ROZAY

That was really devastating, yeah. Marlon Jackson's speech was very heartfelt as well. For all the weirdness and some of the more self-indulgent bits (hi Usher), there were some really touching moments in there. What was really so self-indulgent about Usher's performance? I thought it was one of the more touching performances.

Wow. There's really nothing I can say about this news. It's just so shocking and sad. Michael Jackson was absolutely my favorite singer ever, bar none. Such a sad loss. He will truly be missed. R.I.P Michael Jackson.

1. Jackie Robinson 2. Jerry Rice 3. Babe Ruth 4. Jesse Owens 5. Wilt Chamberlain

Alright then, thanks. Anyway, it was a great game. Not as great as last years, but a great game nonetheless and has actually made me more of a football fan. Outside watching the Eagles since I live in Philadelphia now and these Philly guys are crazy about them, the Giants and the Lions ( ) being my two hometown teams, all I really watch is the playoffs and superbowl and they surely didn't disappoint. Edit: Thanks naiwf for clearing that up as well. I remember that happening in the Cardinals/Eagles game, and I knew that something similar happened earlier in the season in a Broncos game and the play was blown dead and ruled an incomplete pass, so that's where my confusion came from. I believe it was against the Chargers, right? I'm still not sure on what exactly should have been ruled, but I guess that doesn't really matter now anyway. What's done is done.

Ah, alright. Thanks for clearing that up, but that leads me to two other questions. Can the ref blow a play dead inside the 2 minutes of each half and thus no booth review, and if so, did the ref blow the play dead after it happened? Or are booth reviews automatic no matter what within the 2 minutes of each half?

I'm not all the way familiar with all the rules as far as reviews from the booth go (I'm not a really big football fan barring just watching the Eagles), so please forgive me for the following question if it seems rather stupid, but it's an honest question that I'd like to know the answer to. Are fumbles or incomplete passes of that nature even reviewable from the booth? I know in some of the games I have seen this year, similar things have happened and I believe that the announcers or referees stated that such things like that aren't reviewable plays from the booth once it's been ruled a fumble or incomplete pass. If I am wrong then I apologize, but if someone could answer that for me it would help me understand more as I was pretty confused why the Steelers got the ball back when it looked like Warner went forward with his throwing motion, which as far as I know is an incomplete pass.

I'd dare say that this is Kanye's best album to date as far as the musical content goes.

Andre has confirmed in a recent interview that his solo album is coming out either late this year or early next year.

T.I.'s new album is pretty good. Much better then T.I. vs T.I.P, and he's going pretty hard lyrically on this one, more so then he was before. A lot of different songs that I would have never expected him to do either. I'm really looking forward to The Blueprint 3 if it does come out this year, as I'm a HUGE Jay-Z fan. I'm reserving my thoughts on what Kanye is doing with his album until I hear it, although the whole singing in auto-tune through out the whole album is a bit too much. A track here and there is nice, but we'll see. I'm even looking forward towards 50 Cent's next album, as I think he's going to put in a much better effort then what he did when he went up against Kanye last year. The 4th quarter is usually great for hip-hop, so I can see myself buying a lot of albums in the next couple of months. The Game's album isn't bad, just relies on too many guest appearances, in which a lot were uninspiring. The "Letter To The King" song is probably the best song I've heard him do since "Dreams". Phenomenal song, and Nas definitely blessed it with a great verse.

*cough* Had to do it. Anyway, congrats to the Lakers. I expected it to be a more even series, but truthfully... I can care less. Flashbacks of '04 will come back soon enough. DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! ... I really hope Detroit wins tonight. If they had won game 5, I'd feel much better about them coming home tonight and using the home court advantage to end the series in game 6. Since they didn't, I'm not so sure that they can win two in a row against the Celtics, especially game 7. Celtics won't go down without a fight at least.

