Jester of Death

Wow, this guy is hilarious

Hell's Kitchen on FOX, this chef is putting together a new resturant and 12 something aspiring chef's are trying to impress him so they can be the new Head Chef.

But this guy wants perfection, and if he doesn't get it, he humiliates the person and everyone around.

I know its a crap description, but it will do until I find a better one.

EDIT: FOX says it best

The NHL, naiwf

Northern Hooker Legion was it?

Well, Suns and Heat, my midseason Finals prediction are both gone as am I.

Maybe I will watch if nothing else is on.

The Question really isn't is NASCAR a sport

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Well, the question seems to be exactly that.

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The Mario Party games are boring as hell IMO.

I suggest a good sports game, but if you are looking at Double Dash, that is way fun too.

A game I like is 007: Nightfire multiplayer, but it old so I don't know if you already have it.

EDIT: Just thought, if you want a racer, NASCAR: Chase for the Cup 2005 is fun played on full mode, so 250 laps on Daytona, but that is me.

I also saw the MISL, and when I was watching it, I remembered the old Indoor Soccer Franchise in Phoenix and thought it looked really fun, moreso than "real" soccer because you can use the walls as "sixth men"

The Question really isn't is NASCAR a sport, but rather, are the driver's athletes?.

Which I think they are not, even though by a stretch of the definition they are.

The Fatboy Slim one where Christopher Walken dances

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Like said before, Fox Soccer Channel and Gol TV cover soccer most of the day. ESPN does some rare soccer. And not to mention the Regional FSN channels that have occasional MLS games. MLS Direct Kick and English Premiership have DirecTV packages where you see all the games legally alloted to your address.

Sonics Close To A Deal With McMillan

- 06/04 - 9:02 AM EST

Sonics coach Nate McMillan is likely going to stay put in Seattle.

The two sides are said to be close to an agreement on a new multi-year deal.

"The terms of a deal are not yet known, but a source indicated that negotiations that began less than a week ago have gone well enough that McMillan could come to terms by Sunday night."

In other Sonics news, the team is also working on a new contract for GM Rick Sund.

The Sonics have made an offer but talks have been placed on hold while a deal is worked out with McMillan.

Both McMillan and Sund's contracts expire on June 30.

Better Toronto than the Yankees for anyone getting dealt. 

With Piazza in the AL though, you think he'd end up as the C or the DH?

Clemens back to Toronto?  I doubt it.

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I can feel it

Coming in the air tonight

Oh Lord

Ive been waiting for this moment

For all my life

Oh Lord

Well if you told me you were drowning

I would not lend a hand

Ive seen your face before my friend

But i dont know if you know who i am

Well i was there and i saw what you did

I saw it with my own two eyes

So you can wipe of the grin

I know where youve been

Its all been a pack of lies

I can feel it

Coming in the air tonight

Oh Lord

Ive been waiting for this moment

For all my life

Oh Lord, Oh Lord

Well i remember

I remember dont worry

How could i ever forget

Its the first time

The last time

We ever met

But i know the reason why you keep me silenced up

No you dont fool me

Cause the hurt doesnt show

But the pain still grows

Its no stranger to you and me

I can feel it

Coming in the air tonight

Oh Lord

Ive been waiting for this moment

For all my life

Oh Lord, Oh Lord

Torre: 'George isn't a very patient man'

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS -- Looking for answers after a historic sweep at the hands of the worst team in baseball, an upset George Steinbrenner held a conference call Friday with New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Torre.

Torre said it has become an increasingly rare occurrence in recent seasons for The Boss to include him in such discussions, but this was a rare situation.

"It's happened a number of times, but not in recent times," Torre said Friday before the Yankees opened a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. "This was sticking to why we're having a tough time. All of the same questions I ask myself.

"He was unhappy. If I tried to tell you anything other than that, you'd be questioning if I was telling you the truth, and I'm not going to lie to you," Torre added.

