit hard in the unemployment ranks and Detroit Lions football is just the kind of inspiration the city of Detroit needs.

If the Detroit Lions can make some noise and shock some critics in this season’s playoffs I’m sure that the city of Detroit and many other fans will be pleased and hopefullly the Detroit Lions franchise doesn’t lose anymore money.

A Game for the Ages

It’s that time of the year folks. Major League baseball in October. In the eyes of some theres nothing better. Right now two teams are battleling for the title of league’s best, World Series Champions. Let me say that the 2011 World Series between the St. Lious Cardinals and the Texas Rangers has surely been one to remember. With six games already in the books the series is all knotted up at three games a peice. Let me tell you game six last night in St. Louis is surely going to go down as one of the best games in baseball history.

Let’s recap the game starting in the 6th inning. The game was tied 4-4. Then in the top of the 6th Texas Ranger’s third baseman Adrian Beltre hits it out to put the Rangers up 5-4. From then on it was like a sea-saw game. The Texas Rangers had two chances to clinch the teams first World Series title but the St. Louis Cardinals took care of businesss and did what they had to do to rally themselves back in the ninth and tenth inning. Then all of the sudden its bottom of the 11th inning, the game is tied 9-9 and David Freese steps into the batter’s box and hits an unbelievable walk off home run to win the game and to force a much needed, do or die game 7.

I’m pretty sure that that walk off home run will be the highlight of David Fresse’s career no matter what else happens. He put himself up there with World Series legends like Kirk Gibson and many more. With game 7 set to square off tonight, who will be crowned World Series Champions? Will the Texas get themselves together after a devastating game 6 loss and clinch their first ever World Series? or will the Cardinals of St. Louis win their 2nd World Series in 5 years. It all comes down to tonight, this game is for all the marbles, this game will sapate the men from the boys. Only one team will go down in history as World Series Champs.

2011-2012 NBA Season Cancelled?

NBA owners have locked out the players since July 1st 2011. Owners and players have met numerous times over the last couple of months and there is still no new collective bargning agreement in place. Many people want to know what’s going on. According to David Aldridge a analyst for the NBA and TNT he stated that when talks first started the players wanted a 61-39 point split with the owners. We are now in October 2011 and the players have reduced that number to a 53-47 point split. But the owners want a 50-50 split and a hard cap system simmilar to the one in the NHL. But NBA players won’t back down. Deputy commisioner for the NBA Adam Silver stated in a press conference that he wants everyone in the league including the small market teams like the Charlotte Bobcats and Cleaveland Cavaliers to have the opportunity to be compettive.

So what’s next for the NBA? Two weeks of the regular season have already been cancelled and the league lost more than 175 millon dollars. Will we have to miss anymore games. I certaintly hope not. I being a basketball fan for as long as I can remember, this is the 2nd NBA lockout i have experienced. The first one was during the 1998-1999 season where only 50 regular season games were played. The NBA lost a lot of fans and viewers during that time. Imagine what will happen if the entire 2011-2012 season is cancelled? it will be chaos in the basketball world. At this point in time frankly i think both the players union and the owners are being stubborn and they don’t really care about the fans.

This doesn’t just affect the players and the owners, it also affects the people that work with the team, even the people that work in the arenas during the games and also the people that work for the stations that televise the NBA games. This is much bigger than just economical concerns. The NBA players Union has expressed there postion and they’re willing to continue to nagociate at anytime. So will there be an NBA season this year? I certaintly hope so.

Another Score for the NBA 2K Series

Which is the greatest NBA team ever? That’s a question that has yet to be awnsered. I was watching TV earlier today and i came across a commercial for 2K sport’s newest basketall video game NBA 2K12. Last year was a sucess for the NBA 2K series, with the success of NBA 2K11 many wondered if 2K sports would have the same sucess this year. It just so happens that it is even better this year. In NBA 2K11 players got the opportunity to relive 10 great moments of Michael Jordan’s carrer. It was a huge sucess. Many labled NBA 2K11 as the best sports video game of all time.

But this year you not only get to play with Michael Jordan but you also get to step onto the court with NBA legends Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Julius Erving and many more. NBA 2K is by far the best video game basketball series. Blowing its competitors out of the water. Even though the NBA is currently in a lockout, that hasn’t stopped people from wanting to experience NBA basketball in 2012. So which is the greatest team ever? Is it Jordan’s Bulls, Magic’s Lakers, Bird’s Celtics or even the big 3 down in South Beach? That’s for you to decide.

NBA 2K12 is better than ever recieving an amazing 9.5/10 from ign.com. NBA 2K12 is currently in stores now. I already picked up my copy, have you?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5iRJPWut7M

The man who changed technology

Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple died earlier this week from pancriatic cancer. It’s a sad time right now for everyone involved at Apple. But Steve Jobs left his mark, every ipod, iphone, ipad we use we know he was the man behind it. He will never be forgotten. He was a college dropout and he built his first computer in his garage. When he was diagnosed with pancriatic cancer and undergoing heavy chemotherapy treatment Steve Jobs new his days were numbered. That’s why he wanted to make sure everyone of those days counted. He would be the one who would go to presentations for Apple and introduce they’re newest, hi-tech products. Yes obviously he was a very rich man but in a quote from an article on yahoo.com Steve Jobs said “the key to true wealth is time”. Which is 100% true. We have to make the most of our lives and due our best to try and make a difference like Jobs did. We have to seeze everyday and live it to the fullest.

Steve Jobs wasn’t able to see the release of Apple’s new and latest iphone the iphone 4S who some people claim was dedicated to Jobs. “Iphone 4Steve”. But like i said Steve Jobs made the world a better place, he changed the way we litsen to music, he changed cell phones, and he made it possible to have the web right at your fingertips with the ipad. He truly changed technology forever.