Mike’s Blog

Jason Taylor must really want that Defensive Player of the Year award, seeing as how the Dolphins have thrown in the towel on yet another season. Now he’s stooping to a politician’s level: running a smear campaign against Shawne Merriman, the only other player who has a shot at winning the award.

Taylor cites Merriman’s steroid suspension in award race - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

It’s funny listening to a guy who is offside on every freaking snap whine about how someone else is assaulting the integrity of the game.

I got the chance to check out the Opera web browser for the Wii this morning - what Nintendo is calling the Internet Channel, and here are some initial impressions after trying it out for about 10 minutes.

Scrolling is performed by pointing in one direction and holding down B, and how fast it scrolls depends on how close to the edge of the screen you’re pointing. This works pretty well. Most sites are too wide though, forcing you to scroll horizontally as well as veritcally. By default, text is very small and hard to read, at least with standard AV cables; I’m sure S-video or component will sharpen this up greatly, but it’s still very tiny by default. There is a zoom feature, however, which works well. Entering URL’s is easy enough, but the on-screen keyboard should have additional virtual keys for TLD’s: .com, .net, .org. Finally, although you can add/edit/delete favorite websites, I couldn’t seem to find an option to change anything but the display name when editing a favorite; it seems that if a URL changes, you’d have to delete the old one and re-add it, which seems silly to me.

All in all, a promising start. It works well for what it is, although improvements can (and should) be made. I look forward to being able to play Flash-based games within the browser from my couch.

Two weeks ago, I finally broke down and bought an Xbox 360. I’d been waiting for a deal, and I finally got a good one. Gamestop offered $80 in trade ($35 more than usual) for an Xbox and $45 for a Gamecube ($20 more), then tossed in an extra one-year warranty and a copy of Call of Duty 2 for no extra charge. I picked up Burnout Revenge and an S-video cable, and ended up paying $345 for a package that would have normally cost about $560. I’d been wanting a 360 for at least six months and just couldn’t say no to that deal. I also found a deal on Phantasy Star Universe and an extra controller through Amazon. The reviews for PSU have been poor, but I’ve always been a Phantasy Star nut so it’s worth a try for $40 off.

Then three days later, I finally managed to score a Wii at Target on Sunday morning. I’d been shut out on launch day at Walmart after waiting for 3.5 hours, turned aside at Gamestop on Black Friday after another hour and a half, and missed out at Nintendo World in NYC the following week by a mere 25 minutes. Along the way I picked up all the games and accessories I needed - three games (Super Monkey Ball, Zelda, and Excite Truck), a Wiimote, Nunchuk, two Classic Controllers, and even 8000 Wii Points from Circuit City (they were $5 off, which is like four free NES games. All I needed was the system - and Target came through for me. I also picked up a copy of Madden that morning.

Finally, we had to replace our digital camera - a Canon Powershot A70 - after I bounced it off my wife’s knee the other night. It wouldn’t focus anymore, and repeatedly tossing the camera to the ground to undo the damage only made things worse. We settled on the Powershot A540, which I just picked up today. This means we’ve gone from 3.1 megapixels to 6, from 3x zoom to 4x, and we can now shoot 640×480 video at 30 frames per second for about 8 minutes. Can’t wait to play around with this.

So… can anyone spare some change so I can get something to eat?

Time Warner sues DirecTV over NFL Network ads - Yahoo! News

Hilarious. Apparently, Time Warner doesn’t remember that it’s engaged in a little deceptive advertising itself. Do as I say and not as I do, eh boys?

Here are my choices for the Pro Bowl Ballot. I abstained from voting for offensive linemen and special teamers, because I don’t know enough to form an educated opinion.

