Random Thoughts with Brandon

Derek Jeter's 3,000th Hit

2011-07-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

I was thinking last night about how only regular season statistics count for a player's career numbers, and rightly so. But what if you included Derek Jeter's hits from the postseason and All-Star Games, since they count and all that nonsense, to come to the time when he really recorded hit number 3,000 as a major leaguer? We can figure that out thanks to baseball-reference.com.

Jeter has 185(!) career postseason hits and ten hits in his 11 All-Star Game appearances, including those that "didn't count" before the 11-inning tie in 2002. That means we would have to subtract 195 from his current total of 2,998 to find the true 3,000th hit in Jeter's career. This would have occurred on his 2,805th regular season hit, which was a double against Francisco Liriano in the fifth inning of a 3-2 Yankees win at Target Field on May 26, 2010. If you don't want to include the ten hits from All-Star Games, it was a single in the fifth inning against Mitch Talbot in an 11-2 Yankees win against the Indians at Yankee Stadium on May 31. Both of these hits came in games in which Andy Pettitte was the Yankees starter.

Congratulations to those of you who were there! And congratulations to Jeter on his upcoming 3,000th regular season hit.

American Idol 10 predictions

2011-03-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I was gonna do this for the top ten, but there's shockingly a second week of the top eleven.

11 - Thia Megia - kind of boring and finally in the bottom three last week
10 - Stefano Langone - already saved once as a wild card pick but didn't come back as strong as I thought he would
9 - Haley Reinhart - sounds like she's trying too hard and not that good
8 - Paul McDonald - getting tired of his oddly raspy voice
7 - Scotty McCreery - more like McDreary, the country singer always goes too far for my taste
6 - Naima Adedapo - has some talent but doesn't put it to great use
5 - Casey Abrams - good save used by the judges, but he doesn't have mainstream appeal
4 - Lauren Alaina - shows that she can do country and pop and can be the second place woman
3 - Jacob Lusk - could win, but a little too much on the feminine side
2 - James Durbin - falls short just like his gay doppelganger Adam Lambert
1 - Pia Toscano - provided she does more than ballads, since she has the best voice

It's tough to judge after a week of songs all by the same person, but they are all strong singers. It's a matter of appealing to the crowd and what is popular today. Pia and James have got it.

Week 13 Football picks

2010-12-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

Texans (+8.5) @ Eagles: figured their offense would be good enough and just missed
Saints (-6.5) @ Bengals: time to overpower a weak AFC opponent
Bears (-3.5) @ Lions: the Bears look real and Stanton is starting for the Lions
49ers (+9.5) @ Packers: enough talent on the 49ers to keep it close enough
Jaguars (+3.5) @ Titans: don't understand this line at all, but Collins is back for the Titans
Broncos (+8.5) @ Chiefs: keeping my policy of expecting close divisional games
Dolphins (-4.5) vs. Browns: the Browns' quarterback committee lands on Delhomme again
Bills (+6.5) @ Vikings: a one-week burst for the Vikings under the new coach last week
Redskins (+7.5) @ Giants: the Giants are like the Chargers, good on both sides, but turnovers
Raiders (+12.5) @ Chargers: I guess they forgot that the Raiders are playing well this season
Buccaneers (+3.5) vs. Falcons: a test on the road for the Falcons
Seahawks (-5.5) vs. Panthers: a long lonely journey for the Panthers
Rams (-3.5) @ Cardinals: time for the Rams to make a statement on the road and keep up with the Seahawks
Colts (-5.5) vs. Cowboys: the Colts could win by 20 or 3, probably not in between
Steelers (+3.5) @ Ravens: I think the Ravens will win outright by a field goal
Jets (+3.5) @ Patriots: the Jets are undefeated in five games on the road this season

Week 12 Football picks

2010-11-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

Three games on Thanksgiving. Lucky us!

Patriots (-6.5) @ Lions: of course Brady is playing, forget that questionable tag
Saints (-3.5) @ Cowboys: it's time to stop the Cowboys roll
Jets (-9.5) vs. Bengals: too bad this won't be a heated rematch of last year's playoffs
Falcons (-2.5) vs. Packers: the Falcons are 5-0 at home, last two against good teams
Steelers (-6.5) @ Bills: this could have the feeling of a Steelers home game as fans travel well
Panthers (+10.5) @ Browns: I like the large spread even though the Panthers are pathetic
Jaguars (+7.5) @ Giants: strange spread with the Giants missing key wide receivers
Redskins (-2.5) vs. Vikings: watch out for the Vikings energy under new coach
Titans (+6.5) @ Texans: third QB starting for the Titans, but not against the best of defenses
Seahawks (+1.5) vs. Chiefs: two surprising division leaders at 5-5 and 6-4
Raiders (-3.5) vs. Dolphins: Thigpen did not impress in his start last week
Bears (+3.5) vs. Eagles: home team getting a lot of points for having the same records
Buccaneers (+7.5) @ Ravens: the Buccaneers are surprising but should get more respect
Rams (+3.5) @ Broncos: the Broncos laid down to a divisional rival on Monday night
Colts (-3.5) vs. Chargers: should be a fun, interesting game
49ers (-1.5) @ Cardinals: these could have been the two best teams in the division

Week 11 Football picks

2010-11-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not feeling too good about this week, and already have a loss from Thursday. A lot of even matchups in my mind in this crazy season.

Dolphins (-1.5) vs. Bears: thought the Dolphins could hold on at home using wildcat
Bengals (-5.5) vs. Bills: similar records, but a lot more talent on the Bengals
Lions (+6.5) @ Cowboys: the Cowboys should get a close first win at home
Ravens (-10.5) @ Panthers: Brian St. Pierre will be on his back for most of the game
Browns (+1.5) @ Jaguars: Colt McCoy has been impressive, but so have the Jaguars
Steelers (-7.5) vs. Raiders: bouncing back with another home game
Redskins (+7.5) @ Titans: Vick made the Redskins look worse than they are
Chiefs (-7.5) vs. Cardinals: Cassel and Charles lead the Chiefs to victory
Vikings (+3.5) vs. Packers: I'll take Favre and the home points against his old team
Texans (+6.5) @ Jets: the Jets have just been getting by recently
Rams (+3.5) vs. Falcons: both teams are better at home and this game is in St. Louis
Buccaneers (+3.5) @ 49ers: a long cross-country trip won't slow down the Buccaneers
Seahawks (+11.5) @ Saints: too many points not to take a division leader
Colts (+3.5) @ Patriots: the Colts could break Brady's home winning streak
Giants (+3.5) @ Eagles: maybe sticking with my heart too much but it should be close
Broncos (+9.5) @ Chargers: another close divisional matchup

Week 10 Football picks

2010-11-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

Lots of road teams:
Ravens (+1.5) @ Falcons (from Thursday)
Lions (+2.5) @ Bills: stay winless, Bills
Vikings (-1.5) @ Bears: Martz offense going down
Jets (-3.5) @ Browns: another former team for Mangini
Colts (-7.5) vs. Bengals: clearly the Colts are rolling
Titans (-.5) @ Dolphins: Pennington starting now
Buccaneers (-7.5) vs. Panthers: disappointing and injured Panthers
Texans (+1.5) @ Jaguars: close divisional matchup
Broncos (+.5) vs. Chiefs: not believing in the Chiefs still
Cowboys (+13.5) @ Giants: the Cowboys should keep it close enough
Seahawks (+3.5) @ Cardinals: the Seahawks could take the division
Rams (+5.5) @ 49ers: the 49ers' last chance to make a run
Patriots (+4.5) @ Steelers: seems like a lot of points for Belichick
Eagles (-3.5) @ Redskins: McNabb having problems with Shanahan

Week 9 Football picks

2010-11-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

What a terrible way to lose in survivor. The Cowboys were still playing like crap and down all game to the Jaguars, ending my season halfway through it. If I was still in it, the Patriots would be the best pick, but I used them in week three. The only other logical pick it seems is the Jets, on the road in Detroit. Again, only 13 games this week, with six teams off.