New York (27-26) has lost five games in a row, including an embarrassing three-game sweep by the lowly Kansas City Royals, just the third time in the Yankees' storied history that they've been swept in three games by a team with the worst record in the majors, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Steinbrenner participated on the call from Florida, with Torre and Cashman in Minneapolis.

Torre and Cashman characterized the call as a "state of the team" discussion and said no decisions were made at the conclusion.

"I didn't feel any better because we were talking about all the bad things that have happened," Torre said. "We talked about individuals and my feeling that the pitching is really the key for us. Why we're not hitting is everybody's mystery. It's something you just have to fight your way out of. We didn't solve anything."

Cashman said he holds regular discussions with Steinbrenner about the team but agreed it was rare for Torre to be included.

"It was good for him to hear from Joe," Cashman said. "[steinbrenner] is no less happy than anyone else here."

Particularly Torre, who held a closed-door meeting Wednesday after the $200 million Yankees dropped their second game in a row to the Royals.

Torre said he takes much of the responsibility for the team's recent struggles and was completely befuddled by the veteran group's seemingly fragile confidence.

"I'm accountable," Torre said. "I'm the manager and I'm in charge. This obviously is something that I need to find an answer for. It's up to me to find a way to make this thing start working again."

The demanding Steinbrenner was obviously upset after watching the team with the highest payroll in baseball get swept by a ragtag group of journeymen and youngsters in Kansas City.

"He's put up a lot of money to put this kind of a ballclub in our dugout," Torre said. "This isn't the results that should be accompanying that."

As soon as he heard about the call, Torre knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. Torre has gotten used to outbursts from Steinbrenner during his 10 years in New York. When the Yankees are winning, their owner wants them to win bigger; when they are losing, look out.

"It's a long season and George isn't a very patient man and we understand that," Torre said. "In dealing with George, when you lose and you're supposed to be winning, it's not a happy time. But when you win, he's constantly driving you to improve, so the tone doesn't change much."

Torre did say he hoped Steinbrenner, who has a reputation for firing employees in a heartbeat, would exercise a little bit of restraint and keep his staff intact while it tries to right the ship.

"We hope we can continue as far as work-wise," Torre said. "Results-wise, we want to change that."

No timelines were set, no ultimatums issued. Just a stern reminder that the Yankees are held to a higher standard.

"A week ago, we had won 16 of 18 and now we've lost five straight," Cashman said. "Trying to make sense of this tough game of baseball isn't always easy. ... Everyone is doing everything they possibly can to turn things around.

Damn, that's hot

Can't wait for the Hardcore match

Ginobili’s Soccer-Style Flops Have No Place In The NBA

Authored by Hunter Johannason - 1st June, 2005 - 11:27 pm

I’d like to start this column off with a few disclaimers.

1. I enjoy watching Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs . He is Sarunas Marciulionis Version 2.0, except new and improved and a higher skiled player. He is one of the toughest players I have ever seen…on the offensive end (well not entirely, I just now watched a play in which he drove the hole, incurred a touch foul, and flailed his arms in the air as if the world was ending.

2. I love the sport of Soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it, football (for the sake of continuity, I will refer to the sport as Soccer throughout the remainder of this piece). Being that I grew to 6’6” I was more suited for Basketball, however, I enjoy the sport of Soccer and was even part of the bandwagon of US fans who awoke early to see the United States team lose to Germany in the year 2002 World Cup. A very enjoyable match I must say.

With those disclaimers on the record, this column can officially begin.

There has been an anger building up inside of me, a great frustration and annoyance that should not be.

As I write this, there is a disease spreading throughout the NBA and while it has been going on since the league’s conception, it is more prevalent now than ever. I am talking about the infliction known as excessive flopping. Big NBA bodies flying across the hardwood after incidental touches and strong gusts of air. The site of an elbow or any kind of tough grinding play is now sending players sprawling before contact is even made. At the top of my list sits Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs , my public enemy #1.

