Best Dunk Ever?

This dunk is amazing. One question though, where's the defense? It takes some terrible defense to let something like that happen. I'm not complaining though.

Random Thoughts

Ah, so my blog is still not as organized as I want it to be. Ideally I'd like to get regular subjects for every day of the week. It also makes it tough that readers can't count on me to stick to one subject. Is it sports? Is it music? Is it pop culture? Who knows?

I will say this, with Fantasy Baseball coming up, I may update my progress in the Pete Rose Gambling All-Stars Keeper League. My keepers this year are Jake Peavey, Jon Papelbon, Brad Penny, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitski, and Adrian Gonzales. More on that closer to the draft (3/9). Instead, here are some random thoughts/opinions I have on different topics:

- Roger Clemens is lying his ass off. So is Barry Bonds. They'll both get off without jail time even if they're found guilty. I have to think that our tax dollars would be better served on improving the educational system, cleaning up the environment, or making more consistently good episodes of Family Guy. I also don't even care to put an * next to all of their records. Get a testing policy in place and for the love of God, MOVE ON!

- Couldn't care less about the US Government investigating the NFL/the Patriots. Taping signals is no big deal. That's why they create signals- to disguise calls. Baseball teams try to steal signs constantly, and when they're caught someone gets buzzed by a fastball. Football can institute the same kind of self-policing. I'll agree that taping a practice is pretty low, but I can't imagine taping a walk through would have much impact on a game. Maybe I'm wrong, but I still over this as well.

- Jack Johnson's new album is ok, but no terribly different that anything else he's done. I doesn't quite do it for me.

- Predictions for the MLB Season (I might edit this if any major injuries occur during spring training):

NL Division winners: Mets, Cubs, Diamondbacks NL Wild Card: Padres

AL Division winners: Angels, Tigers, Yankees AL Wild Card: Red Sox

- I'm really pumped to watch Semi-Pro this weekend. Combining Will Ferrell and ABA Basketball just seems like a great idea. Plus Will Arnett could be a huge wild card in that movie.

- Band I've been meaning to check out, but haven't yet: Rogue Wave

- Democratic Presidential Debates are boring, but probably better than Republican Presidential Debates if those existed this year.

- These videos are hilarious:





- Warriors fans are so starved for a championship that most of them are unrealistic about how good the team is.

That's all for tonight. I'm really excited for baseball season and spring in general. Stick with me while I make this blog more coherent. Until then, check out the new link on the side "Stuff White People Like."

Bears Re-Sign Grossman

Well, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this one. I want Grossman to succeed really bad, but he's continually made me look like an idiot when I support him. He does have a cannon-arm, but his decision making can be poor (to say the least) at times. In fact, a quarterback's decision making is far more important than how strong his arm is (look at Eli Manning.)

Well, here's to hoping Rex puts everything together and becomes the Bears' franchise quarterback that they've been hoping for.

NBA Trade Deadline

I will rarely post anything here about the NBA, but this 11 player deal between the Cavs, Bulls and Sonics has me interested. First, a recap of the trade:

Cavaliers get:
Bulls F/C Ben Wallace
Bulls F Joe Smith
Bulls 2009 2nd-round pick
Sonics F Wally Szczerbiak
Sonics G Delonte West
Bulls get:
Cavaliers F Drew Gooden
Cavaliers G Larry Hughes
Cavaliers F Cedric Simmons
Cavaliers G Shannon Brown
Sonics get:
Cavaliers F Ira Newble
Cavaliers F Donyell Marshall
Bulls F Adrian Griffin

Now, the first thing I find interesting is that two teams in the same division would make a trade. The Bulls have had an awful season, but oddly are still in the hunt for a playoff spot because the East is so terrible. I think it is helpful to get rid of Wallace's huge contract, and they picked up some good players in return. Had the Cavs only made a trade with the Bulls, it would not have worked out, but since they also got Wally World and Delonte West from the Sonics, I think they made a good trade as well. I'm assuming the Sonics are happy because they dumped some pricey contracts.