Buccaneers (+8.5) @ Falcons: aren't these two teams tied for the division lead?
Bills (+2.5) vs. Bears: two consecutive road overtime losses for the Bills
Patriots (-4.5) @ Browns: McCoy has had a tough start to his career against the Saints and Steelers
Lions (+4.5) vs. Jets: while the Jets should win, these are two decent defenses
Cardinals (+8.5) @ Vikings: another strangely large spread, two equally bad teams
Panthers (+7.5) vs. Saints: just a case of taking a big home underdog
Dolphins (+5.5) @ Ravens: the Dolphins are playing well enough to keep this close
Texans (+1.5) vs. Chargers: the Chargers are leading the league in offensive yards, but turnovers kill
Seahawks (+5.5) vs. Giants: would have like the bigger line, which moved after Whitehurst was tabbed for first start
Chiefs (+2.5) @ Raiders: you wouldn't have thought at the beginning of the season that these two would be on top
Colts (+2.5) @ Eagles: a rare game as an underdog for the Colts
Packers (-7.5) vs. Cowboys: the Cowboys are so bad and look like they don't want to play hard
Bengals (+4.5) vs. Steelers: a hard-fought game on Monday Night Football

Let's have some fun with over/unders (from Bodog):
TB @ ATL: over 45
CHI @ BUF: under 41.5
NE @ CLE: over 44
NYJ @ DET: under 42.5
ARI @ MIN: over 43
NO @ CAR: over 40.5
MIA @ BAL: under 41
SD @ HOU: over 50
NYG @ SEA: under 41
KC @ OAK: over 41
IND @ PHI: under 47
DAL @ GB: under 46
PIT @ CIN: under 41

Week 8 Football picks

2010-10-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

Maybe I should have saved the Chiefs for this week because they are playing the Bills. So I don't have Yahoo users' most popular pick this week and have to choose between a bunch of single-digit percentages of users' picks. As bad as the Cowboys have looked, they also had good moments against the Giants, some with Romo and some with Kitna against the prevent defense. Kitna was not ready last week, but he is not an invalid and should do well this week, along with their running game, against the Jaguars, so it's the Cowboys for their first home win for me.

All home teams are favored this week, including the designated home team in London, the 49ers:
Dolphins (+2.5) @ Bengals: the Bengals are a mess
Cowboys (-2.5) vs. Jaguars: the Jaguars couldn't do much for the last two weeks
Redskins (+2.5) @ Lions: the return of Matthew Stafford will be a painful one
Chiefs (-7.5) vs. Bills: heartbreaker for the Bills last week in overtime
Rams (-3.5) vs. Panthers: the Rams are chugging along winning every home game, losing road games
Packers (+6.5) @ Jets: the Packers have enough healthy talent to keep it close
49ers (-.5) vs. Broncos: a couple disappointing teams will probably put on a show in London
Titans (+3.5) @ Chargers: I see this game decided by a late field goal
Buccaneers (+3.5) @ Cardinals: the Buccaneers can slide into a tie for first place in the NFC South
Patriots (-5.5) vs. Vikings: Randy Moss can't help the Favres and his foot injuries enough
Seahawks (+2.5) @ Raiders: the Seahawks are the surprising only team to be above .500 in the NFC West
Saints (-.5) vs. Steelers: by this spread, the Steelers are the better team, but it's Halloween in New Orleans
Texans (+5.5) @ Colts: I'll take the team that won the first game with the points

Week 7 Football picks

2010-10-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Time to get risky with survivor. I'm going with the Chiefs this week to knock off a Jacksonville team that looks depleted after a 30-3 Monday Night Football loss to the Titans. It's a short weeks and their quarterback was injured, making the Jaguars ripe for the picking.

Falcons (-3.5) vs. Bengals: should be getting more of a point spread
Redskins (+2.5) @ Bears: the Bears are only getting the requisite points for being home in an even matchup
Eagles (+3.5) @ Titans: I should have had more faith in Kolb
Chiefs (-5.5) vs. Jaguars: the lock of the week
Dolphins (+3.5) vs. Steelers: should be a dogfight
Saints (-13.5) vs. Browns: time for the Saints to dominate again
Buccaneers (-2.5) vs. Rams: a couple of down teams with good records
49ers (-3.5) @ Panthers: I guess people still think the 49ers will be good
Ravens (-13.5) vs. Bills: the Bills' winless season continues
Cardinals (+5.5) @ Seahawks: who knew Max Hall could play?
Patriots (+2.5) @ Chargers: the Chargers are 2-0 at home but the Patriots are hot
Raiders (+6.5) @ Broncos: the Raiders could be ahead of two teams in the division if they win
Vikings (+2.5) @ Packers: the trendy Super Bowl pick has too many injured players
Giants (+3.5) @ Cowboys: if the Cowboys lose, Super Bowl talk is over

Week 6 Football picks

2010-10-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Luckily, I have two survivor entries, and I went with my gut in the main one that I had been making the picks posted here, so I'm still alive with the Falcons. This week, it makes perfect sense to take the Giants, who are resurgent, against the Lions, a dangerous team but still not too good. The Giants don't seem to play any easy games the rest of the way, as they have yet to start their division schedule.

Bears (-6.5) vs. Seahawks: Orton coming back to lead Martz's offense that was good before meeting the Giants
Ravens (+2.5) @ Patriots: could be the game for AFC supremacy
Giants (-10.5) vs. Lions: the Giants defense is taking over again
Falcons (+1.5) @ Eagles: tough matchup on the road, but no Vick for the Eagles
Browns (+13.5) @ Steelers: look for a low-scoring game on both sides
Dolphins (+1.5) @ Packers: Rodgers is playing, but the Packers have many injuries
Rams (+8.5) vs. Chargers: enough talent to take the home team with the points
Buccaneers (+5.5) vs. Saints: the Saints are not doing well enough to get this big of a cushion on the road, in division
Texans (-4.5) vs. Chiefs: the Texans should bounce back against a Chiefs team over their heads
Raiders (+6.5) @ 49ers: the 49ers will pick up their first win in a close game
Broncos (+3.5) vs. Jets: the Jets will not pull away on the road
Vikings (-1.5) vs. Cowboys: one team is going to be 1-4
Colts (-3.5) @ Redskins: the Colts don't look great, but Peyton Manning always is
Titans (-3.5) @ Jaguars: the Titans should be better than the Jaguars in the end

Week 5 Football picks

2010-10-10T07:03:00.001-07:00

It came down to a choice between the Falcons on the road against the Browns or the Bengals at home against the 49ers. Coincidentally, the Bengals lost to the Browns last week. While the Buccaneers are coming off of their bye week, my pick is still going to be the Bengals. There are not a lot of wide point spreads overall this week, but maybe some should be bigger.

Jaguars (-1.5) @ Bills: the Bills are a sorry team and a candidate to go 0-16
Bengals (-6.5) vs. Buccaneers: the T.Ocho show is getting heated up
Falcons (-3.5) @ Browns: hopefully no letdown after the Falcons had to play hard against the 49ers
Rams (+3.5) @ Lions: would go with the Lions if Stafford was playing
Chiefs (+3.5) @ Colts: while I don't think the Chiefs are that good, the Colts aren't either
Redskins (+2.5) vs. Packers: taking the home points against the team with no running game
Panthers (+2.5) vs. Bears: up-and-coming Jimmy Clausen against old backup Todd Collins
Ravens (-7.5) vs. Broncos: the Broncos are going to have more problems this week
Texans (-3.5) vs. Giants: doubting the Giants ability to keep the momentum
Cardinals (+7.5) vs. Saints: almost obvious to take the home points in this matchup
Raiders (+6.5) vs. Chargers: the Raiders could do well enough to keep it close
Titans (+6.5) @ Cowboys: the Cowboys haven't looked like that Super Bowl team yet
Eagles (+3.5) @ 49ers: back to the Kevin Kolb era in Philadelphia
Vikings (+4.5) @ Jets: Favre to Moss is going to be an interesting connection