My frustration with flopping finally came out in a subdued-quasi-Pabst-filled rage that took place at the end of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The last two minutes of the Phoenix Suns fight for survival saw Manu Ginobili make extremely difficult plays on the offensive end, each drive displaying a toughness that does not seem to fit his smaller body. But on the defensive end it was another story as I was forced to watch Ginobili violently twist his head at weird angles, his hair whipping to and fro, while his body would launch several feet in the air. And this is before the contact.

Anyone watching Game 4 remembers the Amare Stoudemire rebound at the end of the game, a crucial board that was immediately followed by a bear hug from Ginobili which resulted in the well-built youngster clearing the ball, and Ginobili with him. For a regular person with Manu’s build and toughness this act would have launched them back a bit. For this Argentian actor, it sent him sprawling across the key in a flop very reminiscent of the flops seen so frequently in any given soccer match. The only thing Ginobili neglected to do was to hold his knee in agony as if he were about to die. This knee-clutch would then be followed by a quick pop back up to his and a sprint down the court as if nothing ever happened. At least we were spared that.

During the next possession, a loose ball, Ginobili dives for it in a great display of hustle and heart, however in the dive, he manages to commit a foul which was never called, contort his neck awkwardly and wince in pain, as if somehow, the Suns player in front of him had miraculously caused him to fall that way.

Now, in this particular case, I must give credit to the referees. They made the right calls and did not let Ginobili’s acting influence the game…too much. But, the fact remains, Ginobili does get a lot of calls his way after flailing in the air like a dove with broken wings. And this is spreading, because winning is everything, and if flopping helps a player win, he will inevitably do it because if he doesn’t, his opponents will.

To combat this plague, I propose a rule similar to an amendment that was added for the 2002 World Cup making it official that if a player flagrantly flops in an attempt to cause a foul and as a result, land a free-kick, they are given a yellow-card instead.

This new rule wasn’t entirely effective, but it did make the players think a bit. So, the next time Ginobili thinks about contorting his body into a mangled heap to draw a foul, he will have to be pretty sure there will be contact, lest he be given a technical.

This rule would not end flopping in the NBA; however, it would make players aware that if they are too blatant, too often, they will start getting technical’s on a regular basis.

Nice players who often flop would find themselves with more T’s at the end of the year than Rasheed Wallace in his Portland days. Seriously! The most prominent floppers would be on every referee’s hit list and would have to eventually clean up their act.

Just so it does not look like I am picking on Manu Ginobili only, here are just a few others on my NBA’s most wanted list, Floppers Division.

- Seattle Supersonics center Danny Fortson – How is it that the thickest/strongest guy on the court manages to fall down so easily so often?

- San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker – His flops are no doubt a result from watching numerous soccer matches while living in France.

- Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson – This is a tough one, while I do recognize that he plays harder than anybody in the league while also being one of the most undersized players, there are many times when I see him hit the ground on a drive when there was very minimal contact, if any at all.

- Former Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone – See Danny Fortson.

RIP George

One of the greats. Even though he was a Laker

I see you caught Lord of the G-Strings last nigh

Anyways, the niners were in deep stuff before, but now, ugh, they can't cut a break.

I knew when Mariucci was released, the niners were going on a downhill climb. But I didn't think they would fall to losing all their money, players, and dignity.

I'll throw my name in as a North American.

But these definatly deserve to stay:

Wayne Gretzky, Pele, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth

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Bananaphone by Raffi now, I saw this Flash movie yesterday and it is killing me just like that damn video

PHOENIX (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs no longer have to worry about being on the wrong side of playoff history -- or about facing Amare Stoudemire.

Career Win Pct. In Elimination Games

Coach                  W-L            Pct.

Tom Heinsohn    10-3      .769

Gregg Popovich    16-5      .762

Bill Sharman        8-3        .727

All they have to think about now is trying to win another NBA championship.

Tim Duncan had 31 points and 15 rebounds and the Spurs' defense keyed a gamechanging 18-4 third-quarter run, giving them enough of a cushion to hold off Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns with a 101-95 victory Wednesday night that ended the Western Conference finals in five games.

As thrilled as the Spurs are about making the Finals for the second time in three years, and third in seven, they're likely also relieved to be done with this series -- and Stoudemire.