QB
AFC: Peyton Manning (IND), Carson Palmer (CIN), Philip Rivers (SD)
NFC: Drew Brees (NO), Marc Bulger (STL), Alex Smith (SF)

RB
AFC: Larry Johnson (KC), Willie Parker (PIT), Ladainian Tomlinson (SD)
NFC: Tiki Barber (NYG), Frank Gore (SF), Chester Taylor (MIN)

WR
AFC: Laveranues Coles (NYJ), Chad Johnson (CIN), Andre Johnson (HOU), Javon Walker (DEN)
NFC: Anquan Boldin (ARI), Marques Colston (NO), Torry Holt (STL), Roy Williams (DET)

FB
AFC: Lorenzo Neal (SD)
NFC: Mack Strong (SEA)

TE
AFC: Antonio Gates (SD), Kellen Winslow (CLE)
NFC: Alge Crumpler (ATL), Jeremy Shockey (NYG)

K
AFC: Rian Lindell (BUF)
NFC: Robbie Gould (CHI)

P
AFC: Brian Moorman (BUF)
NFC: Mat McBriar (DAL)

CB
AFC: Champ Bailey (DEN), Rashean Mathis (JAC), Asante Samuel (NE)
NFC: Ronde Barber (TB), Walt Harris (SF), Charles Woodson (GB)

SS
AFC: Chris Hope (TEN)
NFC: Roy Williams (DAL)

FS
AFC: Kerry Rhodes (NYJ)
NFC: Ken Hamlin (SEA)

DE
AFC: Robert Mathis (IND), Aaron Schobel (BUF), Jason Taylor (MIA)
NFC: Aaron Kampman (GB), Leonard Little (STL), Julius Peppers (CAR)

ILB
AFC: London Fletcher (BUF), Zach Thomas (MIA)
NFC: Antonio Pierce (NYG), Brian Urlacher (CHI)

OLB
AFC: Keith Bulluck (TEN), Shawne Merriman (SD)
NFC: Lance Briggs (CHI), AJ Hawk (GB)

DT
AFC: John Henderson (JAC), Warren Sapp (OAK)
NFC: Fred Robbins (NYG), Kevin Williams (MIN)

KR
AFC: BJ Sams (BAL)
NFC: Devin Hester (CHI)

Articles like this bring a smile to my face.

When we destroyed them in the playoffs last year, Philly should have figured out that old and slow won’t cut it in the new NHL - but they did nothing to rectify the situation. Now they’re the worst team in the NHL, and firing the coach and letting the GM walk hasn’t helped either.

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving team.

Lately I’ve been hearing ads for something called HD Radio. It promises to be what HD is to television - amazing detail, improved clarity, etc.

Sounds great! Now I can listen to 15 minutes of commercials every 20 minutes in stunning hi-def!

Seriously people, I don’t need HD Radio - what I really need is for radio to stop sucking. Annoying, obnoxious DJ’s and overly long, too-frequent commercial breaks should be a thing of the past. There isn’t a single radio station in this town that actually plays what I want to hear without trying to sell me something every five minutes. And what’s up with a station that constantly refers to itself as “rock radio” yet has talk shows for nearly a third of the day? Give me a break.

Go to XM or Sirius, you say? No thanks. I have enough monthly bills as it is. I wish I had the money to add a proper iPod kit to my car. If that were the case, this post wouldn’t even exist. I’ve had very little luck with FM transmitters, and the power outlet in my car doesn’t even work anymore anyways.

As of a few weeks ago, I wasn’t even sure I was getting one…. but now, I must admit I’m getting Wii-eally excited about getting a Nintendo Wii. I can’t wait to be one of the millions waiting in line when it’s Wii-leased on the 19th. There will be plenty of games, new and old, to choose from; if I don’t feel like swinging the Wii-mote around, I can settle down with a Wii-make of a more traditional game.

I’m sorry, I got carried away there. That was totally uncalled for. I feel like such a Wii-tard now.

Sigh.

Time to show off my dog as well as my wife’s creative talents. If this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, you must be a Leafs fan:

I haven’t written for over a month, so I guess I should put something here, right?

I just got back late last week from a trip to the Oracle Openworld conference in San Francisco. It was my first trip to the Bay Area, and I took a couple hundred pictures, some of which I may even put up later. I also got to visit my godparents, who live in Sacramento and made the 1.5 hour drive to see me. All in all, a fun trip but a tiring one - walking up and down those hills is quite a workout!

