History Will Be Made.

It might as well be called "Championship Weeks," but yes folks, Lord Stanley's Cup and the Larry O'Brien Trophy will be awarded within these two weeks. So with that in mind, it's time to break these two matchups down.

STANLEY CUP FINALS

The Canucks are making their first Stanley Cup final since 1994, when they lost in 7 to the Rangers. Will this be the year they finally get it done? Remember, no Canadian franchise in the NHL has won it all since the '92-93 Habs did it against the Kings.

The Bruins are also back, for the first time since 1990, when they lost to the Oilers.

Both teams have outstanding goaltenders-Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas-who are both Vezina Trophy finalists (to be awarded at the upcoming NHL Awards), who should both be exciting to watch.

Game 1 begins Wednesday 6/1 in Vancouver. First two games are on NBC, with games 3 and 4 on Versus. The remaining games of the series-if necessary-will be on NBC. Every game of the series will be on CBC.

Game 1 6/1 @ Vancouver
Game 2 6/4 @ Vancouver
Game 3 6/6 @ Boston
Game 4 6/8 @ Boston
Game 5 6/10 @ Vancouver*
Game 6 6/13 @ Boston*
Game 7 6/15 @ Vancouver*
*-if necessary

NBA FINALS

It's the rematch of the 2006 Finals series, with the Mavs and the Heat meeting again.

The Mavs are fully stacked this season, with the acquisition of Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic from the Hornets. Dirk is in full form, and Jason Terry and Juan "JJ" Barea great from the interchange position. Shawn Marion is solid too. Could this be the year Jason Kidd finally gets a ring at age 38? He's been to the Finals before. Same could be said for Rick Carlisle, who has never got that far in the postseason. Who knows?

The Heat is led by first year coach Erik Spoelstra...sort of. The three prom queens-Boshie, Mr. Gatorade Wade and Queen James are pretty much the leaders of the club. Enough said.

Every game of the series is exclusive on ABC and ABC only, with Game 1 on Tuesday 5/31.

Game 1 5/31 @ Miami
Game 2 6/2 @ Miami
Game 3 6/5 @ Dallas
Game 4 6/7 @ Dallas
Game 5 6/9 @ Dallas*
Game 6 6/12 @ Miami*
Game 7 6/14 @ Miami*
*-if necessary

Go MAVS!

History will be made.

Congrats to...

The Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs!!!

2010-11 CHL PRESIDENT'S CUP CHAMPIONS!!!

In game 7 against the Eagles, John DeCaro was solid in goal, but even a late goal by the Eagles didn't do shit for them. Bugs won 2-1, and Jeff Kyrzakos was named playoff MVP. First championship for the Bugs since 2000-01, their final season in the Western Professional Hockey League, before the WPHL-CHL merger. That same season was their first at CenturyTel Center in south Bossier.

It was also noted that on the radio broadcast, Scott Muscutt will not be back to coach the Bugs next season. Or will he? Stay tuned.

The Bugs will host a celebration party at CTC on Sunday at 2pm. BE THERE, regardless if you're a Bugs fan!

Friday Jukebox 5.27.11

I was looking at the newest NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs promo and I see that a new single from Dierks Bentley, called "Am I the Only One?" is used as the background music in that ad. Not many people know that Dierks went to UVM and was roomates with Bruins goalie Tim Thomas for one year before transferring to Vandy and whilst in Nashville he began pursuing a country music career, and the rest is history. He has been a Preds fan from the start, so it was fitting to use his song in some ad that relates to ice hockey.

And to most of y'all, try to get out this Memorial Day weekend and be safe.

Passages This Week: 23-28 May 2011 **updated**

Three notable passages this week...

On Friday, WNBA veteran Margo Dydek passed away after being in a coma for nearly a week in Brisbane. She was 37, and the baby she carried also died as well. Dydek, one of the tallest hoops players in the world at 7'2", suffered a heart attack. She was currently a coach for the Northside Wizards of the Queensland Basketball League. Drafted by the Starzz in 1998, she led the league in blocks nine times.  In her years in the league, she also spent time with the Silverstars, Sun and Sparks before sitting out to focus on motherhood.