Fisher just flew into Barry as he was getting ready to take that final shot. It wasn't a cheap foul. There was definitely enough contact there for a whistle to be blown. See, normally I'd agree, but at the end of the game? As everyone stated, he should have jumped right into Fisher and accepted the contact so there wouldn't have been any choice but to call a foul in the act of shooting. Spurs would have had the game in a bag that way, but then again... Brent Barry's not use to that situation. If it had been Manu, the series would've been tied 2-2 right now. Not that I'm a Lakers fan, just that I've heard people bitching about this call (well, the lack of a call) all day when it was quite obvious once he put the ball on the floor that he wasn't going to get any type of call. I saw it coming as soon as Fisher hit him and he put the ball on the floor that the game was over, because he created an even more difficult shot for himself, which was his fault. Upon viewing the replay it was even more obvious. Yeah, Fisher hit him, but he didn't take the contact as he should have and sold the foul, and that's what cost them a chance to at least tie the game and sent it to OT. And as Charles Barkley stated - no referee should be the deciding factor of a game. I wouldn't say Fisher dribbled into him. He put the ball on the floor as Fisher hit him, thus creating the awkward shot. But yeah, players should decide the finish, not the officials. Oh, and I hope the Pistons win tonight, because I see game 5 of this series being the deciding factor.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I know the WCF will be a great series with either LA against New Orleans or San Antonio. Lakers have to get some good wins on the road against the Jazz to put them away as quickly as possible, and we all know that Utah have the best home record in the league. I'd still take SA over LA in seven, but I'm not so sure about CP3 and the Hornets to be honest. The lack of playoff experience may hurt them against a much stronger, more experienced team. The difference between Atlanta and Denver is that they've built momentum in their series, and actually have been playing much better defense then most would think. Denver plays virtually no defense at all, and against a powerful, well-rounded team against the Lakers, that's going to cost them. And obviously, it did, although I would've never thought that they would've got swept. The Hawks can run the court just as well as Denver in my opinion due to their young stars, but they know how to get back on D, which is something the Nuggets can't do, despite what Allen Iverson says about their high offense playing. Add that to the fact that the Celtics aren't as fast or effective on offense then the Lakers (right now, anyway). I'm not saying that Atlanta is better then Denver, but they sure are playing a hell of a lot better against a number one seed then Denver did. I know there's a big difference between the West and the East and the Lakers/Celtics, but it's not like the Celtics are a mediocre team. Atlanta's just hungrier then Denver, that's all.

Because they swept a team that plays no defense and takes horrible, horrible shots? We'll see how they do against Mr. Duncan and the Spurs or CP3. I'm pretty pissed that Detroit has let this series be even remotely even thus far. I like the Sixers and live back and forth in NYC and Philly, but being a guy born in Detroit - I obviously want them to win. They did good the second half of the game 4, but I'd attribute that more to the Sixers not managing to keep the lead and play their type of game. If Detroit would stop riding off their '04 NBA championship victory and start working harder, maybe they'll get back to the fucking finals.

Tell that to their 23-5 record against Western Conference teams. In all seriousness, I think the Celtics have a decent shot of at least making it to the Finals. In a seven game series, a Western Conference team (or hell, even the Pistons) would kill them due to their lack of depth. Bringing in Sam Cassell doesn't exactly scream "finding the lost piece to the puzzle" in my opinion. That's been the biggest thing surrounding them all season - they have three good players, and... an average team. Rajon Rondo, while he has played exceptionally well this season on a team that desperately needs a more experienced point guard, may very well be their downfall in the playoffs if he's giving up 20-30 points and 10-15 assists to their opponent's point guard. I wouldn't be surprised if Chauncey Billups ran wild on him in the Eastern Conference finals. On another note, I'm quite impressed with the Sixers. They've really turned the team around, and while I know they're not going to make any big impact on the Eastern side of things this year, I wouldn't be surprised if they clinched the sixth seed and gave the Magics a run for they money. Possible upset? I can really see the Pistons being the strongest contention against any West team, even more then the Celtics. They've been playing great ball this year, and I'm looking for them to make a big run this year after what happened to them against Lebron James the Cavaliers. As for the West, I really don't see anything special from the Suns that's going to get them to the Finals this year. I see maybe a second round advancement if they fall to sixth and play the Rockets, although I wouldn't necessarily rule them out to beat the Jazz. The Rockets need to prove to me that then can make it out the first round this year before I give them any shot of making it anywhere in the playoffs. As mentioned, despite doing well so far without him, not having Yao Ming is going to really hurt them if they go against teams like the Lakers or Spurs, or hell, even the Suns, Jazz and Hornets. I see the top four teams in the West being the Lakers, Spurs, Hornets and Warriors. Hornets lack of experience in the playoffs may prove to be their downfall, but I wouldn't count them out just yet. Warriors, as proven last year, can always turn the heat up, and I'd love to see a Lakers/Warriors series (hopefully another bullshit call like last night won't keep them from getting a big win ). Spurs, as always, is a team not to be slept on, even if it is their off year. My prediction will be the Lakers/Spurs or Lakers/Hornets in the WCF. Possibly throw in the Jazz. It all depends on the seeding, to be honest. Lakers would really have an advantage (even if they have to play the Warriors in the first round) if they can lock in first place this year, as I'm pretty sure they can defeat a fourth or fifth seed with no problem (if it ends up being the Jazz or the Suns). Barring the Spurs clinching that fourth or fifth seed and the Lakers stay in first, or the Lakers stay in second and Spurs move up to fourth or fifth, I really see the Lakers/Spurs being the WCF match-up this year.