I still haven’t gotten around to installing those new hard drives yet. I tried Vista for a little bit, but due to some weirdness I’m going back to XP until I feel a bit braver. Application support, at least for the apps I use, isn’t quite there yet. For example, I can’t even run Firefox unless it’s as admin. So I’ve been researching an unattended Windows install CD that integrates the latest patches and drivers for things like RAID - that way, if I need to attempt the install multiple times, I can save myself some work. I need to hurry up on this, as the wife has been itching to be able to use iTunes and Photoshop again.

Hockey season is upon us, and with the Sabres getting off to a 11-0-1 start, I have nothing to complain about. We picked a good year to get season tickets Now if only I could afford a new jersey…

‘Tis all for now - I keep telling myself I need to stay on top of this blogging thing. Who knows if I’ll ever achieve that.

So I was in Vegas this past week, and the last day we were there, my wife’s uncle says “Hey, if you’re looking for something to do, we could always go to Fry’s.”

They had Hitachi 500GB SATA hard drives, normally $229.99, on sale for $169.99 with a mail-in rebate to bring the price down to $129.99.  I bought 2.  They also had a 4GB flash drive, normally $169.99, on sale for $89.99 with another MIR to bring the price down to $69.99.

So much for keeping the credit card balances down.  Damn you Fry’s!

From nflgetreal.com: Time Warner Cable claims that despite not carrying the NFL Network, “In most areas, Time Warner Cable customers will see more than 100 live NFL games in 2006″.

Really? Let’s do the math, then.

There are 17 weeks in the NFL season. Each week, there are nationally broadcast games on Sunday and Monday nights. On Sunday afternoons, there are two broadcast networks who have two timeslots each - 1pm and 4pm (EST). However, only one network has doubleheader rights for each week. Therefore, the maximum number of games that a cable operator can possibly show in any given week is 5. 5 * 17 = 85.

What about the playoffs, you say? That’s 11 games. 85 + 11 = 96. Still short of 100.

OK, so surely Time Warner’s claim is saved by special weeks, like Thanksgiving and opening weekend. Week 1 had a Thursday night game and an extra Monday night game. There are two games on Thanksgiving. 96 + 4 = 100. What a relief!

But wait! There is no Sunday night game in Week 7 and no Monday night game in Week 17. Subtract 2. Now we’re back down to 98.

So what does this mean? Time Warner can only claim more than 100 games if they count preseason games - and nobody counts preseason for anything meaningful. Or worse yet, it means that Time Warner is claiming the 8 games on Thursdays and Saturdays that the NFL Network is broadcasting - a channel they won’t be carrying on their system.

While it’s only a difference of a couple of games, it’s another example of how Time Warner is fudging the math to deceive its customers. Shameful.

A few years ago, I tried to write a weekly column containing my thoughts on each week’s NFL action.  The experiment lasted exactly one week.  Proving that I am nothing if not stubborn and persistent, I’m giving it another shot.

So without further ado, some quick-hit observations after the first week of NFL action:

- This just in: Alex Smith may actually be a legitimate NFL quarterback. Sure, his stats (23/40, 288 yards, 1 TD, no picks) are padded by the facts that the Cardinals’ defense isn’t that great and the 49ers were mostly playing from behind, but he made good decisions and displayed a strong arm all afternoon. The 46-yard bomb to Antonio Bryant that got the 49ers in field goal range to cut the deficit to 7 was particularly impressive, as was another 52-yarder to Bryant earlier in the game that would have been a touchdown if not for a holding penalty. Smith looked beyond awful last year, but keep in mind that in addition to the usual rookie quarterback growing pains, Smith had the added pressure of playing for a franchise with a long history of great QB’s and had nobody to throw the ball to. After a year of experience under his belt, he now has Eric Johnson returning from injury, a tight end who might be the next Antonio Gates in Vernon Davis, a more competent #1 receiver in Antonio Bryant, and an emerging battering ram named Frank Gore in the backfield. Smith has a long way to go, but he might be finally showing signs of justifying the 49ers spending a #1 overall pick on him.