Taxi, "Grease" star Jeff Conaway, who was also on life support, passed away on Friday, aged 60. He was suffering from pneumonia.

CNBC anchor Mark Haines passed away on Wednesday unexpectedly at age 65. He was a show host there for all the 22 years the channel has been called CNBC (formerly Financial News Network). Also note, the link will get to the transcript and audio link from npr's ATC.

**UPDATED**
Late Friday night, Gil Scott Heron, a musician that laid down the foundation of hip hop music, also passed away, aged 62.

The "Macho Man": In Retrospective (conclusion)

This last part focus on his short lived run in TNA and his Slim Jim ads.

One week ago today...R.I.P. Why don't you snap into a Slim Jim today?

The "Macho Man": In Retrospective (part 3)

More of this weeklong tribute to the "Macho Man." Do you remember his run in WCW? I did!

Gents Baseball's Final Game as a Division I School, with pictures!

Saturday marked the final sporting event Centenary College of Louisiana has staged as a Division I school, as Gents baseball closed out their home and away season with an 8-5 win. A game that had a total of 100 minutes in delays due to inclement weather in and out, so bad I had to leave. Here's some photos of that very historical day...

Two seniors were honored-Derek Dalzell and Justin Kraft-before the game.

Perfect Saturday afternoon for baseball...

Even the dogs loved it! Until...

Rain. Took more than 90 minutes to delay because of it. Went to a Sonic down the road to get an OREO Blast. Play resumed, and then the rain fell again. I decided to leave after all. I wanted to get home and watch the Preakness. 

 

The "Macho Man": In Retrospective (part 2)

More of the "Macho Man" in Retrospective series. This time, it's the buildup of the Mega-Bucks v Mega-Powers at Summerslam '88. Macho Man and Hulk's promo...

How Savage and Hulkster formed the "Mega Powers"...

And now the match at Summerslam '88...

More throughout the week, including his WCW runs and the Slim Jim ads...

100th Post!

This is my 100th post for a blog that I started back in January. 100 posts in 5 months is not bad. I've been busy with studies and other things, so I haven't posted every day.

Now to some random ramblings, and all in the world of sport:

1. The second tennis grand slam is underway.

Sunday marked day one, and even though Ryan Harrison failed to qualify, some interesting stuff happened...

On the men's side, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer advanced, while a plethora of notables on the women's side got through this opening day such as Sam Stosur, Jelena Jankovic and Bethanie Mattek Sands. Flavia Pennetta, 18th seeded on the women's side is the first seeded opponent to go home early after her match, where she lost in three sets to Varvara Lepchenko.

Day 2 is Monday, where the featured players in day 2 of first round play. On the men's side, Nole Djokovic, Roger Federer, Gael Monfils, J.M. Del Potro, and Mardy Fish will take to the court, while on the women's side, defending French Open champ Fran Schiavone will take on Melanie Oudin, who as you all know had a surprising run to the semis in the '09 US Open. Top seeded Caroline Wozniacki will play tomorrow as well and so will Vera Zvonareva.

Remember for live timing and scoring and radio...clicky here!

2. No triple crown for the umpteenth year in a row. Shackleford derailed Animal Kingdom's plans, but AK made a last minute charge but fell short at Pimlico.

3. Centenary Gents baseball survived a 100 minute rain delay to win 8-5 over Oakland, Michigan in their last Division I event ever at the campus, before making the transition to D-III for financial issues. I have photos, and will share with you this week (hopefully).

That is all. Look for more of 'Macho Man: A Retrospective' all week long too. Stay tuned folks. That's all I want from you!

136th Preakness at Pimlico: Will the Quest Continue for Animal Kingdom?

Race 2 of the 2011 Triple Crown is set to go later today at Pimlico in Baltimore.

Will Animal Kingdom go 2 for 2?