Week 4 Football picks

2010-10-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

In my mind, there are a few equal choices for the survivor pool this week, all equally good and risky. The Texans on the road against the Raiders, the Falcons at home against the winless 49ers, the Jets on the road against the Bills, and the Bengals on the road against the Browns. I try to stay away from road teams and intradivision games, and the supposedly good 49ers are dangerous to pick against when they still have no wins. My pick is actually a team with a worse record in its matchup, the Chargers at home against the Cardinals. However, both teams could have easily had their results in the opposite column last week. Other picks:

49ers (+6.5) @ Falcons: new offensive coordinator for the 49ers
Bills (+5.5) vs. Jets: a surprising fight put up by Bills last week
Browns (+3.5) vs. Bengals: I'll believe in the Bengals the week after they start to impress
Lions (+14.5) @ Packers: the Lions are keeping it close and the Packers are coming off of a short week
Broncos (+6.5) @ Titans: Vince Young should not be given such a wide spread right now
Rams (+.5) vs. Seahawks: the Rams go for a second home win in a row
Panthers (+13.5) @ Saints: Brees, Bush, and Thomas are injured
Ravens (+1.5) @ Steelers: the Steelers can't go 4-0 without Roethlisberger
Colts (-8.5) @ Jaguars: Peyton is having the best statistical start of his career
Texans (-3.5) @ Raiders: the Texans shouldn't be derailed by the loss to the Cowboys
Chargers (+8.5) vs. Cardinals: the Cardinals are close to going down the drain
Redskins (+6.5) @ Eagles: the early triumphant return of Donovan McNabb
Bears (+3.5) @ Giants: the Giants have too many problems right now, but could win a close one
Patriots (-.5) vs. Dolphins: the Wildcat success started against Patriots, but they know it now

Good thing for the Cowboys and Vikings that they picked up their first wins last week because they are on byes and would have had to stew over winless starts during their breaks.

Week 3 Football picks

2010-09-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Another tough week for the survivor pool, worse than week one. The Steelers would be the obvious pick if they were not working with their fourth-string, albeit serviceable, quarterback, Charlie Batch. Otherwise, three divisional games look like the best, with the Vikings facing the Lions, Ravens against Browns, and the ultimate pick, Patriots at home against the Bills. This makes it a pick against the Bills two weeks in row, who are maybe this year's Raiders in that sense.

49ers (-2.5) @ Chiefs: think it is their time to start winning, but surprising to be favored
Browns (+10.5) @ Ravens: even on the road, think this spread is too big for this division
Cowboys (+2.5) @ Texans: they have to get over Wade Phillips's incompetence
Lions (+10.5) @ Vikings: the Lions haven't looked so bad, even with Shaun Hill at QB
Patriots (-13.5) vs. Bills: change at starting quarterback for the Bills and angry Patriots at home
Falcons (+4.5) @ Saints: the Falcons could win this game with the way the Saints have looked, even in the Superdome
Giants (-3.5) vs. Titans: the Giants looked better in losing last week, but both teams have their issues
Steelers (-2.5) @ Buccaneers: running game and defense for the Steelers
Panthers (+3.5) vs. Bengals: picking the home underdog to keep it close
Jaguars (+2.5) vs. Eagles: look for the Jaguars to ruin Michael Vick's start at QB
Redskins (-3.5) @ Rams: finally noticing that the Redskins are decent
Broncos (+6.5) vs. Colts: way too big of a spread not to take the good home team
Raiders (+4.5) @ Cardinals: Campbell is surprisingly out of the starting QB spot already
Seahawks (+5.5) vs. Chargers: the Chargers don't look good enough to get this many points on the road
Dolphins (-1.5) vs. Jets: as good as the Jets looked, Revis is out and they get killed in Miami
Bears (+3.5) @ Packers: hopefully, the Bears won't regress to their preseason and week one form

Week 2 Football picks

2010-09-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Simply look at the biggest point spread for the survivor pick this week: the Packers at home against the Bills. Watch out for some high scoring, even as the packers lost their number one running back.

Falcons (-6.5) vs. Cardinals: round two for Derek Anderson won't go so well
Bengals (+1.5) vs. Ravens: don't underestimate home field advantage in division
Browns (-1.5) vs. Chiefs: the Chiefs were barely good enough to beat Chargers
Bears (+8.5) @ Cowboys: big spread for a week one winner against a loser
Eagles (-3.5) @ Lions: you saw what the Lions didn't do without Stafford
Packers (-13.5) vs. Bills: should be a blowout
Titans (-5.5) vs. Steelers: both teams were impressive last week
Vikings (-5.5) vs. Dolphins: Favre will be back to making great plays this week
Panthers (-2.5) vs. Buccaneers: the Buccaneers only won against a bad team
Broncos (-3.5) vs. Seahawks: the Seahawks surprised many, but I expect Broncos to bounce back
Raiders (-4.5) vs. Rams: is it possible that the Raiders could not be the most incompetent team again?
Jets (+1.5) vs. Patriots: maybe picking too much with my heart, but Jets are tough
Jaguars (+7.5) @ Chargers: seems obvious after last week's Chargers problems
Texans (-2.5) @ Redskins: got burned picking against Redskins at home last week
Giants (+5.5) @ Colts: to large of a spread for two good teams
Saints (-4.5) @ 49ers: should be an easy one for the champions

Week 1 Football picks

2010-09-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with this post, seeing as the football season has already kicked off, but my picks remain. I had a tough time selecting a pick for survivor, as it came down to the Giants, Titans, and Bears. The Giants are opening their new stadium, but played poorly in the last game at Giants Stadium against the same Panthers. The Titans are playing a Raiders team that has come up with many survivor upsets, and the Bears are playing in division against the Lions. Since I read that divisional games do not have any more upsets than normal, I am picking the Bears. Now, on to the point spreads (based on ESPN):

Saints (-6.5) vs. Vikings: so much energy in the Superdome
Dolphins (-3.5) @ Bills: playing in Buffalo isn't too tough in the first game
Bears (-6.5) vs. Lions: the Lions are still a league doormat until proven otherwise
Titans (-6.5) vs. Raiders: the end of last season was promising for the Titans
Bengals (+5.5) @ Patriots: a close game with the home team winning outright
Panthers (+7.5) @ Giants: similar teams to last season when the Panthers won
Falcons (-2.5) vs. Steelers: tough to win in Pittsburgh, but Falcons still on the rise
Browns (+2.5) vs. Buccaneers: two equally bad teams
Broncos (+2.5) @ Jaguars: risky pick, but the Broncos should be better
Colts (-3.5) @ Texans: Colts probably start another string of wins
Seahawks (+2.5) vs. 49ers: not sure on this one; home field advantage?
Packers (-1.5) @ Eagles: a trendy Super Bowl pick with a tough road opener
Cardinals (-3.5) @ Rams: as much as the Cardinals have fallen, they are still better than the Rams
Cowboys (-3.5) @ Redskins: probably should take the home points, but going with better team
Jets (-3.5) @ Ravens: will be a close, low-scoring game
Chargers (-5.5) @ Chiefs: this could be dangerous with Chargers' new starting RB and holdouts

The Mets are still contenders?

2010-08-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

I guess Jerry Manuel has to say that on the radio today with Mike Francesa, but nobody's buying it, not when you're putting out this lineup against one of the best pitchers in baseball and the team is a game under .500. Granted, the veterans that he is replacing are struggling or injured, but let's take a look, just for fun, since there are five rookies in there tonight.