San Antonio led 3-0 before losing Game 4 at home and certainly didn't want to go home for a Game 6 with the Suns halfway to pulling off a comeback that's unprecedented in NBA history, but fresh in the minds of sports fans after the Boston Red Sox did it last October.

The victory gives Duncan's aching ankles and Manu Ginobili's bumps and bruises plenty of time to heal while San Antonio waits to find out whether it will next face Miami or Detroit. The Heat and Pistons are tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Thursday night in Miami. The final round will start June 9, and the Spurs, who won it all in 1999 and 2003, will be the home team regardless.

Stoudemire almost kept the Suns' fabulous season alive by scoring 17 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter, several on the powerful slam dunks that have become his calling card.

His 37-point average in this series broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for a conference finals first-timer and he set the club record for consecutive playoff games with at least 30 points, doing so in all five. Phoenix hadn't even had a player score 30 points in five straight regular-season games since Charles Barkley in March 1993.

Stoudemire scored the final two points just before time expired, then congratulated Duncan after the buzzer, with the two-time MVP offering congrats of his own.

"These guys are an incredible offensive team and they kept coming but we stuck with it," Duncan said. "These weren't the kind of scores we like to play in but we made it happen."

30-Point Playoff Games Before Age 23 Amare Stoudemire 11 Kobe Bryant 10 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7 Tracy McGrady 6

Phoenix came into this season never expecting to still be playing in June after winning 29 games in 2003-04. But with an energetic offense, the Suns ran off the most points and most wins in the NBA and charged through the first two rounds. This was only the second time in 15 postseason games they failed to score 100 points, the other also against the Spurs.

With big first halves from Stoudemire and league MVP Steve Nash, Phoenix was up by one at halftime. San Antonio quickly changed that.

Trailing 52-51 a few possessions into the third quarter, a dunk by Robert Horry gave the Spurs the lead, then began a 6:30 stretch that guaranteed they'd keep it the rest of the way. When it ended, San Antonio was up 69-56.

Along the way, the Suns had four turnovers (traveling by Nash, two lost balls by Stoudemire and a 24-second violation), Nash missed three shots, Stoudemire missed another and the flourish ended with Joe Johnson getting blocked twice.

The Spurs, meanwhile, had Tony Parker find his groove by hitting one of his trademark teardrop jumpers and two straight 3-pointers. Duncan passed out of a double team to an open Bruce Bowen for a jumper, then -- perhaps the best sign of all for the Spurs -- Duncan made two free throws.

Phoenix kept clawing and was within 93-90 on a 3-pointer by Jim Jackson with 2:45 left. However, San Antonio has too many players with championship pedigree to fold down the stretch. Duncan tipped in his own miss on the next possession, then a steal by Horry led to a layup by Parker for a 97-90 lead with 50.3 seconds to go.

Duncan was 14-of-24 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, missing only his first one. It barely made it to the front rim, an ugly reminder of his 3-for-12 performance from the line in Game 4.

Ginobili had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Parker had 18, although he was 8-for-21.

Nash scored 21 points, but only three in the second half. He also had 10 assists.

Johnson, whose big performance in Game 4 was the Suns' biggest hope for coming back in the series, cooled off by shooting just 6-of-17 for 14 points. Unlike the last game, his presence didn't help open things up for Shawn Marion and Quentin Richardson. Marion had eight points and Richardson, who went down hard in the first half, was scoreless in 28 minutes.

Game notes

The Suns became the 13th team to lose three straight home games in a postseason. Their '93 team that made the Finals also did it. ... With Phoenix out, the highest-scoring team will not win the title for the 49th time in the NBA's 59 seasons, and it'll be the 27th time the team with the best regular-season record doesn't win it all. ... San Antonio's Tony Massenburg got into the game for the first time this series with 2:53 left in the first half after Nazr Mohammed picked up his third foul. Massenburg has played a key role this series, though -- he was Stoudemire's stand-in during practices.