As of now, the current odds:

11. Animal Kingdom 3-1
10. Dialed In 4-1
9. Mucho Macho Man 5-1
5. Shackleford 13-1
8. Dance City 13-1
1. Astrology 15-1
6. Sway Away 16-1
7. Midnight Interlude 18-1
14. Mr. Commons 20-1
4. Flashpoint 21-1
3. King Congie 25-1
2. Norman Asbjornson 30-1
12. Isn't He Perfect 30-1
13. Concealed Identity 40-1

Post time is 6:19 local time in Baltimore, live on NBC!

Friday Jukebox 5.20.11...

Re: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (1952-2011): A Retrospective post part 1.

Ooooh yeah! Today and throughout the days to come, in his honor, why not snap into a Slim Jim? Do it!

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (1952-2011): A Retrospective Post part 1

As you all know, the "Macho Man" succumbed to heart attack after a car crash on Friday. He was 58.

In memoriam, here is the WWF World title match at Wrestlemania IV between the "Macho Man" and the "Million Dollar Man." Savage captured the belt. This was a couple years before the "Macho King" gimmick.



More to come.

Gents Baseball: The Final Home Stand This Weekend!

I know I had to post this on my birthday, but beginning today until Saturday afternoon, you have four more chances to catch Gents baseball on its final homestand as a Division I school. They close out their 2011 campaign against Oakland in their last regular season Summit and D-I play on Thursday night at 6pm, and it continues with a doubleheader on Friday at 1pm, and the finale, a Saturday matinee at noon.

Two seniors, Derek Dalzell and Justin Kraft will be honored. Neither were among the 150-plus who walked onto the stage to receive their diplomas two weeks ago.

The Gents come in to this weekend 11-28 overall, 8-15 in Summit play. So come on out and support Gents baseball while you can this weekend as the "Farewell to Division I" tour comes to a close.

Coming Soon! Arnold Schwarzenegger as the 'Sperminator.'

If you haven't heard by now, the former California Governor is slated to star in the newest film in the Terminator series, an adult film that stars alongside the staffer whom Schwarzenegger impregnated with! That woman, according to a report at the Thirty Mile Zone, is identified, and so is her son, who has grown now.

The Sperminator. Look for it to head straight to DVD and to the adult pay-per-view channels. Also confirmed that Maury Povich will have a cameo appearance as well.

Harmon "Killer" Killebrew Died...

He finished his career with 573 home runs, and a .256 BA in 22 seasons of major league play with the Twins, Senators and Royals. On Tuesday, hall of famer Harmon "Killer" Killebrew passed away of cancer, aged 74. His 573 home runs ranked 11th all time in most home runs hit.

These are his complete stats.

NBA Playoffs 2011: The "Final Four"

FINALLY, we can all breathe a sign of relief now that the Grizzlies/Thunder series concluded Sunday afternoon. Now it's the "final four" that begins Sunday night with the East final between the Bulls and Heat and the West final between the Mavs and Thunder begins Tuesday night! Note that all four franchises have played in the NBA finals before at least once. So it's not a surprise to see some fresh blood that isn't the Lakers (LOL).

With that in mind...

WEST final
(3) Mavericks v (4) Thunder
Game 1 5/17
Game 2 5/19
Game 3 5/21
Game 4 5/23
*Game 5 (5/25), game 6 (5/27) and game 7 (5/29) if necessary. The entire series is on ESPN.

EAST final
(1) Bulls v (2) Heat
Game 1 5/15
Game 2 5/18
Game 3 5/22
Game 4 5/24
*Game 5 (5/26), game 6 (5/28) and game 7 (5/30) if necessary. The entire series is on TNT.

So there you have it, plus the East final tonight (5/15) is competing with Sharks/Canucks Western final game 1 on Versus. Lot's of channel changing there.

GO MAVS!

Friday Jukebox 5.13.11: One Love

Back on Tuesday 5/10, marked the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley's death. So with that in mind...

NHL Playoffs 2011: The "Frozen Four"

After last night, the "Frozen Four" of the NHL postseason in 2011 is set, with the Sharks advancing to the Western finals against the Canucks, while the Bruins and Lightning are in the Eastern final after completing their respective series early.

With that in mind...