1. Jose Reyes-SS (891 career games played, 95 games started in 2010, batting .280)
2. Fernando Martinez-RF (28 career GP, 1 GS in 2010, batting .200), replacing Francoeur
3. Angel Pagan-CF (370 career GP, 94 GS in 2010, batting .311)
4. David Wright-3B (963 career GP, 108 GS in 2010, batting .293)
5. Ike Davis-1B (97 career GP, 94 GS in 2010, batting .253), now a regular
6. Chris Carter-LF (27 career GP, 9 GS in 2010, batting .264), essentially replacing Beltran
7. Josh Thole-C (36 career GP, 16 GS in 2010, batting .323), platoon with Blanco as Barajas is on the DL
8. Ruben Tejada-2B (36 career GP, 34 GS in 2010, batting .196), replacing Castillo
9. Mike Pelfrey-P

Good luck tonight against Ubaldo Jimenez of thr 17-2 record, 2.61 ERA. He should easily be in double digits in strikeouts tonight, but, who knows, the Mets beat Adam Wainwright last week when he was the hottest pitcher in baseball.

Philadelphia Force Internship

2010-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Around March last year, I started looking for a job for the summer of 2009. After being unsuccessful searching the internet and the postings on Lehigh’s LUCIE system, I went to the spring career fair. Many of the jobs were for majors other than my own, such as sciences and engineering, but I found a few for business majors. I went to talk to a few people at the desks for their jobs and internships, but did not feel too enthusiastic about finding an opportunity, especially because most seemed to be for soon-to-be graduates.

The last company that I visited at the career fair, only because my friend was there as well, was the Philadelphia Force, a professional women’s softball team located one city over in Allentown. I started talking with one employee while my friend was talking to the co-owner. We exchanged contact information and I gave them my résumé, but, for some reason, could not see myself working near Lehigh or for this team.

After a couple of phone conversations with different people, I was offered a broadcast internship. This included trying to sell advertising space for the online broadcasts of the games and operating a small camera during the games. While it was unpaid, I was happy to be able to do something during the summer, since I did not desperately need the money and could take on another job if I had to, based on the short hours of this one.

In the end, I was unsuccessful in finding local business owners who were interested in purchasing advertising space, but I feel like I got valuable experience by walking in cold and trying to make a sale. The in-game experience was fun and taught me more about the behind-the-scenes effort needed to run a team, especially one that struggles to draw in fans and make money. It all started with me being nervous but getting my face in front of prospective employers at a job fair, which is what I have been doing again to try to find a permanent job after graduation. Wish me luck!

Lehigh Choral Union

2010-04-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to write this for a Lehigh student blog, but the job never really materialized. I have one more post in the can that I will share. Enjoy!

During the summer after graduating from high school, I was recruited through e-mail to try out for Lehigh Choral Arts. I had been in a school chorus since fourth grade, so this appealed to me as an activity that I should continue once I entered college. I did not know what exactly to expect in the audition for choir, but I thought I could follow the conductor’s lead to get into the University Choir.

Unfortunately, I had a harder time than I did when entering high school singing the scales, as I usually do not like to sing on my own. My audition was short, which I did not consider to be a good thing. As I learned later from choir members, I should have come prepared with a song, similar to an “American Idol” audition. I found out later that night along with everyone else that I would be singing in the Choral Union.

At first, I was disappointed, but this meant that I got to spend the first weekend of school sleeping in my room rather than being away on a retreat with the rest of the choir. I feel like this time was crucial to developing some of my first friendships at Lehigh and experiencing time around campus. Sure, I would have made friends in choir, but it was also important to know other people in my hall and freshman orientation group, along with having the same experience of the days before classes as most other freshmen.

While I thought that I would be disappointed to not be in the “better” choir like I was in high school, it has turned out to be a good time. The Choral Union is made up of a small number of Lehigh students in comparison to residents of the Lehigh Valley. This was not desirable to me as a freshman because I wanted to meet more people around my age. However, I have always been one to relate better and have deeper conversations with my parents’ friends and other older adults. Thanks to a change in policy, Choral Union members and choir alumni were able to travel with the choir on their biannual trip outside of the country, so I was still able to experience and sing in China and Portugal at the end of my freshman and junior years, respectively.

The worst episode of Medium ever?

2010-02-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Medium usually follows the same formula: Allison dreams about someone who is dead or about to die, doesn't have all the information, and the district attorney doesn't believe her, but her premonitions are always right in the end. The writers find some way to make all of this seem interesting and new every time. In Friday's episode, her visions in dreams and real life were both clouded by continually seeing the same man as many people around her, including women and her husband, Joe. There was still a death involved, but she could not figure out why this one guy kept appearing. The secondary story involved Ariel, Allison's daughter, seeing a dead man in a beaver mascot costume.

Somehow, this week, Medium managed to be exceedingly boring, as the stories dragged along. There were a few laughs, but no suspense because there were no crimes to investigate until very late. Allison's psychic ability was pretty much paralyzed while having to deal with this mysterious man's image. Ariel was babysitting for a boy that had an imaginary friend beaver, which, it turns out, he could also see; apparently these psychic abilities are becoming widespread. Ariel had to get the beaver out of the child's life to stop him from being badly influenced by the man in the beaver suit. With the aid of more information, Allison had the breakthrough that the man she was seeing had been stealing identities to be able to steal money from those people, and she saw him in the image of his victims, which makes almost zero sense in the premise of this show. Ariel and the beaver mascot only had conversations about him being a bad influence and how he needed to leave the boy alone. How exciting!

This episode was more about comedy than action, as evidenced by Allison threatening Joe when he appeared in the image of the identity theft and, conversely, when the identity theft appeared as Joe inside the bank as he tried to steal Joe's money and Allison confronted him. The stolen money was going towards paying off a juror in his co-conspirator's trial, enabling her to receive a mistrial in the death of her husband, which was Allison's original dream to kick off the episode. Somehow the identity theft got away without anyone stopping him, at which point he was able to call the freed murderer and tell her that he had stolen her identity as well, enabling him to take her inheritance from her late husband, repay the original identity theft victims, and leave her with nothing. At this point, we had the last and greatest laugh of them all, as her bikini clad body turned into the same man who stole her money.

It all sounds very complicated, but, over the course of an hour, it just left me with a "so what?" feeling at each commercial break. This surely wasn't why CBS brought the show on board after it was canceled by NBC.

The Jeff Dunham Show

2009-10-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to watch the series premiere of The Jeff Dunham Show tonight on Comedy Central in its last re-airing. In its original airing, it was reported to have broken a ratings record for the network, having the biggest audience for a season premiere in Comedy Central's history at 5.3 million viewers. Jeff Dunham's Christmas special from 2008 still holds the top spot for any Comedy Central telecast.

The first episode incorporated four of his characters in different situations, sort of like the way Chappelle's Show ran (since they made a reference to it, I will, too). The first episode featured Walter and Jeff at a couples therapist, Achmed doing stand-up comedy, Peanut on a date with Brooke Hogan, and Bubba J meeting a man who likes guns and beer. Again, like Chappelle's Show, Dunham introduced the skits first while doing some comedy through the form of ventriloquism.

The whole show flowed smoothly, and the comedy was pretty good. I came in with a really open mind, so I definitely laughed out loud a few times. The thing that bothered me, which I guess had to happen, is when the puppets were standing alone without Dunham's hand in their backs. The puppets still moved, so I am guessing they filmed the scenes with Dunham beforehand and then digitally removed him rather than just animated the characters. It was weird to see them without their puppeteer on screen, however. With the skits created for the show, the characters were able to go outside of their usual roles of just talking, but they still stayed true to their personalities.

While I'm worried about the characters becoming stable with only a stable of seven available right now, maybe this will allow Dunham to try out some new ones and see if they stick. It looks like there should be a lasting audience as long as the material stays good. Finally, take a look at the size of that live audience! I will be looking forward to upcoming episodes of this unique show, which airs new episodes at 9:00 on Thursdays, repeated at 10:30 and various other times throught the week.

Week 7 Football Picks

2009-10-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Totally forgot these until now, but it looks like I'm doing well so far. I was worried about picking so many road teams.

