In every sport, rookie hazing happens.
In some sports it’s a little harsh, but in baseball bullpens, it’s generally carrying around a really girly bag.
Or in the case of the Oakland Athletics, a unicorn attached to a Hello Kitty backpack.
And it has become a thing.
So much so, that the A’s will be giving away Unicorn Backpacks to attendees on August 24th. LINK
Is it bad that I want to go to Oakland, just so I can get a backpack?
During the week I don’t generally wear a watch, but as more smart watches come out, and the features improve, their is one watch that I have been looking at for months, and can’t wait until the announcement and release (which may very well be announced tomorrow!).
That watch is the Moto 360.
It is all still rumors until that inevitable announcement, but the biggest question, and what will ultimately help me decide if I want to buy it or not, is how long the battery life is.
With wireless charging, charging at home certainly won’t be a problem. But if the battery life is poor, it would deter lots of buyers.
Information already floating around (and certainly not confirmed by Microsoft) includes a price tag of around $250, which may be cheaper when bundled with the as-of-yet non-announced Moto X+1. <On that note, I currently have, and love, the Moto X, and would definitely be open to an upgrade when it comes out!>
The phone will also be compatible with any Android 4.3 and up, and is said to run Google Now, suggesting that it will be voice commanded, and include things such as your calendar, and GPS/Maps.
This will also be the first Smart Watch with a rounded face, and is supposed to have different bands, including leather and metal.
I went yesterday to the Bronx Zoo. I go there all the time, but this is the first time I’ve gone in the summer in a few years.
As such, I was able to go on Wild Asia, which is usually closed when I am there, and all the exhibits had a lot more animals then I remember, as they are all out in the gorgeous weather.
Below I’m gonna throw a bunch’a pictures, and give some back story when I have any.
This was taken on the Wild Asia ride…in which the deer roam free, with over 70 deer in the exhibit – It was incredible to see!
These bad boys were also on display there, and are always fun to see.
The lions last summer had baby triplets! On display was the mother, older sister, and the triplets. They are a little far away, but still a sight to see.
Update: I misspoke. These were actually quadruplets!!!
Tiger Mountain
The final three pictures are from Tiger Mountain, which lets you get up close and personal with tigers!
BTW, as a side note: The tiger is my favorite animal, and this last pic, is exactly why.
This may surprise some people who read here, but this is not my first blog…nor is it my second…or third…
They have ranged in topics, from sports to life, and everything in-between.
Also they have been under multiple names, which is why most people who read one of my blogs, probably haven’t read other blogs I’ve written.
But one thing I’ve done with my other blogs in the past, that I refuse to do with this one: Scheduled Posts.
It’s a simple method of putting something out every day. By typing when you have thoughts and ideas, and then putting them on a schedule, so that they will post every day.
With this blog, I have yet to schedule a post.
I write little notes to myself, to remind me of things I want to talk about. But every morning I have made it a point to write something out and post it.
It keeps my mind active and my fingers a’typing.
Of course now that I’ve written this, I’ve probably jinxed it all, and will start missing days…but it’s a thought I wanted to write about – as I am particularly proud of it – so I did 🙂
Most people these days don’t read a newspaper…ever.
I’m one of the few that still gets home delivery, of the New York Daily News, which my delivery guy delivers promptly two hours late every day; and I don’t really read (aside for Saturdays), but others at home do.
My paper of choice is USA Today. Sure, most of the stuff in there, and the problem with all papers really, is that the news is all old, in this day and age of Twitter and 24-hour news stations and websites.
Some of the things I look forward to are their circles at the top of every section, which are timely and generally related to the cover story. When they first unveiled these, Stephen Colbert picked on them, and the paper promptly responded to his task.
LINK
While I mostly ignore their Money and Sports sections (being that I work on a Business Network, and my Twitter feed is over-saturated with up to the second Sports News), I enjoy the “Roadmap to news across the USA”, in which they do a news story from every state, which falls in their main section.