- This just in: JP Losman still isn’t a legitimate quarterback. He has progressed, certainly, but you do NOT retreat into your own end zone when it’s late in the game and the score is tied. Losman’s career thus far has been marked by inconsistency and poor decision-making, and although he wasn’t intercepted Sunday, he showed no signs of reversing that trend. The Bills are going to regret passing up on Matt Leinart, who had no business being on the board after the fourth pick, with the #8 overall draft choice. The guy they got instead, Donte Whitner, made a couple good plays including a nice interception and will be a very good player in the NFL, but the Bills haven’t had a decent QB since Jim Kelly retired.

- The Manning Bowl didn’t quite live up to the hype in my view. In 87 years and 12,000+ NFL games, one brother has never started against another at QB, and that’s quite an eye-opening fact. But this game was all about the run; namely, Indy’s inability to run the ball or to stop the Giants from running it. Tiki Barber picked up right where he left off last year with over 6 yards a carry, and the Colts looked helpless against him. Even Brandon Jacobs went off, averaging nearly 7 yards per rush. The Colts need to figure this out ASAP or there will be no 13-0 run this year.

- What an ugly hit Trent Green took against Cincinnati. It appears that Robert Geathers may have indeed been shoved into Green, and the hit probably looked worse than it really was because Green’s head was already so close to the ground, but the impact was still difficult to watch. Here’s hoping the Chiefs are being truthful about the fact that the injury isn’t as severe as it appeared.

- The Cardinals’ new stadium looks to be quite spectacular. How refreshing it must be for them to have 60,000+ instead of 10,000 of their own fans and 20,000 of their opponents’ fans. Just in time to save them from being moved to LA, I’m sure.

- Does anyone in the AFC East look like a contender to do anything besides win their own division? Didn’t think so. Despite the predictions I posted on Sunday, the division winner might end up being 9-7 with everyone else below .500. What a disaster.

- The beginning of the Reggie Bush era in New Orleans was a smashing success. Good thing they also picked up Drew Brees during the offseason, who knows a thing or two about how to get the ball to a star running back. Barring injury, Bush is going to be a main attraction for years to come, judging by Sunday’s performance.

- Willis McGahee, for all his big talk, will never be an elite back in the NFL if he continues to lose focus so easily. After failing to convert a fourth down deep in Patriots’ territory, he claimed he thought it was third down and that he’d have another shot. NFL players are paid far too much money to not know the game situation.

- Is Brett Favre sure that he didn’t make a mistake by not retiring? I guess he figured that being shut out was an achievement worth returning for.

- Terrell Owens, it should be obvious by now that you needed Donovan McNabb far more than he needed you. 314 yards and 3 TD’s in your absence should be proof enough.

- Chester Taylor is this year’s LaMont Jordan in the fantasy world.  Write that down.

- The Oakland Raiders are this year’s Houston Texans.  What a mess that situation is.

- Coaches who I predict will not be with their current clubs next year: Jeff Fisher, Tennessee; Marty Schottenheimer, San Diego; Brian Billick, Baltimore.  Mike Holmgren and Bill Cowher may decide to retire as well, but neither one of them are in situations as poor as the aforementioned three coaches.  Fisher’s situation is especially bad, in that he is saddled with a meddling owner and a front office that is regarded as poor by most, not to mention that his contract contains a clause triggered after this season that states the Titans must make him an offer equal to the five highest-paid coaches in the league.

That’s all for this week.  Hopefully Week 2 will provide as much juicy editorial fodder.