Packers (-9) @ Browns: also Survivor pick

Chargers (-4.5) @ Chiefs

Colts (-13) @ Rams

Vikings (+4.5) @ Steelers

Patriots (-14.5) @ Buccaneers (in London)

Texans (-3) vs. 49ers

Jets (-6) @ Raiders

Bills (+7) @ Panthers

Bengals (-1) vs. Bears

Falcons (+4) @ Cowboys

Dolphins (+6) vs. Saints

Giants (-7) vs. Cardinals

Eagles (-7) @ Redskins

Week 6 Football Picks

2009-10-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

This week looks fairly easy, but that's always when they get you. I've been doing uncharacteristically well picking games without the spread, being ahead of most of the pack on three different games, in the running for some prizes.

The Saints get to play both New York teams at home two games in a row with a bye week in between, so it's the Giants' time to visit the Superdome this week. It will be Eli Manning's first game there despite growing up as a football player in Louisiana. The Saints (-3) did better than I expected on defense against the Jets, so I think they will continue their good work this week, despite finally facing an established starter (previously: Stafford, Kolb, Edwards, Sanchez). Drew Brees has gone two weeks without throwing a touchdown, so that obviously has to stop against the Giants injured secondary.

The Jets started 3–0 after beating the Texans, Patriots, and Titans but then lost to the Saints and Dolphins. The latest game likely caused the defense to feel that they need to prove themselves. The Bills are in disarray and it's about time for Terrell Owens to go crazy, which just might happen while he has to face Darrelle Revis on Sunday. It should be a pretty easy road for the Jets (-9.5) if they do in fact get their defense back into its correct form.

Regrettably, it has to be another divisional rivalry for survivor this week. It's a rough week, with few clear good-bad matchups. The Eagles on the road against the Raiders would be the easiest pick, but I already used them against the Chiefs. The Packers are at home against the Lions, but they aren't the laughing-stock of the league this season. That honor falls to the Browns, who won the season's worst game last week 6–3 against the Bills. The Steelers (-14) are going to roll over the Browns, despite Pittsburgh's defensive injuries.

And the rest:

Bengals (-5) vs. Texans: surprisingly good Bengals defense

Packers (-13.5) vs. Lions: another season of big lines for the Lions

Ravens (+3) @ Vikings: it's time for the Vikings to lose a game

Panthers (-3.5) @ Buccaneers: would be a much bigger line in Carolina

Chiefs (+6.5) @ Redskins: so little faith in the Redskins

Rams (+9.5) @ Jaguars: Bulger is back and the Jaguars were shut out last week

Eagles (-14) @ Raiders: the Raiders didn't even come close last week

Seahawks (-3) vs. Cardinals: that home stadium makes a big difference

Patriots (-9.5) vs. Titans: time for Brady to get right against this defense

Falcons (-3.5) vs. Bears: both offense and defense clicking for the Falcons

Broncos (+3.5) @ Chargers: the better team is the underdog on the road

Week 5 Football Picks

2009-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

A little late and short, but here they are. Forgot to mention that week three won me $80 in my dad's office pool. :)

Browns (+6) @ Bills: questions on both sides of the ball for both teams

Steelers (-10.5) @ Lions: Stafford is out, and Lions look like losers of old

Cowboys (-8.5) @ Chiefs: despite Romo's struggles, this should be a blowout

Vikings (-10) @ Rams: many think this is a trap after the Vikings' short week

Raiders (+15.5) @ Giants: Manning will be limited and Giants back off a little

Eagles (-14.5) vs. Buccaneers: McNabb and Westbrook both back in the lineup

Panthers (-3.5) vs. Redskins: time for Panthers to get back on track against terrible team

Bengals (+8.5) @ Ravens: should keep it within a touchdown margin

49ers (-2.5) vs. Falcons: going back and forth on this close game

Broncos (+3) vs. Patriots: looking for the student to beat the mentor

Cardinals (-5.5) vs. Texans: should be a high-scoring game, but maybe only for one side

Seahawks (-.5) vs. Jaguars: great home crowd; Hasselbeck is back

Colts (-3.5) @ Titans: can't see the Titans beating an undefeated team

Jets (-1.5) vs. Dolphins: the wildcat is great and all, but it's Henne's second start.

Survivor pick is the Eagles routing the Buccaneers with all of their weapons in the game for the first time.

NHL preview, Rangers Top 10, Week 4

2009-10-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

My NHL Eastern Conference standings prediction:

1. Capitals - solid forwads, Varlamov/Theodore tandem nice

2. Penguins - can't make it to the top in regular season

3. Bruins - will start slow, Thomas falls back a bit

4. Devils - How do they do it? Brodeur is back

5. Rangers - Gaborik, Lundqvist, and Staal lead the crew

6. Senators - rid of Heatley, counting on Leclaire and Kovalev

7. Hurricanes - just have a feeling Ward will do well

8. Panthers - young players are coming around

9. Sabres - Miller not quite strong enough. but Olympics starter

10. Lightning - still unproven in net and on defense

11. Flyers - goaltending issues and too many "depth" players

12. Canadiens - what a traveshamockery; midgets on top line

13. Maple Leafs - just toughnesss won't make the playoffs

14. Islanders - more decent goalies than proven good forwards

15. Thrashers - hope they play well early and Kovalchuk signs

Ten members of the New York Rangers were on the Late Show w/ David Letterman on Wednesday night to present the Top 10 List of Things Never Before Spoken By a Hockey Player.

10. Instead of fighting, why don't we work things out over brunch? (Donald Brashear)

9. Between you and me, I have no idea what the hell icing is. (Dan Girardi)

8. What this team needs is a skating kitty. (Marian Gaborik)

7. I really wish these fans would watch their language (Brandon Dubinsky)

6. High scorer gets to pick which Barbara Streisand CD we listen to on the bus (Chris Drury)

5. Forget all the goals and the awards, Gordie Howe has one nice looking butt. (Marc Staal)

4. For good luck, I lick the puck. (Christopher Higgins)

3. My real dream is to work at an insurance company. (Ryan Callahan)

2. Who could concentrate on hockey when Jennifer Aniston still hasn't found love? (Henrik Lundqvist)

1. I wish Letterman was on at ten. (Sean Avery)

I like numbers four, seven, and eight the best. Staal, Lundqvist, and Avery did the best delivering the lines, along with Higgins and Dubinsky doing a good job. Kitty! I'm guessing number three is an inside joke to the show that I missed, and number one is related to Jay Leno. Avery should have been given a better one!

The week four Survivor pick is the New York Giants on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming off of a road shutout, the Giants are facing an even weaker team. While I don't expect back-t0-back shutouts, they should also be able to cover the spread of 8.5. For the rest:

Lions (+10) @ Bears: line so big when Lions showed they can play

Bengals (-5.5) @ Browns: the Browns are pathetic and line should be bigger

Seahawks (+10.5) @ Colts: surprised by how well Seneca Wallace played last week

Ravens (+2) @ Patriots: could go either way, but choosing defense

Redskins (-7) vs. Buccaneers: battle of underachievers

Titans (-3) @ Jaguars: no chance the Titans go to 0–4

Raiders (+9) @ Texans: no reason to trust the Texans defense, so high-scoring

Dolphins (+2) vs. Bills: not feeling good about this one with no Pennington

Saints (-7) vs. Jets: would have gone with the Jets, but two cornerbacks injured

Broncos (+3) vs. Cowboys: only for home-field advantage

49ers (-9.5) vs. Rams: Gore out, but 49ers will be upset about last-second loss last week

Chargers (+6.5) @ Steelers: probably decided by a field goal; Polamalu trying to play

Packers (+3.5) @ Vikings: Rodgers wants to beat his old mentor

Pacing break!,

Week 3 Football Picks

2009-09-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Jets and Giants play at the same time this week due to Yom Kippur. The Jets were originally scheduled for the late afternoon, but people would not get home before sunset. The Yankees-Red Sox was also move to 1:00 for this reason. I'm taking the Titans (+3) over the Jets because their defense needs to get back on track. Kerry Collins will have a hard time throwing against Darrelle Revis, but he is a smart quarterback with good running backs behind him. The Giants (-7) should take care of the Buccaneers fairly easily. Derrick Ward has not done anything to emerge as the clear number-one RB and Byron Leftwich is only serviceable.