I don't think this changes the race in the East (Celtics, Pistons then Cavs) but it makes for some fun player movement! I will say all the trades from the last two weeks have me more interested in the NBA than I've been in some time. Or maybe I'm just passing the time until baseball starts... who knows?

Northgate vs. San Lorenzo

I went to watch my brother's first North Coast Section playoff game last night and his team, the Northgate Broncos, stomped the San Lorenzo Rebels 55-38. They were up 30-15 at halftime and to be honest, Northgate was probably underachieving. San Lorenzo was missing at least one started (due to an ejection in their previous game) and he must have been decent because without him, the Rebels were one of the worst basketball teams I've ever watched. They pressed the entire game with no success, they couldn't shoot outside, they couldn't finish inside; it was bad. Not that I'm complaining because it was good to see the Broncos get a playoff win. They have struggled the last few years they needed some momentum.

Next up is No. 1 ranked Hayward. My guess is that they'll press in a similar fashion except really make Northgate pay if they make any weak passes in the backcourt. NG should rely on their big guys to also get involved with the press break. They'll need to flash to the middle to distort the press. It should be an exciting environment so hopefully it's a great game.

President's Day: A Holiday For Sleeping In

My President's Day Holiday started off like every other President's Day- I woke up at 12:15pm Pacific Time. Once I popped my ridiculously jacked up back, I sat down for a breakfast of toast and Crystal Light. While eating, I watched the Andy Pettite press conference where he answered question after question after question. He came off very likable and honest. I think it's funny that many people who follow the steroids scandal want to make good guys or bad guys out of the figures involved. This really isn't a black and white issue. I can easily see where Pettite is coming from. He did something he didn't think he'd get caught for, then realized it was a mistake, and is honest and forthcoming about what happened.

While there is no real excuse for taking steroids or HGH, it is important to keep in mind that these ballplayers are playing baseball for their job. How many people have taken a long lunch, left a little early from work, copied just one homework assignment, or done something they weren't supposed to and gotten away with it? Most people have. Still, when you get caught, honesty is always appreciated even if consequences are levied anyway. My opinion on the whole thing is that we, the public, have no idea how deep this steroid problem goes, but if juiced pitchers pitch to juiced hitters, everyone is essentially even. The numbers can still stand. There's no sense in ex-sponging records or seasons, and asterisks are ridiculous. Let's make sure the current drug testing is in place and MOVE FORWARD.

Then I went to Safeway for some grocery shopping. I just moved to downtown Sacramento in late December, and I've realized that part of the utility of living here are the crazy people. I began my trip getting smaller items- lunch meat, bread, cheese- nothing special. I walked away from my cart to get milk, and all of a sudden I hear a cart near mine jolt forward. Upon looking over, it was actually my cart that was being taken. It reminded me of Dane Cook's joke about why you never leave your cart while shopping. Someone my see and think, "JACKPOT! THAT'S EVERYTHING I WANTED!" Fortunately, the guy was just a weirdo and not a thief. He quickly viewed the items there and realized his mistake. I just shrugged it off and continued shopping.

Overall, a decent day of rest, but a little weird.

Saved By the Bell vs. 90210

If anyone is bored today, check out THE MONEY SHOT blog and make your case for the more dominant 90's show. There has been some spirited debate which is worth a look even if you're not commenting.

Enjoy the weekend!

All My Loving

Hey! It's Valentine's Day and here's my list of the Top 10 Most Romantic Beatles' songs. Look, I can't claim it's perfect because the Beatles have hundreds of great love songs, but I love ranking things:

10) From Me To You - Has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. I remember requesting to hear it on our frequent road trips from Ohio to Chicago. It's a very poppy tune and I love the harmonica lines.

9) Here, There and Everywhere - Off the "Revolver" record. It's a very soft ballad that has Paul on top of his game.

8) Michelle - Another Paul tune that has some lyrics in French.