WEST finals
(1) Canucks v (2) Sharks
Game 1 Sunday 5/15
Game 2 Wednesday 5/18
Game 3 Friday 5/20
Game 4 Sunday 5/22
*Game 5 (5/24), game 6 (5/26) and game 7 (5/28) if necessary.

EAST finals
(3) Bruins v (5) Lightning
Game 1 Saturday 5/14
Game 2 Tuesday 5/17
Game 3 Thursday 5/19
Game 4 Saturday 5/21
*Game 5 (5/23), game 6 (5/25) and game 7 (5/27) if necessary.

All games on both series can be found on the CBC and Versus/NBC.

On another front, the CHL President's Cup finals begin tonight (5/13) with game 1 between the Mudbugs and Eagles. Go Bugs!

US Women's World Cup Roster is Out...

The Women's World Cup is a couple months away, so with that in mind, US Soccer announced their 2011 Women's World Cup roster and here it is folks! This is from the US Soccer website.

FORWARD
8. Amy Rodriguez
12. Lauren Cheney
13. Alex Morgan
20. Abby Wambach

MIDFIELDER
5. Lindsay Tarpley
7. Shannon Boxx
9. Heather O'Reilly
10. Carli Lloyd
15. Megan Rapinoe
16. Lori Lindsey
17. Tobin Heath

DEFENSE
2. Heather Mitts
3. Christie Rampone
4. Becky Sauerbrunn
6. Amy Le Peilbet
11. Ali Krieger
14. Stephanie Cox
19. Rachel Buehler

GOALKEEPER
1. Hope Solo
18. Nicole Barnhart
21. Jillian Loyden

A few notes here:

• Some returning players including Solo and Wambach that played in the '07 Women's World Cup and at Beijing 2008.
• Solo's number changed from 18 to 1. The number 1 was occupied by Briana Scurry, who was a part of the US winning the '99 World Cup, however, Scurry is no longer on the squad (remember the conflict between Solo and Scurry in the '07 World Cup?).
• Wambach, at 5'11" is the tallest on the squad, whilst Rodriguez at 5'4" is the smallest.

So there you have it folks! The 21 that are Deutschland-bound for US women's soccer. The fun begins on June 28, with group play against North Korea! Wow what a match that will be (LOL).

Centenary Commencement 2011, With Pictures!

Before I begin...congrats to two factions. One is the CHL's Bossier Shreveport Mudbugs, going back to the CHL final for the first time in years, and to Animal Kingdom. Boy what a final turn run at Churchill!

Anyway, on a day where thoroughbred racing fans party and watch the day's action at Churchill that led up to the 137th Run for the Roses, spring commencement exercises have started all over the country.

Centenary College of Louisiana conducted their spring commencement exercises this past Saturday. I had about more than 10 friends graduating, mostly in theater department. I took over 40 pictures, but here's some of the best highlights of the day:

Seats inside the Gold Dome began to fill up.

Here they come!

The atmosphere.

Cazes and his white suit. Best worn by a male graduate this year.

Sunil Kaimootil receives his degree.

Ada Michelle Loridans receiving her degree. She has been in several films that were filmed in the Shreveport area.

Destin Bass receiving his degree in theatre.

Erik Champney receiving his degree. 

David Fitzgibbons receiving his degree in theatre.

Scott Gibbs receving his degree in theatre.

Rachel Havird receiving her degree in theatre.

Ashley Jackson receiving her diploma.

Kari Kennon receiving her diploma.

Natasa Draganic (Lavor), a former Ladies basketball player, receiving her diploma.

Emily Mwakitawa receiving her diploma in theatre.

Natasha Sebeyran receving her diploma in theatre.

Anne Farrell receving her diploma.

As for some of the graduates...

Erik (right) earned two degrees: one in theatre and the other in English. A local boy from Shreveport, Erik wrote the script for "Pangaea," which he was in back in September at MLP. His plans are unknown.

Emily (right) graduates with a degree in theatre. She is leaving Shreveport for NYC, and try and audition for stage shows. Good luck!

Destin (left) also graduates with a degree in theatre. His plans are unknown as of now.