The Life section also provides good entertainment news (as I have yet to really follow that stuff online, being that I only care about the bigger stories and not the mundane details), and of course their puzzles (ranging from Crosswords to Sudoku to other little things).
I suggest that people pick up an old-fashioned newspaper at least once a week, and just read through it, keeping up with the news.
But kindly choose an actual newspaper, and not a tabloid driven one. While the Wall Street Journal and USA Today are good choices, the New York Times isn’t bad either, but kindly stay away from the Daily News and NY Post if you are only going to be reading a paper once a week.
Quality over quantity.
As we have hit the off-season, it’s time to look at potential moves that the team may/may not/need to make.
This morning opens up the Buy-out period…which ends the day before Free Agency begins. Isn’t the off-season a wonderful time? 🙂
The biggest elephant in the room is obviously Brad Richards and the buyout. The way he has played this year, he has earned every dollar of his $6.7m contract. The bigger question becomes, is he worth that much money for the foreseeable future? Probably not, but I would NOT buy him out, and hang on to him, to give the long-term leadership that this team can use up front.
Other forwards already signed for next year – Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Derek Dorsett and Jesper Fast.
Defensemen signed for next year – Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Kevin Klein.
Goalies signed for next year – Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Talbot.
The biggest priority will be the resigning of the Restricted Free Agents, with Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello, and even John Moore, topping that list, and after that focusing on players like Derek Brassard and Justin Falk.
Our Unrestricted Free Agents, that I think may get some attention from the Rangers are Benoit Pouliot and Dominic Moore.
Expect to see Brian Boyle disappear the same way Prust did.
Anton Stralman, while he is a great player, will demand, and rightly so, Top 3 Defense $$. And on a team loaded with Top Defensemen, the Rangers would be dumb to throw that money at him…although they have been known to do it in the past…and it would be awfully nice to see him on the roster next year.
Daniel Carcillo and Raphael Diaz are both Unrestricted Free Agents, and likely won’t play in the Blueshirt again.
As for the Big C on the chest….
It comes down to Marc Staal and his pending contract extension. With 1yr/3.975m left on his deal, the Rangers are going to need him to commit to this team in the long term (in a deal similar to what Dan Girardi or McD received recently). If he does sign that deal, expect him to be Captain next year.
If he doesn’t resign, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Ryan McDonagh as the next Captain of the New York Rangers.
One final thought on Staal. If he isn’t extended this off-season, I fully expect him to be traded before the deadline next year, for a minimal of top draft picks and a 2nd Line defenseman.
I don’t want to touch on signings of Free-Agents, or trades, as that is a very vast pool to dive into…but reports of Jason Spezza wanting out of Ottawa, would be a nice fit in New York. And completely out of our grasp, is the fact that the rumors are that Eric Staal wants out of Carolina…and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting on the same team as Marc.
HERE IS MY CAPGEEK.COM 2014-2015 ROSTER
(Lines were not planned out, focused more on salaries)
CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
2015 New York Rangers
FORWARDS
Rick Nash ($7.800m) / Brad Richards ($6.667m) / Martin St. Louis ($5.625m)
Carl Hagelin ($2.250m) / Derek Stepan ($3.075m) / Chris Kreider ($2.750m)
Mats Zuccarello ($1.750m) / Derick Brassard ($3.700m) / Derek Dorsett ($1.633m)
Benoit Pouliot ($1.750m) / Dominic Moore ($2.250m) / J.T. Miller ($0.894m)
DEFENSEMEN
Dan Girardi ($5.500m) / Ryan McDonagh ($4.700m)
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Kevin Klein ($2.900m)
John Moore ($1.100m) / Dylan McIlrath ($0.703m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($8.500m)
Cameron Talbot ($0.563m)
BUYOUTS
Wade Redden ($0.000m)
——
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $71,100,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,085,000; BONUSES: $941,667
CAP SPACE (20-man roster): $3,015,000
Yesterday I went down to the Belmont race track, home of the Belmont Stakes, where California Chrome recently missed winning the triple crown.