7) She's A Woman - Love isn't about material things, but more about thoroughly enjoying and loving your significant other. It covers all that, and it rocks!

6) Eight Days A Week - They needed to add another day of the week to make this song work. Next up, 25 Hours A Day! You'd get an extra episode of Kiefer if we could make that work.

5) If I Fell - A recovering broken heart putting itself back out there. I think most people can relate.

4) All My Loving - one of their phenomenal early works that helped put them on the map. 2 minutes and 10 seconds rarely has been used more efficiently.

3) Got To Get You Into My Life - Another number off "Revolver." The horns are arranged perfectly (so perfectly that I'm pretty sure Oasis ripped them off for "Round Are Way.") Reminds me of Robin Williams' line from "Good Will Hunting"- "I'm going to see about a girl."

2) I've Just Seen A Face - This is quite an over-looked song, though not so much anymore after it was featured "Across the Universe." The song has always been one of my favorites. Great acoustic guitar layering and simple but touching lyrics.

1) Something - George Harrison's finest song. I'm a bit bias because I personally play the song often, but it's such a well written song. The lead guitar, the chord progression, the lyrics. Well done Mr. Harrison!

Notable songs left off: All You Need Is Love, I Feel Fine, Hold Me Tight, And I Love Her

Looks like the list was dominated by Paul, but George grabs the #1 spot.

Has Anyone Ever Done That?!

With Glenallen Hill offering an apology for steroid use today, I thought we'd take a look back at one of his proudest moments.

I love when Chip Carey yells, "It's got to be the shoes, it's got to be the shoes!" Hmmm... seems like it was not the shoes...

Oh well, it's still a helluva homerun.

Knowledge is Power!

Roger Clemens' wife used HGH also? The argument used to be, "We need to stop steroids because the youth of America (and the world) need to know they aren't healthy to use." Now we have to send out PSA's to middle-aged housewives?
Cue the slow, melancholy piano and Eric Roberts steps out from off camera. "Just because HGH helps sustain youthful looks and increases athletic production, doesn't make it right. It's against the law, citizen." The more you know.

I guess I'm either really sick of this story, or really intrigued. Maybe T.O. can do something crazy to take the media attention away from the steroids issue- like admit to taking steroids- wait. That won't work.

Never Understood This

Schilling gets a Cortisone shot for his shoulder.

Definiton of Cortisone shots are that they are steroids.

Cortisone occurs naturally in the body, but so does HGH. Why are Cortisone shots not cheating, but HGH shots are? What is the difference? Are there any experts on the subject who could shed light on this?

Mixed Up Monday

Random thoughts from the weekend:

- I attended the Northgate High School basketball game on Friday. They upset Miramonte by 10 points. This makes me happy because my brother Matt is on the Northgate team and because I dislike the Miramonte basketball team. Ken Dorsey's Matadors ended my high school career with an overtime win. We've always had quite the rivalry. Congrats to the current Broncos and hopefully that victory will help you all work even harder to bring the program back up to where it should be.

- I saw National Treasure 2 over the weekend. The movie was pretty good. If you liked the first one, you'll like the second one. It was just good to hang out with my younger brothers.

- I looked through a lot of old things at my Mom's house. I threw away old Transformers that were broken (I probably would've sold them if they were in sell-able condition.) I threw out many old shirts, cards, and memorabilia that I no longer need. I found an old Oasis shirt I bought at a concert my sophomore year in high school. I also found those tiny plastic NFL helmets you could get in the "put in a quarter and turn" vending machines. Some of them are not in bad condition!

- I played last night at the G Street Pub in Davis (as I do every Sunday) and it was far less eventful than last week. However, that may not have been a bad thing! It was a more normal drinking, laughing and clapping rather than extreme drinking, cussing and fighting.

Goals for this week: sign up for a gym membership in Sac, record at least one demo song on my Mac, have a romantic Valentine's Day.

My Favorite Part...