Pretty good games today. My Lions won in a decisive blowout, I won some cash off of the Brady bunch, and now a (hopefully) nice Eagles/Cowboys game to cap it off.

Some good games last night. I think Kobe going to Chicago would be quite refreshing for him, and gives the Bulls that star that they've been looking for since the Jordan era. We'll see how much the trade talk heats up depending on the Lakers start for this season. Kobe putting up 45 wasn't bad, and in fact, I think it was simply a showcase to all the teams looking to court number 24. Am I the only one who hates watching the Spurs? Good god, they're probably one, if not the best all-around team in the NBA, but I need some personality to get through their games. Wonder what the outcome would've looked like if Greg Oden had made his debut, but meh. Didn't catch Utah/GSW, but I guess it was more of their match-up from the playoffs, given the score. As for predictions for tonight's games... I'll take Toronto over Philly, Orlando over Milwaukee, Washington over Indiana, the Nets over Chicago (it'll be a close one, but I think the Nets will surprise a lot of people this year), Dallas over Cleveland, San Antonio over Memphis, New Orleans over Sacramento and Denver over Seattle (also should be a great game).

Fucking Lions! Off to a good start with a win over... *checks*... oh, the Raiders. Meh. Still, a win nevertheless for the hometown boys. Jon Kinta looked damn good and pretty comfortable in the pocket, aside from the 2 INTs. Fucking Giants! Their season's over before it even really gets started. Guess I have to watch the fucking Jets with naiwf. Well, the 'Skins and the Giants will probably be the weakest two teams in the NFC East this year. Cowboys/Eagles should make for maybe a good wildcard match-up, as well as their regular season bouts. I'm a sympathy fan for the Eagles, I guess you can say, because it's so hard to watch a team with that much talent lose games on stupid plays or playcalling. Looks like they signed that poor kid back for nothing. Everything else was pretty much hit or miss. The Patriots and Panthers looked really good, the Bears looked a bit disappointing on the offensive end, and... that's about it really. A pretty boring opening week to me, but glad at least one of my teams got a win.

So... someone give me a team that you'd think I'm guaranteed to win no more then 6 games with on All-Madden, but have a huge salary cap available. I'm thinking the Titans, but I've done pretty well with them in a couple of pre-season games just to see if I would be interested in doing a season with them. I need a challenge after some rather easy seasons with the Eagles (13-3, 15-1, 16-0 with two Superbowl wins in the latter years).