For the survivor pick this week, I go against my own rules and pick an in-division matchup, as the Ravens should blow away the Browns. I'm also taking the Ravens (-13) against the spread. Their rushing game and defense is dominating, as expected. They might even be able to knock Brady Quinn out of the game in favor of Derek Anderson. For the rest of the picks:

Lions (+6.5) vs. Redskins: good chance to break the losing streak with Redskins struggling

Rams (+6.5) vs. Packers: injuries to Packers should make this close; Packers win outright

49ers (+6.5) @ Vikings: 49ers have played well and could win this one behind Frank Gore

Patriots (-4.5) vs. Falcons: Patriots will definitely be out to avenge last week's close loss

Eagles (-9) vs. Chiefs: Michael Vick is back and the Chiefs are a mess

Texans (-3.5) vs. Jaguars: surprised this line is so low as the Texans should roll

Saints (-4) @ Bills: the Saints' traveling offensive show continues

Bears (-1) @ Seahawks: starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck out for the Seahawks

Steelers (-4.5) @ Bengals: Steelers have looked shaky, but should be in top form in division

Broncos (+2.5) @ Raiders: Raiders looked awful in a win last week, especiall JaMarcus Russell

Chargers (-6.5) vs. Dolphins: very shaky on this one, as the Dolphins could actually win

Colts (+1) @ Cardinals: also could go either way, but Peyton Manning performs in primetime

Panthers (+10) @ Cowboys: should be close with Cowboys winning outright

First football Sunday

2009-09-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

To lead off the day's action that is important to me, the Jets were in Houston to face the Texans. I was very pleased with the way the team played, and they convinced a skeptical fan. I did not expect Rex Ryan's tough defense to show up this early, especially with two key players suspended and against one of the top offenses in the NFL. However, the Texans went the whole first half without scoring.

After a three-and-out on their first drive, the Jets offense got down to business in their second drive. The team looked very inconsistent, except on third downs, when Mark Sanchez went 3–4 for 43 yards, setting a tone for a good day on third downs. The only incompletion led to a Jay Feely field goal.

Two offensive drives later for the Texans, it looked like they were rolling towards their first points. Just after entering the red zone, Steve Slaton fumbled at the end of an 18-yard rush when Mike DeVito put his helmet on the ball. On the ensuing drive for the Jets, Chansi Stuckey had one reception for 20 yards and a second reception for 30 yards when he was left wide open for a touchdown; both of these receptions were on, you guessed it, third down.

On the Jets first drive of the second half, Sanchez was 4–4 and both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington ran the ball, with Jones picking up the one-yard touchdown run. After a couple of punts, for some reason, the Texans thought it would be a good idea to go for it on 4th and 2 at their own 49 with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. An incomplete pass by Matt Schaub meant that the Jets got the ball, but they went three-and-out.

Sanchez's only big mistake of the game came in the early fourth quarter when he threw an interception to John Busing. Busing fumbled as he was getting tackled, but Dominique Barber picked up the ball and ran 48 yards for the touchdown. The Jets quickly recovered on their next possession: Keller had a 40-yard reception and Jones ran 38 yards for a touchdown. After lining up in victory formation at the end of the game, Sanchez first gave the ball to the referee, then realized he might want to keep it as a memento. 24–7

The Giants game at home against the Redskins seemed to be very similar, as Eli Manning was also throwing for conversions on third downs and the scoring started with a Lawrence Tynes field goal on the first drive. After a long rush by Clinton Portis to start the Redskins offense, Antwaan Randle El was sacked on a play where he should have thrown the ball away after receiving the toss from the quarterback. That stalled the Redskins on their first drive.

The Giants then drove down to the three-yard line and gave the ball to Brandon Jacobs on 3rd and 1 after failing to convert with Ahmad Bradshaw on the first drive. The first quarter ended with no gain, and the second quarter opened the same way, as Jacobs and the offensive line again failed on fourth down. The Redskins only gained three yards, which left the Giants in good field position after the punt. Manning made two completions on third down, the second going to Mario Manningham who avoided tacklers and racked up yards after the catch on a 30-yard touchdown reception.

The defense and special teams ruled the rest of the quarter. Corey Webster intercepted Jason Campbell, keeping his feet inbounds on the sideline. Andre Carter sacked Manning and forced a fumble. Osi Umenyiora made his presence felt in his first game back from injury sacking and forcing and recovering a fumble from Campbell and taking the ball into the endzone. The two-minute drill worked well for the Redskins, but it looked like they would only get a field goal before halftime. However, punter and holder Hunter Smith easily ran the ball in for a touchdown on a fake field goal attempt.

DeAngelo Hall intercepted Manning on the fourth series of the second half, running the ball back to the Giants' 11-yard line. It looked like the Reskins had that one play that would swing the momentum in their favor, but the defense held strong and Shaun Suisham kicked a field goal, and the Giants then answered with two straight drives that ended in Tynes field goals. The Redskins had a little over three minutes left to score 13 points and only used half of that time to score a touchdown on a pass to Chris Cooley, but they could not recover the onisde kick, which meant the Giants could use the victory formation. 23–17

Both teams were shaky against midde-of-the-pack teams, but that can be attributed to the first week of the season. They also showed the reasons why they can be considered good teams this year. The Jets have a tough schedule in the next few weeks while the Giants have it easier after the Cowboys in week two.

Personally, I am still alive with both of my suicide/survivor picks, Saints over Lions and Ravens over Chiefs. I did not do so well picking against the spread in week one, but I was not very confident in my picks. Thanks to Drew Brees for giving me over 60 points in a fantasy football league that awards half of a point for each pass completion and six points for a touchdown pass (Brees had six). No Adrian Peterson love for me, since I did not have a high pick in any league.

Central Connecticut State University?!

2009-09-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

So that happened. Yes, the Lehigh Mountain Haws lost to the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 28–21 in FCS football action. While I thought this would be an easy win, I did not realize how much turnover there was in the skill positions on our team. There were a lot of names that I did not recognize from the three years prior. Despite being picked to finish in a tie for third in the Patriot League, the Mountain Haws did not show much hope in this game.

The first half was full of mistakes, and CCSU looked like they were allergic to scoring, fumbling the ball on consecutive plays inside the red zone, losing the ball on the second one. Luckily for them, Lehigh could only go three and out on their second drive after throwing an interception on their first play of the game. The ball went back and forth without punts or scoring as the CCSU quarterback threw an interception in the end zone, the Lehigh quarterback threw an interception on the next play, then CCSU had another lost fumble. After all of that, Lehigh had a punt blocked, which led to CCSU's first touchdown.

But wait, it gets better. Lehigh returned the ensuing kickoff over 90 yards for a touchdown after it looked like the returner was going to have the ball go over his head. And this was all in the first quarter! Both teams managed to have sustained scoring drives in the second quarter, so the game was tied at 14 at halftime. After the band did their thing, spelling out 76 while playing "76 Trombones," CCSU scored another touchdown on another long drive in the second half. Lehigh answered right back again as QB Clark found a receiver that the defense lost so he could run uncontested for a touchdown. When it looked like Lehigh was about to take the lead for the first time with a pass to an open tight end in the end zone, Clark lobbed the pass so badly that it was intercepted. Instead, CCSU started at the 20-yard line and drove all the way for the winning touchdown.

The fourth quarter showed how the CCSU offense was killing Lehigh all day when they were not making mistakes: the quarterback option and other runs up the middle. Lehigh could not muster anything significant in the fourth and watched most of the minutes tick by when CCSU had the ball. The teams met at midfield for postgame handshakes without any ugly incident like was seen in Thursday night's Oregon-Boise State game.