... about the Giants winning the Super Bowl is that Tiki Barber is not there. Coach Coughlin is admittedly an "old school" style coach that Tiki did not get along with. He called out his coach last year during the season and created tension in the locker room. Everyone seemed to love Tiki's charismatic smile, so many people ran with the idea that Coughlin lost control of the locker room, etc., etc. Nevermind the fact that Coughlin built the Jacksonville Jaguars into a successful franchise (they are still tough due in large part to some of Coughlin's players/draft picks.)

Not only that, but then Tiki announces his retirement mid-season last year. I will never support an athlete who announces their retirement mid-season. Do it before the season starts, or after it ends. Don't do it in the middle. Making that announcement affects your teammates, and in my mind, helps you mentally relax. It's a selfish move, Tiki.

Last but not least: Tiki retires and gets a job doing commentary for NBC. In his first day on the job, he calls out Eli Manning for not being a leader. He wanted Eli to be a more vocal leader- more animated. Now, if that's his opinion, that's fine. But c'mon- wait at least a couple weeks into the season. If Eli struggled, then you can bring it up. It seemed to me that Tiki was just carrying a public grudge against Eli. To be clear, I even agreed with Tiki in his opinion (I guess I disagree now), but for an ex-teammate to go on TV and immediately rip your leadership ability is not ok. To be honest, it probably motivated the current Giants to rally around Eli, so in a way, maybe it was helpful.

Tiki, keep carrying the weight of your ringless fingers. If you feel really bad about it, at least you can look at your twin brother's ring from time to time. I'm so happy you retired to not be a part of the Giants team- however, the Giants may not have even earned a trip to the Super Bowl if you were still there.

This Time Around

My 2nd record has been in the works for quite awhile. I want to make sure it sounds great before it goes any further. I also want to make sure that I can do it in an efficient manner to conserve funds. So far, four songs have been recorded and are close to completion. As You Wish, Astronomy, Kids Playing Guns In the Street, and What's Inside. I also recorded three other songs, none of which I'm overly thrilled with (For Better or For Worse, Dial Me Up, and This Time Around.) This Time Around will be re-recorded along with Second Rate Song. Shallow Water Blackout, Neon Sign, 50 Stories, and two others will move forward.

I will be putting updates and progress reports here, so check back early and often. This album will rock much more than "Tonight I Confess" so I hope you're as excited as I am.

Greatest Hits (3)

"My Younger Days"

The Wall of Fame from Excel in Basketball Camp

Greatest Hits (2)

"The Making of Tonight I Confess"

I had been planning for a while to write up some extra information on my new album. When it is released I want to give anyone who listens to it some background on how I wrote the songs, my inspirations, how the songs were recorded and ultimately came out in the form that they did. Then I thought to myself, "Why didn't I do this for my first album?" Well, there are probably a lot of reasons, but I've decided to do it now. Some of this information may be pretty personal and some of it is just fun, but I felt like it might add to the listening pleasure. Especially since we are on the one year anniversary if it being released.

The first thing that must be noted, is that most of the songs were written after I graduated college. I was suffering from a broken heart, but I needed time to collect my thoughts. I've found that my most successful songs tap into extreme emotions after the fact. I typically am too depressed to actually write a song right after a severe event in my life happens. I have to take note of the emotions, and document them in a song later. Once I begin writing a song, I take liberties with the situation. Not every detail of a song relates exactly to the situation that originally inspired it. Sometimes I'll take an emotion from a different experience that completes the idea of the song, but isn't necessarily true to the actual events that I write about.

I also draw strong influences from other artists. I know that Wilco, Jackie Greene, John Mayer, and Neil Finn were all major influences on the writing of "Tonight I Confess." In fact, the truth of the matter is that I began learning to play harmonica after seeing Jackie Greene play a few years ago. Soon after I started learning, I wrote "Last Train," "Perfect For Me," and a number of other songs that didn't end up on the record (some of which will be on the new one.) There is also a small influence based on what music you are listening to during the recording sessions. If I'm not mistaken, I was listening to Death Cab for Cutie, Better Than Ezra, Bright Eyes, Jason Mraz, and Wilco a lot during the sessions. Being that this record is more acoustic than not, these influences did not impact the record as much as they could have.