Drew Signs At Last Minute

James Renwick - Scout.com

May 31, 2005 at 1:24am ET

It was just minutes before the D'Backs would have lost the rights to him, but Stephen Drew signed just before 12:00am Tuesday and officially became a Diamondback.

Stephen Drew, the Diamondbacks 2004 first round pick (15th overall) out of Florida State University, agreed to terms with the Diamondbacks just minutes before the Tuesday 12:00am EST deadline.  If he had not signed the Diamondbacks would have lost the rights to Drew and he would have reentered the draft.

Drew, who's older brothers are outfielder J.D. Drew of the Dodgers and Tim Drew , a pitcher in the Braves organization, was regarded by many to be the best position player in the 2004 draft, but fell to the 15th pick because many teams feared his agent, Scott Boras, would make it too expensive to sign him.

JD Drew was the second pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1997 draft, and like Stephen, was represented by Boras.  The agent asked Philadelphia for an unheard of $11 million contract, and when the Phillies refused, he chose to play the rest of the '97 season in the Independent League, wait, and then reenter the draft in 1998.

He was selected the next season by the Cardinals, who paid $8.5 million for a four year contract with Drew, and baseball as a whole realized that Boras wasn't kidding.

The San Diego Padres were expected to take Stephen Drew with the number one overall pick in 2004, but late in the process decided it was better to take a chance on the top ranked high school player, Matt Bush .  It wasn't a matter of talent, it was a matter of getting the youngest Drew signed.  After the Padres passed there was so much trepidation as to whether or not Drew would sign that 13 other teams passed on him.

"It was a no brainer," Diamondbacks GM Joe Garagiola Jr. said after Drew's selection with the 15th pick, "he was by far the best player on the board."

Boras and Drew were apparently unaffected by Drew's drop to #15.  Reports have varied as to exactly how much Boras was asking for, but many reports had Drew asking for a deal similar to the one that the Texas Rangers gave to Mark Teixeira in 2001.  That deal had a $4 million dollar signing bonus and guaranteed Teixeira $9.5 million.

Some reports had the Boras camp and former Diamondbacks Managing General Partner Jerry Colangelo on the same page as far as what it would take to sign Drew, but when Colangelo was removed in December the issue of signing Drew suddenly became more complicated.

It appeared the worst fears of those 14 teams that passed on Drew might be coming to fruition as Drew joined the Independent League Camden Riversharks in May.  Drew was leading the Independent League in batting average, hitting over .400, prior to signing.

Ultimately, it got done.  Just minutes before the deadline the D'Backs signed Drew to a Major League contract that included a $4 million signing bonus and guaranteed Drew $5.5 million.  The contract reportedly also offers Drew up to $2 million in 'incentives' which are likely tied to games played and service time in the Major Leagues.  He will likely report to Double-A Tennessee by the end of the week.

It has been rumored that Drew, a shortstop as FSU, could be moved to center field immediately upon signing, something that Diamondbacks officials were hesitant to comment about until Drew was signed.

"We Like The Party" by the Vengaboys

That old man for the Six Flags Commercials got me dancing everytime

I haven't watched this in a long time, wouldn't Empire Strikes Back, "I am your father". Be a swerve?

And to add, how do you work the Spoiler function, that is the coolest.

EDIT: I made a spelling mistake, sorry

The Longest Yard (2005) - 9/10

This is by far my favorite Adam Sandler Movie

Kevin Nash was gold and Nelly was actually a better actor than I thought he would be.

Great Remake

I agree with naiwf with it being a sport, but the drivers aren't athletes. I mean they can be skilled in driving and knowing what a carborator? does, but that doesn't mean they are athletic, anyone can go in those cars and live to talk about it.

But if you read the definition of athlete:

A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

I saw this and it was excellent, I do not see how the critics could give this 2 stars.

*SPOILERS* in a way

Anyways, Tracy Morgan was hilarious, all the wrestlers were great and it was a great remake.

Caretaker man, it was sad, damn old man with his bomb. And how the hell did Cheeseburger get all them damn cheeseburgers.

EDIT: One thing I didn't like, too much Man Ass.