AFC EAST
Miami 11-5
New England 9-7
Buffalo 6-10
New York Jets 3-13

AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincinnati 10-6
Cleveland 8-8
Baltimore 5-11

AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis 13-3
Jacksonville 10-6
Tennessee 5-11
Houston 3-13

AFC WEST
Denver 12-4
Kansas City 9-7
San Diego 8-8
Oakland 3-13

NFC EAST
Dallas 11-5
New York Giants 10-6
Washington 10-6
Philadelphia 7-9

NFC NORTH
Chicago 11-5
Minnesota 6-10
Detroit 6-10
Green Bay 4-12

NFC SOUTH
Carolina 12-4
Atlanta 9-7
Tampa Bay 9-7
New Orleans 4-12

NFC WEST
Seattle 12-4
Arizona 8-8
St. Louis 7-9
San Francisco 4-12

Every NFL fan has been talking about Thursday night’s “Red Flag-Gate”, namely, when Dolphins coach Nick Saban threw out the challenge flag to have Heath Miller’s 87-yard touchdown catch reviewed. The play would have certainly been overturned, as replays conclusively showed that Miller’s toes touched out of bounds at around the 1-yard line, but the referees never saw Saban’s nonchalant toss because they were facing the other way, as the ball was snapped for the extra point less than a second later.

Sorry, Dolphins fans - there is no controversy here. Saban screwed up. And he knows it, admitting in his post-game comments that he had no one to blame but himself. His staff took too long to give him the go-ahead to review after looking at the replay, but it is still the coach’s obligation to make sure the referees are aware of the challenge. The referees cannot be expected to look to the sideline for a red flag when the ball is a split-second away from being snapped; what’s happening on the field, not on the sideline, is their primary focus.

Personally, I figure if a referee attempts to hit a penalized player in the helmet with the flag, then certainly a coach should try to hit the referee in the derriere with their flag. That’ll get their attention, I’m sure.

I’d just like to thank you fine, fine folks at TWC for not being interested in negotiating a national contract with the NFL Network.

See, I’d gotten used to having the NFL Network from my old cable company, Adelphia. But when you took over at the end of July and yanked the NFL Network without warning as your first order of business, I took notice. I soon learned that you’d allegedly been trying to negotiate a national deal, unsuccessfully, with the NFL Network for three years despite the fact that so many other TV providers (Adelphia, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network) didn’t seem to have problems doing so. It quickly became apparent that the real reason you don’t have a deal is because you want to make your subscribers pay extra money for the channel, and the NFL prefers its channel to be part of a more basic package.

So I switched. On August 8th, a SWAT team of DirecTV installers (seriously - three or four guys were at my house, including a supervisor) paid me a visit and put a shiny new dish on the top of my house. Now, not only do I have my NFL Network back, but I also have a better DVR and a couple cool new channels. Boomerang comes to mind - old Hanna-Barbera cartoons 24/7? Yes please. Most importantly, I now have NFL Sunday Ticket, which was the reason I had considered switching in the first place. All I needed was a reason to pull the trigger - and removing the channel I watch more than any other was motivation enough. I get to watch my 49ers once again even though they suck and, as such, probably won’t be on a national broadcast for another 5 years at least. Woot!

Good luck with that little FCC lawsuit, TWC. Your NFL Get Real site was hysterical, by the way. You claim that only the people who want the NFL Network should have to pay for it - but now that you’re getting rid of the network altogether, are you going to lower everyone’s bill? Of course you won’t. Oh, and one other thing - I can get DSL for half the cost of your cable internet. Yeah, it’s much slower, but I don’t really need super high speeds anymore. So don’t screw up my cable too, or I won’t hesitate to pull that trigger either.

Are you ready for some football? Now that I switched to DirecTV, I sure am!

(Some details on the FCC/TWC/NFL romantic triangle can be found right here)

If you’ve made your way here, then obviously: A) you’ve been told about the new site, B) you noticed that the old site expired and are really good with the Google, C) you’re a spambot.

The old site was 100% written by me. Although it was a fun and enjoyable learning experience, I haven’t had the time for months to continue working on it. Its lack of functionality in certain areas influenced me to refrain from posting, ie. “I don’t want to go hog-wild writing stuff because I’ll just have to fix things up later”. There comes a time when one must realize that others have more ability and more time to produce a more feature-filled, expandable, configurable, functional system; thus, I’m now using Wordpress.

So - new site, new domain name, fresh start. Maybe I’ll bring back some of the old content if I feel up to it. Maybe I won’t. Wasn’t much there worth keeping, anyway.