As for the recording sessions, "Second Rate Song," "Love For Me," and "Things She Said" were all recorded together. "Things She Said" almost didn't get recorded (in its place would've been a song called "Sweet Side") but my friend told me she liked "Things" a lot and that it was pretty catchy. I decided to go with that as an endorsement for the song. I feel like this was a great decision in the long run because it fits the mood of the record far better than its conterpart. I physically made about 40 or 50 copies of these songs as an EP. Once those were gone, I decided that I needed more songs. I went back to recording with my friend Karl (who has recorded everything I've put out so far.) We recorded "Last Train," "Forever & Again," "A Girl I Know," and "Box of Photographs" in one session. I then listened to the rough cuts and went back in later to re-do some vocals and lay down keyboards. During that session, I also recorded "Perfect for Me." "Perfect for Me" was done pretty quickly in the grand scheme of things, but I think it is one of the strongest songs on the record. It is also one of the few songs that I've ever written for someone else, but I'll get into that in a bit.

"Last Train" - clearly written about my ex-girlfriend. I was so excited when I wrote this song I started calling people to play it for them over the phone. It was one of the first songs I wrote using the harmonica. It also uses a funkier chord structure than a standard 4 chord verse. I had written so many songs on the subject of my ex, that this one marked a statement in my own head that said, "Alright, here's a really, really good one, but after this I'm done." I don't know if I've totally stuck to that rule because that life experience comes in handy when writing songs, but I'll never stop being proud of this one.

"Second Rate Song" - This song was inspired by someone I didn't even date. I liked her, but the feelings were not mutual (though I think it had a lot to do with my poor timing.) There was an acutal event where I expressed my feelings for her (yes, it was during the night hours) and she shot me down. The next day, I felt a little disappointed, but more relieved. I was happy to have put myself out there and also was happy that I could move forward. The situation showed me a lot about myself and I wanted to write a good song about it.

"A Girl I Know" - By far the oldest song I ever play. I wrote this song in high school. It was inspired by my friend whose parents had a strict curfew. The rest of the song flowed out of that. My band in high school played the song people typically liked it due to it's poppy nature. This is the exact reason it was included on the record. I needed something poppy and decided this was the song. I like the addition of the harmonica and the subtraction of everything else but vocals and acoustic guitar.

"Box of Photographs" - inspired by an actual box that sits underneathe my bed. There are photos, concert tickets, birthday cards and other memoribilia in it. I'm proud of this song due to it's switch in keys. It goes from a funky A major to a funky A minor. The bridge vocal layering was semi-inspired by Beck and I love the organ in the background. I would probably do this song a bit differently now, but overall I'm pleased with it. Also, I never would've written this song without hearing Death Cab for Cutie's "Title and Registration."

"Love For Me" - written years ago when I went to a concert with my then-girlfriend. She got a beer dumped on her due to me mouthing off (I've learned my lesson on this one) and I felt horrible. I wrote the song out of guilt and love and have liked it ever since. It has a fairly catchy and the rhythmic chorus that usually keeps an audience's attention. I usually add in extra lyrics when I play this live, or I mix in the chorus from "Love Song For No One" by John Mayer.

"Forever & Again" - Very creepy song. I originally wrote this song about a man from my old high school who was a great friend and he ended up committing suicide. The lyrics didn't work and re-did the lyrics many times. Eventually, the sense of longing for a broken relationship served the music the best and I kept it. This song was recorded over a drum track that I eventually deleted because it didn't sound right. I love the bass in this song and the electric rhythm guitar. They enhance the mood of the song a lot.