My guest blog on Rangers Report

2009-08-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

Rick Carpinello over at the The Journal News's Rangers Report blog was forced to take two weeks of vacation due to newspaper cost-cutting measures, so he took a cue from his colleague Peter Abraham, who runs the Yankees blog there, to let loyal blog readers fill in as guest posters during his vacation time. My post runs today and is as follows:

It is a bittersweet chance that some of us get to guest blog for a couple weeks. While it is great for us to be featured on the blog, it is only a result of newspapers cutting costs and giving their employees more vacation time. For my appearance, I don’t have any fresh opinion on the Rangers that hasn’t already been discussed here, so I’m going to take an overall look at the National Hockey League.

The 2004–05 lockout was devastating at the time, but the prevailing opinion was that the league could come back stronger than before. Why they couldn’t do this without canceling a season, we may never know. The biggest issue for Commissioner Bettman and the league was that they needed “cost certainty,” which was their code for a salary cap. Fans of the Rangers and other teams with high attendance probably did not see any problem with the 2004 NHL, but the less heralded teams were struggling, especially in places that gained expansion teams under Bettman’s regime.

In 2009, Bettman would like to have you think that everything is rosy with record-setting attendance numbers every season since the lockout. However, are we really in a much better position now? Revenue sharing was good common sense and should have been in place for a longer time before teams were absolutely hemorrhaging money. Despite what the NHL says, we can still see arenas with a lot of empty seats, especially the new Prudential Center (when the Rangers are not playing there), and the Phoenix Coyotes did not get any better financially, being forced to file for bankruptcy. Many of the seats are filled only due to ticket deals and freebies.

Before the lockout, the NHL did not have great television ratings in the United States and therefore had a contract that generated low revenue. Since starting play again, the contract has only worsened, moving the games on cable to a channel that players can’t find in hotel rooms and only having one game per week for ten weeks in the second half of the season on a broadcast network that focuses on only a few big-market teams. In addition, NASCAR is probably ahead of the NHL in popularity, but the NBA is falling back a bit. With four seasons passed since the new CBA was ratified, teams are now finding innovative ways to play with the salary cap so that the stars still get paid and the role players have to fight for every dollar or leave to play in the KHL.

At this point, the best thing that could happen for the NHL would be to bring in fresh ideas in the form of a new commissioner. Without any ties to Bettman, the new person in charge could make changes where Bettman held strong to defend his position. This could include moving one or two teams back to Canada and finding a better way to market the league and its star players, such as putting the two latest No. 1 draft picks on national television more than twice each (only one of these is in a Versus-exclusive window).

All of these problems that still exist will lead to more heavy negotiating in the next couple of years leading up to the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, especially as the salary cap will likely see its first drop after this upcoming season.

http://rangers.lohudblogs.com/2009/08/31/guest-blogger-spiderpig/

NHL National Television Schedule Released

2009-08-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

The National Hockey League released their schedule of which games would be on national television in the United States and Canada today. You will see the typical large amount of games involving teams from the big markets airing on Versus and NBC, but an Eastern Conference finalist from 2009, the Carolina Hurricanes, did not make the Versus schedule at all. The two teams that they eliminated from the playoffs are on Versus 13 times combined (Bruins: 7; Devils: 6). I'm guessing the Blackhawks and Red Wings got to go over the limit of eight games per team because one of each of their games in being played overseas at the beginning of the season and not in primetime. The Hurricanes are part of NBC's flex schedule but have little chance of making the air unless the Bruins and Rangers are absolutely awful this season, making NBC choose Sabres vs. Hurricanes.

Those overseas games are not actually the premiere games of the NHL this season because they are being played after the first night of games in North America, which is rediculous in itself because of the compressed schedule due to the Olympics making these four teams have it even worse. Another change from last season is that these games are taking place on Friday and Saturday. Why would Versus choose to air the games that are taking place during the day on Friday when there will surely be less people watching than if they chose Saturday?

My predicted NBC schedule based on a limit of four games per team which I believe includes the Winter Classic and past experience with NBC:

January 1: Flyers @ Bruins (Winter Classic)

January 17: Blackhawks @ Red Wings

January 24: Penguins @ Flyers (obvious; Bruins @ Carolina? Yeah right!)

January 31: Red Wings @ Penguins (no doubt)

February 7: Penguins @ Capitals (no doubt about this either)

March 7: Bruins @ Penguins (guessing they don't want another Blackhawks/Red Wings game)

March 14: Capitals @ Blackhawks (intriguing)

March 21: Rangers @ Bruins (other choice is Sabres @ Hurricanes)

April 4: Red Wings @ Flyers (no other game scheduled)

April 11: Rangers @ Flyers (subject to change based on which playoff spots are up for grabs)

My least confidence comes with scheduling the Penguins four games in a row, but they are only on the schedule one other time, and that is against the Lightning. If NBC really wanted to mix it up, they could throw Hurricanes @ Thrashers at us on March 7.

Thanks to Puck Daddy (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Winners-losers-in-Versus-2009-10-regular-season?urn=nhl,183899) and Puck the Media (http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/your-2009-10-nhl-on-nbc-flex-schedule/).

Free Agent Frenzy: New York Rangers

2009-07-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Let's take a quick look at the New York Rangers' major activity so far since the beginning of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, including a couple trades and some signings.

Added: Christopher Higgins, Ryan McDonagh, Enver Lisin (RFA), Ales Kotalik, Donald Brashear, Marian Gaborik, Tyler Arnason, Brian Boyle

Subtracted: Scott Gomez, Lauri Korpikoski, Paul Mara, Nik Antropov, Colton Orr, Fredrik Sjostrom

Re-signed: Ryan Callahan, Corey Potter

Still in limbo: Brandon Dubinsky (RFA), Nikolai Zherdev (RFA), Derek Morris, Blair Betts

It looks like General Manager Glen Sather is re-making the team yet again, but this time for good reason: to have players that fit new head coach John Tortorella's style. There is more optimism for scoring with the additions of Gaborik and Higgins while losing underachiever Gomez and his seemingly devastating cap hit. That trade also brought over the Canadiens' best prospect according to Hockey's Future, McDonagh, albeit another defenseman.

On the flip side, there is reason to be worried about the team's defense and especially the penalty kill because our top pair penalty-killing forwards, Betts and Sjostrom, have left the team. We still have capable players to play there, such as Chris Drury and Callahan, but some others are going to need to step up their games. Trading Korpikoski for Lisin weakened the penalty kill further and was another trade by Coyotes GM Don Maloney to acquire players that he helped draft when he was a member of the Rangers front office. Both players are reportedly threats to sign in the KHL, but Korpikoski quickly signed a two-year deal as an RFA in Phoenix.

The first head-scratching move came shortly after the great trade of Gomez. Orr was expected to be offered a big contract as one of the best enforcers in the league, going to Toronto for four years and $4 million. At the time, it seemed like the team could replace him for cheaper from within, but Sather felt the need to sign Brashear, a hated enemy for many years going back to his Flyers days, to a $2.8 million contract over two years, a cap hit $400,000 higher than Orr's! Ales Kotalik seemed like an underachiever in Buffalo where Lindy Ruff milks a lot of talent out of his unheralded players, so he is a risk at three years and $9 million. Brian Boyle may be the second-biggest bust from the 2003 draft behind Hugh Jessiman, but Sather only gave up a third-round pick in 2010 for the 6'6" center, so I am happy with that. Hopefully for my fantasy dynasty team, Boyle will score some goals and collect some penalty minutes for fighting.

Other moves were minor or expected. Arnason will compete for a spot with the Rangers, but will likely be shown the way to Hartford with a two-way contract, needing to pass through waivers first. Callahan was re-signed for a decent amount as a restricted free agent and will be expected to compete for a spot on the second line and hopefully stick there if Zherdev is not brought back to New York. Potter can serve as the seventh defenseman or a good presence on the Wolf Pack. Antropov's agent wanted too much money, but he is a big body and could be missed. Mara clearly didn't have a place here under Tortorella. Dubinsky is almost a lock to be re-signed and Morris could stay if he takes a big pay cut; I think he will definitely return if Rozsival or Redden is traded as is rumored as part of a package for a number-one center; hopefully, that package will not include Dubinsky.