This was my first time there, but the goal had been to watch a horse named after one of the anchors at Fox Business.
I give you Bartiromo:
I hung around for a total of three races, and saw some nice finishes.
Overall, it was a great experience, and one that I would definitely do again.
BTW, Bartiromo won by a good four horse lengths, after being reined in early. I made an 85% gain on my ‘investment’!
With the World Cup just days away. I figured I’d throw my predictions out there.
Bold denotes moving out of the group.
(#) denotes first or second finish in division, for seeding.
Group A
Brazil (1)
Croatia
Mexico (2)
Cameroon
Group B
Spain (1)
Netherlands (2)
Chile
Australia
Group C
Columbia (2)
Greece
Ivory Coast (1)
Japan
Group D
Uruguay (1)
Costa Rica
England
Italy (2)
Group E
Switzerland
Ecuador (1)
France
Honduras (2)
Group F
Argentina (1)
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Iran
Nigeria (2)
Group G
Germany (1)
Portugal
Ghana
USA (2)
Group H
Belgium (1)
Algeria
Russia (2)
South Korea
Bold denotes the Winner
Round of 16
Brazil vs. Netherlands
Ivory Coast vs. Italy
Ecuador vs. Nigeria
Germany vs. Russia
Mexico vs. Spain
Columbia vs. Uruguay
Honduras vs. Argentina
USA vs. Belgium
Round of 8
Brazil vs. Italy
Ecuador vs. Germany
Spain vs. Uruguay
Argentina vs. Belgium
Round of 4
Italy vs. Germany
Spain vs. Belgium
Consolation Match
Italy vs. Spain
Finals
Germany vs. Belgium
I am a big “cap” wearer, but have never before owned an NFL cap.
The reason was simple. I like to try on my caps before I buy them, and their is no NFL Shop in NYC. As for Lids…well I just find them overly expensive and I don’t like the styles they carry.
There are a few things I like in caps, such as adjustable backs (or fitted…except those are more expensive), and curved brims…both of which aren’t the specialty of Lids.
But on the night of the NFL Draft this year, I decided to buy myself a Dallas Cowboys cap. So I went online to the NFL Shop, and bought myself a cap.
This was inspired after I had seen a Tweet from the Cowboys, asking fans to guess their first round picks cap size. So naturally, I have no clue on cap sizes, I browsed thru other peoples guesses, and picked a number that hadn’t popped up before.
Three days later, my new Cowboys cap arrived in the mail…and I received a Tweet from New Era, congratulating me on winning the Cowboys Draft Contest, and a new fitted cap!
So suddenly, I’ve gone from zero NFL caps, to owning two very spiffy Dallas Cowboys hats!
Maybe now they will finally make the Super Bowl within the next decade…
With the Director of the movie The Social Network coming under fire for a recent Tweet, I figured this is as good a time as any to talk about the topic.
Let’s first look at the Tweet.
So he is picking on overweight flight attendants…I am gonna pick on weight on airlines.
While talking about fees for overweight passengers is great, and adding fees for overweight bags is nice as well. Why don’t they just make an average weight per person + luggage, as your boarding weight, and anything above that point costs more.
For example, if the Weight Per Passenger was set at 300 pounds, everyone would be allowed that much weight on the plane.
If you weigh the average of an American (155 for women and 195 for men <Source>) you would be able to bring upwards of 100 pounds worth of luggage with you on the plane, simply for the price of your ticket.
Sure, they may still limit each bag at 50 pounds (unless you pay overages), as we don’t want to blow out the backs of the workers, but someone like me (weighing well below the average), would be allowed more poundage of luggage then someone pushing the 300 pound limits.
It’s as simple as paying for your space and gas usage on the plane.
Aviously 