My thoughts on... Kanye West - "Graduation" Overall, it's a solid project, but has a few inconsistencies that ruin it from truly being a "classic" album. I've had this ever since it leaked on the internet a few weeks ago, and I have to say that I'm disappointed. College Dropout is obviously the strongest in all three of his efforts, with I'd say... this being neck and neck with Late Registration, in where both albums started out looking like a classic, but as you went through the tracks, they went downhill. Ye's lyrical approach to this album is different, and I have to say that for the most part he holds his own. "Stronger", "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "Good Life", "The Glory" (my personal favorite track) and "Big Brother" are all phenominal tracks as far as production and lyrical ability goes, but a few of the tracks fall victim to the subject content, production or simply Ye's lyrical ability. 50 Cent - "Curtis" I'm not going to get into this, because 50's kind of one of those guys you either hate or you love, and I love his music. I will say that it is worth a listen, because it's certainly better then The Massacre. The production is top-notch, the lyrics are... well, 50 (nothing extroidanary, but very, very catchy and easy to follow along with), but I think 50 fell victim of trying too put out too many singles and hoping they would all catch on. "Amusement Park" and "Straight To The Bank" failed in garnering a buzz for the album, no matter what 50 says in trying to dispute their failures in his interviews. "Ayo Technology" is pretty... well, pop. I guess that's what he was going for, and it was a big single as far as pop goes, but it's rapidly fading, which I'm sure he didn't expect it to do. "Follow My Lead" I like a lot, and I think this could be a great slow tempo single if they push it right. Too bad about the video leaking before the single was even suppose to come out. "Come & Go" is not going to be the banger that "In Da Club" was, because you cannot recreate that sort of hit. Out of all the singles, I'd say that "I Get Money" garnered the most buzz for his album, because even though it's not a top single on the Billboard 100, it certainly changed the vibe for this albvm from "Meh..." to "Oh shit!". I love that song, admittingly. So much for not saying much, huh? ^_^ Anyway... Which album is better and who will sell more? As far as consistency goes within the album, 50 has it, hands down. For the most part, you can listen to 50's album straight through without skipping tracks, where as with Kanye's album... sometimes it gets a bit boring. But, I have a feeling that consistency doesn't matter in this battle for opening week sales. As far as who will sell more, well, 50 gets that again, due to his international fanbase. As far as in the U.S... I think Kanye will have a bigger opening first week then 50. This is attributed to the fact that 50's previous albums has had smash singles in the top 10 of Billboard, this album hasn't achieved that. Kanye's previous albums never had to rely on being "the biggest single out", because most of his singles even up in the top 20 or top 10. This also has to do with the fact that 50's fanbase in the US seems to be fading after growing between his first two albums, where as Ye's fanbase here has kept growing time and time again. In the end, 50 will have the overall better sales, but I'm banking on Ye to take it in the first week.

Just started a franchise with the Eagles yesterday, hoping to get them finally to the Superbowl. Lost the first game by 1 point, and won 6 straight. Of course, what would an Eagles season be without Donovan McNabb getting injured? Up steps Colb, who does pretty good in his first game and I'm 7-1. I have a tough schedule ahead of me though during the last stretch of the season, so we'll see how we do then. I also have to agree on the turnovers really messing up the game. I haven't had all that many, but the computer is fumbling and throwing interceptions all over the place, and I'm on All Madden. Lito Sheppard's gonna have a hell of year at this rate.

AD: Damn good magazine cover. My only gripe with it personally is the fact that the pirates cover the magazine title. Other then that, pretty much flawless. The text compliments it really well. Great job. 9/10 Cole: Pretty good stuff, and actually you did better then I expected. The graphic is simple, yet effective, and I can really picture that as a magazine cover. I, however, had a problem with the text being in the center, rather then to the side. I think a better picture of the football player could have been better as well. Good stuff though. 8/10. As obvious by the score, I'll have to give this one to Ad. Great battle though, and valiant effort Cole. I just felt AD's was more complete.

Shooting-wise, I think he didn't have all that great of a game, as he was just 3 for 11 from the field. However, his ability to get to the line nearly 20 times and make most of his points from there, as well as finding his teammates and getting boards. He had a good all-around game to me. Maybe not his best performance offensively as far as scoring, but Daniel Gibson surely made up for that coming off the bench with 31 points. Sad to see my Pistons go like that, but hey... the better team won four straight games, so I really can't complain. I thought it would at least go to seven games and maybe they could take it there, but... meh. Cavs were just more hungry for it. I just hope the Cavs take it now, as I'm tired of seeing the same NBA champions over and over again every year.