I documented a few months ago about Ashley (right), and her reaching a milestone on the court, by going over 1,000 points in her career in her 4 years with Ladies basketball. We'll, the philosophy major is pursuing grad school. Good luck on her endeavors.

Scott (right) is a graduate of theater and has been in a lot of roles in productions at MLP, including recently in 'Big Love.' His career will go a new direction as he is moving to Florida and joining a theatre company there. Good luck!

 And finally, Anne (right). Like Ashley, she leaves Centenary with over 1,000 points in her 4 years on the court with Ladies basketball. She graduates with a degree in health and physical education. As for her future, she is unsure right now. She is a nice person, and so is her parents. I wish her good luck on her endeavors.

Also congrats to Ada Michelle. Read in Sunday's Times that she has filed a marriage license. Congrats! And so a new era begins. About 19 months to go, I hope.



2011 Triple Crown Season is Here!

It's that time again! The first race of the 2011 Triple Crown is here, with the "Run for the Roses." This is the time where fans will invade Churchill soaking up the day of races while sipping mint juleps. More fans will head to OTB sites to watch and bet on the race. Yes, it's not the Super Bowl of thoroughbred racing (that title belongs to Breeders Cup weekend), but it is a vital role in the industry. So with that aside, 20 horses were entered, but Uncle Mo (18) was scratched. And the live odds posted as of now at the Kentuckyderby.com, the race's official site:

8. Dialed In 5-1 (Nick Zito trainer, Leparoux jockey)
7. Pants on Fire 7-1
13. Mucho Macho Man 9-1
3. Twice the Appeal 10-1
15. Midnight Interlude 10-1
19. Nehro 10-1
1. Archarcharch 13-1
17. Soldat 14-1
4. Stay Thirsty 15-1
11. Master of Hounds 18-1
16. Animal Kingdom 21-1
14. Shackleford 23-1
2. Brilliant Speed 25-1
10. Twinspired 28-1
20. Watch Me Go 28-1
9. Derby Kitten 32-1
12. Santiva 33-1
6. Comma to the Top 35-1
5. Decisive Moment 36-1

And once again Uncle Mo, scheduled to go out at post 18, has been scratched.

So there you have it, post time is at 5:23pm CDT live on NBC!

As for my last minute picks
WIN: 8 Dialed In
PLACE: 19 Nehro
SHOW 3 Twice the Appeal (with Calvin Borel as the jockey!)

Enjoy!

Friday Jukebox 5.6.11

This week's Friday Jukebox is dedicated to all the college graduates nationwide, including at Centenary of Louisiana!

Fussy Cussy was a project from Montreal who released "La Vita" in 1976. The name is a nickname for Cussy Nicodemo, the main producer of "La Vita" and this track, "Don't Stop the Music," released in 1981. This track had the treatment thanks to Denis Lepage (Kat Mandu, Lime, Nini NoBless), so there's the awesomeness there. Enjoy!

For those attending and graduating at the Centenary commencement Saturday at 10:30am, hope to see y'all there!

RANT: NFL in Toronto!?

According to a report from the Ceeb, it seems that the Saints or Jags are destined as the teams to relocate to Toronto.

For fucks sake, I wonder what Mark Cohon will have to say. If the NFL has a team in Toronto, the CFL could die. Toronto is as American as it gets. Bills will once again have a game there in the SkyDome this year in regular season NFL play.

The Saints are Louisiana's team and are here to stay. Even their front offices say that. The Jags aren't leaving either. Also rumored that LA will re-enter the comp soon and are rumored to play at Dodgers Stadium. LA33 could happen, Toronto 34 won't. The CFL will be there to stay, because face it folks, CFL is older than NFL and CFL is better overall than the NFL. That's my view from someone who witnessed the US expansion era (1993-95) come and go, especially the Pirates.

So NO to an NFL team in Toronto in order to save the CFL's ass!

Reactions After the Announcement of Bin Laden's Death.

Such as this one...

And this one...



In Case You Haven't Heard By Now...

UBL IS DEAD!!! YEAH!!!

We can FINALLY breathe a sign of relief!

USA Wins.

FLAWLESS Victory.

FATALITY.

USA! USA! USA!