There is still cap room to play with and at least one move to be made, unless Sather and Tortorella are comfortable with relatively inexperienced centers around captain Drury. Overall, fans should be happy with this offseason's moves but still not expect too much progress with Redden and Drury still on the roster if they continue to vastly underperform their contracts.

First days of work as a cameraman

2009-06-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

It started on Friday with an exhibition game, but I only practiced my camera skills for a couple of innings. From watching baseball for a long time, I could figure out what I needed to do. For the first home game of the regular season on Tuesday, the Force faced off against Jennie Finch and the Chicago Bandits. Luckily, it was an easy start, camera-wise, with clouds in the sky and Finch throwing a perfect game, so there wasn't much to do when the home team was batting. We were told that we did a good job under the pressure of the league's (National Pro Fastpitch) and MLB.com's (our online streaming partner) watchful eyes.

Game two was a bit more difficult and even colder than the first night, as the temperature dropped below 60°. Rain was in the forecast, but the game just started with some clouds in the sky, enough to block out the sun again. As the raindrops started to fall, I had a little trouble with the rain sleeve for my camera, but I had it attached well after an inning or two. Luckily, I had come prepared with a jacket as heavy rain started to fall in the sixth inning and my head got soaked. With one out in the top of the seventh, which would be the last half-inning because the Force were winning, it looked like there would be a rain delay as the first-base umpire consulted with the one behind home plate. However, this was only a short break as the "grounds crew" poured dry dirt between first and second. The game would be over a few minutes later as Kat Osterman induced the final two outs in her complete game for the Force.

There was supposed to be another game tonight, but the heavy rain had left puddles on the field that forced postponement and a doubleheader scheduled for Friday. The local television station was set to broadcast these two games and use their video feeds for the stream, so I don't know if I will be doing anything for the six hours that I have to be at the stadium, except for taking down the outfield fence at the end of the nightcap. Saturday's game is being played in York, Pennsylvania, so my group of interns does not have to work that night.

http://twitpic.com/7qk6m

Summer class

2009-06-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

The professor was not kidding when he said that 15 weeks were compressed into five during the summer, in this case for Applied Microeconomics. The first of two tests in on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. after only two weeks of the course. Unfortunately for me, my Wednesday afternoon is already booked with doing set-up in Allentown for the Force, so I wil have to get all studying finished by Tuesday night. This should be fun!

I'm looking forward to being able to watch game five of the Stanley Cup Final after missing games one, three, and four; I watched some of four the next day on NHL Network. This has been a good series to cap off a good playoffs overall, which I have missed by being in Portugal, doing work, and spending time with good friends. Good thing that two of those things were time well-spent with others rather than watching television by myself or with my dad.

Journey from Patterson to Edgewater Park

2009-06-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Late Saturday afternoon, I had to journey from Patterson, NY to Edgewater Park in the Bronx for Lauren's 22nd birthday party. My parents needed me in Patterson even for such a short time just to help out moving stuff around the property. I was driven from Patterson to the Southeast train station on Metro-North where I caught the 4:13 train. I had to switch to a local train at North White Plains, leaving at 5:11. The conductor announced that only one door would be opening at my destination station, Williamsbridge, where I arrived at 5:37. It was like disembarking from a ship as this long and narrow platform extended from the one station platform to the front door of the train and passengers walked single-file to exit onto the platform. I then walked along Gun Hill Road where there were many hostile drivers who would honk at practically nothing and I was the only white person around, aside from one Mustang driver. When I reached Bronxwood Avenue, I sat at the Bx8 bus station on my 12-pack of beer and waited for the 6:08 bus which would take me to Edgewater Park, where I arrived around 7:00. It was funny how the demographics on the bus changed as the bus traveled southeast in the Bronx.

NHL ECF Game 4: Penguins @ Hurricanes

2009-05-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Hurricanes face elimination as they trail three games to zero. Goaltender Cam Ward is 5–0 when facing elimination and he has never lost a playoff series.

First Period: The Hurricanes are playing well, but they can't afford to keep making turnovers, especially with Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby on the ice, which is over three-quarters of the time in this game because they are rotating with the open spot on the fourth line. The Hurricanes are 7–0 in the 2009 playoffs when Eric Staal scores a goal, and he scored the first goal on a quick wraparound, but the Penguins came back to take the lead 2–1, with their second goal coming on a deflected shot by Maxime Talbot that floated over Ward's glove.

Second Period: Crosby makes a beautiful pass off of another turnover to let Bill Guerin potentially put the Hurricanes away for the season. The Hurricanes had 16 shots on goal in the second period, but not too many quality chances. A sign held up by a fan said "Miracles Cam Happen" and it will take a miracle for the Hurricanes to win this game. I fully expect them to come out strong in the third period despite Marc-Andre Fleury stopping every opportunity after the first soft goal.

Third Period: Carolina came out with a valient effort, but it's more of the same from Fleury in goal. I was more interested in watching Livan Hernandez finish his 127-pitch complete game for the Mets, giving up one run as the Mets scored six, paced by Gary Sheffield's three-run home run. When I turn back to hockey, the Hurricanes still can't find the back of the net and the Penguins are going back to the Stanley Cup Final after scoring an empty-net goal to make it a 4–1 victory.

Side note: The end of the NBA Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 2 was unbelieveable. That's the only word I could utter after Hedo Turkoglu and LeBron James traded buckets in the last second.

Dodgeball

2009-05-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Alumni Dodgeball at Allen-Stevenson on Thursday was a blast for the second year in a row. This time, we got to use real dodgeballs (small kickballs) so we could leave some bruises and feel pain. There was plenty of pizza, beer, and Gatorade to go around to help heal the wounds. :) Seven people from my class (2003) were there, and I got to hang out with four of them afterward for the first time in years. We played pool at one of my friend's favorite places, and a 30-ish woman watched our first game then wanted to play with us for the rest of the night; it was an odd situation, especially for a late Thursday night, but she might be seen again.

All of this came after what seemed like another waste of two days, this time trying to actually sell the advertising space because owners weren't there, stores didn't have money, or they just weren't interested. I've got to get it done next week!

A waste of two days

2009-05-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Instead of being in Pennsylvania and trying to sell advertising time for my summer job with the Philadelphia Force, I had to sit in 60 Centre Street for two days just to wait to tell them that I did not have the time to serve in their trial. Oh, the wonders of jury duty. Hopefully, I can be useful next time.

Lehigh Choral Arts in Portugal and an introduction

2009-05-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

First, an introduction: I'm Brandon Franz and these are my thoughts on my interests and activities.

I was on tour with Lehigh Choral Arts from May 6 - May 15 in Portuguese cities Lisbon, Sesimbra, Palmela, Évora, Cascais, Sintra, and Estoril. We sang at three different churches and a palace, and as Doc said, each performance was better than the last. I thoroughly enjoyed them despite singing much less pieces than members of University Choir. The last performance was moving and sounded great.

The best day in Lisbon was after we were dropped off at Rossio Square for a free afternoon and evening. I had a liter of beer with lunch, we found a free wine tasting store after that, then two bottles of beer, and another liter with dinner at Republica de Cerveja, the Republic of Beer. The beer that runs Portugal is Super Bock. Another defining quality of Portugal is their hamburgers with mystery meat and an egg. For a foreign country, they sure produce some great hamburgers, especially at four in the morning.

Sergio was a good tour guide, taking us through churches, palaces, and city tours. Most of the group took his suggestion to atttend a soccer game, in which Lisbon's worst team out of three, Belinenses, lost 5-0 to Braga in Liga Sagres, the other beer that had high sponsorship in Portugal.

I had two casino experiences: in Lisbon, I lost 70 euro; in Estoril (apparently the biggest casino in Europe), I won 20 euro, both times playing roulette and discovering video roulette. I also found 20 euro on the ground one day, so that's a decent total. There was graffiti everywhere, except on public transportation, it seemed. It was a great trip that we were able to enjoy because we stayed in one hotel the whole time and had some free time to work with, both unlike in China.