"Things She Said" - inspired by a Christmas card that was written by an ex-girlfriend to my mom, this basically is about someone breaking up with you and telling you to move on. It is hard to let go because of how much emotion and maturity take place during a relationship. I think this song also points to how you should not take a relationship for granted because as it begins to end, emotions spill out that you forgot were there. This is also the only song I ever play that is written in drop-D tuning. The chorus is layered with a soft guitar riff that was originally distorted and delayed. I chose the acoustic route because it sounded better in the context of the song and album.

"Perfect For Me" - written for my friends Kevin and Lydia for their wedding. I actually played it during the reception and was very proud to have done so. I thought it was too simple when I first wrote it, but the song grew more and more as I played it. A lot of the lyrics were based on conversations I had had with Kevin before he even met Lydia. He was having problems with other girls and we would take about it often. When he met Lydia it was a lot different. They clicked on a different level and I tried to convey that as well in the song. I recorded the song partially because I thought it was good, and also to make sure that Kevin and Lydia had a copy of it that they could keep and listen to whenever they wanted. It was an honor to be in their wedding and write this song for them.

That's it for this album. Hopefully that gives you some further insight into my music and makes you want to listen to it again (or for the first time possibly.) I'm always striving to write better songs find different arrangements for them. I look forward to releasing the next album, so stay tuned to that. Until next time...

Greatest Hits

I'm going to post some of my better posts from my Myspace Blog to start this one up. Don't worry, fresh material will be coming out of the oven soon.

"Stuff and Nonsense"

I haven't posted on a blog in quite some time! But here are some random thoughts:

- RIP Joe Kennedy, Casey Calvert, and Sean Taylor. All guys in their 20's dying for no good reason. I'm especially interested in the results for why Kennedy and Calvert died because, as a 26 year old myself, I want to know if I need to be aware of any harmful conditions out there.
- I've been to a lot of weddings recently. They've all been fun and I wish every couple nothing but the best! I've also played "Perfect for Me" at three weddings now. Each performance was very special (and a little different) and I am honored to have been involved.
- I love the Beatles.
- I also love Flight of the Conchords. Those guys are hilarious.
- There are times during the day when I put on "Training Montage" from Rocky IV to get my focus back. 60% of the time it works every time.
- Devin Hester is the best return man ever to have played American football.
- It is easy to break the habit of working out every day when you have a lot going on. It is also easy to participate in my high school alumni basketball game out of shape and not play well.
- After not living with my friend Sean for almost six months, I've learned that I enjoyed living with him a lot. However, I do watch a lot less of ESPNews.
- Carnivale is the best TV show ever.
- Macs are better than PCs. By a lot.
- I'm writing this blog on a PC. Go figure.
- Occasionally, the legal system benefits people who do not deserve the help. It also can work against good and decent people.
- Unlimited money does NOT buy you happiness. Though a little extra cash in your pocket does feel good.
- Honesty goes further than you might think...
- I love comedians with wit and confidence. I hate comedians that swear to make up for the fact that they are not funny.
- Bob Dylan writes great lyrics.
- The National could be the most underrated band I've ever heard.
- College Football should be more interesting than it is.
- Chicago is a great city.
- If you are a musician that plays similar music to me; it is not necessary to do acoustic rap covers. It's not original anymore. I promise.
- If you attend any smaller concerts and throw out a request, don't badger the musician if they don't KNOW how to play the song you want to hear. Trust me, the musician can't call Tank outside the Matrix and ask for a program to learn how to play that Steve Miller Band song your drunkass wants to hear.
- Anytime you pick up tickets at Will Call, have your picture ID ready. It helps everyone.
- Red, red wine is better than white wine.
- Rockstar and vodka is a really fun drink when used for the forces of good.
- I have a pain in my neck that won't go away. It's not a metaphor. It's a real pain.
- Playing on stage is the most fun I've ever had.

The Beginning of the End

Well, I finally have a blog. I've debated getting one for awhile. I haven't 100% planned out what the content will be, but it will be a mix of music commentary, sports commentary, and pop culture commentary (if you can call it that.) I will also use it to chronicle the making of my next album. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it and feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

Hey Thanks!